In 2021 alone, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. as well as 49,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.
As we move past the seemingly endless hum that has been January, it is time to take 2022 by the tatas and start advocating for your health. Wondering where to start? Pick up the phone and call your mom.
Struggling to find the right things to say, and terrified of saying the wrong thing, are common anxieties when you’ve witnessed someone you care about go through something as physically and mentally traumatic as a mastectomy.
Our advice — well, a stack of advice from friends and survivors of #TheNOODist — is to, above anything else, just be yourself. Sure, you might put your foot in a few times to begin with, but all your friend really wants is her fabulous friend.
It’s going to be a rough ride but you’ve got this and planning ahead, as well as packing right can almost certainly help.
Here are a few ways to prepare yourself for your post-op hospital stay, from friends of ours who have been there and done it.