Restore Recovery · Breast reconstruction companion

Your recovery,
in your hands.

Restore Recovery is a companion app for the first days after autologous breast reconstruction — guiding you from surgery day, through each day on the ward, all the way home. Clear goals, gentle encouragement, and every milestone celebrated.

Recovery is a journey. You should be in the driving seat.

Breast reconstruction after cancer is a milestone of hope and healing. We believe every patient deserves to know exactly what today holds, what tomorrow brings, and how far they have already come.

A plan for every day

From surgery day to going home, each ward day has its own goals and a "what to expect" schedule — ward rounds, drain checks, physio visits — so nothing comes as a surprise.

Every milestone celebrated

First steps, first meal, drains out, catheter out — the app marks each achievement with genuine encouragement, because these moments deserve celebrating.

Care tailored to your surgery

Whether your reconstruction uses tissue from the abdomen or thigh, your physiotherapy programme, medication guidance, and recovery advice adapt to match.

Your team, by your side

Meet the surgeons and specialist nurses caring for you, with their photos and backgrounds — plus clear guidance on exactly when and how to contact the ward.

Continuous improvement

If you have found this app useful or not useful we would love to hear from you. This is a work in progress and any suggestions for improvement will be looked at and implemented if possible.

Meet Restore Recovery

A calm, encouraging companion for the ward and beyond — built around the real recovery pathway for autologous breast reconstruction (abdominal and thigh flap procedures).

  • Day-by-day goals from surgery day through to discharge — tick them off and watch your progress grow
  • What to expect today — a gentle schedule of ward rounds, physio visits, and checks
  • Guided physiotherapy with illustrated exercises tailored to abdominal or thigh surgery, three sessions a day
  • Medication support — your 7-night dalteparin course tracked, with a nightly reminder
  • Fluid tracking for the crucial first 24 hours
  • Progress at a glance — including live progress in the iPhone Dynamic Island
  • Share updates with family in one tap, so loved ones stay in the loop
  • Going-home guide — follow-up appointments, warning signs, and your full milestone timeline
Download on theApp Store
Coming soon — currently in review with Apple

Made for real recoveries

Restore Recovery doesn't replace your medical team — it strengthens the connection between you and them, giving you the confidence of knowing what's normal, what's next, and when to reach out.

The app is free for patients and private by design: your recovery data stays on your phone. No accounts, no tracking — just support.

Designed around the breast reconstruction pathway at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead — one of the UK's leading centres for microvascular reconstruction.

Built to empower patient recovery after surgery

JM Photo coming soon

James McGhee

BM BS · MSc(Merit) & DIC · FRCS(Plast)

Plastic surgeon on the GMC Specialist Register · Microsurgical Fellow, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead

James has over ten years of plastic surgery experience, specialising in microsurgery with extensive experience in autologous breast reconstruction. His practice is relentlessly patient-focused: on outcomes, and just as much on the experience of getting there. He holds a Master's in Surgical Innovation from Imperial College London and has published eleven peer-reviewed papers.

"I designed this app after my own experience as a patient in the NHS — sitting in hospital, frustrated at not knowing what was happening or what came next. Nobody should feel that way, least of all someone recovering from breast reconstruction. This app will help patients to have control of their journey."

Having seen recovery from both sides — as the surgeon performing these operations and as a patient on the ward — James designed and built Restore Recovery himself, around the questions patients actually ask and the moments that genuinely matter.

In partnership with Restore

Restore Recovery is developed in partnership with Restore, a Sussex-based charity supporting people through breast reconstruction after cancer. Together we share one goal: making sure no one faces this journey feeling alone or uninformed.

Learn more about their work at restore-bcr.co.uk.