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So…you’re having surgery

So…you’re having surgery

by Jen Swendseid in Support & Resources

Planning ahead for surgery can be a daunting task. There’s the emotional preparation, building the network of family and friends, and the physical considerations. Knowing what you’ll need is not always easy—and you may not always get the guidance you need.

  • Get all your questions answered by your doctor
  • Pack all personal items, loose-fitting clothing and a post-surgical bra
  • Make sure you have someone who can help you
  • Attend all follow-up appointments

Listen in to our What You Should Take to the Hospital Video for more helpful tips.

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What to wear, phase by phase Your surgical team will tell you what to wear home from the hospital. Almost no one tells you what comes after. After breast cancer surgery, what you need from a bra changes every few weeks. At first it has to hold drains in place and protect incisions without pressing on them. A few weeks later, you need to be able to get dressed with an arm you can't lift. Months later, you need something that fits a body that may look and feel different than it did before. This guide follows recovery one phase at a time, from the weeks before surgery through long-term wear. It includes resources for mastectomy, lumpectomy, and reconstruction patients, and for the people helping them. What to sort out before surgery Phase 1: Before Surgery The weeks before surgery are the easiest time to make recovery decisions. Afterward you'll be making them one-handed and on pain medication. These guides start where many people's experience does, with a biopsy. They then cover whether you actually need a post-surgical bra, how the answer differs for lumpectomy and mastectomy, what going flat involves, and how to use insurance or FSA/HSA funds so you aren't paying out of pocket for something you're entitled to. The Breast Biopsy: When Our Post-Op Bra Business Got Even More Personal Do You Need a Special Bra After Breast Surgery? What Nobody Tells You How Long to Wear a Bra After Lumpectomy: Your Pre-Surgery Planning Guide Going Flat After a Mastectomy: What to Know Before You Decide and How to Prepare Does Insurance Cover Post-Surgical Bras? What to Know About Billing and Codes Are Post-Surgical Bras FSA/HSA Eligible? What You Need to Know The Larissa, Serena, and Shirl are all FSA/HSA eligible through SIGIS certification, so you can pay with pre-tax health savings funds. Shop HSA/FSA eligible bras Protecting drains and incisions Phase 2: The Drain Phase & First Weeks Home Most mastectomy patients come home with surgical drains, which stay in until your surgeon decides output is low enough to remove them. During this phase a bra has three jobs: provide gentle, even compression keep drain bulbs secured so they don't tug at the insertion site open fully in front so you never have to raise your arms overhead These guides cover drain management, how compression works, and how long it's typically recommended. Mastectomy Drains: What to Wear to Manage Your Recovery With Confidence How Long to Wear a Compression Bra After Mastectomy What Is a Compression Bra? Your Complete Guide The Larissa was designed for this phase. It has a front Velcro closure, built-in drain management tabs, and internal pockets for puffs or forms. It's FSA/HSA eligible. Shop the Larissa Dressing with limited mobility Phase 3: After the Drains Come Out Getting your drains removed is a milestone, but range of motion in your arm and shoulder can take weeks longer to return. Reconstruction adds its own timeline, whether that means expanders, fills, or flap healing. After a lumpectomy, radiation often begins during this window, and skin in the treatment area can become tender. Front-closing styles you can fasten with one hand make daily dressing manageable. These guides cover which features matter most, how to choose a closure type, and what reconstruction patients need. Mastectomy Bras: Ultimate Guide on the Best Features for Comfort and Recovery Velcro vs. Zipper vs. Hook-and-Eye: Which Post-Surgical Bra Closure Is Right for You? Reconstructive Surgery Recovery Bras Front Closure Bras for Seniors with Limited Mobility The Serena is made for recovery after the drains come out, or for surgeries without drains. You can fasten its front Velcro closure with one hand, and it works with a shoulder sling. Shop the Serena Bras for radiation Clothing for the body you're living in now Phase 4: Long-Term Comfort & Life After Recovery Swelling can come and go for months, and energy often takes longer to return than incisions do. Some people choose to go flat; others wear a prosthesis or are between reconstruction stages. What fits in week two may not fit in month four. These guides cover rebuilding a wardrobe, dressing for the body you have now, and what to expect from recovery once the surgery itself is behind you. Post Mastectomy Clothing: Guide to Complete Recovery Comfort Dressing for Recovery After Cancer Surgery Why Fatigue Can Persist Long After Breast Cancer Surgery The Shirl's double-zipper closure adjusts as your size changes, so it works well for going flat and for long-term everyday wear. Shop the Shirl Bras for going flat Mastectomy sports bras with pockets How to show up for someone in recovery Supporting Someone Through Breast Cancer Surgery Most people who want to help don't know where to start, and the well-meant gestures aren't always the useful ones. These guides are for partners, friends, and family: what practical support looks like, what to say, which gifts actually help, and how to organize help so the person recovering doesn't have to manage it. Breast Cancer Support and How to Care for a Loved One The Worst Gifts for Breast Cancer Patients (And What Actually Helps) Breast Cancer Gift Registries: Which Platforms Actually Help, and How to Use Them Breast Cancer Awareness Bras: Support a Loved One with the Most Comfortable Post-Surgery Bras 30 Inspiring Breast Cancer Awareness Quotes for Hope and Healing

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Breast Cancer Gift Registries: Which Platforms Actually Help, and How to Use Them

A breast cancer diagnosis brings countless offers to help, but few people know what to actually ask for. This guide compares the gift registry and care calendar platforms available today, explains how to set one up, and lists what to add at each stage of treatment, from the pre-surgery bra to rides during chemo.

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Lara Regan and Jen Swendseid, sisters and cofounders of heart&core. Read Lara Regan's personal story of a recent MRI-guided breast biopsy.

The Breast Biopsy: When Our Post-Op Bra Business Got Even More Personal

It was the inevitable moment. My annual breast MRI showed something, and another ultrasound and mammogram couldn’t sort it out. I was told I needed to have an MRI-guided biopsy to get a little more information. I headed to my appointment with some anxiety and some quiet calm. As I waited to go into the room for my MRI, the care team was amazing. I chatted a bit nervously, then told them about my work. When some of the nurses told me they knew of our heart&core Post-Surgical Bras, it made me proud. A little relaxed. The doctor came in, walked through the procedure and gave me the full scope of possibilities, from a worst-case scenario to minor but common issues to look for. I went into the room, experienced the pain of the lidocaine, and then felt numb as they talked through everything, step by step. I listened as they explained everything once more. The swelling, the bruising, the bleeding, the sensitivity that could come. They completed the procedure, and I set out to heal. The helplessness family and friends feel can lead to questions. I recounted the doctor’s information to my sister, who gets routine mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and MRIs but has not had a biopsy. She listened closely to my potential discomfort and immediately overnighted two of our Shirl Post-Surgical Bras. I was told I couldn’t lift anything and was best taking it easy for a few days, and my scenario has me with two small kids and a traveling husband, so I bought a little stool for them and tried my best to explain that I had a cut that made me not be able to lift them. The cut was then known as the scrape. “How’s your scrape, mommy?” my daughter asked when she came home from childcare. “Can you show it to me?” The healing process was less painful than what I had expected based on the doctor’s explanation. But to be honest, getting to wear the Shirl Bra and experience the comfort was good for me. It honestly felt like I wasn’t wearing a bra at all, as it was cool and smooth and almost weightless. And that made me feel happy for the fact that we hear that it’s comfortable, so we say that it’s comfortable, but I really experienced that comfort. Soft and light with no irritation. It wasn’t long before the Steri-Strips came off and the incision had healed. Again, my daughter was interested and elated when she could see that the scrape was gone. And then she looked at the little heart icon on my strap and liked that too. I told her that Aunt Jen and I make these bras, and while she was trying to take in what that meant, she focused on the delightful little pink heart and moved on. As did I. For now. While the atypical findings are not cancer, they do indicate the need for checkups. The thought of the unknowns. The knowledge that maybe our mom would have seen the same thing on an MRI at some point. And yet, I know I’m writing to people who carry the genes, who have other high-risk factors, who got a cancer diagnosis, who felt the fear, who navigated treatments, who had surgery, who managed drains, who experienced pain, who lay awake wondering. I understand that my increased risk assessment of 30% might not be significant from other perspectives. It is, of course, significant to me. Something that you think about when you’re getting motivated to work out or passing on a glass of wine, trying to do all the right things to potentially avoid a diagnosis. But my friend in the cancer research world told me again that some of these things have little to do with your behaviors. Frankly, there is a path at this age that we can be on, one that is not created by lack of exercise or high stress or poor habits. But one that silently lives inside us. One that my mom and her mom were potentially on before me. Now I wait for future MRIs, try to not be nervous during self-breast exams, and stay on track to the best of my ability. I’m thankful to have the insurance approval to get this kind of close screening and to gain perspective from our business. I will say, my Shirl Bra experience was a positive part of my biopsy journey. I know it’s all about the super-soft fabric, the gentle support, the quick-drying nature as opposed to any cotton blends I have that take forever to dry, and the wide straps instead of pencil-thin straps that dig into your skin. I know it’s about the snap and zipper that give me a snug embrace. And I know it’s about the quality because I alternated days of washing and wearing my two bras for a few weeks, and they were just as smooth and soft on day 21 as day 1. I know it’s about the fact that we really do care about creating a product that we’d want to wear, that we’d want for our family and friends to have when recovering, and that we want for our customers to ease into after any type of surgery. Yes, I’m a bit biased, but I’m a customer too. I’ve tried a lot of bras, and we’ve asked for feedback to help make changes along the way. We don’t promise to have the bra for everyone. In fact, we’re at conferences with friendly competitors who each fill different gaps to come together and offer a wide breadth of products so patients can find what they really need. But we are also really proud of what we’ve created, and after testing it myself, I feel confident that it can help the right people in their recovery. Our company, our products, our mission. They have become much more personal along the way, and we’re only getting started.   🩷 With love, from Lara, co-founder of heart&core To read more about our story, head over to this page where we share the mission behind our brand.        If you're preparing for a biopsy or surgery, the Shirl Post-Surgical Bra is what got me through mine. It's the one with the little pink heart my daughter loved. I hope it brings you some of that same comfort.     If You Have a Breast Biopsy Coming Up Every care team has its own aftercare instructions, and yours should always come first. Here's what recovery commonly involves, based on published hospital guidance. How long does it take to recover from a breast biopsy? For most people, recovery from a needle biopsy is measured in days, not weeks. Lifting and activity: Expect a short break from heavy lifting and strenuous exercise. Memorial Sloan Kettering's aftercare guidance, for example, advises against lifting more than 5 pounds or running for 3 days. Ask your care team what applies to you, especially if you have small children at home. Bruising and swelling: Both are common. An ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes at a time during the first day or two can help, and both usually fade within about a week. Call your care team if bleeding is heavy or doesn't stop with steady pressure. Steri-Strips: These thin strips of tape stay on the incision for a few days. Some care teams tell you to remove them if they haven't fallen off on their own by day 3. Follow your own team's timing.   What should I wear after a breast biopsy? Many care teams recommend a snug, supportive bra to keep the biopsy site steady and ease discomfort. Your radiologist will tell you if you need a specific type. It helps to look for soft, breathable fabric, a front closure so you're not reaching behind your back, and wide straps that won't dig in. Helpful Resources American Cancer Society: Core Needle Biopsy of the Breast Memorial Sloan Kettering: Caring for Yourself After Your Image-Guided Breast Biopsy FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered): information and peer support for people at high risk of hereditary breast cancer   Healing from a biopsy or surgery?  Meet the Shirl Post-Surgical Bra →        

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Post-Surgical Bras

Load video: Larissa Post-Surgical Bra

Larissa Post-Surgical Bra

$70.00
$70.00 $70.00
Side view of black Serena Bra for post-surgery recovery, showing close-up of puff being inserted into pocket.

Serena Post-Surgical Bra

$70.00
$70.00 $70.00
Front view of black Shirl Post-Surgical Bra for heart surgery and other procedures limiting mobility, showing snap at the top of patented double-zipper front opening, making it easier to zip.

Shirl Post-Surgical Bra

$70.00
$70.00