clothes after surgery

momstrong

what kind of clothes should i get to be comfortable after surgery? supportive? loose? cotton? please let me know!

Moderators

Hi Momstrong,

There're some really wonderful tips on the Shopping, Packing and To-Do List for Surgery thread which will help!

Hope this helps and good luck with your surgery!

--The Mods

Metta

Hi Momstrong. Loose, baggy button-down shirts were best. I wore silk button-down pajamas, too. You should get them in size M or L because those stupid drains won't fit under a small shirt. After you get your drains out (two weeks, sometimes a month), you'll be able to wear regular shirts again.

Another good item was a zip-front vest, those puffy ones. A vest is a good way to hide your drains.

I bought a post-surgery camisole ($50 on most websites like metromedicalonline.com), but honestly it didn't come in handy until weeks after surgery; it was kind of too loose. I just wore the tight post-surgical bras from the hospital, day and night. I got those for free.

You might want to borrow the shirts or buy them at a secondhand shop or Target. I threw away all my post-surgery shirts because they made me sick to look at. For me surgery was worse than chemo or radiation, but that's just me.

Good luck. It's a terrible experience, but you'll get through it. There are so many wonderful people, both here and at the hospital, that will help you through. Also, if you haven't read this lovely letter by a nurse, you should: http://www.thewebelongproject.com/blog/open-letter-mastectomy-patient

Golden01

I vote for cotton and loose. Button-up-the-front pajamas were my go-to outfit with a pretty robe to match.

OrlandoSurgeons

I wore tops with zippers in the front instead of buttons or pullovers fter my bilateral mastectomy and my DIEP.

Artista928

I checked in the hospital in a comfy housecoat. It was snap down so easy in and out. I checked out of the hospital in the same thing. No need to pack up clothes. Just need it to check in and out of, the rest of the time you're in a gown. Easy! I bought like 4 and just lived in them and went to appts in them for 2 months since they don't look pjammy- just like a house dress/coat. You can get pink pockets to stick inside at the right spot to hold the drains. pinkpockets.com I used safety pins around it to secure it better.

okbecca

I bought several loose, front-buttoning tunics from Woman Within (I'm overweight) and a couple of flannel shirts from LL Bean. I also bought a pair of satin pajamas on the advice of people here.

One of the flannel shirts was lined with fleece and it was the bomb. I was freezing after my bmx. I mean, I chilled and had goose bumps for days. A friend of mine who had her bmx in July, in Oklahoma, experienced the same thing. That flannel shirt was great; soft, cozy, comforting.

The surgery was surgery. Surgery sucks. And it hurts. And it limits how you can sleep and what you can do. It leaves you exhausted and drained. But then, in a couple of weeks, you start wanting to do things again. You heal, and you go on.

Don't be afraid of this. It's a hard thing, but it's do-able. You are fighting for your life and that is a noble act. You will get through it, and you will be proud of yourself when you do.

Kicks

There is no 'One Size (way) Fits All'! In other words, do/wear what YOU are comfortable with - not what some other(s) tell you is what you will have to do - do what is best for YOU!

I went in to the hospital wearing my 'winter uniform' (turtle neck, pullover sweatshirt). I left the next morning wearing my 'usual' - the same turtle neck and pullover sweatshirt I had had on the morning before. No problem putting them on after UMX at all. I had taken one of Hubby's flannels and a zip hoodie (he's 80 +/- lbs larger than me so they were definitely 'oversized'). But when I started getting dressed to leave, I realized that I would have no problem with ROM to put on my 'winter uniform' so I did. I walked out wearing the same clothes I wore walking in. Never any 'special big clothes' for me. And yes - I did walk out. When Son (adult) got there to pick me up, I told the discharge RN that I was walking out under my own power as I had walked in. She said that's fine but hospital policy dictates that I have to go with you and take a wheel chair if you are going to walk as a 'just in case' and to varify that someone else drives you away.(off hospital grounds) - fine. But, for me it was important to me to walk out wearing what I usually wear after UMX - life was going on.

I do realize that not all can do what I did (or want to), we each have to do what is 'right'/best for us individually - not what 'someone' else says is what will happen/be needed/ will happen because of their individual experience.

GinaSC

I'm thinking of taking a bed jacket to wear over my gown while in the hospital in case I have visitors and to keep me warm. Does anyone have any suggestions wher I could find them? I'm already cold natured and know how cold it can be in the hospital