bra after surgery?

[Soccermom]

hi Ladies,
curious if any of you ladies wore a bra while recovering either in the hospital or at home. I read numerous things discussing both. curious if I need to go buy anything special.
Lynn

 

[maisiejane]

Hi Lynn,
In hospital I wore a very soft sports bra with fastenings, I was encouraged to do so by the physio as it is more comfortable on the incision to have the girls upright! I am a 34b so not really too much to rein in! Some other more endowed ladies were told to wear like a strapping around their chest which the hospital provided.
Good luck and avoid lacy under wired bras, I speak from experience!
Deb x

 

[MrsBray]

I bought some loose-fitting, pullover, cotton sport bras before surgery. 9 weeks later, they are my current favorite.

I woke up from surgery with a nylon surgical bra on, provided by the hospital. I didn't take it off til my first shower 5 days later. It stretched out pretty fast, but it was comfortable. Very wide straps and wide elastic band. My only complaint was that the wide chest band had gotten curled up and left a deep dark red mark on my left side.

Underwires are still uncomfortable, anything that rubs at the bottom of my sternum. They can irritate my drainage hole sites as well, even though they are healed up nicely.

The first few weeks I was home, I was most comfortable in a tight-fitting tank top, the kind without a built-in bra, and have some spandex in them. The gave me the support I needed without anything tight fitting. I found that if I spent too much time with no support, my incision site was sore and irritated.

I bought some sport bras after the surgery that had a lot more support than the plain cotton ones I bought before. They were very difficult to get on and off, and I still have to ask for help if I decide to wear them. However, because they are tighter fitting, they were the MOST comfortable to wear all day. It was like a gentle hug

 

[ChicagoMammy]

I asked the same question a couple of months ago just before my surgery too. Any bra was uncomfortable for long periods of time for several weeks. I'm seven weeks out now and have been wearing a bra daily for 1-2 weeks now. I bought this one - closes at the front and has a ton of support. I used it a little when I needed to - hospital appointment etc. I like it so much I bought two more online yesterday. The link I sent you was the cheapest I found. I bought my first in Macy's though because I wanted to try it on. I tried and bought a size (inches not cup) up, based on advice here.

 

[MrsBray]

I asked the same question a couple of months ago just before my surgery too. Any bra was uncomfortable for long periods of time for several weeks. I'm seven weeks out now and have been wearing a bra daily for 1-2 weeks now. I bought this one - closes at the front and has a ton of support. I used it a little when I needed to - hospital appointment etc. I like it so much I bought two more online yesterday. The link I sent you was the cheapest I found. I bought my first in Macy's though because I wanted to try it on. I tried and bought a size (inches not cup) up, based on advice here.

That is very similar to the one the hospital put on me, but probably much higher quality.

 

[ottagal]

I, too was told to wear a bra after to my surgery (by nurse and physio) for support and so the incision wouldn't stretch. I didn't wear a bra for the first few days post-op. My sister found a soft terry cloth bra with a velcro for opening in the front. It worked perfectly.

 

[bw00]

I was told to wear a bra after surgery too, and I would definitely recommend it. It helped relief the pain. I think I started wearing a bra 4 days after the surgery. The bra can't be underwired! Also I got mine in the right cup size, but the band was bigger. This helped because in the beginning I was holding fluids ( I think that's what it is in English). Anyway, I was bigger for the first days, and I still am, 2,5 weeks post-op. So I wouldn't fit in my normal size!

 

[Eva]

I, too was told to wear a bra after to my surgery (by nurse and physio) for support and so the incision wouldn't stretch. I didn't wear a bra for the first few days post-op. My sister found a soft terry cloth bra with a velcro for opening in the front. It worked perfectly.

I very much regret not having worn a bra after my surgery!

My incision line was very thin and hardly visible when the tape was removed after the surgery.

As a result of not wearing a bra, my incision did stretch!!

I, too, would recommend wearing a bra!

 

[Duffey]

I didn't wear a bra. I had no problems with my incision line enlarging.

 

[prunella]

I started wearing a bra after I got home, 6 days post op. I have been wearing wireless bras, 34C, that are a bit big, purchased before my sister informed me that all my bras were too big. Sisters are good for setting you on the right fashion path. Lol
Luckily I saved these. The most uncomfortable part was the bottom of the incision, which for a few weeks, I covered with a bandaid, which began to irritate my skin.
No doctor or nurse mentioned bras to me --maybe because I am thin and not buxom.

 

[MrsBray]

No doctor or nurse mentioned bras to me --maybe because I am thin and not buxom.

Nobody mentioned a bra to me either, and I am buxom and not thin!

 

[ottagal]

hi Ladies,
curious if any of you ladies wore a bra while recovering either in the hospital or at home. I read numerous things discussing both. curious if I need to go buy anything special.
Lynn

Lynn,

Thought you might be interested in this study on the benefits of wearing a specialized bra post sternotomy
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/october2006/unique-bra/

"A national clinical trial led by a University of Calgary researcher has found that wearing a specialized compression bra significantly reduces women’s breast pain following heart surgery."

 

[Red]

Hi everyone,

This maybe one for the ladies but hey if you have a thought, please share .....

I have spent the last couple of days looking for a frontloading support bra with no success. Any ideas where I might find one here in the UK.

Also some of you mentioned 'sports bras' I can find any of those with a front opening, just the ones that look like tight vest tops, could you get these on ?

And to think normally I only spend my time on shoes !!!!!!!!!!

Any help/suggestions would gratefully accepted.

Gerri

Gerri

 

[bluefields409]

I have several tank tops (stretchy) that I had brought in. I think they will keep everything in place so to speak, but allow for medical access and no bands to cause discomfort, easy on/off.

Perhaps that might be an option to consider depending on your "endowment". ( When ****s were being handed out I was mistakenly in the freckles line )

Helen

p.s As this is an annoying female issue , I think it is only fair that men should have to wear an athletic supporter post. I will make a consession that it can wait until foley is discontinued.

Oh wait, what about moobies?

 

[Red]

I thought it had to be a bra because we're, did I read this right, have our arms above our head, so how do you get a tank top on ?

Gerri

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm not well endowed, I'm rather skinny too, so didn't need a bra. BUT after surgery, when my body was pumped full of fluids, I looked much more endowed and not at all skinny and I got my husband to take a photo of me in ICU all topless with the tubes and wires all showing. I looked really great, I'm not kidding ! I'd post a piccie of me here but it wouldn't be suitable. If I had photoshop I could probably make it look more modest, but I wouldn't look so good then !

I was on morphine then too so I was not in pain and was in a good mood. As soon as they moved me into high dependency they took me off morphine and gave me Tramadol and Dihydrocodeine which didn't do help much for the pain and caused loads of side effects. So much for the hospital saying that they manage pain - not !

 

[clay_from_nj]

I got my husband to take a photo of me in ICU all topless with the tubes and wires all showing.

I'm sure that somewhere in InternetLand there is a website that caters to those who have a fetish for exactly that...

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm sure that somewhere in InternetLand there is a website that caters to those who have a fetish for exactly that...

I was going to be a Borg :eek2: But there was a serious reason I wanted a photo of me in ICU - it was so that I could remember exactly how it was and what my body went through. I even got dh to take a photo of me when I was still on the ventilator and unconscious….I was all wrapped up then.

 

[maisiejane]

Anne, You always make me giggle
I don't know how you managed to pose like that in ICU, there were 4 other patients with me!
You dark horse you !
Good Mood, in ICU, pumped full of Morphine with wires attached to every orifice ! are you sure you weren't experiencing ICU Psychosis ?
Don't ever change!
Deb x

 

[Paleowoman]

In the ICU there was sort of shelving between the patients' beds so you couldn't really see each other, especially as there was all the monitoring equipment too. I could certainly hear the other patients and nurses talking though.

My endocrinologist came to visit me when I was in ICU to check up on me. I was worried because the nurse looking after me had a cough and sore throat and I didn't want to catch what he had, so I said to the endo that I needed to whisper something to him (he and I are very friendly as I've been under him for seven years - oh I was decent when he came ) So I told him about the nurse in a whisper ! I think he thought I had ICU Psychosis at that point ! I have to laugh about it now !

Anne
x