What's the experience with double mastectomy and reconstruction?

I had double mastectomy and having to wait until 1 month after finish chemo. My friend had double mastectomy on May 17 with no chemo or radiation and she just got reconstruction this past Wednesday.

I had a double and they started the reconstruction process during my surgery. I went back every week for a fill of saline. I stopped because I was absolutely miserable. So. Now I wait for 3 months to have the surgery to remove extenders and put in implants. No chemo or drugs. I’ll go back every 3 months for cancer panel.

I had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with tissue expanders on the same day (dbl mastectomy was 2 hrs, then plastic surgeon came in and completed his part 2 hours). After drains were removed, which was 2.5 weeks after the double mastectomy; I began the every 2 week journey of having saline instilled for 6 weeks then I had the silicone cohesive gel implants placed 4 months later(July 9, 2024) which was 6 months after (January 17, 2024) the 1st surgery. I felt my body needed time to heal. My body has gone through a lot of trauma (mental, chemical, and surgical). The plastic surgeon said I made a good decision to wait. On October 29th, I had nipple reconstruction ( made new nipples from existing breast skin and cadaver skin) with the same plastic surgeon. He completed 5 years of training in breast reconstruction at Mayo Clinic. I am very, very happy with how my reconstructed breast with new nipples look. You can not see the mastectomy, implants, or the nipple reconstruction scars. The only thing I will say is that there is a sensation of heaviness at the bottom of implanted breast even with small ones, which is what I have. When I wear a bra, I don't feel the mild heaviness. I am small enough to go bra less but with my new nipples I am too perky 😃 @Haydee J, I know you want this process to all be over, but this is a journey that will take time. You can do this, give your mind and body grace to travel this road.

Thank you L P fie your anserw . I steal have my expander , but omg this is gething creazy i feel pain Every day . AIM under pain killer . And than to say that dont mattervif the silicon breast feel heavy no matter they are Small, but o e thing i dont like is that the plastic surgen say that he can not do nepalés because it can”t be because my skin will not feel noting and later or soon i will be going to the surgen room to remove team . The delincuente on top dont will not attach to the nipple

These are really important questions about the reconstruction process, and it's completely understandable to want to know what to expect. Many members of this community have gone through similar experiences with tissue expanders and reconstruction, and their insights about recovery timelines, comfort levels, and what the final results feel like could be incredibly valuable for planning ahead. Hopefully others will share their experiences to help guide your journey.