I received a DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) diagnosis in April 2026 and proceeded with a double mastectomy in June 2026. All in all, it was a great experience (considering), I’m doing really well, and I’ve learned a lot.

For details about all of it, I recorded three podcast episodes. I recorded Episode 1 (“Taking Your Foot Off the Gas”) after my diagnosis but in advance of talking about it publicly. This episode deals with all of my feelings about needing to take a sabbatical to heal and how much fear that brought up in me. You can find that episode page and transcript here—you can listen to it on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I recorded Episode 2 (“A Life Update”) before my procedure, but released it after. (I did this mostly because I didn’t want feedback on my treatment decision and felt overwhelmed already/didn’t feel like I could take on any additional attention!) This episode goes into the diagnosis (by mammogram), the decision making process with my medical team, and why I decided to do what I did (lumpectomy versus double mastectomy). I also describe the options that you may—or may not—have. (I’m getting expanders to implants, as well as nipple reconstruction; I wasn’t a good candidate for DIEP flap reconstruction or direct-to-implant.) You can find the episode page and transcript here—you can listen to It on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 3 (“Do You Need to Put Yourself in Order?”) details my procedure and recovery—as well as some mini revelations that are likely universal that I’ve had since. You can find the episode page here—you can listen to It on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Please hit me up with any questions—or drop suggestions and comments below.

There’s very little you can do in advance of surgery except go to a million and one doctor’s appointments. This is one of the hardest parts: You become a full-time patient, between pre-op bloodwork, genetic testing, consultations, photos, MRI’s, etc.

A trusted friend of mine in the U.K. who has been involved in very early A.I. breast cancer technology suggested that I try Bloom43, which was developed by a plastic surgeon. It’s a device—available by prescription (or you can rent directly), that you use the night before surgery. It warms the breasts in a specific cycle to turn on proteins that promote healing in the skin. I liked feeling like I was proactively “doing something,” and I had a speedy and easy recovery, so go figure. You just use the devices once—the evening before—and then you mail them back. There is some promising research, so it’s worth a look with your doctor.

As I was recovering, I felt grateful to pre-diagnosis Elise for being in shape: If you have the time, work on your core and leg strength—some squats, lunges, planks, and crunches will do it! Honestly, getting yourself up and down without engaging your chest is much easier if your abs and legs are strong. You want to go into any surgical event as sturdy as possible! It’s not the time to diet, I promise! Hats off to Nicole Haworth and her workout platform Wldcat for getting me in shape!

I left the hospital packed into a compression/surgical bra which had hooks for my drains—I think every experience is different, but UCLA packed me up with everything I needed medically. Once my drains were removed, I cycled through a variety of different compression/surgical bras, which I’m still wearing two months out. (I could switch into a sleep bra for nighttime at six weeks, which I’ve linked below—much more comfortable!—but talk to your doctor!!!) I’ve been living in this three-pack—make sure to check the sizing, it’s by cup-size, not your typical size. For sleeping from week eight on, I’ve been wearing these sleep bras—supportive but less restrictive.

For the period in which you have drains, you’ll need a bra to hook them to so they’re not just dragging, a lanyard to hook them to for the shower (I was not allowed to shower until after the drains were removed, so I could only take small baths and let Rob wash my hair), or a shirt that has internal pockets that you can pack them into. For walks, I hooked my drains to my bra and put them in an internal pocket. This is the bra the hospital sent me home in; I wore it exclusively for the first 10 days until my drains were removed. I ordered this thin hoodie with internal pockets, which was not essential as I could hook my drains to my bra—but it’s nice for keeping drain bags out of sight. Keep in mind that a lot of Patagonia jackets and vests have an internal pocket as well.

You can’t get anything over your head for the first two weeks (your doctor will tell you when you can lift your arms above your shoulders)—everything needs to be zip or button front. Get yourself some cozy pajamas—I like Cozy Earth’s (use my code THREAD for 20% off).

Toiletry-wise, stock up on face wipes, body wipes, and dry shampoo. I was not allowed to shower, so I lived for wipes.

A friend who was a few months ahead of me recommended I get my bed set up with this four-part pillow set from Amazon (apologies for the Amazon links, It is what it is for this type of stuff). You can rent a recliner to sleep in post-surgery from a surgical furniture center, but I didn’t do that—and did well with this and my own bed pillows. The leg wedge is clutch for sleeping upright and on your back. I still have this in my bed even though I don’t need it any more because it’s great for reading. Go figure.

You don’t need a mastectomy pillow for the car (you can just use a pillow), however, my friend urged me to get this anyway as I slept with it—you strap it to your chest, unhook it, and rest your arms on it. It kept me from rolling and also protected my chest from my cats. It also has hilarious but handy pockets. It comes with other things like a shower lanyard, which I didn’t need—and a gel cooling pack. My surgeon didn’t want me to use any ice.

I bought a 40-ounce Stanley cup to stay hydrated and track my water intake (my kids are so embarrassed)—a straw is helpful for the early days. I borrowed a friend’s tray table for bed. I stocked up on protein bars and drank a lot of protein smoothies (you’ll want to up your protein considerably as your body heals.)

I’ve received amazing care from UCLA: They have an incredible breast center in Santa Monica where everyone is (mostly) consolidated. I’m deeply grateful to my surgical oncologist (Dr. Jennifer Baker) and my plastic surgeon (Dr. Ginger Slack) in particular.

Follow your doctors’ advice, but I’ve received a lot of supportive treatment that has helped considerably. You can find my full list of healers, here, but for this procedure I have relied on the following people.

My family and friends have been clutch throughout this whole experience. I’m not good at accepting health—that’s been a big part of this journey for me—and I felt overwhelmed by offers of assistance. I was always told that taking care of people feels good and I shouldn’t deprive friends of doing something nice for me (I like to take care of people too, I get it). My dear friend Sarah offered a solve: She put everyone on a WhatsApp chain (minus me and Rob) and then organized daily smoothie deliveries from friends and kept people updated. Highly recommend! (I know there are services that can organize meal trains; that was beyond me!)