prosthesis pockets in bras

Hello Pat -

I am a double mastectomy patient who had the same idea.

To solve the problem, I purchased one of the cheapest surgical bras I could find (none are inexpensive), cut out one of the pockets, and made myself a pattern.

It has saved me lots of money, and they're perfect for me.

Additionally... I found that the poly/cotton knit chafed me in the warm weather, so I proceeded on a mission to find 100% cotton knit fabric that would not pill and would allow my skin to breathe better. I tried to find the thinnest fabric I could. The issue with that is it doesn't stand up well to repeated machine washings --- probably why the manufacturers use a poly/cotton blend knit. I was able to find some thin (not the thinnest) 100% cotton knit that serves me well now.

Anyway, I suggest that you purchase a surgical bra, take it home and make yourself a pattern from the pocket. You can always return the bra if it hasn't been worn. Otherwise, here is how I accomplish inserting the pocket.

1. Cut pocket 3/8" larger than needed.

1. Turn it under approximately 1/4" and baste it in the bra, being certain to leave an opening on the side under the arm so that prosthesis can be inserted. [I did just that the first time. :-)) ]

2. Baste by hand or machine.

1. Once basted in place, stitch it in place in the ditch of the original bra stitching at the bottom and the center front.

Note: At the top, my pattern includes what I call a top wing, which is shaped like the cup as it goes up into the strap. I sew, using the bra cup shape as my guide.

That's it.

If what I'm saying doesn't seem clear, feel free to write me off the list [ snipped-for-privacy@nc.rr.com], and I'll send you a copy of my pattern. It's pretty easy, and you will so appreciate the savings.

I think it's disgraceful what we have to pay for surgical bras.

P.S. When sending a message, remove the 123 from my name. I use this to avoid spam.

An alternative is to carry bow and arrow and inform everyone that you are an Amazon warrior.

Here's Cindy Elam's method (Elan Patterns), from the Threads website:

the Elan Patterns website seems to be gone, but Threads still has her info. IIRC, she used birdseed to make her ownprostheses -- said it was the right weight and drape to balance. Kay

LOL! I might try that!

I'm glad to see that you took this in the spirit in which it was intended. After pushing "send"........I began to question my common sense. But a little laughter seems to help with just about any problem, although it sometimes makes the on-lookers stare.

I do have a wee bit of a problem with a culture that values women based on the size and symmetry of their mammary glands.

Now I can get started on this project. Thank you so much for helping me. Surgical bras that are available in the stores have to be the ugliest thing ever devised, and you are right, they are way overpriced. Pat

I've been wanting knitted linen, to make panties to go with my linen bras. The closest I've found is Dharma's hemp-and-cotton jersey, which is about the weight of a Beefy-T. I haven't made it up yet, so I don't know whether it's more comfortable than cotton jersey. (It certainly looks nicer! My current panties were made from scraps, and tend to stripes and loud prints.)

It's possible to make cotton jersey that's both thin and durable -- Sears used to sell "Supima" men's underwear that met that description. About five years after they discontinued it, I was mopping the floor with a Supima undershirt, and said to myself, "This is *still* nicer than what he's wearing!"

But it might be that the Pima cotton used in the shirts is too long-stapled to suit modern spinning machinery. Which would explain why something that was selling so well was discontinued.

Prolonged Googling allowed me to gather that one reason modern "linen" costs more than modern cotton is that current methods of breaking linen fibers into tow that can be spun on cotton machinery are expensive. "Cottonized linen" -- formerly known as "tow", and used unspun to mop up grease or start fires -- loses the beauty and durability of linen, but remains more comfortable than cotton in hot weather, so the guys working on a cheaper cottonizing method are hoping to find a market for the straw produced as a by-product of linseed.

Joy Beeson

No question about it... sometimes we take ourselves far too seriously. Thank you for injecting the humor.

I couldn't agree more about our culture with regard to mammary glands and women's values.

It's not just "other people" but sometimes the women themselves who have lost one or two breasts who feel less a woman. Then prosthetics can be hot and uncomfortable, especially in the summer. I admit to admiring those few women who refuse to wear them, feeling that what makes them women is not an appendage or two on their chests. Heaven knows, there are lots of women who don't have much there to begin with! I had an aunt who had breasts only once in her life - during her only pregnancy.

The Race for the Cure was held a couple of weekends ago. I couldn't help but think it would be fun if some women participated without the prosthetics, perhaps carrying a light-weight bow - a sort of "in your face" statement that the issue is surviving a life-threatening illness, not filling out a t-shirt. Cancer survivors are true warriors.

I'm also a great believer in humor as a booster of the immune system, and I think that is the key to fighting many diseases, especially cancer.

There's a gal who runs flyball in our region who lost a breast to cancer who opted against reconstruction and doesn't bother with a prosthesis either. Granted, she had a petite athletic build to begin with so the asymmetry is not so marked as it might be with someone more generously endowed, but I still think it's amazing bold and brave.

Kudos to her! She knows her self-worth, and it isn't in her cleavage.

One of the saddest statements I ever heard was from a woman explaining to me why she was going to have breast augmentation surgery. As best as I can remember, these were her exact words: "I've never had big boobs, and I just don't feel like a real woman."

Doreen in Alabama

That is pitiful.

I think you're absolutely right about the decisions we make; I belong to a support group where we talk about our values and deal with the impact that breast cancer has had on our self-esteem. In our group, others -- society, family, friends, husbands and lovers wield quite a bit of influence. There are 33 of us -- two of us are double amputees.

Of the remaining 31, 17 had reconstructive surgery and of those 17, 14 say that if they had it to do again, they wouldn't -- 13 have confessed that they had the surgery more for their husbands/significant others than themselves; the other says she didn't feel like a woman until she had the surgery but regrets it just the same.

The other fourteen opted for prostheses and say they're fine with their decisions to wear them. Interesting enough the two of us who have no breasts wanted no parts of the surgery. We wear our prostheses only when our clothes dictate the need for them. We've recently decided that we will be modifying some of our duds so that we will need them even less -- especially in the summer..

Sadly I lost a very good friend to breast cancer recently because she refused to have surgery, stating that if she lost her breast, it would be like losing her femininity. Friends and family could not convince her that she was worth far more than the sum of two breasts. I walked in her honor during the Race for the Cure.

BTW: I've been single for 21 years, and my fiancé met me with no breasts. He recently confessed that before me, he had been a real "breast" man, but became aware early on that he didn't miss them. We met at the hospital where we were undergoing treatment -- he for prostate cancer and I for my breast.cancer.

I wear eyeglasses, have a partial dental plate, two prostheses, and was wearing different styles of scarves on my bald head when we were becoming acquainted -- would've gone bald, but it was winter, and I couldn't stand it. When we made the decision to become intimate, to break the ice I simply asked, "Would you rather sleep on the night stand with all of the goodies or in the bed with me?" It's our personal joke, and we still laugh about it occasionally.

After that it was on, and now into our 13th year, it's all good. I guess it just depends on the individual(s).

Thank you. That information is invaluable. Clearly you have a strong relationship now that is about the two of you, and not about images.

What an uplifting post. Thank you.

Doreen in Alabama