Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
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It's so exciting to see you all picking out pretty bras!
I am day 2 post exchange. how long do people wait? how do you know that the foobs have settled? I know I am jumping way ahead. right now I am using marena comfortwear post surgical bra, large. I have gummie bear 410 implants, 420 cc. I am still sore, but so glad to be rid of TEs!!!
nordstrom has anniversary sale! debating, should I just get a couple? or wait to be fitted?
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YES!!! Love my blue La Femme! Lol.
BCT: you could have someone fit you when your PS clears you for it, but it will take a few months to really settle, so you do not want to go dish out lots of cash just yet. I got just one to start with. After a few more weeks I got a sports bra...then after 3 months I discovered my La Femme. That particular style just seems to suit me. Now my first big girl bra has become my favorite sleeping bra.0 -
Hi ladies after reading these posts I am wondering if any one has tried their bra's on from before you had any surgeries? I was wondering if my bras form before my bmx will work I go for reconstruction on Aug 7th. I did not know you would have to sleep in the bras for a while i guess we learn something new every day
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Mom: I've kept all my old bras because I loved them but I've tried them on a few times over the course of the last few months and I'm pretty sure they're not going to work at all any longer. The underwire on the old ones is going to be too narrow for my new shape.
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I was smaller after surgery (and glad to be as I used to be a DDD) and so, no, my bras didn't fit (I did try them though and no reason you shouldn't).
I slept in a bra the first three months and then I stopped.
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my bras pre surgery do not fit..too small..
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Same here, pre surgery bras do not work. Even the bras I bought during TE, do not work. I am down for some thin material non wire bras...not the prettiest, but they provide support. I do not even like to wear bras now, but have been told that I should still. I am six weeks exchange, and just was told that righty dropped a little, but bad side lefty has not.
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Not-Me, PS told me it's a 3-4 month process. I had exchange in April, revision surgery 2 weeks ago (to remove painful skin folds so PS also did a minor "hoist" (her word) to one side) so my 3-4 month wait starts all over! Sometimes I just get tired of waiting.
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Funny the old bra topic came up. It has been I think a year and a half since my exchange and today I put on one of my old bras. I had a ton per Bco and went through them and some fit since I was wearing the wrong size then. So I guess my point is you have to try them on again
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Ladies with 410 Anatomical Gummies,
When were you able to start wearing regular bras? How long did it take for your final shape to form? From what I've read, the gummies don't change as much over time as the rounds do. Some women mention being bigger post-op and then going down in size quite a bit as time goes on (with the rounds). Please tell me this doesn't happen with the gummies! Am almost 2 weeks post-op now and while they seem to be sofening quite a bit, I sure hope they don't diminish in actual size, as we all know how difficult it is to even achieve size w/this style implant to begin with!!
Am looking forward to a little fun bra shopping, as could not wear a normal bra over iron-top expanders. I'm a little burnt out on the sports bra style at this point, but don't want to shop too early...will my size be the same in 3 or 4 months?
Thanks in advance for input.
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My gummy softened, Mkildare, but did not change in size much. I had some minor swelling in the upper pole that (thankfully) diminished. Or maybe there IS a little drop and fluff with the gummy?
Overall the main thing I noticed was softening -- which I was glad for!0 -
Mkildare i can so relate regarding the sports bra thing. I hate them now. i wore them for a year before exchange. they were so supportive but i was ready to burn them.
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2ndtimearound--If I might ask, when you had your recent revision surgery and got your "hoist", was it a very painful surgery or recovery? I am 4 months post exchange and my mx has not dropped very much at all. If it doesn't drop in the next 4-5 months, my PS can do another lift on my natural side and possibly even put in a bigger implant on that side than what I got at exchange (I got 600cc on mx side and 120cc on native side). I just really hesitate to do another surgery and I'm also worried that I kept my sensation on the native side even after the areola incision and I'm worried I may lose sensation with another lift/augment. Did you have to have drains? I'm massaging like crazy and going to a massage therapist once a week for intense massaging but the old mx side just doesn't want to drop!
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I'm confused. Some people here say they wore a bra with the Tissue expanders in?? Is that necessary or even possible? My PS didn't say anything about that and I've had tissue expanders in for months now! My exchange is in early September. I've not been wearing a bra, just a light cami. I hope I have not messed something up??
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Marcyv: I haven't been able to wear my 'normal' bras with my TEs because the TEs are so much wider than the underwires. What I've been wearing for months now are simple stretchy things by No Boundaries that I get at Walmart for like $4.97 each. I've had the TE's since 11-5-12 (exchanging on August 7
!) and while I felt VERY uncomfortable without some sort of bra for support for a long time after that, I've now gotten to the point where I can go braless without discomfort. I don't much during the day at work of courses, but when I'm at home in the evening and overnight sleeping I do. I've not thought about it much but I realize now that I've recently been feeling more like myself as far as fitness and strenth are concerned. Perhaps as my pecs have gotten stonger again they're providing better support for the weight of the TE's?? I suppose, just like with every experience we each have on this journey, it's different for each of us. I can think of several reasons why one person may be comfortable going braless and someone else may not (my opinion only): Mastectomy incision placement (infra-mammary fold or horizontal), Pectoral muscle size/condition, TE size and placement compared to body frame, TE size/weight (cc) and whether they're overfilled or not
As long as you don't have any pain or discomfort and the TEs are staying put I wouldn't worry about going braless. My PS said it's up to me with the TEs whether I go braless or not.
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That does make me feel a lot better! Thank you for your thoughtful response! I only have 400cc so there's not much to support in the first place. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to wake up one day with the thing in my armpit. LOL. I don't know how you've managed with them in since November! I hate these things and they still hurt! Congrats on your upcoming surgery on the 7th! Yippie!!
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Marcyv: After following several threads since early December I know that things have gone relatively smoothly for me with the TEs. Yes, I had initial pain (that's what first got me on this site, the tissue expander pain thread), but once we got that under control I've really been fine. As I said before, my TEs got more comfortable as they got fuller. Some ladies do have trouble with TEs migrating to their armpits. I think that would probably have to do with the pocket created for the TEs being a little too large or something. TEs can sometimes have a fold in them that's uncomfortable or painful until they're filled enough for the fold to 'unfold'. Sometimes a TE can be pressing on a nerve. My PS must have done an awesome job with placement because they haven't moved one iota, even with regular upper body workouts. Being as overfilled as I am does mean they're nearly as hard as rocks, though, so I'm truly looking forward to something that doesn't take a really firm finger poke to dent
.Your BMX was 5 months later than mine but your exchange is only a month or so after me, right? You're a freakin hare to my tortoise! (my PS is pretty conservative and deliberate about this process).
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Marcyv: right after that last post I remembered seeing your first post on the exchange thread. You know, if you're experiencing a lot of discomfort, maybe trying some sort of bra would be a good thing. It could just be that you need a little support. I was very uncomfortable without a bra for several months after my BMX. A soft cottony front hook sports bra is comfortable. Even the stretchy No Boundaries bras I wear provide just enough support for comfort when my TEs decide to feel a little heavy.
Just a thought
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Marcyv--I agree with sweetandspecial on the bra idea. I had horrible TE pain (very severe muscle spasms) from the minute I came out of UMX. It wasn't until 6 weeks later that someone suggested a bra so I went to the breast center at my hospital where they have a store that sells bras and wigs and such. The lady there put me in a front hook bra (plus had pockets for prosthetics so I could even myself up) and from the minute I wore that, my pain dropped in half. It was the compression that did it for me. I am now 4 months post exchange and still wear a compression bra 24/7. I've changed over to a nice Bali non-wire that looks a little cuter but it's still nice and soft and tight. When I shower, I still get slight muscle spasms so I've learned to shower very quickly!! But with exercise and massage I am getting back to "normal" pretty quickly. So maybe try a bra and see if that helps.
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Hi Lala1, sorry just getting back to you (have been away without access to Internet). My procedure was 3 weeks today (the 5th). I can't really answer your question: the "hoist" was actually a secondary procedure on one side only (current mx side). The primary procedure PS did was to remove "mudflaps" from under both armpits. The same side that had hoist was causing constant pain (affecting lymph drainage). Didn't know incision for combined procedures would be over original implant exchange surgery all the way around towards my back. Because I had skin flaps on both sides, incisions extended on both sides so couldn't get comfortable enough for restful sleep. Had to admit mudflap removal very painful, PS said extensive internal stitches and I probably should have been taking it a lot easier than I should have which hampered healing. Realized last night the pain factor is considerably less than last week (PS estimated it would take a couple months to heal). This is probably TMI. If you have more questions, please ask away.
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I would check with PS on bra for TE. Mine said I didnt need to wear a bra for those. However, I felt more comfortable wearing one. Maybe it was the compression or support.
Has anyone done a stabilizer band for exchange surg? One of my implants is a full 1 and half inches higher. I know its only been barely a mth since July 1st but I feel anxious because last time they started out together and then one dropped. The other never really dropped to match.
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Layla2525---Let me know if you find out anything on the stabilizer band. My mx side hasn't really dropped to match my native side. it's still got alot of fullness in the upper pole. I have been going to a massage therapist and having her work very hard on massaging my pole and I have to say it has helped some. She's also massaging the scar tissue I have on the side of my ribcage from where the drains were and that's helping my implant to get softer and drop a bit. I'll be curious to see if anyone has used the band.
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lala1 - When I joined the board three years ago, there were ladies who used the band. Mostly women who had a single mx with an augmented breast on the other side. Not unheard of at all to use one.
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i had some swelling after bilateral and used one for a few days . It did help with that.
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http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.do?id=10197
Here's the one I wore both with my TEs and after I got my implants. I wore them so long, I wore out the velcro! Really helped keep them where they needed to be. My PS had them in his office.
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Just a quick update...
As it turns out, my surgeon was right on the money with the Allergan 120-440s. I finally went and got fitted for a bra about a week ago. My "new" size is a 34D, the sister size to what I had before the mastectomy in December (36C), so he basically nailed it. The new girls look like a perkier, younger version of the originals. I definitely would not have wanted anything bigger.
We start the nipples in two weeks.
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Thanks Dawn-Hope. I'm going to ask my PS about one when I see him again in Sept. I'll be 6 months post exchange then. I'm sure he'll respond the way he does to all my questions....first a quizzical look, then a blank look, then a sigh, then he tells me to do whatever I want. He can put a hell of a boob on but he hasn't a clue about all the things that go with putting the boob on..... Sigh.....
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Great news Monicaelise on the nipples are you getting tats too? i had asked my ps about nipples after i heal up he said they do the tats right in the office and the 3d ones too soo many decisions i will just be happy to get the reconstruction over with and praying it all turns out great
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momto7 - We're actually doing the tattoos first. My doctor has done a number these now and says it's easier to tattoo first, rather than try to tattoo the built up "nipple" as it tends move about and the tissue is a more difficult to tattoo after the fact. Once the flap is done, he'll go back and adjust the "areolas" as nice to get the right size, shape and color.
I'm really looking forward to having at least the "dots".
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Thx for the info on the bands, My PS has not said a word about bands. Just said to ice it and come back in a mth. Good grief. She keeps thking that its swelling. I dunno maybe scarring inside. Yep,it moved a tiny bit,maybe an eighth of inch I keep measuring them. Its crazy with upper pole on one side. I got both foobs so I figured they would match.
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