Bras And Breast Support After Open Heart Surgery… Can You Help Vicki? (Updated)
Don’t let the title of this blog fool you. There is no weird, sexy, fetish thing going on here. 
Instead… With this post, I am asking for HELP from the female, heart surgery patients that regularly read this blog.
Specifically, Vicki is preparing for open heart surgery in three days. She just emailed me an urgent question about the use of bras after cardiac surgery. I have some thoughts on the topic (even though I don’t have breasts). But, I imagine a few of our female patients - that means you Becca, Joanne, Heather - might have some interesting advice for Vicki. That said, can you help her?
To give you some more background, here is Vicki’s email to me. She writes, “Hi Adam - I am three days away from open heart surgery and even though I am still very nervous, I feel as prepared as I think I can. I even went and visited the hospital where I will have the surgery. It is a beautiful facility in Plano, Texas. It is called the “Heart Hospital.” Doctor William Ryan is my surgeon.”
She continues, “One question keeps nagging me and this is probably best answered by the female patients that you may have interviewed. What about a bra? I have heavy breasts and I can see that this could be a problem after valve surgery. I was just wondering how soon after surgery will I be able to wear a bra and does anyone have any suggestions about this?”
That said, do you have any tips, tricks or thoughts about using a bra after heart surgery? If so, click here to leave Vicki a comment.
Update: If you scroll below, you will see that 10+ patients have already commented on this blog.
Thanks everybody!
Keep on tickin!
Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of an actual heart valve surgery patient. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
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August 13th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hi Vicki (and Adam and all readers),
My mom just had surgery in the same hospital with the wonderful Dr. Ryan. She is 84 and has had a radical mastectomy, so she needs to wear a bra and a prosthesis. She has been wearing both comfortably ever since her discharge, 10 days after surgery. She has never indicated that it was a problem. I was her primary caregiver for three weeks afterwards and the only issue with the bra was getting some help to hook it behind her. She didn’t even need help all the time, just some days.
Good luck - you will be fine!
Cynthia
August 13th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I am 3 wks PO valve replacement surgery. When I asked the education nurse in my surgeons office about a bra prior to surgery I was told that they would like you back in a bra as soon as possible after surgery. It provides support and eases some of the stress or pulling on the incision. She said an older, soft, and kind of stretched out bra works best. Immediately after surgery they put something similar to a totally elasticised tube top that fastened with heavy duty velcro on me. I wore that until after my first shower when I replaced it with a bra. Also, the nurse told me to wear a bra 24 hours a day. I am still doing that. Not sure when I’ll go to daytime only. A website I looked at suggested a front closure bra but my back closure bras have worked fine. Good luck!
August 13th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Vicki,
I can understand your concern! I am three weeks post surgery, and I was able to wear a regular bra two weeks after surgery. I probably could have worn one earlier, but didn’t try to! I am not very large in that area, so support was a non-issue! I usually wear stretchy sports bras, but found they were a little hard to pull on with sore chest muscles, so I went with a standard bra. It really did not irritate my incision at all. I wouldn’t suggest wearing a very tight one. If it touches the incision at all, I imagine you could put a pad in between.
Best wishes on your surgery! I’m doing great - just remember to do your breathing exercises after surgery and walk as much as you can. Don’t overdo, but do push yourself just a little! I switched activities a lot, as I got tired of one, I’d switch to another. Take care! Becca
August 13th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Hi Vicki — I’ll send my good, positive thoughts to you for your surgery. I had valve repair 5 months ago. And I’m a woman, so I can tell you that my experience with the bra dilemma was that the surgeon told me to wear a bra all the time, for the first “few” weeks. So I wore a somewhat loose sports-type bra, and it felt good. Like an added layer of holding my chest together (which you totally don’t need to worry about, but I did anyways). If you can get one that fastens in back, that’s even better, because lifting your arms can be a bit uncomfortable for a while.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I am also having an Aortic Valve replacement in about 5 days. I asked the nurse in my Surgeon’s office about a bra. She suggested a sports bra.
I checked them out, and most have a heavy elastic band at the bottom.
I found one at WalMart(of all places) manufactured by Danskin that seems to have a more pliable and softer band at the bottom. We older girls do sag a little, and flapping in the breeze doesn’t seem comfortable to me.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Vicki,
Explain your concerns to your surgeon before surgery. You are not the first woman to have this problem. Don’t be surprised if you wake up with a post-op bra on! There have been documented studies to prove these actually reduce the incidence of pulling on the suture line, thus controlling pain better & promoting healing sooner. I’m sure this hospital has them in their surgical supply area.
I know these things, because I’m the former ICU RN that became the ICU patient during my recent mechanical aortic valve replacement. (See recent blog)
Hope this helps.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
To Cynthia, Shelley, Joanne, Becca, Bev and Carol -
“Wow!”
I mean… Double “WOW!
Thanks so much for your rapid-fire help on this topic of bras and heart surgery!!!
These are great insights that I’m sure will help Vicki, as well as, future patients / caregivers all over the world!!!
Keep on tickin!
Adam
August 13th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Thank you everyone. All of the responses are very helpful. I guess I’m not the only one to worry about such things. Of course, it seems the past couple of weeks, I have worried about everything. If not worry, just thinking about stuff. My closest friends and family might say I have been obsessing. With such a surgery coming up you just can’t help but wonder if you have done all you need to do. I also wonder if I have said all I need to say and if everyone knows how much I love them, etc. Maybe the bra question was just my way of joining in the blog.
. Anyway, good info. Adam, this is all very helpful. I will let you know how it goes.
Vicki
August 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Hi Vicky!
I just had my mitral valve replaced 3 weeks ago. This topic was something I forgot to plan for unti the moment came for me to get dressed to go home from the hospital! I realized that there was no way I could wear a bra….I had my valve replaced using the DaVinci robot (the repair did not work and my surgeon then performed a mini thoracotomy)..so my incisions may be different from what you may be expecting depending on your specific procedure. However, I found that wearing a sports bra in a larger size was more comfortable and I could finally tolerate wearing it but it took about 16 days (including the 10 days in the hospital). I can now wear a non-underwire bra with little discomfort. Good luck!
August 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Vicky,
I had open heart surgery 7 weeks ago and had my pulmonary valve replaced. I did not wear anything for the 1st 3-4 weeks post-op but since I’m an adult congenital patient, I’ve started my own support network of other heart patients in NY. One of the best pieces of advice I got was to get a light support sports bra from GapBody which I did and I have to say it is fabulous. I now actually own 3 of them and I figure I’d just use them for pilates/yoga afterwards. Other stores make light support sports bras as well. Since I had low amounts of sternum pain, I was able to switch to a regular bra at about 5 weeks but still have occasional issues with certain types.
Hope this helps,
Heather
August 13th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I also have very large breast and the hospital that I went to went down to rehab and got a bra for me that fastened in the front. It worked great.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Hi Vickie,
I too was concerned about wearing a bra while recovering from my aortic heart valve replacement which was done on 5/15 just 5 days after my 75th birthday. Let me tell you, I went without a bra for the next two months while healing my chest incision. Believe me, there is absolutely no one out there who cares if your nipples show through a shirt or top. So what, and everyone will definitely understand if you are not wearing a bra that is uncomfortable and binding.
Good luck,
Marcy
August 14th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Hi Vickie,
I just had aortic valve replavement surgery August 01. I bought a few bras withour wires and they helped for coming home from the hospital and the firs few days at home. Actually I became more uncomfortable not wearing a bra, no support. This week I have been wearing my normal bras (with wires) going to the doctor and food shopping. I admit after dinner time the bra comes off!!
I understand the feeling about worrying or thinking about everything. I was the some way partly because of my need to control everything. The surgery was not as bad as I thought but obviously not a walk in the park either. 13 days after surgery I am cooking dinner for my family, doing the laundry and exercising (walking or the treadmill) twice a day for 15 minutes. Nights are a problem for me, I find it difficult to sleep a lot so I take naps during the day. I hav no tolerance for pain meds so I am just on 2 tylenol 3 or 4 times a day. Everyone’s body is different.
Best of Luck, I will be praying for you. To be honest that is what gets me through the day, Prayer.
Niki
August 14th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Niki, wow you sound like an amazing person. I’m amazed at what you are getting done. I don’t do that much now! Well, I guess the whole point is for me to have more stamina and energy when this is all over. For some reason, today has been particularly difficult but I have had many reminders from friends, family and new online buddies like yourself, that many prayers are coming my way. That whole control thing is quite a drag. I have had a couple of people to tell me that it is my turn to let other’s be in control and let them take care of me. Okay, I promise. I’ll try. Thanks for the encouraging words.
This blog has really helped me a lot. It’s a good thing that I was so curious about the bra issue. Adam, this is a great service that you are providing. I have taken something away from every single response.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Niki !!!
So glad to see you came through OK! I was praying for you! Sounds like your recovery’s going about like mine. I had my surgery July 22, and I am cooking, doing laundry, walking for over an hour each morning and the like. I am being good about not lifting heavy stuff and not driving for the first month, but other than that, I sorta try stuff and if it doesn’t hurt, I keep doing it!
Vicki, do let others help you. Don’t think of it as your being out of control - think of it as you are giving them a gift by letting them help you. I found that people really rally round the first week or so, then it tapers off! After that, you are back in control and have to tell them what you need!
All you ladies are great! We should start a club and call it, “Adam’s Amazons” or something!!! LOL!
August 14th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I never thought that I would be participating in an online support group but this is great. I want to meet you all, know what your life is like, how old you are, how long you have had heart valve issues, how well you deal with weepiness, significant other issues, etc. (I hope my husband doesn’t divorce me over this. he has been a saint.) I feel sure that there are a lot of issues that are specific to women and that the men also have specific issues (not sure if I said that in a way that made sense but hopefully you get my point.) I’m also tending to ramble a lot these days. Anyway, my friends and family are wonderful but i don’t think anyone can fully understand unless they have experienced it themselves.
1. are you being to sensitive?
2. when your support group try to be helpful, are you sometimes snappy?
3, do you feel the need to talk to everyone you have ever known?
4. will I be able to sleep comfortably (not a great sleeper now)?
5. are you unreasonable? (I called my daughter to tell her to not worry about being at the hospital during surgery but I was then hurt when she told me “well Mom, I was coming on my lunch hour and maybe before they put you to sleep” I'’m never happy.)
6. do you worry about bathroom issue? clothing issues? car riding issues? eating issues? (I admit it, I’m a food snob and I’m afraid that I will be living on fast food)
The bottom line is that we are having surgery so that we will feel better and have a better quality of life. My plan is to feel 15 years younger. I have wasted way to many years feeling crappy.
Vicki
Adam, I think I got off the subject here. Sounds like a new blog! How much time do you spend on facilitating the website?
August 15th, 2008 at 6:12 am
hi Vicki and Adam
this question is so relevant, reading the other replies US seems well ahead as i am 14 weeks post op aortic valve replacement, being top heavy i asked the same question to my admitting doctor and her reply was no bra for three months,till three days after the op my assistant surgeon made me walk to see how I was doing did he ask me the embarassing question “where is your bra” he then advised me to get a bra so i opted for a soft sports bra one size bigger and have just gone to wearing normal wired bra the other thing to remember is to wear the bra 24/7 for at least 12 weeks so the support is there. sorry for the long reply but i have been frustrated with the lack of info for ladies and especially for those of us who are muslims and hijabis.
thank you
fazilat
August 16th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Hi Vicki,
I had my aortic valve replaced April 4 and my only reccomendation is to wear a bra that fastens in the front. It’s so much easier to put on and remove, especially if you’re home alone at all early in your recovery. And believe me, you WILL want to wear a bra, even in bed. You’ll need that support.
As Adam mentioned in his extremely helpful book, if it’s at all possible, for the first week, maybe two, sleep in a recliner. Getting up from a prone position is really tough for that first week or two.
Above all, don’t rush yourself. If you feel up to doing things, then go for it, but if you’d rather just veg for a while, then do it. You know best how you feel and what you feel capable of, and don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise.
Good Luck!!
August 19th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
My aortic valve was replaced June 23 and I’ve thought about answering questions in this blog, but never have before today. I didn’t even think about a bra until a couple of weeks ago, and then only for church, etc. Instead of buying larger sports bras that I probably would discard soon, I found two bras that are REALLY stretched in the elastic area and have been wearing them. My incision is really sensitive, so sometimes I wear a chami and then layer a light jacket over a shirt.
I was terrified of the ventilator before the surgery, but I was extremely lucky. My surgery was at the DeBakey Heart Department of Methodist Hospital in Houston.
The longest a patient remains on the ventilator there is one hour. If the patient is not ready to come off in that length of time, they are put back under sedation until they can make it on their own. I don’t even remember the ventilator, so my worst fears weren’t experienced.
The complications I experienced are another thing, for another time.
Rosemary Geraci
August 26th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hello my new ‘friends’! I was surfing the Internet to see If I can find a right bra for my mom’s coming soon valve replacement surgery (sept 23rd) and after I read all of your comments I felt better about all me and my family concerns about this procedure, specially the ventilator. My mom is 7f4 yrs old and we are very concern about how she is going to respond to the surgery. Thanks for all of your comments. They are very helpfull.
August 27th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Sylvia, The ventilator was my biggest pre-op fear. Post-of I didn’t even remember it! If you are at a large hospital that does a lot of open heart surgery, they have the ventilator problems resolved. The patient is on the device for a much shorter time than previously. They also use a medication, “Versed”–not sure of the spelling. The patient does not remember a lot of the unpleasantness of the ICU.
I’m only four years younger than your mother, so I pray that her experience is as good as mine was.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Adam’s book and this blog are so reassuring.
I am months ahead of surgery and suffering anxiety already. The bra info was very helpful; something I hadn’t thought of.
I am 62 and will need an aortic replacement. I have some questions:
1. I can see the advantage of having surgery close to home if a person has a support system of people who can really help out, but I don’t. I’ll probably have to hire help to be at home. Any suggestions for finding help?
2. Also, with my insurance and savings I could go to one of the top rated hospitals which would be reassuring to me. However, the advantage of being close to home would be that people could visit. I’m torn which way to go. Anyone out there who has had this dilemna? Any thoughts?
3. Adam said he was shaved all over. Is that common practice for all valve replacements?
Barbara J.
September 5th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I am scheduled for mitral valve repair with the daVinci robot assist at Cleveland Clinic on Sept 17. I also have mitral valve prolapse, since birth. At 70 years of age it suddenly decided to degenerate and now I have severe regurgitation with symptoms of heart failure for the past 2 months (SOB, some leg swelling, fatigue, lightheadness, etc). I need both leaflets repaired and my tricuspid valve repaired, also. Possibly the chordae repaired.
As the date draws nearer, I have also been wondering about wearing a bra. I will inquire about what CC uses, especially as I intend to be using the pain pump system that uses local anesthetic at the incisions. (I cannot tolerate narcotic pain meds.) The other suggestions are helpful.
This website and your book such valuable resources. Thank you, Adam.
I plan to use caringbridge to stay in touch with friends and family back in NH (my husband and daughter will be in Cleveland with me).
I like the idea of a support group for us females.
Winona Blake
September 17th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hi Winona,
My sister just had mitral and aortic replacement at the Cleveland Clinic on the 9th of Sept.(one week ago). she was given a velcro bra to wear. the only problem is the velcro sticks to everything when she is not wearing it. Playtex makes a front hook bra that she has gotten. Also to Barbara J.: if you can get to a highly rated facility (the Cleveland Clinic was fantastic) I think it is worth it. My sis had to have the mitral & aortic redone after a local surgeon was unsuccessful. Although she was close to home the first time, her recovery was very slow, had more pain, and as I already mentioned, ultimately unsuccessful. The CC has a wide variety of supports and you can contact them online and/or talk to an RN. The thing they talk about is to look at the stats regarding complications and compare those. If your local facility has comparable stats maybe it is okay to have it done locally. Don’t mean to sound like a commercial for the CC, but our experience was so much better there than local.
Kc
September 17th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Barbara J.,
P.S. I almost forgot, my sister was only in hospital for 5 days plus one day in town for pre-op testing, so its really only about a week that you would be without visitors (barring complications).
Kc
September 18th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Barbara, I know that you are nervous. I certainly was. I am now 4 weeks post op. If things goes as well for you as they did for me, you shouldn’t need much help. My surgery was open heart and I expected to not be able to get in and out of bed by myself. We even contemplated a hospital bed. I didn’t need it. I was in the hospital for 7 days and by the time I left the staff had made me very comfortable about moving around. Here are a few things that might help.
1. Have your pharmacy use the non-childproof bottles or have someone open them and just don’t close them until you are finished. Of all things, that was a problem for me.
2. wear the bra. Even though mine hits right where the drain tube was, if I don’t wear the bra my breasts cause weight and pressure. I tried going without for about 30 minutes and then just decided it wasn’t worth it. I even sleep in one and I never did that before.
3. do your post op therapy but definitely don’t push yourself. Rest.
4. talk to your family and friends.
5. don’t worry if the beds not made, the floors aren’t vacuumed, the laundry is behind. Who cares? The first housework that I did was wash some underwear and pjs that I needed. I got them dried and then I just pulled out what I needed. No folding and putting things away. not going to happen.
Good luck and I hope your surgery goes as well as mine. I haven’t felt this good in 10 years. I thought I was old but I was just needing a repair job.
VM
September 18th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Good evening everyone, I am facing a challenging time as I am preparing for open heart surgery for a congenital heart defect soon. I feel completely unprepared and am not sure where to start. I am 35 years old and am wondering if the book The patient’s guide to heart valve replacement can apply to my surgery, as the surgeons will be patching up a pretty large hole in my right atrium. Thank you and God BLess.