Finding a Bra Nightmare! Please Help!

I haven’t got any practical advice, but I assume you bought your previous bras from a specialist supplier prior to cancer. Would you feel comfortable going back to be measured? I’m sure thy would be happy to advise. Failing that, would it be a problem to opt for underwires? I have my surgery this week & tomorrow is the last day for a while that il be wearing my wired bras. I have 12 of them & I fully intend to wear them again one day. I have sports bras too but sometimes I forget to wear one when I go out walking and wear a wired bra instead & can’t say I notice much difference. If you feel supported with wires, go for it. 

Hi, Marks and Spencer have a decent range of non wired bars in large sizes, have you tried there? Not specific sports bras,  but I use themfor exercise and they work well, at least for me. Best wishes 

Hiya, thanks for the support (pun intended lol).  I had lymph nodes removed in the armpit which is still very sore (op was in February!) And swollen.  Along with painful lymphoedema in the affected breast so the thought of underwired bras digging in is scary.  Unfortunately the nearest bra fitting service is at least an hour drive away and they usually don't have any bras in my size in stock for me to try, they may be able to order one choice in for me to try on the next week if I am lucky.  It is so frustrating!  I have been able to find Molke as a specialist supplier so have sent for one from them, fingers crossed.  Prior to surgery I managed with bras from Yours or M&S but they don't give me the level of support I need to stop the painful bounce unfortunately, gravity is a b#### and even standing up from sitting causes my boob to feel like the surgeon is still in there!!!  

That being said, I am still here able to enjoy Christmas with my family and my hair is starting to grow back!

Best of luck for the surgery, you will smash it!

Thanks Irishgirl16

I have looked at M&S but have been put off as the only one in my size was the Goddess which appears to point the boobs outwards, have tried this bra before but it made the boob protrude too far sideways and my arm unable to move freely forward if that makes sense?  Gap in the middle too wide.  It may be that is my only choice but I will see what Molke can do, their flexifit bra looks like a good option so fingers crossed!!  Wish the surgeon had been willing to do a double mastectomy that I begged for but hey ho, if the genetic testing comes back positive that is where I may end up yet!

Hi Bex 4 

have you tried Snags - they’ve just started doing bras so don’t know if they’ll suit you. 
I love their super high waist knicker and have found those support from below. Maybe worth a look - online too. 
https://snagtights.com/pages/size-guide
Good luck 

I can’t advise on where to source suitable bras, unfortunately. I am large in cup but smaller in back, so did have the issue of how to keep the boobs stable when I wanted to return to running after my lumpectomy. I found the answer to that was wearing 2 bras of slightly different design - the one closest to the skin offering high coverage, and the one outside it providing high compression. 

I was a lot smaller chested, but after my lumpectomies I had to wear really strong sports bras because my boobs were a lot more sensitive to movement, so I can understand where you're coming from, although I imagine finding your size is an extra challenge! In case it can help, I had a really good post mastectomy bra from the brand 'Anita', and I see that they have a supportive non-wired sports bra that says goes up to a 48K cup - if you have an appointment at a bra shop, you could enquire if they can order this in for you in advance or see if you can find it online anywhere? x

I just wrap my booobs with a scarf to jump , sometimes I wear a waist / lower back wrap (they sell them at pharmacy ) but that might be too small, I heard about running belts for boobs , check on running forums like couch to five k, honestly there is no such thing as a good bra …. M&S has a post surgery bra that is soft and clips in the front , not the sport bra one, it is horrible … I also switched to bralette bras … and wear two … I used to wear panache sports bra and they do a non wired kind … but I find any bra that puts my boobs in a lifted nice shape ends up causing me pain 

Hi Bex, 

I am not a little lady either and have 2 different sized boobs following limpectomy and node removal!  But I have been fortunate enough to have a local specialist who knows how to help!!!  If you are anywhere near Essex give the lovely Julie a call and see if she can help - https://www.thebraconsultancy.com 

Other than that I would suggest trying to find a local stockist for Anita bra's.  I was still in my post surgery Anita's over a year later when I started to experience pain in my boob and armpit.  Que serious panic and freaking out!  It turns out it was all related to not having enough bra support and hence I discovered Anita do lots and lots of sizes designed for proper support for the larger lass!

Good luck with your bra quest and if you come across any other makes I woud be interested to hear.

Clare