It's been 8 weeks since I had a single mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction. The surgical team also mended my 4cm diastis recti at the same time.
I understand the recovery time is meant to be 6 weeks, but I'm still feeling tight around my middle and struggling to move as smoothly as I used to. Is this normal? How long before the tightness around my middle disappears?
I would love to hear from other women who have been through the DIEP reconstruction procedure.
Morning! I am now 3 years past my diep and yes I believe it’s normal. I was told it was 12 weeks for general recovery and I’d say that was about right, and up to a year for a complete recovery. After 6 weeks I could do most things but as you say, I would get twinges, tightness and was still careful in my movements, still had sharp pains occasionally, you still shouldn’t be lifting much, etc. plus you’ve have the diastasis recti repair too. I remember being so frustrated that recovery was taking so long, then you get well meaning people telling you how their mum/aunt/sister/friend was running a marathon after 5 weeks (I’m exaggerating but you know) and it makes it worse. One woman told me she’d gone to dinner at a restaurant a week after, I still had drains in and wasn’t out of my pyjamas a week after 
and I think I’m pretty sturdy generally. One thing I’ve learned in all of this is recovery is always slower than you’d like. I had my surgery in the January and returned to my very active school job after the Easter hols in April if that helps? I felt mostly there by then, hope that helps, be easy on yourself x
