1 month after BMX w/o recon, just want to get comfortable

Bumping for Itzy, for more suggestions. Can anyone help?

For me, taking cool showers helps minimize any heat related swelling that happens with too -warm (ie normal temperature) showers.

I still find, even 2 years out, that I can't wear anything with (even a relatively loose) elastic the whole way around (like a normal shelf tank orbra) or it backs everything (side, back of armpit, and arm if I go too long) up. There are surprisingly few options out there for this problem. I emailed amoena about it the other day and they said they don't plan on making any new ones and to try the valetta. Unfortunately, they don't work for me either. Not sure if this is the one you tried already, but I wear an aemona Hannah tank (the one with the zipper) most days as it only has elastic in the front, not the back and for me holds a lighter weight silicone prosthesis nicely. Also the company luisa luisa makes tanks that only have elastic in the front as well. I don't love the way my one-sided prosthesis looks in them, and they don't hold up silicone forms, but I think they might look better with matching poofs .

Some on here like the eab brand binders, and they're pretty for what they are . I'm planning on trying one soon. Others like compression tees, like underarmour, but I don't find these have enough underarm / upper chest compression for me.

Best wishes! This is all super frustrating, but most of us do find a thing or two eventually that works for us

Also, if it's determined you do have lymphedema, check out the step up speak out website at www.stepup-speakout.org as they have a whole section on truncal compression garments.

Edited to activate link and add another idea

The most comfortable garment I've found is the Belisse compression vest. My situation is different, as I have truncal lymphedema, but the way you've tried this and that, seeking comfort, is very familiar. :-) Binders, sports bras, etc. just never felt good. The belisse vest keeps me very comfortable, day and night. The disadvantage is the $200 pricetag, which my insurance wouldn't cover. I don't have much money and pondered this purchase for quite awhile. After I got it and experienced the tremendous decrease in pain, I promptly coughed up two hundred bucks more for another one. Cutting back on pain is worth it to me. It's possible that your insurance might cover a belisse if your Dr. or PT recommends it for you. Might be worth asking. I wish you luck finding something that works for you.

Hi,

I am new to this forum so I may not navigating this site correctly either.

I have found that Luisa Camisoles have helped me. They have a shelf bra and a place to put your breast forms, in addition very stylish. Sometimes I just wear the Luisa Camisoles without the breast forms, and no one can really tell. I am just over year survivor, and I am finishing up physical therapy that helped with my tightness and pain. Before this I was not able to wear any kind of bra without it hurting so much. slowly I am getting back into wearing them. I have found that leisure bras and ones that fasten in the front are more comfortable to me. The Amoena Hannah bra has been a god-send for me as well.

The issue I am struggling with is that when I lift my arm my bra rides up over my chest. If I get a heavy weight breast form it hurts my chest to much. So, my breast mastectomy boutique is trying to help me find wide band bras and help suggest another kind of breast form. I think Anita puts one out with a wide band on the bottom. I am a very slender person with a small body frame, and I can tell you that going through this is not easy, but fight back with joy in dealing with everything. Life is to short to be conveying a angry attitude... I still am trying to except the "new norm", but it is getting easier. Just remember God will be your strength!

Is anyone been dealing with De Quervain's tendinitis since being on Arimidex? I have been on all of them one time or another, but the Armidex the longest, and now since June 1,2015 and have been dealing with severe pain in my wrist and thumbs. I just switched to Aromasin and hope this helps.

Dear Blue Pearl,

I am just a over a year survivor, but have many side effects from the chemotherapy and radiation that I am dealing with. I struggle a lot with chemo brain, neuropathy, and now DE Quervains tendinitis of both hands. I am not able to work and applied for disability September 4, 2015.

As far as the therapy,I tried the finger wall climbing exercises, and they did not help me with my chest wall tightness. I simply thought just getting back to doing house work would bring everything back to normal, but it did not. It seemed every time I would reach, lift, push or pull that I would just hurt so much. Finally I told my oncologist, and he gave me a referral for physical therapy and this is what has helped me. To share a little background with you. I was diagnosed with Stage 2B ductal breast cancer. I chose a bilateral mastectomy all at once. Although, my cancer was only in the right breast, and I had cancer in my lymph nodes under my right arm removed (don't know how many because they were all clustered together, and they could not get a specific count). I am ER/PR positive, and HER 2 negative. I

am not through menopause so I have my own hot flashes, plus the hot flashes/night sweats from the Aromasin estrogen blocker drug, yuck. I have tried several anti-depressants that are suppose to help, but they did not decrease them at all. I have insomnia really bad, my digestion has been messed up since chemo therapy and my stomach hurts all the time now.

This is not the path I thought I would be on after cancer, but obviously God has allowed it to be this way. Every day I fight back with God's joy and this is what helps me to maintain a good attitude. Since treatments I can only wear certain types of clothes, all others make me itch.

This hypersensitivity in my body has made me cry out to the Lord for strength to get through this madness that my body is experiencing...

I hope you have a great day. Anyone else out there going through these type of altered body sensations burning, itching...problems with wearing clothes?

Thanks, Cindy

Hi. Just wanted to do a quick reply concerning your hyper sensitivity to lymph node pain and mastecomy pain. It is REAL, No doubt. It feels like a severe sunburn under my arm where nodes were removed. I am doing tissue expanders for implant exchange and they tug, pinch, poke, stick...miserable. No bra has done anything for that...just 5 weeks out from surgery and incision is still tender.

Soooo, why I am contacting you? Through my desperation to have SOME relief I dug through my arsenal of creams and lotions begging to find SOMETHING that would stop this misery. So I found out that a product I had used before for joint pain takes that expander pain away and a bonus it keeps that lymph node burning away as well. Protocol For Life Balancer Fast Acting Celadrin Joint Liposome Lotion with natural menthol, plus MSM & Arnica. It says it relieves joint pain I know but it did a great job for me on my foob ( fake boobs) discomfort. Stopped it all. Gave systematic relief to both areas. You have to “slather” it on , don’t use it sparingly and you have to reapply often. Who cares as long as you some relief. You can get on Amazon for $9.99 I think. It was a miracle relief for me. I hope if you can use it for anything it helps you.

Good luck and hang in there.

Hi. Just wanted to do a quick reply concerning your hyper sensitivity to lymph node pain and mastecomy pain. It is REAL, No doubt. It feels like a severe sunburn under my arm where nodes were removed. I am doing tissue expanders for implant exchange and they tug, pinch, poke, stick...miserable. No bra has done anything for that...just 5 weeks out from surgery and incision is still tender.

Soooo, why I am contacting you? Through my desperation to have SOME relief I dug through my arsenal of creams and lotions begging to find SOMETHING that would stop this misery. So I found out that a product I had used before for joint pain takes that expander pain away and a bonus it keeps that lymph node burning away as well. Protocol For Life Balancer Fast Acting Celadrin Joint Liposome Lotion with natural menthol, plus MSM & Arnica. It says it relieves joint pain I know but it did a great job for me on my foob ( fake boobs) discomfort. Stopped it all. Gave systematic relief to both areas. You have to "slather" it on , don't use it sparingly and you have to reapply often. Who cares as long as you some relief. You can get on Amazon for $9.99 I think. It was a miracle relief for me. I hope if you can use it for anything it helps you.

Good luck and hang in there.