Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
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susan - sooooo true! I need to get a handle on myself...always looking down at them, sideways at them in a reflection, and any way in-between! ...I assume at some point I'll accept these foobs as being here to stay and not waste away my free time checking them out...maybe someday...;-)
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Erica, thanks for the links! I printed them out to go shopping. I wonder if Target carries these. My Tarzhay is so much closer and less hassle than Wally World.
Lilah, I have very few loose fitting tops. My wardrobe seems to be based on close-fitting tees and knit tops. The change in profile that a sports bra gives me is definitely noticeable (at least to me) under those tees. And yes, I think everyone at work is looking because they know to some degree what I've been going through! So I may have to shop for more tops in addition to the sports bras. If only I felt like I had time for all this shopping, LOL!
Guess it would help if I stepped away from BCO for a little while, which I guess I'll have to do now. Before then, just a quick thank you to everyone's responses to me on the picture forum. I will get back there to post soon -- but must go bra shopping now!
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cittykitty: I bought a bunch of embellished tee's and tops with ruffles and things to distract from the sports bra period.
My you have all been busy on this board the last couple days! I am afraid to count how many bras I own, but it seems every outfit requires a bra to go with it! I just ordered a couple more from VS. Loving the Angel push ups as they make my small C look in clothes actually look like a full C/D! If I keep them I will post on the Picture Forum.
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Thanks, MBJ & Lilah. Looser tops and distracting details are just what I'm after!
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Hi ladies
yesterday I saw my PS for my last fill before exchange. I am now overfilled to 800cc and OMG, they feel like boulders, now the incisions under the foobs is burning. Exchange will be late June or early July. Lastnight was the first time that I had to take a narcotic in weeks! Does this overfilled hell get easier in a few days?
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Citykitty -- hey think of it as an excuse to add to your wardrobe
Lovestodance -- yeah I remember being obsessed. Not only with how I looked but how all other women on earth looked. I found myself looking at boobs like a hound dog LOL It has, thankfully, stopped and I no longer think about either mine or anyone else's.
Rnjules -- as I recall it does get better. But if you find it is still unbearable after a few days you should go back and have them remove a little (like 25 cc's) because even that small amount can make a diffeence.
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citykitty - my wardrobe is also mostly close fitting tees & knit tops. I do wear them under jackets at work, but how do you take the jacket off - which believe me we have to do in Houston. I'm in the TE stage with exchange not scheduled until September, so it will be a long summer. My PS doesn't believe in bras with the exception of 1 week post surgery - no bras anytime, ever. I definitely wanted some light support, but also needed to hide the large scars right across the middle of both breasts from the skin sparing surgery. I'm copying a post I put on another site about a "bralet" that really seems to work well for me.
>>Houston is already over 90 so I'll needed something lighter than a full camisole under my tops. Ended up most comfortable with a Smooth Bralet by Cosabella. It's sort of a sports bra, but a tank style w/o the racer back and is made of 70% bamboo. I got one at Nordstroms & ordered a second from Zappos. Also I've been buying some wild patterned tops so the disparity isn't so obvious.
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So glad that cittykitty and erica connected! Isn't BCO awesome?
Rnjules- Even with my tiny amount (245cc) when I was fully expanded, it still felt like hell! Your skin will start to stretch - that's the idea, right? - after a few days, and the pain should resolve, at least a bit. Lilah's right, though. A lot of ladies here have asked their PS's to take some fluid out when they just couldn't stand it. Remember, it's not a race.....
MinuesTwo - Your timing is much like mine was. My bmx was in January, and my exchange wasn't til the end of September, so I endured the hot TX summer, too! Believe me, I completely understand - the last thing you need in 100 degree heat is another layer of clothing! My PS also didn't allow bras during TE's, but did allow little bralets, like you. I found great ones at Penney's and at Target. Cosabella makes gorgeous ones, too, I must admit. And then you can get the matching panties.....
firedancer - don't hold your breath......I'm now over a year and a half post-exchange, and I STILL catch myself checking out the foobs in the mirror! It honestly does take time to get used to them, and I still am rather self-conscious about them. Just the other night I put on a rather low-cut top. I usually wear a tank under it, but I was home with just my dh, so I figured, no big deal. Little did I know that he'd decide to play with my new phone and take a picture of me.....cleavage and all.....needless to say I deleted THAT pic!
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LOL Val -- man why'd you delete it?? Maybe if you go smaller, as I did, it becomes less of a deal faster.
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SusansGarden - No I don't keep them all nice like VS but did get a new drawer for them. I do like my
SOMA bras as they fit me best. I wear a 40CorD depending on style and sometimes this size is hard to find. Most pretty ones stop at 38 band which is just too tight. I do wash them on handwash cycle with lacey ones in lingerie pouch and air dry on sweater dryer over tub. Too much invested not to care for them.0 -
I actually do put mine in drawer like VS.
I have them sorted by sizes ... different size in different brands, you know?
And the second criteria in which they're sorted is: 1) soft formed cups in one drawer 2) non-formed cups in another drawer.
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OMG LOL Dawne - you must have a LOT of bras!
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LOL! I've had two problems:
1) The nearest Nordstroms is 2.5 hours away. The last two semesters I've had to drive up to take a class and my class is only a few miles from Nordstorms. Class gets out at 5 p.m. and it's downtown in the city. What's a girl to do when she's biding her time, waiting for rush hour to end? Spend it at Nordstroms, of course! The bra department sales people know me by my first name!
2) Recently, VS keeps sending me coupons for $10 off a bra plus free panties. I've had trouble finding white smooth cup bras to wear under white dress shirts. So ... I needed more, you see?! I've snatched up a few VS bras! If the send me any more coupons ... I'm going to throw them away FAST!
It's been a whole month since I bought a bra ... the longest period of time since the bra buying spree started post-exchange. I think the worst is over. LOL! And class is coming to an end soon so no more trips to Nordstroms ... at least until the fall!
I shouldn't have to buy bras for .... quite a while!
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LOL Dawne -- you are too funny! I say: enjoy the bounty
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Val - that's good to hear...it's not that I don't LIKE my new foobs, it's just "different", you know?...I was smaller before and it's just one of those things I am going to adjust to. Especially when I see people who haven't seen me/don't know about BMX. I get a weird feeling like they "know" something is different, but really, can they tell? eh, probably not and I doubt they are really checking out my boobs, either... ;-)
I was looking at pictures from last summer just last night and I happened to be wearing the same top I was wearing in the pics. It's was uncanny to look at myself and see the clear difference. It's not that I am gigantic now, I was just so darn bony in the chest before, and had no cleavage, even with a VS padded bra. It was good for me to see in some ways to appreciate these new girls, too - I am soooo critical of them, not enough upper pole, is one a tad bigger? are they sitting even on my chest wall? ...ugh! After seeing the pics and knowing how I look now, I am pleased with my PS's work and shouldn't be so judgemental of them...
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Minus Two - I know what you mean about the Texas heat. I used to live in San Antonio. I too am looking at what light jackets and scarves I have. When I lived in Texas (all three times), I found a lot of places were over-air conditioned to beat the heat, so you'd go from blazing humidity outside to freezing inside!...Hm, your PS says no bras any time, wow, that is interesting!
Val, you shouldn't have deleted it - you should have posted it for us!
LOL at Dawne-Hope and her many drawers of bras! I never had any luck the one or two times I tried VS, a long time ago. Maybe I'll try again once things settle down and I reach a point when I can actually shop for a bra.
fire-dancer, sounds like you ended up with a nice result, after all! It must be a big change for you!
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Maybe it's because I just got a new nipple/areola, but I am constantly checking mine out!
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Happy Sunday, ladies! It's drizzly and chilly here.....big change from the past gorgeous week....but I'm enjoying a lovely cup of delicious tea sent to me from a sweet friend...
I'll confess.....I store my bras like Dawne-Hope.....they do look very much like the drawers at VS! I do think I need some color in there, though, don't y'all agree? MinusTwo- I guess I didn't catch that your PS said no bras ever. I've heard some PS's say that they're not required (though I personally beg to differ), but haven't yet heard of a PS that forbids bras. I'd be very much interested in his rationale for that, so please do share if you know - or when you have a chance to ask him. Very interesting......
Along that line, here's something y'all might find interesting......the other day, I wore an unwired sports bra (an older lululemon style - NOT the Tata Tamer) for most of the day. I've worn it many times for teaching my high impact aerobic classes, and thought it was pretty supportive. Well, that day, I had it on for 12 hours, as I started the day with 7am Pilates, ran errands and did housework, then taught my aerobics class at 5:30pm - a fairly typical day, except that I often change into "real" clothes for the middle of the day. Well, that night when I took off my bra, I had quite an "ache" (for lack of a better description, along the medial aspect of my IMF- right where I had a lot of pocket work done. What's strange is that THAT WAS 19 MONTHS AGO!!! All I can figure is that that bra didn't provide nearly the support that I thought, and must have allowed some vertical movement of that implant, and my body just wasn't very happy about that! Just something to consider.....
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Cindy: Thanks for mentioning that mesh bag. I get so tired of washing these bras out by hand! I have a very gentle cycle on my washing machine.
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This is rather interesting.....The Bra Washing Ball
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Hmmmmm......I'm such a devoted hand washer.......though it does look intriguing, I must admit. Just remember, do NOT put your bras in the dryer......it's death to any material with stretch (spandex, elastic, etc)
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I confess -- I can't stop touching my boobs! I'm only four days post-exchange, but they feel so soft, I can't keep my hands off them. It's funny -- the TEs felt like an accessory on my chest, and even though I still don't "feel" anything in the implants, it now feels a little more like real breasts. I'm not bumping into things with a voluminous chest anymore. I'm still waiting for the much-anticipated drop and fluff, but I did go to Walmart for three Danskin sports bras (the surgical bra's getting kind of nasty now). I have a PS post-op on Thursday, so I'm going to ask about insurance coverage for those pricey new bras I'll need once I'm cut loose from the squishy spandex. Enjoying all the posts on this thread and all the helpful pointers from the been-there-done-that's!
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Val61 - I'm scheduled to see my PS again next week. Although I've asked about bras 3 times already, I'll try again after reading these posts. I have to admit I feel more comfortable with some "binding".
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So, my DH today told me my 'new girls' looked really nice. How sweet of him! I get my nips (or as I say the girls are getting their new 'hats' on 6/14). I can't wait
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So, I went to Victoria's Secret! Whoo Hoo!!!!
Didn't know a 38B is the sister size to a 36C...interesting
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Joan: I "massage" mine constantly. I love how soft they are!
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Okay, every type I read this thread I'm hysterically laughing. Massaging, checking yourself out, bra balls, sweaty boobs, and the dewey decimal system of organizing bras. Hah!!
city kitty: Let me know how you made out! I was very comfy in that bra... even in fitted shirts. The straps are kinda wide, so I had to fuss with those, but besides that... it didn't smash me, so I liked it!
minustwo: No bras at all, huh? Very interesting, indeed! My PS was okay with me wearing one and not wearing one during expansion. I just wore a stretchy comfy one that didn't squish or pinch too much. And that TX heat. Yowza's! I've been whining about the weather in NJ when it was super muggy last week. Since I've been slathering on all sorts of oils and lotions and scar serums, my chest has been almost breaking out in between my new sweaty foobs. Gross!! This is new for me, I've never had that problem before
My Mom said it looks like "prickly heat rash".Val: Hah! Totally should've saved the pic. I don't think I check myself out so much, but I am definitely VERY aware of them now!!
fire-dancer: I think I told you this already, but I swear everyone who KNOWS me... is always staring at my chest. I swear I think they're waiting for a zombie to pop off my chest and scare them. Lol! I have to say though... I'm kinda self concious about my cleavage in new shirts. While I like it, and think it looks nice... I'm SOOOOOO not used to it. I keep telling my DH I feel like a stirpper if I wear anything low! But women with big boobs wear that all the time and usually look great! Definitely an adjustment period over here. Haha.
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Here's another bra washing bag to check out http://www.organizeit.com/bra-wash-bag.
I can't get the site to come up this way - but if you go to organizeit.com and search bra wash bags you can find it for $5.99 -they have some others on that site as well.
I have a couple and use them all the time - I can put two bras in at once.
I too feel like everyone is staring at my chest - especially friends that I haven't seen for some time - definitely takes some getting used to!
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I like that bag and it's a good price ~ I will def order a couple. I like the Bra Ball too , but it is a bit spendier..but I just like to say the name.. "Bra Ball". 0
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ok - I went to the gym for an aerobics class for the 1st time since exchange (I'm 6 weeks out)...I went easy on myself and kept it low-impact, but I am not sure if I followed along very well because I could NOT stop marveling at how the new foobs stayed completely still while all the other ladies boobs were flopping all over like the real boobs they are!
The room is completely mirrored and I kept laughing to myself that my arms & belly would be shaking right along with the other ladies' bodies, as I did my 'football runs', high knees running and all sorts of exercises that challenged my non-moving girls...but nope, the foobs remained secure and motionless...I guess I have to credit a realllly good sports bra for this, too! ...I have begun to care for the skin on my chest and foob-area like I do my face, having never had cleavage I never had to worry about sweat or anything like that "in there", but yes, with all the oils & lotions I am applying, I use my face wash on my cleavage region now...well, maybe it'll be helpful to keep that "young, radiant skin" going on in there like the label says it should be doing for my wrinkles... ;-)
Erica - yes, I agree completely, I really do love the way they look, but yes, on the other hand I am a bit self-conscious of the fact that they are more 'out there'...someday we'll be used to the 'mighty cleave' and blend in with the 'naturally endowed' ladies ...minus the fact that ours will remain a bit perkier
of course! haha!0
