Sandra’s pain

Gov’s girlfriend could need more surgery

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee has had a setback in her recovery from a double mastectomy and could need more surgery, the Daily News has learned.

“She’s not out of the woods,” said a source close to Lee.

The celebrity chef hasn’t healed the way she is supposed to and there is concern that complications could lead to another surgery, the source said.

“She was so fearful about that,” the source said.

Lee has been unable to return to work since the May 19 surgery.

In a June 22 update on her Facebook page, Lee said: “I sooo want to tell all of you that everything is going perfectly, that it’s fine, but what I hear is ‘You aren’t out of the woods yet.’

“I feel like every time I go to a doctor’s appointment I’m looking for a gold star that never comes,” she added.

Lee wrote that her doctor says it will be at least another four weeks before a decision on how to proceed will be made.

“It is incredible to me how long this healing process takes and although I do feel great energy coming back to me daily I have to stay put and be so very careful, as 24 hours can make a huge difference on whether you get sick again or not,” she wrote.

Trying to stay optimistic, Lee said she is trying to use positive imaging to picture herself completely healed.

“I know I will be up and around any minute — I cannot wait to hit the beach somewhere, at this point, anywhere,” she wrote. Lee, who will turn 49 on July 3, was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in March.

She had a lumpectomy on one breast before deciding to have both removed when doctors called her a “ticking time bomb.”