Am I going to be okay? How exactly will my breast look like after? What should be my expectations? How long does the process take? Those and more are the questions that are most likely to be streaming through your mind before undergoing a reconstruction. But no matter how many you ask your doctor and how often expert answers you get are, more questions keep popping up.

To get your head clear, I have answered 5 of the most frequently asked questions about breast reconstruction down below.

Question 1; Can I workout and shower after the surgery?

Though not instantly, you can always take a shower after your surgery with no harm. However, if you ask your doctor, you'll be asked to wait for a maximum of 48 hours before using the bathroom. Even when the soapy water comes in contact with your drains or the incisions, it does no harm. On the other side, whether it's safe or not to workout will be decided by the type of the reconstruction done on you and your health status. Only your surgeon can answer that.

Question 2; When do you get to remove those drains?

While drains, the small tubes in the incision, are an essential partner through your post-surgery to help get rid of fluids through the healing stage, having them getting noticed wherever you go can be disappointing. Nevertheless, taking drains out of place on your own can be a very costly decision. The smartest thing to do is to get the detailed answer as per when and how to take those drains out of place.

Question 3; Do I get to wear bra again?

This too depends on the kind of surgery done on you and the preference of your surgeon. Nevertheless, in most cases, you are told to discard underwire bras completely through the first six months. Otherwise, your surgeon may recommend surgical bras. And most likely, you are asked to change compression bras 24/7 through the first four to six weeks. Again, talk to your surgeon about this.

Question 4; When does the swelling stop? How long will the new breast take to attain its final shape and size?

The only case in which this can only be decided by your surgery is when you undergo a radiation therapy for breast cancer. Otherwise, the average duration taken by the operated breast to swell before reaching its final shape and size is five months. Why the case is different for radiation therapy is the possibility of having damaged tissues in the breast.

Heads up! Two things also affect how fast or how slow it takes namely; how elastic your tissues are naturally and the strength of the gravitational force in your geolocation.

Question 5; Is it the end?

Usually, no. In most cases, you will have to undergo extra procedure afterward. This may be one or more follow-up surgeries or a totally different one to speed up the healing process.