Hospital Bag Checklist for Breast Surgery

Packing for breast surgery is a little different from packing for a trip. You won’t be able to lift your arms much, you may not be able to shower for a bit, and you’ll want everything within easy reach.

Start with your own hospital’s list, since some hospitals limit what you can bring. Then use this one, gathered from Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cleveland Clinic and Breastcancer.org, to fill in the gaps.

How to pack it

Use one soft bag you can carry with one hand, or better, one someone else carries. Put the outfit you’ll wear home right on top, so nobody has to dig for it. Keep your phone, charger, lip balm and glasses in a small pouch you can hand to a nurse or keep on the bed beside you. Pack less than you think you need. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s own list for patients is short, and a lighter bag is one less thing to manage on the way home.

Clothes

• A button-down or loose-fitting top to wear home (Memorial Sloan Kettering)
• Open-front pieces that zip, tie or button, nothing that pulls over your head (Breastcancer.org, Cleveland Clinic)
• Soft, loose pull-on pants in cotton or a silky fabric
• Non-skid socks or slippers with non-skid soles

You’ll likely wake up in a surgical bra, so you don’t need to pack one. Breastcancer.org suggests asking for a second one to take home so you can alternate while washing.

Staying fresh when you can’t shower

• Baby wipes, your own soap and washcloths
• Dry shampoo
• Hand sanitizer
• A hairbrush, hair ties and a headband
• Lip balm, moisturizer and eye drops
• Mints

Breastcancer.org suggests leaving underarm deodorant and body creams at home unless your team says otherwise, and Cleveland Clinic says to skip deodorant and lotions on surgery day.

Comfort

• Phone, charger and headphones
• A neck pillow
• A soft blanket
• Reading glasses, a book, or a puzzle or coloring book
• An eye mask and earplugs if you’re a light sleeper
• A water bottle

Paperwork and essentials

Memorial Sloan Kettering asks patients to bring:

• Your Health Care Proxy and any advance directives, if you have them
• A CPAP or other sleep apnea device, if you use one
• A case for glasses, hearing aids, dentures or a wig
• Only the cash you’ll need for small purchases

For the drains

• Extra safety pins (drains are often pinned to the surgical bra)
• A lanyard with clips for showering, if your team allows it
• A robe or hoodie with pockets, or a small pouch

A nurse will teach you how to care for your drains before you go home. Bring the person who’ll be helping you so they can learn too (Memorial Sloan Kettering).

The ride home

• A small pillow to tuck under the seat belt across your chest, and a lap blanket (Breastcancer.org).
• Prescriptions filled before you leave, or a friend lined up to pick them up.
• Someone to drive you, and someone to stay with you for at least the first 24 hours (Cleveland Clinic).

The week before

A few errands are much easier to do before surgery than after:

• Book a haircut, nails or brow shaping for the week or so before (Breastcancer.org). Ask your team about nail polish first.
• Fill your prescriptions and pick up any recommended supplies ahead of time (Cleveland Clinic).
• Follow your team’s instructions about medications and supplements before surgery, including any you’re asked to stop (Cleveland Clinic).
• Wash an extra set of sheets so the bed is fresh when you get home (Breastcancer.org).

What to wear on surgery day

Wear what you’ll go home in: a loose, front-opening top, soft pull-on pants and slip-on shoes or non-skid socks. Cleveland Clinic says to avoid deodorant and lotions on surgery day, and to follow your team’s fasting and hygiene instructions. Leave jewelry and valuables at home, and bring only the cash you’ll need (Memorial Sloan Kettering).

If you’re the one packing for her

Caregivers carry a lot in these first weeks. A few things that help:

• Be there when the nurse teaches drain care, so you both know how (Memorial Sloan Kettering).
• Keep a simple log of the drain output each day. Cleveland Clinic says it’s how the surgeon decides when the drains can come out.
• Be the point person who sends updates to family and friends by group text or email, so she doesn’t have to (Breastcancer.org).
• Line up help with meals, pets, kids and laundry for the first week or two (Cleveland Clinic).

Set up home before you go

• Freezer meals and easy ready-made food
• Everyday things moved to lower shelves, plus a grabber tool
• Extra pillows or a wedge pillow for sleeping
• Your open-front robes, pajamas and pull-on pants all in one place
• Phone charger, tissues and the remote within reach of the bed
• A shower chair and handheld showerhead, if you can
• Help lined up for the first week or two: meals, pets, kids, laundry
• One person to update everyone, so you can rest

Always follow your surgical team’s instructions. Every surgery, and every woman, is a little different.