Hi @Ecup2020 I had a bilateral mastectomy in June with immediate insertion of tissue expanders - I was a DD/E cup too. I think you should definitely check in with your surgeon. I was on the strong pain relief for my 7 day stay in hospital, but wasn’t taking them when I got home, but as you know, we are all different. The doctor sent me home with pain meds if I needed them.
It’s really important for your recovery that you manage the pain so you can do the exercises etc and get that much needed sleep. I have 2 friends who had the same surgery around the same time as me and we were all using different levels of pain medication. The best description I found to describe the tissue expander is that feeling of having a really tight bra on and looking forward to getting it off, but we aren’t actually wearing a bra, it’s just how restricted our chest area is feeling. I found the stretching exercises were really helpful. I also had ILC in my left breast (nodes were clear) but decided on the bilateral - that was followed by chemo. I am now taking letrozole. I should be having my last fill this week. I hope you start to feel better and I am wishing you all the very best and I am happy to offer any support I can.
