All things bras & prosthesis
Comments
-
netrajkr,
I don't know about all department stores, but Nordstrom only carries Amoena forms. You can find more variety at a good mastectomy shop. On the other hand, Nordstrom will sew pockets into any of their regular bras, so that's a plus.
As you can tell from the posts above, many women like Coobie, Genie and other bras. Since you have insurance, I would first try some mastectomy bras (usually more expensive) and see how you like those. Then you can use your insurance for those and maybe supplement with the Coobies and others.
0 -
I love coobie, as I'm small and they're great! I just stick light foam shells in them when I work out, no one can tell. I'm lucky to have a great Mastectomy supply place up here where I did by a couple of Amoena, contacts, which has been my brand of choice for the past 25 years. I'm a 35 A so I either buy a 34 A or 36 A depending on cut. Anita, which is a German company makes very sexy mastectomy bras, with pockets, but I also have always just bought regular bras for my stick on foobs. There's a place on line called True and Co which has amazing underwear (not a mastectomy store) but if you've got stick ons they're great, I just found them and they're like zappos for bras. Herroom.com also has all sorts of mastectomy and just plain bras and underwear and they carry a lot of the really nice Amoena bras such as this one normally 60 bucks now 29 dollars, there are lots more like that..plus foobs. What am, I wearing right now...nada..having a flat saturday
0 -
wren44 ,glennie19 &chloesmom, I'll sure go check these stores...since I haven't been fitted yet I have been using my post surgeryFoam forms with the coobie bra..so that may be the reason it does not look good to me..I'll try with the other forms once I get fitted..
I got 2 coobie bras one is coobie scoop neck and other is coobie comfort.
0 -
Thank you so much Erica, it helps a lot..actually I was confused thinking if I should first go to Nordstrom or to a masectomy store.. I think I'll go to a masectomy store first as you said Nordstrom will have Amoena only..
As it's just the beginning for me I'll be learning so many new things ..I know i would find some thing to replace my lost breast with the help you alI..
0 -
Suladog,I'll be sure getting back to you once I get fitted ..thanks for providing all the information..I want to know what kind of breast firm usually you guys start with..since weighed forms (silicon )are heavy someone suggest me to start with light forms in the beginning few months..
Actually I don't much knowmay be I know my options when I go for my fitting..
0 -
be sure to check your insurance coverage. mine pays 80% of up to $26 which the cost of a $52 bra left me $31 copay. I could have bought the same model for less on eBay. It was with it for my silicone forms though
0 -
When I first got fitted, I got a foam foob and a silicon foob. Forget what insurance paid, but they paid some. The foam is nice and light, but it can ride up depending on the bra. The silicon is heavier and feels more like the weight of your own breast. Later on, as suggested here, I got a TruLife weighted foam foob. It is kind of in the middle between the other two. I hope you have a mastectomy shop that carries a wide variety of foobs so you can get an idea of what they feel like.0 -
I'm breast free, and I fine without a prosthetic bra. I'm wearing a genie bra since I had a lift in May 2015, and it helps to be tight and confined. I like being flat. Now, I have to decide if I want another surgery to try again on the implant.
My plastic surgeon had mentioned that they do sell silicon bras that aren't as heavy. But, I figure if I'm going out to a function and need something to fill the void. I get one of those silicone breast that Amazon sells.
0 -
This thread is really helpful. I'm flat now 3 weeks post op. In this hot and humid weather, I'm enjoying not wearing a bra! I'll definitely do the same next summer! But I wear a lot of knits in winter and I'm hoping to look okay in those still, if I wear them with some smaller forms to give the knit tops a little shape, unless forms just don't work under those? Don't know yet. I figure I better bring one of these knit tops to try on with the forms and mastectomy bras when I get professionally fitted.
0 -
it's a great idea to bring a couple of different tops to be fitted. I brought a scoop neck and a knitted top to see how my foobs looked. With the knit top I could see that I needed a bra with cups closer together as they were set too wide apart. It felt good, but I would have been unhappy with the fit had I not checked it out with clothes
0 -
Chloesmon: How many months post op were you before you could be comfortable wearing a bra and prosthesis?
0 -
You guys are right to think about being "too far apart." I messed something up because I bought a bunch of bras in my old size, 34C, and then bought breast forms that are smaller than my old size. Somehow this results in being too far apart. It looks pretty silly.
Magiclight, they usually recommend six weeks post-op to be fitted, as I'm sure they told you, but even then that area is really really tender. I'm four months post-op and still don't feel 100 percent comfortable because of all the numbness, but in a way it helps to have pressure on my chest. It feels more secure, and my posture is better when I'm wearing the silicone form rather than just the fluff. My fitter said this is a common habit--if you go flat, you tend to slouch a bit and/or lean into the mastectomy side.
I'm really surprised by how I look after surgery. It's nothing like I thought, and now I'm half wishing I did reconstruction. The surgeon ended up scraping my cancer side really deeply, so I have rather sore-looking divots in the upper chest area. It's so awful-looking, especially after radiation, that I just keep covered up, wear high-necked t-shirts, etc. And for some reason I had swelling after surgery (they ripped the drains out a week after surgery, maybe that was it) so I have stretch marks under my scars. It is not attractive in the least. In fact, it looks like toad skin! Ribbit! And thanks to radiation, I am a sunburned toad. It is completely awesome.
Oh well, I'll get used to it because we can get used to anything. It doesn't really matter because I keep covered up with a padded sports bra and even take baths with it on in case my kids want to come in to chat and put their feet in the bathwater. Which they still do. I'm not ready for them to see my bare chest; the poor things would be scared senseless.
0 -
Got fitted 8 weeks after and forms were right but a month later band n bra was too big. I was able to sew and fixit but if not it would have been a waste of a $50 bra
Also decided at that time I was happier getting a size 4 shallow than a regular. The difference in weight is big for me even though they don't look much different. The compression of the silicone feels good. Mine are amoena essential lights and the shallow ones I got on eBay are ABCs If I was larger I might like the gain but being small prefer to wear silicone .
Before I got hem I wore fluff ones in a Genie bra with the modesty shields for smooth lineand kept tugging it down
0 -
Hi Chloesmom:
I also have "shallow" profile ABC forms. Have you found a good bra that is cut similarly shallow? Mine has empty space in the upper part of the cup.
BarredOwl
0 -
My favorite is the Trulife Ella. I looked on Metromedical website. I think the ban ran a little tight so if You are on the fence gnlarger A lot of bras are described as Full. I also went to bra store and tried on a dozen with my forms Got a discontinued Classique 769 that has smaller cups. Most of the Amoenaa ran too full Will check my drawer later
0 -
Chloesmom:
Thanks!! I've ordered from MetroMedicalOnline before, so I'll look into the Ella.
BarredOwl
0 -
I have a not bra question. Do you still wear v necked shirts. I have some and I am not doing recon. I did find after my uni that I was not comfortable wearing them.
Thank you.
0 -
I wear them, but couldn't wear all the ones I had. Genie has a bra with lace at the top to peek out from low necklines. I'm pretty modest, so didn't have too many that didn't work.
0 -
Hello Ladies!
Forgive me if I'm asking questions that have already been asked on this forum, but with 55 pages of reading, who has that time? I am looking ahead to my UMX without reconstruction at the end of this month, and I have a few questions about bras and silicone/foam inserts.
I visited a local lingerie store that also specializes in mastectomy products. They have Amoena products, including bras, tanks and even bathing suits. The woman in the store also showed me non-mastectomy bras that could be used, she was very helpful showing me many different options.
So my first question for all of you - she said they can take the bras I wear now and sew a pocket in whichever side you need, for a silicone or foam insert, for a small fee. Now I have full insurance coverage, so cost isn't an issue, but this seems super easy to me, to just bring in the bras I wear now, sew in a pocket, done. But, my bras all have underwire, so I am wondering if this will be bothersome soon after my surgery. I plan to go back to work after 2 weeks (I have a quiet desk job), and want to be ready to go back looking "normal" wearing my work clothes. Would I also be able to stick a foam insert in the one side then? I don't know if I want a silicone insert yet, haven't seriously thought about it, but some of the reading I've done seems like they can get heavy, which I don't want.
Next question, if I decide to purchase actual mastectomy bras, do they generally also have underwire? Are they able to be worn 2 weeks post-surgery? And when should I be fitted? If I go this route and purchase mastectomy bras, I would like to have at least one bra ready (as well as a sports bra) to go when I'm ready for work, and don't really know if I will feel like trying on bras during my recovery. Would I not be swollen in areas that could affect the fit? Seems like a pre-surgery fitting would have a better outcome for fit. I've also seen some don't for a fitting until 6-8 weeks post-surgery, but I don't know...
And, is there really an issue with not being evenly weighted? Can't one just make-do with a foam insert on the one side? I've heard the foam can shift, but can't you just pin it into your bra? I guess this stuff I won't really understand until I am actually there.
Help?
Kim
0 -
Kimmer, My surgeon said no more underwires (I had always worn them). I have seen mastectomy bras with underwires, so perhaps not all docs feel that way. My tumors were very low at the bottom of my breast. My doctor also said not to wear a bra at all for 6 weeks. Depending on how large your remaining side is, a sports top or camisole might work until you're all healed. I have a lighter weight silicone, but during the summer I've been wearing weighted foam. Due to other factors, I've been wearing genie bras or their imitators. The unweighted foob tends to ride up along with the bra. A camisole would keep that from happening.
It is very easy to sew a pocket into a regular bra. A woman on here has a website called mastectomysolutions.com and she has instruction for sewing pockets into your own bras. If you don't sew, it would be worth it to have them do it.
At 2 weeks, you will probably be swollen, so don't get anything expensive until you're farther out. Some women are given a fiberfill puff in the hospital and that can work until you're ready for a fitting. If they are taking any nodes out it may be uncomfortable to put things on over your head. Most bras can probably be stepped into.
0 -
Kilmer 33,I had my masectomy on June 24th ..I'll complete 8 weeks next week..I'm 34d on the other side..I am still wearing my post surgery bra with some loose tops when I go out..everybody heals differently ..things got much better when the drains were removed..But I still remember that after 2 weeks my friend visited me then I first wore the post surgery bra ..she stayed for more than 2 hours & I removed as soon as she left .Since I was not working I didn't have to worry much..I wore post surgery camisole most of the time..
Sorry for the long story but I agree with wren44 that at 2 weeks you would be probably swollen..get ready some pattern and loose fit tops.. .that will be a great help..post surgery bras are not good but something is better than nothing..
Good luck with your surgery...
Hugs and love
0 -
Hi Ladies
Wren44, what sort of sports top or camisole do you mean when you say I should wear that until I'm healed? My remaining side is a 34C, so not small but not big either. I need some support for that girl. Do you mean a sports bra? I do have a post-surgery camisole that has velcro pockets for the drains which I can take out once the drains are gone, which I know I will wear around the house, but it isn't practical under clothing at work.
netrajkr, what is a post-surgery bra? Thanks for your responses!
Kim
0 -
Post surgery bra , I got 2 from my surgeon..One I woke up wearing after surgery that was more like a compression bra I never wore it since I was discharged from the hospital.The other I'm wearing with a fiber fill form given to me by doctor...I'm not sure if every hospital or surgeon does that..
0 -
Kim - I was able to wear this http://www.metromedicalonline.com/amoena2161.html#... with a fiberfill pouf not too long after surgery, but I couldn't wear it for an entire day.
Definitely wait 6 weeks or so for a fitting, you'll get better results if you do.
0 -
Kimmer, I just wore a camisole for the first 6 weeks. It was just too uncomfortable to wear a sports bra or a bra. I hope that everything will go well for you.
hugs
0 -
Ok, ladies, so a camisole meaning this?:
It has a built in shelf bra - would I insert just a soft foam insert then, and pin it in? I want to look as natural as possible at work. Thank you for this info!
Kim
0 -
Kimmer, yes. I did get the ones with the adjustable straps though. Under arms didn't like having to much touching them. I did the sports bras after that.
0 -
Okay quiltlibrarian, maybe the ones from costco? I think they have adjustable straps. And you get 2 in a pack! Did you pin the foam inserts in? Thanks for the info, you've been a great help!
Kim
0 -
I didn't pin them. I went most of the time without filling the sport bra. I really didn't have anyone say anything to me about it. I do work in a library on the front desk so I deal with a lot of the public. I did wear lots of vests and hoodies. If I wore a lighter shirt I did have a mx bra with a foam insert that worked well.
I will have to think of what I will do now. I have some time to think of this. Not back to work till 21 September.
wishing you the best.
0 -
the Amoena Valetta camisole at metromedical.com has a soft bra like in a bathing suit and pockets to put the foam poofs in them. I wore mine with a modesty shield pulled out of a Genie bra to give the cup a little more perk. They run a little small so I got a size larger than usual. I also got the Amoena T shirt with the built in bra as well from the same place A bit $ but well made and comfortable
0
