best after-surgery wrapping?

katiekabooom

since i am not getting reconstruction, i'm not sure what type of post-surgery camisoles to get.  do you all recommend something snug with high armholes to reduce liquid accumulation? something loose and soft?  my instinct is to go for something almost compression-like but your advice would be most appreciated.

crystalphm

You should ask your doctor this, my own doctor preferred me to wear nothing but a loose tshirt for a few weeks, nothing tight or binding, and I never swelled, not even a small bit. Never had any swelling, it was amazing.

The doctors know according to what the surgery will be how much tissue is involved and they will decide what you wear for the first few weeks.

And after that, it was all my own choice and I simply could not tolerate anything tight, even now I prefer things to be loose.

I wish you the very best on your journey, we are here for you.

Erica3681

I agree with Crystal that you should check with your doctor as there seem to be a range of medical opinions about this. My surgeon didn't want me to wear any compression. I just wore soft camisoles under loose shirts. I healed very well, although I did develop small fluid pockets after removal of my drains (probably too early, after only four days). I've sometimes wondered if compression would have helped with that. But the fluid drained spontaneously eventually (one side after four weeks, the other gradually over six months) and was never painful. My doctor said she only aspirates fluid if it's a very large seroma and painful--there's always a risk of infection with aspiration.

GeorgiaRai

I'm a bit late to this discussion, but wanted to share my experience.  Since it was the plastic surgeon that "closed" my surgery, I saw him (instead of my BS) for my after-care.  He prescribed me a compression bra the morning after surgery and had me wear it "as much as I could tolerate".  Turned out, I was much more comfortable with it on than off.  When I had my 2nd (of 2) drain out, I asked him how long I should keep wearing it and he said I could stop (this was 1 week post-op) but when I told him it was more comfortable than loose clothing he said "Great! The more/longer you want to wear it, the better."  I liked that everything was held in place and secure, and I had no swelling and no drainage problems.  I didn't have any bandages or stitches, so that wasn't a concern.

My BS had actually left me a script for a mastectomy cami but my PS was adamant that I wear the compression. 

I definitely agree with the other posts here:  find out what your doctor(s) want you to wear!  And good luck to you, katie!