Swimwear Questions

I swim - not daily or in a lot of chlorinated pools but more often in lakes or creeks.  I just use my daily pros.  No problems at all.  Size might make a difference - I'm on the smaller side (32/34, A/B, depending on the cut/manufacturer).

You can sometimes find suits (and bras) that have small 'uplift pads' in them that are in 'pockets'  that they can be taken out and pros put in.  I was finally able to find a suit like that as none of the mast. suits were in a size that would fit.

Bearhitch, I bumped that thread. I'm going to try to put a link here too in case the thread drops down the page by the time you get a chance to look.

Swimming poofy thread

Wow, Mary, that Monokini site is really something. I've been covering up my cancer surgery scars since forever, the bone cancer when I was a teen and the breast cancer I got as a (sort of) grownup. Maybe I should re-think it, as these amazing women have. Amy

HMM - My swimsuit is a non mastectomy suit I bought at Sam's Club.  It's a tankini top and definately not too low.  Perhaps size might come into play - I'm 'smaller' and the mast. suits I've found only go down to 10 so do not fit.

I wanted to give an update on how my swimwear is working this summer since last summer was a fiasco. I finally found a high neck mastectomy tankini made by "It figures" on Swimsuitsdirect.com . I was able to buy the top only to use with current bottoms I already have. With a coupon it was about $35 bucks.Swimsuitsdirect was also really easy to work with and handled returns easily. The suit works great. The neck is high enough so no one can see down my suit when I bend over. The foobs stay up pretty well when coming out of the water. The top is stylish enough. I don't look like I'm wearing an old lady suit. The cons are that the holes to insert the foobs are really really small. I was concerned I might damage the foob. I can always get the tailor to open it up a bit. I'm sure they have a double knit machine. for now I'm just leaving them in there - its the only suit top I wear with foobs. I have a bit of a belly and had to get a 16 (I've wear a 12 or 14 in most other brands) so the pockets are a little big. I'd prefer if they filled out more so the foobs were more secure feeling but the larger foobs felt too big to me (I wear Amoena size 5). 

the rash guards from Lands End have also been working. The t-shirt one can float up a bit so I tuck it into my suit bottom if moving around a lot. That worked for me. The jacket style is great, doesn't float up. Awesome for a water park. 

I also have come up with a theory on why its hard to find a mx tankini. I suspect a one piece holds everything in the correct place better when moving around and wet. But the thought of using our community pool bathroom with my foobs hanging low in the toilet stall grosses me out and tankinis tend to be more figure flattering on me. 

The Amoena silicone forms can be worn in the water, but both salt and chlorine will reduce the life of them. The clear silicone form that Amoena makes isn't made from the same type of silicone, so although it needs to be washed after swimming, it will last much better than a regular form. The swim specific form also has ridges in the back to prevent the slurping sound, when swimming that can happen with a regular form.

I picked up 2  Amoena swim forms on Ebay for $70.00, gave one to a friend who is a Uni like me and the same size, and kept the other. Ebay often has brand new forms that I guess people have purchased and find they don't like, or they just don't use them.

I have a few Amoena Tankini tops and they all sit high enough on the chest, not to fall forward when I bend. They also have adjustable straps, which ensure a good fit and a really good mesh bra with good wide opening pockets, inside.  I usually buy at the end of the season when they are on sale, they are great value.

Before I found the stores that I now buy from regularly, I tried to modify regular suits, knit bras and camisoles to take my forms. This works really well if you are a smaller size, you can even get away with the little silicone "chicken filet" enhancers, which are available everywhere in stead of expensive forms. Many women here are delighted with the results from Genie type bras and Camisoles which have the modesty pads inside the pockets. These are a fantastic option.

For me, with a "D" cup on the remaining side, it's more difficult to get the comfort and the fit from modified things, that Mx specific clothing and bras offer.  I now look at it from the perspective of, I had to buy lingerie and clothing that suited me before this, so now I will buy lingerie and clothing that is specific to my needs, after this surgery.

I realized very quickly that although some, actually most, Mx specific clothing can be expensive, the difference between things manufactured to cover the issues we have, versus modified pieces at a lower price, can actually work out to be a false economy.

One really good mx specific camisole, can outlast several camisoles that are of a lesser fabric quality, which you've had to enlarge the pockets to accommodate a form. With straps that still fall off the shoulders and it doesn't really sit quite high enough on the chest, maybe it isn't cut well enough under the arms to avoid irritating the place where nodes were removed. All these features are engineered into Mx specific pieces. 

I became obsessed, with finding everything that is available, for women after this surgery, I am in Australia and the range is very limited here. We really only seem to have Amoena products.I shop mainly in the US and find that by doing a bit of searching, I will find sales and clearance of top of the line Mx products at a fraction of the new price.  Ebay is a great place to search for all kinds of Mx products at discounted prices, as are the big medical suppliers.  

In Australia we get 1 or 2 if BMX, silicone forms, paid for every 2 years, that's it! From what I can gather from women in the US and Canada, there are "some" insurance companies that are very generous with their allowances for both clothing and forms. If I had that here, wow, I'd be checking what is available to me and purchasing accordingly, up to whatever I was allowed.

I didn't mean to write a novel here, I hope some of it helps!lol

No problem clickchick! I hope you have a wonderful time!