Has anyone had breast cancer/surgery incision?

(I apologize up front for the ;s--the cats stole the quotes key!)

My best friend recently had a lumpectomy. The incision is right where the bottom of a bra touches, the elastic part, the band (?). She needs to get radiation, but they won;t do it until the incision heals--and it;s been over a month, and it;s not healing properly, according to the Dr. Now, I don;t know what sort of bra she;s wearing, though she did make a comment that she couldn;t wait to start wearing a ;normal; bra again. (I assume she;s wearing a sports bra, but those, too have elastic.) She does need to wear a bra, as she;s heavy-breasted, etc., so going bra-less is not an option, I guess. She also tends to heal very slowly, and often gets cellulitis in her foot and leg from cuts. I;m VERY worried about her--she can;t get radiation, and then chemo, until the incision heals. Has anyone here had experience with this, and do you have any suggestions for her? I;d be most grateful! Thanks!

First of all, best of luck to your friend. I understand how she's feeling - I had a lumpectomy this past Tuesday - she's probably wanting to get on with it and get the radiation started.

Mine was on the top part of my left breast - sort of to the outside - so the elastic on the bottom of my sports bra doesn't conflict with the healing.

I would suggest going online, or going to a running store, and looking at sports/jogging bras. There are some designed that are longer "tank" type sports bras, so there might not be as much of an elastic band directly under the breast.

There are all sorts of sites online - all you need to do is google "sports bras".

My thoughts and support (no pun intended) are with your friend.

Ooh. I just found this site, too:

http://www.wearease.com/Home_Page.php

My mom had a lumpectomy about 12 days ago but wasn't in an area that would rub from a bra.
Has she tried putting layers of gauze under the area so prevent rubbing??
Or I think its Band-aid brand makes a blister block for heels she might be able to use it in that spot??

She needs to lay off junk food, eat plenty of lean protein and veggies (vit C) and also drink WATER!!!! These are things she should do from now on as well, as radiation and chemo will both take tremendous tolls on her body.

May I suggest she visit www.crazysexylife.com . It's a cancer community where she can find TONS of support and ideas.

Cally

Try to find a long length sports bra with a front closure so she doesn't have to pull it over her head. If the bottom binds, she can alway unhook the bottom.

Great advice from everyone here! And she might also call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 -- they have thousands of resources in their database, and could probably help her find help with this, and with all the other issues she's facing, too.

My best friend is a supervisor at that call center, and he says some of the people there are really dedicated and will dig in and try to do a caller some serious good... and others just aren't. He says to call back until you get one of the good ones!

Can see drink ensure? They gave that to my mom when she had breast cancer.
This group will help you alot.
http://groups.msn.com/LightingTheWayForCancerSupport
There are alot of people with breast cancer in that group.
Just tell them SnowAngel sent you and they will let you in.
They are very helpful in that group.

There is a wonderful store here in Memphis called "A Fitting Place" they sell lingera/bras of all types- but they specialize in bras for people who have gone through breast cancer surgeries/etc. I believe they are a national chain (I have the link down at the bottom for you).

I have several friends who have gone through breast cancer that have had wonderful experiences with this place. If your friend can get her measurements - i'm sure that she could call them and they could figure out what type of bra would help with the healing process (I'm almost certain they'll ship out bras!)

http://www.afittingplace.com/

2 words - duct tape

I'm just kidding of course! But I do agree with others. There are some things she can do to try and boost her immune system to help with healing. Even things her doctor could do. So maybe she could ask them.

Also I agree the ACS has a lot instrumental of resources. They have been instrumental in my son's care! I hope she finds what works and wish her all the luck in her treatment and recovery!