Feeling like my bathing suit days are over

Land's End rocks for this.  They have lots of post-mastectomy swim suits.  And be sure to read the tips here on making a swim foob from a cheap nylon net bath scrubbie. Look for bathing suits that have some built in padding in the top. 

I second the recommendation for Lands End. Their mastectomy suits are really great (I have TEs but am still very lopsided, so put a prosthesis in one of the pockets). They are well made, have higher armholes, padded tops...I love them. Also, if you have a Sears near you, you can return Land's End items there. 

Here's a blog entry about my experience trying to find a great bathing suit after my bilateral mastectomy:

http://breastfree.blogspot.com/2011/04/swimsuit-edition-breast-free-style.html

Hope it gives you some ideas. It really is possible to find a great looking suit after a mastectomy!

Barbara

BreastFree.org

No prostesis for me eiher.  I got a mastectomy bathing suit from Lands End and had to send it back 3 times but it took that many goes to get the sizing correct.  Last year I just got a suit from Wal Mart it comes up high under my arm so the side boob is covered and it comes up high around the neckline and if you get plain black with ridges in the material you can't notice I'm two different sizes and it covers all flaws, so I suggest you just go try on some suits and don't get discouraged most won't work but you'll end up finding one that does.  

I am tall and long in the body so buying a swimming costume has always been a miserable experience for me - even pre-cancer.

After much faffing around with overpriced and uncomfy mastectomy costumes I finally opted for a normal swimming costume with a high neck and sewed in some pockets - I use small scrunchies to pad the breast area out a bit. (Think I got that tip from Barbara!) It works well for me but I am always aware of my breastlessness when at the swimming pool - especially when swimming with my young son who always yanks on my costume and pulls it down. Much happier on the beach where people aren't in such close proximity and I go flat.

Those Athleta suits look interesting. I stopped wearing bathing suits after I had my dd almost 20 years ago. I have loose skin on my stomach and stretchmarks on my thighs, as well as saddlebags (from the pregnancy). But with some heavy lycra and shorts, it might be doable.

Ya Otter, it's too bad we can't take the 'poofy' out of our butts.

I have been a Land's End shopper for many years and can attest to the quality of swimsuits, flannel sheets and coats.  Since Sears bought them the shirts are being made with thinner fabric, which people are not happy about.  You can return things at Sears to save the hassle of shipping.

 Amputees (of other parts) cross the "how will I look in a swimsuit" bridge and go on living, without options to hide the situation.  Certainly some people stare, but it is how it is, just like aging, you don't look as good in a swimsuit later as you did earlier. It depends how much swimming is a part of your life -- be honest -- were you really a super-pool-oriented person?  The swim season is short for most of the country, and it is great that there are so many dressing options once you are out of the pool.

 That being said, if I ever lived in a year-round pool climate, I would just love to have my own backyard pool where I could enjoy the water in private. 

For 30+ years I've had to deal with finding swim wear that camoflaged my ileostomy.  Now I need to deal with no boobs too. I haven't even started to look for anything - the very thought of shopping gives me a headache. 

OK, I don't know what the (( )) mean, I'm sure it's something good, maybe hugs?

Yes ((())) are hugs.

Re:  "The swim season is short for most of the country...".  Heh heh.  Which country? Swimsuit season lasts from early March through late October here in the Deep South states, especially Florida and along the Gulf Coast. It's much the same in the south-central U.S. (Texas, Louisiana), southern California, and the desert southwest.  I'm not braggin'.  That's just how it is. 

But, Mopsy, you are so right about "other amputees."  I have a cousin who was born without most of his right arm.  Don't know what happened (thalidomide?); but there is nothing but a stump attached to his shoulder on that side.  It doesn't slow him down at all.  He does woodworking, and stained glass art, and all sorts of stuff, and he does not wear a prosthesis.  Usually he just folds his sleeve on that side so that it extends just past the end of the tissue. I'll admit I've never seen him in swimming trunks, but it would be much more difficult for him to conceal his loss than for me to conceal mine.

As for the concavity of chests after mastectomies, it seems to depend on how much tissue is there in the first place.  My original breasts were small (34B/36A) and my chest was very flat.  You can pretty much see my ribs above the softball-sized breast on each side.  Now that I no longer have a breast on the left side, my chest is totally flat from collarbone to lowest rib.  Think "pre-teen" on that side.

[Warning:  skip this part and scroll down to my sig line if you are grossed out easily]...

When the troupe of doctors came through on the morning after my surgery (mast/SNB-no recon), I mentioned that my upper chest (above the incision) hurt like I'd been kicked by a horse.  Except for the fact that my pain control was obviously inadequate, nobody seemed surprised.  In fact, one of the residents perked up and offered an explanation.  She said, "That's because during a mastectomy, the surgeon lifts up the skin and uses bovie cautery to scrape off all the breast tissue, from just beneath the collarbone all the way down to the lowest rib, and from the sternum almost all the way over to the shoulder."

Ugh. Okaaaayyyyy...  I think her description explains why some women end up "concave" on the mast side.  Scraping off the breast tissue necessitates scraping off most (or all) the fat, since breast tissue and fat are intermingled and it's not easy to tell them apart on a live body.  On a woman whose chest has a lot more tissue than mine, there would be a fairly abrupt drop-off where the breast tissue was taken away.

otter

Thanks for the hugs Sharon.