Feels like no improvement 5 days after BMX&TEs - is this normal?

I was in agony after I had MX/TEs and it felt like a bra 3 times too small and I could take it off and it would be stabbing pain when I least expected it. I hated it... 3 weeks later, it was WORSE than at first. So I had them remove the TEs and now I'm 8 days out and doing well with no pain, just soreness and tightness... no bra of death, no stabbing.. more like a sunburn on my chest.

Also, I had to have my husband and mother forklift me to a sitting position a lot and they had to help me for about 2 weeks in that going from laying down to getting up. I'm doing better now, but still have my husband help get my bed into 'office chair' mode every morning before he leaves for work because I'm not allowed to raise my arms over 90 degrees or lift anything more than 5lbs.

If she's on oxycontin or any codeine she can't drive. I was left alone, but wasn't expected to do anything for 2 weeks.. my mother would bring me drinks and food.. I just worked from my bed. (I couldn't move due to the TEs hurting so bad)..

I've been told 1 week after surgery is when you just being to start stretching, but I have a small seroma, so I'm delaying it until it's gone... I still don't do much and it's been 1 month since the first MX/TEs disaster and 8 days since they were removed.

That was where I was at that point following surgery. It does get better. I couldn't even reach across the bathroom counter to push the soap out of the dispenser to wash my hands--needed help with that. I also needed help getting up from the recliner for at least a week. I was able to move around quite a bit easier by 2 weeks out, but still had alot of pain through week 4. By week 6 things turned a corner and no more pain and my range of motion started improving. I think I stayed home alone for long stretches about 2-3 weeks out My husband just made sure I had everything I would need within easy reach--so plates/cups/etc placed on the counter because my surgeon didn't want me lifting my arms up still. I also switched to sitting in a different chair when I was home alone--one that was less comfortable than the recliner but I could slowly get out of on my own. And I always had my cell phone on me in case I needed to call him or a friend.

My surgery was on a Monday afternoon, bi-lat mastectomy with expanders placed. Went home early Wednesday morning due to a delay in removing my paravertebral block - otherwise would have gone home next day. My husband was home with me until the following Monday, when he returned to work. During those five days I could strip my own drains, get in and out of bed (didn't use a recliner), and handle my own meds. I was on my own during the day when he returned to work, which was 10-12 hours due to his long commute. I still had pain but it did not prevent me from doing things for myself, and during the day I was off narcotics and on Tylenol by the end of the first week, although most stay on those meds longer. My surgery was on Nov. 1 and I prepared Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 25, did all but lift the turkey and put it in the oven - so that was 3 and 1/2 weeks later. Most can do fine for periods alone at the 1-2 week point, needing help with showers or hair washing, weaning off pain meds by several weeks - maybe continuing to need them at night, and usually there is usually a distinct turning point at about the 4-6 week mark, with most returning to driving and working. Everyone is different and we all have different pain thresholds, but the good news is that this does get better with time - wishing you both the best.