Single Mastectomy: What will Recovery Time be like? How long?

I have DCIS HRT Positve. I am scheduled to have a double mastectomy in early March. I am already flat-chested, which is one reason a bilateral was recommended. I was told that I would be unhappy with a single mastectomy 1) Because of the likelihood of cancer showing up in the second breast, 2) Because the plastic surgeon would be unable to match a new breast to the existing one, 3) Because I was told I would not have to have radiation. I am the picture of health. I'm athletic & exercise daily, I haven't eaten meat since my 20s, I've never smoked, I have never been much of a drinker & gave it up entirely 2 years ago, I have never been hospitalized, and there is no family history of cancer. I am struggling to wrap my arms around losing both breasts. Going flat is not for me. It sounds like a 4-6 wk recovery, but I cannot find much information about what exactly you can and cannot do other than not lifting your arms above shoulder height & not lifting. Do any of you know where I can get some candid information about what to expect. If I know ahead of time, I will be able to deal with it much better.

Hi @ppeg

I had a double mastectomy in October 2024. And I received tissue expanders during the same surgery. I had 4 lymph nodes removed. I’m getting implants and fat grafting on march 5. No chemo or radiation.

Until I got my drains out, I was pretty uncomfortable and cranky. I could not reach with my arms and could not lift or hold anything over 10 pounds. These restrictions lasted 6 weeks.

I slept in a recliner for 5 weeks. The recliner was so comfortable. Much more comfortable than lying in a bed.

I wore a plastic shower shirt until all of my drains were removed. I have a hand held shower which was very helpful. I also bought a hands free stand for my hair dryer from Amazon.

Button up shirts and pjs are a must.

There are helpful garments on Amazon that you can tuck your drains into. My favorite was a comfortable belly band with pockets for the drains.

I am a bit of a planner. I knew I wouldn’t be able to lift my arms. So I installed all smart bulbs before my surgery! So I could control them from my phone.

My tissue expanders have been filled by plastic surgery on almost a weekly basis.

So now I’m ready for the next surgery which other gals have told me is painful and daunting.

However, on the positive side, now I have great range of motion with both arms, although I will lose some of that with surgery #2. I can hold my grand children again and lift up a container of detergent. I can empty out the dishwasher. Very gently, I can do a few yoga poses, but the expanders are not comfortable. And my doctor is careful to make sure they don’t flip or leak.

It’s a long road. But women on this site have amazing personal stories. They’ve inspired me and encouraged me.

Good luck. Let me know if you need other creature comfort suggestions for post surgery.

Xo

Thank you for your response. I wish you the best of luck with your second surgery and I hope it won't be at all painful!

Thank you for posting your recovery experience. I am happy for you that you got back to running in 6 weeks. I am a rower and very concerned about the length of time it will take me to regain range of motion in my arms in order to get back into a shell or to use my rowing machine at home.

Hi @holly33, You are going into surgery in excellent condition, I believe that helps. It will be tough at first. Give your body the weeks that it needs to heal. You’ll be able to some stretching after a couple of weeks, check with your surgeon.
I had a single mastectomy, flat closure, no reconstruction. At four weeks I was feeling much better, and I was back in the gym for aerobic activity at 6 weeks. I was playing pickleball at 7 weeks. I likely could have played at 6, but I was reluctant to start too soon. I’m at 10 weeks now, and have full range of motion. I have some tightness across the chest area, but I have full strength in the muscles. What type of surgery are you having?

Lisa - Thank you for sharing your healing timeline with me. Surgery will be a bilateral mastectomy with Goldilocks single step reconstruction this Tuesday. I don’t really care about the reconstruction but the surgeon suggested the Goldilocks because I have enough skin to make that work for what he describes as just small mounding without the niples. Ten weeks of healing would mean that I would not miss the season of rowing !
Holly

Holly, @holly33, wishing you the best with your surgery tomorrow! Take it day by day. 🙂

@holly33, thinking of you as you recover from surgery.

Good morning Colleen - Thank you! I am recovering very well from my bi lateral mastectomy 2 weeks ago. The dreaded drains were removed in just 6 days; pain is easily managed with tylenol and I am able to dress myself with only occasional help. I want women to know that the procedure is not always a horrible experience! And I am fortunate enough to have been eligible for a goldilocks reconstruction technique which retains and reshapes healthy tissues in the chest area into small breast like mounds rather than leaving the patient with a completely flat or concave chest. I am now awaiting results of the Onco test in order to eliminate the need for radiation or chemo. This is the only downside in my status...the pathology report from surgery showed some properties that increase my risk of return. I hope you are well and will have a very blessed day.