Fashion for the Newly Discharged Craniotomate

Not the most stylish outfit but I could put it on by myself

When you’ve just had surgery, you want to be comfortable. After a couple days of lounging around naked under loose hospital gowns, you want to look more yourself, less … patient-y. But you also need to be comfortable and not mess with complicated fasteners and fussy garments.

For some people, the first word in comfort is jeans. I am not one of those people. Though denim can and ought to be comfortable, it is often heavy, stiff, or tight. At the very least you will have a zipper and a button closure. You may also have to wear a belt. All button-fly? What the heck are you thinking? You’ve just had a craniotomy! Your digits might not all be entirely under your control.

When it comes to tops, we have some wiggle room. One hospital brochure recommended tops that are easy to put on without having to move your arms a lot; they suggested shirts that button down the front. Certainly, if you have a bandage on your head, you have to be careful sliding a shirt on and off over it. However, I find that my button shirts are a bit too dressy and too … buttony. (Again, those fine motor skills might not be all back to banging by the time you leave.)

I think our best top fashion options for the newly discharged craniotomate fall under the categories of “athleisure” or “lounge-wear.” Athleisure clothes look like they’d be fine for your Pilates class or a short jog through the park, but maybe you’re just out to get some bagels instead. You’re comfy and have a good range of movement. Lounge-wear looks slightly less like you’re about to break into a sprint at any moment. These clothes are looser, and individual pieces (as opposed to an entire ensemble) may be appropriate for public viewing. Neither of these sartorial categories will ever feature a button-fly.

Of course, you can also go old school and just wear sweats and fleeces. Ideally, you’ll just be heading straight home in this outfit and not stop anywhere public. 

Sequin Darth Vader makes me happy.

For my discharge outfit (see pic above), I opted for classic black sweat-type pants (though not actual sweats with a drawstring; they have a bit more of a trouser shape than typical sweatpants) and a colorful long-sleeve athleisure shirt that even has thumb holes at the bottom of the sleeves so you can wear them like glovelets. (It was early November and below freezing the day I left the hospital.)

Continue such considerations in the first couple weeks of your home recuperation. You’ll want to be able to nap at a moment’s notice without having to change clothes, if you’re lucky enough to be able to nap, that is. (See post “A Smorgasbord of Side Effects”) Wear things that are colorful or make you happy. Even the best hospitals can seem colorless and drab and, especially if your surgery’s in the colder months, you’ll welcome a punch of vibrancy.

And that’s where socks can play a big role. Socks were an important element for me in the first week after surgery. Almost a third of my Marie Kondo-ized sock drawer is comprised of black socks. They’re so utilitarian—and boring. In recent years, I’ve been getting into more interesting, colorful, and patterned socks. They make me happy, even if I’m the only one who notices them. My

Happy-making socks

collection includes two pairs of gnome socks, peacock socks, Green Bay Packers socks, dandelion socks, orangutan socks, and several Christmas/winter socks. I wore charcoal gray socks with an understated floral pattern for my release—to class it up, ya know.

And what do you put your socked feet in? Shoes! The same general principal applies here: They must be comfortable and easy to get on and off. If your surgery is in a warmer month, sandals may be your choice, but remember that your toenails will be unpolished for the surgery, so consider the condition of your naked toes if opting for open-toe sandals. If your surgery falls in a colder season, try to avoid laces or anything that might make you lean over. (No head inversions or bending over for a while.)

You may have guessed from the photos that I am not a fashion guru. If you would like proper fashion advice, including how to rock compression socks, check out the informative and funny blog The Highland Fashionista. The blogger is a former Wisconsinite who now resides in Scotland and Florida. Not only does she know fashion, she is also a fierce bargain-hunter. (Me, too. See post "A Black Friday Miracle.") Her post about post-operative fashion is great if you want people to look at you after your hospital stint and say, “She looks good!” instead of “She appears to be resting comfortably” or “Well, she did just have brain surgery, so I’ll cut her some slack.”

And, finally, somebody please buy me this dress:

Yes, this is a brain scan dress from Shenova, which has other fabulous science-related dresses. I would wear this to all my future MRIs. (And yes, I still have to get those for about a decade.)