Mastectomy Recovery Question

Hi Kel25! My husband washed my hair the first 2 times after double mastectomy. I was able to do it myself 3 days after. It's a little difficult. More leaning my head down instead of reaching up but it was doable. Everyone's different though. My recovery was really easy especially after the drains came out. You got this!

I had a mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection last Friday. I did have a tissue expander placed and I find it to be uncomfortable and awkward, but overall my pain has been manageable. My surgeon suggested the nerve block infusion might be a good option for me and I took advantage of that opportunity, but had mixed feelings about it in hindsight. It was very effective in managing pain without the use of opiods, but uncomfortable to tote around once I got home. Once the catheter came out, I did miss it though....lol. Due to the catheter, I was unable to shower and hated how greasy/grimy my hair felt! It took about 5 days before I broke down and leaned over the kitchen sink to try to wash it with my daughter's help. It was quite uncomfortable, but totally worth it. I would suggest seeing if you can find a hand-held shower attachment to use to aid in washing your hair. Yesterday at my follow up, the PS said it is now okay to shower with the drain in and I am relieved. Best of luck for a successful procedure and quick recovery!

Best of luck to you with your surgery. I had a Bil NSM and I was unable to wash my hair (very long, curly) for a few weeks. I had to have help from others. As others have said you shouldn't raise your arms above your head for a while as you don't want to rip any stitches. I hope you have someone who can help you. Dry shampoo!

I think it's different for a UMX vs. a BMX because with a UMX you still have one arm that you can raise. Obviously you don't want to make any movements that strain or pull on the other side of your chest but it's certainly easier (I think) than with a BMX, when you have restricted movement with both arms.

The big question is whether you will be allowed to shower. It depends on the type of bandage you have on.

I had a UMX with an expander and I had a drain. My surgeon used steristrips for the incision, covered by a clear plastic Tegaderm waterproof bandage (it looked like a square of Glad Wrap stuck over the entire breast area). I was allowed to shower the day after I got home. I had one night in hospital, the next day I went home with no shower allowed, and then I could shower as usual. Since I had one arm that I could move relatively normally, while it was awkward, I had no problem washing my hair - I just reached up with one arm only. I had the drain hanging on a sash that I tied around my neck; I adjusted the height so that it was loosely hanging with no tugging or pulling at the incision where the drain enters into my body (that incision can be painful if the drain gets pulled). So I was able to move around without worrying about the drain and it was actually pretty easy to shower and wash my hair.

But of course all experiences are different and if you have a bandage that can't get wet, you won't be able to shower.

great question. I'm having a BMX in June and live alone, this has been bugging me, especially with COVID going on, I want to limit anyone in my house.

My mom will stay with me for a few days post surgery since I'm doing outpatient surgery and the Dr insisted I have someone with me the first night.

I'm currently in Chemo and cold capping, I only wash my hair once per week sometimes I got every 1.5 weeks so I think I could wash my hair morning of and then wait 1 to 1.5 weeks before washing it again.

I wasn' t able to for quite awhile, but my arms are already short to begin with. My husband washed mine for a while. I had a hairdresser friend come by and shampoo it for me once. My husband used lots of dry shampoo and sometimes I did two braids. It felt like a long time and my hair felt gross, but I didn't even care much at first. It was gradual and then one day I realized I was washing my hair like normal! It actually got me used to not blow drying my hair. I have always dried it so it is not frizzy but I guess the natural wave is coming back now and I can air dry it and I kind of like the new look! Best wishes on your recovery!

I just wanted to make a suggestion to buy a Yesito drain belt.

They gave me a free basic one in pre-op. So I use that one when I shower. And all the other time I wear Yesito one which is very comfortable. My drain takes it time , it has been almost 2 weeks from my unilateral mastectomy and one drain came out but this one is still staying albeit slowly tapering off.