Double Mastectomy March 7. How to Prepare?

Oklabecca,

Here are the things that I found most useful.

Put things that you will want access to at waist level -- including underwear, pull-on pants, loose shirts. I had clothes in laundry baskets, not in drawers. I put cups on counters along with water bottles.

I still use my wedge for sitting in bed... back at BMX time combined with assorted pillows for under my arms. I have reflux so a good investment...

I drank from COVERED water cups (Tervis for me) useful... didn't want to spill on myself

Definitely used a box of alcohol wipes from drug store -- was KEY for stripping drains

Borrowed shower stool from my Dad, used with hand-held shower head from Bed Bath and Beyond - I sat in the shower wearing a windbreaker with a hand towel around my neck and washed my lower half -- felt great.... 3 weeks (one of my drains was slow to clear) was a long time to go without a shower...

PILLOW for ride home from hospital -- my friend gave me a cute MICROBEAD super squishy neck pillow that I used between the seat belt and my chest.key for comfort for road trips for a while

I bought:

2 camisoles so that 1 could be in wash (drains can be messy) - not my taste in trim, but super convenient with drain pockets: https://www.tlcdirect.org/Post-Surgery-Mastectomy-... came with fiberfil poofs that I also wore several weeks post surgery in a cotton mastectomy sports bra... [Could not be fitted for bras and prostheses until 6 weeks out, I believe... I wear silicone prosthetics now as well as swim microbead for exercise.]

A drain belt - used this in the shower: https://www.tlcdirect.org/Post-Surgical-Drain-Belt... I used a lanyard with safety pins at first, but really felt the belt simplified things for me, using velcro pockets interchangeably with camisole.

Slip-on sneakers at the Walking Store, which were great for walking the halls in the hospital -- still use those on my stationary recumbent bike. They were easy to wear to follow-ups

Wore pre-owned:

Lots of zip front sweaters/sweatshirts (soft and loose) -- used safety pins with them if not wearing camisole

pull-up sweats (light-weight for hot flashes)

Hope this helps? Best wishes for a speedy recovery

These are great suggestions. I would add: a sleep mask. I am not a back sleeper ordinarily, and this helped a lot.

You might ask the surgeon's nurse what supplies they'll give you in the hospital. They gave me three surgical bras and one thing that was super helpful: an old-fashioned sanitary napkin belt (the kind they had before pads came with sticky stuff). That turned out to be great for holding the drains when I was in the shower. They also gave me a ton of alcohol pads for stripping the drains.

I bought a camisole but didn't use it much. Instead, I bought very cheap, very large tank tops at Old Navy and pinned the drains to them when I didn't feel like wearing a surgical bra.

Bring a small pillow for the car ride home, to insert between the seat belt and your chest. Also, we used a car service, so my husband could keep track of all the stuff we had (but we live in the city).

It's great your husband will be there for you. If you have friends who ask what they can do... A couple of friends gave me their back issues of all the cheesy magazines they had around the house. These were things I didn't subscribe to (Vanity Fair! Bon Appetit! Martha Stewart Living!) and I loved it during those first days when I wasn't feeling up to much.

Good luck; I hope it goes well!

You may want to check out the most recent Feb 2016 & Jan 2016 Surgery forums. Lots of helpful suggestions and information. I had my BMX on 1/12/16 and I think I posted a list of suggestions in the Feb 2016 forum. I'll see if I can find & repost here. I am a month out and not doing reconstruction so wishing you the best.

Good luck to you oklabecca. All the above suggestions are great. Here are a few more.

It's good your hubby will be near to help for a week to get you food and drinks and drive you to post op appointments. The first 2 or 3 days you'll want to sleep and rest. Don't worry about not bathing too much. You want to avoid infection by not getting water on the sutures.

If anesthesia causes you nausea, tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist. They can give you anti nausea meds before, during, and after to avoid that. Ask for pain meds too if you need them. Don't be a martyr: You'll heal faster if you can rest comfortably!

I didn't get a recliner or wedge but i had a firm large "floor pillow" that i propped upright and leaned back into.

You won't want to pull open a fridge door that first week, so have a small water pitcher or smaller beverage containers near to pour water into cups with a straw or covered water bottle.

Get Netflix or DVDs and watch lots of movies. No guilt in marathoning a tv series while you rest and heal.

Get some of your favorite magazines to peruse. A lightweight tablet or laptop are also good for watching movies, reading news, or looking at pictures of kittens, or checking in with your surgery sisters, or whatever helps you to pass the time.

Silky polyester elastic waist and button down pjs. The button down is good for changing dressings. And the slippery pj pants are good for sliding upright and sliding out of bed.

Slip on shoes and slippers so you don't have to pull shoes or boots on or off. Otherwise your husband can be your prince with this too.

Try to stay focused on how much better you'll feel in 4 weeks when you're post op.

If you feel comfortable sharing with close friends and family that you're having a surgery, getting get well cards while you're recovering is very helpful and inspirational.