living without reconstruction

Lexylulu:  MX bras are not cheap!  You got a good deal at $52.  I hope they fit well and are comfortable.  There are many ugly MX bras out there!  Keep looking for the ones you like,,, keep note of the name and style,, and look for sales. Our very own Ariom is the goddess here!!  She is BIG help!!

Thank you Bobo, and Glennie!

Lexilulu, that is an Amoena 2167 Marlenna and I believe you have the wrong cup size, for your forms. I wear this style a lot. I got mine from metromedicalonline's blowout sale and I found that the D cup that I usually wear, was wrinkly too, there is another similar bra called the Jada, which is the same fabric and I found it wrinkled too but when I went down to a C, they both worked fine and are really comfortable. The other thing I meant to mention was the shoulder straps need to be adjusted properly on a Mx bra, even more so than a normal bra, to give the support to the forms and hold firmly against the chest.

I don't knowif you would want to try it again, but they still have a lot of sizes available in the Marlena at metromedicalonline, but only in chocolate @ $9.00 each and when you go to check out they usually give another 10% off, which will help with your postage costs. I know this bra, like all other Mx clothing and lingerie, will not be right for everyone, but correct fit is really important, especially in Mx bras and this is a soft micro fiber fabric, like a T shirt bra. Maybe you could resell your Marlena or return it to the seller, depending on what you paid for it and the postage costs involved. There are still a lot of other styles available, at that blowout sale which may be suitable for you.

Forgive me, if I have asked you this before, but do you have a fitter near you? It is always a good idea to go to a fitter and try on as many items as you can, to get a feel for what styles and sizes suit you. Then it is easy to find bargains of the items you like, online. I bought all my first pieces from the fitter near me and I get my government assisted form there every 2 years, but I always shop online, because of the bargains I can find.

I hope some of this may be of help for you. It is really hard at the beginning to find the things that are right for you, but with a bit of research and a little trial and error, you'll find things that look and feel really good, like the Valletta, you may like the Valletta T shirt too, which has pockets and is available on the same site, for $30.00 on sale.

Lexylu,

YAY! So fun to buy new cami's in many colors. Good for you! I agree with Ariom. I think you need to be fitted properly for your prosthetic bra. Mine fit like a glove and when I put them on, I don't even think another thing about them. I wear all my pre-cancer clothes with them. I should say pre-cancer tops cause my pants are way too tight with the weight I put on the past two years! Got to get slim this spring and summer.

Best,

Hi Lexylulu, fear not! it isn't a bad thing that you can see the pattern on your skin, unless it is annoying or uncomfortable to you:) The nodules on the rear of these forms are to allow more air to move between the skin and the back of the form, they have "Comfort Plus" silver antibacterial infused into the material to prevent any bacteria causing odor and to help if you are someone who has hot flashes etc. These forms are 30% lighter than the average form. In saying all that, if you're not comfortable with them, there are many other options you can try.

I have recently changed to an Amoena Natura Cosmetic, which has the same heat and bacteria reducing properties and supposedly lighter again than the average.form, no nodules, just a gel like backing. I don't feel a huge difference in the weight. They also have a very soft and more "real" feel to the silicone. These have just been released here in Aus, but I am fairly certain Erica has seen them in the US. I like these, but to be honest, I still seem to lean toward wearing the weighted foam forms, which are my favorite. They possibly aren't as cool, as these silicone forms, but I Iove the drape and the lightness of this type of foam leisure form.

Also, I meant to mention, I have a Contact form, (adheres to the chest) as well as one of the Energy ones you have, they both have the same nodules, but the Contact leaves me looking like I have bubble wrap for skin, when I remove it and it lasts a long time before it fades away, but it doesn't bother me.

There are a few light weight leisure forms around. Tru LIfe, Amoena And Nearly Me, to name a few, there is a good range on metromedicalonline and they offer very good prices.

I struggled with what to do after MX too. I knew I wouldn't be happy with implants. I wouldn't mind a flat chest, but concave with dog ears seemed unacceptable. I also heard that sometimes the mx scar against the chest can be painful without some fat in there as a buffer, don't know if that's true, but it prompted me to see a PS before my mx. He offered two options: mx followed by fat grafting to fill in the concave area and make it smoother or flap surgery. I was a good candidate for the DIEP flap, so that's the route I went, but they can harvest flaps from other areas of the body too. It is true that not all PS' s perform the same types of recon, and they only tell you about what they can do, rather than present all your options.

Hi Lexylulu, no I am afraid not. There have never been any other colors in the T shirt, as far as I know. The price on metromedical is excellent @ $30.00. Amoena do have other clothing with pockets, that are definitely worth a look. They have athletic and yoga stuff, but also pajamas, or night dresses, which are not really something I would sleep in, but are leisure wear, if you like that kind of thing. I live in a coastal town and have quite a lot of guests who stay, so I like this kind of leisure stuff for weekends when we don't get dressed and go out. There are also some dressy tops in their range too with pockets. You may have to hunt around or call Amoena in your state to find a retailer, but it is really worth investigating. One of my favorites is a maxi black dress with pockets which can be dressed up or down and there are also tunics, just the same as the dress with pockets. I absolutely love clothing with pockets and as most here know, I pretty much live in Valletta camis. I think it is just the most comfortable way to dress and the Amoena clothing all takes the weight of silicone forms, but I still tend to lean toward the Tru Life 611, as my go to form.

Hahaha, Glennie, I would go shopping with you, in a heartbeat! We'd have a ball!

My chest doesn't look great, but I just ignore it. I have a lot more important things to worry about.

Hi Crystalphm!

I'm just getting back after being away...just to give you my opinion - I used to keep my Valettas in a drawer but I started hanging them in the closet on those fabric covered hangers that straps don't slip off of. That works pretty well. Yes, I agree the new colors are stunning!

Best,