I had a double mastectomy with tissue expanders placed at the same surgery. I had a plastic surgeon and the breast surgeon removing the breast both working together during the surgery. I am a middle school teacher and stayed out of work 3 weeks.
I had 2 drain tubes for 14 days. You will need button up shirts for several weeks (and button up pajamas). The hospital supplied one front closure bra with little rings to clip the drain tubes to. I would find at least one more front closure bra - something soft - no wires. If you will spend recovery mostly alone, put all your meds, food, plates, etc on a counter or table. You will not need to be raising your arms above your shoulders. I also got a pincher thing to pick up things off the floor. Pain meds can cause constipation. Have some stool softener just in case. I drank lots of water, ate prunes, and put more fiber in my diet a week BEFORE my surgery. For several days I slept in a recliner. Then I slept on my back for weeks. I bought a wedge pillow to keep my head elevated and had several other pillows to make me comfortable.
Reconstruction - Because the breast tissue is gone, an expander goes under the muscle. The purpose of the expander is to stretch the muscle/skin. After surgery, i was initially flat. Over the next few weeks, the plastic surgeon filled the expanders with saline to ïnflate¨ them. I had 4 ïnflations¨ until the expanders reached the desired size. The expanders stayed in from August until May. They were not painful, but not really comfortable either. I did have radiation while my expanders were in, I did not have any problems with the expanders during the radiation, but I have heard that some do. After I was healed from any radiation skin issues, my plastic surgeon did a 2nd surgery to take out the expanders and replace them with the implants. He had me wait 4 months after radiation before the implant surgery. The implants are much more comfortable and that surgery was much less painful and recovery was quick. I only missed 5 days of work. I am pleased with my final implants and I am glad I opted to do this. Everyone is different.

Hi Cheryl! Welcome to our group. So sorry you had to become a part of it though. I had a bilateral mastectomy on April 3 and underwent reconstruction. I have my exchange surgery next week. You can expect to feel rough for a week or two after your surgery. One of the worst parts for me was dealing with the drainage tubes. I just hated having them dangling from my body - it made me feel like an alien! It helps to have clothing with inner pockets, as well as something to wear in the shower to hold the tubes.
I opted for reconstruction because I watched my mom avoid the pool most of her life because she was self-conscious about her prosthetics in a bathing suit. I was determined my love for the water wasn't going to be hindered! However, the reconstruction turned out to be way more than I anticipated. It adds a good bit to recovery time. Also, for me, I am having a very hard time sleeping with the tissue expanders in. Perhaps I'll feel it was all worthwhile after my exchange surgery next week. I do wish I had been more informed going into that part though.
I'm sorry I wrote a book! Good luck and many prayers for whatever you decide!

Thank you

The foam triangles are a light weight prosthesis...much lighter than silicone. I have been able to use them in a bathing suit..they do not get as heavy when wet.

Thank you very much. What are the foam triangles for? And can you get a swim suit and swim?