Bras as tax deducations

It’s inevitable that I’m going to have to go bra shopping. And since it will be a matter of my health, I wonder if we can slide the receipts through as medical deductions on the 2007 taxes. We’ll have to ask Mike The Tax Man.

I can see that my days of shopping for bras at Wal-Mart and Target are over (I can hear the ladies screaming!) For the moment I’m OK with current inventory. Actually—I only have one that is comfortable. The others are under-wire or sport-style, and both styles are off limits. The underwires hit my incisions and the sports do little more than crush tender tissue. Both those styles have also been ruled inappropriate by the radiologist during the radiology cycle.

I’m living in a bra these days. Whether awake or asleep, it’s a critical part of my recovery. My injured and recovering breast is subject to unnecessary movement and injury if unprotected. That means when sleeping as well, to protect it from injury when, for instance, rolling over. Bandaging alone doesn’t provide enough to support its weight (I’m not bragging about size; size doesn’t matter when it comes to recovering from breast surgery). So cupped it must be, which means her sister must be cupped as well. You can’t harness one and not the other.

I never put a lot of thought into my bra inventory. Their cost can be staggering, and the chain store varieties do the same job as those purchased in pricy mall stores.

( PJ bought me a Victoria’s Secret bra once. It was without question the most comfortable bra I’d ever worn, and I swore I’d never let another brand touch my skin. That didn’t last long. I still love it but in a few months it won’t fit.)

For now I can probably get by going to Wal-Mart to see if they have another (or two) of the style I’m presently wearing. I’ll only need it for a few months so it’s the smart way to go.

Months from now, when the swelling goes down and the radiology effects have eased, I’ll have to do my bra shopping at specialty stores such as Lady Grace. Those folks know just what we breast surgery girls need to be comfortable (we’re all girls, no matter our ages). I’ll join that special Sisterhood of the Asymmetrical and be proud to do so. It beats the hell out of the alternative.

I’ll save all the receipts for Mike.