I think everyone’s experience with recovery is quite different. My aunt had a single breast mastectomy and she had quite a few lymph nodes removed. I think that affected one of her arms in particular. She wore a sorts bra all of the time for quite a while. She said it made her feel more comfortable I had a double mastectomy. The drains were frustrating, but manageable (don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t wait to get them out, lol). I wore a binder that I was sent home from the hospital wearing. I actually wore it even after I didn’t have to anymore. The slight pressure just felt more comfortable. Sending you hugs and I hope you have a quick recovery! 💖

I had single mastectomy, with tissue expander placed at time of surgery. I’m filled back up to my previous size (C ish), but have been wearing a sports bra 24/7 since I came out of the surgical bra roughly 5 weeks after surgery. (My drains were in for 5+ weeks because of significant fluid output all that time). I just feel more secure and comfortable with a sports bra on, even while sleeping, for the past 6 months.

Healing is a relative term! I took longer than some because of seromas that had to be drained for quite a while. But really my body was doing a good job of healing. It just kept me visiting my surgeon more than most. Because of the seromas (pocket of fluid that wasn't going away on its own), I had to wear a surgical bra or be wrapped in an ace bandage 24/7. It wasn't comfortable but it was supposed to encourage my body to reabsorb the fluid in the seroma. Once all that was taken care of, I was told I could wear whatever I wanted, ranging from nothing to a camisole to a mastectomy bra with a prosthesis. (I am small built so I didn't really need a lot of support for my remaining breast but I feel more comfortable with the mastectomy bra.) Once used to it, it feels pretty normal and provides some balance. For bigger women, this may be important if not getting reconstruction, as larger breasts can be heavy. If you have the weight on one side and nothing on the other, it might affect your balance or posture. The prosthesis is designed to be about the same size and weight as the natural breast.

I had the single mastectomy, and I wear a bra with a pocket meant to hold the prosthetic. There are some very feminine bras available with the pockets, in case you are interested in prosthetics vs reconstruction. Hugs!