Mended Hearts Open Forum

Posting on behalf of my mom who had triple bypass in early November.
She is struggling to find a comfortable bra during post-op. She has tightness and pain in her chest. For the first week or two after surgery, she liked the hospital bra they gave her, but now those are uncomfortable. Has anyone found a comfortable bra or have any recommendations for post-op recovery for her?
Thank you <3

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Jamie Reed (daughter)
South Pasadena, CA
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First of I am a guy. I had my triple bypass in 1990 and some things have changed since then. I convinced my wife to switch to front closing bras when one of her surgeries caused extreme pain while connecting her back closing bras. Switching to a front closing bra could save your mother a lot of pain. They have everything from three hook bras for breastfeeding to my wife's one closure comfort bra. Here, she found Maidenform bras at a Dillard's store. The other brand she is using is Bali. I never hear her complaining anymore about pain in her arms and hands. That said, The pressure on her scar, the bra shouldn't hold a constant on the incision. The recovery will need both squeezing pressure and expansion as in deep breathing. Both expansion and contraction are necessary for a strong breastbone. It is necessary have professional do the fitting at this point. My wife was lucky. On her first trip a representative for Maidenform there. May your mother find comfort and freedom from pain.

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George Howard
Hurst TX
(817) 282-2403
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Jamie maybe mom can skip the bra for a bit. With the holes from the tubes are healing and I personally couldn't stand my bra touching them. The more she heals the better the bras will feel again 

carrie

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[Carrie] [Kashani]
Parapro
ISD
[White Bear Lake [MN]
Carrie
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Hi Jamie, 
There is huge relief in not having your chest confined all the time after surgery.   I agree with Carrie that taking a break from a bra will give her chest some air and breathability. I also switched to front closing bras for the healing period.  
She is fortunate to have you at her side....kat

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Kat Edwards
CA
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I too had difficulty finding a comfortable bra post-bypass.  After spending too much money trying different versions, I finally stumbled on an easy and cheap solution with "Fruit of the Loom Women's Front Closure Cotton Bra" on Amazon.  They come in a package of three for around $25.  Super easy to put on and off.  Nothing fancy, just simple.  They are quite soft and I have found them to be very comfortable.  You might want to check them out.

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Deborah Perry
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Hi Jamie,  I am 11 weeks post-op from CABG 2x and continue to find this piece of it challenging - I gave up on the bra hunt but shapewear tops are proving helpful.  Not 100% support but enough to help support and be reasonably comfortable at the same time.  Maybe double check with the doctor on that one.  I tried it with no support due to all of the issues (concern over the material touching the incision or holes, difficulty finding something comfortable, not realizing no support was mistake) but found out that was not the way to go either (incision taking longer to stop causing discomfort, could be part of the reason).  Here are the two that I found - Bali "easylite tank DFOO57" at Macys & Yummie 2-way shaping tank - outlast seamless.  The Bali one isn't great for sleep (for me anyway) but the other is okay.  Surgeon's office mentioned Heart Hugger as an alternative but it sounds like that's similar to what's been tried.  Hope your Mom finds something quickly that works for her.  Take care, Mary​

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Mary Simon
Herndon VA
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