Do's And Don't's

Below is a handy guide on how to survive recovery. If you have any tips or advice you would like me to add, or a question regarding the advice written here, feel free to contact me.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional. This advice is a written account of my own experience with top surgery recovery.

DO

Get plenty of rest.

Take small regular walks, especially in the first 2 weeks. - This helps promote good blood circulation and helps prevent blood clots.

Wear compression socks for at least 2 weeks. - This helps prevent blood clots and embolisms.

Wear a surgical compression binder. - The length of time will vary from personal healing, surgeon guidelines and surgical technique. Be sure to ask your surgeon how long you will need to wear your compression binder for.

Sponge/Wipe wash for comfort and hygiene.

T-rex arms! - Keep your arms by your sides for as long as possible. This is especially important in the first 3-4 weeks of healing. Doing this will insure your incisions knit together well and it can help prevent scars stretching.

Gently roll shoulders regularly. - My surgeon recommended that I gently roll my shoulders backwards in small circles to help keep them relaxed and mobile. This also helped prevent a stiff neck.

Email or call your surgeon/nurse if you are concerned. - Make sure you are able to contact them directly and do so if you have any worries or questions about healing. If you are describing something, be sure to include a photo in the email. Sending a question without a photo attached will just slow down the process.

Go to the Emergency Room / Hospital if you suspect infection. - Don't ask online or wait for your surgeon to get back to you if you suspect an infection. Infections at a surgical site can turn serious very quickly if left untreated. Signs of infections include: Redness and swelling around the incision site, the area is hot to the touch, increased pain, discharge/pus from the incision site (this will be cloudy fluid), a bad smell from the incision site/wound and a fever.

Take medicine prescribed by surgeon. - My surgeon recommended that I take codeine for at least the first 2-3 days in the morning and evening. However, if you are allergic to codeine or are concerned about taking it due to chronic constipation or bad reactions in the past, talk to your surgeon and they may be able to give you something else.

Take over the counter painkillers regularly. - both Ibuprofen and Paracetamol/Tylenol are okay to take regularly. Paracetamol will help with general pain and any temperature fluctuations from having had surgery. Ibuprofen is great for inflammation. Remember: Ibuprofen irritates the lining of the stomach. Be sure to take it with or around food. If necessary you can ask your doctor to prescribe an antacid like Omeprazole or Lansoprazole to take alongside it. However, this will also affect digestion to a degree. This is where a thick yoghurt and crackers come in handy. They can help line the stomach when you need to take painkillers. AVOID ASPIRIN.

Use hot or cold therapy for pain relief. - You can use a heat pad/hot water bottle or an ice-pack to help relieve general aches and pains in the body. For example, if your back is sore from wearing a binder for several hours a day, you might benefit from some heat. However, do not put hot or cold anywhere near the surgical site. Your chest may be numb from surgery and so you may be unable to tell just how hot/cold it really is. Not to mention excess heat might encourage bacteria.

Maintain a good posture. - In the first 2 weeks after surgery it is important to maintain a good posture. This will help keep your muscles strong and avoid the incisions healing "too tightly".

Range of motion exercises after you are healed (6 weeks~.) - When your incisions have finally knitted together and you are regularly massaging and moisturising the scar line, you can start with gentle 'range of motion' exercises.
More information and useful guides can be found in the Exercise And Sex section of the website, as well as Other Helpful Guides.

Have sex when you feel comfortable to. - This advise isn’t one for everyone but it’s often a question that people are too embarrassed to ask their surgeon about. I directly asked my surgeon, and she told me that you can have sex whenever you feel comfortable to (i.e. when it doesn’t cause you pain and discomfort in the surgical area). This of course will depend on the kind of sex you have and how you have sex.
CAUTION: If you are on a contraceptive pill and you have sex with someone who could get you pregnant, be aware that the anaesthetic and medicine they give you on the day of surgery can interfere with oral contraceptives for up to 7 days (maybe more!) For this reason, it is advised to use a second contraceptive, such as a condom. Please be sure to check your discharge papers. Check out the Exercise And Sex section for more information on this.

Until your incisions have healed up, only use micropore tape along them. - Micropore tape is recommended to help keep the incisions clean and dry. It also helps protect them and keep the lines "taut", so they don't get pulled apart too much as you move. It essentially supports the incision line. It also stops any scabs that are forming from being knocked off too soon. You'll need to resist picking them and let them heal and fall off naturally. Your incisions will heal from the inside out. Only until all the scabs have fallen away naturally will it be time to moisturise and massage.

Massage the scar line after the 6 week mark. - You'll want to wait until all the scabs fall away from the incision line naturally, which for most people is around the 6 week mark. From here, you'll want to massage the scar line twice a day (morning and evening) with a thick moisturiser. It doesn't really matter what brand you use, just as long as it doesn't irritate your skin too much (i.e. free from perfume). The thicker the moisturiser, the longer it will take to rub in, and that's good! You want to massage the area well. Doing so helps circulation, break down scar tissue (causing your scar to flatten) and it helps the nerves "re-wire" and bring feeling back to your chest and the surrounding area.

You can take your ADHD medication as normal when needed. - Though if you need to rest or are moving around less, you may want to switch up your routine. Personally I took a break from my medication for a couple of weeks as I wanted to get as much rest as possible as it usually stops me from being able to nap in the day.
CAUTION: Do not take ADHD medication on the day of your surgery. It will work against the anaesthetic. Let your anaesthetist know that you regularly take ADHD medication and you have omitted it for surgery.

If you are happy with your results, consider sending your surgeon a photo for their portfolio. - (preferably 2-3 months after surgery.) It can be helpful for other people seeking surgery to see good examples of different surgical techniques on various types of bodies. It's common practice for clinics to censor any identifying factors in photos. If you are at all worried, be sure to crop the photos to exclude your face and cover/blur out any tattoos or birthmarks.

DON'T

Don't lift arms above shoulder height for at least the first 6 weeks. - Doing so can put strain on the incisions and it will take them longer to heal.

Don’t feel pressured into doing things you feel uncomfortable doing. - i.e. lifting, driving, moving etc. Be sure to go at your own pace. This doesn't mean you should not move at all, as it is advised you take gentle walks around the block regularly for the first 1-2 weeks to keep blood circulating. But don't let people pressure you back to work if you do not feel ready, to reach or to lift items heavier than you should, or to drive when you do not feel safe or ready to drive.

Don't lift anything heavier than a bag of sugar (approx 500g).

Don’t drive until you can do an emergency stop without pain or discomfort. - This is usually around the 3 week mark. However, everyone heals at different rates so go at your own pace. Personally I waited until around the 5 week mark because I didn't need to be anywhere and it gave my incisions more time to heal without being stretched.

Don’t lay or sleep on your side. - This is an important one. You'll need to sleep on your back (preferably at a slight incline) for at least 6 weeks, or until your incision line has healed up. This will ensure that you don't put any pressure on the surgical site. The incline will help with drainage and reduce swelling. For more information on how to sleep visit the Sleeping section of the website.

Don't get the incisions wet!! - This is very important. Your incisions need to be kept dry to promote healing and to prevent infection. Your surgeon will likely tell you that your dressings are "waterproof" and this is only partly true. A more accurate term would be "trickle proof", meaning you can allow a few stray droplets of water to run down you, but don't stand directly under the shower and let them get soaked!! To prevent my dressings getting wet I used what I like to call: The towel cowl and bin bag method. Or if you're American, The towel cowl and garbage bag method. See the Bathing section for more details.

Don’t panic if your nipples scab over. - This is normal. In fact it's highly likely unless you opted for no nipples.

Don’t panic if you see stitches or a “hole” where the stitches heal. - This is normal.

Don’t panic if your bandages look dirty. - Your original dressings especially will be stained with blood and all sorts of body fluids. This is normal. They can even be stained with the pen your surgeon used to mark you up for surgery. So if you see an unusual colour to the bandage (orange, blue, green, purple) don't panic. If you are concerned, just send your surgeon a quick email with a photo attached for clarification.

Don’t use silicone tape/gel on your incisions until they are fully healed (6 weeks~.) - It's important that your incisions have fully knit together before you start using any kind of silicone tape, gel, oil or moisturiser along the scar line. It's usually around the 6 week mark that all of your scabs will have fallen away naturally and you can start "wet healing".