Top Surgery Tips | Shivani Dave

Top Surgery recovery tips

I had top surgery and found there was not a whole lot of stuff out there when it came to recovery - this is a page of stuff that was helpful to know. If you have anything to add to the list or ideas for where I can put it to be more helpful, let me know.

This is not medical advice, if you need medical advice seek the help of your surgeon/ clinic/ GP, or in emergencies call 999.

Listen to your body and be kind to yourself. There is no race to the finish line when it comes to your body.

Driving - don't, but if someone is driving you after surgery then have a pillow to put between you and the seatbelt, also ask them to go slow over any bumps.
Cozy den - create a comfy spot with pillows and blankets so that these things are easy to reach, you won't want to be getting up too much, lifting things, or stretching.
Comfy PJs and clothes - for the home hibernation. Tops with buttons down the front of hoodies with zippers are great! Getting tops over your head will be a challenge and there is no point pushing yourself, your body is already going through a lot.
Slippers - socks are sometimes tricky to get on and off (especially if they are tight).
Access - make sure you have things around you, your body will be tired so getting up all the time is not ideal, have the important stuff nearby (water, chargers, laptop, snacks).
Straws - make it so much easier so you don't have to lift bottles/ glasses as much.
Regular pain relief - the pain didn't seem so bad that I needed the "strong stuff" but took some paracetamol before bed the first couple of nights, which helped. The hospital might give something opiate-based (co-codamol/codeine) - if taking these, you might get constipated so get laxatives, and check with medical professionals before mixing the medications.
Washing - get some baby wipes, while the scars are healing and you are unable to shower/ bath these are a lifesaver and can help with feeling slightly refreshed.
Have things to distract you with - movies, TV shows, podcasts, books. It will be a struggle to do basically anything for the first few days at least so stock up on stuff you can do lying or sitting down.
Strepsils - a sore throat, barely anyone talks about this, but lollies/ sucking sweets help.
Food - if you can have someone cook for you, easy-to-swallow food is best, things like soup. If people can't make food for you then stock up on some easy oven/ microwave food.
Arrange for friends to come over - doing this before surgery is good, you might be too tired to actually bother to make plans afterward, but having people come over is really helpful. They can make cups of tea for you (win).
Just know you will sleep a LOT.
Photos - it was really nice to document the process and look back on photos.
Know the process is different for everyone, some people bounce back after a few days, and some people take longer. Listen to your body and be kind to yourself.

Top Surgery recovery tips

​

I had top surgery and found there was not a whole lot of stuff out there when it came to recovery - this is a page of stuff that was helpful to know. If you have anything to add to the list or ideas for where I can put it to be more helpful, let me know.

This is not medical advice, if you need medical advice seek the help of your surgeon/ clinic/ GP, or in emergencies call 999.

Listen to your body and be kind to yourself. There is no race to the finish line when it comes to your body.

​

Driving - don't, but if someone is driving you after surgery then have a pillow to put between you and the seatbelt, also ask them to go slow over any bumps.

Cozy den - create a comfy spot with pillows and blankets so that these things are easy to reach, you won't want to be getting up too much, lifting things, or stretching.

Comfy PJs and clothes - for the home hibernation. Tops with buttons down the front of hoodies with zippers are great! Getting tops over your head will be a challenge and there is no point pushing yourself, your body is already going through a lot.

Slippers - socks are sometimes tricky to get on and off (especially if they are tight).

Access - make sure you have things around you, your body will be tired so getting up all the time is not ideal, have the important stuff nearby (water, chargers, laptop, snacks).

Straws - make it so much easier so you don't have to lift bottles/ glasses as much.

Washing - get some baby wipes, while the scars are healing and you are unable to shower/ bath these are a lifesaver and can help with feeling slightly refreshed.

Have things to distract you with - movies, TV shows, podcasts, books. It will be a struggle to do basically anything for the first few days at least so stock up on stuff you can do lying or sitting down.

Strepsils - a sore throat, barely anyone talks about this, but lollies/ sucking sweets help.

Food - if you can have someone cook for you, easy-to-swallow food is best, things like soup. If people can't make food for you then stock up on some easy oven/ microwave food.

Arrange for friends to come over - doing this before surgery is good, you might be too tired to actually bother to make plans afterward, but having people come over is really helpful. They can make cups of tea for you (win).

Just know you will sleep a LOT.

Photos - it was really nice to document the process and look back on photos.

Know the process is different for everyone, some people bounce back after a few days, and some people take longer. Listen to your body and be kind to yourself.

​