You will have incision pain for 6-8 weeks and sometimes longer. At discharge you will be given prescriptions for pain medication that we encourage you to use. Please do not drive while you are on these narcotics. The pain medication sometimes will cause constipation. We suggest that you place yourself on over-the-counter daily stool softeners such as Colace, Metamucil, or Senokot. If necessary, a laxative such as Milk of Magnesia can be taken daily as well.

You will also experience a numbness and tingling sensation at the incision site and under the breast. This is common and will eventually resolve. It can be as long as 2-4 months before this disappears.