excited :)

Ha! Love your post. I do think a big part of having decent time out of all of this is to be open to the possibilities and be able to grab the good without prejudice. I am also happy being boob-less. It surprised me, but there it is and I am happy to take it.

***CLAP CLAP CLAP***

Good for you Beacon!  I'm 2 months out from my mastectomy and have an appointment next week with my BS. I'm hoping that my incision is healed enough so he okays me goofing around with foobs!  It will be fun to fit my foobs to the type of top, instead of being too big...or too small.  

But I gotta say, going braless is great too! 

Beacon, what a cool idea. The bralette is very pretty, so I am sure you look quite fabulous in it. Good for you for finding something that works for you.

I am standing up cheering you on!!!!!

This is really uplifting to hear! I look forward to less sensitivity and more fun also.

I think at some point we have to look at our bodies and see they have carried us through quite a storm (cancer) and yes, we have scars, but we also have *life* to enjoy.

I feel better because I read your post!!!!!

Beacon, hats off to you!!! I, too, like being flat but am glad to never have to wear a bra again! Your mention of a sexy, lacy bra during intimate moments gave me pause. I even read it to my DH to see if it was something we would consider. He's still thinking about it.... I may just look for a sexy, lacy camisole instead.

Kacee, I had a general surgeon who knew I didn't want recon. My incision is flat and clean with NO bulges or excess skin. The incision is now a thin silvery line. I am thrilled!! I showed it to 2 bco sisters who had plastic and breast surgeons do their surgeries and these 2 ladies were stunned! They said my incision was WAY better than theirs!!! Your surgeon left you extra skin to help in your reconstruction. If you decide to not reconstruct, you can get them to smooth you out.

I feel sexier now than I did with breasts. I can feel the silky fabrics on my bare chest and that feels so good!

Thanks to all of you that posted here.  I am newly diagnosed with BC and will need a double mastectomy.  I am really struggling with what to do about reconstruction.  I am 41 but do believe if I were in my 60's I would totally go without recon.  I am really not happy with any of the options.  I am seriously considering not reconstructing.  Probably most concerned about how this will affect my husband although he tells me either way he will be happy.  It seems so much easier and a faster way to put cancer behind you.  You have all given me great inspiration.  Thank you!!

Freckles, I was 50 when I had my double mast. As you see, sexy lingerie goes a long way for the DH's!!

Freckles, sorry that you have to ponder these choices. I opted not to reconstruct. Actually, my surgeon did not want me to have immediate recon, so I was forced to wait, which gave me time to think and now I am inclined to skip it. However, if I change my mind, I can always have it done. Starting immediately is supposed to save surgeries. But the subsequent treatment can often lead to problems with the recon, so then you are back at square one or worse. In other words, I don't think you lose much by waiting.

Some people find it really awful to deal with the foobs and the gear, others are happy going flat or at least happy without built-in foobs. I think it is hard to know how you will feel about it till you have tried it. I thought I would be so upset without boobs, and then I just really wasn't.

Whatever you decide, you can find a lot of good info here and I wish you a happy and speedy recovery from whatever surgery you end up having. 

Freckles - I join the group in saying sorry you have to be faced with this decision. I made the decision to do immediate reconstruction - with expanders and eventually silicone implants. What followed was months of weekly doctors visits due to skin issues (skin wouldn't heal due to prior radiation), eventually had the expander removed on one side and lots of waiting in between. I was scheduled to do major surgery TRAM flap in May, but a few months ago decided I am done with it. My body has been through way too much and I am going to love it just the way it is. It took me a long time to get to this point, and everyone is different. There is no right or wrong answer, just what is right for you, and you are the only one that can answer that. I will say the pressure to make decisions when you're first diagnosed is very difficult, I didn't fully understand the risks and possibilities. I don't regret all I've been through but I am glad to finally be finished with breast cancer and moving on with my life. It's an adjustment learning to live without breasts, but its sort of fun too as you can see from this group, experimenting. You can always decide down the road to reconstruct, which I told myself when I first cancelled my surgery but now that I'm at this point I don't think I'll ever go back. Good luck to you in your decision and healing.

Freckles,

Sorry for all the anxiety your facing been there had a BMX jan 2012 went to see PS thought i wanted to reconstruct but came home and read the book Naked Truth about breast implants by dr. Susan kolb.

I had a feeling Recon wasn't for me. I am an OR nurse and do breast recons w/without TEs right to implants all too often.. After reading this book i personally realized that breast cancer in my own breasts was enough

I like the fact that when my prosthesis bother me i can take them off implants you cannot . I have friends with implants and consider having them removed all the time. Everyones decision is their own as I found out I am 8 weeks out and i'm wearing a genie bra i purchased small breast enhancing silicone forms and they work fine p>Wishing you peace and healing

Ibayareamom



I purchased them from large dept stores with a good bra/ lingerie dept. i also purchased them on line at hapari.com they were $19.99 they are smaller than what i was fitted for professionally but i like how light they are . I also like the microbead forms sold on tlc.com but they are $ wishing you comfort . I also purchased the cosabella written above and love it

Hi bayareamom,

I'm sorry you're having pain from the bras. I had that too--I couldn't (and still can't) tolerate bras that come up high under my armpits, which is the case with many mastectomy bras. But there are others that don't come up high, plus you can adapt regular bras by sewing in pockets for breast forms (prostheses). Nordstrom's will do this for you if you buy your bras there.

The gentlest, most comfortable garment I've found is the Still You Tank Top (it's really a classic camisole, with pockets, in a very soft fabric). I wear it with unweighted foam forms. If you check out my non-profit website, BreastFree.org, and go to the Bras and Camisoles section, you'll find a description of the camisole with a link to a picture of it. And in the Breast Forms section of BreastFree.org, under the heading "Non-Silicone Breast Forms" you'll find options for foam and other non-silicone forms. You might read through the "Silicone Breast Forms" area, too, as it will give you an idea of the forms I and other women (many of whom I met here at bc.org) find the most comfortable.

Don't despair. There really are a lot of options these days. But I found it took quite a bit of trial and error to find what works best for me. And, over five years later, I'm still learning.

Barbara

This is my favorite topic to read and follow.  I did decide not to do recon.  The night after I called to tell the surgeon I would not be doing recon. was the best nights sleep I've had in a few weeks. 

Between mastectomy, recon or not... I prefer to choose - "non of the above".   Since that's not an option it is good to know that for me not to recon may be the least of these "evils" we have to face (at least for me).   

 Keep up the positive attitudes.  We learn that we have no control over lifes twists and turns, but we do have control over how we react to lifes challenges.