Hi all! I was riding the train back from my doctor's today, where I was told that I had been referred for top surgery. I should get a call from the surgical team in 1-2 weeks, but in the mean time, I figured I'd go ahead and make this thread that I'd been thinking of for a while. For those of you that <i>have</i> had top surgery or who has helped a partner/friend/SO recover from it: What kinds of things do you wish someone would have told you to do/buy/prepare for <b>before</b> surgery? The idea here is that those of us encroaching upon our surgery dates might have a little reference, of sorts, to go from when planning on things to buy, things to keep in mind, or even methods for performing everyday tasks a little easier than our surgery would like to allow.

Feel free to list whatever you'd like! I want this to be nice and inclusive for myself and others, especially when there's SO many resources for this kind of stuff; it'd be nice to have it all in one place!

What to expect?
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,188324.0.html

What am I forgetting?
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,186413.0.html

Easy surgery meals
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,187035.0.html

Those are some good, recent threads with a lot of info. I think combined they'll give you a very good starting point.

Personally, I think I saved myself a world of trouble by switching to a liquid only diet for a week before surgery. I had no issues with the anesthesia, didn't need stool softeners, etc. If you think you can stand it for even a few days prior, I think it's a good way to go.

Everyone's experience is going to be a little different. I was much more mobile than it seems other people were post-op. I had no trouble getting up and around, using my arms, etc. My incision lines haven't stretched at all, and I've been back at work since 1 week post-op. So a lot of the things people recommended buying (grabber things, scrubby on a stick, etc.) didn't get used. I also have had very little pain.

Things I absolutely wouldn't skip out on:

- Baby wipes: You can't shower until your drains come out, so these will save you from getting gross. They are also very helpful in the bathroom if you get the flushable kind. This is probably the only thing I bought for surgery that I truly could not have done without.

- Straws and easy to hold cups: You're not going to want to lift a glass to your mouth. Straws are nice.

- Prepped meals: However you want to do it, try to have at least a few days (get up to a week if you've got the space and time) worth of prepared meals on hand that you'll only need to pop into the microwave. I cooked a bunch of food in advance and froze it. I do this every week normally, so for surgery I just cooked a double batch. I think it totaled somewhere around 30 meals? So breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 10 days. It saved me a ton of time, I didn't have to ask anyone to cook for me, and it was an easy thing to get up and heat a few times a day.

Great references and tips! Luckily I live at home, so breakfasts and dinners will most likely be covered, prep-wise. My mom already plans on taking some time off the first few days and such to help me get settled and make sure I can take care of myself when she goes back to work, so that should cut down on some difficulties.

You mentioned being more mobile, but what procedure did you have done? I haven't gone in for a consult yet but I'm planning on DI or Inverted T; whichever the surgeon is more comfortable performing on my body size/shape.

You really only need someone the first day or two. I liked having soup brought to me but getting up to pee and all that can be done by yourself. You will just sleep most of those days.

Quote from: AndrewB on May 20, 2015, 02:53:31 PM
You mentioned being more mobile, but what procedure did you have done? I haven't gone in for a consult yet but I'm planning on DI or Inverted T; whichever the surgeon is more comfortable performing on my body size/shape.

I had a DI with grafts. I never experienced any pulling sensations while reaching for things, so while I didn't necessarily push myself, I also wasn't as gentle as most people seem to be with themselves post-op. As soon as my drains were out, I was back to wearing t-shirts and carrying a backpack to work. No pain whatsoever.

A random thing that I didn't really consider was my armpit hair (hah!). You should trim it low if you grow it out. I wouldn't necessary shave it all off, but it was kinda gross having to glob bacitracin over the hair. *My drains right under my pits.*

Quote from: conformer on May 21, 2015, 01:42:59 PM
A random thing that I didn't really consider was my armpit hair (hah!). You should trim it low if you grow it out. I wouldn't necessary shave it all off, but it was kinda gross having to glob bacitracin over the hair. *My drains right under my pits.*

Noo, not my beloved pit hair! I guess I'll have to ask my surgeon about where he/she will be fitting the drains, since I'm sure placement <i>slightly</i> varies based on personal technique. I could definitely see that being an issue.

Definitely check! Mine were about 1" under where my pit hair ended. I trimmed it anyway just to be safe.

I also highly advise that you sleep in a chair or on a couch where it's difficult to roll over while you still have them in. I switched back to a bed with pillows around me on day 5 post op and I still managed to roll over. That side hurt like crazy when it was removed, and it's definitely healed more poorly than the other one.