Whether you are having a breast reduction, an abdominoplasty, or a microsurgical reconstruction using tissue from the abdomen or thigh, being well-prepared for your admission makes the experience more comfortable and the recovery smoother. The basics are the same across procedures; the specifics vary. This guide covers both.
For All Operations: The Essentials
Clothing
The single most important principle for any breast or abdominal operation is that nothing should go over your head. You will have wounds, and in many cases drains, on your chest or abdomen. Lifting your arms is uncomfortable in the early days. Everything you bring to wear should fasten at the front — buttons, zips, or poppers.
- Button-front or zip-front pyjamas — loose-fitting cotton. Avoid elasticated waistbands that sit on an abdominal wound.
- A front-opening dressing gown — for walking the ward and staying warm between the bed and the bathroom.
- Loose trousers or a skirt with a relaxed waist — for the journey home.
- Slip-on shoes or slippers with a back — bending to fasten laces or buckles is uncomfortable. Flip-flops without a back are tiring to walk in. A supportive slip-on is ideal.
- Warm socks — theatres and wards are often cool, and post-operative patients tend to feel cold.
TED stockings for DVT prevention will be provided by the hospital.
Before You Go to Theatre
- Remove nail varnish, gel nails, and acrylics — the anaesthetist uses a pulse oximeter on a fingertip throughout the operation. Nail coverings interfere with the reading. If acrylics cannot be removed, let the anaesthetist know in advance.
- Remove contact lenses — these must come out before theatre. Bring your glasses and a case.
- Remove all jewellery — including earrings, rings, and piercings. Anything that cannot be removed should be discussed with the team in advance.
- Leave valuables at home — your phone and a small amount of cash are all you need. Cards, keys, and jewellery create unnecessary anxiety and will not be used.
Toiletries and Personal Care
You will not be showering immediately after surgery, and when you do it will be a careful affair with wounds to protect. Personal care needs adapting.
- Dry shampoo — one of the most genuinely useful items on this list.
- Facial wipes and micellar water — for freshening up before a proper shower is possible.
- Lip balm — anaesthetic and theatre air are both drying. Keep one in easy reach from the moment you come round.
- Your usual moisturiser — skin often feels tight and dry after a prolonged general anaesthetic.
- Basic toiletry bag — toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant. Keep it compact so it is easy to reach.
Entertainment and Staying Connected
- Phone and tablet chargers with a long lead — at least two metres. Ward sockets are rarely in a convenient position.
- A portable battery pack — useful when socket access is limited.
- Wireless earphones or headphones — easier to manage than wired ones when you have drains and monitoring equipment attached.
- Eye mask and earplugs — ward sleep is disrupted. Monitoring checks happen through the night. Both items are small and worth having.
- Something to read — lighter reading works better in the first day or two when concentration is low.
Practical Items
- A written list of your regular medications — including doses and timing. After a long operation, memory is not reliable.
- Any medication the hospital may not stock — discuss with your team in advance, but some specialist preparations are not routinely held on wards.
- A notepad and pen — write questions down as they occur to you so you do not leave the ward round with unanswered concerns.
- A small amount of cash — for newspapers, drinks, or anything picked up from the hospital shop.
The Journey Home
Bring a firm pillow and leave it in the car. For abdominal wounds and reconstruction donor sites, the seatbelt crosses directly over tender tissue. Holding a pillow between the belt and your body takes the pressure off and makes a journey of any length substantially more comfortable. The same pillow is useful at home for the first few weeks when coughing or laughing.
DIEP Flap
The DIEP flap uses tissue from the lower abdomen to reconstruct the breast. It is a long microsurgical operation — typically six to eight hours. You will be cared for on the ward throughout, with close nursing attention and regular flap checks overnight. The nursing team will monitor for haematoma and confirm the Doppler signal to ensure the blood supply to the flap remains intact. Most patients are ready to go home after one to two nights.
In addition to the general items above, bring:
- A Lipoelastic VH Comfort Girdle — to support the donor site. You will be advised on the correct size at your pre-operative appointment.
- A Lipoelastic P1 Elite or Super Bra — for the reconstructed breast. Confirm the specification with your team beforehand.
TUG Flap
The TUG (transverse upper gracilis) flap uses tissue from the inner thigh to reconstruct the breast. Like the DIEP it is a microsurgical procedure with close ward monitoring overnight and a stay of one to two nights. The donor site is the inner thigh, and walking in the first day or two may feel slightly different as the gracilis muscle has been used — this settles quickly.
In addition to the general items above, bring:
- Full-length athletic leggings, half a size smaller than usual — tight compression leggings are the most effective garment for the inner thigh donor site and should be worn from the outset. Bring a pair to put on before you leave the ward.
- A Lipoelastic P1 Elite or Super Bra — for the reconstructed breast.
- A small cushion or gel pad — to sit on if the inner thigh donor site is uncomfortable during the journey home.
LUG Flap
The LUG (lateral upper gluteal) flap uses tissue from the upper outer buttock to reconstruct the breast. It is a microsurgical procedure with the same pattern of close overnight ward monitoring. The donor site on the buttock or flank means that sitting directly on that side may be less comfortable in the first day or two.
In addition to the general items above, bring:
- Full-length athletic leggings, half a size smaller than usual — tight compression leggings provide effective support for the buttock and flank donor site. Bring a pair to put on before discharge.
- A Lipoelastic P1 Elite or Super Bra — for the reconstructed breast.
- A small cushion or gel pad — to sit on if the donor-side buttock is uncomfortable during the journey home.
Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is usually a one-night stay, sometimes a day case depending on the extent of the procedure. The abdominal wound runs hip to hip, and a Lipoelastic VH Comfort Girdle is worn from the outset. In the first few days, walking with a slight forward lean is normal as the abdominal skin has been tightened — you will gradually straighten up as swelling reduces and the tissues relax.
In addition to the general items above, bring:
- A Lipoelastic VH Comfort Girdle — this is the most important compression garment for abdominoplasty. Confirm the correct size at your pre-operative appointment.
- High-waisted, loose-fitting trousers or a skirt — with enough room to accommodate the girdle comfortably for the journey home.
Breast Reduction
Breast reduction is often a day case or a one-night stay. The wounds are on the breast, and a Lipoelastic P1 Elite or Super Bra is worn immediately after surgery. There are no abdominal or thigh wounds, which makes this a more straightforward admission from a packing perspective — but the front-opening principle still applies, and comfort matters.
In addition to the general items above, bring:
- A Lipoelastic P1 Elite or Super Bra — soft, front-fastening, without underwiring. Mr Blackburn's team will advise on the correct size at your pre-operative appointment.
- Loose, front-opening tops — for the journey home and the first days of recovery.
Preparing Your Home Before You Go In
A number of things are worth organising at home before your admission date, particularly for the first two weeks of recovery.
Sleeping position and wedge pillows
After DIEP flap, abdominoplasty, breast reduction, and breast augmentation, patients sleep on their backs until their first post-operative dressing clinic review, which is typically at ten to fourteen days. Sleeping flat can feel uncomfortable when the chest or abdomen is tender, and many patients find that a wedge pillow set makes a significant difference. A properly positioned wedge elevates the upper body at a gentle angle and supports the knees, taking tension off the abdominal wall and reducing the sense of pressure on the chest. Patients who try to manage with ordinary pillows often find them collapsing in the night; a dedicated wedge set stays in position.
Painkillers
Make sure you have simple over-the-counter painkillers at home before you are admitted. Paracetamol and ibuprofen (if you can tolerate it) are the mainstay of post-operative analgesia once you are home, and most patients use them regularly for the first week or two. You will be discharged with a supply of any stronger medication prescribed, but running out of paracetamol on day three and having to send someone to a pharmacy is easily avoided. Have plenty in before you go in.
Keeping cool in the summer
After surgery, patients wear compression garments continuously — Lipoelastic P1 bras, VH Comfort Girdles, and thigh garments depending on the procedure. These garments are warm by design, and in summer months sleeping in them through the night can become genuinely uncomfortable. A portable air conditioning unit in the bedroom is worth considering, particularly for operations planned between May and September. Patients who have one consistently report that it improves their quality of sleep and, with it, their recovery. It is one of those investments that seems unnecessary until you are lying in compression at two in the morning in a warm room.
A Word on Preparation Before the Day
Arriving for surgery in the best possible physical condition — well-nourished, well-rested, and non-smoking — makes a real difference to recovery. Patients who have done what prehabilitation they can tend to be more mobile sooner and more resilient through the early days. If you have not yet read about our approach to prehabilitation, it is worth doing so before your admission date.