For Women Only - the Bra Question

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I have just spent a lot of time going over previous posts concerning the bras issue following surgery. This has become a big issue for me.

I am fairly large busted (36D) and know I'll need support after surgery. I had thyroid surgery many years agon and was very uncomfortable until I realized that my breasts were dragging down my scar; sleeping in a bra made all the difference. Of course, I had no incision where the bra was.

I gather open front bras are good if they don't bind on the incision. Someone mentioned post op bras. What are they? Are they issued by the hospital or do I need to get one?

Any further advice or up-dated information from sufferers would be greatly appreciated. I want to have what I need before surgery because I think it would be too sad (or too funny) to send my husband out with a list of requirements!

Thanks, as usual, for your help.
Judy

 

[hensylee]

nursing staff urged me to go to WalMart and get their COTTON soft front hook exercise bras (about 2 sizes larger than usual). But I found some nylon stretchy ones in the Carol Wright catalog that are like sleep bras - very soft, very stretchy and comfortable and very inexpensive. If you find a sleep bra that is better. They tend to keep things from dropping and pulling on the incision when you are lying down on your back. If the hooks bother you in front, you can put some thin padding under them (like a folded kleenex)-

 

[Marge]

Do you really need a bra? If you don't wear one when lying down, will your ****s really pull on the incision that badly?

Because my left arm and shoulder were amputated some time ago (due to complications from an A-V fistula), I had thought I would just have to stop wearing a bra for some time after the valve surgery. I thought I'd just flop under a tee for a while. I cannot wear a regular bra (the kind with straps over the shoulders), unless I am also wearing my shoulder prosthesis & I'm sure I won't be able to wear the prosthesis for some time after the surgery. It would pull on the sternum and the strap holding the prosthesis on would go directly over where the incision will be.

So if I wear a bra at all, whether in the daytime or to sleep, it would have to be a bra with a sports bra type back, so it will at least stay on!

I looked at those Carol Wright bras at the online catalogue and they are regular bras -- no sports back bras. Anybody know where I could find a good bra to wear post-op that has a racer back (like a sports bra)? And, if I did find one, would I be able to get it on and off? Having only one hand I cannot fasten either front or back closures. I have to pull my bras off over my head -- would I be able to do that while I'm still in the post-op healing mode?

 

[Missy]

I am also that size and went though that when I has surgery. I like Hensylee bought a little bigger and got the stretchy ones. I didn't have as much trouble as I had thougt but still made it more comfotable. I also did this before surgery as I was having trouble breathing and was uncomfortable at times. Couldn't wear tight waisted jeans either. Still can't wear them as tight as I used to, even though I have has the surgery. A fib causes that or at least I think.
Marge....
I got a really great bra with the back in at Dillard's but I can't remember the brand name. But they usually have a good selection. Or a comparable department store.

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

The Bra Question

The Bra Question

Hi
I too! Had that problem. When I had my firsy surgery on the way home from CLeveland we stopped at a outlet in Ohio , that had a vanity fair outlet. They had what they called a sleep bra. It was the best. I never found them in other any stores. But the ones you see in maz. and sunday papers are about the same thing. They lighter & smaller than a sports bra. So by the time I had the second surgery I knew what I needed. The scar was tighter the first time Too! I just hope I never need this infor. again.
Happy New Year to all

Indmom
Mitri Valve repair 5/99 Coscove ring Ceveland
Valve replacment 3/02
St. Jude Valve
It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Since I had a horizontal incision, right under my breasts, I didn't even consider wearing a bra. I'm not that big (34C), but I wore really tight undershirts (the kind that are sometimes called "wife beaters". My incision wasn't all that painful since most of the nerves in the two inches surrounding the cut were dead - some still are in fact.

I haven't suggested it lately, and some of you may not be aware, so here goes...If you don't want your incision showing when you wear lower cut tops, talk to your doctor about a horizontal incision, rather than the standard vertical one. Once they've cut the hole, everything else is the same - split sternum, etc. The only time anyone can see my scar is when I'm naked, or in a very skimpy bikini, which I don't wear!

 

[Marge]

My surgeon said something to the effect of "for ladies, we do an incision under the breasts." Lisa, was he talking about a horizontal scar of the type you describe, do you think?

I didn't follow up what he meant -- I was concerned about a lot of other things besides scars, of which I already have plenty.

---------
Another thing: can you sleep in any other position than on your back after valve surgery? And if so, how long do you have to stay on your back?

I have never slept on my back in my whole life -- not even as an infant, according to my mom. I don't think I can go to sleep on my back. When I have tried to, I flop over on my stomach as soon as I even begin to doze off. In a pinch I can sleep on my side.

 

[hensylee]

Marge - I recently got a catalog from DREAM PRODUCTS that has all of these bras. They added a new one in the new catalog that crosses over in the back. They might be online - not sure. But their prices are small and you could order one just to see if you could use it.

 

[catwoman]

Judy:
I wore a camisole bralet that I got at Costco.
You might see if there's a bra specialty store in your city. There's one in Dallas that carries regular and specialty bras. Does alterations, custom-fitting, etc.
Marge:
I sleep on my right side. Was able to sleep on my side in the hospital.
Can occasionally sleep on my stomach, but not for long. Seems the wiring creates some discomfort after a while.

 

[Kathy]

Judy,

I am fairly large busted (36D)

That has never been one of my problems. One of my roomates had a surgical bra which was evidently provided by the hospital. She felt it was very uncomfortable.

My scar is seven inches starting at my collarbone. I was not given a choice about the type of surgeon, because I have dextrocardia and he thought he would need a good view when he got in there. At 6 months post op I am still irritated by my old bras.

I also had a pacemaker with the hemotoma from h***, so straps were really uncomfortable. It was the middle of the summer when I had surgery so I looked a fairly odd in my sz. small t-shirts. One of my first trips was to a consignment shop where I picked up a bunch of big shirts that weren't so revealing!

I had bought some sports bras prior to surgery but they were much too tight for comfort and it was incredibly difficult to get them on without hurting by back and shoulders. My second trip was to Kohl's where I must have tried on 25 or 30 bras. I was ready to collapse when I was done. I couldn't get the regular camisoles on. I found a sleep camisole with a shelf bra, which was very stretchy and easy to get on. (I don't know the brand, the tags were irritating and I cut them out.) There was also a Playtex bra that had a very stretchy section over the area of the incision which was not as comfortable, but acceptable for an hour's wear.

If I were doing it again (no thank you), I would have bought a selection of bras prior, saved the receipts, and returned what I couldn't use afterwards.

Marge,

I'm a side sleeper, too. After abdominal surgery, I had to sleep on my back for at least a month. That was torture! After heart surgery I slept in one position for at least a month, propped up with many pillows. I was propped up at about a 60 degree angle on my right.

I would say that everyone is probably a bit different and it will take some experimentation!

 

[MarciaB]

I was advised be a vr.com member to get a front closure bra at Walmart. After they moved me to my regular room, I asked the nurse to get it for me, she said "you don't need that", but after she helped me get it one, she admitted that well, maybe I did. It did help with pulling on the incision area. The hooks started to bother me after about 5 days, I took it off and it was OK then. When I got home I threw it away and started back with my regular underwire bra (my almost 12 year old went shopping the other day with her sister, they bought her a bra with underwires, an A with underwires if you can believe that. She asked her sister when she would be old enough for "overwires"! ). I was OK with with the reg. bra, it hits between the bottom of my scar and chest tube scar. My incision opened a little at the bottom and was a little red so I've been wearing an old worn old underwire-less one for about a week. Doesn't seem to matter much to the incision and I'm tired of flopping about, so tomorrow if revert back to my regular ones.

The sleeping thing-I think it's especially hard for people who never sleep on their backs to sleep after surgery. You may want to go home prepared with some sleep meds. I found that I could turn the lower half of my body and go to the side a little, some people put pillows behind them. Also propping up on several pillows and maybe one under the knees may work also. It will be hard to sleep in one position all night at first, I found that I had to move from the bed to the recliner mid-night. Also walking around a little helped get the kinks out. I am almost 4 weeks now and can sleep in any postion again, although I still wake up at least once in the night. I keep the night's pain meds, water, and my robe handy beside the bed.

Marcia

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Yes Marge, that sounds like the same kind of scar I am talking about. It goes where an underwire would go, with a scallop in the middle. Looks kind of like an upside down kid's drawing of a bird. Mine's almost gone with a couple of bumps right in the scallop part - probably caused from minor pulling.

Ladies - If your doctor says that he wouldn't be able to see well enough with a horizontal incision, it's probably just because he hasn't done that type before. No matter what direction the incision, when they open it up, it makes a large hole! I do wonder where my ****s were during the surgery - maybe for once I actually had ****s up to my neck! I'm just upset that I don't have the cleavage advantage that those with the vertical incision get. Lord knows I don't have much of my own!

 

[Marge]

Lisa, do you know WHY they would do it that way for women?

Is it purely for aesthetic reasons? Are there any other advantages? Is it more comfortable later?

As I said, scars are the last thing I care about, really.

 

[Georgia]

1. Bras: I found that Warner's has a line of bras called "Friday" - they're very soft and pliable. Some are all cotton, which for some reason is the most comfortable post-surgically. I needed to find something relatively OK because I went back to work; because I'm real lop-sided due to lumpectomy years ago, I can't go without a bra anymore. I bought a size larger than I'd worn before, and at 11 months out I still am wearing them. They're not cheap but not budget breakers, either - @$20 full price (and who pays that anymore?). I didn't need a bra for comfort (pretty small), just looks.

2. Sleeping position: I think don't worry - you'll sleep however you can. Worrying about it presurgery won't help - flat on back's probably easiest, but if that's uncomfortable, a body pillow will get you to about 45 degrees and that's not bad. Stomach and all the way on the side are out at first for mostly everyone. Recliner is very good bet, because although you're on your back you can change the position and bit and keep from cramping.

And good strong meds help offset the problem a bit. So you'll want to TAKE YOUR MEDS. A hint: I kept my pain pills and a tommy tippee glass in a plastic tub on my bed so I could take one in the night if I needed. If I happened to wake up before the pain restarted and it was time or almost time for another pill I'd pop one and go back to sleep and wake up feeling like a million bucks a couple hours later. And the tommy tippee cup (these days they're made with a bladder or baffle in them so they don't leak at any angle) lets you drink lying down. That's important the first couple of weeks.

3. Judy - you said that you'd needed a bra after thyroid surgery. I needed one after I had a lumpectomy because of pulling on the scar; but it wasn't an issue at all with the vertical scar (of course I'm not very big, but with the lumpectomy it really hurt to not have support). You may not need one at first because your activity will be pretty curtailed.

 

[hensylee]

today I received in the mail a catalog from Amerimark Athony Richards - www.amerimark.com I haven't heard of these folks before but they have the stretch comfort leisure bra that I bought. Cost is $7.64.......

breathable nylon/lycra. You can wear it to sleep in or for light support under loungewear. Front colsure and wide camisole straps. Washable

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Yes, the horizontal scar is purely aesthetic. Men have chest hair to cover their scars; fortunately, MOST women do not! It's only more aesthetic in that it doesn't show above the collar. I still have drain scars, etc. on my belly so if I lost weight and chose to wear a bikini, part of the horizontal scar would show and so would the two large and two small drain scars, as well as the scars from my laparascopic hysterectomy. My scar was really never uncomfortable because of the numbness that I mentioned previously, but since I've never had a vertical scar, I couldn't compare. I had sore bones - mostly my shoulders from what I understand is uncomfortable table positioning during surgery, but my incision and sternum never really bothered me. I didn't hurt when coughing, sneezing, etc. Of course I was young (36) and was up and moving on my own about 36 hours after surgery. When I had RF and was in Texas Children's Hospital for a month, I remember the little kids zipping down the hall on big wheels, etc. shortly after their surgeries, and so I felt that getting out of bed and keeping a positive outlook would lead to a faster recovery. I didn't have a big wheel, so since the heart floor at my hospital was attached to the baby floor, I walked over to look at the cute babies about 10 times a day. I also walked to the Coke machine because the Cokes that the hospital supplied were RC Cola, and I'm strictly a Diet Coke drinker! I also told the telemetry people that I was leaving the floor and I rode the elevator down to the first floor and walked to administration to visit some of my former colleagues there.

So, my advice is to have the horizontal incision so you don't have to spend the next 50 years explaining the scar, keep a positive attitude and walk as early and as much as possible!

 

[Andrea]

Bras

Bras

I got some front close sports bras at Walmart for after surgery. I got them 4 inches bigger inch wise and same cup size. They had no wires and were a simple confortable white cotton. They also were only like $6 each! It was enough support to hold things were they needed to be but lose around the band and very comfy and stretchy.

 

[Andrea]

I forgot... Mervyns also had a body pillow that was great. Most body pillows are kind of flat like regular pillows like a long john donut, but they had one that was round kind of like a (sorry for the comparison) like a big hot dog. I dont know if that even makes sense LOL. It supported me much better than the standard body pillow that I have. I think it was stuffed with more of a foam material inside. But anyways, I had both and liked the Mervyns one much better.

 

[Missy]

Like I said, I wore a comfortable bra and didn't suffer too much. I also credit my little heart pillow with helping me to rest and get sleep.
I posted on small talk about my little pillow.
It really helps.

 

[mmcbroom]

For me....

For me....

After the 2 surgeries that I remember, I used a soft, very worn, very thin sports bra type of top. My sister who is 2 cup sizes bigger than me, gave it to me while I was in the hospital in 96. I still have it and occasionally sleep in it still.

As for sleeping on your back the whole time, I never have. Even after Surgery while in the hospital in 96 and 2000, I slept on my side. This made it easier to get myself out of bed quicker.