Breat Cancer NIGHTWEAR for hospital. Any recommendations?

[Doodle2U]

MIL just been told she has breast cancer. She will have either a lumpectomy or mastectomy (forgive spellings if they're wrong - we only found out today) in the next two weeks.

She's fussing about what she'll wear in hospital. She has really bad arthritis, so getting any clothes up and over her head is difficult for her at the nest of times. She's also thinking - easy access to the op. site etc.

I was wondering if nursing nighties might be an option.

I know it's a bit of a mad request for advice but if anyone has any or maybe some suggestions, I'd be bloody glad to receive them - feel totally useless right now and just feel I could at least help her with this small thing (big thing to her).

Thanks.

Sorry to hear of your MIL's diagnosis. I would go for pyjamas that button down the front - means that wounds and drains are easily accessed, and also easier for her to put on.
Hope she gets on OK when she has her surgery.

My mum adapted some PJs for her mum when her hands got bad. She got some button down the front PJS and sewed up the button holes, stitching on the buttons over the place of the buttonholes and then popped some velcro strips instead. The buttons were decorative only IYSWIM and yet it was easy to do up for her hands, no over the head opening.
Just a thought
Hope the surgery goes as well as possible x

yes my mil wore cotton pjs when she was in hospital for b.c you can buy them in sets of 3 now with a cami vest a top and bottoms.

Wishing your mil a speedy and healthy recovery x

I dont know if your interested but mil could only use baby soap etc after cos it irrirated her fragile skin and she found aerosol deodrant uncomfy too so we took her deodrant wipes.

Thanks - I'll look for some PJ's then. I think I might try LT's velcro trick on a pair and see how she gets on with them before her hospital trip.

NC - no, wasn't aware of the skin/deodrant thing. Thank you for the top tips about wipes and baby soap. If you think of any other bits of info like this, please post.

Thanks for your good wishes.

Doodles she will find it hard to lift the big containers of milk once shes home so i used to decant into small pint containers and initially the kettle was a struggle too so i used to nip on (she lived next door) and fill a flask with boiling water so she could make tea or coffee throughout the day.

Making her bed and changing the duvet involved lots of stretching so I did that every saturday for her.

after her op she found it easier to wear a sort of cropped vest top so the bra elastic and banding didnt dig in,and a towel felt rough so we got her a couple of velour type cartoon flannels to use to dry her bust area.

Doodle, sorry to hear about your MIL...just wanted to add that dh's aunt had a mastectomy a couple of years ago, and she said the same about soft materials and PJs that button at the front. Better than nighties, because you can undo the top for examinations in hospital without having to undress your bottom half, iyswim.

She also said, once home, it was very useful to have a bum bag to keep drains in whilst wandering around her house doing things - must have been a fairly large one, I think!

The kettle/flask idea is brilliant NC - she struggles with the kettle, even when she's on her arthritis drugs - now she has to stop taking them, she wouldn't manage it at all!

Bumbag also a good idea. I'm not sure if she'd wear one but it's made me think I could find her a bag she could 'operate' herself....I'll start looking.

Am smiling about chicken fillets (prosthesis) falling out - my MIL's sister has had mastectomies on both breasts and she now wears 'fillets' on both sides. Sometimes, one's up and the other's down!

MMJ - it's a right pita. None of us are/were ready for this so soon after FIL. The boys (DH & his two brothers) are just walking about in a daze, trying to take it all in. MIL is The Matriach (in a good way!). It's like hammer blows raining down on them just now. I have to take her back to Macc hospital tomorrow am where she'll tell them what she has decided (lumpectomy or mastectomy). I'm sure she'll still be deliberating in the car on the way there.

The arthritis is the biggest blow. She has to come off the only drug that's really helped and she won't be allowed back on it.

Basically, MMJ, she'll be crippled within 2 months and I have no idea (and I mean NO idea) how we're going to cope and how she's going to cope with it. We can get her through cancer but I don't think she'll bare losing her independence. Between me and you (that's the whole WORLD wide web then! ), I'm scared shitless for her!