Hi
A few of us are having single and double dieps this year any tips you can give us would be great
Button through nighties £6 matalan
Thanks
L
X x
water face spray…
Sports bottle for drink when you can’t quite sit up in the first couple of days.
Hand held fan to cool you down when they keep you so, so hot.
Slippers that you can slide your feet into because you can’t reach down to pull them on.
Front fastening bras
Ginger & lemongrass cordial for post-anaesthetic nausea.
Dry shampoo
Baby wipes
Ready to eat Prunes or apricots (avoid blockages in ones pipes so to speak)
Peppermint tea bags to get rid of wind and stop you blowing up!
A mug cos you can’t have drinks filled very much when you’re semi lying down and the cups are really small as well
A small cushion for the journey home
fab comments, cushion and pillow for me as 3 hour journey home, was thinking calipso would be good drinks as have straws already in them, friend gave me the tip… oh movicol worked for me last time xx
thanks for all your comments:
* where did you get the front button bra from?
* Calipo a great idea Lisa (I love them)
Anyone have any more tips, I think I will need a very large bag when I am admitted!!!
I got the front fastening bras from:
nicolajane.com
They weren’t cheap but well worth it. I bought 2 and wore them for several weeks after I got home from hospital. Buy a size larger than your normal size and the fewer seams the better. The nurses check the flap every 15 minutes to start with and it is so much easier if everything opens at the front. I guess maternity/breast feeding bras would also do the job.
yes definitely prunes/apricots or anything else to avoid the dreaded constipation.
In terms of bras, the hospital I was in didn’t expect me to wear one initially because of the dressings and of course, the drain initially. I did have one front opener my daughter had found, (and incidentally I think I saw some in a new range in marks last week.) but I didn’t like it. So I don’t think it’s as nec as I expected to get front openers. My nurses were adamant though that I needed a firm support style with separate cups, not a vest type or soft platform type.
However, front openers might be more necessary if you’ve had axillary node clearance and your arm is very restricted. I actually didnt have a problem with doing up a regular bra, and I could have done them up at front and turned them round if I had.
In terms of other packing for the hospital…like ear plugs and eye mask… I can send you my list if anyine wants to pm me today with their emails…I’m off to wear my bikinis tomorrow!!!
Nonsuch xxx
Oh lucky you bikinis. god my stomach has dropped today thinking it’s only a week away and so scared wont wake up and then they read you that long list of things that can go wrong… eughhh!!! Wish it was over and done with.
Our hospital has you in a bra the following morning regardless of drains, fun times. Hate lying flat and in same position…
My sports bra that they give us has the velco straps so they can just open it that way so it tends to stay on - infact still wearing them now from last op 9 months ago.
L x
M&S sports bra that zip up at the front - brilliant.
I wore cotton pyjamas a size up so they were comfy.
Big cotton pants that cover the tum and stop anything catching when you wear them after a couple of days. My surgeon actually insisted on the super-strength ones which you can get in cotton.
If you don’t like plain water then a squash of your choice as you will be drinking lots of fluid to cope with being kept very warm and it also helps flush the anaesthetic out of your system.
Bag to put your drains in as easier to carry them around - pillow case is a good alternative.
Hubby used to bring me in small pots of melon chunks on each visit which was nice and refreshing.
Face wipes and hand wipes for freshening up.
Couple of extra pillows for when you are home.
Lots of hugs and support from those around you!
Sx
I.ve a date of 17th march so these hints and tips are really great thank you !
Hi
Good luck with your op, I am waiting for diep in July (I could of had it earlier but my 2nd grandchild is due end of may and I want her to come first)
Look forward to hearing how it goes
L
X
Hiya everyone, STILL waiting for my date! some fantastic tips and advice from the girls who have gone through it thanks alot and keep em coming!! Summer11 good luck for the 17th! dont forget to let us all know how your getting on when you feel up to it love!
Lynn XXX
I’m nearly 4 weeks post now and am still so glad I bought the V shaped authopeadic pillows, I bought one initially and OH made that many hints after trying it I bought another. As it turned out I found them briliant for sleeping on once came home one propping me up a bit and the other under my knees. It made it almost like having the moveable hospital bed again.
They keep you very warm in hospital initially, so any of you who have a chillow pillow from chemo days take that in, at least it keeps your head cool. And if you havent got any clothes quite loose its worth investing in a couple of loose cheap items as tummy is still quite swollen and still struggling with a lot of regular clothes
I found a sports insulated cup was great as it prevented spills and it meant I could blag them for a full cuppa
And having had to be readmitted for a little blip where needed iv antibiotics, in future I would always make sure I had a small bag with essentials with me, as got caught on the hop and as we live quite away from my hospital it was easy for OH to nip back and forth
Summ11, hope today your looking down and smiling at your returned cleavage, hope the recovery goes well
Alex xx
Hi its a strange feeling I really want my diep op but so scared I read every comment on the site. Hope you all had a good weekend
L
X x
Hi all - tinfish I know exactly how you feel !
It’s been a year since I had my initial consultation for the DIEP - I got a phone call from the hospital on Friday and they’ve given me a date of 30th March - eeeek it’s now all sooo real as it’s the week after next !
I have a pre op appointment next Thurs and I’ve got a list of things I need to ask. In fact I’ve got a list of things to do before my op, a list of things to take in with me - thanks to all your hints & tips ladies.
Could I ask how long your were actually in hospital Alex & mfb ?
Also did you see your PS in the days before your op ?
Thinking about you Summer and do let us know how you’re getting on when you’re able.
This thread is so helpful 
Sue xxx
Try not to be too apprehensive about your diep. I found the thought of it all was worse than the actual thing. I had pre op a week before then scan and yet more bloods and blood thinning injection the afternoon before then went home and returned the next day for my op. I stayed in hospital for a week but mainly because I was very sick afterwards and couldn’t keep food down. Without that I would probably have been able to go home after five days as all drains and drips had been removed and I was quite mobile by then. I saw my ps at my pre op to ask any questions and he did my scan the day before. On the morning of the op he did all the beautiful drawings all over me before I went down to theatre!
Pam
I have a date for 10th May so many thanks for all the tips. What are you saying about them keeping you warm after the op? How do they do this?
How do they decide what size to make the new breast? I have always had large breasts but will be quite happy to have something smaller as it will only be kept in place by skin.
I have a skin sparing temporary reconstruction at moment and am presuming that they will be able to transfer just the fat and not leave me with extra scars?
I will still look very odd afterwards as my other breast is very droopy; I’m sure that originally they said they would do an uplift on the unaffected side to make it match. Has anyone else had this done?
Nidavellir
Hi Susieq1961,
The build up is the hardest part. I was joking with the nurse and theatre tech whilst hubby was there. Could tell they thought I was a bit odd. Once he left, and I insisted he went to work for company if nothing else, I confessed to being anxious! Bottom line for me was that I would be asleep whilst hubby was fretting and knew that if I got distressed the day would be hideous for him. It was several weeks later that we both admitted to being concernded about the length of surgery and the natural angst as to whether I would come through it…I guess the message for this is to acknowledge the scary factor or not as you see fit.
I had my op on the Thursday and as planned straight to HDU. Stayed on HDU for 48 hours (knew that 24-hrs was a given as a minimum and as no urgency for the bed stayed there another day which I have to say was a bonus), moved to ward and came out on the Wednesday so 6 nights total. Could have easily come out at least the day before but they were worried about limited fluid in drains so wanted to monitor another 24-hours.
Looking back, I saw my PS before SNB on 6th Jan, after when that when results were in, I think 18th when I had to sign consent forms etc, but then not until the day of the op on 27th. Hubby came with me early in the morning, met with anaesthetists, then with PS who took a couple of photos and did a couple of drawings on me. By the time we walked to theatre with the nurse from the ward the team were waiting for me.
I had not had any surgery in my life prior to this so the experience aside from BC was all new, but I have to say that the Team looking after me pre and post op was pretty fantastic. My BCN couldn’t have prepared me better than she did.
Happy to share more detail if that will help, just let me know,
Sx