I’m due to have a mastectomy in two weeks and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has already been through that part of your journey.
I’ve found out about drain dollies and ordered a couple of extra pillows. Also discovered Nichola Jane for a bra. But I’m not sure how I will sleep / get into bed with a drain, how I will be coming home in the car, whether I need to order anything else while I have time. I also have a pre-existing endocrine issue, which means that my soft tissues e.g tendons and joints are a bit limited in terms of strength and flexibility. So I need to be able to get in and out of bed without much strain.
What about sitting in a chair or sofa? Is it worth getting one of those moveable trolley / table things instead of sitting at a table?
Is there a thing else I need to order or arrange?
I’ve not got much idea about what or how to prepare, but feel that I need to be ready at home for when it’s done. Feeling overwhelmed right now, so ending up not achieving much.
I had a right simple mastectomy Oct 12th. For sleep support I bought a large maternity U-shaped pillow filled with shredded memory foam (Byre support pillow from amazon). Best investment! It prevented me from rolling on to my sides and I felt well supported - lay a memory foam pillow on top and then a softer pillow, the “legs” of the pillow alongside my body, felt snuggled in! I have fibromyalgia, arthritis and bilateral sciatica so did occasionally wake up with more leg pain as it did prevent me moving about but I still felt comfortable. I still use it when I sit up in bed to read, knit, watch telly etc. I lie on the right side of the bed and can easily slip the right leg off the bed so I can get in/out of bed.
I did not got home with any drains. For travelling in a car some find a small pillow comfortable under the seatbelt but it depends what side your mastectomy is on. I just pulled the seatbelt away from my right side with my left hand a little. You may need help to fasten the seatbelt. A friend told me I would be exempt from wearing a seatbelt but I did google about it and no, mastectomy not an excuse - so a seatbelt must be worn.
Do the exercises! It’s really important to prevent any tightness that may develop. Don’t overreach - I made that mistake a few times in the beginning and it was very sore but things have improved now. You may find a bra sore to wear to begin with, I only wore one when leaving the house. I still haven’t found a good bra but hopefully, once my seroma has settled I’ll get the silicon prothesis and take it from there.
Remember your body has gone through major surgery and you will be tired - rest when you can and make sure your friends and family understand - it will take time for your ex-boob area to heal underneath. Eat good healthy food and drink plenty fluids and take painkillers regularly - they do help.
In terms of sleeping I did a combination of being propped up on three or four pillows or going downstairs in sleeping in an armchair. I did this for about a week. I stayed sleeping on my back for a while after this. I sleep on my left side and had a left sided mastectomy.
I only had a drain for a couple of days and just put it on the floor next to me. My hospital provided a long strapped bag for it when I was walking around, but I gather this isn’t the standard.
Another useful thing I wish I had known about was a little heart shaped cushion to put under my arm. I was given one about a month after my op, and used it loads - keeping the seatbelt off my chest and also when sitting on a break at work to help relax my shoulder. I still use it occasionally to get comfortable in bed. I think some hospitals supply these. There are patterns available on line if you are handy with a sewing machine or some charities sell them I believe.
You can get lovely heart-shaped cushions to protect your underarm scars and the seatbelt/driving pads on Etsy, or if you fancy some craft therapy, they are not too difficult to make yourself…
I missed this one. But for future users, I think all YorkshireJ’s ideas sounded good, including the trolley and chair for when you need a change of sleep position. I’ve also found that a V-shaped pillow is very useful in bed, as one of the replies says. It helps to stop you rolling and hurting yourself. If you are able to talk to your doctor for a prescription in advance, I’d get some supplies of painkillers and maybe some sleeping pills ready (sometimes you may get bad nights…) and I found an aromatherapy red light (which sends out scented mist) really quite comforting. Best of luck.
Hi. For anyone reading this with an op coming up, I thought I’d add to this post. I am 2 weeks post op. Double mastectomy and temp implants I am waiting on being inflated.
For sleep I found a great wedge pillow with memory foam on amazon. It’s max 6 inch I’d say in height and is enough with a normal pillow on top to give great elevated support. I didn’t buy it until about 10’days in and really wish I had hd for coming home. Helps with back pain and support. That with the heart cushions stopped me rolling. Though I find I am in a lot of pain so last thing I am going to do right now is roll.
Agree with other posts. I have a bed table/trolly my dad gave me and I laughed at it. It has been a life save. Hung my drains on it. And just great to have all your stuff. Close by. Meds, laptop, drinks etc. so that would be my second must have.
Finally the great bra debate. I have found all the reconstruction bras too tight along my scar as it is under my boobs at the fold. I have to say the absolute winner for comfort is Sloggi bra. Zero feel range and its the ‘top’ one so the band comes further down than a normal bra and doesn’t rub. I got one on Amazon and was lucky it was 50% off.
Hope this helps with some ideas on what is helpful.