EmBabe’s Tips for Surviving a Mastectomy.

Hi friend. If you are reading this for yourself please accept my virtual hug. I am so sorry you are carrying this burden. If you are reading for a friend/family member, you are a good one. This is a great way to support your person, knowledge is power!

I had my double mastectomy with spacer placement on September 2, 2021. I had cancer on my left side and knew I had radiation ahead. The original plan was to have spacers until 3-6 months after treatment ended at which time I would have an exchange surgery replacing the spacers with implants. My mastectomy went well, with no complications. I also had 11 lymph nodes removed at that time. This was my first major surgery. There was lots of puking when I woke up but tolerated the surgery pretty well. Nausea is not my friend. Showering was difficult, facing the scars and really seeing the change in your physical being is overwhelming. While I wish I had all the secrets that would be helpful to you post surgery, I only know what worked well for me! Below you will find a list of items I think you might need, and a couple things that might make your recovery more relaxing, so you may want them! :) Best wishes to you on your recovery journey. You can do hard things one day at a time! (Pst read all the way to the bottom to find a couple enteries from my journal as I recovered from my double mastectomy)

Mastectomy Pillow : https://amzn.to/3LPAhqP

I love this pillow. My suggestion is to buy 2. Some of the other mastectomy pillows were very firm and I found them a little too hard to get comfortable with. You will want this at the hospital, in the car, on the couch, you will want it! If you are having lymphones removed I used the second one to prop that arm up a little extra. Bonus is the kids love it too so it has gotten plenty of use at our home!

Wedge Pillow : https://amzn.to/3nKCnjT

So I have mixed feelings on this purchase but it is worth mentioning. I used it mostly when I wanted to sleep in bed. It supports you so you don’t lay all the way back. You will be instructed to try and sleep in a recliner following surgery. Unfortunately our couch recliners did not work for me so these pillows came in handy when I wanted to be in bed instead. 

Drain Holder : https://amzn.to/3HVIQzg

You will need an item like this to hold your drains post surgery. Most patients have 2-4 drains on both sides. Drains are a bitch. I cannot sugar coat it for you! There is nothing fun about them. The drain holder will be helpful in the shower so you can use both hands. They hide under clothes well and are washable! 

Bras : https://amzn.to/42pmn5Z

Start here. But shop around! This is a totally personal choice. You will need to wear a compression bra for the first several months. They send you home in one but it is not comfortable, so when allowed you’ll want backups! I have a hard time with razorbacks but it was hard to find front closure with side straps. These ones I used and enjoyed. You can remove the pads and they wash well. Make sure to get something a tad longer at the bottom so it doesn’t rub on your incision line.  

Ice Packs : https://amzn.to/42zNcVn

My mother puts an ice pack on everything! So naturally when my breasts were sore and tender, I used my ice packs! It helped with the itching and also helped with pain. These ones are flexible so you can mold them around yourself. 

Coloring Book and Markers 

https://amzn.to/3NUgadV

https://amzn.to/3Md9uqc

Here are just one option of coloring book and markers. This was something that kept me busy and still which are things you need to be after surgery! Shop around and stock up on fresh markers! 

Shower Steamers: https://amzn.to/3BauuaI

A friend sent these to me during chemo. I haven’t stopped buying them in bulk since! They come in all sorts of yummy scents. Lavender and Stress Stopper are my favorite!

Vitamin E Oil: https://amzn.to/3BauuaI

This is what you will want to put on your incision lines. After cleared by your doctor and your surgical glue is gone, a little oil every night helps the scar heal. Bonus you can use on any scars! 

Clothing:

https://amzn.to/3piGpAl

https://amzn.to/3pnPQPc

Here are some examples of pajamas I used during my recovery. The things you will want to make sure to have are button up, loose fighting, and not to hot. 

The Bell: https://amzn.to/3pnPQPc

Kind of a joke…. Kind of not! I totally had a bell and the kids loved it. This was a fun way to let them help me and to not overload Ryan with all my requests! I have brought the the bell back out after surgeries, no shame :)

Liquid IV: https://amzn.to/3prPvuE

Liquid gold this stuff! I had a hard time keeping up with fluids and some day even food. This is an easy way to keep hydrated (which increases healing). 

I wanted to end this post with an entry from my journal. It’s pretty raw clips of what was in my head. Kodi was the first person to see my chest after surgery. She was assigned to help me with drains and taking my first shower. Some may wonder why my husband was not that person. Ryan and I spent lots of time talking about it and in the end I felt like I did when we had our first baby. I want you there, but I don’t want you looking!  This is what worked best for us. Everyone will have their own way of handling the loss of their breasts. Because you are in fact losing a piece of yourself. For me these breasts fed my babies. They were witness to the first time I let a boy go to “second base”. I perked them up in almost every dress I tried on for my wedding only to buy a dress that I did not even need to wear a bra with! I joked about casting my pregnant boobs with Willow so that someday I could have a boob job to make them look like that again. That was my boobs best phase in their life. So even though they can fill the lump where my breasts were, I will never again have those boobs, my boobs. Take the time to acknowledge that, and remind yourself that the new pair is going to have the best phase in life too someday! Xoxo 

Day 1: Surgery Day

I was not as nervous as I expected this morning. I got the kids up and packed lunches. Then got myself out the door. Ryan and I got to the hospital around 7, my check in nurse for surgery was a 21 year survivor and told me she had the same surgery I was having. I’d be fine! She also told me to make sure I attended the Race for the Cure coming up, which was a good giggle since I am somewhat in charge of it! I was taken back around 9, surgery started at 9:40 and was finished around 3:30. It took me a while to come off anesthesia, and I was very nauseated when I came too. I remember the nurse in recovery being very nice. I started puking in the elevator ride to my room and finished around the time Ryan finally got to see me. It was a mixture of pain and medicine but I continued to throw up all night. I was able to perk up a bit and walk to the bathroom. Right away I knew everyone was right, the drains SUCK! I tried to eat but threw that up and ended up asking for pain meds via IV which knocked me out and I got some rest overnight. My grandma was in the hospice unit while I was in surgery. I desperately wanted to dream of her, but if I did I don’t remember it. 

Day 2: Go home. 

This was my best day so far. It felt good to see my mom and Kodi and come home to my own house. Ryan had me all set up in the living room and I was able to move around. My pain was tolerable. I think I was still running on adrenaline. Kids did a good job being gentle with me. 

Day 3: Shower Day 

Today I showered and it was the first time I took my compression bra off. It was not as scary as I thought. Very bruised but overall I was impressed how rounded my breast looked. The weird part is that I cannot feel them anymore. Somewhere under each of my arms the skin goes numb. My plastic surgeon ended up putting around 500 cc in each breast so they are very hard and full already which was not what I was told to expect. He is the expert so I trust the process. I have never been to that kind of low before. I could not even wash my own body. I have been blessed that in my 30 years that I have not ever been in that space before. I am thankful for my best friend Kodi. She both held my hand while I looked in the mirror and washed my legs because I could not bend over. Showering felt good. It lifted my spirits a bit. I did have to text my doctor about one of my drains. The bandage was lifted a bit. We had to tape it and overall things were looking better.

Day 5. The hard part

I just got done puking up everything I have eaten today. I had to lose the cute pj pants that matched my shirt because I was puking so hard I peed. This is the hard shit. This is the shit no one can prepare you for. I am post double mastectomy with reconstruction and I am in hell. I was not at all prepared for the pain my body would be going through. Most of my cancer journey so far has been a very mental journey. I was prepared for that part, expecting the surgery to be the same. I would mostly say I emotionally am staying strong, a few moments of grief but otherwise staying positive. The pain has been different. 

Day 7: Feeling human

Today I am at my sister's house in Columbus, also referred to as "Hotel Spinosi". My sissy has been taking wonderful care of me while I have been healing. I came here simply because it is extremely hard to sit around your own house and look at all the things you normally do that you can't do currently. I am thankful for her and her husband. I am thankful to be alive and have a body free of cancer for however long I get to stay like this.

Day 10: Not today cancer

I painted the running ribbons on Main Street today. Kodi, Ryan, Ava and I had so much fun! I shoved my drains in a fanny pack and said I wasn't letting cancer take this celebration from me!

Xo