A question for the ladies...bras...

[momto2grls]

I have not been able to tolerate wearing a bra for over a year now d/t the pressure/pain I get around my ribcage. Wearing a bra just makes it feel worse, and when I take it off at the end of the day I always have pain all around the left side of my ribs. Anymore, the only time I wear a bra is when I have to go out somewhere. I can't stand it. I can't stand to wear it and I can't stand going without it. I feel so frumpy and undressed. Can any of you ladies reccommend a good comfortable bra?

[Deborah9275]

Like another commenter, I am crazy about the Genie bra, as well as a similar product called the Aha bra. I've been on a life-long mission to find a comfortable bra, and now at 60 years old I finally found it! These bras started out being promoted through infomericals, but can be found online by googling or even at some stores. (Bed, Bath and Beyond one version; I can't remember which brand.) They are similar to sports bras, but don't flatten you, and really look good under a close fitting tee. They fit all chest sizes, and I order a size larger than I am simply for more comfort. They are also very reasonably priced.

Whoever invented these should be given a Nobel prize...

[SarahL2491]

wish I could dump mine but need the support.
Sandy, my "load" didn't come til after menopause, before that
I was two fried eggs on a sidewalk as I used to ell the ob/gyn!
am interested in trying these new ones, wish they hooked in the
front......
love these conversations, learn a ton from them!

[sandythegeek2]

Unfortunatley, my input wont help  My chest is so flat, I have to wear a bra to make it look like I have anything. Seriously. Sometimes I'm glad I don't have that extra weight to pull on my back. But, I still wish I had something.

[debgen]

I have also used the Barley There bras fo the last few years an they were ok but hooking them on was sometimes difficult. Then I discovered the Genie bra. It is wonderful. Very comfortable and still supportive. No hooks and the straps never fall down. I love it!
Deb

[stillsearching1121]

I was just telling my husband the other day that I noticed I couldn't stand to wear my bra anymore bc it hurt and was so uncomfortable.  For the 15 years we have been together, I have always worn a bra...I have always slept in a sports bra.  Now I can't get it off quick enough at night and I put it on last thing in the morning before I have to go out.  A sports bra, don't even think about it right now.  

I'm not dx'd and I know they say not to count everything as a sx but when you keep hearing other people in similar situations like this one and you know that it is a significant change from the norm of the rest of your life, it's hard not to read into that, huh?

[rennie500]

Hi there, I thought it was just me who had this aversion to bras! I can't bear them lately and have pretty much abandoned them at the moment. I'm sure they used to feel okay but now they get to feeling so tight around the chest, especially by the end of the day. Mind you I can get really irritated by clothes generally. I thought I was just the clothes equivalent of the princess and the pea! Nice to know it's not just me anyway...

[LLWB]

I have neuropathy in my feet and legs from spinal stenosis too. (Yes, I'm falling apart, lol) SAS shoes are the best I have ever found. They really live up to their advertising of comfort. Like you all, my shoes always come off as soon as I hit the door, and never on on the weekends unless I have to go out. Thank the Lord for isotoner slippers with soft leather soles and foam padding. Even going barefoot hurts. My feet always burn and feel swollen, even when they are not. SAS shoes I can actually wear with comfort, and leave on in house if I plan on going out again. They aren't the most stylish, but the most comfortable I've ever owned.

Isn't it awful that we have to search so many different things to try to lower our pain levels. One would think that the clothing industry would recognize people's needs better than they do.  Maybe in my next life, lol, I'll design clothing for the real person!

Souldn't have loaded a glass topped, wrought iron table by myself in my SUV yesterday, now my back is stiff, legs numb and hurting, and in a lot of pain. Oh well, no pain no(thing) gets done!

Blessings to all, have a great weekend. Off to visit my brother, and give him the family antiques table.

Maggie .

[twopack]

I can hardly wait to leave work, get in the car and snap open the front closure on my bra most nights.  I've even removed it at work a few times when I had the right clothing on to allow it.  I thought it was just freaky me.

I'm not sure what it is entirely.  I get to feeling like I can't breath or my reflux is in high gear or I'm nauseated or I just can't stand it confining me.

Mine fits OK actually and on some days works.  If I go any larger it just slides up.  I'm too big around for a smaller cup and hard to fit.  I've thought of trying to alter one I have to personalize the fit.  Just never get around to it.

During bad spells I've been known to resort to tape.  Since I need to keep the environmental temp down a bit..........well you know where I'm going.

I'm with you on the shoes Lulu.  Used to have them on ALL the time.  Now some days I can't find a combo of sock and shoe that doesn't keep my feet cramping and/or tingling.

~Mary

[sllowe]

I second the barely there's too  - they feel like they say, and have found cami's great just as long you don't get the ones that have too much spandex in them. They can be binding.  This summer I tried one from old navy w/no underbra and it's fab, but you would have to layer or wear a loose or barely there under. The cotton it is very good in them.

Hope you find something that provides a layer of comfort

-shell

[Lulu54]

It makes me wish I had burned mine back in the 60's.  But I still regularly wear one to work and usually in public.  I love winter when I can slip on an undershirt and wear a loose sweatshirt or sweater on top over the weekend.  

The bra and the shoes are the first and second things to come off as soon as I get home from work.  


My peeve when shopping is underwires.  Who the heck thinks bras with underwires are comfortable, and who wants to look perky and se  xy when you can barely pull a comb through your hair or dress yourself??  

The last underwire bra I owned almost poked my eye out.  The stiching around the wire unknowingly came loose and when I looked down there was this huge wire about to impale my eye.  The stupid wire had snaked its way out of the bra and was about to attack me.  Yikes!  That was easily 15 years ago ....

I have found a bra from Bali (at Kohl's for one - watch for the supersales) that doesn't have tight binding and no metal wires.  Sorry I don't know the style name but it wears better than any others I have tried.

The women on the heart forum regularly discuss this undergarment - the pain the open heart women endure is horrendous.  You have to keep some compression to aid in the healing of the bone they crack open for surgery.  If you don't have one on 24/7, the weight of those mammary glands pull on the surgical site, and its very painful.  

Front closures, no wires, soft material, binding but not constricting, are some of the features that are still searching for.  Funny, but we believe if men had breasts the ideal undergarment would have been invented long ago.  These women truly suffer from wearing bras, and this healing process can easily take 6 months or longer.

Good luck everyone in finding the perfect fit  -
Lulu

[LLWB]

I forgot to mention. Barley There makes traditional bras that hook in back, which I can't wear due to the hemnangioma and bulging disc, and pull-over the head style, Like a sports bra, but not as constricting.  I am large busted too, so there is a little jiggle, but I'll give up feeling like I'm wearing a straight jacket any day for comfort! Hope they work out for you.

Maggie

[momto2grls]

Thanks so much everyone for all of your suggestions. I'm currently wearing a sleep bra that I purchased at JCPenney, less confining and very little support, but as Wobbly says...who cares! Anyway, it's a little better than a traditional bra, but still uncomfortable and too confining. I have even cut into the elastic to loosen it up, still can't stand it! Anyway, I am going to look into the suggestions you have all made here. Thanks Ladies. :)

[LLWB]

I have help for all you ladies! Having fibro, myofascial spasm syndrome, and a bulging disc at T8 along with a hematoma there, I was in misery when I had to wear a bra. After trying sports bras, camis, you name it I tried it, I finally found "the one" It is called Barely There. They are sold by JCPennys, but I buy them online. I buy them from Freshpair because they have free shipping. It is the only bra I can wear for over an hour or so. And they aren't real expensive either. I highly recommend them (for what that's worth!)  They also have matching panties too.

Maggie

[Quixotic1]

Have you tried a cami with a shelf bra - a little more than no support at all, but not confining like a bra.

Q

[Wobbly]

Hi there... have you tried a sports bra...not much elastic in them... some of them are comfortable...maybe wouldn't lift and separate,,, but who cares

take care
wobbly
dx

[LoveMyBostons]

I'd like to know too! I'm sure I'm wearing the wrong size also.

[opie74]

If you find one, let me know.  My muscles in my chest and sholders and neck hurt all of the time.  Going without one is not an option for a top heavy girl like myself!