Support

I hope it helps. I wish you the best, good health and long life!!

Thank you so much Agnes I’ve actually got that bra in black I was scared to put it on because I’ve been wearing this cropped top bra type , anyway I wore it to my pre op and it was ok a bit uncomfortable but I’m only two weeks out of my op but I’m sure after my mastectomy it should be ok thanx again for your help means a lot xx 

Hi, I’m 4 weeks post mastectomy, after two previous ops which were unsuccessful in clearing it. I think thing I found most useful after all my ops was a Cushtie, a cushion filled with micro foam beads, which I got off amazon. You can rest you arm on it, stuff it under your boob, use it in that to pad the seat bed etc. It was great to use in bed especially first few days after the mastectomy when I still had the drain in, it made it a lot easier to find a comfy position to sleep in, but I’m totally comfy sleeping now without a cushion or bra.I have an impressive bra collection now trying to find the best one. I mostly wear a couple of Jason Wu sports bra I got from TK Maxx, you can fit a softie in the pocket for the removable pads, I’m a DD cup and I have a size 10 softie that goes in and I have a couple of post surgery ones from George that are pretty good. I have also found I could easily convert some of my old bras so if you have a favourite one you might still be able to wear it.

Good luck with your op.

Thank you so much for your advice , I’m really scared as to what I’m going to feel loosing another part of my body I’ve kind of got use to my boob the way it looks now although I’m still in pain from my first op I’m just starting to feel normal again and I’m dreading feeling pain and not being able to move much again , I’ve bought a bra from marks and Spencer’s recommend by a lovely lady I’ve been talking too it’s a white zip up bra very soft I’ve tried it on with my boob obviously still here so I don’t know what it’s going to be like with my mastectomy, I’m after a black one too but they only did white , my ops on the 21st and I’m not going to lie I’m so terrified as to what it’s going to look like and the most scary part is will I still feel like a woman xx

I had two ops before my mastectomy, a lumpectomy when they removed a number of lymph nodes, another to clear the margins and finally the mastectomy. I was fine with first two ops but went into a real low before the mastectomy and the first time I looked at myself after was in tears it seemed like the end of the world, however I’m fine now, it didn’t take long to get used to it. A good bra, even with just a softie, and no one would even know. My husband is very supportive, it was a little hard showing him for the first time but it’s just part of me now and I don’t feel In any way uncomfortable undressed in front of him and at my age I won’t be flashing my naked body at anyone else!. I actually think I had more discomfort after the lumpectomy than I did the mastectomy, maybe it’s the lymph node removal that causes a lot of it. I only needed paracetamol/ibuprofen after it and only for about 4/5 days. I’ve kept up with the stretches and am pretty well back to normal movement and a lot of the feeling has come back into my arm, it’s mainly just my armpit that’s still numb. I think the only bit that’s worse is the drain, mines was a big bottle, my husband was having heart failure every time I got up because I’d forget to take it with me! But you only have that in for a few days.
My skin was quite sensitive about a week after the op and I couldn’t stand certain materials next to it so wore something as soft as possible, Sainsbury’s have a secret support top/vest that I found comfortable against my skin and you can fit your softie in the pad pocket if you need to, and I had a few sort sports bras that were good but now I‘m okay wearing my normal bras. I bought a couple off the Nicola Jane’s web site that are really good, I got mine on sale for about a tenner each otherwise they are around £40/£50. 
I think the thought of the mastectomy is way worse that the reality, I now think why was I making all that fuss but your emotions are your emotions and it’s not that easy to control them when you are going through this but it’s does pass and I feel as feminine as I did before. 
I wish you all the best with your operation and your recovery and hopefully you’ll agree that it was nowhere near as bad as you are imagining.

Wow thank you , it’s exactly how I feel , I have numbness under my arm and the back of my arm is sensitive feels like I’ve got a burn on the back and no matter how I position it I just can’t find comfort, I do worry what my hubby will think although he’s been very supportive we haven’t been able to sleep together for almost two months now because of Covid , he is working so sleeps in the spare room I miss him so much and I miss normality everything is upon the air and I hate it , I have a week till I have my op and at the moment I keep looking at my boob I’ve got no nipple but I ve just got use to looking at it , I just can’t believe I’m loosing it completely I’m still in shock that this has happened to me , my daughter and two grand children have moved in so my home is busy constantly which has been a good thing because it stops me from overthinking, I’ve bought a soft white zip up bra from marks and Spencer’s it was recommended by one of the lovely ladies on here , I’ve tried it on but not wore it yet I’ve still got by cropped top soft bras on as my boob is still sore but I will try it when I’ve had my mastectomy I’ve got a softie too , although being very Naive I actually thought the bottle bag I got was for a water bottle! ! Embarrassed I was to be told it was for my drains but everyone found it funny xx 

It doesn’t help doing all this with Covid going on as well, fortunately my husband’s work have been really good about letting him isolate with me. I was a bit perplexed when they handed me the bag, I had thought the drains would be bags you could hide under your clothes no a massive big bottle!  
My favourite thing through all my ops was a Cushtie, you find them or similar on Amazon, it’s a bolster style cushion filled with foam micro beads. It’s was great for leaning on, supporting a boob, padding a seat belt and after the mastectomy, particularly when I still had the drain in, it was a big help getting a comfy position to sleep in. 
It’s good you have family around you keeping you occupied, I think they will be a big help after too. Honestly, though once it’s all past you will feel so much better about it all.

Hi Ed48,

How are you coping post mastectomy? I hope you are recovering well x

Hi morsey I’m ok I’ve had bad days and good it was painful at first but I’m sort of getting there I’ve got my follow up tomorrow so I’m terrified of what news I’m walking into , it’s been just over a week now since I had my mastectomy so I’m really hoping it’s good news and I’m ok xx

Hi Ed48,

I hope you continue to feel better each day, I did get a time after a week or so When everything tingled and I couldn’t stand anything but the softest material next to the wound, but it passed relatively quickly. 7 weeks on, apart from the missing boob, I don’t even feel like I had an op!

I understand the fear of the next appointment, I hate waiting for results and I am no good with the unknown. My next appointment is Friday when I find out the results of the Oncotype test and wether I should get chemo, I’m not sure that I can cross anymore parts of my body hoping for the right result. I do take any opportunity to ask if results are back, they are probably sick of me lol

Hopefully everything is positive for you tomorrow, I’m sure I can spare a few fingers to cross for you xx