Bathing suit season soon

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caaclark
caaclark Member Posts: 936
edited June 2014 in Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
Just wanted to let you all know (if you do not know already) that Lands End has mastectomy suits. I had one last year and ordered 2 more this year. I just tried on one that is solid in color and has crossed straps in the back with white piping under the breast area. Now, I am sure I am like many of you and bathing suit season causes anxiety. And, that is NOT because of the mast. I always dread bathing suit season. Anyway, the suit that I just described is so cute on me! I wear a size 2 pros. and the size 6 fits fits well. Although it is a tiny bit tighter than the other styles of Land End suits I have. Oh, and if you are ordering one of their suits, make sure you order one of the cute skirts/cover-up to go with them. By the way, the bottoms run big so order the smaller size if you are between.

Ok, there is your friendly fashion tip for the day!
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2007
    Thanks for the info...

    Wanted to add that Nordstroms (or most seamstresses) will sew "pockets" into the top of any bathing suit. So, if you have a favorite suit, and your prosths will fit into it, they'll do it! I think it's about $12...

    My favorite suit has a lining, so I just cut slits into the lining and squeezed the prosths into it. It worked fine, but I'm a fairly small size - I don't know how well it would work with larger sizes...
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  • Erica3681
    Erica3681 Member Posts: 1,916
    edited March 2007
    I've been curious about the Lands End suits. They look nice in the pictures I've seen online.

    When I was fitted for my prostheses, I tried on some suits there and wound up with an Anita suit, the same company that makes my favorite bras (thanks, Carol!). It has adjustable straps (but done in such a way that they're barely noticeable), which help me make sure there's no gapping at the top. And there's also a way to adjust the bikini line, so it can be quite conservative or much more revealing. So, if I'm feeling modest on top (which I definitely am, these days), I can go a little more daring on the bottom!
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  • badboob67
    badboob67 Member Posts: 2,780
    edited March 2007
    I bought a nice suit rather inexpensively (about $30) from AMAZON. It came from swimoutlet.com. I am very happy with it--wore it for the first time Friday. In addition to prothesis pockets, the underarms are cut higher and there is light shirring on the bodice.

    I tried sewing a pocket into my favorite suit, but it didn't really work for me--likely because my pros. is wrong.


    I have a cheap foam swim prosthesis and it is AWFUL!! I am going to ask for a prescription for a swim pros. when I go to the ONC tomorrow. I have an AMOENA TRIA for everyday wear and see they have a TRIA swim pros. What do you all wear that you like (and won't float up to your neck when you're in the water!!!!!)?
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  • caaclark
    caaclark Member Posts: 936
    edited March 2007

    I use the Ameona Tria Swim Form 129. I really do not swim all that much but will go in the water when my kids are there. Actually, since I had my mast. last summer I have only been in once so I will see what happens this summer.

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  • caaclark
    caaclark Member Posts: 936
    edited March 2007

    I just went typed in Anita Mastectomy swimsuit and see that they have bikinis!! CUTE!! Did not even know that it would ever be an option again to wear a bikini!! Do they run true to size on the top and bottom? I may order one but that means more sit-ups for the next few months. Oh, and less eating would help too!

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  • Erica3681
    Erica3681 Member Posts: 1,916
    edited March 2007
    Carol,

    Here is a link to the bathing suit I bought: http://womanspersonalhealth.com/products/863/Anita-Mastectomy-Swimsuit-6255.htm
    I bought it in a size 8 (even though I'm normally a size 6 in clothes these days). You can see the little strings at the bottom for adjusting the bikini line. It has a B cup. My only objection to the suit is that the cup is a little larger than I'd like. At the time, the fitter told me I could use my regular size 3 Nearly Me breast forms in it (they're okay for swimming, she said), which fit well. But I prefer using my Size 2 Nearly Me Freestyle Swim Forms in the suit, since I like them better for swimming. I probably could have gone a cup size smaller with the size 2s, although they work okay in the B cup suit. So for you, I might go for the A cup, since as I recall, the Anita bra in a 34A works for you. I hadn't considered a bikini. Though I'm thin, I'm 58 years old and I think my (grown) kids would just about die if I showed up in a bikini! But they do look cute. If you use the website I linked to above (Women's Personal Health Resource), they might advise you about what size would be best (they had a number of bikini styles online). Good luck!
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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited March 2007
    Don't forget the shower scubby option for swim prostheses. Buy one of those poofy shower things that's tightly bound (some are just bound with a plastic ring and they'll fall apart). Cut one side flat for the back and round the other size to suit you. Works great in a prosthesis pocket -- doesn't float up or lose its shape, and it's dry when you're done swimming. I spluged and bought myself new ones this year -- I think it cost about $4 total for two of them. Hmmm, for some reason my insurance wouldn't cover them. Maybe if I got the onc to write me a prescription for shower scrubbies...
    Binney
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  • badboob67
    badboob67 Member Posts: 2,780
    edited March 2007
    Binney,
    I will have to try that!! I imagine I'll be having a bit of a wait for my AMOENA TRIA swim pros. because of new wrinkles in my treatments. I wear a size 9 pros, though...maybe two scrubbies? LOL
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  • AlaskaDeb
    AlaskaDeb Member Posts: 2,601
    edited March 2007
    Hey Binney-

    My proth is a size 12...I got away with only one puff per side LOL. One of my suits has a row of ruffles over the top and it looks fine. Since I had a bilat, maybe it is easier though....

    Deb C
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  • Raye99
    Raye99 Member Posts: 1,350
    edited April 2007
    Binney,
    Thanks so much! I can't find a bathing suit I like and the bikini tops look too big (I am a tiny A cup on one side).

    I am going to try and just stick it in my regular bathing suit. The top is really tight like a sports bra, so it should stay in place. We shall see!

    Raye
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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited April 2007
    Hi, Raye!
    You can always pin it with a safety pin to the suit lining. If it's uncomfortable against your tender skin you can stuff it into a prosthesis cover...

    Deb, you always crack me up! Even shower poofies, I find, come in a variety of sizes. Trouble is, you have to remember not to try them on in the drugstore aisle...

    Binney
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  • BoobsinaBox
    BoobsinaBox Member Posts: 550
    edited April 2007
    I've been looking for the shower scrubbies, but the only ones I've found so far have the plastic ring or a heavy thread circle. How are the others made, and can you suggest a place that carries them? I'd really like to try that for swimwear.
    Dawn
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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited April 2007
    Do the scrubbies look bumpy through the suit? Sounds like a great idea to use them. Do you just keep them in the suit all the time, then?

    Take care,
    Bugs
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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited April 2007
    Dawn, the kind that are tightly tied work for me. The plastic rings just fall apart, but I re-sewed one of those with yarn after it fell apart on me when I was snipping it to shape, and it's fine now.

    Bugs, mine don't look bumpy. And, yes, I just leave them in my suit. Hmm. Your avatar doesn't exactly look like swimming weather!

    Binney
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  • BoobsinaBox
    BoobsinaBox Member Posts: 550
    edited April 2007
    Thanks, Binney! I'm still trying to decide if I want to wear prostheses anyhow. I have a pair that are nice, but I am just mostly more comfortable without. I have an old Speedo that I think I'll just take the cups out of and go flat! I'm 60 years old and really don't enjoy having to worry about them - or decide which bra to wear! Thanks for all your help.

    Dawn
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  • sierrasusieq
    sierrasusieq Member Posts: 98
    edited April 2007
    Binney, that sounds like a great idea. I like the fact that they dry fast.

    on the other hand , I actually found a tankini swimsuit at Mervyns that has some padding and you can hardly tell I am missing one boob !! I am very happy with it. The padding makes the no boob side of the suit sort of stick out. And I am a small b cup anyways so the other side does not realy show cleavage. I may want to put one of those scrubbies in it.
    I cant imagine swimming with the prosthesis. I dont even like wearing it when it is hot out. I hike a lot in the summer and last summer I just went without it when I went hiking. Some of my hiking friends and I go skinny dipping and as long as no one else is around I dont realy care.
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  • dianne1981
    dianne1981 Member Posts: 9
    edited April 2007
    I was doing pretty good with being flat until BATHING SUIT SEASON arrived!!!!
    This is my first summer since the mastectomy,and I knew it would be a challenge,but not this hard.I Finally went to try some bathing suits on(which is never fun)but is a whole new challenge with a flat chest and scars that need to be hidden.I have never worn a prosthesis,and dont want to have to change my shape for a bathing suit,but...this is tough.So,I searched for a tank style suit that covered all the right spots w/o looking toooo flat.No luck at all,so I gave up shopping, bought some chocolate, and went home.I'm thinking I'll just stay inside til summer passes ( no small feat in Florida).Has anyone found a style of suit that works ok with the flat look?
    Dianne
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  • purplemb
    purplemb Member Posts: 1,542
    edited April 2007
    lol...love my bath srubbie boobies...i even made little baggie things to put them in so they form better, like the ones proth, come in...lol...thanks to Deb, wore my tank kini at Myrtle Beach this fall...and even got a few looks...lol...if they only knew...
    hugs to all newly facing summmer, you can do it...
    MB
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  • 2curvy
    2curvy Member Posts: 183
    edited April 2007

    What is a shower scrubbie?

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  • AlaskaDeb
    AlaskaDeb Member Posts: 2,601
    edited April 2007
    The little puffy things that are made of netting to scrub in the shower with. Some people cal lit a bath puff.

    Let's see if a link to a photo works...
    http://www.skin-spa.com/bathpuff.htm

    Hope that helps. You can just trim them to size

    Deb C
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  • Raye99
    Raye99 Member Posts: 1,350
    edited April 2007

    Thanks, I am going to use the shower scrubbie for my side without a breast. I was freaking out as well, wondering what kind of bathing suit to get, as the mast ones are really not for me. I even tried the bathing suit on without anything, as my remaining breast is very tiny - A cup- and there was still a noticable difference between the mast side and the other breast. I am wearing a sports like bathing suit, the top looks like a sports bra - got it from Title 9 year ago. Comes up high near the neck and the side are wide enough to cover scars.

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  • Raye99
    Raye99 Member Posts: 1,350
    edited April 2007
    omg - I've already posted on this thread. I am sure you all just love to hear yet again about my bathing suit!!! lord.
    Sorry all!
    Raye
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  • purplemb
    purplemb Member Posts: 1,542
    edited April 2007
    Raye no problem...we love to hear how excited people are about good stuff...

    PS. I too am a small A cup and the bath scrrubby works great...
    MB
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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited April 2007
    Deb, you completely cracked me up. Isn't bc.org fantastic?! Where else could you go and find a link to a shower-scrubby/bath-puff/net-poof-thingy? Love it!
    Binney
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  • LindaLou53
    LindaLou53 Member Posts: 929
    edited April 2007
    Dianne, I have found that the blouson type suits work very well for me without wearing any prosthesis. I have one made by Amoena that I anticipated using a swim form in, but it has enough fullness on top that it gives the appearance of having breasts even without the prosthesis.

    Here is a link to the style type:
    Amoena Blouson Swimsuit

    Linda
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  • marshakb
    marshakb Member Posts: 1,664
    edited May 2007

    OK newbie here, I had my right mast in Dec, I live in Florida and it is hot hot already. Friends have a pool, beach is nearby, and dang it, I am a Pisces! Shower scrunchies? Really? How simple, I would have never thought of that! The pocket sounds like a good idea, what material did you use? I'm not much of a seamstress (LOL, OK not at all) would like to take all my suit tops and make them permenantly filled. Thanks for the suggestions! Marsha

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  • purplemb
    purplemb Member Posts: 1,542
    edited May 2007
    Marsha...well I use the ready to sew in ones from the TLC catalog...easy instructions and can be fit to just about anything...I LOVE my proth scrungy thing...lol...I have them in different colors to match mymood and suits...lol..
    MB
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  • Texgirl
    Texgirl Member Posts: 211
    edited May 2007

    I have a Lands End suit...strawberry pink bottom w/ a horizonal pink/yellow/white tankini top size 12... would love to give it to someone...does great in the water...Letha

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  • nagem
    nagem Member Posts: 353
    edited May 2007

    I'd love to try it. I'll PM you my whereabouts. Can I reimburse you?

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  • marshakb
    marshakb Member Posts: 1,664
    edited May 2007

    Hey MB, bought a scrunchie and got the pockets at ACS actually (man, they have everything!) I guess I am doing something wrong. It's all lumpy looking. I can't get it smooth looking. I can't go out with a bumpy boob! Is there a trick to it? LOL Marsha

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