Post surgery questions

First let me just say how sorry i am that you find yourself in this situation but you have come to the right place for assistance. I was really anxious about all these issues and googled like crazy trying to find helpful info. Had not found BCNA at that stage! You will probably leave hospital with a drain in and this makes wearing any sort of bra impossible. I just wore loose singlet tops (I found a bamboo cotton one at Target which was really soft against the skin) with a button up shirt over the top and leggings. Button up PJs are also a good idea for hospital. You want easy to put on things because you will be a bit stiff and not have full movement for a while. You cannot lift your arm up over your head at first so it is easier to have loose things you can step into and then work up your body. If you see a Breast Care Nurse they will order your free Berlei bra and soft form which you can wear once the drain is removed and things are more comfortable. I also found Ahh Bras good at first because you can just step into them rather than trying to do up a bra. It is daunting going out much at first but I really was amazed at how you can disguise everything with loose shirts and people do not really look at your chest area. I had my mastectomy on a Thursday and by the following weekend I was out and about with an Ahh Bra and soft form and nobody could tell at all! I was surprised at the lack of pain too and how neat the area looked with just a small strip covering the scar area. You just feel very tight at first because of the swelling but this settled pretty quickly and I really found that I only needed pain relief at night. The hardest thing for me was sleeping on my back. I found lots of soft pillows (those boomerang pillows are great) helped. I was given a little satin pillow and a cloth bag for the drain to go in before I left hospital. You put the pillow under your arm to just protect the surgery area and it feels more comfortable. I found it helped me to concentrate on the fact that when I woke up after the surgery the cancer would be gone. I had my mastectomy 18 months ago followed by 6 months of chemo and radiotherapy. Life is good again. Wishing you all the best and please use this network to help you through. It is full of wonderful people who have faced similar hurdles and come out the other side. Hope this info helps. Take care. Deanne xxx