One of the first things that I was told after surgery for breast cancer was, "You can never have too many little pillows, to help you get comfortable!" A church group provided me with a cute gingham-covered pillow, about the size of an airline pillow, and I kept it either under my surgery-side arm, or in between my chest and the safety belt in the car. Later on, I used the same pillow to prop up my arm, after my chemo port was removed from inside my elbow. It gave me a lot of comfort.
One thing that surprised me, after the mastectomy, was the surgical drains. These were stitched to the side of my chest skin, to hold a drainage tube and a collection bulb in place. The drain was there to help my body recover, by draining off excess fluid that was accumulating near the incision. But there was no handy way to tote the tube and bulb (sometimes called a grenade) around, except for pinning it inside my hospital gown, which kept coming open in the back. So when I saw these Transition Gowns, I was happy to know about them! These were designed by Sandi Crinkelmeyer, a survivor, and these gowns have great pockets for the drain bulbs, and they do not open in the back! The gowns come in 5 sizes and are comfortable for hospital wear, or just around the house during recovery. You won't have to feel the weight of the drain bulbs on your incisions, and you won't have any unwelcome breezes on your backside.
One thing that surprised me, after the mastectomy, was the surgical drains. These were stitched to the side of my chest skin, to hold a drainage tube and a collection bulb in place. The drain was there to help my body recover, by draining off excess fluid that was accumulating near the incision. But there was no handy way to tote the tube and bulb (sometimes called a grenade) around, except for pinning it inside my hospital gown, which kept coming open in the back. So when I saw these Transition Gowns, I was happy to know about them! These were designed by Sandi Crinkelmeyer, a survivor, and these gowns have great pockets for the drain bulbs, and they do not open in the back! The gowns come in 5 sizes and are comfortable for hospital wear, or just around the house during recovery. You won't have to feel the weight of the drain bulbs on your incisions, and you won't have any unwelcome breezes on your backside.
This is so true about the little pillows and a fact not well known by many. I was lucky to come unto this by accident and after two years as a survivor still use my several pillows to get comfortable at night! Pass this on.