I had a double mastectomy and no way was going through further procedures for reconstruction. Was given temporary prosthetics and a nice bra from a specialist who comes regularly to the QE Hospital, Birmingham. Well done, NHS! She also measured for, and I later received, my bespoke inserts. Oh my goodness, the weight of them! Had I really been carrying this mass around for 60+ years?! So I simply continued with my lightweight “temporary” chicken-fillet type ones popped into the bra pockets. However, I soon abandoned any of these - no one warns you that, with no flesh on your chest to hold it, the band under the bra cups simply rides up and you find the whole thing sticking out of your top and hurtling towards your chin! Have since heard the same from another post-double mastectomy woman. So I simply don’t bother with anything (quite liberating, actually!) Or often wear a crop-top, lightly padded if I can get them, which is long enough to stay down over my ribs rather than slip upwards. Also, as a tall, size 20/22 woman, I could see very few specialised bras/swimming costumes in my size. So, again, I just wear a normal swimming costume and really don’t 'think it looks that bad!
I only had lumpectomy but I’m just wondering ( and I don’t know if it would work ) whether wearing a crop top over a post surgery bra with prostheses in would hold things in place?
I could go back to normal bras but I haven’t as I realised that my post - surgery ones are far more comfy but I have a broad back and big shoulders and a relatively small cup size and it hasn’t ever been easy to get a bra that fits well on the high street - M+S only and even then not much choice . The bras I have are not necessarily the colour I want or would show above my clothing and I’ve taken to using my crop tops and sleep bras ( M+S Flexi fit +Proskins) to wear over the top to give the look of a cami beneath or another layer of the garment showing. Don’t know if this is any help but I hope so. Xx
Thanks, JoanneN. Not a bad idea and quite practical, so I may well give it a go! Stay well.
As a bra fitter, it’s completely normal to feel uncertain about giving advice on post-surgery bras, especially without personal experience. Your role is to support and guide customers based on your expertise, which is valuable even without firsthand experience of surgery. Many women find comfort and confidence in having a personalized bra fitting, whether at a hospital or store, and sharing these experiences can help you better understand their needs. Connecting with brands like rexing sports, which specializes in sports bras, could also offer insights into post-surgery options, ensuring you provide well-rounded advice that meets the unique needs of your customers.
It’s a long time since this question was first posted but I’m hoping ppl might still be looking at it because I’d love some advice! I had a single mastectomy without reconstruction of my left breast, and the hospital arranged a fitting at which I got an amoena breast form and one of their bras. I am big breasted - 38F - and wear the prosthesis all of the time because it feels really noticeable when I don’t and my clothes hang weirdly, and I’m afraid of backache from being lopsided, given my size. Reconstruction wasn’t an option when I had the op snd though I could now go for it the thought of putting myself and my family through a second and bigger op doesn’t seem at all viable. I think if I’d been offered a double mastectomy or thought to ask for one, I might have gone for it because I hate being lopsided but also find all the paraphernalia of prosthesis really tedious.
Anyway the fitter at the hospital was kind and I initially felt much more comfortable with my new bra and prosthesis than with the softie (tho as someone upthread said, also stunned by the weight of the thing!) but then increasingly became convinced the prosthesis was too big and started to really hate it and feel sort of oppressed by its size and weight - my BCN arranged for me to go back and I was allowed to swap the prosthesis for a smaller size - which the fitter said was technically too small but we both could see worked better and it feels much better. So that is good BUT I’m really struggling with bras and the fitter didn’t believe or understand the problem - basically I cannot find a bra where the strap on my right non-mastectomy side will stay up (no matter how tight I set the strap) so find I am constantly hoiking up the strap over my shoulder. I think it’s because despite the smaller prosthesis the hang and weight is still different to my real breast. It drives me potty and reminds me all the time of what I’ve been through but I can’t think of a way to solve the problem: at a bra fitting, you don’t have the bra on long enough or move around in a day to day way to be able to tell, and the bras are so expensive that buying 10 to try out is not really an option.
Does anyone else have this problem? Or any ideas how to solve it? Or does the OP have some expert recommendations of particular types of Bras that might cope better? My current ones are non wired amoena with wide straps.
Thank you so much for asking the question. I had a 44mm lumpectomy and was told to wear a sportsbra day and night for 6 weeks immediately after surgery. Much of the advice I found was online. I am 36G and found it tricky to find comfortable bras. The M&S post-surgery bra was great after surgery but wasn’t supportive enough later. During and after radiotherapy a cheap cotton sportsbra was comfortable against my sore skin, but once again it did not provide support when walking etc. Like others, I was too embarrassed to go for a fitting. My lifesaver has been M&S wildblooms nonwired bras. Somehow or other the difference between breasts is not visible. I have bought that bra in every possible colour. The bra isn’t as pretty as my old underwired bras but at least colourful and less sweaty than sports bras for larger lady. Triumph Doreen is very similar but the bra I have has an uncomfortable bit on the side. I was treated at various London hospitals,
one of which had a bra fitting service but you needed to make an appointment and couldn’t pop in for advice (which is what I needed at the time and couldn’t face a separate trip to the hospital). I have found that Tamoxifen is making me sweat more so I have to change bras more frequently than before. One thing that you might want to suggest to customers is to attach modesty panels to bras, in particular after radiotherapy. The panels gave me confidence when I returned to work. Thank you so much for asking about our experience. It really means a lot to us all. 