Do I need a bra/Cami after bmx?

I did not wear a bra after BMX with immediate expanders, I actually wore regular camisoles or ribbed tanks that I could step into and pull up, and just pinned the drains to the side seams.  I wore button or zip up tops or light jackets over the tanks.  I woke up from the surgery in a camisole in the hospital that had drain pockets but I was allergic to the fabric, so did not wear it after that.  That camisole did come with little pillows with an opening that held a fluffy material - that could be adjusted for size by adding more, or removing, the fluff.  They are very soft and comfortable and I have used those in a stretchy bra as prostheses.  Your insurance company may cover a mastectomy bra and proper prostheses for the time period between your BMX and recon surgery.  If so, I would recommend being seen by a fitter for those, or if you are happy with a more casual arrangement you can purchase those soft puffs from TLC, I will link below.  I have put them into the pockets of Genie bras between the fabric and removable modesty padding, works great and is comfortable.  If you have a Nordstrom nearby they have fitters and they will sew a pocket(s) into any bra they sell for free, and will do the same with swimsuits.

http://www.tlcdirect.org/Adjustable-Triangle-Featherweight-Foam-Breast-Form-Mastectomy-Prosthesis-American-Cancer-Society-TLC-Direct?did=42

Hi jl:

I guess it depends on what is comfortable for you and if you are comfortable going around flat. You may not really know how you will feel until you are in the situation. I go flat at home.

Some hospitals seem to provide a cami. Mine didn't--they used safety pins. You could ask your surgeon's office what you should expect, and then you can decide if you need or want to get something else.

Erica's breastfree.org site has a good description of camis and pink pockets with links under the preparing for surgery tab at http://breastfree.org/content.php?page=15

That said, you can definitely improvise for drain management. Other threads describe wearing a sweatshirt inside out, and keeping drains in the pockets. Someone else mentioned using little tool aprons like handymen have! Others pin the drains to a tank or cami like Special K describes, optionally with a button down shirt on top. Since at first you should not raise your arms above 90 degrees (or can't in my case), having a tank or cami that you can step into is helpful. You can test out the tank tops you already have in advance to see if they have enough give for that. Most do.

I bought two Softee Two camisoles with inserts (see the breast free link). The ones I had held the drains close to the body and towards the front on my belly, which I did not like. Instead, I used Pink Pockets (see the breastfree link) which I bought for $19.99 (stuck to the inside of button down pajama top or shirt). They were great - roomy and easy to use and held the drains where I wanted. I did use the cami with puffy forms to go out once or twice. The puffy forms that come with the cami were pretty shapeless. You can remove the stuffing and put in a more shapely puffy form (such as the triangle form from TLC in the link provided by Special K above), using the outer cover (with velcro tabs) to hold form in the cami.

I think you typically wait 6-8 weeks before you can use other types of forms. A good lightweight silicone form can be very expensive (like $250 or more for one). My insurance had annual limits on the number of prostheses, so I bought my own camis and puffy forms, and saved my insurance coverage for the high quality silicone forms.

Barred Owl