The Flat Look Vs Prosthesis (with Pics)

LindaLou,

Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures. I now know what you mean about having your rib cage and tummy looking larger than before! I had my second Mastectomy on April 22. I had a failed TRAM flap in January so you'd think a flat stomach would look pretty flat. Not when your chest is! I am still unsure if I will ever do recon but I am sure enjoying not having to wear a bra and no sweating underneath my breasts...

Linda

Erica,



Thank you so much for your site. I was a frequent visitor while making my decision and it was also a big inspiration for me. I think I found it while googling for info. It should be a must read for those with bc.

Hello to everyone my name is Rose from mississippi...I am bilateral with no reconstruction..I wear prothesis most of the time but want to free form some to..Linda your picts are beautiful ..you look gorgeous ..you are truly and inspiration.

Hello to everyone my name is Rose from mississippi...I am bilateral with no reconstruction..I wear prothesis most of the time but want to free form some to..Linda your picts are beautiful ..you look gorgeous ..you are truly and inspiration

I also have the midriff bulge issue and wear my proth most of the time, to work and even during the evening.  Sometimes my skin seems sensitive, and I leave it off after I get home, but I'm very self-conscious without it.  Layers do make a real difference in clothing.  I didn't have a prothesis for the first month after bilat, and wore light jackets. 

The pictures were wonderful.  It's great to see how attractive one can be with either choice.

I didn't want to go through more surgery and more discomfort for the reconstruction, and I'm confident I made the right choice!  You all help me feel good about my decision.

Jan

I also have the midriff bulge issue and wear my proth most of the time, to work and even during the evening.  Sometimes my skin seems sensitive, and I leave it off after I get home, but I'm very self-conscious without it.  Layers do make a real difference in clothing.  I didn't have a prothesis for the first month after bilat, and wore light jackets. 

The pictures were wonderful.  It's great to see how attractive one can be with either choice.

I didn't want to go through more surgery and more discomfort for the reconstruction, and I'm confident I made the right choice!  You all help me feel good about my decision.

Jan

You look wonderful in both ways!!!I can't go without my prosthesis because with only one breast...it shows to much!!!But I would like to be brave enough to go without!!!

Thank you for your time!! You are so sweet!!!

Claudia Anne from Italy

I wonder though if there is something for us uniboobers?  Wearing no prosthesis for us means being lobsided.  I refuse to take mine to the hospital as it is the most likely place to have it stolen.  I find that if I choose not to wear I tend NOT to get dressed.  Maybe I will like the new one better, it is two sizes smaller.

I was looking for something else last week and saw this forum. I am amazed that with a uni you can go without a form. I am not being critical. I am a bilateral and last weekend I was not going to be in public so I only wore one of my forms. I am a DDD and I couldn't conceal the fact I was only wearing one form and the imbalance really bothered me. I thought as the weekend progressed I would get use to the feeling , but I didn't. Those of you that can I admire you. As a bilateral I always wear my forms even when I am alone. 

Franie 

Hi ladies,

I had bilateral mast in Sept 2008 and began wearing prosthetic breasts in April 2009. They are a hassle. I can't have reconstruction because of previous vertical scar on my abdomen from ovarian surgery and I don't want to go that route anyway. I am 56 and don't know about putting myself through more surgery with implants - the expanders sound pretty painful!?? If I do have implants it will not be for another 4 years or so.  I will be pretty ancient by then, I guess, so am struggling with vanity over sanity.  The prosthetics are a pain in the butt sometimes - making sure I don't drop them or lose them, otherwise they are comfortable now, but took awhile around the scar line to feel ok. I was always pulling the bra down because it felt like it was irritating the scar area. 

My main concern is - if I have implants how will the doctors determine if I get a lump, God forbid? I understand it is much easier with my flat chest to feel for lumps.  I am her2+ so that is a concern - I don't want to miss a lump because there is a silicone implant in the way. 

But I hate the thought of going thru my life with no boobs.  I feel unbalanced when I take my prosthetics off -it feels weird!  I was used to my boobs being my point of reference as far as balance.  My masseuse says this is a real problem and can cause back & neck issues, so to wear the prost. 

Some questions here: 

Do the tatoo nipples really look convincing?  And just how painful are the expanders?  How long would it take for expanders?  I was a 34B and even tho in the last two years I went up to a 38A when I was fitted for the prosthetics (!!??) I want to be my normal size again. 

Thanks very much.  Hope everyone has a peaceful Season/Solstice and best wishes for a great 2010. 

tuckertwo

Hi barbe,

I wish I had your nerve!  But I'm a wimp. I'm still grieving for my boobs and having to toss out clothing that I can't wear anymore.  I'd love to find some sexy prosthetic bras and nightwear that don't cost a fortune.  I see you are in Canada as well. Any companies you can recommend?

I don't go flatchested for any other reason than I feel uncomfortable and I don't like people to look at me...I like to disappear into the background and have always been very shy.  Being bald and having to wear a wig thru chemo was traumatic enough, thank you!  I already discovered that once people find out you've had bc, they always ask 'how are you feeling' which I find annoying. It's like they expect me to be ill or something.  Asking people 'how are you' is much different than getting this question. If I meet new people I don't tell them about my bc anymore because I would like to be treated like everyone else!  Anyway, I'm not thrilled with flatchest or prosthetic but that's just the way things are.  I may go implant but that will be for ME only and my self image and that decision will take me years to make, if ever. 

I would like to see some photos of implants after mastectomies and tatoos.  Anyone have a photo or two?  I was told on the her2 forum to ask for a member here called 'tintam' but I can't seem to find her.  I would appreciate knowing what the end result of enduring chest expanders might look like. What happens to the scar line when one has implants?  Is it still visible?

Dianne

tuckertwo 

Hi tuckertwo,

I wanted to respond to a couple of issues you raised in your posts. First, regarding the balance issue--I can understand that you feel unbalanced, since you always had counterweight in the front and you've continued to have counterweight because you wear prostheses. But according to the latest evidence, it's highly unlikely that you would develop back or neck problems after a bilateral mastectomy. If you had a unilateral, that might be a different story, especially if your remaining breast were large--then there's an asymmetry between your two sides. Is your masseuse a breast cancer expert? My physical therapist is (she treats only breast cancer patients) and says that I don't have to worry about balance issues even if I choose not to wear prostheses (breast forms). The American Cancer Society (at their TLC website) says the same thing.

I had a bilateral mastectomy three years ago. My posture is actually better now than before the surgery. I do wear breast forms but often they are the unweighted kind, so that's equivalent to wearing nothing. I've had no balance, back, or neck problems. In fact, I probably feel better than before in all those areas. So be assured that if you decide not to have reconstruction, you're not increasing your risk of back or neck problems.

However, I have heard women with implants complain about those problems. One woman who sometimes posts on this forum actually had her implants removed because she developed severe neck problems. But that's not the norm. Many women who choose implants seem glad they did. However, quite a few women with implants do say that they're always aware of them. That's one reason I didn't consider implants--I'm sensitive anyway (most bras bothered me before I ever developed breast cancer), so figured if anyone would find them painful or uncomfortable or cold or tight, it would be me!

I considered other types of reconstruction, but just didn't want the scars and invasion into other parts of my body, nor did I want to be under anesthesia for any longer than necessary. People say length of time under anesthesia doesn't matter, but my brother-in-law, a surgeon, says that (especially as we get older), extended periods under anesthesia can affect memory. If it were for something necessary, of course I'd do it, but for an elective procedure, I wasn't interested. 

Like you, I don't like to draw attention to myself, so have continued to use breast forms. They are a bit of a hassle, but once they're on, I'm good to go. You mentioned in your post that you'd like to find some sexy lingerie. I recently learned about a woman in the UK (who has had breast cancer) who has just started an online store selling sexy mastectomy lingerie. She will accept international orders. I know you said you'd like to find something inexpensive and this doesn't qualify, but this stuff is so amazingly sexy, and so different from anything else out there for post-mastectomy women, that i think you might enjoy taking a look. It's called About the Girl. Here's the link: http://www.aboutthegirl.co.uk/dev/index.php

As I've said before on this thread, I wish I had the guts to go flat. I'm not there yet, though I do go without forms at home and find it wonderfully comfortable.

Barbara

Hi Tucker-

The person that has the photo forum is "timtam". You can send her a private message and ask her for access to her site. You have to be a member of BCO for a while before she lets you on her photo site but you will find the info there that you need.

Good luck

Erica, in your post responding to tuckertwo you said that you wear forms because you don't like to draw attention to your self. I don't think going flat attracts attention at all - in my experience people's response to me is the same if I am wearing forms or not. At first I was self concious when I went flat. Now I am not because I don't think people notice or care. The only odd looks I get are from people who knew me pre mastectomy and who didn't know about my dx. Or there was the time I went to the gym, wearing forms. The physical therapist who had worked on my mast scars was there. She looked totally puzzled and couldn't figure out how I had sprouted boobs. I had to laugh. The point of this is that you have to please yourself and no one else. If you walk out of the house feeling good, that is what people notice.



As I am writing this, I am wearing forms for the first time in several months. I wore them today because the shirt I wanted to wear looked better when I tried it on with forms than without. But tomorrow, I am going hiking and a tee shirt looks just fine with or without forms, so I won't bother with them. Practical rocks, imo.

Erica, I am not thin and I also have the prominent belly. But I look thinner than I did pre mastectomy, so I don't worry about the belly.



In general I like looser clothing, with soft fabric. Normally I wear tee shirts - even to work as they are comfortable and easy. I also like to wear short-sleeved shirts that button down the front. I have a couple I got from REI that are becoming. I like to wear fleece vests or fleece pull overs if it is cold. So far, the best option I have found when I want to wear something dressy without forms is a silk Hawaiian shirt with silk pants.



But I suspect what works on my body won't work on you because you are thin. I am a member of our local climbing gym - one of the other members also had bc and bilateral mastecomies. Her body type is more like yours. I have never seen her wearing forms. She normally wears very form fitting shirts, ones designed for climbing or yoga (Prana is one brand). Sometimes she wears a soft camisole type bra underneath. I get the impression she wants another layer over her chest. When she wears tee shirts they are more form fitting than ones I wear. Santa Cruz is not a dressy community, but when I see her at social functions, she is often wearing pants and a sweater or a bomber type jacker. Anyway, I think she looks good.


I agree, it would be fun to have a flat convention!