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Open Breast Biopsy: What to Expect at Home

Your Recovery

An open breast biopsy is surgery to remove abnormal breast tissue. The breast tissue will be sent to a lab, where a doctor will look at the tissue under a microscope to check for breast cancer.

Your doctor may have some answers right away. But it can take up to 1 to 2 weeks to get the final results. Your doctor will discuss the results with you.

For a few days after the surgery, you will probably feel tired and have some pain. The skin around the cut (incision) may feel firm, swollen, and tender. The area may be bruised. Tenderness should go away in about a week, and the bruising will fade within two weeks. Firmness and swelling may last 6 to 8 weeks.

Your incision may have been closed with strips of tape or stitches. If you have strips of tape on the incision, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off. If you have stitches, your doctor will remove them in about a week.

This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to get better as quickly as possible.

How can you care for yourself at home?

Activity

Rest when you feel tired. Getting enough sleep will help you recover.
Try to walk each day. Start by walking a little more than you did the day before. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk. Walking boosts blood flow and helps prevent pneumonia and constipation.
For 2 weeks, avoid strenuous activities that put pressure on your chest or that involve vigorous movement of your upper body and arm on the side of the biopsy. Examples of these might include strenuous housework, holding an active child, jogging, or aerobic exercise.
For 2 weeks, avoid lifting anything that would make you strain. This may include heavy grocery bags and milk containers, a heavy briefcase or backpack, cat litter or dog food bags, a vacuum cleaner, or a child.
Ask your doctor when you can drive again.
You will probably need to take 1 or 2 days off from work. This depends on the type of work you do and how you feel.

Diet

You can eat your normal diet. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.

Medicines

Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines.
If you stopped taking aspirin or some other blood thinner, your doctor will tell you when to start taking it again.
Take pain medicines exactly as directed.
- If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed.
- If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
If you think your pain medicine is making you sick to your stomach:
- Take your medicine after meals (unless your doctor has told you not to).
- Ask your doctor for a different pain medicine.
If your doctor prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.

Incision care

If you have strips of tape on the incision, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off.
Wash the area daily with warm, soapy water, and pat it dry. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, which can slow healing. You may cover the area with a gauze bandage if it weeps or rubs against clothing. Change the bandage every day.
Keep the area clean and dry.

Other instructions

For the first 3 days after surgery, wear a supportive bra all the time, even at night.

Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse advice line (811 in most provinces and territories) if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take.

When should you call for help?

Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:

You passed out (lost consciousness).
You have chest pain, are short of breath, or cough up blood.

Call your doctor or nurse advice line now or seek immediate medical care if:

You are sick to your stomach or cannot drink fluids.
You have pain that does not get better after you take pain medicine.
You cannot pass stools or gas.
You have signs of a blood clot in your leg (called a deep vein thrombosis), such as:
- Pain in your calf, back of the knee, thigh, or groin.
- Redness or swelling in your leg.
You have signs of infection, such as:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
- Red streaks leading from the incision.
- Pus draining from the incision.
- A fever.
You have loose stitches, or your incision comes open.
Bright red blood has soaked through the bandage over your incision.

Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor or nurse advice line if:

You have any problems.
You have new or worse swelling or pain in your arm.

Where can you learn more?

Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd

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Care instructions adapted under license by your healthcare professional. If you have questions about a medical condition or this instruction, always ask your healthcare professional. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.