Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
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At lunch break went to Nordstrom's to get a bra fitting...needing help with my shrinking R side with weight loss and the 800 too big implant on L...never wanted it that big, thought I was getting 700...long story.
At any rate, having been okay but not totally satisfied with 38D/DD depending on style...the Nordstrom's fitter put me into a 4D! It fit and looks like a D in clothes, it just fully captures all the side boob and as it is an underwire, is sufficient to deal with the wideness of the implant.
Bought one and will see if I think it works...will have to cut out the tags (only kidding) as my husband would think I am insane with that size!
Wacoal Awareness full figure 38G!
Happy Tuesday, enjoying the sun and 70 degrees, TT
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It's interesting how much variation/s there are when it comes to this topic. I've had RT mastectomy, Phropyletic Masct LF with immediate
reconstruction. My implant exchange was June 2018, post -op little over a wk with IMF incision. I just emailed my PS with all that was stated
in this forum to get some clarification. And this is what i received from my PS.
ABSOLUTELY NO UNDERWIRE BRA!! Padded bra and soft cup are acceptable for short periods. You'll have to check
visually for red spots of pressure. The mastectomy has significantly decreased the protective sensation in your breast skin
and underwire bra's are at risk of poking through the skin to your implants. Support bra's do NOT prevent migration or dropping.
My conclusion....? Have an open dialogue with your PS. I myself seeks conversation/s whom i can relate to and this is a great forum to
learn and read about trials and tribulations. Thank you all for sharing. LET'S KICK THIS CANCER!!!!!!
Best Regards to all,
Kim
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Kim - Many docs ban underwire bras totally so that is not surprising. And since you're only a week from surgery, its very soon. I wore my surgical bra for several weeks - especially at night. During the day I wore a 'bralette'.
What kind of implants did you have? That often makes a difference. If you have 'rounds', they will likely take 3-6 months to settle into the correct position. You can read more on the 'exchange' thread.
Maybe you could use something mild and stretchy if it makes you more comfortable - like a Danskin Sports bra.
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Just wanted to share a link to these bralettes. I find them to be very comfortable with my IMF incisions. They have a smooth wide chest band and delicate adjustable shoulder straps. On clearance now at Kohl's, a 2 pack for $16. Lily of France bralettes
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Bump
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Well since May I have found another Wacoal bra, also 38G! really...but anyway a "minimizer" wireless. On the comment of underwire or not, I didn't start using the underwire until I was 8 months post op and the huge piece is that the G cup fully goes around the implant without ANY pinching...so while the look is of a D cup the wideness of the implant requires the G. I do rotate with one day of underwire and the next of wireless. TT
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I just had my exchange yesterday and was sent home with no bra. My PS surgeon said it could interfere with the effectiveness of the fat grafting. And I gotta say, I'm really soreand would love a little support. Anyone else have the no bra requirement? She said we could go with a light one after my follow up next Tuesday. But after reading thru thus, it seems everyone has some kind of wrapping. Now I'm concerned.
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I found the coobie bras good for offering some support without being structured...I had always thought of them as a light sports bra that you pull overhead and that motion was definitely OFF limits here, but someone referred to them as a pull up bra and, you know, they are...they easily slide right up into place without any pulling or tugging. TT
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ljm33,
I was sent home without anything for support also. I had fat grafting as well and was told nothing tight so the fat could survive. At my follow up I asked the nurse and she said a Coobie or something along those lines should be okay, very light support. Coobies are great, very comfortable. Like you, I kept reading where everyone was sent home with a bra of some sort but the fat grafting is a game changer in that regard. I did have swelling also and that may account for some of the size volume you are experiencing too. (I saw your post on the exchange thread) I hope you are feeling better.
Edited to add: I wore a cami until my first follow up.
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Do you get the coobie bras online or does a store carry them?
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coobie available on Amazon
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thank you! I have my exchange and fat grafting Aug 9th
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Thank you all for the advice. I am feeling a little better today. And I called my PS and she gave me the thumbs up for camis with built in bras so that's helping. And I will check out the coobie bras. A little unsure of the size though. I'm filled to 415 cc I think. I was a small B before. Not sure what I'll end up being this time around. Lol
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I believe the Coobie is also available at WalMart.
Personally I didn't care for them - and like Sitti, I wore a cami for several months. It will be 3-6 MONTHS or longer until your swelling all goes down and you can begin to see what you might look like. I would recommend not buying a bunch of expensive bras until all the inside stitches have healed and all the "drop & fluff" has happened.
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can someone please share the link to the picture forum? I was an active member some time ago and would like to post a few things on the site but the link I have does not work.
Thanks for any assistance you can provide!
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I'm just amazed at the number of bras I've purchased since my TEs were placed in June. Anyone else??
I bought several immediately after surgery, then keep trying new bras to see if I could find more comfort as my size increased with my expansion. Exchange surgery in December means I'll probably be buying more.
My daughter suggested that every plastic surgeon's office should have a basket for us to donate and exchange these barely used bras. As she said, kind of like the penny cup at checkout, but this for bras. "Take a bra, leave a bra". Makes me smile. Becky
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babyo20, here is a link to the Picture This thread:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/84/topics...
Bcbc, I think a bra exchange would be a great idea if it could be arranged.
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thank you so much
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hello Aussie cat, the link takes me to a different spot in this site. I am talking about the picture site where we can share pictures of our reconstruction and view others. It was a different site from here. Do you know what that link is? Thank you
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babyo - I don't remember the way to get to the outside reconstruction pictures, but BCO has set up a site that shows tons of reconstruction pictures. Maybe this will help.
https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/rec...
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babyo20, sorry that I don't have a link for a reconstruction pictures site. I'm not sure if it's private or not. I hope that MinusTwo's link will help you.
Now I will check out the link that MinusTwo provided, thanks. Clever username by the way!
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Aussie & Baby - yes the 'outside' site is private. members of some standing who have a posting history can apply to get a password & be admitted. I'll keep looking for the site link.
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Thanks, MinusTwo.
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I'm post double mastectomy with implant reconstruction in 2015. I've been wearing underwire bras for the past couple of years without much issue since I'm the same size as I was prior to surgery. Over the last couple of weeks I've had more pain on the right side and it's almost like the implant is moving towards my arm pit because where the underwire hit before it's now hitting the edge of the implant. How often should I be getting my implants checked for position, etc?
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Tempy - my PS had me come in twice at 3 month intervals , then twice at 6 month intervals then released me. Originally I was in a trial that called for an MRI at years 5 & 10, but the FDA approved the Allergan 410 cohesive gell implant that I have so the trial was discontinued. I'd say call your PS and make an appointment if you're concerned. Better safe than sorry.
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Thanks MinusTwo, it was tender enough at work last night that I went over to the ER and had it checked out (I was wearing a tank top under my scrubs, no bra). ER doc said the pain was definitely on my chest wall, he didn't see any lumps or deformation so wasn't worried about an implant leak. Fast forward to now, I slept a bit and it's still tender but not nearly as painful as it was last night. If it keeps up I'll take him up on his offer of a CT to see what's going on in there.
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So interesting the variety of instructions given by different PS's. I had a two week delay recon (it's kind of unusual on here, went in for dti and my right breast wasn't happy, so I had vaccum therapy and healing time for two weeks, then implants put in). Anyway, I wore the surgical bra for two days until my first shower, after which my PS said I could wear a sports bra. I bought some fruit of the loom front button hook sports bras online that work fine, especially with the drains in, but they are thick and bulky and not that comfortable to wear 24/7. PS says at the two week mark I can wear whatever I want during the day and I don't have to wear one at night (drains are out now). I think I may though, my boobs just feel too tight and weird to go without anything. Ordered a Coobie, Jockey and Bali seamless pull “up" bra. Still don’t know which one to wear during the day. Extra padding seems excessive because I’m already a bit bigger than I was and I hate underwire. It's the truth though, for some reason I've been obsessing over the right bra!!
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Sad to say but a year later I still can't stand to go braless even at night. I wear a camisole with a shelf/petal bra. It just feels too weird without one. At least if I am wearing one my brain can blame it on an uncomfortable bra. I wish they had told me that it might feel like I was wearing an uncomfortable bra (or someone was grabbing me) 24/7 for the rest of my life.
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Notthrilled, I'm with you. The only thing I was looking forward to post mastectomy was not having to wear a bra. Now it's 24/7. I sometimes described the pain as like having a mammogram. all. the. time.
I am now much more comfortable with meds for the neuropathy. Have you been diagnosed with post mastectomy pain syndrome? There is a good podcast about it on the site.
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I agree with y'all. I told someone that here I am 6 years out and it pretty much feels like some nerdy,fumbling 16 year old boy is groping my boob 24/7. And it's worse without a bra/compression of some sort. I can live with it but I never really can forget about it.
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