[tousled1]

Kevin & Sue,

I had a bilateral mastectomy in June of this year -- no reconstruction done since we already knew I had extensive lymph node involvement and would need radiation. As for post-op, I had very little pain. I did have tubes in which had a ball on the end to collect fluid drainage. These balls had to be emptied and Ihad to keep track of the amount of fluid from each drain. These drains stayed in about a week. I can't advise you as to what to expect with immediate reconstruction. I can however tell you how important it is to get the arm moving, don't life anyting heavy and avoid a lot of stretching. I stayed in the hospital overnight and was driving in a week. Good luck to you.