Oh that all sounds like a good outcome! So nice of you to share your experience- definitely helps to get the viewpoint of other women who’ve had the surgery.
I’m also having surgery on both breasts and told to expect roughly a C cup when swelling subsides. Perky is a good result! I’d be happy with that.
Thanks also for tip on V-shaped pillow - I will pick one up this weekend.
One more thought - did you buy a bra in the cup Size you are normally or in the smaller cup size you expect to be post surgery? Thinking probably makes sense to buy in usual size to allow for swelling?
Thanks again xxx
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I am still wearing front fastening soft bras 24/7 post surgery on instructions from surgeon
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Yes and me.
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Great intell. Off to do a bit of bra shopping now! Many thanks xx🩷
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Zip front M&S one with racer back was good keep in mind you could be a little swollen post op. To protect nipples post op when dressings came off, I just put a soft gauze over nipples in bra 
Shi xx
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Thanks again! I tried one of those racer back ones on yesterday- must admit I found it rather a palaver to get on! But then I’m rubbish at those manoeuvres - I always fasten my bras by swivelling them round to the front.
I spoke to a nice lady from M&S and have booked a fitting and advice session for next week.
Thanks for tip on nipple protection too - I’m only going to have one after the op - so I’d better take care of it!
Stay well, lovely lady - you’re very kind to share all your hard-earned tips.
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Glad M&S are helping you sort post op bra also Primark do good post op bras, Nicola Jane and her by Alexandra Perry a 2 x breast cancer survivor if anyone on here post op still needs anything in their bras to level things up evenly by Kate Taylor do a great range and Kate and her team are amazing there is also trulife who are great too if your units don’t have the right partials or anything hope that helps anyone who might be searching on the forum. If your under Nottingham city hospital the lady who does bra fitting there is fantastic so you will be more than looked after at that trust as I know if varies hugely from trust to trust Nottingham city also has an amazing Maggies centre too and they welcome everyone even if your out of the area they are absolutely lovely Shi xx
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Wow! You’re amazing - such a lot of quality information - many thanks indeed.
I’m in Scotland actually, but we also have Maggie’s. Not been there yet but I know many people who’ve visited and value it as a place of peace and help.
Thanks once more for your generous-hearted response. Women supporting other women is empowering and heartwarming. 🩷
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everyone sharing information on here helps everyone so many beautiful kind people on here helped our oct17 chemo gang navigate through. Anything that anyone can share that can help anyone. We have people from all over the world join this forum which you will see and they share their knowledge of treatments too 
glad you’ve got a fitting at M&S they will take care of you Shi xx
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Hi
I had a Therapeutic mammoplasty in April this year has I had stage 1 breast cancer I lower part of my left breast.
I was supposed to have right one reduced to match but surgeon had no time to do it so didn’t have it .
Operation went well but now have a lot of problems with shoulder on that side which I now have physio for .
Hope you are ok and healing well .
Another lumpectomy with therapeutic mammoplasty lady here! My op was in the midst of covid lockdown April 2020. I was told because I was having radiotherapy the boob might shrink so to get them as close a size match as possible i had to wait a year to get the reduction of my other breast done. I went from 34G to 34DD. I’m happy with the results. My radiotherapy side is slightly firmer and more perky than the other but you can’t really tell once I’ve got a bra on. Oh and I kept both nipples.
I’ve got some hefty scars but small price to pay.
Good luck x
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Good to hear! Glad you are happy with how it turned out, though I use the word advisedly as it’s all relative in our topsy-turvy breast cancer world. But I think once you get your head around the fact that you can’t remain the same as you were before, you truly begin to be grateful for all the ‘wins’ - big or small.
Thank you for sharing your story - brave and kind.
Hi roxie1
Thank you for your post.
It’s understandable to want to hear from people who have had breast surgery specifically those who have had therapeutic mammoplasty which you are scheduled to have next month.
It looks like @bigpickle, and others have shared their experiences on the forum with you.
Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling. You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0800 138 6551 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org, so they can then match you to your volunteer.
As it’s not possible to keep your nipple areolar complex when you have your surgery because of the position of the cancer in your breast, you mention you are looking into nipple reconstruction and specifically tattooing 3D nipple as an option. It may be helpful to ask your surgeon when it is likely this could be considered, as you will time for recovery and healing after surgery . Your treatment team will let you know if they offer nipple tattooing, if they can refer you to another hospital to have it done and what the waiting time is likely to be as this will vary between hospitals. Do talk through with them about the option of going privately for a nipple tattoo, they can advise when would be a good time and may be able to advise on where this may be available. You can also find some information about nipple tattooing on the Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance (MTA) website.
How long it takes to recover from surgery will be different for everyone and how long after surgery you may feel up to seeing visitors will also vary, as you’ll see from the experiences shared by the other forum members.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events. For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free helpline.
Do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes
Helen
Breast Care Nurse
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