Surgery is on Monday

All the best for your surgery tomorrow @MrsMercury .... xxx

Dear @MrsMercury
wishing you all the very best for your surgery tomorrow xx

Hi @MrsMercury , I had my  chemo treatment at private hospital, (radiation at Peter Mac as public).  The cold cap does add about another one and a half hours to the time, perhaps that is contributing to your hospitals not offering it.

Hi,I basically couldn’t face a shower in hospital and elected to have a wash at the hand basin- no big deal. I washed my hair when I got home and could cope with the shower. There is no rush with any of it- maybe use that dry shampoo(Batiste?) I think it’s too premature to shave your head.One thing I learnt during the bc ride was not to predict too far ahead. The goal posts are always being moved and you really don’t know how you’re going to feel until you arrive at the next bit.Big hug for Monday xx

I hate not washing my hair.  In the hospital after surgery, I washed it in the handbasin and when I got home, I would run a very low bath to wash myself and my hair (on all fours).

@kazb I'll be having chemo and radiation at a private hospital and was told I wouldn't be able to use a cold cap because of COVID. I think I would if i went to a public hospital though.

hi @MrsMercury , has the hospital told you that you can use a cold cap?  Ive have had all my treatment under Covid conditions, and was able to make use of the cold cap(which worked really well for me, luckily)?  Good luck with surgery Monday.

@iserbrown I'm having a mastectomy (left) with tissue expander reconstruction and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
@Afraser thank you, I appreciate your message. I don't want to worry about washing my hair so your tip to cut it short rather than shave is helpful. 
 

Dear @MrsMercury

Welcome, best wishes for your forthcoming surgery. I had a mastectomy too and managed a shower the next day. The bandages were fine, just avoided getting water directly on them, the problem was the drains. I had two and they are remarkably easy to trip over! So watch your feet. Depending on your arm mobility, you may need assistance with shampooing for a week or so. I had excellent mobility (axillary clearance) and was fine but you may be advised not to lift your arm above your shoulder level for a while. If you can, you might want to get your hair cut very short (no 3 clippers for me) instead of shaving so you can deal with things a bit more one at a time. Very short hair falling out is less messy and upsetting. I found recovery from the mastectomy quite straightforward - my hospital supplied a soft pad for my bra so I could walk out looking much the same as I walked in. I haven’t gone for reconstruction so can’t advise on that but many people here can and there is a special thread on reconstruction if you would like more information. Chemo is a bit of unknown territory until you have started - it can be hard but it can also be much better than feared. Best wishes.

What type of surgery are you having?

Pathology from surgery gives your team a clear picture of the type of ongoing treatment needed.

Shaving the head, in my view, is probably not necessary at this stage.

Here's a link for you
https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/surgery/