I am due to have a single mastectomy with lymph node removal next week. I'm trying to push the emotional feelings to the back for now and concentrate on the practical side of things for a change. Things like, what to wear for coming out of hospital, when do I start to wear the bra and padded insert they've given me, how do I have a bath or shower,how is it possible to wash my hair? Any advice would be great x
I expect you’ve been given an idea of the length of hospital stay? If it’s just one night then I would think you’ll not really need much, I stayed in the hospital gown overnight and actually went back to theatre as I’d bled even under the implant. My team advised a comfy bra for my first post-op appointment when they could pad around the drains. I’m not huge so didn’t bother with a bra to come home. if you get sutured then you’ll have a dressing and they will let you know when to remove that; but if you’re glued then you may well be able to shower gently the day after you get home, being careful of drains etc. I got told just to allow the water to drain over me, not to rub. And just to pat dry. I found a space on the shelf above the bath for drain bottles handy, but the first time I used an over-bath board to put them on as I felt a bit shaky. clothes for coming home? Easy to put on (you might not get any help at all?) so separates are easier, and think about trying to put a loose jumper on one handed, put the bad side in first, pulling it all well up your arm, then other arm in and over your head. You can practise that now (I was an OT before retiring so self care like that was a part of my remit!)
Thanks so much for the advice. It really is helpful as it all seems so daunting. I've been told I'll be out the same day though that sounds a bit early to me! I'm feeling that soft at the moment that a month sounds about the right length of stay!
That's great advice about practicing putting my clothes in now. I'll start tonight. X
You’ll be surprised, they do often put in a drip of local anaesthetic which gets removed before you come home, I found there was astonishingly little pain. Just paracetamol as needed, regularly at first but soon tailed off. It’s useful to dose yourself about half an hour before doing the arm and shoulder exercises (very important, these!)
Rest as and when you need, anaesthetics take about 3 weeks to fully leave your system, but you’ll probably just feel a bit wobbly and tired just for a few days, to be honest.
I had a SNB op beforehand as it looked as if my nodes were clear (they were) as I’d got holiday booked, and then the mx with permanent implant a little while later.
I wore the softie and bra that the BCN gave me to go home in but since then I haven't bothered with a bra. I am now 9 days post op and did not have reconstruction. I had to stay in hospital for a few days as the drain was causing some pain but other than that, I have had no problems. I have waterproof dressings and no drain so showering is not a problem. I have managed to wash my hair in the shower without any difficulty. When and if you decide to wear a prosthesis is entirely up to you. I don't go out much so I haven't bothered to wear one.
I had a mastectomy at the beginning of Feb. I was convinced that I'd want to wear the softie and then the prosthesis all the time, but couldn't wear a bra for quite a while because the scar where the drain went in was tender and right where the edge of the bra was. Now, 9 months later, I have got used to not wearing a bra, and it doesn't show a great deal under thick winter jumpers as I'm not very big (D cup). It would have been different if I was younger, I think (I'm 51), and I might feel different in summer wearing just a T shirt, but I have surprised myself by feeling less bothered about this than I thought I'd be. After all, what we have been through is nothing to be ashamed of or to try to hide!
I'm on a FB page who celebrate being flat. A lady posted on there today that she walked out after having a shower with a towel around her waist and just casually said Hi to her son's friend who was there.
dont buy too much in anticipation, I wasted money (v bad as am a tight northerner) on lots of button up shirts and cardigans and only wore a few. If you do your exercises and are reasonably fit you'll be able to wear 'normal' clothes in no time.
i was told, and did, wear mx bra straightaway as it can help compression wise to prevent any unnecessary swelling or seromas, i had 2 bra's. For the same reason wore the softy from day 1, I also got a knitted knocker (Google them, they're great).
i couldn't face/be bothered with the faff of a shower, especially when I had my drain so made do with a prison wash (flannel & sink) until was confident and had replacement bandages to reapply afterwards (worth asking for some from BCN just in case) for drain site and after main mx bandages had been removed. Washing hair was challenging due to extent of mobility but just take it slow and you'll be fine.
I would definitely leave any bath thoughts for quite a while unless you've got a smart bath as you won't be able to support your body weight to lower yourself into the bath as one of your arms will be 'duff' for a while yet. I don't think I had one until a good couple of months after op.
you will find a small pillow (they're often heart shaped) really handy for the car journey home and to sleep with under your arm, it will help prevent the seatbelt from touching your wound and, at night, will elevate your arm so its not touching your body, hopefully your hospital has/will provide...I nagged mine for one. I also found a shoe horn really useful as you won't be able to easily pull on shoes with the duff arm.v pillow also good for helping you sleep on your back..best position for comfort.
oh and I managed to puke in the boyfriend car in the day back from hospital (general anaesthetic can do that) so a sick bowl may be a good idea (am sure I can still smell it!). Not sure he's forgiven me yet...
keep asking questions...no question is a daft one and many are here to help.
Thanks for all that advice. It's brilliant and what I really needed to know. I'll probably follow it all except the being sick in the car bit! Hopefully anyway.
When you say about wearing the Mx bra from day 1 do you mean the bra that they give you that fastens at the front? And do you mean wear it when coming out of hospital?
Yep I mean the bra that is as far from sexy as one could ever imagine, fastens at the front and probably has some pockets in the cups to allow insertion of softies. And yes, put it on straight away with softie in it- that's what I did and what I was told. So yep, you'll be wearing it on the journey home from hospital.
Good luck with not being sick ( I was fine the last 2 times I've had gen anaesthetic- still fun to tell the boyfriend I thought I might be sick however...).
