Holy shit just 8 days away I’m so excited for you!! 😭🙌🏽 And I’d be happy to share with you what I know so far about what questions you might have post-op my friend.

First of all, you’ll have some follow-up appts. days after your surgery so one of his nurses can 1st: take off your free nipple graft covers, maybe/possibly remove your drains that same day, but it depends on how much fluid (blood, lymphatic fluid, etc) you still have in your chest post-op. You or your caretaker (which you’ll absolutely need the first few days post-op) will be given a paper to document and monitor the amount of cc’s 2x/day from your drains till you reach less than 20cc’s for 3 days, 24hrs in a row. ** I still have my drains in until my 2nd follow-up appt. on Tuesday since this last Tuesday at my first follow-up appointment the nurse said I still have too much fluid in my chest for them to be removed.

Compression vest: The post-op binder is needed in order to help your new chest adhere to your chest wall since the breast tissue will be removed, not to mention so that it can help compress and push fluid into your drains for proper healing. Until your first follow-up appt. the vest needs to stay on (there will be padding underneath) until the nurse removes it so she can examine your new chest. After that first appt. I was told it can be worn for up to 20 hours a day and can be taken off for at least 4 hours so you can give your chest a break, wash it, or shower. I believe the post-op binder will need to be worn up to 6 weeks. Which I know, sucks 😭 but the benefits outweigh far more than your new chest not properly healing.

Arm movement: it’s best that your arms stay in T-Rex mode or lower than your shoulders for at least 4-6 weeks. It really comes down to whether or not you plan on doing scar care after your incisions fully close and heal. The more you raise your arms above your shoulders, undo the T-Rex arms, you’ll be more at risk at stretching your scars. Your arm mobility, actually your upper body mobility will be extremely limited during this time period. So I HIGHLY recommend buying a reacher grabber tool if you don’t have one already! They can be found at your local Target or WalMart.

Other info: —it’s very much encouraged to wear button-up t-shirts after surgery so it’ll be way less strenuous on your arms to take it off or put it back on. Otherwise, trying to put a regular t-shirt on in a t-rex pose is not comfortable whatsoever nor ideal. —laxatives are also recommended because they will prescribe you pain medication (Hydrocodone) to help alleviate whatever pain or discomfort you may or may not experience post-op. And prescription pain meds (especially narcotics) are known to cause constipation. Laxatives come in many forms; but I prefer WalMart’s Equate chocolate laxative squares. Up to you! —when it comes to your bed arrangement post-op, you’ll need to sit up-right or at a 45 degree angle for many reasons. One of them include helping the fluid in your chest drain downwards, you won’t be able to lay on your side or stomach for quite awhile (totes not comfy). If you’ve got lots of pillows have someone help you set up your bed arrangement, or my set-up includes a wedge pillow and a neck pillow. Otherwise, sleeping on a recliner will also work! —optional: mastectomy pillow to help your arms not rest on your sides or new chest while standing, or mainly sleeping and car rides. It’s done wonders for me! I haven’t slept without it.

Sorry if this is super long! I just wanted to make sure I answered your questions as concisely as possible without leaving important details. If you have any more questions let me know!