Skip to main content

Peachy Comeback Episode 6: Breast Cancer Journey and Double Mastectomy Recovery

 Peachy Comeback Episode 6

What a privilege talking with my sister, Ashley Jones, on the Peachy Comeback. In this episode of the Peachy Comeback, Ashley and I talk about the importance of care and recovery during breast cancer. We talk through what it’s like as a patient and what it’s like as a caregiver following a double mastectomy surgery.

How do you prepare for a double mastectomy surgery? The process of preparing for a surgery can feel overwhelming and exhausting. Here are four tips to help get you feeling better prepared.

Steps To Get Ready For A Double Mastectomy Surgery Recovery

1. Volunteer someone to take care of you. Seriously, friend. Now is not the time to be an independent warrior. Ask for help and have a trusted person in your life be available to be with you at all times for at least the first several days. Help with simple things like getting up and down from a chair or bed is so important and really helps the recovery process not feel so daunting.

2. Have lots of loose comfortable clothing on standby. Leggings are usually my go to comfort pant, but when you are recovering from a double mastectomy surgery, let me tell you, tugging on snug leggings is that last thing you want to do. Think baggy - loose - easily to pull up and down. Button down pj tops and shirts are a must have. My arms were going zero places other than comfortably close and at my side. Slipping a tank or shirt over my head was not even on the radar for me for many many days following surgery.

3. Have an excellent place to recline and rest. It doesn’t need to be fancy or pretty, but it needs to be clean and it needs to make you feel at peace. We did not have a recliner, so I spent most days propped up in an oversized chair. I slept in our bed with an army of pillows. Looking back, I will say that having a  recliner would have been nice. If you have one or can score one, I would definitely recommend. 

4. Have three to four days of snacks and meals ready to go. Either cook ahead and freeze some casseroles, yes, I’m a southerner, or have door dash and your tribe of people on standby for food delivery. You are a rockstar and you just came out of a big surgery. You are not cooking anytime soon. 

Okay, I feel like these are the most important ideas to help you get ready for a post surgery recovery. Comment if you have other experiences or ideas that could help someone getting ready for this journey! 

Abby

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflections On A Breast Cancer Diagnosis

 We spent Halloween weekend at the beach this year. Halloween always conjures up, no pun intended,  specific memories in my mind because I was diagnosed with breast cancer around this time in 2020. Also an election year. Heaven help us. This year, the feelings felt extra fresh. As I sat on the sand watching the sun go down, yes, it was idyllic, I couldn't shake the feeling of how drastically different my life was just a few short years ago. Scared and sad were the first words that come to mind.  The emotions settled quite heavily as I drifted from thinking about my own experience to thoughts of a dear friend newly embarking on this journey. A journey no one signs up for. At the time of my diagnosis, it was almost impossible to see an end in sight. The idea of 18 + weeks of treatment, procedures, and more treatment if needed, terrified me. I wanted so badly to be done before I even got started. As a kid, my mom would read stories to me out of, what I remember to be fantast...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saturday Thoughts

"Don't fear your weakness....be afraid of those moments when you think you're independently strong." The caption of my morning devotional from Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies. Personal confession, I absolutely loath, despise, hate, cringe, die on the inside, when asked a question I don't have an answer to. It makes me feel weak and incompetent. Please don't roll your eyes. This is a confession and a judgment free zone. You feel? The author goes on to list all the things that can make us feel weak, and I identified with almost everything on the list. But oddly enough, I found comfort in the fact that everyone has something, that one thing, that fleshes our own personal vulnerability or weakness.  Feeling or actually being weak isn't a problem. That's normal for everyone. It's more about being self aware and proactively processing the felling or situation. Three take aways... and yes, they are free today. I'm not the only one. Could say mor...
Post a Comment
Read more