Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
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Okay.....I REALLY hate how we're redirected to the start of a thread now.....
I much preferred being taken to exactly where I left off......though perhaps that's a bit too "princessy" a complaint
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Val:
I think I have very little swelling. I'm currently wearing sports bras which are comfy.
I'm going to try wearing those for awhile.
Jan
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Val -- I agree -- it bites! I always get taken to the top of the last page I have read... so I scroll to the bottom then up from there. It is definitely NOT convenient. I hope BCO fixes this or I predict less activity will ensue.
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Thanks for the recommendations, Val. I wonder if I can find the Warner's 1003 in stores? I actually have the 2003, but the seam on the right side irritates my skin. I'm going to try to find it and if not, I'll go ahead and order it.
Ann
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asr51: I purchased the Warner's on line and I rarely wear them now--they run large so I only wear a 34C in these. I prefer my soft Victoria Secret Bras. I went for my measure at Nordstroms and bought a sports bra, and I ended up buying VS on line as they have a larger selection there--In the no wire bras, I wear 34D to 36D but I started out a 34DD--the larger one is great for my new nipple because it's slightly large now.
Jan: I didn't think I was swollen but I went down a cup size from 34DD to 34D
. I wouldn't buy too many bras right now, just enough to get you through. 0 -
MBJ, since you just had your nipples done, were you told to wear a certain kind of bra for several weeks afterward? I have to wear nipple shields that I bought at a baby store for six weeks, but only during the day. I was told to take them off at night. That's why I have to wear molded cup bras, so the nipple shield won't show.
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asr51: I was just tole not to wear anything tight! I am interested in what the "sheilds" are that you purchased at a baby store. Is their a product name? I am a Uni so only have one side done--I also had my non MX side augmented and all of the soft cup bras from Warner & VS worked--I just had to rotate them. The VS Ipex No Wire is the most cumfortable, the other no wire ones are a bit more padded. Most can only be found on line, but they do free returns if it doesn't fit or work for you. I usually buy a few, try them on, figure out what works and send the rest back. They are like T-Shirt bras in that they don't show under clothes at all.
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MBJ: This is what I was told to buy: Medela Contact Nipple Shields 24mm. They just stick to my skin and I wash them with soap and water when I take them off each day. The nurse cut a little bit of the tip of it off so it is open. It still sticks out about a half inch.
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MBJ
I bought a couple of sports bras for the gym and wearing them 24/7 except to shower seems to help with the pain too.
Thanks
Jan
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Keep it up, Jan. Bet you'll continue to feel better!
Ann - I think that version of the Warner's bra (#1003) isn't often in stores, though the padded version is. My PS's office just gave me mine. And MBJ's correct - it runs big, and doesn't come smaller than a 34 band. I had to take seams in mine. I also had the 34C. It is really soft, though, with no seams or tags (unless you make them yourself..lol), so it might be worth a try. MBJ's idea about the VS wireless is also good. You just need to find the least padded one, as padding prevents - to some degree - the edges of the bra "snuggling" up next to the implant, which is what you need for support.
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asr51: Thank you!
Jan: You are welcome!
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After reading all of this you'd think I would be very educated and not have any doubt BUT I am limbo on what I need to do for right now.
I am 2 weeks out from exchange surgery. The sport bra that my PS nurse gave me is NOT what I expected! It has NO support, very flemzie. She said I could go out and buy a more of a support sport bra if I wanted to. Of course I replied "don't you provide a initial surgical or support bra? Something to at least go by? I went to Dillard's and bought a harness type support bra, the brand is Lunaire. It is snug and supports. I hope I am not too snug and it's what I need. Anyone else have this bra?Zips in front! I feel so uneducated from this office. I want the best possible results, esp. after feeling a bit discouraged on the outcome of exchange. The nurse also removed my steri strips , I thought they would come off on their own. Only 8 days out..? My PS was called out for emergency surgery so the nurse saw me. That was discouraging also! It looks as though I might of needed slightly larger implants to "fill" tissue area from cleavage up into my upper pole region. I am no Dr. but I can see a flat area that appears to need some fullness. I talked to the nurse what he could do- she said he could graft but it would make that side bigger then the other! She said wait for 6 months and see.....She was NOT encouraging on the gratf idea. I am soooo emotional right now and discouraged. I am not sure if I am over-reacting or if I have a ligament complaint..? Thanks ladies for being there for me and others. I really don't know what I would do w/o you. You all have helped me more then you know!
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I went bra shopping for the first time post-exchange today! Granted, all I got was sports bras, but it felt nice to browse. I measured in around a 34 C, but I still think I look a bit smaller...but I am still satisfied (so far) with my results...
I did figure out something I wanted to pass along to other sports-bra wearer's: I found a couple that fasten like a regular bra and they are soooo much more user-friendly than the over-the-head ones. Both have light padding, almost like an underwire (I am restricted to no underwires for a month). I found one made by Jockey for hi-impact and another by Marika, this one has side fasteners to customize the rib-cage fit better...both are easy on-easy off...
...I tried on some over the heads and thought I was going to have to call for help to wrestle myself out of them!!!
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mtks - I'm sending you a big hug right now........
You are most definitely NOT over-reacting! I'm SO sorry that you had a less than ideal post-op experience with your PS. Sadly, you're not alone, but that doesn't solve your issues, so I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. (my apologies for not getting back yesterday - I was pretty busy and never got on BCO)First of all, you are smart to get something more supportive than the flimsy bra you got. And tight is fine - actually preferred - because you need to keep the implants in place. Comfort should probably not be figured in......sorry! You do get used to the tight bra, though, and realize that it feels better than a loose one. I've not seen that bra, but I know Dillards carries that Lunaire brand, and for a sports bra, it's probably fine. I'd get in a real bra PDQ, though, unless your PS says no.
Now for the touchier subject. Generally, steristrips do stay on til they fall off, but perhaps your PS wanted them off for some reason. As for fat grafting, although I haven't had it, plenty of people on here have - MBJ, Whippetmom - and they've had lovely results. It will NOT make you bigger on one side! That being said, you do need to wait awhile to see what the implants do. Depending on the type of TE your PS used and the style of implants you have, there could be noticeable changes within the next few months. That's the "drop and fluff" that you may have heard about. What I can say, is that a large percentage of women are NOT happy with their results INITIALLY post-exchange, so you are not alone. My advice right now would be to relax a bit and let your body heal. You might be surprised to find that you wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and say "Wow, these look pretty darn good after all!" And if that doesn't happen, then you can consider "plan b" - a revision with larger implants or perhaps fat-grafting - mayber from a different PS.
Please hang in there. We're here for you!!
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firedancer - congrats on a successful trip! You're smart to get the sports bras that are somewhat structured - way more support, plus, many of us early post-op are on arm-movement restrictions and can't reach over our heads anyway. As for size, that's the implants. We all measure significantly larger - even for wireless bras - than what we look like. Implants are wider than natural breasts, so they take up more space in the cup. However, since most of us don't have our nipple/aerola complex, we're a bit "flat" across the top of our foobs, so we don't have the projection of a natural breast with the same cup size. Hope that makes sense. I wear a DD, but absolutely no bigger than a C.
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Val61- You are such a positive on this site!
You just make things easier to bring into perspective.
Especially for me, I've been extremely frustrated and emotional.
Thank-you for your inspiring messages!
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I tried a coobie bra (regular size) and it still hurt my back, so I just mailed it off to exchange it for the plus size. I'm only 30" around but anything constrictive sets my back into spasm. The guy on the phone for coobie bras said I would "swim" in the plus size, but I need something that doesn't constrict on the bottom band but will hold the new foobs in place. My exchange is on Monday. The post-surgical bra I got last time was horrendously painful. Does anyone know of a bra that has either a wide band on the bottom so it doesn't constrict as much or something that will hold these in place but not hurt?
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kjbrown check out the Marena bra site. They have wire free bras with a longer bottom. My PS gave me one of these for post-surgical wear and I wore it 24/7 for about 6 weeks (then switched it up with other bras for a few more weeks after that till I was able to stop wearing bras 24/7).
Here's a link to a range of their bras.
http://marenagroup.com/store/entity/tabid/198/c-3-breast-support.aspx
Not the most gorgeous looking but good for post-surgical recovery.
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Thank you!! I went to their site and I'm waiting for "live help".
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Hi, has anyone had difficult time trying to find a 2nd PS because of insurance issues?
I've found several top docs in my area, but they either don't take insurance at all or they are out of network. Is this a pretty common issue with women looking for another PS?
I heard that some women have gone out of network docs for revisions.
I have a slight asymmetry issue and I'm wondering if this is all worth it..
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Hi ladies!! I just bought some coobie bras too for my post exchange bra-wear! Hoping they're comfy... I've been living in Hanes Bandini's so far. I'm very comfortable in them, and my PS told me they're fine... I just wonder if I should be in something more supportive? Not like I'm that big up top now (or before!) Heh.
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Oh, and p.s.
Wasin... there were NO plastic surgeons in my network who went to the hospital I went to. So I called up my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and fought them on it. I wasn't about to change my Oncologist, Breast Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, and hospital for a PS I didn't love... and they quickly made an exception for me and provided me my PS at an in network level of benefit. I made matters even more annoying because he doesn't accept my insurance. It WAS more work and annoyance for me... but it did work out, and I got to use all the Dr's I loved! I say it's completely worth the fight. I got myself assigned a Nurse Case Manager who has totally helped! I fought them on every last little issue, and finally won in the end. If you have a certain PS you're comfortable with or really want to go to... you go for it!!
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ericavw,
That's what I have too(BCBS). You mean, you made the insurance company accept the PS of your choice?
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Yes, M'aam I did! I called them, asked to be assigned a Case Manager, one was assigned to me... and she guided me through the rest. If there is no PS available to you, they will do it! They have to. It wasn't much of a struggle for that part, just to get him paid properly was. But it all worked out. (My struggle was the combination of my PS not taking my insurance, BCBS not having one available in network, and I had already met my maximum out of pocket). Basically they just formed a contract with my PS and had BCBS's Medical Director had to approve it (which of course he did) and then it was a go. If you have any more questions, feels free to PM me. I'm not sure where you live, but I'm in Northern NJ...
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Ericavw, I just sent you a PM.
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Thanks, Lilah, for sharing that link! kjbrown - I hope you got some help with those bras. They really are very good post-op bras! Many front-closing sports bras also have wider bands - check out this one from Anita http://www.herroom.com/anita-5523-active-front-close-sports-bra.shtml - so that's also an option. Maybe you'll not have the back spasm issue this time, though, and you can get in a regular bra. Fingers crossed!
I'm not personally a fan of the Coobie bras for post-exchange wear - I just don't feel that they offer any real support to the implants - but they're great during expansion when you need something to cover the TE's and not exert any pressure on them. That being said, you should follow your PS's recommendations, and that bra is probably better than no bra!
wassin - I've heard stories similar to erica's, so maybe there's hope. I'm sorry that you need to get a second opinion, but YOU are the one who has to live with your recon, so it makes sense to make sure that it truly is the best that can be achieved for you. Keep us posted! Thanks, ericavw, for sharing your experience. That's what's so great about BCO!
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Kjbrown -- I forgot to mention that the Marena bra I had was a front closing bra... which I appreciated in the early days of healing.
Wasin -- I think that Erica was able to win that fight because she had no one in her area (or within 25 miles of where she lives). Since you already have been treated at MSK I am guessing that means you DO have an in-network PS in your area, so this particular fight might not be winnable. I know in my case I tried with my insurance to get a more local PS and was sent to NYC because I'm technically (as the crow flies anyway) close enough to the city to use in-network doctors there. In my case, I was glad I was sent to NY because I really loved the PS I ended up with. I hope you can get what you need!
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Yes, looks like I'm going to do alot of calling next wk from my provider's list within my in netwk.
Thanks, everyone and I'll keep you gals posted!!
Hannah
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Here is a list of WIRELESS bras which also have lift....
http://www.herroom.com/search2.aspx?new=yes&terms=wireless+lift
I wanted Laura to take a look at some of these bras.....but they might be of interest to others who are not able yet to wear underwire bras.....
Deborah
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Here is one....listing separately. This is the new Donna Karan wireless lift bra...
44 positive ratings for the bra below on herroom.com....
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