It varies depending on which operation you choose. Some women who choose breast-conserving treatment will be nearly back to normal in as quick as one to two days. If you choose a total mastectomy, and you have to have all of your lymph nodes removed, the recovery time can be longer. It can take anywhere from two to three, sometimes even four weeks.
Breast reconstruction with a tissue flap takes the longest to recover from: not only does the breast site have to heal, but also the donor site where the flap came from.
