Recovery after double mastectomy

sio

I will be undergoing a bilateral modified radical mastectomy shortly due to cancer. I will not be having reconstruction. I’ve read much on the surgery and have prepared a recovery toolkit and will make sure I’m stocked up on things. My question is around caregivers. I live alone, and while I do have loved ones, they live far away. Will I be able to care for myself following discharge from the hospital? I do have a ride home.

Another question: I'm wondering what the length of the hospital stay was for anyone who has had that same procedure.

Thanks.

Moderators

Hi Sio, and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

We're sorry you have to be here, but really glad you found us. You'll find our Community an amazing resource of advice, knowledge, and support.

We're sure others will be by shortly to offer their words of wisdom, but in the meantime, we thought the main Breastcancer.org site's page on Mastectomy: What to Expect would be helpful -- particularly, the section about halfway down down the page starting at "After mastectomy surgery", which discusses hospital stay duration, and the subsequent sections "At-home recovery after mastectomy" and "In the months after mastectomy" to give you a good idea about recovery times and tips.

Also, our members continually begin threads for other members going through treatment at the same time -- you may be interested in the April & May 2015 Surgery Sisters thread, where you can share experiences. Or, feel free to begin the June 2015 Surgery thread, if your surgery will be in June.

We hope this helps! Please check back in and let us know how you make out with your surgery!

--The Mods

I_Spy

Hey sio I'm in the same boat. There is another thread with a lot of good data on it: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/99/topic/...

It is listed under "DMX" surgery when living alone, which she means double mastectomy (we usually use bilateral mastectomy as the term). Anyway, check it out there and start posting there and I'm sure people will respond. I'm anxious about what to expect too!

Som

I was in the hospital for 2 days with a bilateral mastectomy.  My doctor said it would be 2 to 3 days.  When you return home, just stay on top of the pain meds while you're recovering.  One difficult part for me was learning how to get out of bed/recliner without using my arms.  You will also probably like lots of pillows to prop you up in bed.  I felt a bit like "T-Rex" for a week or two, as I couldn't raise my arms very high and had to use a step-stool to open/close our microwave, which is above our range.  I also found it very beneficial to do the exercises/stretches to get your range of motion back, once you are ok'd to do so by your doctor. 

wrenn

I had to stay overnight because I have sleep apnea and they have to monitor that but I only needed plain tylemol for pain. I was surprised that it wasn't painful. I could have managed on my own but I was happy to have my sister here to visit with. I put things on the counter so I wouldn't have to reach up but otherwise I was fine. I had complications because of the way my drain was placed but without that (which is unusual) it would have been an easy recovery. I also had an axillary dissection but didn't notice any pain from that.I did have to sleep on my back for a while and missed rolling onto my side but it didn't seem to take long for that either. It does take months to not feel like you are wearing an iron bra but that (I am told) is normal while nerves recover. I also had 48 DDs so there was fat under my arms. I think for most people the drains are a nuisance but are not usually left in long.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and a smooth ride through treatment.

Moderators

Hi Sio,

Just checking in to see if you've gotten the info you're seeking or if we can help you answer any more questions?

Hope all is well!

--the Mods

sio

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies. They have been helpful. Surgery is set for Monday, June 1st. I've been super busy this week, going for tests and getting my "survival kit" ready. This whole ordeal is frightening to say the least, but I'll get through it. God bless all of you.