Double mastectomy in October 2023 with lymph node dissection and flat closure, nipples also removed due to location of the tumors. No regrets. I'm 56 years old and very active. I do plan to get prosthetics for better fit of some clothes. My husband tells me daily that I am beautiful. I need that! I miss my hair (chemo) more than I miss having breasts.
I had three drains. The first two came out after one week. The third, an axillary drain, was in for 6 weeks. I continued to wear an ace bandage wrapped around my chest for about 7 weeks, and now wear it if there seems to be any fluid build-up. It does the trick. When I exercise I wear a compression sleeve on the arm that had ten lymph nodes removed. Sometimes fluid builds up a little in that armpit, but a day in the ace bandage remedies that.