BMX, reconstruction, and horseback riding

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MinneapolisMia
MinneapolisMia Member Posts: 4
edited October 2014 in Working on Your Fitness

hello all, staring down the barrel of my surgery and still dont feel confident about long term recovery and how soon I'll be able to ride my horse again. Also, do you really get full range of motion after this procedure? Truly, what is the process all about and how bad is recovery? Any stories to share are deeply appreciated. Thanks all!

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited September 2014

    Hi MinneapolisMia, and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

    Until you get responses with advice and support from other members here (the boards can be a little quieter on the weekends), you may find interesting to read the article Exercise After Surgery from the main Breastcancer.org site.

    We hope this helps!

    The Mods

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  • Janett2014
    Janett2014 Member Posts: 3,833
    edited September 2014

    I don't ride horses, but I can tell you a little bit about my surgery and recovery. Of course your experience will be different because we are all so different, and our surgeons have MANY different surgical techniques and recovery philosophies. 

    I had BMX in April. The first few days were painful but not horrible. I would say it took a few weeks to get my total range of motion back. Drains are no fun; I had four. I felt pretty good but sore and tired for the first couple of weeks. Then it was just a matter of slowly getting better and having more energy.

    My exchange surgery was exactly three months later. It was much easier, and the recovery was definitely faster. I had no drains that time which was a nice bonus. My range of motion came back in just a few days. 

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  • MinneapolisMia
    MinneapolisMia Member Posts: 4
    edited September 2014

    thanks Janett for your input, it really helps. Having to wait SO LONG before surgery has my head all akimbo. What you describe sounds pretty doable, especially compared to chemo! I hope to be as lucky as you. Just don't want any limitations as a result. Sacrificing the healthy breast is so bizarre to me, but when I think of the alternative (the scrutiny, testing, etc etc) there just doesn't seem to be any other choice really.

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  • cowgal
    cowgal Member Posts: 833
    edited September 2014

    Hi MinneapolisMia.  I ride horses too.  I am currently 4 1/2 years out from my mastectomy.  What kind of surgery/surgeries are you going to be having (type of reconstruction, etc.)?

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  • MinneapolisMia
    MinneapolisMia Member Posts: 4
    edited September 2014

    Hi Cowgal:

    I just returned from the "specialty store" and so feel much more confident in saying that I will be getting a BMX with recon/expanders/implant exchange. Did you go this route?

    Kayb thank you so much for your input! My horses' trot is super bouncy so I will definitely take heed at your advice.

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  • Mischief46
    Mischief46 Member Posts: 217
    edited September 2014

    Hi!  About 2 months after my BMX I asked my PS about riding ( I don't have horses myself but a friend does).  And he said my TEs were sewn in and were not going anywhere so as long as I didn't feel any pain from my last fill to have a great time.  I did wear a tight sports bra though just in case.. :). Some TEs have the sew tabs some don't. I had my full range of motion back within a month of surgery.  Which was 2 1/2 weeks after my last drain came out.  I was under strict instructions not to move my arms much at all until after the drains were removed.  Recovery wasn't bad, the TEs were the worst part for me, but they get better with time.  

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  • cowgal
    cowgal Member Posts: 833
    edited September 2014

    I think the others have pretty good advice on when you can ride after the surgery.  Really the biggest concern my PS had was not to be around my horses while I had my drains in because of the possible risk of infection.  I only had a mastectomy on one side but I did a reduction and lift on the other side and had a lat flap for reconstruction.  I never rode with drains in and did pretty easy slow riding after each surgery.  The lat flap was the hardest and I had drains in for over a month and a half so that was probably the longest I was out of the saddle due to surgery.  I did exercises out of a breast cancer book following my surgeries to try to help with recovery.  I did have some range of motion loss after my lat flap and that might have been caused by the radiation that also caused my lymphedema on that side.  I worked with a PT for a couple of weeks and got the range of motion back.

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  • MinneapolisMia
    MinneapolisMia Member Posts: 4
    edited October 2014

    A turn of events has changed my surgical plan. My breast surgeon wanted to explore a lumpectomy with me, so we screened to see how the tumor had changed. While I had a great response to the chemo, the tumor didn't shrink but rather looks like "swiss cheese" according to the BS. Even still, it made me realize that I do not want to give up my healthy breast. So, mastectomy with recon on one side is now the plan. I feel better about it and am ready to get to the other side.

    Thanks all!

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