How soon can I ....

Hi ladies, well I have three weeks to go and am getting nervous! can I ask some really basic questions please, I, know I could ask the clinic but would rather ask you all as you are the voices of experience! How soon will I be able to wash my hair, blow dry my hair, shave my armpits,lie on my side in bed, have a nice cuddle with my partner, and is there anything else you can tell me that may be useful for me to know? I know everyone recovers at different speeds but would love to hear from anybody about their experiences xx

hey hun

are u having overs or unders? i had overs could do my hair day after but not great, couldn't wash in thou i suggest booking a wash and blowdry at hairdressers by day 5 i could wash blowdry and straighten my hair (slowly) and i have extensions so didn't make life simple lol!! armpits i did day 2 very gently! can't lie on side for first 2 weeks must be propped up (ps and nurse advice differently but this is pretty standard!) gentle and i mean gentle hugs anytime but proper squeezy hugs was prob 3 weeks and prob 4 weeks when i felt like i wasn't gonna pop them lol!! is there anything else ur worrying about? x

Hi Nikita, Im having overs too so hopefully wont be too bad. Im just wondering about drains as well, can you tell me anything about them? x

I had drains there fine and remove more excess fluid which apparently helps with swelling xx

Thanks Nikita, thats really helpful,makes me feel a bit more positive x

No problem the girls here are amazing always happy to help And most things have been asked at some point just search

i had unders and could wash my hair after 1 week, cuddle my man pretty much straight away, had naughties on day 3 (although i stopped my boobs jiggling with the pillow!!) lay on my side day 10, although i kind of slept half on my back, half on my side the day after as i literally couldn't sleep if i didn't!! Best of luck hun xxx

Haha thanks Amy! xx

I had unders ( no drains) and was able to wash my hair over the bath and blow dry at day 4, started sleeping sort of on my side at day 6, haven't shaved armpits cause I only like doing when I'm in shower- can have a shower on day 10. drove on day 7 ( automatic though). Good luck!

Thanks for posting this...they are really basic questions,but I think a lot of us would like to know the answers!

Very useful. I'm having unders on Thursday and I've already told my hubby he'll be washing my hair for me lol.

I washed my hair the very next day, but just let it dry by itself.

I had my under arms waxed before the op, so didn't need to shave for a while after, probably about a week and a half after, the only real problem with that was that the side-boob got in the way a bit.

I started to sleep kind of leaning to one side from about a week post-op, and properly on my side about 2 weeks, I suppose. But I was never given instructions on how I should sleep, so I just did what was comfortable.

Cuddling - my BF and I are very cuddly sleepers, so right from day one he would just gently drape himself around me in ways that avoided my boobs. It was about the 2 week mark that I could be spooned, but even now, I can't really get myself into a comfortable position where I wrap myself around him at all, because my boobs kind of get in the way of my arms and are still too firm for me to sleep on them at all. So, I'm still at the stage where he can sleep-cuddle me better than I can really sleep-cuddle him. But just standing up, cuddles, probably about 3 weeks.

I also had drains, they are really no big thing. Just something you have to carry to the toilet with you while in hospital! Mine were taken out the next morning before I went home, and I was really not bothered by them at all...

xx

LOL kiwigirl - i was chuckling reading about your BF and you - mine swears he was never a cuddly sleeper before me, but I wake up with him draped all over me and myself usually in some sort of wrestling hold it seems

i do love it though

same as you though, I'd say give it a couple more weeks and you'll feel totally comfortable on your side and getting snuggled.

oh, I had unders btw

as for washing hair, yes BF had to do it for 2 days after, by day 3 I could do it myself (I had unders) but I was able to use my hands, and still keep my elbows at my sides - that's the key! Driving at day 4.

My nurse gave me good advice, to pretend my elbows were stiched to my sides - do anything you can with your arms and hands, but without moving your elbows (of course to the extent possible) - that REALLY helped me to realize what I could and couldn't do!

good luck!!