If you’ve been told you need a mastectomy, chances are you have a lot of questions about how the surgery will change your life. As with any operation, you will need a period of recovery to allow you to heal. You may also be wondering about how your body will be changed and whether you’ll require a prosthesis. National Prosthetics & Orthotics in Cold Spring, KY, frequently works with patients who have recently undergone mastectomies and understands the procedure can be difficult. Here, they tell you what to expect after your mastectomy.

After your surgery, you will wake up in recovery, where you will be monitored for a while before being moved to a hospital room. You usually only need to stay in the hospital for a few days. If you’re having reconstructive surgery at the same time, your stay might be a few days longer.

While you’re resting, your health care team will show you how to take care of the wounds that will be healing on your chest. You will likely be sent home wearing a drain, which helps keep the surgical site clean and free of infection. You will be taught how to manage the drain, and your doctor might show you some gentle exercise you can do to ease any pain you feel in your chest or arms from the incisions. You will also likely be given some medications, which you should take only as prescribed.

A week or two after you come home from the hospital, your doctor will want you to come back to the office to have the drain removed, as well as any staples or stitches. They will check your healing progress and look for signs of infection.

At this time, they will also talk to you about when you can start wearing a breast prosthesis, if you choose to do so. Prosthetics are often of interest to people who have had a mastectomy because they help recreate the look and feel of the breast tissue that was removed during the surgery.

National Prosthetics & Orthotics provides the best prosthetics in the Greater Cincinnati area, with a varied selection of devices as well as prosthetic fittings so you can find the option that’s right for you. If you are undergoing a mastectomy and are interested in learning more about how they can help you with the recovery process, call them today at (859) 442-0400.