What to wear while waiting to get prothesis

Rague said:

There are 'puff thingys' you
There are 'puff thingys' you can get for very inexpensive (think they are in the $15 range)through/from ACS. My local ACS sent me a "Care Package" after my mast. which included one of the 'puffs' during the week post surgery. I saw my surgeon 1 week post to have the bandages taken off and from that time on I always wore my old bras and Puff until I got my 'good' pros and mast bras a bit over 3 months later. Don't be in too big of a hurry to get the good pros - it takes a while for your body to adapt to it's new normal - I know for myself if I'd jumped in too fast I wouldn't have gotten the right size.

Susan

Ok this sounds wierd
But I read somewhere that filling a sock with rice works real to mirror the size and shape and feel of a real breast,,so I tried it and I used it to even out the size difference in my breasts.Anyway, it works better than a pair of socks!

rockmom said:

Hi Susan,
I wasn't aware of
Hi Susan,
I wasn't aware of a Care Package from the local ACS. How would I go about getting one?

Thanks!

The 800 number is on the ACS
The 800 number is on the ACS home page, to the left of CSN and below the search window. I called that number and got offers for lots of services, including a puffy.

Other ideas
Personally, I like the little puff things that you fill with polyester batting, but some survivors with creative minds told me some other ideas that worked for them. One went to the local sewing center and got some shoulder pads which she pinned inside a bra for a quick and light weight make-do till she healed. Another lady told me she was inventing little pillows that she stitched to fill one of her old bras. She was Amish and no one had told her about protheses--not even the doctors or nurses. . .I about cried when I heard that. But doctors don't always think about the day to day realities of being a surgery survivor and she did have an idea that would work for after surgery. Fortunately my hospital provided me with two bras with a puff pillow, drain bags, and even an over-sized t-shirt to wear after surgery. I was able to leave the hospital ready to go out to eat. I wish all hospitals and doctors were so thoughtful.

cabbott said:

Other ideas
Personally, I like the little puff things that you fill with polyester batting, but some survivors with creative minds told me some other ideas that worked for them. One went to the local sewing center and got some shoulder pads which she pinned inside a bra for a quick and light weight make-do till she healed. Another lady told me she was inventing little pillows that she stitched to fill one of her old bras. She was Amish and no one had told her about protheses--not even the doctors or nurses. . .I about cried when I heard that. But doctors don't always think about the day to day realities of being a surgery survivor and she did have an idea that would work for after surgery. Fortunately my hospital provided me with two bras with a puff pillow, drain bags, and even an over-sized t-shirt to wear after surgery. I was able to leave the hospital ready to go out to eat. I wish all hospitals and doctors were so thoughtful.

Several Options
Before my masectomy I went to what I refer to as my fake boob shop (I was sent there by a co-ordinator at the mamo place). I bought a camisole that came with some of the polyester filling that I could use where needed. I couldn't get fitted for a prothesis for about 2 months after surgery ( need time to heal). Again, the shop came to my rescue with what look like shells. I had some Vanity Fair bras that actually had an opening that I could inset the shells and that worked well for me till I got the masectomy bras and prothesis. Now I have a couple of padded masectomy bras along with regular masectomy bras and I will use the shells instead of the prothesis in the padded ones, especially in the summer when it's hot. It's nice if you have a proactive onco or surgeon who will contact someone who will get in touch with you with suggestions for what you need. I didn't have that. But I'm grateful for the two ladies at the fake boob shop - they have been nothing but helpful and are more like friends especially since they have both had bc.

The whole thing sort of seemed like high school when those of us smaller girls used kleenex in our bras!!!!!lol

Hugs, Sally

My surgeon
told me to wait 3 months from surgery before being fitted with prosthesis. I had bilateral mastectomy in June and was fitted in September. In between I wore camisole with puffy boobs. If I was staying home I wore nothing. I ended up getting 2 leisure bras with soft weighted forms for at home and 3 bras with silicone prosthesis. This is what my insurance allowed.
Char