In reply to:
Some people say that if they don't have the right size bra, reduce the cup size and increase the band size. I figure that since the band provides the support, that that would really make things uncomfortable at sizes larger than a C.
Actually I forget who it is, but one of the regulars here insists that if you decrese the cupsize by one and increase the bandsize by 2 you have the same volume of breast. So that a 36 D is exactly the same sized breast as a 38 C. I don't know about volume, but the shape is waaaaayyy different. My ex did this because she couldn't find bras that fit off the shelf and was too embarased to custom order ones that did. Problem is that she got welts from the underwire by the end of the day, and her back and shoulders were sore as all hell. I got her into wearing sports bras since they're stretchy so you don't need exactly the right size for them to work properly. That made her very, very happy. And yes, as you suspected, her bras never supported her properly.
By the way, Sara do you fence with the foil, rapier, epee, or sabre? Just curious because I took fencing for many years. Didn't see too many women in the sport, and with one exception that I convinved to learn every single one of them did foil. Me, I and my buddies took up the sabre and never looked back. Especially since out teacher was trained privately since the age of 4 by a Hungarian Cavalry officer and he taught us actual dueling, not just sport fencing. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha. Fun stuff really. Women who do archery have an even worse problem with their breasts getting in the way. They make these thick leather half-vests for them to wear which pretty much crush the right breast flat against your chest and give it armor plating so that the bowstring won't slap into it each time you fire. Guns make it much easier for women to engage in deadly combat.