what and when to buy

snowing

I am 1 week post-op and am wondering what to buy for  wearing after the post surgery camisole.  This site talks about temporary prostheses.  Are these just lighter than regular ones or according to the blogs, are they "home made"?  At what point  do you buy a regular prothesis and mastectomy bras?  Is it common to have a number of protheses - for water sports, everyday wear etc. etc.  When do you need a custom prothesis?  It looks like it is very expensive but in my case, I've had a lumpectomy on one side and a mastectomy on the other so maybe I have to consider it .  Any suggestions would be appreciated as this is a new road for me to follow.

Sherbear

Hi there, shortly after my surgery I called up a specialty boutique near me to inquire about one and was told I had to wait 6-8 weeks post-surgery due to any swelling etc. as they want to get the fit as perfect as possible. I waited and then went in and was fitted for one, but I hardly wear it as I am small breasted and the smallest size is still too big and I don't like the shape of it.  Wish I would have shopped around a bit and I probably still will eventually to see if I can get one that feels right.  That's just me though, I'm sure a lot of women have had sucess with them.  You're right, they are expensive (especially for what they are!), but I was covered by my husbands work and the government (I'm Canadian).  Word of advice, make sure you're super happy with yours before you buy, I rushed into it and it's now useless to me as is the massive bra I purchased to go with it.  Right now, if I even wear a fake, it's a homemade one that looks more like my other breast shape-wise (it's so sad looking lol, basically a nude coloured  cup liner from a bathing suit or sport bra and some padding). I was told that you should wear one as your posture can suffer due to the weight removed, but for me, it's not as noticeable since I'm not larger there and there's really not all that much of a weight difference.  Also, I would think it more important for your core to be strong to support you.  Hope this helps you out! 

Mouser

Hi --

I went back to teach before i was healed enough for a prosthesis. But i was 34D at the time, and no way was i going to face 200 college students lopsided! I bought button shirts, fairly loose, and wore the "puffy" from the camisole in a so-called leisure bra with a mastectomy pocket. (I had gotten this very soft bra after my original lumpectomy, when i was also quite sore; it just happened to be a mx bra.) It worked OK -- the bra soft enough not to dig in; the puffy giving some shape, and the woven shirts giving an indefinite outline anyway. I think i waited 8 weeks to get the prosthesis - the extra 2 weeks over what my surgeon told me was psychological, not physical, delay.

The posture-problem argument *may* be true for truly large-breasted women -- but i doubt it holds for most of us. Certainly i never noticed it in the 6-8 weeks before i got a prosthesis. But i did get shoulder problems before my mx -- a combination of hunching my shoulders, which i do when stressed (and i really stressed when it became clear i'd need a mx...) and the Femeara i was on, got me a roaring rotator cuff problem. PT helped, not the prosthesis!