Now that I am officially post op (double incision) I thought it may be helpful to compile a list of things I wish I knew before top surgery that may have made recovery easier. Note: I did not have drains.
1. Wear a Zip Hoodie or a very large short sleeve button up shirt. Trust me - it is so much easier to get in and out of than a normal button up shirt. The sides of my incisions (close to my arm pit) are the only place that hurt and I feel a burning pain when I put clothing on if I need to move my arm back. Wearing the short sleeve shirts a size up have made getting changed so much easier.
2. The Post Op Binder Sucks. I didn't really know what the post-op binder WAS - I just assumed it was a normal binder. But really what it is is (for my surgeon at least) was the following: Bolster Dressing on my nipple grafts, a layer of soft foam stuff (?), a light compression binder that zips and clasps, and then a stiff wrap that wraps around my chest and velcro. The stiff wrap made it impossible to get comfortable - it was so tight and I was so swollen. My stomach and upper back hurt and it kept riding up. Take deep breaths and do your best to get comfy with pillows. I needed to wear it for a week and I was very ready for it to come off.
3. You may be itchy. Be prepared. I was SO itchy after top surgery - everywhere. I slept with socks on my hands because I would wake up scratching the sides of my incisions, the bottom of the binder (where it rubs against my skin), and my entire chest. Luckily I didn't hurt anything but have topical Benadryl and/or oral Benadryl in place. I was not expecting to be this itchy but i felt like my skin was crawling.
4. The only pain I felt was on the sides of my arms, near my arm pits. I wasn't expecting to only be in pain in one spot - I was expecting pain everywhere. I feel a pulling/burning at the ends of my incisions. My surgeon said this is because of a gland they remove (?).
5. If you are a natural side sleeper like me - sleeping will be tough. I pillow forted myself in to prevent myself from rolling over. Falling asleep was hard but the medicine I took for my itching helped me. The first few nights after surgery I was so tired it didn't matter, but as I began to feel more like a person again, falling asleep became increasingly difficult.
6. You may pass out and/or throw up at your reveal and/or your first shower home. I was NOT expecting this. My nurse informed me of this at my 1 week post op appointment. I nearly passed out as she undid the post op bindings (I was lying down and we took it slow). I wasn't expecting to feel so faint and nauseous. I nearly fainted during my first shower (partly due to how my nipples looked and partly due to standing up bare chested for the first time). I showered with my eyes closed and sat naked on my toilet for 20 minutes before I felt settled enough to change.
7. Your nips will look very strange/gross post op but do the dressings. My nipples looked absolutely disgusting and grossed me out. So much so I didn't want to do my daily dressings my surgeon told me to do because it meant seeing them and touching them. But they can't heal unless you take care of them so sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do it.
8. Take a deep breath. It feels so good to breathe without binding or excess baggage on my chest. Enjoy it.
9. You will be flat. My chest is so flat I can't believe it. It looks better than I expected. The amount of confidence I now have is unreal. I've always struggled with my body but top surgery has made me SO much more confident in my body, even in areas that I am still self conscious about (like my hips). You will be swollen after surgery but it will go down with time.
10. Having fabric brush against your chest - especially incisions - will feel weird at first. As the nerves are waking up, walking around and having my shirt brush against my chest almost hurts in a weird way. This is normal. Take it slow.
That's it! 10 things I didn't know before top surgery that I wasn't expecting during my recovery. I hope people find this helpful.
