If you’re scheduled to have a mastectomy or breast reconstruction surgery, here’s everything you need to know about setting up your home for a smooth recovery.
It can be daunting to recover from major surgery like a mastectomy. You may be wondering how much pain you’ll be in, what your physical limitations may be, and what kind of support you’ll need.
But there are things you can do before the procedure to boost your odds of a smooth recovery — including by setting up your home to make yourself more comfortable when you return from the hospital.
Change Your Sleeping Habits
Create a Comfortable Sleep Setup
When you come home from surgery, you won’t be able to sleep in your bed the way you normally do — at least for a short while. “There may be challenges finding a comfortable position that does not put pressure on incisions or drain sites, especially when it is a bilateral surgery,” explains Kelly Hunt, MD, a professor and the chair of the department of breast surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
To get comfortable in bed, you may want to use a variety of pillows, like a wedge pillow to recline on or a heart-shaped mastectomy pillow that can be tucked under armpits to keep pressure off sensitive surgical sites while they’re healing. If getting in and out of bed is too difficult, try camping out on the couch with pillows propped behind your back so you can sleep semi-upright.
Consider Sleeping in a Lift Chair
After Beth DeLong, 36, a breast cancer survivor and the founder of Adventure After Cancer, had DIEP flap breast reconstruction (in which tissue is taken from one area of the body — the lower abdomen — and used to reconstruct the breast), she required a more involved sleep setup. For the first two weeks after surgery, she slept in a lift chair, which she borrowed from a friend. You can rent a lift chair from a local medical supply company if you find you need it.
Is a Mastectomy Always Needed When You Have Breast Cancer?
For some, a mastectomy is the only choice, but is that true in all cases? Breast surgical oncologist Ryland Gore, MD, explains.
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Prep Your Kitchen
Make Sure Everything Is Accessible
After surgery, you’re not supposed to lift your arms above shoulder height. So make sure to get your kitchen ready by taking everything you’ll need down from high shelves — like plates, glasses, and nonperishable food — and leaving it out on the counter in easy reach.
Get Groceries and Prepared Meals Delivered
Driving to the store, dealing with crowded aisles, lifting heavy bags … you definitely do not want to go grocery shopping while you’re recovering. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can have your groceries delivered to your home, and depending on where you live, there are other grocery delivery services such as Instacart, FreshDirect, and Target Shipt.
Similarly, you can eliminate the burden of cooking by having prepared meals delivered. Ask friends to bring over prepared meals — you could have them sign up for time slots using Google Sheets or by creating an account on MealTrain.com. Make sure to include any dietary restrictions, preferences, or other instructions. You can also order fully prepared meals (versus meal kits, where you have to prepare and cook the food) to be delivered to your home from a number of subscription services. Some grocery delivery services even offer prepared meal options, too.
Create a Drain Station
One of the more dreaded aspects of breast surgery is the drain. During the procedure, one or more surgical drains (also called Jackson-Pratt, or JP, drains) are inserted into your body to remove fluids that collect near your incision sites, which helps ensure proper healing and prevent infection.These drains remain attached to you when you go home, and you have to empty them throughout the day and log the fluid output.
A dedicated “drain station” — for example, on top of a dresser — can help make this process go more smoothly. Your station can include things like hand sanitizer, liquid measuring containers for collecting and measuring the fluid (the hospital should provide these), and a pen and a drain output log (again, the hospital should send you home with this, but if you need extra copies you can download this drain log template from mastectomy lingerie brand AnaOno). You may also find it helpful to empty the drains in front of a full-length mirror.
Set Up a Bathing Station
If your doctor doesn’t want you to shower while you still have your drains (there’s a possibility that water could get into the drain exit site), try setting up a “wash” station in your bedroom or bathroom with several types of wipes — face wipes, deodorant wipes, and large body wipes — for a daily “bath.” A full-length mirror nearby can also be helpful when wiping down your face and body. How soon you’re permitted to shower after surgery varies from doctor to doctor, so make sure to ask your provider for their specific post-op bathing instructions.
Take Your Medication
Log Everything
It’s important to take all the medications your doctors prescribe, and the best way to do this is to log everything — which pill you took and at what time you took it. Write everything down in a notebook, or use a medication-tracking app on your phone, like Medisafe — in addition to logging your medications, you can also schedule them all in, so an alarm goes off when it’s time to take each one.
Remember to log any side effects or symptoms you’re experiencing and contact your doctor if you have any concerns. Some things to look out for include potential infections to the surgical site; fluid buildup, swelling, and pain in the breast or “donor site” (the area of the body used to reconstruct breasts for a flap surgery, if applicable); excessive bleeding or blood clots; and an allergic reaction to a medication.
Check Your Insurance Coverage Before You Purchase Medical Equipment
Before you spend a lot of money buying or renting postsurgical recovery supplies, check your health insurance benefits. Many policies include coverage for what’s called durable medical equipment, or DME. Depending on your coverage, this can include things like walkers, shower chairs, and lift chairs, all of which DeLong says can be helpful for recovery from surgeries like DIEP flap reconstruction. It could even include breast prostheses and mastectomy bras.
Contact your insurance company to inquire about its full list of covered DME and what its requirements are. This can be a complicated process to navigate and requires obtaining prescriptions from your doctors for any necessary DME. Wendy Griffith, LCSW, an oncology social worker and the program manager of the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, recommends asking if there’s a case manager or social worker at your hospital with experience in this area who can help you handle the logistics.
When you’re undergoing a mastectomy and reconstruction, it could mean one surgery or several if your mastectomy and reconstruction are done separately.
The Takeaway
If you’re undergoing major surgery like a mastectomy, there are certain things you can do to make yourself more comfortable once you return home from the hospital — including sleeping on a lift chair and setting up a bathing station. You can also contact your insurance company to find out if you have coverage for postsurgical recovery supplies.
Ryland Gore, MD, MPH, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in breast surgical oncology in Atlanta. She completed her general surgery residency at Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She went on to complete her breast surgical oncology fellowship at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Gore previously served on the board of directors for Every Woman Works, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower women and help them transition into independence and stability from common setbacks. Gore served as the chairwoman of the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign in Atlanta for three years (2019 to 2021). She is currently the co-director of Nth Dimensions’ Strategic Mentoring Program and the alumni board chair of the Summer Health Professions Educational Program (SHPEP), which is a collaborative effort by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the American Dental Education Association.
Gore is a highly sought after speaker, consultant, and lecturer on breast cancer and breast health, as well as women’s empowerment topics.
Jennifer Garam is a BRCA1-positive ovarian cancer survivor and advocate, journalist, and speaker. In addition to being a regular contributor to Everyday Health, her articles and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Allure.com, Self.com, RedbookMag.com, Vice.com, Prevention.com, Health.com, HuffPost, and PsychologyToday.com, among others.
Garam has been an expert speaker, moderator, and panelist at healthcare events and conferences in the United States and abroad. She aims to bring attention to important topics that are underrecognized and stigmatized and tell stories that aren't often told. She is passionate about patient education, the necessity of self-advocacy within the healthcare system, and equitable care and access to resources for marginalized individuals and communities. Outside of work, Jennifer is a voracious reader, yoga practitioner, and amateur dancer.
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