Seeking opinions on prosthesis (uni-mx, 46D)

Faith316

Upcoming unilateral mx in early Feb.  I am researching prostheses.  What a duanting task!  So many to consider!  How do you decide?

I am a 46D so my remaining breast will be large -- no shelf bras for me.  I am also hot-natured.  I think I would probably be hot and perspire with something right against me that felt "plasticky"  (That is a word, right??)  I am also wondering about the weight of the prosthesis.  I know I need some weight to balance the natural side, but don't want too heavy.  

I would really appreciate advice and suggestions especially from some other big girls like me as to what worked comfortably for them.

I will be having reconstruction down the road, but not immediately.  Since I have IBC, my doctors all want me to wait a bit instead of doing it immediately.

I would also like suggestions for an immediate post-surgery camisole to hold drain pockets.  I am big around the tummy and some of the camis look like they are too slim.

Please help me know where to start.   Thanks for any replies!

mthomp2020

I hear you about getting hot.  I have that problem with a standard form.  I would get damp even in the winter.  I now have a Silique form which has a fabric backing and small beads between you and the silicone.    I no longer get damp after wearing it for several hours.  Plus it's considerably lighter then a regular form.  I'm only a large A, though, so I didn't need weight to be balanced.  As a matter of fact, my old form actually pulled that side of the bra down, even after adjusting the straps.

You'll want to wait at least 6 weeks before being fitted for a firm, since you can have some fluid buildup/swelling after surgery.  I didn't feel ready to wear a bra, let alone a form, until I was almost 3 months out from surgery.  My surgeon recommended waiting at least 8 weeks.

It is a bit more complicated for those of us with one breast, since you do have to match it.  The best thing to do will be to wait until you're ready for a fitting, and go to a shop that specializes in mastectomy forms and bras.  The fitters are usually pretty good at figuring which form will work for you, and can help you find a comfortable, well-fitting bra.  The bra is really the most important aspect, the form is pretty straight-forward.  Check with your insurance company to see which shops will take your insurance.  That way you won't have to pay out-of-pocket, which can get pretty darn expensive! 

If you do a search, there's a woman who's user name is Erica.  She has a web-site called BreastFree which has a wealth of information of options for women who haven't reconstructed. 

Good luck with your upcoming surgery.  The worst part is the waiting (oh, and the drains!).  At least for me, the surgery and recovery were easy.  I actually had more pain from my port surgery!!

Faith316

I am dreading the drains again!  I hear ya about port surgery!  My port surgery was by far a more uncomfortable recovery than my lumpectomy and axillary node dissection.  I am currently only on oral chemo but am keeping my port just in case.  I do NOT want to go through that surgery and recovery again!

Thanks for your reply.

Melinda41

Faith,

Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I am a 38D and had a unilateral mastectomy. I had to wait about 10 weeks to get fitted for my prosthesis. They wanted to take the time for the swelling to go down. In the meantime, I wore alot of sport type bras with the cushie foob with the pillow stuffing. I found some sports bras at Walmart that open in the front for $5 each. With my good boob squished in there and the other side full of stuffing, it looked even.

Now with my prothesis and my mastectomy bra, I look like my presurgery self.

I didn't have any luck with camis with pockets. I wore a belt around my belly and the drains had loops on them that went on the belt. I tried fanny pack and around the neck, but on a belt was most comfortable for me. The belt was not through my pants, you don't want to pull your pants down and pull the drains down too!

mthomp2020

One thing that worked really well for me for the drains was a zip-up hoodie with pockets in the front that also had sort of a pocket on the inside made of the lining.  I did buy one of the camis, but I ended up not wearing it at all, as it didn't feel very comfortable.  My surgeon gave me a leisure-type bra with pockets that you could stuff with fiberfill, and I wore that instead.  I also had some shelf-bra camis that I pinned the softee form from the cami into, and that worked out well, too.

franie

Faith, I am a bilat and was a DDD and wanted to remain my original cup size and not have reconstruction. I would encourage you to be fitted for the pros that matches your breast and is weighted as you prefer. The selection available is very large and diverse. My pros are silicone and are heavy as that is what I wanted. Light weight forms or forms built into the bra allowed my bra to ride up. That may not be a problem for a uni. I wear my forms in a pocketed bra most of the time and that helps with sweating issues. Don't be discouraged, there are pros that make we large breasted girls look and feel good.

Fran