Let's Talk Cleavage...

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SpunkyGirl
SpunkyGirl Member Posts: 1,568
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I hate mine! Seriously, girls, I have to be really careful about wearing tops and camis that don't show my cleavage because if I bend over or scrunch up in any way, it looks terrible! The chest muscle bunches up and it's just not right! I assume that all of us who've had rads and double masts have this issue? I will probably never try to explore getting it fixed, if that's possible, because I wouldn't want to make things worse on the rads side. I used to buy camis without trying them on, but some are low-cut and that's not good. What are the best ones? While we are on the subject, someone was telling me the other day that you are supposed to get foobs swapped out every ten years. My first thought was, well that's a nice problem to have, but I was never told that by my surgeon. Anyone else?

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited April 2013

    Spunky, I assume you have had recon? Without recon it is less of an issue, although you have to be a bit careful not to give people an eyeful of scars.

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  • SpunkyGirl
    SpunkyGirl Member Posts: 1,568
    edited April 2013

    Yes, this is with recon(:

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  • kar123
    kar123 Member Posts: 273
    edited April 2013

    I like my cleavage, my issue is when I go to lift something or close the hatch on my car, my foobs do a kind of "arnold schwartznegger" flex thing.  I can move them independently.  Freaks my kids out. Wink  One of the areolas is also more prominent so I have to be careful when going braless. I was told that they do eventually need to be swapped out.  10-15 years. 

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  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited April 2013

    No recon...no cleavage...no worries, here!  Well, actually we have problems too but cleavage is not one of them.  Have you tried the camis with build-in bra and pads, maybe they would push things up and together :)

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited April 2013

    Jenny....I never really had great cleavage before bilat...so not having it now isn't an issue for me.....and besides I don't wear anything low cut!!!  MY implants are small...200cc mid profile....naked they look like 2 hamburger buns on my chest.   I wear cotton camis (no shelf bra) or as my DD likes to call them "wife beaters"....I get them at Target...some of the older cami's I have are jockey....I prefer the ones with wide straps (vs the thin bra type straps) as they are more comfy...I don't have any finishing touches so no worries with that.....I tend to wear round neck tops...like t-shirts or little cardigans.....but it is funny to watch the way they move!!!! but being so small, doubt anyone notices!!!!

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  • pupfoster1
    pupfoster1 Member Posts: 1,484
    edited April 2013

    I get ya there.  I have to be careful not to wear anything too low cut for fear of the recon scars showing under the new boobs (in the mid section of course).  And yes, I had heard that implants need to be replaced every 10 years or so. I have one and the DIEP on the other, so I guess I can look forward to that one day!! Foot in Mouth  And actually this is the first time in my life I can go braless.  I had large boobs before and needed lots of support.  So I guess there's one good thing about the way I am now.  Not the way I wanted it, but it is what it is right?

    Sharon

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  • DCMom
    DCMom Member Posts: 624
    edited April 2013

    No recon here, but I have begun to think I wanted it done.  Would you gals with recon still have done it?  I am pretty used to just putting on my padded bra in the morning, but as the summer approaches I am back trying to figure out what to wear to the pool.  Made me start thinking it might be time for a recon.

    Also does anyone have the huge pink/red veining on their chest from rads?  I have become more confident about them, but since summer weather has arrived I have had 3 kids ask me what happened to my chest.  Guess it is more obvious than I want.  I am not sure how to handle this.  I don't want to completely avoid the question, but I also don't want to go into the whole cancer story.  So far I have said it was just a bad burn.  Anyone have these removed or minimized?

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  • kar123
    kar123 Member Posts: 273
    edited April 2013

    DCMom,

    Looking back, I would still have mine done with some minor tweaking knowing what I know now.  I was lucky and had a really good outcome thanks to a really great plastic surgeon.   If you decide to have recon, find a PS that is very experienced with breast recon after radiation. Good luck with your decision!

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited April 2013

    DCMom....I'm not sure if I would do it again....if I did, I would do TE and implants again.....I don't care about being small....and if I didn't do recon, I would go flat.....but that said, I'm not unhappy with how I look in clothes....and since I did immediate recon with TE, I've never seen myself without a little mound...

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  • SweetCaroline2
    SweetCaroline2 Member Posts: 72
    edited April 2013

    To Spunky Girl- I know what you are talking about! I had a UMX and my right (surgical) side pectoral muscle really pops out when I use my right arm. I have to be careful to wear a tank under V-neck shirts to keep the muscle from showing and to cover up the darkened skin on my right chest (from Rads).  I had the PS make me smaller on the right side with recon (I had an LD flap with an implant). On my left side I am a DD. I had always wished to be smaller-busted and I planned to get a reduction on the left side to match, but I am so disappointed with the results of my recon and the limits of what plastic surgery can do, that I am rethinking things. I saw photos of great results on a website   BreastReconstruction.org The doctors on that website used fat transplants into the upper breast area to fill it out and give a more natural-looking

    cleavage. I asked my PS about the possibility of doing fat transplants at a later time and he did not comment. I will ask again, but I think that he may not be comfortable with that given the size of my tumor(?). 

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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited April 2013

    hey Bobbie,  my recon was the TRAM flap so I don't know what it feels like with the implants.  I'm sorry you are having some frustrations :(

    For those that asked about regrets and recon...I'm one that waited 3 years and wasn't sure I really wanted it.  I am very glad I did get recon and even though the recouperation was lengthy, I have no regrets at all.

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited April 2013

    DCmom, you can wear foobs in a swimsuit. Theoretically I would love to have new boobs. So far, however, I have not seen pics of recon for stage 3 with rads that would make me happy, and I would absolutely hate going through all that only to be stuck with something worse (in my eyes) than the neat scar I have now. If I ever decide to do it, I would want to go with hip flaps (can't use my belly, no tissue and the skin is destroyed by stretchmarks, my lats are small and I can't afford additional weakness in upper body).

    However, just from scouring the web for pics, I fully agree with kar123, if you do it, find the very best and most experienced PS you can get. This is an art and results vary wildly, from what I can see.

    As for the rad burns, I have a pretty bad one on my back and it is never going away according to the docs. If kids ask, I think "bad burn" is plenty of explanation. It really isn't anyone's business beyond that and if the kids are older than 6 or so, they really shouldn't be asking either.

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