Plastic surgeon says I have to always wear a bra :(

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pesky904
pesky904 Member Posts: 402
edited March 2019 in Breast Reconstruction

Just wanted to share my disappointment. The ONE positive I kept being told about having a double mastectomy/reconstruction was that I would not have to wear a bra and my breasts wouldn't sag.

Well, my left non-cancer implant is like an inch lower than my right (cancer) side and my plastic surgeon told me I absolutely have to wear a bra every day and maybe even sleep in one to support the left implant.

So bummed out. I thought at least one good thing might come of all of this, but nope, now my new "breasts" are way smaller than before and I can't even go braless.

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited February 2019

    I'd see another surgeon for a second opinion. That seems wrong to me. Both saying you have to wear a bra and also because your breasts are lopsided.

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  • NotVeryBrave
    NotVeryBrave Member Posts: 1,287
    edited February 2019

    Gravity is always a consideration - reconstruction or not. Wearing a bra helps to shape my implants when dressed to look more natural. I don't wear a bra at night and am thankful for that!

    Radiation probably tightened things on the cancer side. I would think the PS would have better ideas than just wearing a bra. After everything we go through - we should at least be fairly happy with the result.

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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    Well, I'm having so many issues right now with a new lump right where my original cancer was and lumps in the axilla on the cancer side, and a painful spot on the sternum/rib on the non-cancer side, so I opted to put off any fat grafting for a few years (because I'm high risk for recurrence and I know that fat grafting can definitely cause lumps and I don't want to keep having to deal with having to have every little thing checked out).

    Hopefully in the future fat grafting will help things look and feel a little better. But for now, I guess I'm stuck with my lopsided firmer radiated cancer side and sagging prophylactic left side. :(

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  • CaliKelly
    CaliKelly Member Posts: 474
    edited February 2019

    After my mastectomy, and tissue expander placement, I had radiation. After healing from rads I had the implant exchange, and a small implant in my non cancer side. The cancer side was higher and smaller, but acceptable. But over time the radiated skin tightened up and then the difference was more noticeable. Eventually I had to have a latissimus dorsai flap surgery. That plus fat grafting created an almost perfect match! And I can go braless, if I want😉My plastic surgeon worked with me until I was satisfied, and im very happy now with the outcome. I'd get a second opinion, if you can.

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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    Thanks for sharing, that gives me hope. I had radiation while my tissue expanders were in, 10 months before having the implants put in. It only took about a month and a half for the radiated side to tighten up a lot. So the prophylactic left side was always a little bit lower but now it's a big difference.

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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    CaliKelly, just wondering, when your radiated skin tightened up, did you also develop any lumps? My radiated skin got tight within a few weeks of my exchange surgery but now I have also developed a hard lump right where my tumor was and a softer lump in my armpit.

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  • CaliKelly
    CaliKelly Member Posts: 474
    edited February 2019

    Pesky, I didn't feel any lumps after radiation, but I've had various lumps checked out, in my armpit I could feel small firm lumps which turned out to be surgical clips! Then I felt firm lumps around my reconstructed breast, turned out to be fat necrosis. Then ,in my non cancer side armpit , a softer lump which is a lymph node, but normal. There's also always scar tissue that develops from surgeries, and radiation. But I always get any new lump checked out, even when I'm pretty sure it's nothing. When they do surgery, there's a lot going on inside the surgery site, that can feel lumpy. For peace of mind, I always check.

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  • conscorner
    conscorner Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2019

    I was also disappointed with the difference in size of both breasts. I was told to not wear a bra with a wire, so I followed that advice. I would agree that you may need another opinion about having to always wear a bra. It's kind of funny, because even when I don't wear a bra, I still feel like I have one on anyway. Sometimes I wear a bra and sometimes just a tight undershirt, depending on what I wear. I hope you can get some satisfactory answers. Take care!

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  • LeesaD
    LeesaD Member Posts: 383
    edited February 2019
    Pesky904- your situation very similar to mine and I’m not sure what to do either. My right side was diseased side but had a BMX. Right side was radiated. I had exchange surgery done Jan 2018 and after my plastic surgeon said I wouldn’t need to wear a bra. Over the summer I noticed my left non diseased non radiated side was lower than the right side. I couldn’t wear a tight shirt as it was so lopsided. My plastic surgeon said the radiated right side contracted up and was tighter than left side and because I went with smaller implants the left side dropped. I decided to have a left side revision with some more fat grafting to try and fix which I had Oct 2018. He exchanged left side and put in a new implant. Now this time he told
    me I had to wear a bra which was exact opposite of what he told me first time. A bra doesn’t even do anything really for me. I don’t think it gives any support whatsoever and is just a nuisance and feels tight and uncomfortable. The right side doesn’t move anyway which I’m kind of ok with. Left side still looks lower to me. My plastic surgeon said well we can take off some skin and tighten it up and I was like well what the hell did you do with my revsison??? Why he didn’t do that in Oct is beyond me and I’m not really happy about it. I feel like I went through another surgery for nothing. I do not want to have yet another one but I feel like why should I live with lopsided foobs after all I’ve been through. It s annoying. What I’ve been doing is wearing a bra when I run or workout, don’t wear one when I sleep. Depends on the day if I wear one to work or not.
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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    LeesaD, I feel for you! I don't know what I'm going to do but for now I'm doing nothing because I don't want to end up having multiple surgeries. I honestly think my only option is to wait and then down the road have the left one redone with fat grafting and hope it matches the right radiated side. Or have both implants removed and do a whole reconstruction with fat.

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  • leftduetostupidmods
    leftduetostupidmods Member Posts: 620
    edited February 2019

    They normally do an internal bra using Alloderm matrix or something similar. No more worries, the thing is that you feel like you're wearing a bra that you can never take off.

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  • pesky904
    pesky904 Member Posts: 402
    edited February 2019

    The thing I've noticed since I've been wearing a bra now for a few days, after not wearing one for well over a year, is that I have more rib pain now. I NEVER had any pain whatsoever, not even after my mastectomy. I must have a really high threshold for pain but I just never had any pain in the entire area after my multiple biopsies, my double mastectomy or my exchange surgery. I had tissue expanders in for a full year after my mastectomy and never felt any pain or discomfort from them.

    I started having some rib pain on my right side and under the left breast about 3 weeks ago and discovered a lump between my rib and the implant on the right side. Now after wearing a well-fitting, definitely not too tight bra for just a few days, my ribs hurt a lot more. Just that tiny extra bit of pressure from the bra has made a big difference in regards to how my ribs feel.

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  • Silverpullet
    Silverpullet Member Posts: 28
    edited March 2019

    my plastic surgeon said the same thing. Because the implants are not connected to anything, they have the potential to shift locations over time. I was told 24/7. I do not find it comfortable to go braless anymore anyway. It has been a way of life. The bra is to keep them in place. I just read other posts here regarding implants migrating. I would rather wear a bra than have them move around to my sides.

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  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited March 2019

    Hanes makes some very comfy, light, stretchy bras that have no underwire and are very easy to wear. I needed a bra 24/7 for some time after getting my port, as the eight of my breast pulled on my port wound, and these saved my life.

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