Connect
how to measure for a compression bra BEFORE double mastectomy
I will be having a double mastectomy and I know I need a good compression bra for after the surgery. I have seen lots of good suggestions (zipper, hooks, etc.) but I do not know how to order the correct size prior to the surgery. Measure under the breasts, at the "sag" point??? I'm 73 and will not be having reconstructive surgery. I'm doing the double as I have the CHEK2 mutation and this is the second time I've had breast cancer (last time 25 years ago in the left breast; now right breast). The surgery will not involve removal of sentinel nodes. Thanks for any ideas. Joann
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group.
Connect
I had such trouble with this myself. I wore a 34DDD, pre DMX, no reconstruction. My measurement underneath is 33. The hospital put me in a Makena bra, size 34-36. I ordered two bras from Masthead, size medium, which were supposed to fit 34-36 as well. They all felt like tourniquets, tbh. I guess because of the swelling. But it hurt worse to have them off, so I made do for about 2 weeks. I ended up with welts along the band, though. Then I got two bras from AnaOno, one size 34, another 36. They were better because they had more hooks to make them adjustable, especially the Rora model. I was still so uncomfortable though, so I bought some Amoena bras, size 36, that weren’t strictly compression bras. Yes, I spent some money, more than I wanted to, because I was so uncomfortable and the welts ended up hurting as much as the incision! It actually broke the skin on one side. I also got one from Meadow. I wore a camisole under it—the nurse told me that trick—to protect the welts. That was great.
Now, 4 weeks out, I can wear the 34s that do not have the full compression, and they feel fine. I really like the AnaOno and the Amoena bras. I know insurance will cover some of it, but I haven’t asked about that yet. So, in my experience anyway, if you can order one in whatever your current band size is and another one one size up, you should be okay. I know some women have gotten by with zip up sports bras they got off Amazon, but I really needed the compression in the beginning. (Masthead and Makena are the compression bras.) If you’d like, I can send you the model numbers of everything I got. There are so many options, I found it overwhelming.
AnaOno, btw, has bras specifically for no reconstruction. And they are not as expensive as the Mastheads.
I did not have a mastectomy but I needed one after my lumpectomy- I went into a Woman’s boutique that was made for fitting pre and post surgery. Might ask around. I’m in TX and the one I went to had several locations