? bilat with no protheses

Check out breastfree.org. There's a page with fashion tips for the pros-free set ...

I had a bilateral mastectomy in 2005 and to be honest with you, no one seems to obsess about my chest but me.  I use to worry all the time about how I "looked" to other people.  I went from a 38DD to nothing at all.  I have prostheses which are about a "C" cup but when I don't want to wear them I don't...and I don't seem to notice anyone looking at me like "gee, where are her breasts?"  I use to notice everyone's chest right after my mastectomy but then I got to thinking that I never really paid attention to anyone's boobs before unless the woman was a size 0 with DD's and did not seem to match body size.  I never noticed if someone was flat chested, they just didn't stand out.  So now 2years out, I just don't worry and I don't think you will ever notice anyone staring at your chest.  Let's face it, flat chested people just don't get the stares like our larger breasted sisters. The only thing I don't wear without my prosthesis is a snug t-shirt...my port shows up and when your port is the biggest thing on your chest wall...well I just don't care to have it sticking out there   Take care and wishing you the best!!

I also ended up with bilateral mastectomies.  I was very well endowed before BC.

I had my right breast removed in November 06. I used to joke that when I  walked, I would end up going in a curve to the left.

I had the left breast removed in June 07 (funky mammogram and I seized the opportunity to get rid of Big Bertha - all changes in the breast were benign).

In any case, I have loved being flat chested from the moment I woke up from surgery.  No more sore shoulders and neck or back pain.  I finally could find tops that fit across my bust and on my shoulders.  I can wear button down the front blouses with no fear of blinding someone with a popping button. I can exercise in comfort.

Men look me in the eye when they speak to me.

Look around; there are a lot of flat chested women.

My prostheses are A cup size and I have no intention of ever having any that are larger than that.  There are days I go without bra and prostheses, a great boon in hot humid weather.

kerry 32,

I was suppose to have immediate reconstruction, but sad to say I ended up with an invasive carcinoma close to my chest wall so my plastic surgeon opted to wait since he knew I would need radiation tx to that area and didn't want to run the risk of losing the flap.  I had just lost a lot of weight prior to my diagnosis and was quite happy with the way I looked...then I am dx'd & the plastic surgeon tells me I don't really have "enough" belly fat for a TRAM but he would do his best, that I might be a large "B" and he could put in expanders later on.  Since I was a DD the thought of being a B actually made me very happy...I had trouble with button down shirts also and not a lot of eye  to eye contact   Anyway, when I woke up and noted that surgery had not gone as planned...ie: no reconstruction... I couldn't help but say to him....darn doc you said I would be flat chested but I didn't know you meant this flat chested--ha-ha   Sorry so long to get to the point, just wanted you to know a little of my history.  At first I cannot deny it was a shock, I mean I can't ever remember not having a chest.  But it was also a shock to realize I would have to have chemo & radiation.  My first appt with my radiation oncologist I wore a medium sz button down shirt and was thrilled.  I've never been able to wear a medium, it was always a lg or xlg.  I couldn't help but smile.  I never felt off balance, I felt 20lbs lighter   Let me know if I can do anything for you since I've been there, done that and got the t-shirt  I wish you the best! God bless!!!

Hi All,

I had a right mastectomy and then a left 6months later. I was a 34DD before and afterwards got prothesis that are B cups. For the first 6 months I always wore the prothesis and really liked the way I looked with a smaller cup size since I have a slight build and I can wear clothes that I never was able to wear before...like shirts with buttons down the front. But more recently, I've been uncomfortable with the prothesis...my scars are sore (perhaps from the aromitase inhibitors) and so I've been going without the prothesis. One thing I noticed is that frequently, I'll forget and I'll hug books or an object to my chest, and it will collide with my chest wall, which my breasts or the prothesis used to cushion. Without the prothesis my balance is slightly off. I fell this winter on the ice, while wearing my prothesis and they actually saved me by cushioning my fall...my husband joked that they were my air bags....

sbono,

I worried about this, too, but for me at least, riding up is not a problem. When I first began wearing breast forms (prostheses), I kept imagining they were riding up. Then I'd check, and they weren't! That was when I was wearing totally unweighted forms (Amoena Style 126). I've found that even slightly-weighted forms add just enough weight so it feels more secure. Currently, I mostly wear lightweight silicone forms and, once I put them on, I forget about them. I wear fitted t-shirts most of the time so, believe me, if they were riding up, it would be obvious.

On a side note, yesterday I went clothes shopping and the salesgirl was bringing things to my fitting room--she saw me several times with only my bra and clearly didn't notice anything unusual. She later commented how good a certain top looked with my nice bustline!!

So, if you go ahead with the removal of your other breast but decide you still want to have the look of breasts, it's very doable.

Barbara

BreastFree.org 

p.s. I still wear the Amoena 126 forms (the unweighted ones), but mostly with my Still You camisole (called the Still You Tank Top). The camisole is soft and so comfortable and, once in the pockets, the 126s don't move around at all. For me, it's been a wonderful solution to the exercise problem. I've hiked many miles wearing that camisole and it feels so free, as if I'm wearing nothing at all!  

Hi Megan,

The Still You Tank does have a shelf bra of sorts, but it's just a comfortable elastic band, which can be adjusted to fit where you like, and it stays put! It's a very unstructured piece. And very soft. The straps are adjustable, so you can customize the camisole to fit your build. Insurance might cover it I'd already used up my insurance on another camisole when I bought mine, but it would be worth inquiring. Perhaps they'd cover it in lieu of a mastectomy bra. If you ordered it online and didn't like it, you could always return it (though you'd have to pay shipping costs).

I'm still down in Miami. The weather is warm and wonderful, but I definitely am always on the lookout for breast form solutions that cause the minimum of perspiration.

Barbara 

Sbono,

If you click on the link in my prior post to the Still You Tank Top, it will take you to the "Bras and Camisoles" section of my website, BreastFree.org. If you scroll down the page to the Camisoles heading, you'll see that I feature the Still You Tank Top. If you click on the phrase Still You Tank Top, it will link directly to the Still You website. You can order the Tank Top from them or from other online retailers, and some shops also carry them. Hope that helps.