I am having a double masectomy and I am very scared.

Desertray

On Tuesday I will have double masectomy, skin sparing, 3 lymph nodes on my left and 2 on my right removed and tissue expander put in. The tissue and lymph nodes will be removed and sent pathology. If I dont have clear markings they will send me back to surgery to have all skin removed and lymph nodes. Can you please tell me what I can expect from beginning to end from double masectomy. How much pain will I be in and for how long? When will I be able to move and do things? Any tips for me to recover sooner? Thank you!

ItsStillMe

post your question in the Jamuary 2017surgery group. All those ladies have had their surgeries and are a wealth of knowledge. I will be having my bmx on Feb 27. Good luck.

farmerlucy

Desertray - I had my mastectomy on a Tuesday also. I was very worried about the surgery. As it turns out the thought of surgery was much worse than the actuality of it. The medical personnel were great. They walked me through everything. Even better was the February 2012! surgery group here. It is a time of great uncertainly right now. Take things one step at a time and try not to get ahead of yourself. Sending you best wishes for a completely uneventful surgery and boring recovery. It’s going to be ok. Our friend chisandy posted this a while back.

Castigame

Good morning..  Sending prayers for speedy healing.

Yes it is scary..  It would be painful for a few days.. Please do not hesitate to take pain meds..  After a week or so, pain should subside enough to reduce pain killers which give you constipation along with no appetite. For the first few wks it would be hard to reach up things..  as a matter of fact you will be told not to raise your arm up above the height of your shoulders until you get the drains removed.    Slloow and deliberate should be your new motto.  You will be given exercises..  you have to do those daily.. again intensity or speed is not important here. consistency is..   Within a month I drove inside my subdivision gates..   You will have a lot of "me" time.. Meditate listen to your favorite music..  Except drinking or smoking you have to make yourself comfortable as possible.. you may not want to eat but have to because your body needs nutrients. And sleep is your best friend.. Sleeping 15 to 20 hrs during first few weeks  helped me the most. 

Remember you are going to get better from here  and  you should not let anything stop or slow you down.  

A4ggy

I had my surgery on Monday and it was better than expected. The pain is manageable. Just take your pain meds. Stay ahead of the pain and take it off easy. The most annoying aspect for me has been not being able to sleep on my stomach. This too shall pass...I keep telling myself

Falconer

My recommendation is to beware of pain meds side effect of constipation. Believe it or not, the constipation was more painful than recovering from the Mx. Therefore when I had my reconstruction done the following year, I ate a light high fiber diet for several days before surgery. It might be a little late to tell you this, but there is tomorrow. I felt so much better after surgery 2 that I was able to return to work sooner and get on with life. Good luck to you.

swg

How did it go??