Going flat ... clothes?
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Mizzoh, you look great. I can really sympathize with you--I also have a big belly, made worse by the fact that I have no big boobs now. I had a lot of complications with my BMX 2/4/16, which resulted in a huge 6cm seroma on the left (good breast) and a 3.5" x 3" x 2" gash in the right (zombie breast.) Thank God I didn't have traditional recon or implants--I would have lost it all. Those areas are still not healed, nor will they be healed until about mid-May. Foo! Due to the location of my wounds right at the bra line, I cannot wear any kind of bra or cami with a shelf bra. I am still wearing dressings on both breasts, which surprisingly give me a little bit of a mound, LOL. No need for a binder, just gauze and tape.
I just came home from a week-long nursing conference in San Diego. Before I left home I decided that this would be my moment of truth--going flat and wigless in front of a bunch of people I didn't' know and would never see again. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything. I didn't catch anyone staring and no one said a thing about my 1-1/2" long hair. When I returned to Atlanta, I got pulled out of line after going through the body scanner. Apparently, having bandages strapped to your chest and no bra is a red flag for TSA. As I went through the pat down, the girl zeroed in on my chest. I leaned forward and told her I had bandages on because I had had a BMX recently. She pulled her hands off me like they were on fire, LOL. I bet she'll think twice before she pulls another lady with very, very short hair and no breasts out of line!
Anyway, that's a long way for me to say, I'm getting used to going flat. I guess nobody really cares about a 60 year old lady's boobs. I plan to not make a decision until at least 2017, but if I continue to feel as good as I do now I will strongly consider staying this way.
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Ja, darts make life interesting post-BMX.
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ksusan:
In case that was ambiguous, I was inspired because you look so sharp in your blazer.
BarredOwl
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Thank you--I wasn't clear; I was agreeing that darts are a challenge. Thank you for the compliment!
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I had a BMX with no reconstruction in February. I did get prosthesis but have not worn them at all yet. I prefer going flat. No one notices. My complaint is that when women choose no reconstruction, why can't the surgeon take a little extra care in making the finished product look good. Instead I was told to go to a plastic surgeon. I like prints to camouflage and sweaters but summer is coming and I have to think about tee shirts and tank tops.
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vsb2015- that is one of my big concerns. I hope that the surgeon & I are very much on the same page. I am hoping for a nice clean scar. Not lots of excess skin left.
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vsb2015, I would bring him a photo of how you want to look There's plenty of great photos of flat women on the Internet. You can also ask him if he can show you pics of some of his pics of surgeries he's performed in the past of women who opted out of recon., and wanted the "10 year old boy" look
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My plan is to go flat too...haven't really investigated alot of my clothing because since surgery I have been compressed, and with drains so I have bee wearing the baggy zipper/button down clothing. My plan, however, since deciding to go flat has been to use weights to develop the pecs( like body builders of 80's... see Rachel McLish or Gladys Portagues) and unbutton my blouse one button lower! Getting to the point I cal weight lift seems to be another story. I think darted blouses will be an issue though. For Fall/Winter weather scarfs are supposed to help over sweaters.
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Was just something I never considered before surgery. I had never heard of "dog ears" I just think they could take a couple extra minutes when they close you up to make it lok nice, A few less "points"
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VSB2015, were you considering recon at time of surgery? Sometimes they leave a little extra if recon is in the future.
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Love the great pics1 You two look fabulous...very encouraging! Love this forum
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I had recon(very small implants) but I'm thinking of deconstructing. I wear cami's or tank tops under my tops. It helps even me out and tops don't stick to me...just a thought....if I do deconstruct, I don't plan on wearing prosthesis, but will proudly go flat. Thanks,
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And sometimes they leave excess skin, cuz they think you will change your mind about recon, even when you have firmly told them that you will not, under any circumstances, do recon. I also learned the term, "dog ears" on here.
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I already brought up "dog ears" with my surgeon and stressed that I do not want any left. But I will continue to stress this to her. I'm not due for surgery until July/Aug.
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Sometimes, breast surgeons will arrange for a plastic surgeon to be present to close up the incisions in a way that avoids lumps, bumps, and dog ears. Especially now that so many women get reconstruction, breast surgeons don't often have to close up after performing mastectomy surgery, so I think a lot of them simply don't have the plastic surgical skills to achieve an ideal result.
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I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't had surgery yet to show a photo to your surgeon that has your desired results. I also recommend requesting photos from your surgeon of previous patients who've opted out of reconstruction.
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Hey all! Just want to share that I tried foobs at work for the first time, and that's because I got a set of these Knitted Knockers:
http://www.knittedknockers.org
I LOVE them! Soft & light & comfy! I will gl flat most days, I think, but when wearing a dress where how it hangs is impirtant, etc., especially with mah belleh, these are great!
Here's a picture of mine:
I've tried to attach pic like eight times. This interface is not good with iPhones, drat. Oh, well, another day
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mustlovepoo: I love your attitude & bravery
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Many thanks to you all for your posts! I thought i was done with my lumpectomy last week but pathology report says I am not!
So I am scheduling a BMX in the next few weeks and trying to decide about reconstruction. I am very overweight so I am nervous about what I will look like afterwards. Your posts and photos helped a lot. thank you
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Flat is where its at. Quick recovery. I try to get Downton Abbey type clothes or things with flap pockets. No one cares and im comfortable. The FB group Flat and Fabulous.org has been my support.
One thing if i had to do it again was get a plastic surgeon at the time of the BMX. My result is a bit lumpy looking. I told him i wanted to look like a 10 year okd boy, so he didnt leave extra skin, but would have wanted smoother scars
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I will chime in here... sometimes I feel like an oddball because I didn't have to defeat cancer - my BMX was prophylactic and sometimes it feels weird because I "did this to myself." Anyway - I do not ever wear foobs - in fact I never even bothered buying any. I knew that everyone who knows me would know they are fake - so why bother? Well - most people. Unfortunately after having my surgery, other health issues and stress have helped contribute to over 30 lbs of weight gain. That has not helped that my tummy sticks out more with no big boobs to balance it out. I am still working through all of that and trying to lose weight.
As for clothing, I go for prints - basically the opposite of what I did when I had boobs. If you know anyone that sells LuLaRoe clothing, an Irma with leggings is a great look and they are pretty forgiving shirts. The Amelia dress has fantastic shape as well and I feel feminine in. I was always a sweat pants and tee shirt type of gal but I do absolutely love not wearing a bra - probably why I will never do the foob route even though I still battle feeling self-conscience about my new shape.
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Maybe this will help someone -
I have gone flat since my surgery two years ago. Styling was tough at first because the nurses and assistants were pushing the prosthesis option and had zero styling advice for going without. I went from a curvy DD to a pear shaped body. I had to get rid of almost my entire wardrobe and purchase new clothes that accentuated my shoulders and elongated my legs. Jackets, off/cold shoulders, ruffles, long necklaces, patterns, cardigans, and scarfs are my new best friends. I've noticed that solid colors alone without accessories make me look flatter and patterns fool the eyes into seeing shapes. I was never a girly girl but I have become one because that looks best.
The worst: Bathing suits. Ugh. I cried the first summer every time I went into a bathing suit section of a store because they all came with the built in cups. Bathing suit shopping was utterly depressing. I finally started shopping online for suits with no cups and either layers or ruffles. I discovered that there are mastectomy suits out there.
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I just saw this swimsuit on sale at Neiman Marcus!
https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/jets-by-jessika-all...
The brand is probably a good one to look into if one needs a swimsuit to accommodate inserts and I think it's really cute
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Hi.
Looking for posts of those who started out with expanders/implants but then went without/flat after due to expander/implant complications.
Thanks!
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I go flat and also use the prosthetics I have. Going flat is definitely easier. I am slowly figuring out how to dress flat. I, too, am concave as I saw mentioned by someone else. Are there any manufacturers who make a tank or bra that have 100% padding to help me fill in the concaveness for when I wear tight clothing. Thanks
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Have you tried TLC ? Is an organization for cancer patients in particular breast cancer. It has bandanas, wigs, bras, consoles, implants, etc. I got the catalog from ACS at my closest location.
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Have you tried TLC ? Is an organization for cancer patients in particular breast cancer. It has bandanas, wigs, bras, consoles, implants, etc. I got the catalog from ACS at my closest location. By the way, I'm having double mastectomy next week. I understand your situation, we are going thru the same path. Hope all is well with you .
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I run an online thrift store specifically for flat/univoobwomen. It's atgoingflat.com. Or @goingflat on Instagram and Facebook.
P.S. I have obtained permission from admins to post about it. Thanks in advancefor checking it out!0
