Undoubtedly, undergoing a mastectomy is a horrific experience for any woman as society puts great emphasis on the breasts of a woman. You have survived the ordeal and you will keep on surviving. Your life will go on as before with perhaps a few changes but it can also be as fulfilling as before or even more so. Having to lose one or both breasts in no way diminish your womanhood.
There are many things in which you will have to work though in your post operative days. You should have talked about this with your doctor prior to the surgery but it never hurts to ask questions again. It is best to talk to your surgeon about these concerns and lay out a plan for post op care. In terms of practical considerations, you will need to review how you think about yourself and your body. Obviously, one of the prime concerns is how you will hide or camouflage your surgery. Mastectomy bras are available in more styles than ever before and so is post operative mastectomy swimwear. At least in some small way, that gives assurances that a post op life can resume normalcy.

When you consider buying mastectomy bras, make sure it is a bra specifically designed for use with a prosthesis and appropriate for your particular type of mastectomy surgical procedure (i.e. radical, modified, bilateral, partial, simple, and total mastectomy, breast reconstruction, breast conserving surgery, lumpectomy, quadrantectomy, or segmentectomy).  The bra should have a pocket opening to hold the breast form in place and special material considerations can be looked into like Coolmax pockets to wick away the moisture.  Also remember that mastectomy bras should not chafe the surgical area.  And even though partial functionality of the mastectomy bra is to hide the results of the operation, if applicable, it also needs to support the remaining breast.

A properly fitted mastectomy bra should provide you with a smooth silhouette with no bulges of skin from the sides.  Your breast forms should not overflow from the cups.  If your bra has an underwire, it should not affect your surgical scar nor should it dig into your rib cage.  The size of your bra band should be hooked at the center row.  If it only has two rows, hook it at the outer row.  The bra’s back band also should not ride up your back as it might be an indication that either your breast forms or the bra is not a proper fit. 

While the functionality of a mastectomy bra has been addressed, there is also the question of femininity that goes with a bra.  There is a wide range of very attractive mastectomy bras available and when buying one, they should make you feel as attractive and as confident as possible both in public and in private.  Your womanhood is not defined by your breasts after all.