New here, 1 week post op bilateral mastectomy

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JR74
JR74 Member Posts: 44
edited September 2016 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Hello, I'm new here and wanted to introduce myself. I am currently recovering from bilateral mastectomy that I had on 9/1. Recovery is much slower than I would like and I'm curious how others recovered and what to expect in the coming weeks. Tissue expanders were placed during surgery. I am happy to have found this community. It will be nice to share andhave conversation with others who are going through a similar situation. :)

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited September 2016

    You probably still have your drains. I was so glad to get them removed.

    You should start to feel better soon.

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  • JR74
    JR74 Member Posts: 44
    edited September 2016

    Yes, I still have the drains! I forgot to mention that in my initial post. The drains are definitely challenging. Keeping my pain under control has also been difficult because I'm allergic to so many medications. Thanks for your quick response, I appreciate your input and I'm looking forward to feeling better

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  • ravzari
    ravzari Member Posts: 277
    edited September 2016

    There are some good threads about tissue expanders and healing with them in the Breast Reconstruction forum; might be worth checking out if you haven't already.

    I didn't have TEs as I chose to go flat after my bmx, so my healing process was probably a lot quicker than what someone with TEs might experience; for me, it was pretty painless and by week 4 I had most of my range of motion back. I'm 2 months out now and have no pain and full range of motion. I just have some residual swelling, which could last for 6-8 months before fully resolving (it's not bothersome at least) and a tiny dog ear on one side that I plan to have revised in a few months.

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  • Jaigern
    Jaigern Member Posts: 15
    edited September 2016

    Hi JennRaymer74. I had my double mastectomysurgery on 8/10/16. I had tissue expanders placed too. I still have pain. I saw your thread and thought I would see if others are experiencing the same. I will check out the other recommended thread too.

    I saw a lot of info about the drains being painful when they are removed but it wasn't painful for me at all. I do have pain after being expanded. Not directly after being expanded though. I didn't notice it until the ride home. I also have a broken rib feeling on my left side, phantom pain (my tumor was painful), shooting pain on both sides, upper back pain and a deep ache on my right side including my armpit (this is the side I had three tumors and node involvement). I also accumulated fluid on the right side, after my drains were removed, that they had to drain off. I was told I can't do anything until I am six weeks post op. I still push it though (reach up in the cabinet, do respetitive motions like petting my dogs) which is probably why I am experiencing more pain.

    I have not seen anyone else have pain like me though. I tend to get unique weird things that are not normal. I hope your recovery is a little smoother. Sorry that any of us have to be here but happy to have folks to talk to.

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  • Luna52
    Luna52 Member Posts: 147
    edited September 2016

    Hi Jenn,

    I got my bmx on Tuesday, spent 1 night in the hospital and came home yesterday morning. Today is my first full day at home. I did not opt for reconstruction and my sentinal node was removed about 6 weeks ago when I had a lumpectomy, so no new node removal this time around. It was a relief to get the IV taken out when I left the hospital.

    I don't have tall expectations until after the drains are out. I was really sore when I woke up this morning but percocet calmed that down. Besides the drains, the biggest challenge is finding a comfortable position sleeping on my back. I'm trying a number of tips suggested on this site with various pillow configurations. My little dog likes to sleep next to me and keeps trying to climb the "pillow barricade" ;-)

    My surgeon doesn't like to leave drains in longer than a week, so mine will be removed on Monday. Woo hoo!

    Good luck with your recovery and keep us posted.

    Luna52






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  • phbr66
    phbr66 Member Posts: 14
    edited September 2016

    I had my UMX 8/23 and am having a lot of muscle cramps with my expander! I can't say it is exactly pain, just super uncomfortable and I can't take a deep breath! I still have one drain in...UGH. Hope you are getting some relief. I'm going to chiropractor tomorrow to see if he can help??

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