I know there are lots of people out there struggling to find comfortable bras after surgery and it can be one of the most depressing legacies of the treatment as comfort is paramount, but you also miss feeling pretty in a nice well-fitting bra. This won’t work for everyone, but I wanted to share what I found last weekend.
I had a WLE and SNB in November and rads in February. Before BC I was a 32F and wore nice pretty lacy underwired bras, but those are compeletely useless to me now as the wires dig into my scars and the lace scratches my armpit and under my breast where the rads did their worst. It is virtually impossible to find non-underwired bras in a small back and large cup size so I have been wearing sports bras for the last 5 months apart from during rads when I couldn’t wear anything.
However, in an old-fashioned department store with old-fashioned measuring and fitting service, I was persuaded to try a Triumph soft cup T shirt bra and it is the most comfortable bra I have ever had! It is underwisred, but they are so encased in soft padding that they don’t dig at all. Best of all, I had forgotten just what a difference a well-fitting bra makes to how you look. People have been asking me if I have lost weight just because my bra now lifts and supports me properly. One small step forward to feeling like me again!
Hi All,
I can throughly recommend M & S non-wired T-Shirt Bras , pack of 2 for £15, they are marvellous at disguising my dent as they are very slightly padded, not much as I am 40D and dont want any help. I got mine online, the cotton ones are better than the nylon but its just personnel preference I suppose.
regards, Sue X
I posted about bras recently, but haven’t had time to check out all the recommendations I was given yet. I’m going to try out the smooth t-shirt bras. Anything with lace is a no-no on the side where I had rads as it just irritates even thought I’m 3 years on. Same with wiring, it sits awkwardly on my lumpectomy scar. It’s my OHs 50th next month and I’d like him to see me in something a bit sassier than and industrial looking sports bra - they do the job but are really unsexy!
Sorry Bikerbabe, can’t help with different sized cups, but my recommendation would be the following:
Make: Anita Rosa Faia
Model: Twin range comfort
Colours: Black, Nude, White
Price: £39 from figleaves.com
Its seemfree and extremely comfortable, much more so than the sports bra I brought at the insistence of my BC nurse. Only drawback is that its not cotton. I bought the same size as I usually wear (I have underwired bras made by the same manufacturer) and just added a bra extender. I wish I’d gone with my own instincts and bought it straightaway.
I went with my Mum ( who had a mastectomy 2 years before me) to Nicola Jane in Chichester. They were really helpful and now I buy on line from them at nicolajane.com. They have every size, shape and form.
Good luck with finding something that is comfortable and pretty.
Love Maria
Hi everyone,
Just looked on the figleaves website.They have lots of non wired bras in small back sizes and large cups.They also have mastectomy bras,and bras with pockets for prosthesis.(sorry about spelling).Granted they’re not as pretty as regular bras,but there is a selection.My friend (who hasn’t had bc,but is size 32FF)says they are comfy,she said to avoid Freya ,as they can dig in a bit.
Hi all i saved this post to my saved discussions ( for future ref.)as although I am not there yet ( still on chemo) am thinking ahead.I am a bit of an odd shape anyway. Small back and bigger front 32FF( after DX and 34FF before as I am loosing weight) and had always got on OK with Bravissimo, both shops and mail orderMy BCN says that the surgeon will even up my boobs by taking a bit out of the unaffected side.Well excuse me he will not. But back to main thread good to know about non-wired bras ( M&S do not do larger cup sizes)Will make a note of Fig leaves. I get on really well with Freya underwired bras at present. Dead p…d off at thought of not being able to wear lacy lingerie isn’t BC enough.Many thanks for all the info Jackie
Hi
Just found this thread, great to read the suggestions.
I thought I’d add my tuppence-worth because I’m always on a quest for nice underwear. Like you elsk, I was a 32F before all this, and am nowhere near that now. It has been hard enough work to adapt from having a nice cleavage and long thick hair, to a very different look post treatment and surgery, so I agree that having decent underwear that ticks the right boxes is important! Some of my earlier experiences to buy underwear since dx just added insult to injury, so it great to share the good buys.
I’ve recently bought a nice one from the Marks and Sparks post surgery range, in a small leopard print with matching pants, quite fun,fashionable,disguises the big size difference I have, makes me feel a bit closer to my age (38) rather than the 108 I’ve been feeling lately!- very comfy even two weeks after surgery to redo implant, non-wired so good for those of us with lymphoedema.
I’ve also found some of the specialist sites good: Nicola Jane have been so helpful on the phone and in person, Eloise similarly, and the Amoena website has some nice ones-the lara or lena ones (sorry can’t remember which one) are padded which work well for me, and in a few different colours. They do some really pretty non-padded ones as well, that look as if they’d be great if you don’t have such a noticeable size difference.