Giuliana Rancic: I'm still in pain and have a ways to go in recovery

Giuliana Rancic says although she has returned to work, she is still feeling a lot of discomfort and has restricted mobility following her recent breast cancer surgery.


"I feel great. I gotta be honest, I feel good. I feel great considering it has only been about two-and-a-half weeks, but I still have a ways to go as far as the recovery," the E! News host and Giuliana & Bill star told anchor Matt Lauer during a Friday morning appearance with husband Bill Rancic on NBC's Today show.

Rancic, who went back to work just two weeks after undergoing a successful double mastectomy -- a surgical operation to remove both her breasts -- and reconstructive surgery in attempt to remove the entire cancer mass after her original double lumpectomy (a lump-removal surgery in both breasts) and radiation had failed to, said she's still sore and her body has limited flexibility.

"Not a ton [that I can do]. I realized on our flight last night [to New York] that I can't really turn much to put my seatbelt on, for instance. Bill still has to help me. He has to help me get in and out of bed, and I can't put my arms up above my head. People have to help me get dressed. It's very limited mobility. It's a lot of pain," she explained.

Rancic told Lauer that getting through the first week after her surgery was the most difficult part of the recovery process.


"It was definitely hard. I knew this was going to be a tough surgery, but I, in no way, want to minimize it. I mean, yes, I'm two-and-a-half weeks out. But my gosh, up until about a week-and-a-half ago, it was hell. It was horrible," the reality TV star said.

Despite still being in pain and having trouble performing everyday tasks, Rancic insisted she has not been overly aggressive when it comes to setting recovery goals for herself and attempting to get back into the swing of things. 

"I had a goal to go back to work this week, but if I couldn't have made it, [I wouldn't have forced myself]. If I didn't feel well, I would have gone next week or the week after, but it was nice having a goal. I think it helps you recover quicker. I found that for me, I think that was helpful -- just having that light at the end of the tunnel -- having that date that I wanted to get back to work. I think it helped me heal quicker," Rancic said.

The E! News host revealed she had breast cancer in October, announcing she had learned the bad news while trying to get pregnant for the third time through in vitro fertilization.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski