Here's my bra size… experienced.
Who We Are
I'm not a doctor. I'm the woman in the waiting room next to you…
I've sat in the paper gown. I've Googled "what to pack for a mastectomy" at 2 AM with surgery in three days. I have also had my claim denied by insurance the night before my mastectomy. I've cried in a dressing room because nothing fit and nothing felt like mine anymore. I've stared at a drain hanging off my body wondering why nobody told me I'd need a system for this.
I've had a direct-to-implant double mastectomy. I followed that up with full implant-based reconstruction with a capsulectomy and capsulotomy when things didn't go as planned. And then to be extra experience-rich, a DIEP flap with all that fun. Like you, every time I had to figure out what goes in the hospital bag, when I had many bigger things on my mind.
Four major surgeries across multiple years. Each one different. Each one with its own recovery, its own surprises, its own "I wish someone had told me" moments.
This site is every single one of those moments, written down.
What this site is
This is the practical stuff. The logistics. The packing lists and the prep lists and the products that actually helped. The things your surgeon doesn't think to mention because they're human. Which pants you can actually get on when you can't bend at the waist. Why you need a grabber tool. Why stool softeners are not optional. Why the ride home from the hospital requires a breast and/or seatbelt pillow (depending on your surgery) unless you want to find out the hard way.
I don't talk about treatment here. No chemo, no radiation, no staging, no clinical anything. There are good resources for that and they're run by people with medical degrees. I have a packing list and opinions about zip-front hoodies. And I am you. If you are reading this, I put this together for you.
What this site isn't
This is not sponsored content. Nobody is paying me to tell you what to buy. When I recommend a product, it's because I used it, during my own surgeries, in my own recovery, in my own home. Some product links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through them. It costs you nothing extra and it helps keep this site free. That's the whole business model. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no pink-ribbon partnerships, I am not selling your data and I have a very busy life and will keep this as updated as I am able.
Why it matters
Reconstruction is not one surgery. It's a road. Sometimes it's a short road and sometimes it's a road with detours and setbacks and a surgery you didn't plan for. And every time you face a new procedure, you're starting the preparation over again, new recovery, new restrictions, new things to buy and arrange and figure out.
Nobody hands you a checklist for this. Your surgeon gives you medical instructions. The internet gives you forums that contain a fair bit of fear and conflicting advice. Your friends and family want to help but they don't know what you actually need. And you're sitting there, about to go into surgery, trying to figure out if you need a wedge pillow or a recliner and whether your current sports bra is going to work or not.
For example, I did not buy a recliner and I do not like them and despite the “It’s a recliner or nothing” crowd, you can do this without one.
That's the gap this site fills is not the medical part… it’s the everything-else part.
This Website is yours too
I've been through four surgeries but I haven't been through everything. Different bodies, different procedures, different surgeons, different situations. Your experience is valuable and the woman coming behind you needs it.
If you've been through any of this, mastectomy, reconstructions, revisions, DIEP, lat flap, expanders, any of it, we want to hear what worked for you. What did you pack that saved you? What did you buy that you wish you'd known about sooner? What's the one thing you'd tell someone the night before surgery? 👈 This is a big one.
There's a place to share on every procedure page. Drop your recommendations. Be specific. Be honest. The woman reading it at midnight with surgery in the morning will thank you.
And when you're on the other side, when you've healed, when you've recovered, when the fog lifts and you're back to your life, bookmark this site and come back. Update the blogs with comments and add your favorite items that you used. Add the thing you forgot. Pay it forward for the next woman sitting in the paper gown, Googling at 2 AM, trying to figure out what she needs.
That's how this works. We help each other. It's gettin' lumpy in here, and we're all in it together.
🌸 Nicole
