Male mastectomy & clothing

I am getting ready for my surgery and I was told soft button up tops/shirts.. also go to a medical supply place and see if they have a belt type garmet that will hold the drains for him until they can be removed. I have the Cami/tank type for myself.  You could prob make the belt with a little soft material and velcro... God Bless!  Kathy

rhog said:

clothing

I can make that pretty easy. I don't know yet if he'll have more than one drain. Is this worn around the waist?

Thank you!

Yes it is... You both, look really familar to me, must be Deja~ Vu!...  lol... best of luck with the recovery... God Bless!... Kathy

Gabe N Abby Mom said:

Hi Kathy,
I had a bilateral

Hi Kathy,

I had a bilateral w/axillary node dissection, and had 3 drains.  I think you're right about the t-shirts.  He won't be able to lift his arm over his head for a while.  I was able to get into t-shirts after 2-3 weeks.

The drains (at least mine did)have the option to pin or tie down.  For showering, I wore a shoelace around my neck and pinned the drains to that.  The pockets in the picture are great, mine attached with velcro.  The drains do create an unsightly buldge.  It is temporary, and I don't know if that will bother your hubby. 

Be sure to follow directions for exercising your arm.  That will help to get range of motion back.  But don't push too hard, that will cause damage.  I was told to lift no more than 2 lbs for the first two weeks, then 10 etc.  I was surprised that I couldn't do anything with a repetative motion (vaccuuming, cleaning windows, pulling weeds, etc.) for 6 mos.  Also, don't be afraid to ask for a physical therapist.  That made a huge difference for me.  Do you and your husband know the signs of lymphedema?  Do you know what to avoid to help keep LE away?  (Insect bites, scratches, hot tubs, there are more.)

Afinal story...when going to the bathroom for the first time after surgery, I grabbed the handicap rail to help lower myself to the toilet seat.  Don't do that!!!  This bent my arm at an angle it shouldn't have gone shortly after surgery.  The pain was really really intense, so caution your husband about how he uses his arm for a while.

I hope there are no surprises during surgery, and that recovery is swift with no complications.

Hugs,

Linda

 

Thank you for the info Gabe N Abby it was very helpful... I will definitely remember that bathroom advice... I have my surgery on the 26th of April... so soon...  BUT the gentleman above is not my Husband..  but he is also a breast cancer victim as I am with the same diagnoses of IDC...  The lady pictured with him is not me although, I think she is very pretty so I wouldn't complain if I looked like her...lol  Thank you again for the advice... God Bless Us All!... Kathy

TexasCharlie said:

I guess I'm a little weird

I guess I'm a little weird because I have been wearing loose fitting pullovers since my operation. I like henleys. I do wear button ups once in a while but with the neuropathy in my left hand the pullovers are much easier since buttons are really hard for me and I for sure don't want to wake my wife up just to button a shirt in the morning before I leave for work.. I just pull the sleeve up my right arm (the bad one) and then  fit over my head. It they are loose they go on pretty easy. The drains I have kept clipped under my right arm with safety pins on the ace bandage I have wrapped around me. There is enough looseness in the clips that I can drain them too from that position. If he is just having a biopsy then he should just have the one drain from the breast. I didn't have a drain from my biopsy, but when they did the modified radical they took out lymph nodes and then I got 2 drains.

  I'll be praying for him that it all goes well and he has a speedy recovery.

The seatbelt will be uncomfortable, I just held the chest strap part in my hands, that kept it from touching my chest yet still kept me safe:)  He will need a small pillow or towel when he starts driving.  It took awhile before the seatbelt didn't hurt me.  I wish you both a speedy recovery!

Hugs, Patti

TexasCharlie said:

With the drains he won't be

With the drains he won't be able to take a regular shower. What I do is to use a handheld for the lower half and then just sponge bathe the upper parts and arms and head. Hope that helps.

Also I just move the seatbelt to a place where I can't feel it. He'll want the wraps redone frequently too, they get uncomfortable after awhile nd tend to bunch up.

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