On the day of breast cancer surgery

Meeting the team

You see your surgeon on the day of your operation. They will explain:

• what they are going to do

• the possible side effects

• where you’ll have scars

• what to expect after the operation

The surgeon uses a marker pen to draw an outline on your skin to clearly show the area of the operation. The marks may be on your breast and under your arm.

You will also meet your anaesthetist. They are in control of keeping you asleep during the operation by giving you an ​anaesthetic. 

You sign a consent form for the operation if you didn't do it at the pre assessment clinic.

The surgeon, anaesthetist and nurse can answer any questions about your operation you may have.

Before the operation

Your nurse will check your temperature, blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate. Your nurse also goes through a series of questions on a checklist to make sure you are ready for surgery. They will also ask these questions in the anaesthetic room. They ask you to:

• tell them you name and date of birth

• tell them when you last had something to eat and drink

• change into a hospital gown

• take off any jewellery (except for a wedding ring)

• take off any make up, including nail varnish

• remove contact lenses if you have them

• put on a pair of surgical stockings

• put on 2 hospital identification bands usually on each wrist - if you have any allergies you will usually have an extra wristband so that your healthcare team are aware.

If you have false teeth you can usually keep them in until you get to the anaesthetic room. On the day of your operation, you will need to stop eating and drinking for several hours before surgery. Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to stop. You might have a drip (intravenous infusion) put into your arm before your surgery so that you can have fluids. This makes sure you are not dehydrated before your operation. The nurses can arrange for a member of the surgical team to come and talk to you if you still have any questions about your operation. You'll sign a consent form if you didn't do this at the pre assessment clinic

Medicine to relax

If your breast cancer is too small for the surgeon to feel

If you have a very small cancer that is too small to feel, you might have a thin wire put into the breast tissue. This helps the surgeon find the exact area that needs removing during the operation. This is called wire guided localisation or wired guide local excision. You have the wire put in while having an ultrasound or mammogram by the radiologist or breast surgeon. You usually have this done on the morning of your operation. You have a local anaesthetic, so you won’t feel anything.

Find out more about how a wire is put in on our breast biopsy page

Some hospitals use small magnetic markers, instead of using a wire. Magseed is one of the magnetic markers in use. If you are having a magnetic marker you have this put in several days or weeks before surgery.

The anaesthetist might inject an anaesthetic into the area of the surgery so that you don't have any pain there when you wake up.

Waking up after surgery

After the operation, you usually wake up in the recovery room, before moving back to your ward.

Find out what happens after surgery