Hello
I was out shopping with my wife this morning and noticed that M&S now do a range of post surgery bras. Not something I know much about,but I saw that some were front loaders, which I understand aren't much use after sternotomy, while others were back fastening.
May be worth checking out for anyone about to have the op.
👍
Actually women are advised to wear front fastening bras after open heart surgery.
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
Thanks, I had heard that the fastenings can be difficult against the scar, but I am happy to take your word for it!
It depends on what sort of closure they have and how wide they are, some are better than others. You need something that won't rub on the incision line.
Hi.We're told to have front fastening non wired bras. The front fastening is because they don't want us reaching behind us to fasten the bra, this is so you don't put any strain on your sternum until the bone has fully healed.
Possibly the post op ones they sell in M&S are for people who have had Mastectomy's.
Best wishes
Denise
I was never advised about bras and although I bought non fasteni g ones I very quickly got back to my old faithful underwire back fastening bras.
Hello 
This made me laugh front loaders I have never heard them called that before
But yes Marks do a good range of them and lot's of women go there for them to
When I was in Hospital I took my own but they came round and it is a good make cannot remember what now but they measured you and gave us ladies 2 free front loading bras I was quite impressed
Thank you for letting us know it was kind of you x
Hello Beatles1958, thank you for your very helpful post. I am 10 months post CABG x 4. At first I had to wear the dreaded brace to keep my sternum in place, and then I bought a very comfortable sports bra from Matalan which did not require any ‘loading’. Due to weight loss I decided to go for a bra fitting at M and S which was really useful. Thank you again for your post. If I may say so, how lovely it is to see a post from a chap talking about ladies bra’s, of course no reason why not! 👏😊
Thank you Beatles… Front Loaders 😂 If anyone with a fairly large bust is looking for recommendations I found the brand Recobra an excellent Front Loader! I then moved onto a Bravissimo sports bra, fantastic support and comfort, just do the back up from the front and swivel it round. Hope you’re recovery is going well. Pen
Thank you to all who have contributed so far. I raised this in the hope that it would be of some benefit to others, and hopefully we have collectively achieved that.👍
Your post tickled me....front loaders 😂. Fantastic that a thoughtful chap has taken time to post this so thank you for the thought and advice about M and S. Cheers 👍
Morning having had both a mastectomy and open heart surgery, quite a time apart I might add, front fastening bras are a god send. I found after my heart surgery just a camisole top for a few weeks is the best option, as the front fastening does rub on your scar. With a nice big comfy shirt on top, wearing a bra was the least of my worries. However, for larger busted ladies that may not be an option, so the front fastening lingerie is the way to go as it is way more comfy. If anyone is looking for recomendations, Marks and spencers are a good place to go and if like me you have had a mastectomy, there are very good ranges at a couple of companies, Amoena and Nicola Jane. Have a great weekend everyone and stay nice and safe inside out of the heat.
I met a lovely lady in hospital Lisburb, in her late seventies, who was also waiting for a triple-bypass, we became friends as we both had to wait for our ops for nearly six-weeks and have since kept in touch. She's awfully posh (which I tease her about) but has a wicked sense of humour and it turned out we only live about 3 miles from each other so practically neighbours. She'd had a double mastectomy donkeys years ago, had asthma, diabetes and a host of other illnesses. She's also incredibly inspiring because, despite this, she was the most cheerful person in there. Her daughter had brought her bra inserts into hospital for her and I was sitting quietly reading one day when I heard her giggling and she lobbed them onto my bed in a plastic bag and said "feel the weight of Pinky & Perky - that's what I've got to put up with!". Honestly, the whole 5-bed ward erupted in laughter! 😆It's amazing where we can find humour in sometimes dire situations and Pinky & Perky became the most talked about inmates in the ward! Oh, and it turned out during her operation that they needed to give her 5 bypasses rather than the triple! Carol
Morning, I love that you posted this! Thank you. Im 9 weeks post open heart surgery. I tried the M&S Front fastening bras but I found they were quite stiff and uncomfortable but I guess it depends on the type of surgery and wound you have. i used a company called Chums, they do some magic bras which are soft and front fastening hook n eye. They also do a lace version of a front fastening, which to be honest I preferred as they looked nicer and made me feel abit better, but not for the fuller lady as not much support. At night I wore a medical bra (still wearing) which is really supportive and Im still wearing sports bras in the day or non wired normal bras. Does anyone know when you can go back to wearing wired bras? thanks again for raising this issue, great it has generated so many comments and I love the front loader comment!
🤣
I can’t stand my wired ones still !
Oh really, how long since your op?
5 months - I think it’s just a bit sensitive round there still and the wires rest on the scars for the lung drains
Oh wow. I will check in with cardiac team. Hope you can get back to normal soon x
I eventually went back to wired bras, (I had way too many to not too, as well as, they are the only ones that give me a decent shape) I have been told off by both the heart nurses and the breast care nurses, for the various reasons they have that you should not wear them. I would say at least 6 to 8 weeks, it all depends on how your sternum heals. My problem with my scar was at the top, it took absolutely ages to heal and stop feeling tender, and sore. I found my normal face and neck cream eased that out when rubbed in, but check with professionals first.
Dear Beatles1956
My goodness me “ Front Loaders” just when you think that you have grown wise with knowledge over the years, you are reminded that there is so much more to keep the grey matter working.
I hope that your investigation brings comfort to your dear wife, although as I shaved this morning maybe I could do with some support in that area as gravity pulls at my own chest { now with the added weight of the CRT-D }
Take care
A great post , very helpful ! I’m 5 months post open heart and still can’t wear the bras I had before - I keep trying but they annoy me round the base of sternum and everything starts itching - I bought some sports bras and tops , but did struggle to get on at first so was bra less for about 5 weeks - I think it also might depend on the individual too , as I’m not very large in that area and don’t need much support , must be different for those of us well blessed !
I think post surgery bras are really for women who have had a mastectomy, they have pouches in them for a prosthesis.
After my open heart surgery I found it much more comfortable to go without a bra for a few weeks. Wherever they open I still found the bottom edge rubbed against the scar. I’m not particularly blessed in the bosom department so was reasonably alright. I don’t know what bigger chested ladies do.
As a lady too large not to wear a bra I found a link to some on the BHF website designed for after heart surgery. I found these invaluable as they are padded on your sternum - I even slept in them for about 3 months. The hospital also provides as necessary these but only if they have your size
Great post ! I’m 7 months post op feeling fab - as a very small busted lady bras are like something from Edgar Alan poes torture room ! I used post op maternity tops vests which were super comfortable
What a great post! I'm a 34 e so need the support so I bought the recommended BHF Bra (at great cost) after my surgical consult pre op. I only wore it a couple of times as it rubbed on the drain wounds. I ended up wearing Asda sleep bras day and night for about 4 weeks post op - no fastenings, soft and easy to put on! No rubbing but still supportive as I found breast discomfort was sometimes worse than anything else. I then found M&S 'front loaders' 😂 without underwire and their other non wired bras were really comfortable.
I was able to move back to my wired bras at around 6 weeks.
No one recommended wearing a bra while I was in hospital post op or offered to help me into one! Looking back the Asda ones would have been perfect and maybe lessened the breast pain afterwards as they would have given a bit of support without rubbing so I would highly recommend these in the first few weeks.
Thank you for this post Beatles - it's very relevant! For the first couple of weeks post surgery this year I could only wear big baggy man-sized t-shirts for comfort found myself pulling at the neck and blowing down my front through the day! I even found front buttoning blouses or shirts would rub against the scar. I eventually found a t-shirt bra in M&S that, with only a tiny join at the front, that sits about half an inch below my scar. It probably wouldn't be suitable for anyone with a larger bust though. This is the first time in all my 62 years that I'm grateful for not being particularly well-blessed in the lady front area!
Thank all of you who thought about ladies like me who are rather over-blessed in the frontage department.Fotunately I haven't got to consider a bra for post surgery but have been looking for different types as I find my usual wear uncomfortable after episodes of AF.
Although I still have some weight to lose it isn't the problem as I have always been out of proportion, so much so I was offered reduction surgery in the past, as I'm a devout coward. You have given me some options to explore so thank you.
Hi. I bought about 6 of the front loaders from M&S and even 6 months after my last sternotomy I still wear them around the house. They are ugly but very comfortable. They are a bit like sports bras and helped me keep my wayward boobs in check! They were ideal after my surgery. During the day I’m back to my normal bras as the post surgery bras don’t give you much shape. Don’t forget that M&S will also deduct the vat from the price if you have a medical condition (although they don’t ask for proof). On a positive note, I have gone down 3 cup sizes since my heart surgery and now no longer look like a dead heat in a deflated zeppelin race!! Every cloud 😊.
I think the M&S post surgery bras are designed for those undergoing breat surgery. The official bras recommended by the BHF have extra padding under the front opening and Velcro adjustable straps.
Love this post, especially the front loader bit😀. These were an absolute god send for me as a larger busted lady. Three years out and I’m still struggling with with bras as I cannot bear anything tight around my ribs. There is also a company call Royce-lingerie who specialise in non-wired bras and post surgery bras. These are really soft and comfortable. The post surgery bras have pockets but there is no problem with us wearing them.
That's good, thank you for that, reading some of the replies I was beginning to think I had made a bit of a boob!😉
I have admit I bought some over the head bras after my bypass and actually found I managed with my ordinary bras.
After my HA I was threatened with mitral valve replacement, so I bought myself a couple of "front loaders" from John Lewis (designed for mastectomies, but also recommended for OHS). In the event I didn't need surgery, but I still wear the bras as they're really comfortable, if not very flattering for my fuller figure!
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