bra after bilateral mastectomy?

pinkvictory

hi ladies! I am scheduled to have my surgery on Aug 9th. i am starting to get waves of nervousness. trying to keep my mind occupied and at the same time prepare best I can. I dont feel like I have been given enough information on what to expect following the procedure, during my recovery period. Am I supposed to wear a bra following a mastectomy with tissue expander placement? I assumed I would not be wearing one ,due to having drains etc, but others have mentioned wearing a bra 24/7. Any advice on what I need to know for going home and the weeks following?

Candyapple17

I think it may depend on your doctor. My surgery is on 08/01 and I had my pre op with PS this week and he said no compression bandage when I leave the hospital and no bra as he wants no pressure on the "traumatized areas" but I've seen other posts where they are given a bra to wear home from hospital

Hopfull2

hi., I just had surgery last month and my PS gave me a bra before leaving the hospital but I felt my chest area better with an ace bandage wrapped around. But you won't need to go out and get over your surgeon will provide it for you. Best of luck on surgery day. Hugs

pinkvictory

thank you both candyapple and hopfull2 for the feedback!

candyapple- good luck with your up coming surgery. I will be sending healing thoughts your way.

hopefull2- how are you feeling now that your surgery is a month behind you? is the anticipation leading up to it the worst part?

NotVeryBrave

I woke up with a surgical bra in place and was told to wear a front-closing sports-type bra 24/7 initially. The ones I had bought pre-op were too tight with the amount of swelling I had. I ended up buying some online from Amazon - called "Vermilion" something. They were minimally supportive and very stretchy - so comfortable.

I wore them all the time until around 6 weeks when I started sleeping without one. I just recently went to be fitted for new bras and started wearing those. I still wear the stretchy ones sometimes for comfort, but they don't do much for shape!

pinkvictory

notverybrave- thank you for the reply. glad to know i can find something comfortable on amazon if I need to. i wish the docs/nurses gave more info ahead of time as far as this stuff goes instead of waiting until hospital discharge. its the not knowing that gets me sometimes.thank you for the info....so glad to have found this group!

Tdd

I'm day 6 post-op from BMX and was sent home with a tube top binder. I was told to wear it 24/7, but sometimes I remove it and wear a front closure sports bra for a few hours. It's nice to have a break from the tightness of the binder. Soft ice packs worn off/on a few times a day have really helped with the pain/soreness. Hang in there and remember this is all a small fraction of time in our lives and this too shall pass. :

Legomaster225

I'm 5 weeks out and just got the clearance to wear a light training type bra. I had nipple/skin sparing and my PS wants no compression. Your doctor will let you know. I have been wearing camis in a larger size with just a shelf type bra until ni

Lanne2389

I think it depends on whether you have reconstruction and what type. I had a BMX with immediate recon (tissue expanders) and was told to go without a bra. At 8 wks, my PS said I could start wearing one. I bought a stretchy one but I can only stand to wear it for a couple of hours - it feels like a vice and my skin is too sensitive I can't handle it - and it is 2 sizes to big (2x vs L). Your PS or surgeon's nurse should be talking to you about post op care before surgery - have your list of Qs ready. I'd recommend not buying anything before you'll use it

pinkvictory

thanks everyone for the info. When I woke from surgery I was wearing a surgical bra, and they sent me home with an extra so I would always have one to wear when I wash one. Not sure how long I'm expected to wear one 24/7, but it will be nice to let my skin breathe once I can take it off! Maybe once my drains are out? They really don't give much info too far in advance. At least this part isn't that big of a deal for lack of info...eventually, this thing will come off lol