How much time to take off work for DBL MX w/ Immediate Recon??!

MizMimi

How much time to take off work for DBL MX w/ Immediate Recon??!

MizMimi

I am wondering how much time to plan being off of work. The PS said two weeks but said she was only speaking for her part of the surgery...the reconstruction, and could not speak for the surgeon doing the double MX.

I won't be talking to surgeon again until late June. I am a full time Dental Hygienist and work in a fast paced office. I spend all day providing direct patient care and overhead light movement and instrumentation where I would contract my arm, chest and hands. I am thinking of giving myself 3 weeks. Any thoughts from anyone?

Thank you!

Newgirls

I was off for 7 weeks! Was exhausted. Napped twice a day for weeks. Couldn't lift my arms perdoctors orders. It's a huge surgery so you'll need the recovery tine. I had drains for three weeks too! I doubt three weeks is enough.

muska

I think working with your arms and hands so soon after surgery might be a problem. Also, it's hard to predict how long one will have drains. I had mine for five weeks which was longer than usual

ml143333

I was off work for 3 weeks including weekends.  I just did what they told me as far as exercises and stuff like that at home.

exbrnxgrl

It is hard to predict how an individual heals, but I think three weeks would be the minimum, with many needing longer than that. My only advice is don't push it. Give your body all the time it needs to heal properly. Take care.

aunt_paula

I ended up choosing no reconstruction, but the PS told me to plan for 6 for sure, and possibly 8, and I don't have a job that requires the kind of use of hands/arms/chest that you have. For the BMX only, I went back to work part-time the third week after surgery, and full-time the next week (I had the flexibility to leave if I needed to, but was ok).

OOPS--I was going to have TEs. It sounds like that won't apply to you. Sorry if I muddled things!

marketingmama

6 weeks for me but had TEs not immediate. My BS confirmed 4 weeks and the PS added another 2. My surgery was on the 21st of May and I'm still experiencing pain, fatigue, and just recently running a low grade fever (seeing doc today). Point is that it's better to plan for needing more time. If you need less, all the better.

Good luck to you

halee

My surgery (BMX+TE) was 3 weeks and 3 days ago. I have a desk job and just went back to work today. I only made it until 2pm. Before the surgery, I had assumed I'd be back to work during the second week because I was expecting a recovery somewhat like my c-sections. Instead, it was 2+ weeks after the surgery before I could even bathe myself. I have never noticed how heavy the doors are at work, but I had a hard time just pulling open some of the doors and eventually started getting help with that. If I were you, I'd definitely plan on taking off more work than 3 weeks, and just go back early if you can.

debiann

I had bmx and immediate diep recon. I took off 5 weeks, and worked 1/2 days my first week back. I recently had stage 2 of my recon. I only took a week off and I am absolutley exhausted!. I'm in bed the minute I get home. I just read that after surgery you can sometimes feel fatigued for 5-6 weeks.

MizMimi

Thank you all for your responses! I told my employer I would need minimum of 3 weeks and that I would not be coming back to full days right away. My guess is at least 4-6 weeks off.

I am going to just see how my body heals and what my doctors say. I don't want to rush back and end up having issues related to starting back to soon.

No.. not many dentists want to pay their hygienists to do anything other than what we do. It's a loss for the business if I am not providing care and making production.

Thanks everyone again for your thoughts on this subject!!

sas-schatzi

Miz, You are in a different work scenario than others. Your job requires sitting at a bit of odd angles----even though you try to do it ergonomically correct----you do change positions and bend odd. I know you are taught about this in school. You are using the shoulder girdle all the time. Your pectorals are also used significantly for what you do, you just weren't aware how much. You will be.

Give yourself 8 weeks minimum then 1/2 days for a couple of weeks. You don't what to get into a repetitive stress type issue.

I'm not a wuss on recovery from sx. 1970's I pissed allot of people off by going back to work the Monday after a Saturday D&C. Commonplace now. Then the usual was 6 weeks. 1996 went back to work 4 weeks after a abdominal hysterectomy--usual 8 even now. Couldn't go back to work after BMX b/c of brain tumor dx'd the same day as BC. BUT I could not have gone back to work as a nurse if I were allowed at 3 weeks b/c the repetitive stress of the upper body would have done me in. Your job uses more upper body than mine would have.

sas-schatzi

BTW----I did full range of Motion the day after BMX. Pre-op I researched history on the limited rage of motion practice. They're has been no real studies done on it(2009, haven't done a relook). They only thing I could find was a referral to not dislodging the drain. I did very gentle 12'oclock to 8'olock movement. No frozen shoulders. I did develop a seroma, but that was b/ the drain was removed early b/c the entry site was very iffy for infection. The Cleveland Clinic is doing the procedure without drains as a study. To my knowledge they haven't published yet.

SunnyC

I took 3 weeks and was fairly ok. Slow and many PS appts but yes, it was fine.

MizMimi

Thanks again for your suggestions!

Sas- schatzi-- Wow! Full range of motion the next day?? You are so brave! Maybe I will see about trying this, too. I am very concerned with having issues with frozen shoulders, etc.

I am not sure about my job being more upper body intense than a nurse's!!!!

sas-schatzi

MizMimi, I had one job that caused a repetitive stress injury. I was in the Operating Room. I had repeated cervical neck sprains. After a year  and a 1/2 in neck traction, I concluded I had to find my own reason as to cause. The docs blamed it on two neck injuries and post polio. I played detective. I would feel the signals occur when I was the scrub nurse. Passing instruments. Many hours at the table looking right,  left and down. The sprain wouldn't show up till the next morning. The sprains were related to the neck position,  shoulder usage and trapezius over use. That's why the connection wasn't evident at first. Once I learned to identify the earliest signals. I then stopped and changed activity. Also, I quit scrubbing for 8 months, no book reading, no needlepoint, no window washing, no canoeing, no raking, special positioning to watch TV.  It was a VERY boring time. Everything I loved I had to give up. It took another 2 years to finally get out of traction totally. No pills, No surgery. But I've had to be cautious the rest of my life.

Repetitive stress injuries were only just beginning to be identified. Mine wasn't in the early recognition of problems. I was lucky I was a good detective. I've been an advocate of identifying body mechanics that lead to injuries. Your job can lead to injury. I know you are taught at length about this in school.

With the BMX or MX. The pectorals will be affected. Your upper structures including the trapesius, shoulder girdle, back muscles are all going to compensate for this change. I think you can prevent long term discomfort  and or problem by being cautious in the early phase.

Once injured, recovery takes longer.

In the space of all time, a job just isn't worth causing you a disability to go back to soon to work. Different jobs require a different response. Depends on the job.

Regarding limited range of motion of arms post MX & BMX:

I sent a post to the Mods asking them to send on to the BCO research team to find info to place on the main board regarding the limited range of motion post-op that is uniform practice. It doesn't exist, but let them see if they can find anything.

All  orthopedic surgeries have now come full circle. Each type has a defined early, mid, or late range of motion that is based on science. Mastectomies because it's outside direct orthopedic venue  haven't been studied, but the  immobility creates a significant orthopedic disability. That then has to be corrected by the same post op modalities used for shoulders, neck, and back, lead by ortho docs, physical therapists, occupational therapists

Our docs don't always make the connection between specialties.

Good Luck