Advice? 5 days after lumpectomy w/lymph removal, horrible pain
Hi,
Stage 1, no HERS diagnosis yet
I've posted a few times before, and you guys were amazing, so I thought I would get your take. On 5/14, I had a lumpectomy with 3 lymph nodes in my armpit removed. I have two about 3 inch-long incisions -- one on the side of my left breast, near my ribcage, and one in my armpit. I was told to wear a very tight post surgery bra, and not to remove it for 3 days, and then I could shower. I had some general pain in my breast and increasingly sharp pain in my armpit.
After I took off the bra to shower, I put it back on, and the sharp pain in my armpit started to increase. The incision in my armpit looked red and swollen, and was leaking fluid -- not pus. I called my surgeon yesterday and she saw me and said the pain was from fluid build-up. She took a large needle and removed a lot of fluid. She told me I needed to wear the bra again for the next two weeks.
I tried to put the bra back on, and the pain was back, worse than before. If I don't wear the bra, there is very little pain.
Why should I wear the bra? What happens if I don't?
Thanks!