Help! How to buy a fitting bra? ><"

[uskoa]

Hi, I have been diagnosed with mild scoliosis 10 years ago when i was 14 of about 22 degrees.. since then I have stopped follow-up because the doctor said he has nothing to offer me ><

Progressively, my chest wall on the right side have sunk in resulting in a hollow area and also smaller breast on that same side ><"

Am I the only one who has this problems among scoliotic patients? Anyone can give me tips on how to buy a bra that is fitting so that i can wear V-neck blouses without revealing the hollow area?

[Belletoo]

Hi-I think the best place to go is to a store like Nordstrom, Bon/Macy's Penneys etc. who have experts in their foundation departments to help you find the best fit and coverage. Someone who helps post mastectomy patients would be a great help I think. Sometimes, the department stores will have experts in for bra fitting - workshops, I guess you could call them. As for helpfulness - Nordstrom's customer service is great. Good Luck.

[Karen Ocker]

bras

If you are having that much trouble with bras I suggest you visit an adult scoliosis specialist. The curves could have increased over those ten years. Surprised you were not offered bracing.

I had a terrible time with bras before my revision surgery. Curves were 30-80-40. I got a 50% reduction at age 60 and now have no trouble with bras at all.
To fill out the smaller boob I went to a mastectomy boutique and filled one side of a mastectomy bra with a swim prosthesis. That helped the bra from shifting too much. Another thing was buying a larger size front-opening bra with a high back and making a foam pad to fill in the hollow and even out the back somewhat. I used one shoulder pad on the much lower shoulder to even those. I was terribly hot in summer with all this camophlage but it worked for a long time. Now I do not need any of this.
Karen

[q_fruit]

I have a bit of that problem myself. I have a bra from La Senza that is a waterbra. There's an opening at the inside of the bra where you can take the water pouches out. You can stuff the side of the bra where your boob is smaller with...kleenex or something:P, i dunno. I use a folded cloth.

[JillfromCanada]

bras suck

Hey Uskoa,

I have totally noticed this to. I have never spent the time looking for a proper bra that fits me, I just try and make the regular La Senza bras work. The biggest issue is the shifting (my good girl friends call me the "bra yanker"). If you buy a regular bra and take the gel/water things out of one side and fill the hollower side up, it generally looks quite fine. I have never looked into a progression of my curve, but I haven't noticed a difference in my size since the surgery. If you are really concerned...I would go to a specialty lingerie shop, but if not adapt the regular bras until you fine one that works. Then when you get that perfect bra....buy 10!

[dancerchick15]

i have the same problem. i just buy a bra with removable padding and remove the padding from the bigger side and put twice as much in the smaller side. i have a sunken part on my back as well, but attempts to fill it in have never worked out too well. i discussed the breast size difference with my doctor who just recommended having plastic surgery on the one breast to make it equal. i thought this was a little dramatic for right now but maybe in the future. has anyone else considered this and is there a way that insurance would cover it.

[Axis on a Tilt]

Helen M from Canada

Hi all!
I've had the SAME issue for a decade now - I'm 22 now, and used to cry bitterly about it as a teenager because I have a 46 degree thoracic curve AND pectus excavatum, which is a depression in the ribcage/sternum area.
So I have a very sunken chest, rib flaring, and faux potbelly along with the large, curving right shoulder blade and a very shrunken/in-curving left shoulder blade. It sucketh big time.
BRAS: padded underwire push-ups are helpful because they hold their own shape. The Triumph (seamless) T-shirt Bra and Olga padded soft-cup bra (there's a super-comfortable one without underwire, but fits like it does) are my staples.

CLOTHES: I find that because of the challenge, and because I love fashion, I end up putting MORE thought into my wardrobe than most people with "normal" figures - so often people say that they really like my clothes. It's all in the mindset - if you wear funky things that you love, that's what will show.

-blouson-style tops that are loose/drapey through the torso but come back into a snug, stretchy bottom band are really cute. If the band goes to the hip, you get a sort of drop-waist look; if it's short and comes in above the navel, you could have a nice crop top that doesn't stick to the upper torso but shows off your waist.
-unique, eye-catching sleeves and collars/necklines are awesome too.

Helen W.: I was so incredibly happy to hear about your fashion plans!! It's been a life-long preoccupation of mine, so I totally support the idea of a fashion line for "assymetrical" people. Especially if you start primarily online, all of us people out there who are staring miserably at perfect mall mannequins would be so grateful.

[Kristin]

Okay this website is a dream come true! other people with all my same issues! I just reg. and am afraid I will be on here all night!!
Karen O ; I didn't know revision surgery was possible, did it improve the ribcage hump or did you have that? I had a herrington rod and my spine fused together with hip bone so maybe that isn't something I can do but my curve is at 19 degrees, I know there is another curve but I don't know what that number is!

and Axis and a tilt: What do you mean faux pot belly? I am thin and ever since I had kids it seems my internal organs stick out more and when I lay on my back it does look like a faux pot belly, is that any thing like you have??

Kristin

[Axis on a Tilt]

Faux Potbelly

I think my "potbelly" comes from having a Pectus Excavatum (sunken chest) that includes rib flaring; my central chest/sternum area is sunken, and the bottom of the ribcage juts out so my belly seems to protrude.
Also, from a side view, I have a super narrow upper ribcage (especially on the side where my back is sunken from scoliosis) but a comparatively thick waist.
Maybe there's limited space in the upper area that organs are forced downwards; when I breathe I rely on expanding my diaphragm and my stomach moves more than my chest, which is harder to expand.
I don't know if that's the case for you, but I hope that helps...?

[The Slice]

Axis on a Tilt, The scoliosis, and the pectus excavatum have me wondering about something. Scoliosis is more common is girls who grow very rapidly during the growth spurt. Girls who are taller, tend to grow faster during the growth spurt, and, scoliosis, and pectus excavatum are common in Marfan's syndrome. One of the other key signs of Marfan's is unusually long arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Perhaps you already know this, but if not, and you fit these criteria, you need to see a doctor about whether or not you have Marfan's. This is important because one of the other very common problems of Marfan's is with the aorta. Any physician who is knowledgable about Marfan's would know about this and be able to answer your questions. If you do have Marfan's, this problem with the aorta, it needs to be fixed as the aorta can fail leading to a catastrophe. You can go to the following site to find more information: http://www.marfan.org/nmf/index.jsp

[katblack]

Regular store bras never fit me right and I never went as far as going to someone who specializes in mastectomys and stuff but I did find victorias secret to be extremely helpful.
I went in and explained my problem.
They measured me all over and found the perfect bras for me.
They are pricey but they fit, they don't ride up over my hump or slip off my shoulder on the lower side.


Good luck.

[smallfry123]

reconsructive surgery

i have the same problem. i just buy a bra with removable padding and remove the padding from the bigger side and put twice as much in the smaller side. i have a sunken part on my back as well, but attempts to fill it in have never worked out too well. i discussed the breast size difference with my doctor who just recommended having plastic surgery on the one breast to make it equal. i thought this was a little dramatic for right now but maybe in the future. has anyone else considered this and is there a way that insurance would cover it.

I have had the reconstructive surgery done for both sides and i am glad i did it. Although with my rib cage sunken in on one side and sticking farther out on the other side it does make it harder to find a bra that fits. also as far as my insurance they covered it because of how my doctor worded the situation. I also work for a health insurance and from working both ends of this. Insurance companies will try and wiggle out of paying for anything but if the doctor puts it into the right "medically necessary" words the insurance company will usually do it. Insurances usually can't get out of paying for it if it fits the criteria of being medically necessary. Insurances pay for breast reconstruction after a masectomy. I hope this helps you.

[eadams]

I stumbled upon this forum/ the NSF website by chance. I'm having trouble expressing what it actually feels like to know that there are women out there that have these issues-- really I am amazed.

I don't know much about my back, I had my corrective surgery when I was 12. There is no knowledge regarding curvature degrees or any of the other things you guys have mentioned. I am 27 now. I wish I had advice toward picking bras and clothes, but I don't. All I know is that my ribs seem to spread out on the right side and my shoulder blade protrudes. Nothing is symmetrical. My arms seem too long. My fashion tastes have tended toward black-- nothing hides these things better than black. I just can't wear color. Bras are hell-- very few fit. I suppose being professionally measured is probably the best advice. After all, as I saw on Oprah, very few women wear properly fitting bras, scoliosis or not .

Anyway, thanks for addressing subjects that I thought only I had noticed.

[Jadey]

I was just thinking, I think a doctor/model should design a new bra for scoliosis suffers. I always have to get a bra with a small cup yet a big waist (I am meant to be a 32 I have to get a 34 but I'm thinking of moving up to a 36 as the right side of my ribs are starting to poke out more).