Bra after mastectomy

Lillian67

so I had my mastectomy last Thursday and I'm now home. 
All is going well except I have some tingling in my arm.
I have one D cup boob left and feeling very unsupported. What bra do I wear, when can I start wearing a bra, where do I get one? Bit unprepared

Afraser

Possibly not much help as I went home in the bra I came in with, plus a soft pad. It was just fine but possibly not what others have been recommended.

Unicornkisses

Info from my breast cancer nurse. No underwires.
Target sell post surgery bras, some very soft ones, not hugely supportive, but soft enough not to rub your sore areas. They have pockets for your soft form too.
Get the fitter to help you, or at least try them on, I found the sizes a bit on the small side.

Has the breast care nurse organised a Care pack for you?
It contains a Berlei post surgery bra, a soft form, DVD of post surgery exercises, and a VIP card for 50% off Berlei post surgery bras.

Myer sell mastectomy bras, they have a small range, but a couple are pretty.

If you google mastectomy bras, there are quite a few online sellers, I haven't tried them yet as I am not sure of my size. They have prettier ones than those in the shops.

If the bras rub, try wearing a dressing pad under the bra where your stitches are, I had to wear one for several weeks until it stopped hurting, but I had a reduction, so the scars were under my breasts where the band went.

Afraser

Possibly why I never had any of this advice (which all sounds very sensible) is that my bra didn't impact on any scar line and I really had no sore areas. I wore a normal bra with a soft pad while I sorted out a seroma and until I had prosthesis fitted with no negative effect.

Glemmis

I was given a care pack in hospital from the breast care nurse which had a soft bra in it with filling. I then got a prosthesis & bras about six weeks later. The prosthesis was $400.00 reimbursable by Medicare. 

[Deleted User]

Hi @Lillian67, great to hear you are home. I hope you're feeling ok.

I have found post surgical bras at MYER, Big W and David Jones had a small range and Target had a few. I was given a list of suppliers when I was in hospital which helped. There are quite a few online sites too it can be but hard to judge the sizing. I've also been getting Amoena emails about their bras. They have pj's with built in bras. 

 I have been wearing a post surgical bra since my last surgery which does up at the front. It looks like a crop top and comes in black, white and cream. I bought mine from MYER for $30 each ($40 from David Jones I think).

When I had a mastectomy I wore a soft form for a while because the scar was quite sensitive. I also had a proper prosthesis ready to go, but it was quite heavy. There are lightweight ones available. 

I also had lovely bras which didn't have an underwire. I have just donated them to a breast cancer charity otherwise I would have given you the name of them. I bought them through a bra fitter who came to my house when I bought a prosthesis. They were a bit stylish with padding - great t-shirt bras. 

I have a number of the Berlei ones but have found them a bit less comfortable as I had a DD/E cup. In fact, just bought a C cup one due to swelling from surgery and they are still uncomfortable. I was given them in a pack. I noticed Berlei gave lovely lacy ones in their Bonds outlet stores but they do up at the back. They are lovely, but haven't tried them on.  

Target have some cheaper post-surgical bras but I'm not sure that I like them that much.

The one that I have tried at Big W was lovely, with black lace and was quite cheap. I have bought heaps of bras over the past 2 1/2 years looking for the perfect one. Now I have a B cup. I still look for larger bras so it's weird to be looking for a smaller cup size. Let me know if I can give you any other info. As a D cup you will have a bit more choice than I did. Just realised I've repeated some of what @Unicornkisses has said. x 

[Deleted User]

The Berlei bra (top) as you would know is the one in the pack from BCNA. It was a bit less comfy as I had bigger boobs and the hospital had run out of larger sizes. 
The black bra (middle) $30 from MYER is my go to post surgical soft cotton bra. I wear white to bed and black during the day now. Have to wear them 24/7! 
The Amoena bra (bottom) looks like my favourite bra. 
All are available from MYER online and in store. I prefer black bras because I wear a lot of black. I would love to see more floral print/ lace/ colour in post-surgical bras. 

primek

The emoena bra above is available online from erilian (just Google). Contact your bc nurse who could help with a soft cupnin a hurry. I quite like a target bra and the soft cup with support the mastectomy wound. Failing this as a quick fix..an aah bra (or similar) that has removal supports ...you could put some stuffing into that side to even you up until you get a prosthetic post op soft cup. Just some pillow stuffing into a sock and slipped into the pocket of the bra behind the padded shape might help. Not perfect but should be comfortable until you can get a proper one and soft cup.

[Deleted User]

Great advice @primek. I just had a look at the Erilan store again and they have a lovely range. If you are a D cup or smaller, this site is great. The bras can be a bit expensive, but they have nice colours. I bought a few bras online and never wore them though because the cut wasn't quite right, but once I knew the style I liked I could buy them online. Have wasted so much money on bras, beanies, hats and scarves over the past few years!! 

Having a bra fitted was the best way to find the perfect one and I found that my needs changed from lumpectomy, to mastectomy to recon, to reduction and a bit of weight loss in between! I usually stop wearing the surgical bras after a number of weeks and go back to my other bras, but haven't been able to go back to an underwire bra. This advice is from a larger person. LOL

socoda

Hi @lillian67, I was told to wear my mastectomy bra 24/7 for the first six weeks (but I had immediate recon so that was also to support the implant). The front opening bras are fantastic as I'm sure your aware you can get a bit sore and it also stops rubbing on the scar line if you are a do the bra up at the front and swing it around to the back putter on-erer!! I wouldn't initially be buying any mega expensive bras as I know mine got a bit discoloured from using a lot of bio oil on my scar (bra was white ). Depending on where you live there are mobile bra fitters who specialise in fitting breast cancer ladies and the various outcomes of surgery, if you put on your area you might be advised if some locally specific people. Your breast care nurse should also have a list of suppliers, fitters in your area. Xx Cath

Cosette

Hi @Lillian67, our My Care Kit includes a post-surgery bra by Berlei. This kit is free and you can order it online here or call us at 1800 500 258.