Topic: mastectomy

Depending on how well and quickly you heal that is about right. The idea is to be sure you are healed well enough to have sufficient range of motion to be able to steer without injury to the surgery area, and be able to wear a seat belt safely and comfortably.

Hi,

It may depend on how you feel.  I had to wait about 6 weeks and even then I needed my son to shift for me.  Remeber, just be kind to yourself!

JMJ

I was driving w/in 2 wks., carefully, just short rides but managed ok.

Best wishes,
Jeanne

I didn't have reconstruction and only had a unilateral, but my drains came out 2 days after surgery and so I was driving a day or two after that.( short drives only at the beginning)

I was able to drive after the drains were removed 10 days after surgery.  I had a left unilateral with no recon.  I know some people drive with the drains in.  My BS doesn't want you to drive until they're out due to the possibility of accidently yanking them, which certainly wouldn't feel good!

Hi Msthanqlila,

I had a bi-lateral mastectomy in nov. 07.  I had expanders put in at the time of surgery.  My surgery took about 3 hours, but I didn't have an ovary removed.  The amount of time that will take I don't know.  You will be in recovery for at least an hour, maybe a little longer.  Just remember that in recovery when you are waking up they will ask you if you are in pain and if you are they will give you something for it.  Don't try to deal with the pain, take the meds. the pain will only take longer to get under control if you put off taking the pain meds.  You will probably be in the hospital for 4 days.  That is how long I was in for.  Which seems like a long time, but it gives your body time to rest and start to heal without you worrying about all of the stuff that you need to be doing at home.  That was hard for me to learn to let stuff that is not very important go.  And to let other people help me.  Life is short and a lot easier if you learn that a little bit of dust on the furniture will not kill you and if somebody says something about it, just tell them where the furn. polish is and let them do it for you.  Hopefully you have family and friends who will offer to help out.  This will be the time when you find out who your true friends are.  But some people will stay away, because they don't know what to say or do to make you feel better.  Don't take it personal.  Keep a positive attitude.  That helped me get through this more than anything else.  For me breast cancer was just one more thing to deal with.  It was harder on my family than me, because they did not understand why this happened to me.  Especially my sister and mom.  BC does not run in our family.  My sister is 14 years older than me and she thought that if anyone should have to go through this it should be her and not me.  I had to tell her that God let me be the one to get cancer because he knew that I would fight it.  It would have consumed her.  She finally understood that cancer is not selective.  Some people get it, others don't.  But when we do get it, we have to fight.  Living is worth fighting for and cancer will put everything into perspective. 

I wish you the best of luck with your surgery and a speedy recovery.  I will be praying for you.  If you need someone to talk to my email address is: hillbillys.4@hotmail.com

Candy

One more comment on drains....

My discharge papers said "can shower after three days".  So I did with the two drains I had.  I pinned them to an ace bandage I wrapped around my waist and had a short shower.  Wow, just to wash my hair was sooooo wonderful.  Anyway, I went back to my BS about 7 days after surgery.  Somehow during the appointment I mentioned the shower and she freaked.... she said, "no showers until drains are out".  I said, woops, I must have misread the discharge notes.  Nope...when I saw the PS the next day she said she wrote the notes and she had no problems with me showering with drains.  So... it just depends.  As it turned out, I didn't have any problems showering with drains, and boy, did I feel a lot better.  Phyllis 

HI.. for showering with drains... I used a lanyard (spelling?)... a corded or flat cotton necklace-like thing..that are used to attach work IDs or workplace badges.... i used the metal hook/clip of the lanyard...and placed the pin that was attached to the plastic bulbs of the drain thru the lanyard.. so i washed without any problems... no pulling on the drains... it sure made showering easier.. (no fear of pulling drains out).... Thanks to my sister for the idea!! : )