Bra or no bra

Mom2fourplusmore

I had my surgery 3 weeks ago. I haven't worn any bra since the surgery because I already feel like my rib cage was broken. I didn't want any more pressure. I put on a sports bra today and it seems to feel better a little but the band around the bottom hurts. The middle of my chest still hurts. I would say it burns if that makes sense. But I'm not sure the bra can help with that problem. Do you guys prefer to wear a bra and do you wear it at night too? And what kind of bra do you wear?

Alex276

I haven't worn a bra since my BMX on April 28th. I tried to wear a sports bra type shelf bra and it was uncomfortable around the band and also after a fill I could not handle anything tight around my "foobs" at all. My PS said I do not need to wear anything if I don't want to. I have been large chested for 25 years and I that has actually been the only bright spot of this whole thing. I have loved being braless this summer.

luvlywmn

I had my surgery back in January (double mastectomy with reconstruction). I was told to keep the bra on that was put on me after surgery for 4 weeks. I only took it off to bathe or wash the bra. I had that same pain and discomfort and my doctor had me taking valium to help and it did. I still have some sensitivity under the breasts by my ribs and under my arm. It takes a while to heal. I also had some pain after the fills that would last a week or two. I took the valium during those times as well. Overall I like to wear a bra so I have some soft bras or sports bras. Not sure how my breasts will be once I have the permanent implants in. I'm doing radiation so it will be about six months.

Mom2fourplusmore

Alex276, no bra since April, that's good to know its ok to do. That pressure around the band is one of my issues too. I'm glad you are getting a break from the bra after 25 years. Enjoy

luvlywmn, I'm sorry to hear you know this pain too. That bra they put on in the hospital was a torture devise I'm pretty sure. I'm surprised you found it better to have it on. I couldn't last a week with it. I was screaming in agony until I took it off. The pressure was unbearable. I'm much better without it. I was wondering if this pain will go away but it sounds like you still have some of it. I'm glad to hear it improves though. I hope your radiation goes ok and you feel much better.

CeCegbp

I had my exchange surgery almost a year ago in September. I wore the bra I got from the PS that zipped in the front once that horrendous band could come off. But for about the last six months I've been wearing the Lily of France bras that resemble sports bras. Very similar to a Coobie. They come in a 2 pack & are my go to bras. I do wear them most of the time including at night but I think it's more of a personal comfort thing than a necessity. I would talk to your surgeon & see what he or she recommends though. Good luck to you.

Beatmon

I still have the iron band feeling since mastectomy in 2012. I've now had reconstruction and wore the torture device as instructed. But after a certain amount of time, PS said bra not necessary. So at 64 I never wear a bra. Unfortunate, it still feels like I have one on.

SPECTER55

At this moment, I do not own a bra.

I had my BMX w/ TEs June 17. I haven't worn a bra since. The closest I came was a camisole and I didn't like it. I asked my PS if I should be wearing a bra and she said what ever I am comfortable with. She did say no underwire, (as if i'm not uncomfortable already!). I will have to wait until the exchange is done to determine what size bra I will be wearing.

Blessings2011

Like many women, I was very large-breasted before BMX, so I was thrilled to go smaller. After BMX, I also had that red-hot, iron-bra feeling - both with my TEs and my implants after exchange.

While I had my TEs, I found that wearing a soft, slippery camisole UNDER my bras helped support the expanders without rubbing on my sensitive skin. The TEs just felt better with a bit of support, hence the Genie bra, or a JCPenney zip-front sports bra even at night.

After my exchange (700cc high-profile salines) I asked the PS if I needed to wear an underwire. He said no. I asked if I could go braless, and he said he did not recommend that, as the weight of the implants could make me sag - despite the lateral capsulorraphies he did during exchange. (Of course, this wouldn't be an issue with smaller implants.)

Since I continued to have the iron-bra sensation after exchange, I found an amazing Myofascial Release Massage Therapist (also a Certified Lymphedema Therapist) who worked on my chest muscles and managed to release that horrible tightness after having it almost a year.

I actually had to readjust the rear-view mirror in my car when I left the office because I was walking so much taller.

She also did Scar Tissue Mobilization on me, finding that I had a huge amount of scar tissue buildup around my drain holes!

I no longer wear a bra at night, but do wear a Genie bra during the day. Things do change the farther away from your surgery you get.

Mom2fourplusmore

it's so interesting to hear so many people have the iron bra feeling and the burning nerve pain I have. My Drs really made me feel like it wasn't common at all. And I appreciate the suggestions about the different bra choices. I never thought about the expanders moving back and forth. I do wear a camisole and like it. It keeps a shirt from rubbing on the nerves. But I did get to save my nipples and they are obvious without a bra.

Beatmon, I'm glad you get to finally go bra less. How great is that? I'm sorry you still have that tightness. I was hoping that feeling would go away but it seems like everyone keeps some of that. I wish I knew that before. Then again maybe ignorance is bliss with some of these things.

Blessings2011, how did you find that massage therapist? That sounds promising. So many people seem to suffer for a long time.

Blessings2011

Mom2fourplusmore - I had to think back to when it all happened... after my BMX, I was in excruciating pain for over a month, until I finally got it under control, and started having fills. (The fill process made the TEs move off some of the more irritated nerve endings.)

I expected blessed relief when I had my Exchange surgery, but it never came. Righty looked pretty good, but Lefty was crawling over my left shoulder. The PS said "I think they look great - what exactly do you want?" He said that the swelling under my collarbone was "excess fluid" from surgery, and to "give it time..."

The PT said "I can give you some exercises to do"... but those made me worse. Sadly, she said she had heard of MFR (Myofascial Release) but that no one did it at Kaiser, and that she didn't think it would work as well as traditional PT. She said that no one had ever asked for that after breast surgery.

She said the swelling was not Lymphedema, but she still ordered hundreds of dollars worth of useless compression garments for me so that Lefty could shift downward. It didn't.

I located the Myofascial Release Massage Therapist through a local breast cancer support group. The therapist actually had her office inside the office of a well-known breast surgeon. She was hugely popular, being only one of a handful of specially-trained therapists in our area. After five months of "just waiting" and useless LE garments, the therapist got rid of the fluid and moved Lefty into her permanent home in only five visits. But be careful - many massage therapists claim to do MFR, but really don't know what they're doing, and in fact, can do more harm. My therapist could feel exactly where the muscles were tacked down to my ribcage around my implants, and avoided putting stress on those specific areas.

Here is a video showing exactly how the fascia functions in our bodies...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzy8-wQzQMY

p.s. If you are still in pain, the other issue to consider is Post-Mastectomy Pain Syndrome. You can do a search here on BCO to find out more about that.

Mom2fourplusmore

Blessings2011, thanks for the information. I just got back from my PS and she suggested taking a wash cloth during my showers and rubbing the area. She says it can help desensitize the nerves. But if that doesn't help then we can look into what you mentioned. She mentioned what you said, that if they don't know what they are doing they can cause problems instead of helping. But she said she could refer me to a good one. So that's reassuring

leftduetostupidmods

It takes a while before you don't hurt. Now, the "iron bra" feeling might never go away completely.

I didn't wear a bra until I got nipple reconstruction. Truth is, I have an "internal bra", the famous Alloderm sling, so I don't really need a bra, unless I want a more prominent cleavage or I want to cover the ever-poking nipples. One thing I know, my PS told me to never wear a wired bra for longer than 2 hours at a time. Apparently it can affect the capsule and in time change the shape.

Mom2fourplusmore

seachain, I found a way to fix the nipple issue. That's been a problem for me and my 14 year old daughter came up with a brilliant plan. (Love that my daughter is smarter then me now. ) Her idea was to take the insert pad in and old bathing suit and just place them in place with my camisole. It was magical. Love it

VegGal

I bought myself some "Nippies" on Amazon. They fit right over my pokey nips and stick without adhesive. Nice and smooth! Check them out!

leftduetostupidmods

I'll have to check out the "nippies". I don't wear camisoles.