Q RE : Reconstruction Following Mastectomy

hmr

My mother has had both a lumpectomy and re-excision surgery. Margins weren't good either time so she is now scheduled for a mastectomy mid April. Her plastic surgeon said that he usually places the tissue expander under the chest muscle(s). Does the surgeon have to cut the chest muscle in order to put the tissue expander in place ? Or, is the muscle lose and elastic enough that the expander can be placed under the muscle without problem ? Also, following this procedure, how long do you usually have to wait before exercising ( upper and lower body ) ? BTW, both the mastectomy and inserting the tissue expander will take place at the same time.

Thank you very much for any feedback.

suekb

Hi,

I just had the BM with TE on 3/17. Had 2 drains on each side and just got them out yesterday. I believe they have to separate the muscle from the chest wall and put the expander behind it. I was told the function of the drains is to collect fluid and also create fluid so it sticks back together. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days although my GS was ready to release me after 1. I needed the pain control because for me the first 2 days were tough. By the 3rd day I felt fine but was taking pain medication. By day 5, I was taking Tylenol and shopping at Target. Later I was told that if you are too active the drains will stay in longer so I recommend a good balance of activity for the lungs but relaxation for a speedy recovery. The TE do feel like iron bra but are not too bad. I went back to work yesterday and did take tylenol all day. Hope this helps. My first fill is  Monday.

suekb

sorry..I meant create suction!

laurakay

I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with TE three weeks ago tomorrow.  I had my drains out last Thursday, and have been at the gym every day (except Easter) since--doing 30-40 min of aerobic.  I can't do upper body exercise yet, though, the PS says (plus, it hurts:  I sort of tried...)  But I can raise my arms, and he said I could swim to exercise upper body, which I don't want to do because it just seems too...cold. I have no idea what they did to my chest muscle, but it doesn't feel very different;  I mean, sore, but usable.  I never asked if it had to be cut, but it doesn't seem like it was...

I hope this helps.  I'm not a super-athlete by any means, so I think if I was exercising two weeks out, your mom probably will be too!  But not lifting weights or doing a lot of arm exercise for a while.  I always have so much to ask, I forget to ask specifics like when I can do arm exercises again.

laurakay

I DO know that the TE is under the chest muscle for me, too:  that was made clear.  It doesn't seem to have caused any upper body weakness, just some stiffness that's getting better every day. 

ms_marsh

I had a mastectomy in February with a TE. I was in the hospital for 2 days.  The second day they switched me to oral pain meds (I don't react well to them so they wanted to make sure I was able to tolerate them before discharge).  My drains came out about 5-6 days post-op.  My plastic surgeon seems to be pretty conservative as compared to other surgeons (which is OK by me since thus far I've had great results) so he had me wait for about three weeks before doing the recommended post-mastectomy arm exercises.  He also had me stay away from the gym and high-impact exercise for about 2 months; I've been able to do squats and pilates for my lower body.  I was on pain meds for about a week and then switched to Tylenol. I take Advil now when I go in for an expansion.

iHEARTu

I'm only speaking from experience, I'm not a professional in the field of medicine or even close:)
Yes, the expanders go under the muscle, and there isn't any cutting. As your mother's incisions begin to heal, the PS will start the process of adding saline to the expanders. It's not 'painful' as they expand, but it can be VERY uncomfortable. The last few fills, I needed some advil and a few muscle relaxants to help with some discomfort. But it does subside.

My guess as how someone recuperates from a bilat is based on age, health and how fit they are? I'm 41, good health and fairly fit. It took me a good 5 weeks to even think about doing more than strolling about the neighborhood. I had my tubes in for 5 weeks (quite rare) which could have slowed my recovery? I started to run and did serious cardio after 3 months. For me, recovery was a slow process. I tried to 'rush' my recovery and ended up with strep...it opened my eyes as to how my immune system had been compromised. So have your mother take it easy; Have her move around, but no lifting. How kind it is to ask about your mother, you must love her very much. You both are so blessed to have each other to lean on:) Blessing and prayers.

-catherine