2 Weeks Post BMX Tightness

Hello GingerChi! and dianeaslm, So glad you have found us, there are many women here who have had the same surgery and will come to share their experiences with you.

I am a Uni, no reconstruction, so I have a remaining breast, but I can identify with the sensations you are experiencing. When people asked me about how this surgery felt, was it really painful? I always said, for me, not painful, in the traditional sense, but it is a surgery of very weird sensations.

As dianeslm said, there is so much healing going on, there is a lot of nerve regeneration as nerves that were cut try to reattach, across the abyss. There are the drains, which are necessary, but uncomfortable and the relief when they are removed is something we all agree on. Then there is the possibility of a Seroma, which is a buildup of fluid, it may or may not be taken up by the body, or your Surgeon can extract it by syringe. The other very uncomfortable aspect of this surgery is the area under your arm where the Lymph Nodes have been disturbed by either a SNB or having more of the nodes removed.

This is a very brutal surgery, many refer to it, as an amputation. I actually watched a Mx surgery on You Tube after my own Umx, not before, I wasn't that brave!LOL I wanted to see what was done that could manifest all these weird sensations. I now know and understand it better. There will be more sensations that you'll discover as time goes on, drinking cold water gives a Waterfall sensation inside your chest, don't panic, it goes away, as does the feeling that I named "The Claw" that feels much like sharp claw is holding your chest and underarm, this one really only comes at night and after a day when you have felt really good and have overdone it! We all do that! There is a feeling, much like raspy sunburn, which is nerve related too.

The main thing for me was the abject tiredness, I could fall asleep mid sentence, in the first few weeks. I was religious with my PT exercises, from the day I left Hospital and I massaged my chest as soon as the incision was healed and the steri strips were gone. I drank gallons of water to flush the meds and anesthetic out of my system.

I know it feels pretty awful right now, but it does get better and there are so many women here who can relate to the exact same things you're experiencing. Stick around and ask anything.

I wish you both the very best for a speedy, uneventful recovery.

Ginger you are still very much in the healing stage, and that can be very painful. Your doc should be giving you some very gentle stretching and movement exercises to do. My BMX was several years ago, so I don't remember how soon I was allowed to start those. Also at 6-8 weeks post surgery you should be able to start PT. Make sure you find one that is very familiar with dealing with BMX patients. They will be able to help with the muscle tightness and release any adhesions that you may develop. I remember my PT did wonders with helping me get my range of motion (ROM) back and loosening the muscle tightness. Try to be patient, I know that can be very hard. Once those last drains come out, that should also help. I remember hating those drains! (((hugs))))

Thanks ladies for your welcome responses! I was so glad to get rid of the drains. Now I can't wait to be rid of the steri-strips and stitches. My doc said I could take off the strips when they curl half way but most of the ones curled half way are under my arms and are curled from the top down. These areas are the most tender so I've been afraid to take them off. Can anyone tell me how long they waited to take the strips off?

Thanks, Diane

Seems like all the doctors and surgeons do everything so different! Would help us out more for comparisons sake if they all did the same. My steri strips have been in place for 3 weeks and some are loosening but I'm afraid to pull them off.