Mastectomy Must-Haves on a Budget
BRCAStrong Mastectomy Care Package
This summer I got a prophylactic double mastectomy due to my breast cancer risk from being BRCA1-positive. I am an organizer and a preparer — making lists and checking things off makes me feel more calm and in control. When I went through ovarian cancer treatment three years ago, I created a spreadsheet for friends to sign up for shifts to visit me during chemo. So as the date of my prophylactic double mastectomy approached, I knew it was time to get organized: Make a list and buy all the things I’d need in advance.
I started out by Googling what products I’d need after getting a mastectomy, and there are plenty of product roundups out there on this topic. But I didn’t find them all that helpful. First of all, the lists were usually long, and filled with items I couldn’t see myself actually using or needing. Secondly, the recommended items were often expensive — a menagerie of pricy pillows and contraptions. “Buy or rent a recliner to sleep in the first few days” was a common suggestion. I have neither the money nor the space for a huge chair I’ll use for a week.
Sure, a lot of the suggested items would be nice to have, but what was actually necessary?
What will I really need? I thought. What are the essentials? How can I prepare for this surgery without spending a fortune?!?
I did a little more digging, turning to friends in the cancer community and seeking out some of their recommendations, as well as picking through online product recommendations that weren't necessarily geared toward surgery recovery or cancer. I considered what I’d really need, what would be nice to have, and what I deemed extraneous. Then I made a master list, broken down into categories, and populated it with items. This is what I came up with.
It’s important to get all the things you'll need after surgery, and the cost adds up quickly — there’s no way to avoid that. But I did this on a budget, and all the price points were on the lower end of the spectrum. You won't find any $100 pillows or lounge chairs on this list.
PRO TIP: I started ordering my mastectomy products about a month in advance, and for clothing items I almost always ordered two sizes and returned the one that didn’t fit. When trying things on, I also took into consideration that I didn’t want anything to be too form-fitting, so I’d likely need to size up a little — I wanted tops to be roomy enough to comfortably accommodate any swelling in my chest (I got direct-to-implant, or DTI, reconstruction), bandages, and the bulky surgical bra I’d be wearing post-op.
BEST-KEPT SECRET
Before I dive into my list, if you’re preparing to get a mastectomy, the first thing you need to know before you buy anything is that there’s a nonprofit organization called BRCAStrong that provides all women undergoing mastectomies — regardless of genetic predisposition, financial need, or whether the surgery is prophylactic or part of cancer treatment — with a free pre-mastectomy care package that includes a lot of the essentials you’ll need, and really high-quality products at that. When you’re trying to prepare for your mastectomy, signing up to receive this care package is going to save you a lot of money. Which is why it’s at the top of my list of mastectomy must-haves.
Photo via BRCAStrong
1) BRCAStrong Pre-Mastectomy Care Package (Free): To request a pre-mastectomy care package from BRCAStrong, all you need to do is fill out this simple form, and they’ll contact you about sending them a note from your doctor. My care package arrived very quickly after I signed up for it, and it included some key post-mastectomy essentials: a mastectomy robe with a built-in drain belt, mastectomy bra, and two mastectomy pillows, along with some other goodies. BRCAStrong partners with several different brands, so the brands of the items sent may vary, but the core items of robe, bra, and pillows will always be included.
CLOTHES
First things first: After a mastectomy, you’re not going to be able to lift your arms above your head for a while. Which means button-downs are going to be your friend for the foreseeable future. These were my favorite comfy clothes to live in in the weeks following my mastectomy.
Photo via Target
2) Stars Above Women’s Soft Short-Sleeve Notch-Collar Top and Shorts Pajamas from Target ($22): These are low-key the official pajamas of women everywhere who’ve undergone mastectomies — and for good reason. They are super soft and comfortable, and, most importantly, easy to put on after surgery. A friend who’d, like me, gone through treatment and surgery for ovarian cancer, recommended them as great post-op pajamas. At one point while I was recovering from my mastectomy, I was wearing them while scrolling through social media and came upon a discussion in a cancer-related Facebook group where several women were mentioning these exact pjs and posting photos of themselves wearing them. I bought them in navy blue, and they were so inexpensive and I knew I’d be wearing them a lot so I bought two! The second pair I got was in pink tie-dye, which sadly they don’t seem to carry anymore, but there are plenty of other color options, including this sassy animal-print number. I had my surgery in July so I got the short-sleeve/shorts pajamas, but don’t worry: If your mastectomy is during the winter, there are lots of long-sleeve/pants options, like this one here for $30.
Photo via Ubuy
3) LOMON Women’s Tie-Knot Button-Down Shirt from Amazon ($19-$21): When you’re recovering from surgery, as much as you’d like to, you can’t always wear pajamas. Even if you never leave your home, there will be moments when it’s nice to put on actual clothes, and that is where this shirt comes in. It checks all the boxes for a post-mastectomy staple: It’s easy to get on and off, comfortable for lounging around in at home, and cute enough to wear in public. And it’s perfect for post-op checkups when you need to get in and out of your clothes easily. I got it in two colors — blue and wine red — but there are tons of color options. Again, I had my surgery in July so I chose the sleeveless style, but this shirt also comes in short-sleeve and long-sleeve options if you’re having your mastectomy in colder months. I actually loved this shirt so much that I continued wearing it long after I was recovered and could lift my arms over my head and didn’t have to wear button-downs anymore — the only thing that made me retire this from my daily rotation was the change in seasons and colder weather.
Photo via GAP
4) Vintage Soft Classic Hoodie from GAP ($43-$65): Having a cozy hoodie to wear after surgery is key, and zip-up is crucial for these circumstances. After my ovarian cancer surgery I got away with wearing a pull-over hoodie, but that wasn’t going to happen after a mastectomy. This GAP hoodie is, as advertised, very soft. And since we’re talking about budget spending here, this sweatshirt comes in a range of prices depending on the color. Personally, I paid $50 for my hoodie. GAP is nearly always having some kind of sale so it’s not necessary to pay full-price for this.
Photo via Target
5) Stars Above Women’s Perfectly Cozy Lounge Pajama Shorts from Target ($15): Now that you’re set on tops, let’s move on to bottoms! The Stars Above brand is back on my list with another cozy (and cheap!) find. When I was at home recovering from my mastectomy, I lived in these shorts. And they really are perfectly cozy, as promised.
Photo via GAP
6) Women’s Soft Classic Joggers from GAP ($35-$55): Again, the prices vary based on color. I paid $40 for my GAP joggers and it’s not necessary to pay full price at the high end of this range. Maybe you’re getting your mastectomy in the winter, or your AC is always on full-blast, and the cozy lounge shorts aren’t making the grade — you need something warmer. That’s where these joggers come in. And they’ll be a wardrobe staple long after you’ve recovered from surgery. Before these, my last pair of joggers was subpar; the material was rough and they were too small. So I extra appreciate the softness, comfort, and fit of this cozy pair.
Photo by Jennifer Garam
7) Pull-On Shorts With Washwell from GAP Factory ($13-$24): My cozy lounge pajama shorts were perfect for all-day at-home wear, but weren’t going to cut it when I had to travel into the city for a doctor’s appointment. Enter: my post-mastectomy, wear-in-public shorts! And for me, this comfortable, easy, pull-on addition to my wardrobe was too cheap to pass up. Skip this one if you live in a cold climate or are having your surgery during colder months, but otherwise, it’s a solid staple.
ACCESSORIES
This is where things start to get really confusing. When I was researching what I needed to buy for my mastectomy, asking other women what they used, and poring over online product roundups of recommended items, there were SO MANY DRAIN HOLDERS! There were drain holders for everyday wear, and waterproof drain holders to wear in the shower. There are shirts that come with built-in drain holders, and even special pockets you can buy that adhere to the inside of any top that you can tuck your drains into. I wound up buying...none of these. I was sent home in a surgical bra that had built-in drain holders (most women are), and I wore this bra around the clock until I had my drains removed. Furthermore, my plastic surgeon did not want me to shower until my drains came out, so there was no need for me to get a water-proof drain holder for showering (if your doctor doesn’t give you this instruction, you may need one, though). Between these two factors, I didn’t need to buy any drain holders whatsoever. But there were some other accessories I did find helpful while I was recovering.
Photo via Amazon
8) Wander the World Women’s Slide Flat Cork Sandals With Adjustable Strap Buckle on Amazon ($22-$50): Tying your own shoes is going to be difficult for a little while after surgery. That’s why slip-on shoes are key, and this copycat pair will set you back a lot less than actual Birkenstocks. I wore these to go outside to grab the mail and for quick trips to Starbucks. However, I was paranoid about tripping after surgery, so for excursions that required more walking, like going into Manhattan for a doctor’s appointment, I’d wear lace-up sneakers and either get my Mom’s help tying them or painstakingly put them on myself. Again, I had my mastectomy during warm summer months so I could wear these outside, but if you get your surgery when it’s cooler, you could still wear these indoors as “house shoes” and purchase an inexpensive pair of slip-on sneakers to wear outside.
Photo via Amazon
9) Le Trésor 6-Piece Satin Silk Scrunchies on Amazon ($7): When I had my ovarian cancer surgery a few years ago I was bald, so I didn’t have to worry about how to deal with my hair post-op. But for this surgery, I had two-plus years of post-chemo hair growth, which amounted to a lot of hair. If you’re having your mastectomy during cancer treatment and have lost your hair from chemo, you can skip this and the next recommendation. But if you’re getting your mastectomy before chemo or prophylactically, or cold-capping during treatment and still have hair, scrunchies will be helpful. The famous post-mastectomy ”T-Rex arms” means you can’t lift your arms over your head immediately after surgery, which makes putting your hair in a ponytail very difficult. Scrunchies are bigger and softer than hair elastics, which makes it easier to put your hair up, and I put my hair in low ponies with scrunchies for a while after my mastectomy. Scrunchies are also easier than elastics if someone else is going to help you put your hair up while you’re recovering — there’s less chance of the hair-tie getting tangled in your hair and inadvertently hurting you with a scrunchie than with a small elastic.
Photo via Amazon
10) Kitsch Spa Headband on Amazon ($11): Here’s another how-to-deal-with-your-hair-after-surgery recommendation, so skip this if it isn’t applicable. Even with the scrunchied low ponytails, sometimes it’s nice to get your hair fully out of your face when you’re washing it (AKA using face wipes; I’ll get to that shortly), and that’s where this cute, leopard-print headband comes in. This is more of a nice-to-have than a must-have, but it does come in handy.
PILLOWS
This is another category that gets really confusing. In my pre-mastectomy product research, I came across SO MANY PILLOWS!! Some women recommend mastectomy pillows you put across your chest that have cut-outs to put your arms through, other women like various wedge pillows for propping up your back and legs in bed, and still others swear by full-body pregnancy pillows. I didn’t want to buy any pillows in advance because I wanted to see how I felt after surgery and which set-up I’d actually need. And I wound up buying...none of these options (although this is a matter of personal preference and you might find some of these helpful). The only pillows I used at home were a set of two Billow heart-shaped mastectomy recovery pillows, which I got for FREE in the mastectomy care package from BRCAStrong. (The pillow set-up I liked was recommended to me by a woman I met on Instagram who got her prophylactic double mastectomy the same week I did: One pillow under my arm and the other cradling my neck.) Other than that, I only purchased ONE pillow, and this was it:
Photo via Amazon
11) The Breast & Chest Buddy Seatbelt Cushion for Open Heart Surgery and Chest Reconstruction on Amazon ($23): This recommendation came from another Instagram friend in the cancer community, Kelly Mellott (@kmellott on Instagram). You velcro this pillow around the seatbelt so it doesn’t dig into your very sensitive post-op chest. It comes in several different designs; personally, I liked the more neutral heart design versus the emotionally laden breast cancer awareness ribbon. I brought this pillow in my overnight bag when I went to the hospital for surgery and used it in the Uber home after I was released. I used it as a passenger when I was being driven places in the couple of weeks after surgery, and I continued to use it when I was cleared by my doctor to drive (and felt comfortable doing so!). In fact, I only recently, close to three months after surgery, stopped using it. Even though I probably haven’t technically needed it for a while, it’s comforting and like a security blanket when I get behind the wheel.
BRAS
Another confusing category, and a bit of a misconception: I thought I’d need an array of post-op bras after surgery when in reality, I didn’t need any. So it’s a good thing that I didn’t buy any! As I mentioned, I was sent home from the hospital in a surgical bra (you don’t have to buy this, most hospitals provide it for free to their mastectomy patients). I wore that, day and night, for a couple of weeks, until my plastic surgeon stepped me down to a compression bra, which, again, his office provided to me for free. (As I mentioned, I got DTI reconstruction — the specific type of bra and/or compression garments you should wear at different phases post-op may vary depending on the specific procedure you got.) I wore that compression bra for about two months, until I was cleared to wear other bras of my choosing. You’ll have that free mastectomy bra in your BRCAStrong care package if you want to mix it up, but there’s no need to buy bras for a while after surgery. It wasn’t until I was about six to eight weeks post-op that I started purchasing new bras for myself. The swelling in your chest has to go down and you’re going to want to heal significantly before making a big investment in new lingerie — and, if you have expanders, your bra size will continue to change until your exchange surgery.
PRO TIP: When you’re released from the hospital, ask if they can give you an extra surgical bra or two. And check to make sure that they’re the right size before you leave the premises! My hospital sent me home with two extra surgical bras, but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized the extra bras were size XL and the one I was outfitted in was a Medium, rendering them essentially useless. So I was stuck wearing the same bra nonstop for two and half weeks and by the time I was stepped down to the compression bra, it was filthy. (Same goes for getting extras of your step-down recovery bra. I got three from my plastic surgeon’s office which was helpful because I wore it nonstop for about two months.)
BATHING & PERSONAL CARE
This section could really be titled “ALL THE WIPES!” or “How to Shower Without Taking a Shower.” You won’t be able to shower for a while after your mastectomy, and as I previously mentioned, my plastic surgeon instructed me not to shower until my drains were removed. Ah, the drains. If you are not yet familiar with JP drains you will be soon. They are inserted into your body during surgery and remain attached afterward to collect fluids from your surgical site. Luckily I only had two drains (some people need four or more) and they were removed after only a week and half (drains can be removed, by and per your doctor, when the fluid output falls below a certain level and they are no longer needed). But showering after my drains were removed when I was newly post-op was still no picnic, and it was often easier to continue using my multi-wipe bathing method. Here are all the wipes you’ll need after your mastectomy.
Photo via Amazon
12) Yes To Watermelon Light Hydration Super Fresh Facial Wipes 40 Count (2-Pack) on Amazon ($12): Let’s start at the top! Technically you can still wash your face with drains in, but I found it easier to just avoid running water altogether when it came to bathing post-mastectomy. Then there’s no risk of splashes or drips, and your whole cleansing routine can be accomplished more efficiently. These wipes are light and refreshing which I found so soothing, and they even, dare I say, leave a little dewy glow on your face. You’ll get a lot of wipes in this two-pack but months later I still use mine: They’re super refreshing for wiping your face off after a workout, and quick and easy at night when you’re too tired to wash your face before bed (read: every night).
Photo via Amazon
13) Pacifica Beauty Underarm Deodorant Wipes, Coconut Milk & Essential Oils, 30 Count on Amazon ($9): Moving on to deodorant! You are not going to want to shove a stick of deodorant under your arms after your mastectomy for a while. A breast cancer survivor friend sent a bunch of these to me while I was going through ovarian cancer treatment and had my debulking surgery, but they really come in handy after breast surgery because that whole post-op area is going to be very sensitive and tender. These wipes are a great substitute for deodorant while you’re recovering from surgery — and again, I still use them months later after a workout, or when I’m wearing something I don’t want to get a white, chalky deodorant stain on.
Photo via Amazon
14) Premium Formulations Shower Solutions Adult Bathing Wipes, Extra Large and Extra Thick, 40 Wipes (4 Packs of 10 Count) on Amazon ($20): You’ll quickly learn that body wipes that are being used as a shower substitute need to be BIG and THICK to do the job right, and most wipes out there are small and flimsy. But these wipes, recommended to me by artist, activist, and fellow BRCA1-positive breast cancer previvor Melanie Penn (@melanielynnpenndesign), get the job done. You will get a hefty supply in this multi-pack, but again, they will be useful long after you’ve healed from your mastectomy for a quick, refreshing wipe-down post workout when you don’t have time to shower.
Photo via Amazon
15) Combat Wipes Gaia Outdoor Hygiene Wipes for Women (25 Wipes) on Amazon ($8): Disclaimer: I may have fully fallen for a marketing ploy here and I’m not sure if these are really necessary. But the shower wipes I got didn’t explicitly mention that they were safe to use on your private areas and these did, so I bought them to supplement my ever-growing wipes collection.
BOOKS & ENTERTAINMENT
While you’re recovering from surgery, you’re going to need to find ways to amuse yourself. I took occasional, short walks once I felt up for it, but mostly I rested on the couch, propped up by pillows and under a cozy blanket. During ovarian cancer treatment, I worked my way through seasons one and two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But COVID has slowed television production and there are currently no new episodes available for viewing that I haven’t yet seen, nor any other shows out that I had a particular interest in binge-watching through recovery. So reading it was.
The books I typically read are nonfiction ones about cancer, trauma, and mental health. But you can see why these wouldn’t be appealing topics as I was recovering from a mastectomy. I wanted light and fun and pure escapism. I wanted stories that had nothing to do with cancer.
This is easier said than done. I bought a few novels to read while I was recovering that I thought were lighter fare. And while they generally were, cancer snuck into both storylines: The protagonists of both books both had a mother who passed away from cancer. However, a friend sent me a book to read post-op that wound up being perfect for my circumstances — with nary a mention of cancer in all its 305 pages. Which brings me to my last pick on this list.
Photo via Penguin Random House
16) Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid ($10): I’m single, post-menopausal, and have no sex drive, and what I also have is no interest in reading a book (or watching a TV show or movie for that matter) where the main thrust is a romantic relationship. I just don’t find it all that interesting. In fact, one of my post-op reads was about a romantic relationship and there was so much aching and longing that I wanted to scream, “Enough already! I get it, you want each other!!!” I much prefer books (and TV shows, and movies) where the main storyline centers around another dynamic, like friendship, or work, or, in the case of Such a Fun Age, privilege and race. Though its subject matter is certainly not light, this engrossing novel is a page-turner that you’ll fly through while you’re propped up on your Billow mastectomy pillows, and it might even pull you into the story so much that you temporarily forget about your incisions, limited range of motion, and JP drains. Buy it on Amazon or from your community bookseller, or check it out from your local library when you’re stocking up on reading material to enjoy after surgery!
Did you have any other must-have products during your mastectomy recovery? Add them in the comments! And read about how to prepare your home for when you return from the hospital after a mastectomy in my Everyday Health article here, and my additional mastectomy recovery tips in this blog post.
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