Understand · Surgery
The short answer on getting ready for a mastectomy
Getting ready for a mastectomy is mostly logistics: a pre-surgery checkup, a list of medicines to pause, an antiseptic shower, a ride home and someone to help. Afterward come a few days of learning your drains and a few weeks of taking it slowly. Every hospital has its own rules, so treat this as the map and your team's instructions as the directions.
What to know about getting ready for a mastectomy
- Your hospital's sheet wins. The specific rules below come from Memorial Sloan Kettering. Yours may differ.
- Tell them everything you take, including vitamins, herbal supplements, patches and weight-loss shots like Ozempic or Mounjaro.
- You need a ride home, and ideally someone to stay with you and learn your drain care alongside you.
- Walk and breathe deeply early on. It lowers the risk of blood clots and pneumonia.
- Lots of strange sensations are normal, like numbness, twinges and the feeling of liquid running down your arm.
New to all of this? Start with what actually happens during a mastectomy. This guide is the practical companion: what to do, and when.
In the weeks before
Weeks before a mastectomy: get your house in order
The pre-surgery visit. Within about a month of surgery you'll have a checkup, in person or by video. It may include blood tests, an EKG (a heart tracing) and a chest X-ray. Bring a list of everything you take and any recent test results from other doctors.
The full medicine list. Prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbal remedies, creams and patches. Mention a pacemaker, any past trouble with anesthesia, allergies (including latex), and whether you'd refuse a blood transfusion.
Weight-loss or diabetes shots. If you've taken a GLP-1 drug in the past month (semaglutide, tirzepatide and similar), say so early. They slow digestion, and MSK gives these patients a special eating plan for the day before.
Smoking and drinking. Stopping smoking or vaping even a few days ahead helps your lungs. Be honest about how much you drink: stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal, and your team can help you do it safely.
Pregnancy and fertility. If you could get pregnant, use non-hormonal birth control, such as condoms or a copper IUD. If you may want children later, ask about egg freezing before treatment starts.
People and paperwork. Line up someone to drive you home; most hospitals won't let you leave alone. Ask a friend or family member to help at home and to learn about the surgery with you. Fill out a health care proxy, which names who can make medical decisions if you can't.
Two things to buy, if your hospital asks. An antiseptic skin wash called 4% chlorhexidine (CHG, sold as Hibiclens), and plain acetaminophen (Tylenol). Our surgery recovery checklist covers the rest.
About a week before
Days before a mastectomy: pause the medicines and supplements your team names
MSK asks most patients to stop vitamin E, multivitamins, herbal remedies and other supplements 7 days before surgery, because some affect bleeding. Two days before, it asks patients to stop anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).
Don't stop aspirin or any blood thinner on your own. Ask the doctor who prescribed it.
The day before
The day before a mastectomy: wash, eat, then stop when you are told
Your arrival time. Many hospitals call the afternoon before to tell you when to arrive. If no one has called by evening, call them.
Lymph node mapping. If your surgeon is checking your lymph nodes (a sentinel node biopsy), you may get a small injection near the nipple the day before or that morning, so the nodes can be found during surgery.
The antiseptic shower. Wash your hair and face as usual. Then wash from the neck down with the CHG wash, avoiding your face and genitals, rinse and dry with a clean towel. Skip lotion, deodorant, powder, perfume and makeup afterward.
Food. At MSK, patients stop eating at midnight, including gum and hard candy.
The morning of
The morning of a mastectomy: pack light and follow the clear-liquid rules
Drinks. MSK allows a few clear drinks until 2 hours before your arrival time: water, clear apple, grape or cranberry juice, sports drinks, or black coffee or plain tea, sugar allowed but no milk. After that, nothing at all, not even water. Your hospital's rules may be different.
Medicines. Take only the ones your team told you to, with a sip of water.
Shower again with the CHG wash.
Leave behind: contact lenses (wear glasses), jewelry, piercings and valuables. If you have your period, use a pad rather than a tampon.
Bring: a top that buttons or zips up the front, your phone and a long charger, a case for glasses, hearing aids or dentures, your CPAP machine if you use one, your health care proxy, and a little cash.
At the hospital
What to expect at the hospital before mastectomy surgery
You'll be asked your name and date of birth again and again. That's a safety check, not a mix-up. You'll change into a gown and grip socks, get an IV, and meet the anesthesiologist. Your surgeon will mark the side being operated on. Inflatable sleeves go on your lower legs to keep blood moving, and then you're put to sleep through the IV.
If you're having a sentinel node biopsy, a blue dye may be used during surgery. It can turn your skin, urine or stool blue-green for a day or two. That's expected.
Waking up
What the first day or two after a mastectomy is like
You'll wake in a recovery room wearing a surgical bra, usually with at least one drain attached. Pain medicine starts through the IV and switches to pills once you can eat. Speak up if your pain isn't controlled: being able to move and breathe deeply matters for healing.
The breathing gadget. You'll likely get an incentive spirometer, a plastic device you breathe in through to keep your lungs open. MSK asks patients to use it 10 times every hour they're awake.
Walking. Getting up and moving early lowers the risk of blood clots and pneumonia and helps your bowels wake up.
Before you leave, a nurse will teach you drain care. Bring your helper to learn it too, and read our drain guide. Look at your incisions with a nurse or doctor, so you know what "normal" looks like for you. The first follow-up visit is usually one to two weeks later.
The first weeks at home
How to heal in the weeks after a mastectomy
Pain. Take pain medicine as directed, ideally before the pain gets bad, and about 30 to 45 minutes before something active like a walk. Don't drive or drink alcohol while you're on prescription pain medicine. Check labels so you don't double up on acetaminophen, which is in many combination products and can hurt your liver in large amounts. Soreness and tightness can linger for months.
Constipation. Prescription pain medicine often causes it. Drink plenty of fluids, walk, add fiber gradually and ask your team about a stool softener. Call if you haven't had a bowel movement in two days.
Odd sensations. Numbness, twinges, a feeling of liquid running down your arm, even feeling a breast or nipple that isn't there anymore: all common. They usually ease over months, and some can last years. Firm scar tissue along the incision is common too and softens with time. Don't put heating pads or ice packs directly on the area.
Showers. Without reconstruction, MSK lets most patients shower 24 hours after surgery. With reconstruction, ask your plastic surgeon. Wash the incisions gently with soap and water and pat dry. No baths, hot tubs, saunas or pools until you're cleared.
Bras and breast forms. Wear the surgical bra, even to sleep, until your drains are out. Without reconstruction, most people can start wearing a breast form about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. Your doctor can write a prescription, which may help with insurance.
Lifting and exercise. After reconstruction, MSK says not to lift more than 5 pounds for 4 to 6 weeks, until your doctor says otherwise. Follow the arm and shoulder exercises your team gives you, and build up walking day by day.
Driving. Most people are back behind the wheel within about 6 weeks. Wait until your drains are out, you're off prescription pain medicine and you can turn the wheel comfortably. Riding as a passenger is fine.
Sex. Whenever you feel ready; it won't harm the incision. A small pillow can keep pressure off your chest.
Feelings. Weepy, angry, anxious, flat: all common after surgery. If the feelings don't ease, tell your team. They can refer you to someone to talk to.
What to know about lymphedema after a mastectomy
Lymphedema is swelling in the arm, hand or chest from fluid that can't drain after lymph nodes are removed. It can show up soon after surgery or years later. According to MSK, it affects about 0 to 7 in 100 people who have a sentinel node biopsy, and about 15 to 25 in 100 who have more nodes removed (an axillary dissection).
Watch for heaviness, aching, tight skin, stiffness or skin that dents when pressed. Some mild swelling in the first 6 weeks is normal. Keeping a healthy weight, building up exercise slowly and protecting that hand and arm from cuts and burns can lower the risk.
When to call your care team before or after a mastectomy
- A fever. MSK uses 100.4°F (38°C) or higher; use the number your team gave you.
- Thick, milky or pus-like fluid from an incision
- Skin around the incision that's getting redder, warmer or more swollen
- Pain around the incision that's getting worse
- Trouble breathing
- No bowel movement in two days
- Signs of lymphedema
Get the after-hours number before you leave the hospital. If it feels like an emergency, call 911.
Questions to ask at your pre-mastectomy visit
- Which of my medicines and supplements should I stop, and when?
- When do I stop eating and drinking, and what can I drink that morning?
- Do I need the antiseptic wash, and how many times?
- Will I have a sentinel node biopsy, and will there be an injection beforehand?
- Will I stay overnight? How many drains should I expect?
- When can I shower, drive, lift and go back to work?
- Which arm exercises should I do, and should I see a physical therapist?
- Who do I call at night or on the weekend?
From the Toolkit
- The Surgery Recovery Checklist Interactive checklist
- Questions for your surgeon Printable
- Everything for surgery in The Toolkit Toolkit
Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Your Mastectomy (updated May 2026). Rules attributed to MSK are its instructions for its own patients; other hospitals may differ. This article is general information, written in Babette's own words, and is not a substitute for your care team's instructions. Illustrations by Babette.
