How I Prepared for My Mastectomy
Written April 3, 2022
3 things I did ahead of time that I’m so glad I did:
I joined this facebook group once I was ready to go through this procedure. I don’t recommend joining it before you’re ready to take in the emotional weight that a mastectomy brings with it, because the group can be A LOT, but once you’re ready, this group is one of the most supportive groups I’ve ever been a part of. You can look in the archive for almost anything, and if you can’t find your answer, you surely can post a question and will get tons of answers from people who have been through what you’re going through, or who are going through it at the same time as you are.
I made a really good “to watch” list of things you want to watch – movies, tv shows, you name it. (I’m not going to embarrass myself by including my list.)
I put important items on shelves / surfaces that I didn’t have to lift my arms up to reach. I switched bathroom shelves with my husband, and I put all my mastectomy clothing in one easy-to-access area.
24 hours after my mastectomy (Jan 14, 2022). This bra (“Masthead”) was provided by my hospital
Here are things I purchased. I do not make money for promoting any of these, but obviously I recommend all of them (or I wouldn’t list them here). If I put a [BTH] next to it, that means I’d recommend that you ‘Bring the item To the Hospital’ for your mastectomy, since you may want it during recovery in your room.
A drain carrier belt. This was the best thing I had hands-down. (It also comes with one for the shower, which you’ll also want.) This belt makes it so you can wear any shirt without needing to have drain pockets.
[BTH] Back scratcher because you won’t be able to reach your own back
2-3 ‘drain shirts’ that have holes for drains. I went with this (long + short sleeve) and this.
Bras with no underwire. Note: it’s really hard to guess what size you’ll need, so you may want to wait until after the surgery, since the hospital will give you 1-2 to wear and take home anyway.
[BTH] very comfortable pants and zip up or button up shirts (you won’t be able to lift up your arms above your head). My cousin recommended getting velour track suits for fun, and I’m so glad I did that.
[BTH] Facial wipes - I wasn’t able to bend down to wash my face, and in the hospital I couldn’t even make it to the bathroom easily, so these felt nice to clean my face. I also used these to wipe my armpits during the 2 weeks when you’re not supposed to put on deodorant.
[BTH] Chapstick if your lips tend to get chapped when you’re in the hospital or after surgery (many do).
Me and my seat belt pillow, on our way home from surgery
8. [BTH] Seat belt pillow or a large stuffed animal - you don’t want the seatbelt to rub against your chest on your drive home.
9. Extra-long flexible silicone straws with a large jug. This way, you don’t have to bend down or lift the jug / glass to drink. These straws were one of my more helpful tools, and the jug made sure I drank enough water during recovery.
10. Mastectomy pillow - I don’t know why I found this so helpful, but I really did.
11. Yogibo u-shaped pillow - I used this instead of a recliner chair, which others recommended getting, and I found it to be more than good enough. I also only ended up needing / using it for 2 weeks.
12. Stool softeners (or ask your doctor for Colace)
13. Dry shampoo – it’s hard to wash your hair because of the arm position, so you may want to use dry shampoo.
14. Natural / no perfume soap (the doctors told me to use this when showering)
