Thanks Roz. My chest can't handle any sort of bra band, even if I size it up so it has a loose fit. I have iron bra syndrome, post mastectomy pain syndrome, and tons of scar tissue along with nerve and muscle damage. I have found that when dressed my chest looks better if I wear a looser fitting shirt that has a busy pattern on the material instead of a solid color material. I normally would wear form fitting knits when I have 2 breast like bumps on my chest. I went through the same thing a few years before my most recent diagnosis. I had all kinds of shirts and dresses I felt relatively normal wearing, but I went on a closet cleaning rampage a few months before the new diagnosis figuring it had been 7 years since original diagnosis and I no longer needed to keep the loose fitting shirts. Lesson learned and now I keep the tops and dresses that no longer work in plastic bins in case someday I can wear them again.

I also have had both of mine removed at different times to remove stage 4 cancer from one and the other to prevent reoccurrences. I have implants on both sides, and yes, the one that received radiation, chemo and surgery is not the most beautiful, but the plastic surgeon was able to work some magic and bring a muscle from my back forward in order to create a realistic breast. With a tatted nipple and a padded bra, I'm happy with the results. Even so I no longer wear a conventional bra, and I agree that they can be so uncomfortable. I mostly wear sports type bras that have a discreet pocket to insert a small, padded prothesis for a balanced look. QVC has a couple brands that have them, but for daily use I mostly wear one by Anybody and another by Danskin. I also found a swimsuit with an opening (Marshals). There are department stores that specialize in helping breast cancer survivors get fitted with bras etc. after surgery. Here in Minnesota the place to go is the intimate's department in the Nordstrom's in the Mall of America. It's been over 20 years, but they were wonderful at the time. I hope that you are able to find something that is comfortable and makes you feel better in your clothes.

Based on my experience, plastic surgeons say it is better to have implants, either expander or permanent, installed prior to having radiation because that way your skin is already stretched out to accommodate an implant. The reasoning behind this is radiation can damage your skin in multiple ways and your skin may not be able to stretch to accomodate an implant after radiation is completed.

To date I have had 12 breast cancer related surgeries on my chest. My plastic surgeon told me if I want to reconstruct my right breast again I would most likely need to have a latimus dorsi flap surgery. It's my second time with breast cancer and I'm out of other reconstruction options after already having done a DIEP surgery that only worked on the left side resulting with me having an implant installed on the right side prior to my 2nd breast cancer diagnosis. My skin texture has changed some since the radiation. I had the surgeon leave as much extra skin as possible in hopes that I may be able to get another implant installed, but if it's not possible I will end up going flat. I also worry that if I do go through a 3rd round of breast cancer that any reconstruction I might be able to have done would be destroyed by future surgeries and I would need to go flat eventually.

I personally have a hard time when one side of my chest has a breast like bump and the other side has a caved in pit where the breast should be. I can't stand being lopsided and wearing a prosthesis is not an option because I can't tolerate wearing a bra of any sort.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do ❤️