Bras that don't fit

"Finally, a Bra Collection Designed Exclusively for A&B Cups" reads the ad for a Glamorise bra. They listed some hard-to-find sizes, including 42A and 44A. I haven't seen these in the store but found it online and decided to order one.

Well, it arrived today and I was disappointed. The cup is bigger than it should be. I'll send it back for a refund, and of course there is no smaller cup in a 44 band length.

Cup sizes are funny. Every size guide I've seen says something like this: "Subtract your band measurement from your bust measurement; each inch represents a cup size." HA! Not if your band size is over 38 inches. Once you pass that magic number, the cups sizes increase. I haven't figured out the exact formula but a B cup in a 42 or 44 equals about a D cup in a 38. And very very few models come in an 44A or 42A or even a 40A.

Some years ago I got tired of adding elastic extenders to the back of my bras so I went to a fancy lingerie shop and got professionally fitted. The clerk said I wear a 38C. "That'll be too tight," I protested. But I tried one on, and of course, it was so tight it dug into my rib cage.

"Well, some people just don't like wearing a bra," she opined.

"Not me! I just don't like feeling pinched."

"Maybe we can order a mastectomy bra that would fit you," she said.

But they were very expensive and there was no guarantee they would fit. I kept on wearing extenders until my skin got irritated from the chafing of the elastic (or maybe from the latex). And the straps kept slipping because the extra couple of inches in the back made them too far apart on my shoulders.

Finally I started ordering custom-sized bras from Decent Exposures and from a Chinese vendor on ebay. But neither gave the look I wanted. Well, guess I'm stuck for now. I could keep the faux-A cup bra that I just got and pad the heck out of it, but I really don't want to add look BIG or unnatural. I'm already plump enough!

There are some sport bras that fit me, sort of. But they have what a friend calls the uni-boob look: a single lump all the way across the chest, kind of squashed into a roll.

Well, I guess I'll order another model from Decent Exposures. They not only sew to your specific size, they will take the bra back and adjust it if needed. And I like the latex-free option and the fact that the elastic is covered so it doesn't irritate my skin. I just wish their bras gave a bit more lift and had more thickness.

Anyone else tried Truvia?

I bought some Truvia at the supermarket. It's a new sugar-substitute made from stevia and erythritol.

I use stevia regularly to sweeten cocoa with no apparent side-effects. I was a bit cautious about consuming erythritol because I generally do not tolerate sugar alcohols. So I only used one packet of Truvia at a time, and usually only once a day.

Then I used it twice a day and the side-effects showed up. I suffered some gas and diarrhea. Immediately I stopped using Truvia and went back to using plain stevia (which also can be purchased in packets). That was four days ago and the side-effects of the Truvia have not stopped.

I'm unsure whether the processing of the stevia into another form had any effect or the side-effects are only due to erythritol. However, I just read up on erythritol in Wikipedia and I may be sensitive to it because it is produced from glucose by fermentation with a yeast. I am very allergic to several varieties of yeast, and cannot consume most fermented products without unpleasant results.

By the way, if you look up stevia you'll read that it may improve insulin sensitivity. It is being studied as helping to reverse diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Postscript: This post has drawn a number of comments and has received many, many hits from people searching for symptoms caused by Truvia. If you have side-effects from this (or any product), please consider writing to the manufacturer. If you had a severe reaction and are certain that it was due to this product, you should report it to the FDA.

Personally, I have not done so because I have many allergies including one to yeasts (which is in erythritol) so I suspect that's what set off my diarrhea. I'm being much more careful now about avoiding sugar alcohols.

Additional Postscript 3/2013, seen on BeverageDaily:

Cargill has failed in its second attempt to secure EU approval for use of bulk sweetener erythritol in soft drinks, after EFSA published a negative opinion relating to its introduction on child safety grounds.

A Cargill spokesman admitted that erythritol can have "not harmful" laxative effects.

See: http://www.beveragedaily.com/Ingredients/Cargill-suffers-bitter-erythritol-blow-EFSA-rejects-beverage-use-extension

Chemsense page

The page for the Chemical Sensitivities group in DC-Maryland-Virginia is now www.Chemsense.com. It used to be on AOL but they are no longer hosting websites.