Breast Reconstruction with Latissimus Flap: Caring for yourself after surgery


Breast Reconstruction with Latissimus Flap: Caring for yourself after surgery

We are committed to helping you recover safely and quickly from your surgery. Use this information to take care of yourself at home. Your surgeon may have additional instructions for you after surgery. These instructions will be included in your after visit summary (AVS). Your care team will print your AVS and give it to you before you go home. If you have questions about your follow-up care, talk to your surgeon.


What can I expect after surgery?

Expect your recovery to take 6 to 8 weeks. You may need several months for your breast and back to fully heal.

Take time to rest during your recovery. Have someone stay with you overnight after you get home from the hospital to help with daily activities, such as making meals and other household tasks.

After surgery, you may have:

  • An upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and fatigue (feeling very tired). These effects can be caused by the anesthesia (medicine that puts you to sleep) you received during surgery and may last 1 or 2 days.
  • A low-grade fever (less than 101°F or 38°C) due to lung congestion. Usually, you can clear this congestion by coughing and breathing deeply. Your congestion may take a few hours to clear.
  • A drowsy, dizzy or weak feeling for a few days after surgery.
  • Light drainage from your incisions for a few days after surgery.
  • Pain with arm movement for 10 to 14 days.
  • Tenderness, swelling, tightness and bruising in your breast, chest and back for 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Numb skin on your breast and back for several weeks to several months. Feeling will return slowly, but you may have a small area on your breast and back that will always be numb. (Don’t use a heating pad on your breast or back if your skin is numb, or you could get severe burns.)

How do I manage my pain?

Pain medicine will help you feel more comfortable but won’t get rid of all your pain.

  • Your surgeon may prescribe pain medicine for you.
    • Take your pain medicine exactly as your surgeon prescribes.
    • Take your pain medicine with food to avoid an upset stomach.
    • As your pain improves, you may take acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead of your prescription pain medicine, but do not take both at the same time. Some prescription pain medicines contain acetaminophen, so taking acetaminophen in addition to your prescription pain medicine could be harmful.
  • Check your AVS to see if it’s OK to take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) starting 3 to 5 days after surgery.
  • Do not take aspirin, herbal supplements or vitamins for 1 week after surgery. These medicines can increase bleeding, bruising and drainage.

Other ways to manage your pain include the following:

  • Use ice packs or cool compresses on the side of your breast and back.
    • Leave the packs on for 20 minutes every hour when you’re awake.
    • Use as needed for pain for 1 to 2 days.
  • Wear your surgical garment (bra) as recommended by your surgeon.

Nerve pain

When your surgeon makes the incisions during surgery, some nerves are cut. As these nerves heal, you may have brief shooting pains or “buzzing” sensations around your surgical sites. These sensations are normal and will get better with time.

To help your nerves heal, gently massage the area around your surgical sites several times a day. While massaging the area, don’t touch your incision or drain site.

You likely will have strange sensations while touching the area. But the light massage helps the area become less sensitive. Massage also can help with pain relief.


How do I care for my breasts after surgery?

  • When you wake up from surgery, you may be wearing a surgical bra. Your surgeon will give you instructions for wearing a bra during your recovery.
  • Don’t wear an underwire bra for 3 months after surgery.
  • If your surgeon prescribes antibiotics for you, take them as directed.
  • For 3 weeks after surgery, you may find it more comfortable to sleep on your back or side. Sleeping in a recliner may be more comfortable than sleeping in a bed. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
  • Protect your incisions from the sun.
    • For 6 months after surgery, keep your incisions out of the sun.
    • For 7 to 12 months after surgery, apply sunscreen if you’ll be exposing the area to the sun. Use sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or higher. Using sunscreen will prevent your scars from getting dark.

What about drinking and eating?

If you have an upset stomach, nausea or vomiting, you may not feel like eating.

  • Start by drinking small sips of fluids, such as clear carbonated beverages, tea or soup. Drink fluids often.
  • Gradually add bland foods to your diet, such as dry toast or crackers.
  • Start with light meals. Resume your regular diet as you feel able.
  • Talk to your surgeon if your nausea doesn’t improve. Your surgeon may prescribe medicine to help decrease nausea.

To prevent constipation from pain medicine:

  • Eat fiber (fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals and breads).
  • Drink plenty of fluids.

How do I care for my drain tubes and drain site?

You will have drain tubes in your breast and back after surgery. Theses tubes help prevent fluid from collecting near your incisions. Follow the instructions below to care for your drain tubes. Your surgeon may give you additional instructions.

  • Strip and empty your drain tubes 2 times a day. (We will give you a drain care instruction sheet and a sheet to record the amount of drainage.)
  • Write down the amount of drainage and bring this information with you to your follow-up appointment.
  • Keep your drain sites clean, dry and covered with a clean bandage.
  • Keep the transparent (see-through) bandage in place over your drain sites.

As you heal, you will have less drainage. Also, the color of the drainage will change from red to light pink to light yellow.

We will remove your drain tubes when you have minimal drainage. Your surgeon will decide when to remove your drain tubes.


What about bathing?

  • Take sponge baths until your drains are removed. Don’t take showers or tub baths while your drains are in place.
  • Don’t get soap or water in your drain site. Keep your drain site dry and covered with a clean bandage.
  • Don’t soak in a bathtub, hot tub or pool until your incisions are fully healed (usually 4 weeks after surgery).
  • Don’t take off the Steri-Strips covering your incisions. Leave them on until they come loose—about 10 days after surgery.
  • You may want to cover your incisions with fresh bandages to protect your incisions and avoid irritation.

What are my restrictions?

  • Don’t drive for 2 weeks after surgery.
  • While taking prescription pain medicine:
    • Don’t drive.
    • Don’t drink alcohol.
    • Don’t make any major decisions. Major decisions include activities such as signing important papers or managing legal issues.
  • Avoid traveling out of the area for 4 to 5 weeks after surgery.
  • You will need to have a friend or family member drive you to your first follow-up appointment.

What about activity?

Get up to walk around every 2 to 4 hours when you’re awake. This movement helps prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. These blood clots can be life threatening.

Other than light walking, you will need to significantly limit your activity while you recover from surgery. Too much activity produces fluid in your body and slows healing.

For 6 weeks after surgery

  • Don’t lift anything heavier than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).
  • Avoid activities that involve repeatedly moving your arms, pushing with your arms or gripping with your hands.
  • Don’t do strenuous activity, such as jogging, biking, swimming, weight lifting, vacuuming, shoveling, lawn mowing, gardening or sexual activity.
  • Light walking is OK, but don’t swing your arms too much or too fast.

Returning to work
If you have a desk job, you may return to work in 3 weeks. If you have a more active job, wait 6 weeks before returning to work.


When do I call my surgeon?

Call your surgeon’s office if you have:

  • A fever of 101°F (38°C) or higher.
  • Severe pain that doesn’t get better with pain medicine.
  • Increased redness, heat (feels warm to the touch), swelling, or cloudy drainage (pus) around or from your incisions.
  • Significant pain, bruising and sudden swelling in one breast compared with your other breast.

Phone number

Park Nicollet Plastic Surgery
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
952-993-3504

If you call after office hours or on Saturday or Sunday, you will be transferred to the Methodist Hospital operator. Tell the operator you are a patient and ask to speak to the on-call plastic surgeon. A surgeon will call you back.



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