Boob vs. Boobette

PinkGirl · 09-22-2007, 06:43 AM

Hi everyone
I am wondering if any of you who wear a prosthetic have any advice on what to do when the real boob gets bigger than the fake boob. I have gained a lot of weight and I refuse to purchase a larger fake boob.......I still have plans to lose some weight!! Do any of you have any ideas ( like hints from Héloise !!! ) about how to make a fake boob look bigger ? It is quite noticeable above the fake boob - it looks flat compared to the other side. Just wondering..Thanks

Sheila · 09-22-2007, 08:18 AM

Pink Girl
You could possibly pad the bra...heh, just like old days with the kleenex...I would check with the insurance about getting fitted for the larger size...most insurance company allow replacement every 1-2 years...then keep the smaller one for when the weight comes off....LUCKY YOU...I wish my weight gain was in my chest! Its getting closer with my double chin!

Jeanette · 09-22-2007, 08:51 AM

I have just the oppisite problem. My one boob is just getting saggier. You can get another one, or just stuff it. I too have weight gain that is hard to come off, Hugs , jeanette

Sandy in Silicon Valley · 09-22-2007, 09:05 AM

Hi,

Yeah, gaining & losing weight over the last 15 years since my mastectomy has been an issue for me as well.

Here are some (I hope helpful) hints:

Most insurance companies will cover a new prosthetic every 2 years. So when the time comes, get one size larger. Keep the old one in case of future need...

Place an "expander" (like a shoulder pad removed from an old garment, a piece of foam/ fiberfill fabric cut to fit, or a bra "liner" (many retail bras have removable padding these days) behind your too-small prosthetic, either inside the special bra "pocket", or next to your chest, and adjust it until it fills your bra cup equally with your real breast. Make sure the fabric and prosthetic have some friction between them, or the extra padding will slip around uncomfortably and embarrassingly. You can even use double-sided fabric tape to hold them together.

Or, buy a fabric "shell" or pillowcase-type cover, from a breast prosthetic specialty business, by the manufacturer of your prosthetic, sized to fit either the one you have, or one size up. Then tuck the expander fabric inside the covering, at the back.

If it's any consolation, friends of mine who've had reconstruction years ago have the same problem!

(((hugs)))
Sandy in Silicon Valley

dhealey · 09-22-2007, 09:54 AM

I don't have that problem anymore since I have had bilateral mastectomies. But I have not had reconstruction and am not going to. My insurance won't pay for prosthesis, so I found these bra inserts at walmart that give normal women the pushed up look. I bought these for 5.00 each and I just slip them inside my bra. This might work for you also.

PinkGirl · 09-22-2007, 10:33 AM

Thanks everyone. I guess I will "build" something to put inside my bra.
I was given a soft, small prosthetic right after my surgery ( I call it the powder puff ). I have stuffed that into my bra a few times, but it slides up and out the top. I think I'll make something and use the fabric tape. I can get a new prosthetic covered by insurance, but I'm being stubborn about it. I think it will mean I've given up on trying to lose some weight. I never thought of getting a bigger one and then switching back if I lose the weight... dah.......
Thanks for the advice.

Andrea Barnett Budin · 09-23-2007, 11:11 AM

Hi Pinkie, You always make me laugh. I'm no Heloise, but... My little bobbette, interestingly, I too had a similar problem after my tram flap reconstruction (done @ the same time as my mastec). They make the new boob bigger because when the time comes to match it up, you can deflate it w/in office lipo or you must go in for another surgery to inflate it -- all done after healing and done w/chemo. Obviously no one wants another surgery. So my new boob was bigger than my real boobette, which is a D cup. Consequently I had to stuff the real side as per the above post by Sandy.

Now, a tram flap includes a tummy tuck, so I was quite curvaceous, beyond my usual. A friend I adore asked, Why do look even larger breasted than before. I mean after a mastec? She was confused. And she noticed. Judy is a wonderful honest and open person, and I love that in a person. I explained. It is befuddling. I am now more even, yet perkier in my 12 yr old boobette and my 63 yr old boobie. I do not look like the cartoon characters w/ boobies just above the waist, but I ain't no youngster. So, in a bra, I am now pretty well balanced looking. (Though we all know I am totally well balanced emotionally and spiritually... Tehehe, as Marie would say.)

PS Pinkie, do you like the name HELOISE for our HAMSTER (see thread by Pink Girl). A Girl w/a sweet idea for bonding as Sisters. Leave it to Pinkie!

I can't remember -- is it in the Did you Know thread? All about Chinese Hampster Ovaries.
Andi

PinkGirl · 09-23-2007, 03:08 PM

Yes Andi, I like Heloise for the hamster's name. I also like your idea of Braveheart. I've checked the other thread - Herceptin....did you know, but I haven't seen any other name suggestions. How about Boobette?

Andrea Barnett Budin · 09-23-2007, 03:25 PM

My Pink one... Looked up Chinese girls' names. Must be a slow day. I just feel so sapped of energy (low RBC) that my brain is too foggy to work on my book. So this is how I am occupying my time. I am successfully amusing myself. These are what I found for our Chinese Hampster -- names and meanings:

BO -- PRECIOUS
NUWA -- MOTHER GODDESS
CHANGCHANG -- FLOURISHING
JINGHUA -- SITUATION SPLENDID
HALO -- ANGELIC

HAPPY THOUGHTS...
Andi

mts · 09-24-2007, 05:33 AM

Pink Girl

Victorias Secret has a great "T-Shirt" bra that has a smooth liner in it that provides pretty good shaping and smoothing that does not "pucker or cave in". After my 2 lumpectomies, I had a very noticeable smaller breast compared to the normal one. This bra felt great and gave the appearance of a fuller breast. Since then, I have had surgery to downsize the normal breast and I still wear the same bra.

Maria (MTS)

sassy · 09-24-2007, 05:19 PM

Pinkgirl,

After having a staph infection, I ended up with a "caved in" chest on the mast side. My prostesis was the right size standing up, but when I sat down in fell "into the hole" and my left side look considerably smaller. I used the "fluffy" that I got (same as the one you mentioned) and stuffed it inside the pouch behind my prothesis. It works like a charm. My insurance would pay for another prosthesis, but I'm not sure that would solve my problem.

Good Luck!