Radiant Impressions

Mommy2Six

Does anyone have this prosthesis? My insurance plan paperwork says that custom made prosthetics are not considered medically necessary, but when I called, the rep I spoke to says that my plan covers an unlimited amount of any kind of prosthetics at a rate of 90%. That just doesn't sound right to me!

glennie19

I find it hard to believe that your insurance would cover an unlimited amount of prosthetics,,,, that seems very weird.  Most only cover one a year,, or one every 2 years,,, from what I've heard around here.

And I can imagine that custom made ones would be uber expensive which is why your insurance doesn't want to pay for it.   There are a lot of great ready-made ones out there.

Ariom

I am not in the US, but I find that statement pretty unlikely too. I have seen some of the custom foobs and they do look really good. We have one of our members having one made and she said she would let us know how it turns out.

It isn't something I considered, because I couldn't justify the cost when there is so much available to buy. In saying that, I am sure these have a place and there are people who find them ideal for their situation. If you like the idea of these, take a look at the Contact by Amoena, they can't be used till about 6 months after surgery, but they attach to the chest, like the custom ones and can be worn with a normal bra, or you can put a backing sheet on them and wear in a pocket.

There are many options available in breast forms, both silicone or weighted foam, or micro beads if you want no weight at all. It is always a good idea to go to a good fitter about 6 weeks after your surgery, when everything has settled down and try on lots of options in both breast forms, bras and even camisoles or clothing with the pocketed bras inside them. I tried on many styles and found the right drape of breast form and the size that suits me, Then I was confident to buy online from Ebay and at sales.

Feel free to ask any questions here, there are many of us who have decided to forgo reconstruction and have tried many different types of forms.

Mommy2Six

Thanks for the replies, ladies! I wonder if the rep simply misspoke, and meant that would cover a certain amount of prosthetics, but no limit on dollar amount?
I spoke to the lady at the mastectomy shop and she is going to try to get preauthorization for the custom prosthetics and get back to me.
You would think they would cover that, since it is so much less expensive than reconstruction, and with no risk of complications! I guess I'll find out soon enough. Of course, my deductible for the year has been met but starts over Jan 1, so I probably would have to meet my deductible again before they cover any kind of prosthetics, right?

Erica3681

Hi Momm2Six,

Unless you have a very difficult chest to fit, these days there is such a wide variety of non-custom forms that it's hard to justify the enormously high cost of custom forms like Radiant Impressions. This is especially true recently since Trulife, which owns Radiant Impressions, has come out with two non-custom versions of the form, Trulife Impressions 100 and Trulife Impressions 101. These forms use the same type of silicone that distinguishes the Radiant Impressions form from others.

What women sometimes don't realize when they're just starting out on this journey is that issues of comfort can be ultimately more important than exactly matching an existing breast or getting the perfect shape. The Radiant Impressions fitters say that you can wear the form against your skin. That may be true but for some people, like me, perspiration behind the form makes that extremely uncomfortable. Before going the custom route, you might at least want to see if your fitter will allow you to try out a non-custom version of the form and see how it feels texture, weight, and perspiration-wise. Also, check out how the form feels in a bra. When I tried one of the new non-custom Impressions forms, I found it was very hard to position it in my bra -- the front of the form isn't smooth and silky and doesn't easily slide into a bra or camisole pocket.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but rather to point out some of the issues to think about. Good luck with your quest for great breast forms.

Mommy2Six

Thanks for the advice, Erica. It just seems that the cost isn't enormous compared to the cost of reconstruction, ya know? If you look at it as non-surgical reconstruction, the cost of $3,000 per breast vs tens of thousands of dollars for surgical reconstruction, I would just think that financially, it would make sense for insurance to cover it.

My fitter called today to let me know that my insurance approved the purchase of two RI prostheses! They are going to cover them at a rate of 90%. I've thought about it, and have decided that I'm going to wait a few months, since I may even decide to go flat and not even wear prosthetic breasts at all. Or I may try smaller breast forms and see how it feels to be a comfortable B cup instead of being as top heavy as I am. I'm just going to give myself time and permission to explore some options before I commit to something as expensive as RI, even with the insurance coverage.

AKJ

I have swelling in my armpit and skin sensitivity from radiation. I've been looking for a bra that's comfortable. Most bras don't come high enough to my armpit and cut into the swelling I have. I have a compression garment but get tired of wearing it everyday. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm an A cup and got a compression bra that feels good but the cups are too big and require lots of padding! And it looks like my boobs are right under my chin! I also have a Coobie that works sort of but the straps are skinny and the material rubs on my skin. Help!