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

Posted by DebCF @sparkyf, Oct 6, 2023

I will be having a single mastectomy in October. I plan on going flat. What will the recovery be like and how long does it take to feel good again?

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ccc1965 | @ccc1965 | 1 day ago

Hello, I am Corey - new here. Almost done with 20 rounds of chemo - June 27th the last day. I will be having a single right mastectomy with most if not all lymph nodes removed from armpit and clavical area. Will be doing expander in right breast for implant reconstruction next winter/spring. After mastectomy I have 5 days of radiation for 6 weeks. My question - I live alone but have a great support system - how long will I need a caretaker? Is it someone just popping in or round the clock? First 10 days are covered with 20 hour a day coverage, meal train set up, neighbors on call. Is that sufficient? Thank you for your opinions! Wishing you all the very best!! Corey

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seathink | @seathink | 1 day ago

Hi @ccc1965 10 days should cover it, I would think, but maybe more depending on age?

I had the same - right side plus lymph nodes on right, with expander put in, followed by radiation and a DIEP Flap done a few months after.

My husband was able to care for me and our baby pretty well during that surgery.

Depending on your reconstruction type I would suggest you save the big guns of caretaking for reconstruction. Mine was so much bigger than the mastectomy (8 hours verses 2, 1 day in hospital verses 4), and my body was in much worse shape because by then I'd added a second year of active treatment.

We were taken off guard by the immensity of that surgery, and by that point had gotten into the second tier of our social/family support network, and they were not up to the challenge.

But if you can get caregiving for both surgeries, go for it!

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ccc1965 | @ccc1965 | 23 hours ago

Thank you for your reply and pointers. I talked with my nurse navigator today and she concurs with your experience. I will be doing an saline implant. That surgery will not be until next year. I am lucky that I have two grown kids willing to help and a great support system. Doing as much ahead of time as possible!

Be well and thank you again!!

Corey

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prc73 | @prc73 | 2 hours ago
In reply to @susan7656 "Hi @ppeg I had a double mastectomy in October 2024. And I received tissue expanders during..." + (show)
@susan7656

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

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What type of cancer did you have?. You didn't have chemo or radiation

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1 reply
prc73 | @prc73 | 2 hours ago
In reply to @ccc1965 "Hello, I am Corey - new here. Almost done with 20 rounds of chemo - June..." + (show)
@ccc1965

Hello, I am Corey - new here. Almost done with 20 rounds of chemo - June 27th the last day. I will be having a single right mastectomy with most if not all lymph nodes removed from armpit and clavical area. Will be doing expander in right breast for implant reconstruction next winter/spring. After mastectomy I have 5 days of radiation for 6 weeks. My question - I live alone but have a great support system - how long will I need a caretaker? Is it someone just popping in or round the clock? First 10 days are covered with 20 hour a day coverage, meal train set up, neighbors on call. Is that sufficient? Thank you for your opinions! Wishing you all the very best!! Corey

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What type of cancer ? Since you had 20 rounds of chemo prior to surgery.

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prc73 | @prc73 | 2 hours ago
In reply to @lilacs777 "Same here. Dont do the bilateral unless you know youre full comfortable with it right now...." + (show)
@lilacs777

Same here. Dont do the bilateral unless you know youre full comfortable with it right now. You can always have the other side done later but if you do both now and regret it, you cant undo that. Other factors for me where not knowing if i needed chemo, radiation, the infection risk that comes with those if you do recon (especially bilateral) all together. Also my surgeons kept stressing to me that double surgery = double surgical risks. My advice is always make sure you're 100% comfortable with what you're having done.

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I know this is months later but I so agree with you. I actually asked my surgeon if I should just do double and get it over and done with. She was like "why remove a perfectly healthy breast when you only have cancer on one side". As for The surgeons especially plastic surgeons who say oh a woman won't he happy cause the sides don't match . My plastic surgeon had an answer to that. Every good surgeon will ensure the breasts look good . I have an expander in right breast right now and guess what . I'm so ok . I worried at first about how I'd look but after surgery I remember looking on the mirror and saying " you go girl" . I love the new me that I have accepted and that's just with an expander. But my plastic surgeon is really good and women who have had singles look just as good as ones who have had Bilateral. People just don't understand the resilience us warriors have!

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susan7656 | @susan7656 | 1 hour ago
In reply to @prc73 "What type of cancer did you have?. You didn't have chemo or radiation" + (show)
@prc73

What type of cancer did you have?. You didn't have chemo or radiation

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Hi @prc73 - I had Low Grade Adenosquamous Carcinoma (LGASC), which is a subtype of triple negative cancer. I was stage 1b.

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