Open Breast Biopsy: What to Expect at Home (2024)

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

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

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.