Recovery of dbl mastectomy + DIEP

dadowling

I am in the process of deciding whether to have immediate DIEP reconstruction or just have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction at alter date. The real issue is my daughter is getting married on November 14h and I want to be able to participate and enjoy the weekend's festivities. The earliest I can have the surgery is September 30th but it could be as late as October 7th. Does anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom for me? Realistically, will I be recovered enough if I have immediate reconstruction? HELP!!

Moderators

Hi Dadowling-

We want to welcome you to our community here at BCO. We hope you are finding this to be a supportive and informative place!

Generally speaking, you're looking at a recovery period of 6-8 weeks for mastectomy following by DIEP. The recovery is significantly longer and more difficult than having the mastectomy alone. You'll have multiple surgical sites, and likely two sets of drains to care for. Some doctors may require you wear a compression girdle for up to 8 weeks following the procedure. And you'll definitely have limited mobility for several day to weeks, just based on the areas affected by the surgery. You can read more about the recovery here: http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/reco....

However, everyone heals differently and at their own pace. While it's imperative to follow your docs orders during your recovery period, there's no reason you couldn't attend your daughter's wedding, if you were feeling up to it. You may not be able to dance the limbo or catch the bouquet, but mild-moderate activity at that point out from the surgery shouldn't be a problem. We would suggest discussing this with your doctor, and talking about some of the physical activities you foresee being required, and finding out whether or not you would be cleared for them (assuming your recovery goes smoothly).

Please keep us posted, and good luck on your surgery!

The Mods