Prostheses fitting in Manhattan?

HereToHelpMyMom

Hi Everyone,

My mom had a unilateral mastectomy last week. She asked me about where to find a prosthesis in Manhattan (east side?, uptown?).

Will she be able to wear her old underwire bras with a prosthesis, or does she need new bras? I think a lightweight one would be best. Shes 80, petite and very active.

Also, how soon would it even be comfortable to wear one while the scar is healing?

Thanks All!

BellasMomToo

Nordstrom (the department store) does prosthesis fittings and sells mastectomy bras.

I didn't go to Nordstrom because my insurance wouldn't cover it. (Nordstrom isn't a 'preferred provider' in my insurance network). In my area (San Francisco, CA), these providers (in my insurance network) are hard to find.

Good luck!

alto

I got my first prosthesis through my hospital's 'boutique'. It looks like MSK has one, so that might be an option.

Your mom's doctor or nurse should also be able to suggest options when she picks up her prosthetic prescription.

I was told I could be fitted for a prosthesis at 6 weeks (no sooner - must heal first). It really wasn't comfortable to wear it until 8 weeks. Until then, I used some pillow fluff that I stuffed into a homemade form. It worked well. Even at 8weeks, I alternated between the fluff and prosthetic until the prosthetic was comfortable to wear daily.

My ribs were too sore for underwires the first few months, so I got a mastectomy bra. Amoena Mara - lightly padded T-shirt bra. These lightly padded bras help camouflage any unevenness. The Mara style is good for shallow/normal breasts. Avoid 'full' cup styles if she isn't very busty

My first prosthetic was an ABC (American Breast Care) silhouette and my next was an Amoena Natura light 1S. Both are shallow forms (matches breasts that hang/droop a bit). They are lighter than regular silicone but feel natural. The Amoena is very gentle on the chest wall, the ABC has heat wicking silicone.

Now that I know what I need, I can get it through Amazon once I hit my prescription limit. Prices are usually better there than the boutiques. As an example, my boutique charges $400 for the ABC, and a similar Amoena one from Amazon was $200. Smaller sizes are often cheaper there, too

HereToHelpMyMom

Hi Alto & BellasMom,

Great info. Thanks so much!!