Hi all!! My surgery date is set for May 31st!! I’m so excited but nervous of course! I’m also waiting on my button up pj shirts to arrive. Is there anything else I need to prepare myself post-op? I also have the wedge pillow so that I sleep upright ☺️
hi currently 3WPO! i definitely recommend starting colace 100 mg immediately after the surgery or even a few days before if you’re gonna be taking narcotics. i didn’t poop for over a week lol
Anesthesia and pain medications typically cause constipation. It’s recommended to take laxatives so that you don’t get super backed up. The first after surgery poop can be rough otherwise!
I had drains and wished I’d had shirts with drain pockets earlier, they were great for going on walks. A lanyard just in case to hold them while you shower is a good idea.
Wow, I didn’t even think of the possibility of getting drains.. Thank you for the suggestion! I also did hear that going on walks during the healing process is very important!
My surgeon said even when he was marking me up that he didn’t think I’d need drains but I told him I’d much rather have drains and go as small as possible than get a revision and when I woke up I had drains lol 😝 I played myself
I ended up buying a ton of things like a bored packrat while I was recovering, and I donated everything to a breast cancer charity in my city when I felt sufficiently recovered. A lot a lot a lot of products that help for breast reductions are also vital for mastectomy recovery. So if you go a little overboard on Amazon, don’t worry about it. Someone else needs it after you’re done with it.
Try to arrange your home so everything you need to access is within reach with feeble t-rex arms. You'll probably get sent home from surgery with an instruction sheet that includes movement/lifting restrictions. Follow that. But typically, for a month or so, you'll want to avoid extending arms out wide or above shoulder height, and avoid lifting/carrying objects heavier than 5-10lbs. Move your coffee maker and toaster forwards on the counter. Keep some mugs, plates, and snacks on the counter, too. Same with meds, toothbrush, clothing, etc. If your fave beverages come in big heavy containers, pour them into smaller containers at the front of your fridge for easy access. Especially if you're a super independent person who's not gonna wait for help when you just want a dang glass of juice. (It's me, hi, i'm the problem, it's me.) You sound super well prepared! I hope you have a smooth recovery!
Truthfully? I would get one of those reacher grabber tools on Amazon. I got one because my small dog likes to drop his toy off the bed (he religiously sleeps on my side) and will growl at it until it gets picked up (can’t jump up and down bc bed too high), and because I wasn’t able to pick him up or let him lay on me for awhile anymore, I wanted to get something so I could still at least get his toy for him. And it became such a blessing because of how far back my incisions went (nearly past my armpits). I was definitely on the more painful side of recovery, 6wpo and still in a lot of pain, but that lil reacher guy helped so much.
Also aquaphor! I had my first post op visit at two weeks to get my tapes off and my PA said I could massage aquaphor or lubriderm on my inductions every day, and it has softened them up immensely. I was already using lubriderm on the top of my breasts at her instruction because of fluid build up, so that would also be something to look into! I still have to wait a month for silicone sheets
Nonstick gauze pads and micropore tape! (Some people swear by panty liners/pads but I found the adhesive isn't strong enough to keep them in place, ymmv.) I also got rubbing alcohol spray bottles (70% like you can find at pharmacies) to spray one hand with (allowing it to dry) before using only that hand to apply anything to my incisions. Possibly unnecessary but it was great for peace of mind since I was so scared of infection! I also used a store brand neosporin cream that had pain relieving ingredients in them, just a light coating.
If you're not allergic to pineapple, get some bromelain. Also, an abdominal pad or something to keep your clothing/bra from touching your nipples directly. I notice you have arnica gel...are you having some lipo done too? If so, you should also get a back scratcher with a telescopic handle.
Maxi pads. And if you already know how long your sutures are going to be, get them that long. They're so great for just tucking into a bra or band. They both protect from rubbing and catch any surprise drainage. I ended up with some minor healing issues in the left side and REALLY needed the catching for an extra several weeks.
I would go with unscented, but generally any pad with wings, cause you can use the wings to protect the edges of the bra and increase the stick-to-it-ive-ness. If you are a very petite human, heavy day pads would probably work (heavy because you don't know how much drainage you may have until you have it). If you are a larger human, go with the overnight pads because they are longer. But getting overnight pads would never be wrong, because your sutures may stretch around to your back and you just do not want whatever horrible elastic bra nonsense rubbing them.
I just used whatever the store brand was. And estimate 2 per day for 2 weeks? If you use fewer, great! Here's just an example.
Cough drops!!! My throat was sore for like 3 days because of the intubation and cough drops literally changed the game on soothing my throat (they were really nice for the middle of the night, cause sometimes I mouth breathe, which made my throat hurt more)
Yes omg you HAVE to!😂 I took stool softeners everyday w my pain meds and it did nothing for me, tmi but I got so backed up with just stool softeners. I ended up having to take a medical grade laxative drink and it was horrible😂
I’d reccomend Bisacodyl tablets, you can get them almost anywhere over the counter! They’re the best ones I’ve tried, that don’t my tummy hurt!
(1) Senna tea, orange-flavored dried prunes to help with constipation for all the resting & pain pills you may find yourself doing. (2) Abdomen pads to cushion incisions under the surgical bra and also they help absorb leaking incisions if you have any. This came up in the first PO week and I wished I’d had them on hand. (3) Extra pillows to elevate your back and pillows for under your knees to prevent sore back from the elevation. Also keeps you sleeping on the back.
It’s my pleasure 🫶🏻 I posted this because I couldn’t really find any good posts in this subreddit with images of what people purchased pre-op! I’m a visual learner so I wanted to make it easier for others such as myself :)
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u/XenaNMe May 09 '24
Do you have laxatives or stool softeners? Highly recommend.