All things bras & prosthesis
Comments
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Hi Bridgegal,
My scars after three surgeries, Bmx, implant placement and implant removal are straight across the middle of where my breast would be. So, when I wear a prosthetic, they are hidden behind the prosthetic perfectly. No problem with scars showing with cami's or tank tops at all. I did not get any breast form for leaving the hospital. Believe me, that will be the last thing on your mind. Just wear a loose blouse as you will have a surgical bra on with drains hanging down. so, a loose jacket would also be good. No one will see anything or be looking! This is the topic for you if you are going the prosthesis route. Much knowledge here for you! Keep us posted about your progress. I know it's scary but try not to worry and stay positive! Brighter days ahead!
Best,
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Hi Erica, I have a pair of 10's sitting in the FoobMoire, because that was what the sizing chart said. I bought 2 to get the discount, but when they arrived I couldn't believe how large they were. fine if I had a BMX, but silly looking, on one side. My original Tru Life 611 came from my fitter and I bought a 9, because that was what the fitter suggested. I am an 8 in Amoena silicone forms and I feel the 9 n the Tru Life is slightly larger than the 8 silicone, but I think it is to allow for the softening of the foam, over time. My fave, go to, form is my slightly squished, first Tru Life 611, I guess I am a bit like a kid with a blankie, LOL I feel this one is nicely "worn in". I have bought several size 9's, because now I am afraid they may discontinue my favorite form and I want to have some in reserve. So to answer your question, I would probably go up 1 size, to the 5, a 6 if you want them to be fuller looking, if you're like me, the 2 sizes up the chart suggests, would be just too much.
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bridgegal, I just remembered that, even though I had a bra and a softee to leave the Hospital with, I just wore a button front shirt, raising your arms is not easy straight after surgery. I put a few tissues into the breast pocket of the shirt, my drain in a cloth shoulder bag and I was good to go. Bettyboops is right, I didn't bother about making sure I was even on both sides, the tissues were all I needed. Don't forget to take a small pillow with you to protect your chest, for the ride home, in the car.
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Erica I had the same question about the 611s. I wear a 36A which is a size 4 in my silicone forms. I have shallow ones too which are a little smaller and are more like a AA Had to try on 8 A cup bras to get 2 shallow enough.
Trying to figure out what 611s will be what I need to order which will be the equivalent as that is what I'm hoping to order next the 5 or 6.
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The only thing I can suggest is to buy from somewhere like metromedical who post for free, so you can either buy both sizes and return the one that doesn't suit or just take a chance with one size and hope it is the right one. I guess the return post cost is a small price to pay for getting the correct size.
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Erica,,,, my silicone is a 5 and it is the right match up size. When I went to order Trulife,, it said I needed a 7,,, so I ordered a 7. It was way too big. I sent it back and got a 6, and really the 6 was a little big too. So my advice is do not go up two sizes!! I would suggest only one size. Just my opinion.0 -
Ariom, your experience was very helpful. I think I'll try the size 5 and see how that works to start. It's tempting to order both sizes and compare, though. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Chloesmom, one of the reasons that I'm thinking of going up from size 4 in the 611s is that their width on my chest is a little small, and I'm only a 34 band size. Since you're a 36, I'd guess that the size 4s would seem too small in that way for you. I'm also hoping to get a bit more projection, so hopefully the size 5 or 6 will provide both the extra width and projection I want. I hope you find a size that works for you!
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Erica. Ariom always has great advice which I appreciate so much! If you get the 5s could you give feedback? I'm a bit strapped for a while so am going to wait to get them closer to the Summer and will soappreciate your report. If I lose weight with chemo I will be back to a 34 that I was a number of years ago so we both are probably looking at needing a 5 unless you find it too big.
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Bridgegal,
Yes, like Ariom said, pillow in the car!! Very important. I totally forgot about that!
Best,
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Ariom: This one is for you, our fashion goddess! If anyone else knows what I am talking about or has any input please feel free as this is driving me nuts! During one of my pre surgery internet frenzies I could have sworn that I found a "bra" that had a normal looking bra on one side( for your existing girl) and a scarf like material on the other side (for the mx side). I would like to get one of these so that I don't have to wear a form but my existing "girl" will still have support. I am not crazy about sports bras as gravity and four children have taken a toll on the poor thing! Please let me know if you know what I am referring to and if you can point me in the right direction to find something.
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Questions about silicone form care.
Do you use form covers? If you do, does that mean you don't have to wash the forms daily or is there another reason to purchase covers
Also my Trulife bra has a mesh pocket so the form contacts my skin and I am washing the form. However the Genie bra covers the form and since it's snowy outside and I'm not perspiring the form isn't getting anything on it. Do I still need to wash the form?
What happens when you know the silicone forms need to be replaced. Does the outside get damaged or do they lose their shape? Will using a cover make them last longer. They take a lot of abuse to squish them into pockets and the fitter said not to be afraid to do so, but does that wear them out?
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home, I think you're thinking of chikaradesigns.com.
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Good thinking, Wren! I forgot that she has a bra on that site! I wonder if she's still active. I hope so. And by the way, the link is chikaradesign.com (not designs).
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Yup. That's what I wrote down. Just didn't copy it correctly. Blaming ADD.
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That's the first time I have seen that range Wren, very interesting. Home. I haven't seen anything like this, anywhere else. I don't know if this may interest you as you say you don't want to wear a form, but there was a member here, who found a bra with a permanent form in the missing side, with good support for the remaining side. I don't remember who it was, but I think Erica knew of this brand.
Chloesmom, I don't use covers for any of my Silicone Foobs, just the foam ones. I do wash my Silicone forms every time I wear them with the Amoena cleanser my fitter gives me, when I purchase a new one. I keep them in their boxes too. These forms have a 2 year warranty, but should last a lot longer than that if properly cared for. I believe them to have a fairly robust construction except if they get punctured or torn in any way. That's why they tell you to be careful, with kids and animals! LOL
I must admit that I am one who swaps and changes forms all the time, sometimes more than once a day, depending on what I am wearing. None of mine get a lot of consistent wear, I tend to share the wear around. I think they really have a good amount of life in them and don't need to be treated too gently, when you are putting them into pockets, just be careful of jewellery catching on them. I haven't had any that have shown any kind of wear, except for my first and favorite, Tru Life 611, it is a weighted foam form which has been worn so much, that it has squished a bit.
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I wonder if you couldn't put a flat piece across the cup you don't need. Then just remove the cup. mastectomysolutions.com has instructions for adding a pocket to an existing bra. I did it and it wasn't really difficult. I suppose you could flatten the cup, but that might be harder.
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That's it!! Thank you so much. I am a letter carrier for the post office and this will be perfect for work! I wear baggy shirts anyway and was never really "blessed" in the breast area so I wanted these to wear at work so I didn't have to worry about a form while I was reaching, bending over, lifting heavy objects, etc. Yeah!
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Ariom, the bra with the permanent form on the missing side (they also make it with forms on both sides) is the Jodee Embrace Perma Form Mastectomy Bra. I don't know anyone who's tried it. The idea of having an all-in-one garment appealed to me when I first had my mastectomy, but pretty quickly it just became second nature taking forms in and out of pockets, so I never tried it out.
Regarding washing silicone forms, honestly since I always wear my silicone forms in a pocketed bra (I can't stand the feel of them against my skin), I don't wash them every time, even though generally I'm pretty manic about cleanliness. Unless they get oils from your skin on them, I think it's okay not to wash them everyday. So if I've perspired while wearing them, then I definitely would wash them. I agree with Ariom that you don't have to be ultra-gentle with them. It's great advice to watch out for jewelry, though, and I learned the hard way to make sure I don't grip the form using my fingernails, since I managed to nick one once and ruin it.
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I remember a member here was riding her motorcycle to Sturgis when her foob sprang a leak. She stopped, fixed it with duct tape and rode on.
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I actually fixed mine temporarily with regular Scotch tape. Then, since it was brand new, I brought it back to the fitter, who took pity on me and replaced it.
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Hi Chloemom,
About the silicon foobs...I've only had them for a few months. I do not wash them every day because I got covers. Funny, my fitter insisted that they didn't need covers and that I should wash them everyday because they do come in contact with your skin around the edges. No way, I told her, I'm not doing that. Way too much work! I insisted on covers. She ordered mesh lace covers for me - useless, because the foobs still touch the skin. I think the manufacturer must tell the fitters that it breathes better without a cover. Maybe that is true as I haven't worn them in the hot weather. In any case, I ordered Jodee covers of approximately the same size. They do not fit perfectly like the ones that come with the triangle leisure forms because the custom is, well, custom shape. I like having the covers very much. I have been wearing the covers on my foobs and have no plans to wash them for a while. I never wore them for any length of time without a cover. If you do not wear a cover, they recommend cleaning every day. Gimme a break! Does anyone actually do that? Maybe I'm crazy or something but babysitting my foobs everyday is not what I want to do. Comments, advice?
Best,
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The thought of flossing my teeth, moisturizing my face,.... And adding washing my foobs too! I was thinking of getting a couple of sets of covers and changing & washing them. Otherwise I will have to start getting ready for bed after supper or get an extra bathroom for DH
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I wash mine pretty much every time I wear them, only takes a few seconds, under that tap, rub on a little cleanser, rinse, wipe and in the box. I do wear the weighted foam, more often and I wash the covers for that one pretty regularly, in the machine. The one that I find tedious is the Contact, because not only do you have to scrub the backing on that one every time you wear it, but you have to prep your skin to make sure it adheres really well too. I keep that one only for special occasions, because it is more care than I feel like doing, most of the time.
Thank you Erica for that, I couldn't remember the name of that bra.
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Nwest, thank you for your advice. I got the blouson top, and it's working fine for me. And I got the 5" swimsuit shorts for a bottom, which cover up my surgery there just fine. This is probably the least trouble I've had with a swimsuit in a while.
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You are so welcome , I think I am going to love wearing this swimsuit this summer0 -
Hi Ariom,
You are so good to your foobs! I think it's been so cold here I haven't sweat at all and washing seems like chore that is unnecessary! Everything hand washed takes days to dry as the house is so cold. Maybe in the summer I will feel differently about washing everyday. I guess it's a habit one gets into. I must say though, when I washed my weighted leisure forms (foam), it seems to degrade them quite a bit. I guess I was thinking that washing the "whipped" silicon everyday would be degrading it a little bit every time. I've got my covers on the silicon foobs now and only wear the foobs halftime when I don't have to work or go out somewhere. At home and other times I wear the weighted leisure forms in a cami.
Best,
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Hi Betttyboops,now I understand what you mean! Maybe it is a bit OTT to wash mine each time I take it off, but the truth is, like you, I don't wear the silicone all the time, so I don't want to put something back into the box, unwashed. I have never actually washed my weighted foam forms, just the covers. Now, I would find that a chore and I can imagine they would degrade a bit, with washing. The silicone ones are as simple to wash, as washing your hands, pat dry and no breaking down. Like you, I wear the weighted foam form, the majority of the time, in a cami too.
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I just wanted to report back that I ordered and received the Trulife 611 slightly-weighted foam forms in a size 5. The size I have now is a 4. The shape of the 4 is very nice but I thought I'd try going a little bigger. Well, the 5s are MUCH bigger -- way too big for me, as it turns out. And enough bigger that they don't fit in the Still You camisoles that I like to use with foam forms. So, they're going back. I may order the Amoena 132s (their weighted foam form) in a size 4, instead. Right now, I have size 3s in that form, and they're a little small.
Tomorrow, I'm going over to my local mastectomy shop to take a look at the Natural Cosmetic silicone form. I haven't used my insurance to get new silicone forms for over five years, so if I like them, I may go for it.
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That's interesting Erica, I felt the last size 9 I received was larger than the previous one. I wonder if something has changed in the manufacturing. I remember you preferring a fuller form and I found the Amoena weighted foam to be a bit too proud for me, I prefer a little more drape, which I feel is morre the 611.
Good luck with the Cosmetic silicone form, I have worn mine quite a few times. I have to say that even though this form has the gel back which is supposed to transfer heat, I found I was perspiring a lot behind it. We have had some very hot days, so I am not sure if that was the real cause. I will try it in the cooler weather to see if it is still an issue. I do like the overall feel of this new form and it is "hug" friendly.
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I'm sorry to hear that the Cosmetic form has felt hot for you, since I really don't do well with forms that cause me to perspire. Do you have any helpful ways of dealing with perspiration when it does happen? What I don't like is when I'm out and perspire behind the form and then the bra pocket gets damp, so there's no way to cool off or at least dry out. Sorry if that's TMI.
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