I had my double mastectomy early on a Monday morning and while I was rolling my eyes from the morphine nausea that night, the told my husband t be there Tuesday morning to take me home. They stopped the morphine and I was much happier Tuesday when Chris came for me. It's so much better to be home!

Ask your doctor and the hospital staff for a mastectomy bra, some facilities give them to you, mine did. It velcros in the front, which makes access easier, no over the head!

Also, check out womenspersonalhealth.com, the post surgical kit. The attachable drain pockets are so nice to have!!! I got the kit and was able to wash a bra while wearing a bra and the pockets were so "normal" in my otherwise strange world. You will drain for a few weeks and with this you can get back to your life without worrying about how the drains are hanging around your waist.

Good luck next week! xoxo

I had a bilateral mastectomy, an auxiliary node dissection on the right side (25 nodes removed) and tissue expanders placed and was in the hospital for 2 two nights. My plastic surgeon said patients go home after one night if they do not have any reconstruction done. I agree with tmmoore121 about getting out as soon as possible do avoid germs. I was concerned when about the pain when they sent me home, but it was very manageable.

My doc used surgery glue (dremabond) instead of stitches on the outside and let me shower the very next day. I forced myself to move my arms as much as possible. This will help. It will stretch but DO IT. do it right to the point it starts to pull just a tad. Don't go farther at that point. I did this and never lst the ability to brush or wash my hair. It looked funny and I had to duck my head down a bit until the drains came out. Start physical therapy as soon as your doctor lets you. I had a lot of fascia adhesions that needed released. At first you'll think PT Isn't helping, but go and go ASAP. Your body will thank you. And so will your muscles.

Hi@KristiKnox- I had a bilateral mastectomy also, and stayed in the hospital only one night. They prepped us to go home pretty well on the day I was discharged, and no one was chasing us out. But it was still scary. I had two drains that needed tending, and my husband learned to do that. A couple of tips- get a post surgery camisole with pockets for the drainage bulbs, bring front opening shirts to wear, and a pillow to put between you and the shoulder harness. Keep ahead of the pain, and overall just hang in there. It gets better. You will recover, your range of motion will improve. But don't be surprised if you feel numb and odd for quite some time. My surgery was 2/22, and I'm still feeling funny.

So, today's the 17th. Thinking about you and your surgery, @A MyBCTeam Member... Hope all goes well...

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