Having bilateral on Nov 14th ... what to buy for hospital stay

How long are you going to be in the hospital? For a lot of people it's just an overnight, so you won't need too much. I brought my phone, laptop, and tablet with me so I had something to do besides watch TV but, honestly, all I really wanted to do was sleep the first day.

For the next couple weeks, things that are nice to have:

- Button or zip up, LOOSE shirts (think like 'large PJ top' loose, I found men's cut shirts were best for this as they were much wider in the shoulders, chest, and waist area). Bonus if you can get one with drain pockets in it, there are several sites that sell them but they can be a bit pricey (if you're good with sewing, just sew big pockets to the inside of each side of the shirt at about waist level), otherwise they usually pin the drains to your post surgical binder. Mine were just pinned.

- Pants or shorts that are large enough to be easily pulled up and down.

- Slip on shoes or at least decent slippers with textured bottoms.

- Bendy straws, it'll be hard to lift a glass up and tilt it all the way, bendy straws are great.

- A big water bottle to go with the bendy straw; staying hydrated after surgery is a huge must, and if you've got a big bottle that's within reach and with a bendy straw, you're more likely to sip water throughout the day.

- Healthy snacks to keep nearby; think high protein, high fat type snacks, so dried meats, nuts, things like that. High protein and high fat are great for helping with healing.

- If you live alone and won't have anyone staying with you, it'd be a good idea to prepare about 1-2 weeks' worth of meals in advance and freeze them; that way you don't have to worry about cooking or ordering food, you can just take some out and heat it up.

- A good multivitamin, I went with liquid as I'm terrible at pill swallowing.

- A bromelain quercetin supplement; taken in high doses (about 3000-5000mg per day of the bromelain) helps a lot with swelling. I took that for 4 weeks and spread out the dose throughout the day.

- And Arnica Montana 30X supplement. This is also good for swelling and bruising; I took it for about 4 weeks along with the bromelain/quercetin.

- PROBIOTICS! Mine are fermented liquid ones, but any will do; this can help keep you from getting constipated without having to use laxatives, however...

- ...get laxatives just in case. Anesthesia and the pain meds given are all well known to cause constipation and you don't want to be straining. I did okay with the probiotics and a lot of water, but that doesn't always work for everyone. Once you're off the narcotic pain meds, you shouldn't need laxatives anymore.

- If you're concerned that you won't have enough range of motion to wipe and don't have or don't want someone to help you, getting one of these wands can be helpful. I didn't find I had any issues, but, well, I'm not everyone.

- Move things you think you'll want to/need to use for the first 4-6 weeks down below shoulder level; your full ROM won't come back until about 6 weeks, so anything that requires you raise your arms over your head will require a step stool or someone to help you get it.

- Unscented baby wipes, especially if your surgeon doesn't want you showering with drains in (some surgeons don't, some say it's fine). I found using these much easier than trying to sink bathe.

- Dry shampoo. Much easier than trying to wash your hair in the sink. Probably not necessary if you have someone to help you though. I don't much care for other people washing me so I went with the dry shampoo route.

- One of those U shaped neck pillows; you'll be sleeping partially upright and on your back for a couple of weeks. They're neck savers AND they usually prevent you from rolling onto your side.

- A wedge pillow for your bed if you haven't got a recliner to sleep in.

- A small travel pillow to put between the seatbelt shoulder strap and your chest for the ride home.

- See if you can find out what kind of compression garment they'll give you prior; the one the hospital gave me was kind of blah and not very 'compression', it was basically a velcro tube top that I found hard to get on and off, and it was lumpy and visible under clothing in addition to not providing any real compression. I ended up buying this compression vest a week later (it's a post-surgical vest designed for men who have had surgery for gynecomastia--so--basically a mastectomy, it's designed to be worn 24/7). It gave a decent amount of compression (which helps with aches and movement a bit) and is super easy to get on and off as it has hook and eye front closures, AND you can fold it up over itself for a 'crop top' with extra compression if it's comfortable (I found, some days, I wanted extra compression as it helped with the achiness). I basically lived in it for 6 weeks and only had it off to shower. Seriously though, a good compression garment helps so much with aches and even the 'zingers' you'll get when nerves start reconnecting.

- If you want to leave the hospital and not have it obvious you've had a mastectomy, talk to your PS; sometimes they'll 'stuff' your post surgical garment so it looks like you have breasts. They're not meant to stay there long term as it's usually extra gauze stuffed in there, but if the look is important to you most are willing to do it. In my case, I was happy to have them gone for various reasons that included 'big and saggy and caused a lot of neck, back, and shoulder pain' so I didn't really care if I was flat (in fact, I got rid of every single bra I owned and have zero interest in ever wearing one again!) or people knew what I'd had done, but I also know that's not the case for a lot of other women.

- A lap desk for your laptop if you don't already have one; makes it easier to just hang out on the couch or in a recliner (or in bed) and chat, surf around, watch Netflix, etc...as opposed to having to sit at a desk.

- All of your chargers for electronics plugged in and within easy reach of wherever you'll be spending most of your time at home.

- A reminder to yourself to get up and walk around (set a recurring alarm on your phone if need be, or have someone remind you), even if it's just slow shuffling around the house, every couple of hours for at least 10-15 minutes; it does help with energy levels and it's also good for preventing DVT or blood clots in the legs. I started playing Pokemon Go while I still had my drains in and it was strangely motivating to get me to shuffle around the block--even with drains.

- Rest. I know that seems super obvious, but by about a week out you'll be so tired of resting that you'll be antsy to DO THINGS, anything, as long as it's not "sit on couch", but be careful not to overdo it and to listen to your body. If it's super painful or you're super tired, stop and go nap or rest or whatever, if you don't you'll regret it the next day. I waaaaaay overdid it my 2nd week and, as I was feeling energetic, took a 4 mile walk.

For the next two days I was a zombie of tired and soreness because I just really, really overdid it. Don't be like me, take it easy even when you really don't want to.

- For the first week, my PS told me "no lifting over 5lb", so keep that in mind when thinking of things you may need to do or want to do the first week. After 2 weeks it was upped to 10lb, and after 4 weeks it was, 15-20lb, and by 6 weeks it was "whatever feels comfortable, if you feel pulling sensations or pain, stop."

If I think of anything else I've forgotten, I'm sure I'll reply again; the above is what I can recall doing/having in the first few weeks after my BMX in June.

It will be hard to reach up or down for a couple weeks. Have things like glasses or dishes at counter height. The first time I was left home alone I cried because I couldn't reach up to get a glass and I couldn't bend down to get the juice out of the fridge.

You'l'll need something to hold the drains in. I used a house coat with large pockets and I wore it inside out so I could hold the drains in the pocket. I had a little pouch I wore around my neck to hold them while showering. I kept a jar by the bed for when I had to strip the fluid from the drains.

I found having lots of pillows helped me to make a little nest to lay in helped with sleeping.

I went through lots of 4-4 gauze pads too. They helped to keep my clothes from getting stained.

Wishing you the best.

I did not take anything specific with me to the hospital, other than lip balm, phone and charger, some magazines. I wore the same clothes home I came in with, and I woke up in a mastectomy camisole from surgery so ask your doc about that. I had lightweight athletic pants and a zip up top with flip flops. I had a relatively short trip home, didn't take a small pillow but know others who did and swore by that. Make sure all of your medication bottles have easy open lids, it is difficult to use the type that have the push down and turn type of lid, but take precautions if you have young kids at home. I was alone all day about 5 days after surgery when my husband returned to work and I struggled with one lid that had the wrong type of top. I just used large safety pins and pinned the drains to the inside of my clothing, but did use snug tank tops and lightweight zip up track jackets and yoga pants. You can also wear things with pockets or pouches inside out and put the drains inside. I also had a number of pairs of pajamas - and bought them slightly too big, if you can find the silky type they help you slide in and out of bed more easily. I did not use a recliner but rather piled a lot of pillows behind me in bed, and used one under each arm - like a throne. Sometimes one under my bent knees. Some people like those buckwheat pillows. I made a flannel cover for this one for a friend after her surgery - she used it a lot.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/sobakawa-buck-pillow/1017217151

I used clean shoelaces and ran one through the drain loops and toed it in a knot and wore it around my neck to shower, like a necklace. Some PS will allow showering with drains, others don't. I washed my hair in the kitchen sink with the sprayer. Also, I recommend having a handheld shower head, especially if you are not allowed to shower - you can Saran wrap your chest and still use the shower head below the waist and do a sponge bath above. I used an insulated cup with a lid and straw - I knocked it off the bedside table a couple of times - the lid is important! Also, I had a basket with tissues, the remotes, phone, mints, hard candies, meds, and a pen and paper to write down when I took those meds. Some use a phone app to keep track. The basket is handy because if you move to the couch or back to the bed all the stuff comes with you. One thing my husband got for me was invaluable - a lamp dimmer switch so that I would not have to reach over to turn off the lamp. Here is a link, they are inexpensive and helpful.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Credenza-300-Watt-Plug-In-Lamp-Dimmer-White-TT-300H-WH/100001525