4 weeks post double mastectomy

My double mastectomy is scheduled for next week. It's undetermined if I will end up with tissue expanders or not; PS will make that decision at the time of surgery, but I need to be prepared for TEs. I am planning to take a lengthy international trip two months after my surgery. I'm sure hoping I will be able to do so comfortably.

Good Morning.. I think I am one week ahead of you as far as recovery. I did not put expander in. I will have reconstruction,but not for another few months. Anyway recovery for me is slow also. I do exercises but my right arm is still limited,right and just uncomfortable. I have had the problem of fluid building up. I have needed to be tightly wrapped with an ace bandage. This has made recovery a little slower also. I can shower,dress,reach for the shampoo on the rack,but it is difficult. I have to stretch for everything,because I'm only 4'11. I cannot sleep on my right without discomfort. I agree with some other advice,in everyone is different. This took me a while to except. I read and asked a few people the "expectation" of recovery. I heard so many say 4-6 weeks. In my mind 4-6 weeks I would be "normal". Back to my crazy life. I have 5 kids,ages 21,17,16,9,7. In a normal day I make breakfast,pack lunches,empty the dishwasher,sweep.make beds and head to work. After I get the littlest from daycare,prepare dinner,homework,studying,baths. Then some laundry,clean up the kitchen,prepare what I can force the next day.. Now... Just getting a shower and making it til 2 without a nap is a goal. I get sore when even changing the laundry.. dinner is happening,but I am so tired. I'm going back to work on Monday,part time,but I'm scared it will be really really rough.

Give yourself the time you need. Healing is happening,just slow.

I understand completely. I am a horrible patient. I suck as laying. I suck at stopping. It's a lot easier now with pain involved. are you still taking pain meds? I never r had them since they make me.sick,which is why I'm little slower. I do k.ow stopping them is helpful. Right now you may be accustomed to no pain or lessened.

Artista- numerous surgical ("open") biopsies, stereotactic biopsies, and lumpectomies over the past 15 years, on both sides, have left me scarred and wonky-looking. Callback mammos almost every year. Always benign despite Birads 4s and 5s...until now. Then this time, DCIS- but the margins were not clean after the lx. Put me in the "enough is enough" category of DCIS patients choosing BMX.

hi I am 10 wks post surgery for a double mastectomy. My experience is stick with the exercises they get easier and you will see progress. Warm bath , moisturiser helped . I couldn't get comfortable with ' softies' for wks so bought post surgery bras that faked it for me ( M&S) and still feel they are the most comfortable now and look fine I will think about reconstruction after chemo finishes . ... I lost a little weight too so some tightening from that but just take it steady try to keep moving as it will become more easy as time goes on. Best wishes to you

Thanks MT..they do have chores. In the morning it's crazy. All of my kids are out of the house by 6:45.. since my biopsy,the first one, the chore list has increased for everyone. When my little guys do things,they do it as little kids.lol I have been good about making others do for me and pitch in. I just thought by now if I wanted to do it,I should be able to without discomfort or exhaustion. I didn't realize that many people meant 4-6 weeks would be more personal care,back to an easy desk job or something. So it was my falsification of what most people referred to 😑

I am also 4 weeks post mastectomy. I actually had my surgery dec 8 but had a staph infection so had to have it redone on Jan 23. I was told by the breast surgeon to start stretching by leaning against the wall. I've been doing it for about a week but oday I noticed some yellow fluid on my shirt. My last little scab is now opened up and leaking. Im going to call my dr tomorrow. I think I maybe have overdone it. Ugh! It's hard for me to know what is "too much". I've been back to work for 2 weeks. I hope you recover quickly!

GAMomma - I too was always a perfect super-achiever; wife, mom, sister, daughter, mgr at work, gardener, cook, lawn & garden expert, student, PTA room mother, church teacher, boy scout coach, chief cook & bottle washer, etc (because I know I forgot hundreds of things). When I had a recurrence and the first 6 rounds of chemo did not give me a complete response, I had to do another batch of different ugly chemo after surgery. And then Rads, combined with Herceptin for the rest of a year. I ended up with breast & truncal lymphadema and dead feet because of CIPN (chemo induced peripheral neuropathy). So I finally had to learn to let things go. Not easy.

But even now 2 years after the final treatments, I've kept my resolve to scale back. I make sure the sinks & toilets are clean, but I don't worry so much about the floors. I use more disposable plates. I bought extra underwear so I don't have to wash as often. I hired someone to mow the lawn. I kept my hair short so I don't have fuss with it. I actually bought a recliner for the first time in my life so I can sit with my feet up - and I do. It still is not easy to look around and see dust on the tables at times, but I'm learning to laugh and write my name in the dust.

MinusTwo, I like your post a lot. Nice reminder to slow down.

edaniel - I am 7 weeks post BMX. I only started opening/closing the car door about a week ago. I just started driving too. I have had a lot of pain and tightness (I am not sure if you have TEs but I can't sleep at night after a fill from the pain). I had my first PT session and it seemed to help. You are doing more than I was at 4 weeks Take care of yourself.