If you have a family history of cancer then I would recommend getting tested. I don't have the brca gene but a different one which I why I got regular screening. My partner and I also opted for pgd and ivf to ensure that I don't pass the gene down to our kids.
I went private but the time from my first surgery (nipple sparing bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction) to the second surgery of replacing the tissue expanders with the silicon implants was only 4 months. I was pretty much back to normal after that period (my husband and I said that if someone told me I would be back to normal in less than 6 months we wouldn't have believed them). You do have a loss in strength and movement but that is all.