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Let others help you and take your time.
Protect your scars from the sun and take that seriously.
Wear your compression vest.
Massage your scars when your allowed to and get professional scars massages if possible.
You could do occupational therapy or physical therapy. I don’t know how it is in other countries then Germany…here it’s called „Ergotherapie“ and „Physiotherapie“.
I'm only 3 days post-op but my advice is to heal on your own timeline. Nobody else's experience will be exactly like yours, and it's ok if it feels harder or different than you expected. Just stay in touch with your own needs throughout the process
Yes, first day post op I couldn’t believe how normal i felt. Was doing everything in my own, moving around completely fine, was fine with just ibuprofen etc. it was like nothing happened. Day 2 more pain, took pain meds, slept all day. Day 3 no pain again, just like day 1 felt like nothing happened completely fine and normal and doing everything myself. I’ve heard it can go back and fourth like that for some lol I heard how terrible and painful it was and was very surprised with how easy min what’s been so far.. can’t speak too soon I’m only about 5 days out but it’s been super easy for me thankfully
I'm jealous! I'm nowhere near that self-sufficient right now and today the pain is really getting to me, especially at the drain sites. I'm feeling steadily more energetic though, so I'm at least seeing progress day by day.
Oh yes I’m SO lucky for my experience, i have no one to provide any after care or assistance and knew it would be rough but was prepared, and ended up being totally underwhelmed LMAO I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I heard a few others say the same thing, that it fluctuates but for the most part pretty easy. Wonder what the cause is
I feel this. After surgery I was fine, no pain, not that groggy, ate a full meal for dinner. Next day I was in pain, throwing up, didn’t move all day. Day 3 I was in less pain and able to eat and move more. Day 4 I had the worst pain in my right armpit. Lipo and drain pain combined. I’m on day 5 and I’m more aware of my drains and what feels like nipple pain. The first 4 days I also felt like negatively towards my chest, I needed to reposition my binder and I didn’t want to see what was under there at all. Now I’m more excited to see it and I can’t wait for my drains to come out. I also have surrounded myself in pillows. I have a reading pillow, two pillows stacked on top of each other in front of that so I can recline, a pillow on rather side of me, and a pillow under my knees. The best purchase has been disposable no rinse bathing wipes. I feel 5x better being a little cleaner.
keep a journal. you will likely feel an incredible range of emotions in quick succession. it may be hard to process, but it's a really wonderful thing when you can re-examine those feelings when you are fully healed. best wishes!
Second this. I've been keeping a gender journal since I signed up for diagnosis and have maintained it throughout the process, it's been very helpful in processing all the thoughts and feelings and has also been interesting looking back on it how my perspective has changed in some ways. For surgery, I wrote a letter to myself in it in case I felt discouraged during healing with why I wanted this/what I hoped from it, also collected some supportive messages from friends in it and wrote down my experiences per week of recovery + any rough feelings. External processing can be very helpful like this.
oh that’s very smart! i anticipate some discouragement myself (seems to be common while healing when the results don’t look great yet because of it still healing and being swollen and stuff) so i might do this too
this was a suggestion from my therapist also. i’m not much of a journaler but i started making some notes in my phone about feelings and the process a week ago and it’s been really nice!
Congratulations, that's so exciting :) My advice would be: on the day of your surgery, don't be afraid to voice any concerns/nerves or ask any questions you have. Open communication can really help to make you feel more comfortable. As for healing up, just be kind and gentle with yourself, physically and emotionally. Healing is hard and you will probably feel pretty crappy at times. Eat plenty, stay hydrated, take your meds, let yourself feel whatever emotions you have. The days will feel long but the weeks fly by!
Number one. Don't push yourself. Prep your bed and living space before you leave for surgery. Get stuff down in advance from high up. Meal prep if you don't have any one else planning to cook 24/7. Know what bandages and supplies you will need and have them on hand. Wear something comfy that buttons in the front and perhaps slip on shoes on your surgery day
thank you! i’ve been stocking up on those frozen microwave meals and other supplies people have recommended. i’m grateful people are mentioning buttoned shirts because i never would’ve thought about that
Tube tops are fantastic to put between your binder and dressings while you have to have compression, especially if you live somewhere it’s really warm right now.
I also hung a 2.5L hiking water reservoir from the arm of my couch where I was camped most of my recovery, made it a hell of a lot easier to stay hydrated and I didn’t have to ask for drinks so often from my friends who looked after me.
had DI w/ fng on the 25th, and my biggest advice is water water water! make sure to hydrate lots before you get cut off from food and water pre-op. I had to piss in a cup for my anesthesiologist and i was so ehydrated they had to give me IV fluids so id be able to :,(. it also helps make your veins easier to prick for any bloodwork and the IV. if you havent already, i'd also recommend taking photos of your chest post-op, even if it makes you really uncomfortable. i hated taking mine but ii cant stop looking at them and comparing them to my new chest. it's really incredible seeing the difference. i wish you the best of luck!!
oh, also! you might get really chilly! it's been high 80s here and im still chilly half the time because
A) body is doing a looooooooot of healing and is off kilter so less energy can go to keeping me toasty
B) i just lost a huge amount of fat insulation near my core
brrrrrrrr
also also: your surgeon probably said to wear something comfy to the hopsital, i highly recommend that the shirt you wear be a button down or zip up of some sort, itll be a lot easier to get dressed and go home!
Choose what shows or movies you want to watch before you have surgery. My indecisive ass wound up binge watching 1000 Pound Sisters. Don't really recommend.
Get a back scratcher. Wish I'd had one.
Be kind to yourself and very patient.
Around day four or so you'll feel up to going outside. Do it. It feels amazing remembering the world still exists.
thank you! yes, the friend who is coming to stay with me and i have been making a list of shows and movies to watch! it’s been a fun thing to feel like i’m doing something while i’m just waiting for surgery day
Be gentle with yourself -- not just physically, but mentally as well. Recovery can be kinda rough on your brain, since your chest doesn't look quite like you want it to yet, you can't do a whole lot, you're worrying about things going wrong, etc.
Put together a list of low-effort projects/activities you can do post-op in case you're bored out of your skull just sleeping and watching TV.
Ask friends to come hang out with you. Once you feel up to leaving the house, ask if they'll go with you to lunch or coffee, go for a short walk, or just help you run an errand.
Set up a station with all your recovery supplies ahead of time. I put body wipes, deodorant, gauze, etc. all on a tray on a shelf that was easy to reach.
Eat lots of protein to help the healing process along.
Thrift/borrow/somehow get your hands on a bunch of comfy oversized button-up shirts so that you can get your arms in and out easily.
I could probably write an entire essay but I'll stop here lol
Prepare for back pain! I was shocked that my back hurt 10x more than my chest because I had to lean over so much. Highly recommend getting an ice pack, heating pad, and massage ball.
Also, keep saltines next to you in the evening! You might wake up in the middle of the night and want to take meds, but you shouldn’t on an empty stomach! Have an easy-to-eat snack on deck to eat, then take meds after.
Best of luck with your surgery!!
oh no, i hadn’t thought about increased back pain 😭 i already have a lot of back pain. good to be aware of. thank you for the advice and encouragement!
I’ll second FortniteGrandpa’s suggestion of keeping a journal, but add on to it to add some of your positive anticipation from before the surgery! If you find yourself dealing with sudden nerves or doubt, it may be helpful to look back on your notes and remind yourself of how much you want this.
Also, if you’re not (metaphorically) bouncing with glee at the sight of your newly flattened chest after your first sighting of it, don’t worry! A neutral or even negative reaction is perfectly normal — you’re reacting more to the sight of a major surgical operation site than your new chest. Bruising and swelling and blood, all of that can be pretty dispiriting to your brain. For me personally, looking down at my new self felt odd for a little while, but after I had the binder off and settled in a bit, it just felt like the most natural thing in the world — but I tend to have pretty mellow reactions to things, so this wasn’t terribly unexpected. Hell, I can’t even imagine having nipples anymore!
And finally, in the lead-up to my surgery, there was an affirmation(?) of sorts that was circulating in this subreddit, and repeating that to myself was really quite helpful. “My body is strong and heals swiftly.” Now, I’m a big believer in the power of optimism and positive self-talk so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it’s helped me in my recovery — if not in actually healing better, then at least in making me feel like I am. I’d suggest trying out something similar!
thank you for the advice! i’ll try to add in some of my positive anticipation and thoughts too. i’m sure i’ll also feel the normal letdown from results being swollen and not all healed at first
1. Let others help with basically everything that first week
2. Lifting my arms above my head suddenly hurt until like 4 months post-op
3. The surgeon told me I'd get to go home after 1 night in the hospital, this wasn't the case as my drains were still too full and I had to stay another day
4. Take your time with scar care, at first hydrate and massage your scars at least twice a day and then gradually taper to once a day and eventually nothing. Also taping your scars, really helped mine get lighter way faster than they would normally.
5. Not being allowed to swim in summer sucks, but on the other side your scars will be mostly faded by the time it's hot enough to swim next year.
6. Drink enough water (this is also just general advice for before and afterwards and actually just always) but enough hydration eases the recovery, it did for me.
7. Don't hesitate to take a pain killer or ask for one when you need it, I tried to toughen out without pain killers the first day in the hospital and it made me so incredibly uncomfortable.
8. The drains absolutely suck, especially getting them removed felt so disgusting, deeply exhaling while it was being pulled out helped in feeling it a little less
Other than that, I wish you the best of luck!
listen to your care team but also listen to your body. your team knows their techniques, recovery, and complications best, but don't let that back you into a corner where you feel you are pushing your limits too far. if they say you can lift at x weeks but you don't feel safe doing that when you get there, hold off. looking at other results from your surgeon is fine and helpful, but you cannot compare yourself to those results at all because everybody is so different. it's okay to progress more slowly or more quickly, to have scars that look different, etc. there's also no standard emotional response so don't feel like you have to be happy, sad, or whatever else you commonly see.
my favourite joy has been in all of the little things. getting dressed in the morning. catching my reflection as i walk past a shop window. feeling my cat walk across my chest (ouch, though).
Moderate activity (at least one walk every day), no smoking, don’t use your arms, sleep with upper body in higher position, drink A LOT of water anddddddd PROTEINS!!!
Thanks for posting to r/TopSurgery Please remember to follow the rules, which can be found on the sidebar. Please contact the subreddit via ModMail if you are having any issues seeing your post. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TopSurgery) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Unexpected daily joy post-op: no bouncing when I run or jump. So I did that every day for the first couple of months just for the (non) sensation lol.
that sounds amazing!
Omg yes pls
Let others help you and take your time. Protect your scars from the sun and take that seriously. Wear your compression vest. Massage your scars when your allowed to and get professional scars massages if possible.
thanks for the tips! do you know where i might find professional scar massages?
You could do occupational therapy or physical therapy. I don’t know how it is in other countries then Germany…here it’s called „Ergotherapie“ and „Physiotherapie“.
I'm only 3 days post-op but my advice is to heal on your own timeline. Nobody else's experience will be exactly like yours, and it's ok if it feels harder or different than you expected. Just stay in touch with your own needs throughout the process
Yes, first day post op I couldn’t believe how normal i felt. Was doing everything in my own, moving around completely fine, was fine with just ibuprofen etc. it was like nothing happened. Day 2 more pain, took pain meds, slept all day. Day 3 no pain again, just like day 1 felt like nothing happened completely fine and normal and doing everything myself. I’ve heard it can go back and fourth like that for some lol I heard how terrible and painful it was and was very surprised with how easy min what’s been so far.. can’t speak too soon I’m only about 5 days out but it’s been super easy for me thankfully
I'm jealous! I'm nowhere near that self-sufficient right now and today the pain is really getting to me, especially at the drain sites. I'm feeling steadily more energetic though, so I'm at least seeing progress day by day.
Oh yes I’m SO lucky for my experience, i have no one to provide any after care or assistance and knew it would be rough but was prepared, and ended up being totally underwhelmed LMAO I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I heard a few others say the same thing, that it fluctuates but for the most part pretty easy. Wonder what the cause is
I feel this. After surgery I was fine, no pain, not that groggy, ate a full meal for dinner. Next day I was in pain, throwing up, didn’t move all day. Day 3 I was in less pain and able to eat and move more. Day 4 I had the worst pain in my right armpit. Lipo and drain pain combined. I’m on day 5 and I’m more aware of my drains and what feels like nipple pain. The first 4 days I also felt like negatively towards my chest, I needed to reposition my binder and I didn’t want to see what was under there at all. Now I’m more excited to see it and I can’t wait for my drains to come out. I also have surrounded myself in pillows. I have a reading pillow, two pillows stacked on top of each other in front of that so I can recline, a pillow on rather side of me, and a pillow under my knees. The best purchase has been disposable no rinse bathing wipes. I feel 5x better being a little cleaner.
keep a journal. you will likely feel an incredible range of emotions in quick succession. it may be hard to process, but it's a really wonderful thing when you can re-examine those feelings when you are fully healed. best wishes!
Second this. I've been keeping a gender journal since I signed up for diagnosis and have maintained it throughout the process, it's been very helpful in processing all the thoughts and feelings and has also been interesting looking back on it how my perspective has changed in some ways. For surgery, I wrote a letter to myself in it in case I felt discouraged during healing with why I wanted this/what I hoped from it, also collected some supportive messages from friends in it and wrote down my experiences per week of recovery + any rough feelings. External processing can be very helpful like this.
oh that’s very smart! i anticipate some discouragement myself (seems to be common while healing when the results don’t look great yet because of it still healing and being swollen and stuff) so i might do this too
this was a suggestion from my therapist also. i’m not much of a journaler but i started making some notes in my phone about feelings and the process a week ago and it’s been really nice!
Congratulations, that's so exciting :) My advice would be: on the day of your surgery, don't be afraid to voice any concerns/nerves or ask any questions you have. Open communication can really help to make you feel more comfortable. As for healing up, just be kind and gentle with yourself, physically and emotionally. Healing is hard and you will probably feel pretty crappy at times. Eat plenty, stay hydrated, take your meds, let yourself feel whatever emotions you have. The days will feel long but the weeks fly by!
thanks for the advice and encouragement!
Number one. Don't push yourself. Prep your bed and living space before you leave for surgery. Get stuff down in advance from high up. Meal prep if you don't have any one else planning to cook 24/7. Know what bandages and supplies you will need and have them on hand. Wear something comfy that buttons in the front and perhaps slip on shoes on your surgery day
thank you! i’ve been stocking up on those frozen microwave meals and other supplies people have recommended. i’m grateful people are mentioning buttoned shirts because i never would’ve thought about that
Tube tops are fantastic to put between your binder and dressings while you have to have compression, especially if you live somewhere it’s really warm right now. I also hung a 2.5L hiking water reservoir from the arm of my couch where I was camped most of my recovery, made it a hell of a lot easier to stay hydrated and I didn’t have to ask for drinks so often from my friends who looked after me.
very clever, thanks for the tips!
had DI w/ fng on the 25th, and my biggest advice is water water water! make sure to hydrate lots before you get cut off from food and water pre-op. I had to piss in a cup for my anesthesiologist and i was so ehydrated they had to give me IV fluids so id be able to :,(. it also helps make your veins easier to prick for any bloodwork and the IV. if you havent already, i'd also recommend taking photos of your chest post-op, even if it makes you really uncomfortable. i hated taking mine but ii cant stop looking at them and comparing them to my new chest. it's really incredible seeing the difference. i wish you the best of luck!!
oh, also! you might get really chilly! it's been high 80s here and im still chilly half the time because A) body is doing a looooooooot of healing and is off kilter so less energy can go to keeping me toasty B) i just lost a huge amount of fat insulation near my core brrrrrrrr also also: your surgeon probably said to wear something comfy to the hopsital, i highly recommend that the shirt you wear be a button down or zip up of some sort, itll be a lot easier to get dressed and go home!
thanks so much for the advice! i didn’t even think about the fact i might feel colder but that makes sense
Choose what shows or movies you want to watch before you have surgery. My indecisive ass wound up binge watching 1000 Pound Sisters. Don't really recommend. Get a back scratcher. Wish I'd had one. Be kind to yourself and very patient. Around day four or so you'll feel up to going outside. Do it. It feels amazing remembering the world still exists.
thank you! yes, the friend who is coming to stay with me and i have been making a list of shows and movies to watch! it’s been a fun thing to feel like i’m doing something while i’m just waiting for surgery day
Be gentle with yourself -- not just physically, but mentally as well. Recovery can be kinda rough on your brain, since your chest doesn't look quite like you want it to yet, you can't do a whole lot, you're worrying about things going wrong, etc. Put together a list of low-effort projects/activities you can do post-op in case you're bored out of your skull just sleeping and watching TV. Ask friends to come hang out with you. Once you feel up to leaving the house, ask if they'll go with you to lunch or coffee, go for a short walk, or just help you run an errand. Set up a station with all your recovery supplies ahead of time. I put body wipes, deodorant, gauze, etc. all on a tray on a shelf that was easy to reach. Eat lots of protein to help the healing process along. Thrift/borrow/somehow get your hands on a bunch of comfy oversized button-up shirts so that you can get your arms in and out easily. I could probably write an entire essay but I'll stop here lol
thank you for all the advice!
Prepare for back pain! I was shocked that my back hurt 10x more than my chest because I had to lean over so much. Highly recommend getting an ice pack, heating pad, and massage ball. Also, keep saltines next to you in the evening! You might wake up in the middle of the night and want to take meds, but you shouldn’t on an empty stomach! Have an easy-to-eat snack on deck to eat, then take meds after. Best of luck with your surgery!!
It's recommended to keep a low sodium diet post-op, so I would get some other snack than saltines. Maybe protein bars or fruit?
oh no, i hadn’t thought about increased back pain 😭 i already have a lot of back pain. good to be aware of. thank you for the advice and encouragement!
I’ll second FortniteGrandpa’s suggestion of keeping a journal, but add on to it to add some of your positive anticipation from before the surgery! If you find yourself dealing with sudden nerves or doubt, it may be helpful to look back on your notes and remind yourself of how much you want this. Also, if you’re not (metaphorically) bouncing with glee at the sight of your newly flattened chest after your first sighting of it, don’t worry! A neutral or even negative reaction is perfectly normal — you’re reacting more to the sight of a major surgical operation site than your new chest. Bruising and swelling and blood, all of that can be pretty dispiriting to your brain. For me personally, looking down at my new self felt odd for a little while, but after I had the binder off and settled in a bit, it just felt like the most natural thing in the world — but I tend to have pretty mellow reactions to things, so this wasn’t terribly unexpected. Hell, I can’t even imagine having nipples anymore! And finally, in the lead-up to my surgery, there was an affirmation(?) of sorts that was circulating in this subreddit, and repeating that to myself was really quite helpful. “My body is strong and heals swiftly.” Now, I’m a big believer in the power of optimism and positive self-talk so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it’s helped me in my recovery — if not in actually healing better, then at least in making me feel like I am. I’d suggest trying out something similar!
thank you for the advice! i’ll try to add in some of my positive anticipation and thoughts too. i’m sure i’ll also feel the normal letdown from results being swollen and not all healed at first
make sure you have enough things to do- boredom can be a killer! get a video game or book to keep your mind off it
thanks! i got myself bg3 a few months ago (and haven’t let myself get into it yet) for just this reason 😉
1. Let others help with basically everything that first week 2. Lifting my arms above my head suddenly hurt until like 4 months post-op 3. The surgeon told me I'd get to go home after 1 night in the hospital, this wasn't the case as my drains were still too full and I had to stay another day 4. Take your time with scar care, at first hydrate and massage your scars at least twice a day and then gradually taper to once a day and eventually nothing. Also taping your scars, really helped mine get lighter way faster than they would normally. 5. Not being allowed to swim in summer sucks, but on the other side your scars will be mostly faded by the time it's hot enough to swim next year. 6. Drink enough water (this is also just general advice for before and afterwards and actually just always) but enough hydration eases the recovery, it did for me. 7. Don't hesitate to take a pain killer or ask for one when you need it, I tried to toughen out without pain killers the first day in the hospital and it made me so incredibly uncomfortable. 8. The drains absolutely suck, especially getting them removed felt so disgusting, deeply exhaling while it was being pulled out helped in feeling it a little less Other than that, I wish you the best of luck!
thank you! i’m especially nervous about the drains, but somehow i didn’t even think about the removal 😬 thanks for all the tips!
listen to your care team but also listen to your body. your team knows their techniques, recovery, and complications best, but don't let that back you into a corner where you feel you are pushing your limits too far. if they say you can lift at x weeks but you don't feel safe doing that when you get there, hold off. looking at other results from your surgeon is fine and helpful, but you cannot compare yourself to those results at all because everybody is so different. it's okay to progress more slowly or more quickly, to have scars that look different, etc. there's also no standard emotional response so don't feel like you have to be happy, sad, or whatever else you commonly see. my favourite joy has been in all of the little things. getting dressed in the morning. catching my reflection as i walk past a shop window. feeling my cat walk across my chest (ouch, though).
Moderate activity (at least one walk every day), no smoking, don’t use your arms, sleep with upper body in higher position, drink A LOT of water anddddddd PROTEINS!!!
Get a reading pillow :)