only just found out I had 3 lymph nodes removed following bi-lateral mastectomy September 2013.I have been seeing lymphoedema nurses about my abdomen,when they discovered slight lymphodoema under my arm and round my back.
Can I continue to wear an underwire bra,or has anyone else been adviced on a type of bra?
gentle hugs to you all.
Hi Jillybee,
I am sure some of our users will be along soon to offer their support and share their advice on the best type of bra.
In the meantime if you would like to talk you could call our helpline at 0808 800 6000 who will be able to talk to you about lymphoedema and offer a friendly ear.
Best wishes,
Lizzy
hi Jillybee - i sat in on a talk yesterday from a lymphoedema nurse (i haven’t got lymphoedema by the way) but the bra issue came up in the discussion. The general advice from the nurse was that it does depend on whats comfortable for you and really how big breasted you are. So whether its underwired or not you need a bra that is quite tight and supportive and more importantly fits well - so you need to get measured by a trained bra specialist who has had experience of ladies with breast cancer surgery. John Lewis I know train their staff to a very high standard. There are myths around that you shouldn’t wear an undewired bra but she said that isn’t necessarily true - you need to wear a bra that fits and doesn’t dig into your flesh and sometimes underwired bra’s can do that (hence the myth I think). So a good well fitting supportive bra was the advice given. You need a bit of pressure on the lymphatic system to get the fluid ‘moving’ and channelling throughout your body. hope that helps