I have gotten a few emails asking about my mom so I wanted to update everyone. She had her mastectomy today along with reconstruction with her own tissue. The surgery took six hours but went very well. She is still in recovery, since I am so far away I am still getting updates by texts. She will have chemo in six to eight weeks as they did find microscopic traces of cancer in her lymph nodes. Thanks everyone for their prayers and support. Since I have to ask a question, I am going to send her something, I was thinking flowers, but if you were in the hospital recovery from major surgery, what would you want?
She will be in the hospital for four days.
So glad to hear she made it through surgery okay.
Send her some cozy slippers/socks for her hospital stay.
So happy for you and the family that her surgery went well and that she is in recovery! That is good news.
I would send flowers, because they are pretty to look at, and I would also send a picture of you and her that you both love with a card with encouragement and love. She would probably like something like that. Probably the second best thing to you being there with her.
Hoping for a speedy recovery and a road of good health for her.
I just got an email yesterday and I saved it in case I ever needed to send a present to a friend post-mastectomy. I thought they had some great ideas. The website is healingcomfort.com and it has special shirts and other things that were designed by a cancer survivor. Maybe this would give you an idea of something your mother would enjoy and be able to use. Hope you mom makes good progress in her recovery.
If I were in the hospital I would want a book to read, or a book on CD if I really wasn't up to holding a book, but don't know if your mom is a reader. A clean house to come home to would rank right up there, too!
Good wishes to your mom!
How long will she be in the hospital? Maybe instead of sending something to the hospital you could pay for someone to come clean the house. My mom had breast cancer and after the surgery thats what I did. :)
I had a mastectomy last January (2010) and did 6 months of chemo that ended last July (almost a year ago now....wow!). So, first, I wanted to say that I will be praying for your Mom and I know that she has a tough road ahead of her, but I'm living proof that it can be beat! I did get a lot of flowers when I was in the hospital and a lot of flowers sent to my house. I hate to say this, but it really looked like someone had died I had so many! I loved that so many people thought of me, but I think the best gifts I got were Amazon gift cards to buy books and the edible fruit arrangements or cookie blooms. I wasn't able to do very much for a few months because I was healing from the surgery, so being able to order some books to read helped to pass the time and let's face it, fruit and cookies are yummy (and they make them look beautiful!). If she has an e-reader of some kind, you could get her credit for whatever platform it uses (like a Kindle or Nook).
I was in the hospital for 4 days and I was pretty nauseous and miserable while I was there, so I might recommend sending this when she is home. I also had someone bring me some magazines and stuff while I was there, but the drugs made me dizzy and I just couldn't do much (or eat much) while I was in the hospital.
If you (or your mom) have any specific questions, please feel free to send me a PM and I would be happy to help since I've been through it recently. I hope she is feeling better very soon. Hang in there!
.......to be left alone!
Good luck to your Mom on her recovery. Another suggestion would be to send a plant, or if her community has a food service, which prepares meals and delivers them, that might be useful to her so she wouldn't have to cook. Laundry service or having the house cleaned regularly are other suggestions. Also call her regularly, if you don't already.
Healthy recovery.
Best wishes and prayers to your mother and your family.
