Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
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Ginger48 so glad to hear. I love working there. I think my vanishing back bra is the most comfortable. You will love the cool nights jammies, super comfy.
If anyone is in the Kansas City area I work at Soma in town center in Leawood Kansas and I can get you a discount if you want to buy bras from me at my store. Just PM me to find out what my hours are or call the store to make an appointment with me.
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Namaste!
Thanks Val. I think I will get one of the Bali Lace Desire Bras and see how it works wearing it for full days. I checked on line and there are some sales on them.
Karla
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Any recommendataions for who to go to in the Atlanta area for a good fitting?
Also, my BMX scars have healed so well that I am planing to ask my PS if he can do my exchange through my IMF area. Any opinions on how that affects wearing a bra after exchange? I hear so much about training my new 'puppies' and am wondering about opinions.
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rubalou - if you have exchange in IMF area you will have to be careful of where any bra band sits. You don't want it rubbing on the incision area. When I had expanders and first exchange I wore a surgical bra for several weeks with lots of gauze over the incision area to protect from the bra band. After that I just wore undershirt/camisoles. With the move to larger implants, the scars moved up away from actual IMF and now I wear exclusively underwires (even to sleep in) and have no issues.
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rubalou - I had IMF incisions for both my BMX and my exchange surgery. After exchange I wore a surgical bra. Because I had steristrips, etc. the incision was covered. I wore bras from the time immediately after surgery. I got the OK to wear underwires at about 6 weeks. I wouldn't let bras sway your decision either way. If your MX scars are looking good and your PS is willing to do IMF incisions for your excange, I say go for it!!!
Best wishes!!!
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Thanks TinaT and Delialahbear, It's so nice to hear form women who've 'been there'. My BMX scars are looking so lovely that I think they will disappear completely when a littl more of the redness goes away. I am 4 moths out from my BMX and I think the streatching from the TE's has actually hellped them stay flat. I also did Mederma.
Where do you get the surgical bras? Do they do the same thing as an underwire would for keeping things front and center?
I am currently a 34D or 36C with my expanders. I hope I stay this size after my exchange but am afraid to buy anything in case.
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rubalou I work at SOma Intimates in Leawood Kansas and I love the bras there. I see they have a quite a few boutiques in Atlanta here is the link http://www.soma.com/store/store_search.jsp?_DARGS=/store/store_search.jsp
And anyone on BC.org
If you join the passport program at Soma they will ship for free. And if you call me at the SOma in Leawood, KS I can use a coupon for $20 off $100 for you. Just call this number 913-317-8566 ask for me Carrol and when I answer mention you are from BC.org. I would be happy to help my fellow sisters. I am working on tuesday next from 12-5:30.
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Carrol wish I would have known that I will remember for after my exchange though!
Everyone I know it is a pain but remember you can get your insurance to pay for this. I went to a private boutique and got 4 bras and 2 camis ( I think a $300 cost) and paid nothing because I had maxed out on my deductible for the year. The boutique I went to took care of everything including contacting my PS to get the prescription.
I say if its free all the better!
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Thanks, Carol!!
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Hey, there, my fellow bra-buddies! Hope you all are staying warm and enjoying January!
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Hi Val! not to bad here in the Atlanta area - upper 40's today and sunny.
I can't wait to get Bras!!!!!0 -
I should get the ok from my PS next week to go into a regular bra. I will be 5 weeks post exchange. He would like for me to avoid underwires for a bit longer. Which bras do you recommend to a newbie ? I am currently in a major support post surgery bra.
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hillck - LMAO!!!!!! It is going to replace my shoe fetish
That's ok because I have been limiting myself lately due too 'don't really NEED anything!" 0 -
rubalou - I was sent home from my exchange surgery in a surgical bra so got it from the hospital. I also bought a nice supportive surgical-type bra for sleeping from www.marena.com. They offer lots of surgical and sleep bras and are very helpful in finding the right style and size if you call and talk to one of their reps. I also got the Wacoal Awareness wireless bra and I love that one. Whippetmom suggested a size for me after reading my stats and seeing my post-exchange pix on the picture forum. Hillck is right, a lot of women wear that one and it's super-comfy!
Good luck!!!
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thanks, TinaT: I will check it out! How do th Wacoals fit? I can do a 34 or 36 depening on the bra. Do they tend to be snug?
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Love the substitution of bras for shoes. Especially with the news that Zappos client base has been hacked. Eeek.
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I received by VS bras last week and have tried them on and am very happy with the Showstopper Demi bras, they fit my implants perfectly. I will have to return the one VS Bombshell balconette bra as there is a slight gap where it meets the top inside area of my implants. I did not try the bombshell at the actual store, but it was on clearance online and I liked the look of it, but it is not to be. I am excited to go to Nordstroms and Soma and see what else is out there!
Val61, I've been at home all day today and have not worn a bra since 8pm last night, ~20 hours and am quite comfortable. If I think about them, I do feel a slight weight on my chest area but if I'm busy I don't notice them at all. I did not have rads/chemo and during the exchange surgery my PS said my skin was very nice. She also used alloderm for both my TE and implants.
Rubalou, are you still doing the mederma? My scars are flat but they are still much darker than I would like. I massaged and put lotions/oils on my BMX scars for 5 months daily and though they were flat, the color did not lessen. I'm now 6+weeks out from exchange and would like to try anything else since this should be the last time the scar is opened up again, other then nipple reconstruction, but the new areolas won't be 4-5" wide!
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Hi Virtual,
I only did the Mederma for about 8 weeks. I'm 4 moths out from my BMX. My experience is that it takes about a year for the redness to go away. I broke my neck in 2004 and had to have the bones fused. They went through the front of my neck about a half inch above my colar bone. Then in 2007 I had to have surgery again about a half inch up from that. Kinda right where a choker neclace goes. In both cases it took about a year and then the redness was completely gone. I did mederma and silicone scar sheets on them for months. At about 6 months they had lessened enough to cover easily with makeup. I'm figuring it will be the same with my breasts. Now I just have thin lines that look like a wrinkle. So much for anti aging!!!!
I'm kinda hoping for my exchange surgery to be done through my imf as the stretching from the expanders seems to have done away with the line like I have on my neck and I think my scras are looking great (comparing to my neck experience) . I've been told that laser treatment can really make a huge difference in the coloration.
Any one out there had laser on thier scars?
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Ladies: Below is the BCO link for scar issues. Hope that helps.
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/756050?page=11#idx_320
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Rubalou - I see that you are a metro Atlanta girl, so I thought you might be interested in my experience yesterday. I am three weeks post-exchange. I'm supposed to have been wearing a sports bra, but I didn't have one (got rid of all my pre-BMX bras). So I knew that I needed to go shop, but honestly I was having some trouble making myself do it because I knew that I would actually need help from the sales person to find the right thing (rather than my usual I-can-do-it-myself-thank-you-very-much approach!). I'd read some horror stories about people's experiences with sales people, and I really had to get myself psyched up. SO - yesterday was the day. I went to the Nordstrom's at Phipps Plaza, and there I had the great good fortune to be helped by a sales associate named Chaeda (pronounced Shah-day). She was knowledgeable about implants, completely understood about needing side support, and she completely put me at ease. Let me just say, although I still have hopes that this won't always be true, at this point in time my foobs are pretty remarkably ugly when I am naked. I have the periareolar scars, horizontal scars at the bottom of those, and on one side I had to have two skin grafts. In other words, sort of Frankenstein-ish, and I would probably recoil in horror if I saw it on somebody else! Well, Chaeda didn't appear to notice anything at all - just continued chatting and got me into two perfect Wacoal bras in no time at all. That girl is a treasure - I'll probably create a "great bra fitter in Atlanta" post, but since I saw here that you are about to go shopping, I thought I pass it along here as well!
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Sonnet: Thank you so much!!!!! I really appreciate your sharing that with me. I am definetly an 'I-can-do-it-myself-thank-you-very-much' type of person and this will make it so much easier.
Where did you have your exchange? I am scheduled Monday at Northside. Getting excited but also NERVOUS!
Hope you are doing well! I so feel for you about the scars. Your franken-boobs WILL get better!!!!
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My exchange was at Emory, in the OP surgery center across Clifton Road from the main hospital. Are you with Dr. Amerson or somebody else from that group? P.S. "Franken-boobs" - HAHAHA!
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Yep. LOVE THEM!!! I had Dr Stallings. I saw Dr Amerson for years (fibro cyctic breasts.) They are the BEST!!!! Dr Mackay is my PS.
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Hi Ladies, I have a question for my friend who is not on BC.org but had her exchange 5 months ago. Her Dr just allowed her to wear an underwire bra. She had it on for several hours to day and said it was very red where the underwires were. She was professionally fitted and is the right size and the bra fits right. I told her to make try wearing it only for short periods of time at first. Any thoughts, and is this ok?
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Yes, they are a really great group. I work in healthcare and had some previous dealings with them, and I was very impressed. I saw Dr. Amerson for my first opinion and really liked her, but unlike many people I am not really a fan of Northside. Emory was also closer to me, of course they are a NCI Cancer Center, and I had multiple medical people recommending my BS (Dr. Wood), so I ended up seeing him for a second opinion and staying with Emory (my PS there is Dr. Losken). I'd never used Emory before - it seemed so huge, and you hear stories about being treated by residents - but I have to say that I am a total convert and am now in the process of shifting all my healthcare there!
So - go to Nordstrom and ask for Chaeda! You'll be glad you did!
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rubalou - I bought the Wacoal Awareness bra that Whippetmom recommended after looking at my pictures and reading my stats. It's a 36C and the underwires I'm wearing are mostly 34DD. I have purchased and returned more bras than I can believe these past few months. I've not had much luck with consistency on any manufacturers so I'm currently far from being an expert on how true to size things run. This one should be easily found at a store to try on for yourself.0
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Sweetie -- its normal for an underwire bra to leave marks... the question is: do the marks go away after a short while (like within an hour)? And, of course, your friend should absolutely see her PS (since he told her to wear underwires) and have him/her personally inspect how it fits if she is at all concerned. I know Val did that with her PS.
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Hi Lilah-thanks-good advice. I will copy and paste this pass it right along to her.
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sweetie2040 An underwired bra should not be that uncomfortable and should leave indentions from the wire but not very red ones. Usually that is a sign of the bra being too small but in our case it just may not be the right bra for her shape. I work at Soma Intimates and fit all types of people into bras. I find the most comfortable bra for reconstructed breasts or not is their vanishing back bra called Nadia or Nadine. It does not dig in the way some bras can with elastic bands and it smoothes out back fat as well as side support. You can go to their website to check them out. If you call my store in Leawood , KS and ask for me I can ship them to you free if you are a passport member, and give you $20 off if you spend $60. I'll be there 12-6 tomorrow., mention you are from BC.org when you get me on the phone so i remember who you are.0
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Carrol2-thank you! The bras she got were the dream angels demi from Victoria's secret. They probably are the only ones I can wear in the store. I liked them because I measure out as a 34D,but am not really that big and this still seems to fit like a full coverage on me although it's a demi. I am going to tell my friend about the Nadia and let her know she can order it from you is she likes. It's her first time wearing an underwire since the surgery so she's probably going to have to do some trial and error to find what is going to suit her best. Thanks!
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