Cancer Survivors Network

I didn't have to cope w/your situation during rads (lumpectomy). Am very confident that other sisters will be giving your advice. Everyone's skin reacts differently to the rads, so you may just have to go one day at a time. You may be able to wear your form/bra for short periods of time and give yourself as much braless time as possible. Early in therapy may not be a problem for you, though your skin may become more sensitive the longer into treatment you get. I went braless and wore very large sweatshirts and I was small breasted enough that you couldn't really tell.

Hope your rads go well...use lots of the lotions the docs give you and get lots of rest. God Bless...
Julie

Hey Marlene
Well I have an expander in so I have a "sort of" right breast but its about a C cup while my normal breast is about a DD ...so I had been concientiously padding my bra ...but during rads that just kind of went by the wayside ...you need to get a soft cotton barely there something for comfort and learn to use this cold weather to your advantage and LAYER!! I always throw on a vest or jacket or sweater nowadays and I dont worry about whether the boobs are evenly matched anymore. I just cover them up....It'll work til Spring anyway!

I'm not sure if it will work or not because I had a lumpectomy. This bra was recommended by my radiology techs. My guess is that it would work but it doesn't have much support. Feels great and gentle on the irritated skin. You can find them at Kohl's. The big issue is the underwire bras and other bras that are tight around the bottom. The cup isn't the issue. Good luck.

Roseann

I am fairly large and going lopsided wasn't an option for me either. ( I also work in a school). I had 33 rad treatments in Oct, Nov and early Dec. My prosthesis is heavy and was hard to wear pretty early in the process. I switched to the form about half way through and it was fine, until I started to turn red. The burns made the bra hurt but the form really didn't bother me until near the end of treatments. The rads nurse suggested wearing a bra over a soft cotton t-shirt to protect the skin. It worked pretty well. It felt a little weird, but at least the skin didn't hurt. I wore sports bras a lot too, pinning the form in place. And lots of swearshirt jackets and other baggy clothes!

Good luck with rads!

You'll be able to wear a bra during radiation, but you certainly will want one that is comfortable and won't irritate your skin. I visited a shop in my area that specializes in bras for women who have had mastectomies. They had what I was looking for. I also had an expander in when I was going through radiation, so I didn't need a prosthesis. The bras I got from this shop have little pockets in them where you can put that soft filler that is used in making pillows and stuffed animals. This might work for you. It would give you the appearance that you want and probably wouldn't cause much irritation. Good luck!!! Connie

Marlene, I am in my 7th week of radiation and have been able to wear a soft cotton bra up until this week. (Every one is different but I didn't burn until now.) Anyway, you cannot wear an underwire bra but other types are okay. Just get what's most comfortable for you. I am currently wearing camisoles with a built-in bra. I'm okay with material touching my skin but you want to go for natural fibers and softness. Good luck to you. Oh - start with the creams they tell you to use on day 1! Don't wait until you need them to start using them. I followed this advice that a fellow sister gave me and I have had very good results. Best of luck!!! Pitt

I am large-busted (F-G cup)& teach in a middle school, so going braless was out of the question. I purchased "Just My Size" cotton bras in a larger band size. I was able to wear a bra every day, though at the end I cut squares of white flannel to put between the radiated area & my bra during the last couple of weeks. After radiation everything healed up pretty quickly.

The nurses were not too helpful--their solution was to go braless, but in my job, I just couldn't. Good luck - it will be over before you know it!