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This is a key area for your recovery after breast reconstructive surgery. The nurses and breast reconstructive surgery nurses play a pivotal role in this area.
- After surgery you will feel sore and quite immobilized with the number of lines and drains. These come our progressively in the next few days.
- For free flap surgery you will typically be kept in intensive care overnight and thereafter transferred to the ward. The flap is repetitively monitored to ensure that it has a good circulation.
- Chest physiotherapy and leg movements are advisable.
- The shoulders tend to get a bit stiff, especially so after back muscle reconstruction. You will be taught some exercises to avoid stiffness.
- Antibiotics, pain killers, intravenous fluids, blood thinning injections and stockings are routine for all type of breast reconstruction.
- The chest area will feel very bruised and swollen, but this settles progressively with time.
- At the time of discharge you should have had a full shower and all the dressings are changed.
- The next appointment is in one week time in the dressing clinic. The dressings are taken completely down and at this point you should go into your sports bra.
- The sports bra gives external support , increases comfort and also helps to reduce swelling. This bra should be worn day and night for 3 months at which point you can go for definitive lingerie.
- It is fairly common to have areas which may need some more wound care, but these will all settle in due course.
- Breast reconstruction is another major operation and it is not unusual to feel quite low after the surgery. Remember to speak to the breast reconstructive nurse about this aspect. Generally it is a temporary phenomenon and a positive frame of mind and focusing on the longer term outcome, will help.
- Results of breast reconstructive surgery are best assessed only after the first 6 months.
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