Choices, recovery times for bilateral mastectomy/keeping my job

Peg645: I'm so sorry you are in this position. I hope it works out for you. I had a bmx after chemo on Sept. 22, so I'm two days short of the three week mark. I didn't have reconstruction, as BS feels strongly I should wait until after I've healed from rads. So I know that everyone is different, but I can tell you what it might be like for you at the 2 week mark. In theory, you could return to work, but you will be tired and sore. But if you had to do it to hang onto the job, you certainly could show up and as long as it is a desk job, you'd probably be okay. Maybe they could be generous with breaks during the day, a private office (if you don't have one) and such?

In any case, before my surgery, I asked for as little as possible in the way of opiods (see the TORADOL thread and spinoffs for the rationale). I think that really helped; my head was clear pretty quickly. I didn't have the pain port and was able to get myself entirely off percocet/norco, even at night, by the 4th day after surgery. They gave me a 7 day supply of something called diclofenac--a 12-hour time-release pill that really helped. But since the one week mark, it has been TylenolEX only. I'm down to about 3/day. I had the drains out at 10 days post surgery but then developed an infection at one drain site and am currently on antibiotics. So that's the real question that no one can answer yet: will you have drains in when you go back to work.

As for energy, well, I'm still tired, and I don't have full range of motion yet. When the infection turned up, I'd just started getting my energy back, and that did set me back for a little while. I'm guessing that you won't be able to go back to work at full steam, but if you need to show your face and get things done, you should be able to handle it if your managers are accommodating and let you take more breaks than usual. There are small things that will loom large, like when I had the drains in, my morning shower routine took much longer. It was partly the drains and partly just the fact that I moved very slowly. Friends came in after surgery with dinner (my husband works a lot of nights, and I have a teenage son who needs to be fed no matter how his mom is feeling), and I was surprised that even 8 days out, I was grateful not to cook. I still am not unloading the dishwasher, and it still hurts to reach for things on any but the lowest cabinet shelf in the kitchen, if that helps. I'm lucky to be able to work from home; I find my attention span is a little short, but I can handle most of what I have to do, nearly all of which is on the computer.

So if you have to go back to work, just know that it won't be ideal, but if your managers are okay with letting you pace yourself, you can probably manage, though you'll be pretty tired. If there are complications from surgery, though, you might not be able to handle it. Please be very good to yourself. And good luck!

Peg - you are under so many stresses at one time. The anesthesia for the single Mx was the worst for me. I was exhausted and didn't really feel like myself for about six weeks. I only took one pain pill (Norco) the first night and used Tylenol after that for a couple of days. I was walking around the block a lot, starting the next day, and limiting the use of my arms. I took everything step by step - single Mx & sinus node biopsy, pathology report, oncotype DX, prophylactic Mx & TE placement in both sides, and eventually exchange for cohesive gel implants. The entire process took a year and was manageable. The second and third surgeries (prophylactic Mx & TEs, exchange) were easy for me, even though I had drains each time that lasted for a week to ten days. Each person responds differently but it's OK to do it in a step by step process.

Take care and you will have a lot of support here.

Hi Peg,

Gosh, I feel for you and can understand your concerns. As you can see from the responses so far, everyone's experience is very different. We're roughly the same age and I didn't have any difficulties with lifting my arms right after surgery. I had expanders put it during the bmx but wish I never had reconstruction, but that's beside the point right now. I agree if you are recovering from bmx and not reconstruction too, your recovery may be easier. Without knowing what line of work you are in and what your physical requirements are, it's hard to say with certainty how you will feel. I was able to get back to my job in two weeks but I have a very sedentary job. I had three drains and all were out in less than a week. That part of the recovery that was the most difficult was dealing with long tubes and the bulbs on the end which require emptying a few times a day, which is inconvenient. Otherwise the pain wasn't awful and very manageable with OTC pain meds. Wearing a compression garment was a must. In fact, the light pressure around my chest was comforting.

Again, I don't know what your physical requirements are at work but I don't think you could possibly be ready for 60 hour weeks in just 2 weeks. What happens if you postpone surgery to 2016? Will your job be more permanent? I guess if this is a prophylactic surgery do you have the "luxury" of postponing until your employment is more secure?

Good luck - I hope whatever you decide works out.

Amy

Hi peg,

Everyone's recovery story is different. I think most agree that not having any type of recon does tend to shorten the recovery period. I know you are in a tenuous position, but do whatever needs to be done (negotiating breaks, more time off etc.) to ensure you give your body the fullest chance to recover. There really are no shortcuts (other than being sensible about nutrition, rest, and exercise) and if you push too hard you may actually set yourself back. Wishing you the best.