All things bras & prosthesis
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Wish I could sew like that !! Very clever!0 -
Didn't take a a lot of skill believe me.
If you want to salvage some suits you might find a friend with a machine. 0 -
Not so much the suits,, as I want to custom fit my compression pads! Haven't found one that is just right yet.0 -
Great job Chloesmom! That looks exactly like a bought one! I have heard the modesty pads don't hold up too well in water, but there are the other options if you need them, like the bath pouffy, unwound and then wound up loosely over your fingers and then inserted into the pocket. The micro bead foobs from mastectomysolutions and the foob companies swim forms. I recently got a Trulife swimform with microbeads in it and it is really good. I also have an Amoena clear silicone swimform, which is also good for serious swimming.
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Looking to get one of those forms when I can get fitted. In the meantime my incisions are healed but even the fiberfill foobs hurt in my post op cami. When the fabric rubs it burns. We went out to dinner the other night and I had to go to the restroom and rip it off. They were just a 1/2 filled poof but it was too much. Am going totally flat now for the time being. Swam in my racing suit flat, but have 3 suits that I had to fix.
The Genie forms make a nice temporary solution as they are concave and only the edges touch me. The hollow part is not pressing on incisions. If they hold up a month or two that is great. I've been swimming every day I can and my cording is almost gone in my arms now!
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oh, excellent that the cording is almost gone!!!0 -
That's great Chloesmom, swimming every day has got to be so good for your range of Movement and the cording. I found holding my flat hand over the raspy, sunburn, feeling, when I was sitting doing nothing, helped a lot and massage with a lotion or carrier oil, helped to desensitize my chest and also helped with my cording.
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hi ladies,i am a new flat sister and about a month out from bmx.
went out today, and tried out my foam puffs in my old rhonda shear regular bra. Ha! Riding up to my ears before I left the house. So then tried them in my rhonda shear microfiber ahh bra, like the genie bra, and that was much better but still the were trying to escape. I cannot wait to get fitted! 2 more weeks.....
I live in a super humid and hot climate, so want to get something that will not make me insane. Before BC, I could not ever wear padded bras lest I perspire into a coma. So...the search for the perfect foobs is on!
Camis may be my answer, with a built in bra, I like that idea. Am discouraged at the moment, my clothes do not look right and I am reminded of BC every look in the mirror.
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Hey Bippy! I know that awful escaping pouffy feeling!
When you get fitted, you will see there are lots of silicone forms with gel backing, which was supposedly developed for the astronauts, in space, not sure exactly, what for, but is supposed to transfer heat. I believe there are some newer ones that are lighter whipped silicone, with gel back. The light foam forms are great, but not as easy to clean as the silicone. They do have a removable cover, but if you perspire a lot, they may not have a very long life.
The camisole with a form, in the heat, is a very good idea. I wear them all the time and we are in our very hot summer, right now.
There are also some great Mx bras made by Amooena that are made with a cool, or wicking fabric. Don't discount Mx bras, for normal bras, there are some incredibly comfortable Mx bras and the fact that they are a completely different cut to normal bras, so the straps will never fall off your shoulders and they are cut to avoid the underarm area, where nodes have been removed.
Good luck with your fitting!
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Farmerlucy, that is a great idea! I would be doing lots of research before making the final decision and Vinnie would be the obvious choice. Thank you!
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Bippy, I live in FL too. I know all about the heat and humidity! Ariom has given good advice. She is really our goddess of all knowledge bras and foobs!0 -
thanks Ariom! In the meantime before I get fitted, I can use my Amoena cami, and I have another with a regular shelf bra I can try to manipulate into working. It s a bit of a learning process. I am going to donate all my conventional bras to Goodwill, they clearly will not work at all...the microfibers, maybe?
I will ask the fitter about forms, my insurance only pays for one set, and 6 bras. So I need to choose wisely. I wish I had sewing skills
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Bippy625,
Good luck with finding good heat solutions. That has been my quest, too! I spend half the year in Florida, the rest in New England, so am in warm weather much of the time. Although I like the way my silicone forms look, I wear them mainly for going out in the evening, since I perspire behind even the forms that are advertised as having special cooler gel backs. I've found some foam forms that, combined with camisoles or bras, work well for day wear and exercise. I particularly like to wear the foam forms in an unstructured Still You camisole. I have reviews of these items on my non-profit website, BreastFree.org. By the way, for those who've already checked out the site, I've just redesigned it to make it more easily readable and navigable. I've updated some content in the process, but it's still the same site, just with a slightly newer look.
Ariom and others,
I just received a new pair of Trulife 611s and a new pair of Amoena 132s, both slightly-weighted foam forms. My old ones were on their last legs. The 611s are almost the same as my old ones, though they don't seem to lie in their covers quite as well, which is disappointing. My old 132s were the original version, with a non-removable cover, so the new ones, with a removable cover, are fantastic! The cover glides in a way the old one never did, which I really like, and the fact that the cover is removable means that I can more readily use the form in a non-pocketed bra. With the old one, I didn't want to wear it too often directly against my skin, since this meant I'd have to wash it more often, which was very difficult when the cover wasn't removable (I didn't want to immerse it, so had to try to "wipe" it -- not very effective).
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Hi Erica, I just had a look a the breastfree site, it looks great and easy to navigate!
I have recently received another few 611's, bought with a discount at metromedicalonline. I found the covers don't sit as well as before too, they seem to wrinkle more. I have the Amoena weighted foam, which is new to Australia, but I find it a little too firm for me, the foam doesn't have the drape that I like, in the 611. I also find that the 611's soften with wear and so far the Amoena hasn't softened at all. I love the idea of the powdered minerals as the weight, in the Amoena, as opposed to the metal in the others.
I am coming up for my 2 year fitting in a few weeks. In Australia we have a once every 2 year allowance for forms and I heard there is a new Amoena form, that is lighter weight silicone, with a softer drape and a very soft feel to its outer "skin". It may well be something that is already released in the US, but new to us, I don't know the name yet. We don't have much of a selection of brands here, Amoena is the most widely sold brand, with just a few styles available in some other brands.
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Ariom, That sounds like the form I bought a month ago. It weighs half what my old Amoena silicone weighs. Much more comfortable. It also seems softer and more 'real' feeling. It's Amoena essential light 2S. I can't see ever wearing the heavy one again.
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Ariom, please let us know what you think of the new Amoena form and whether it's the Essential Light 2S. That one's been here in the U.S. for a while, so I'll be really interested to know if there's something brand new available to you in Australia. Wren44, glad you're liking the Essential Light!
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good info! Thanks Erica and wrenn. i will let you know what I get and how it does as well. Today I wore my foam starter, the puffy things, with my cami amd they are totally comfy. Have had them on all day.
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i probably should not have, but just ordered some genie milana bras from QVC. They are so lovely, and have the lace modesty panel. The colors are bright and jewel like, Hope they work!!! I love microfiber bras.....these do have inserts and panels, so I will report back as to how they are. My issue is I will be returning to work and have lots of vneck dresses and shirts, not revealing normally but now, well....I need fuller coverage to hide my hollow chest. If they are not right, I can return them or sell them on Ebay. Good sale, only 10 bucks each now and free shipping! The are in lots of 2 though, so it is 20.
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Erica, I will let you know after the fitting on the 28th, I am looking forward, to seeing something new. I am pretty sure it will be the form you are talking about and that Wrenn has, I doubt there would be a launch of anything new in Australia before the US.
Bippy, you may find these bras are perfect for you. It is the larger sizes that have the sagging problem with the knit bras. There have been a few women who have bought and loved these styles. VintageGal posted about them a lot and posted pictures of the great color options with the ones with the lace cami top.
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Hello there, I hope you don't mind me posting, but my mum has recently had a mastectomy and is struggling to find feminine bras which are comfortable for her to wear. She is only 38, and was presented with extremely high necked, thick strapped bras which makes her feel 'frumpy'. I am studying lingerie at uni and after everything with my mum, have decided to base my final major collection around mastectomy lingerie and nightwear that is feminine and comfortable. Does anyone have any advice for my mum in terms of where she can find nice bras at all or any areas which they hate about mastetcomy bras, or anything they would love to have in terms of lingerie and nightwear. Thankyou
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Oh, good, westy, you found this thread. This is where you want to be. I am terrible at this advice but ARIOM will be on when she wakes up. Australian time zone!! She is our goddess of all things bras and foobs and also knows how to find a SALE. If you read back a few pages for the most recent posts, you may find some suggestions too. There are attractive bras out there!! How long ago did your mum have her surgery? Does she have a prosthetic (foob) yet? What size bra does she wear? Post details if you will, and others will be along to help. You may also want to look at Erica's page,,,, breastfree.org (see her post above for the link!)Best to you and your Mum!
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hi Westy93,
I will defer to Ariom but here are a couple of suggestions in the meantime. Your mom can see a professional fitter who will get her a variety of non- frumpy items. You can search on- line for a fitter in your area or ask a local cancer group. A lot of us here like a website Metromedical which has many styles and feminine bras to choose from. They have sales people who can help with sizing but I still recommend starting with a fitter. The brand Amoena has nice bras as well as pocketed camisoles which are great in the first weeks after surgery and beyond. I like them in the hot summer and I wear them like tank tops. Your mom could browse the Metromedical website and see what she likes. Personally, I have a favorite prosthetic bra I wear everyday. It is an Amoena Marlena bra. It is soft, stretchy and comfortable. I have another Amoena Angela bra which is cotton with lace. I'm sure your mom will find something she likes.
Good luck with your project at school!
Best,
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sounds like a great deal Bippy! Many of the women here like those bras. They are so pretty! I like the colors. Some of the mastectomy stuff is so blah color wise. I'm dying to buy an Amoena magenta cami but it hasn't gone on sale yet...the brown and red are on sale but not the magenta. No other colors are available except black and white which are not my colors. We need more pretty colors for the cami's . Enjoy your shipment when it arrives. Let us know how they work out.
Best,
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Hello ladies, thank you! Great advice from all of you, I only have a few little things to add.
Westy, take a look at metromedicalonline in both the sale mastectomy area and the general full priced mastectomy bras and the clothing as well. Also take a look on ebay at the Amoena camisoles, I have bought many of my Vallettas from ebay stores for great prices. There are lots of great brand new bras at great prices on Ebay, but I aleays suggest you get fitted first so you know size and cut, that you like and is comfortable.
It sounds like your Mother has been to a fitter, but unfortunately, like where I am in Australia, they don't always keep a great selection of stock. There are some pretty revolting looking mastectomy bras out there, but there are also some really pretty ones that look and feel great. I am in my 60's and I wouldn't wear those straightjacket styles either, so I can imagine what it is like for a young 38 year old. Take a look on the Amoena site for their latest range of clothing swimwear and bras, if your Mother has insurance, she may be able to get a fitter to get stock in of a style she likes, or even find another fitter who has a better range.The insurance in the US can be very generous with these items, depending on which one you have.
What a great career you could have ahead of you, if you look to going into this area. I am very interested in all things bras and forms and research and try new things all the time. In Australia, we don't have a lot of choice, but Amoena is a fantastic high quality brand and it would be worth your time, to take a look at the innovative things they have brought to this market. There could be others in the US for you to look at, but this could be a start.
I wish your Mother all the very best, there really is so much out there if you spend the time to search. I am sure she will find something. Let us know how she gets on.
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Sorry, meant to mention, Bettyboops, there is a huge range of colors in the Valletta, I recently bought Stone, Aqua, Marine Blue and Coral on Ebay. I mostly wear the black, or white, but I have pink, which only gets worn in October for BC stuff I may attend, I hate Pink! LOL I also have the red and brown. There are lots of colors around if you can find them. I wear them with a waterfall cardigan or a jacket. For me, they are the most comfy things to wear and they also can take the weight of a silicone form, which most other camis can't. I sometimes wear a weighted foam form in them and that sits perfectly too.
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Ariom, I tried on a Valetta at my mx store. It had 2 layers, an elastic tight one and a looser dressy one. Are they all double fronts or just the white one I tried?
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I think only the white are like that Wrenn. I am wearing a black one now and there is no second layer on this one and I just checked the pale stone color and it doesn't have it either. I guess it is just to cover the nude fabric of the internal bra which may have shown through the white modal fabric. The white Valletta T shirt has it too.
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Thanks. I didn't care for the second layer. Don't look that good in white anyway. Do you have the red? It looks like it's on the orangish side in the photo. Can't wear that red.
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thanks Ariom,
I never look on eBay. I'll have to take a look. I've just been checking metromedical and a couple of other large websites. Those colors are not there. Do you have another website that you like for Vallettas?
Best,
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