Life after diagnosis, surgery and treatment

[Dancegal]

Hi All! I was diagnosed in Nov 2017. I had a mastectomy in Dec 2017 followed by chemo from January to May 2018. I had HER2 so continued Herceptin until Dec 2018. Now I'm on an Estrogen blocker for 5 years and getting back to "normal". After losing most of my hair I was brave enough to go without head covers in Nov 2018. Now I'm dealing with the loss of one breast. I Can't find a bra, sports bra, swim suit that fit well since I have opted not to go the reconstruction route. I am hoping some of you might have some suggestions. I'm also in need of recommendations for filling the bra other than the silicon prosthesis which was too heavy. Look forward to hearing from you! Thanks! Dancegal

[nanda29]

I came across a group of awesome ladies crocheting and knitting handmade prosthetic breast forms for women awesomebreastforms.org/

[Dancegal in reply to nanda29]

Thank you! I will check it out for sure!

[Laurelei10 in reply to nanda29]

They work Great. These woman sent me. 2 pairs with in a wk on for swimming n one reg very comfortable. However now I just dont wear any bras

[SeattleMom]

Hello, DG! Go to Nordstrom lingerie department. They specialize in bras specifically for women who have had mastectomies. God bless you!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 Linda in Seattle

[Dancegal in reply to SeattleMom]

Thank you I will check out Nordstrom for sure!

[Tinydancer1]

Hi DanceGal! Looks like you and I share a common love of dance! I chose to go flat, and I, as well as many uni-boobers receive lots of advice on the private Facebook groups, such as Flat & Fabulous, FlattiesUnite, Fantastic Flat Fashions, and there’s so many more! Check them out!

[Dancegal]

Thank you! I will check out the sites for sure!

[Inthegrey]

I also highly recommend Nordstrom’s. Besides pocketed bras, they will sew pockets into any bra or swimwear purchased there that are not mastectomy bras. That gives you much prettier options. They even sewed pockets into my old swimsuit I brought with me.

I selected semi -weighted forms that are much lighter than the lite-silicone. They also have the aqua swim form that my insurance covered. I’ve heard bath poofs work just as well as an inexpensive option for swimming.

I’ve also purchased many pocketed bras from AnaOno. They are much prettier and very comfortable and take insurance online. You can also find them in select Soma stores.

[Dancegal]

Thank you very much! This information is very helpful! So Nordstrom"s sells the semi-weighted forms and aqua swim forms? Where do I find the "bath poofs"? Thanks again!

[Tinydancer1 in reply to Dancegal]

The bath poofs are those lightweight scrunchy “balls” that you use like a washcloth in the bath or shower. You can get them cheap at the dollar store. Each is actually a long, nylon ribbon that’s held together by a cord in the middle that gets the ribbon into a ball shape. When you take a scissor and cut the cord that’s in the middle, you end up with a wide, super-long nylon ribbon that you can stuff into a breast form pocket. You cut the ribbon to whatever size you need, and you close up the pocket so the ribbon doesn’t work its way out. I do aqua aerobics almost daily and have lots of swimsuits, and make my own pockets for the suits that don’t already have them. (I found out how to make the pockets on the Internet, and if anyone asks I can find the instructions for you and post the link.) For some swimsuits the nylon ribbon works best, and for others the knitted knickers or awesome swim forms, and for others, the expensive silicone-type forms work best.

[Dancegal in reply to Tinydancer1]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful information!

[Inthegrey in reply to Tinydancer1]

Sewing pockets is a great and easy idea. I found pockets you can buy to sew in on a few websites. I haven’t tried them yet since my insurance paid for several new bras. Links below.

tlcdirect.org/American-Canc...

healthproductsforyou.com/p-...

saveritemedical.com/product...

[Dancegal in reply to Inthegrey]

Thank you! My insurance only paid for 2 bras and the one's I received from the HERS Foundation were uncomfortable and improperly fit. I ordered a few sew in pockets and then mad some on my own. Sadly they don't seem to hold the prosthetics in place.

[Tinydancer1]

I made pockets for my bathing suits that specifically fit my swim forms or “bath scrunchy ribbons.” I followed the instructions for bra pockets, but used them for my bathing suits, using bathing suit fabric. mastectomysolutions.com/con...

[Dancegal in reply to Tinydancer1]

Thank you! I'll give it a try!

[Inthegrey in reply to Tinydancer1]

Great, site! Thank you for posting.

[VicReg Partner]

Hi, you can always try anaono intimate, they are designed for women who’ve had mastectomies.

[Dancegal in reply to VicReg]

Thank you! Will do!