I can’t wear a bra after my surgery
15th Feb 2018
Last year I had to have major surgery where they removed some ribs. The surgery went really well but it resulted in a scar that runs from my belly button all the way to the back of my shoulder blade. Seriously - it looks as if I’ve been attacked by a great white shark…
Bra-less for the first time in 30+ years
What I didn’t realise prior to the operation was that I wouldn’t be able to wear a bra for quite a long time.
Now you need to understand that this is a big deal as when I went into the surgery I was wearing a 14D / 12DD bra size. (yeah - I put on some weight so while I'd like to say I was wearing a 12DD bra I have to be honest and say my favourite bra was a 14D because it was a little wider in the chest)
I can’t remember the last time I was not wearing a bra in public… I have worn a bra every day of my life since I was 12 (except at night - I don’t sleep in a bra, but that’s another story for a different day ;) )
For the first few weeks after the surgery I didn’t wear anything - I wasn’t doing much anyway so lying in bed or sitting in a chair wasn’t that much exercise that I felt I needed the support.
As soon as the wound closed up and the bandage came off I started to wear camisoles. I tried a bra but that didn’t work at all! The band of the bra was digging into my skin exactly on the spot where they removed the rib so it was super painful.
Off with the bra!
Camisoles with built-in shelf bras were amazing - you still feel like you have a little bit of support but there is no restriction around your ribs. I wore them for the next couple of weeks before I tried a normal bra again - without a lot of luck.. still too painful. The wire would dig in and the band would sting on the area where the ribs used to be.
Can't leave the house without a bra
It’s just that when you go out in public, you want to wear a bra. I never feel good when I leave the house without a bra or only wearing a camisole. Call me vein but it’s just nice to be supported and when you look down you can see that your breasts don’t move about with every little bit of movement you make.
I felt terrible going out in public without wearing a bra even though I was wearing a camisole. Maybe it’s just imagination but I felt everybody was looking at me and my sloppy wiggly breasts…
A crop top bra was too restrictive and the only way to get in or out was to pull it on over my head and I couldn’t make that movement. I was at a loss…
Q-Linn Amsterdam to the rescue
And then I remembered… I had a few Q-Linn sports bras that I was saving for when I would be exercising again. They have a really nice and soft under-band.
And you know what? It was the most comfortable feeling on my skin - the satin style material of the Amsterdam bra was so soft and silky that it didn’t hurt on my skin. There was no roughness in the materials and the bra was super comfortable to wear.
The soft shape recovery wire means that it follows the weird shape of body without digging in or sticking out. It provides structure without restriction - so clever!
I did wear it on the loosest hook so I probably lost a little bit of the support, but after wearing camisoles for such a long time it felt so good! Nothing like a good supportive bra to boost your confidence. I felt like a normal person again, rather than a patient recovering from major surgery.
Now that I've recovered I keep wearing my Q-Linn bras for comfort and support. They are the sports bras I wear for horse riding, doing yoga and on days when I know I am going to do a lot of running around (or when I need a little confidence boost).