What happens when you get a double mastectomy?
A double mastectomy—also known as a bilateral mastectomy—is exactly what it sounds like: a surgery in which both breasts are removed at the same time. It’s major surgery that removes both breasts to remove cancer, or to reduce the risk of breast cancer in a woman who may be at high risk for the disease.
What do mastectomy scars look like?
Despite the different approaches, most mastectomy scars heal in a horizontal line across the chest, a diagonal line, or sometimes in a half moon shape. Often, the incision type and resulting scar depend upon the original location of the breast cancer lesion.
What is recovery time for mastectomy?
Average recovery time after mastectomy and reconstruction is about 3-4 weeks, but may be up to 6-8 weeks. During that time, there may be restrictions against driving and activities that involve lifting or raising the arms up over the head.
How do you clean a dog’s ears after mastectomy?
Various surgical techniques e.g., fish-shaped incision, tear-drop incision have been described to eliminate ‘dog-ear’ deformity after mastectomy [1–3].
What is the survival rate of a double mastectomy?
Single mastectomy: 79.9% 10-year survival rate. Double mastectomy: 81.2% 10-year survival rate.
How long is the hospital stay after a double mastectomy?
The surgery usually involves a short hospital stay of 1 to 3 days and a follow-up in 1 to 2 weeks, but it may be longer if your procedure is more complex, or if you also opt for immediate reconstructive surgery. You also have an option for a delayed reconstruction or no reconstruction at all.
Is a mastectomy painful?
Reports indicate that 40 to 60 percent of patients who undergo mastectomy suffer from chronic pain — pain lasting longer than three months.
When is a double mastectomy recommended?
When is bilateral mastectomy recommended? Having both breasts removed is recommended for women at very high risk of breast cancer. For example, those who have tested positive for a breast cancer (BRCA) gene change are at very high risk.
Is there a lot of pain after a mastectomy?
Is mastectomy a major surgery?
Mastectomy is considered a major surgery for the below reasons: The procedure involves permanent removal of either one or both breasts, which itself is a major risk factor. Usually, the procedure may last up to 4 hours depending on the severity of the disease. It is performed under general anesthesia.
How can I prevent my dogs ears from getting into mastectomy?
Lateral dog ear of the mastectomy scar usually occurs as a result of poor preoperative incision planning and surgical technique. It can be prevented by keeping a narrow angle at the lateral edge of the mastectomy elliptical incision and by undermining the subcutaneous tissue at the lateral mastectomy wound [12].
What causes dog ears after mastectomy?
INTRODUCTION. There is an increased risk of residual excess tissue lateral to a mastectomy scar, resulting in a so-called dog-ear, when a mastectomy is performed in overweight or obese patients with excess tissue in the lateral chest wall.