I had double mastectomy with expanding implants as this was the quickeat recovery as had a 3/4 year old and partner foing in for open heart surgery. It was only 6 weeks recovery.
But to have a full reconstruction where they remove skin and tissue from somewhere else and use takes roughly 3 month's.x
It was good to hear another member of the forum saying how long she took to recover after her surgery.
Everyone's experiences do vary however depending on someone's health and general fitness. A lot will also depend on the type of reconstruction that you have as to how long it will take to recover. You can read about the different types of reconstruction here
It would be a good idea to talk this through with your surgeon and breast care nurse to get their advice about how soon you would be able to return to work. You may not be able to lift heavy objects or vacum for atleast 6 weeks or maybe even longer to allow all the different areas to heal.
Breast Cancer Now has some more information about breast reconstruction and questions that you may want to ask your breast surgeon or breast care nurse. Have a look here
You may have to see how you feel after the operation and get advice from the surgeon and physio once you have had the surgery.
Breast Cancer Now has written some information about returning to work after breast cancer treatment and some useful tips which you might find helpful here
You have posted on 'Ask the Nurses' but if you post on a different thread you may find that you get more replies from women who have had similar surgeries.
I hope this helps.
Do give us a ring if you want to talk any of this through with one of the helpline nurses. We are here Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and our number is Freephone 0808 800 4040.
