How Long is Swelling Normal After Double Free Flap Reconstruction?

You have had a major procedure and are still very much in the early stages of recovery. I normally tell poeple that things don't start to settle until around 3 months, and can take 6-12 months to fully setlle. Don't worry if you still have swelling at this stage - it is normal. Try not to overdo things and I would hope that you will be in regular contact with your surgeon to make sure that things are progressing to his or her satisfaction. more

The bilateral free flap procedure you describe has several components that leads to the swelling you describe. There is the mastectomies, the abdominal procedure and then placement of the flaps onto the chest to form the new breasts. These procedures alone would take time to recover from. When you put them all together then it is a significant amount of healing that depends on the patient, their personal health, their ability to have a proper diet after surgery and... more

The amount swelling post surgery will vary from patient to patient and amount of surgery. You should visit your surgeon for follow up.