What's involved with a fitting?

Wishiwere,

What is N/V?? I havn't learned all these abbreviations yet. Did you also have taxotere(T) ?? I'm having all 3 ,T-C &A.

Kathi

Hi everyone!

I went to my fitting last week and picked up my bras yesterday after chemo.  They were all really nice to me.  My fitter, who was cute as a button, sat me down in  a large fitting room and gave me a robe to wear so I didn't get cold and went out on the floor and chose a couple handfuls of bras. 

I get a prosthesis form every two years and three bras a year covered.  I barely had to do much on my own putting on the bras short of shifting my left breast to make sure it was in the cup, she did everything else like adjust the straps, hooked the back up, make sure nothing was puckering or bulging out, etc.  I got measured too. I almost fell off my chair when she told me what size I really was.  She said she knew I was wearing the wrong bra when I had been in there to get fitted for my post surgical camisoles. I've been stuffing my 34d's into 36a's thinking that's what you do when your breasts get larger from weight gain. :P No wonder they hurt all the time!  I picked a cute natural color lace bra, a cute pink bra, and one sexy black lace bra.  They are much larger in size compared to the bras I was wearing but these are much more comfortable. The form I got is a Amoena Natura Light 2S.  Does anyone have the same prosthesis type and have you washed it yet?  The form feels heaviest when I am putting it on and taking it off but in between its OK. I know how much better it makes me feel when I'm wearing it....so that makes up for the inconvenience.  I donated all my other bras, some I've never worn, to The Goodwill store.

So anyways, my experience at the downtown Walnut Creek, CA Nordstroms was exceptional. I think it's rotten those before me weren't treated with the utmost of respect. I always thought that was their motto at Nordstroms. I was told you can convert any bra into a mastectomy bra, so don't let them tell you any different.  My three bras are evidence of that.  If it were me being mistreated I would say something to a manager.  We are already going through enough, we don't need to add to it.    

Many thanks!

Wishiwere,yes i had node involvement.They removed 16 and 3 were positive for cancer.I still havn't started chemo.Just had the Muga Scan today,so possibly next week.They already ordered my drugs,and were just waiting for this last test.So i hope it is next week,i just want to get this started and over with.

Kathi

I'd like to report on my first official fitting.

Last Thursday I went to a specialty mastectomy/breast cancer store where the owner and all employees are BC survivors.  My fitter was a very nice lady, but I don't know how much she really knew.  This happened to be a day when there was an Amoena sales person there, which might have influenced what I was shown.

The fitter had me remove my shirt and bra, and she measured me with a tape.  She just went halfway around my chest and only on the mast side--she didn't measure all the way around below and over the breast(s), the way they do for "normal" bras.  She said my bra size would be a "32, 34, or 36" and she would start by bringing me a size 3 prosthesis.

She only showed me one brand and style of prosthesis, which was a disappointment.   This shop seemed to focus on Amoena, but I know from the signs and brochures that they carried a lot more.

The fitter urged me to try the Amoena Natura Light "with Comfort +", which was advertised on a big poster in her fitting room.  She said the style was new but very comfortable and would work well if I was active.  (She had asked about my habits and hobbies.)  So she first tried a size 3 "Natura Light 2S with Comfort +".  It felt fine but she said it was a bit too large, and I would do better with a size 2.  That surprised me, based on my former bra size (34A/B); but the size 2 did seem to make me more symmetrical.  Those were the only two forms I saw while I was there.  I'd have liked to have tried a prosthesis that didn't need a pocketed bra, but I didn't know enough to ask about it.

Bras were a whole different problem.  The fitter was not impressed with my $9 KMart sports bra, which I happen to love.  I said I wanted a simple, smooth-cupped bra with no lace; she brought one of those plus two very lacy styles.  I think I ended up trying 6 or 8 different bras, finally settling on an ABC #501.  It was  seamless with a molded cup, in a "latte" color.  I'd have preferred something lighter colored (how about leche?), but it wasn't offered.

I don't like the ABC #501 bra all that much--it's a 34B, the cup is way too thickly padded, and there is extra space in there.  The fitter raved about it, though, and said how great it looked on me etc.  She urged me to buy 4 of them right then (which is what my insurance allows), but I stalled.  I ended up with one other bra that was a cheaper, cotton one with horizontal seams in the cups.  It feels very nice and fits well, but I'm not too crazy about the prominent seams.

All-in-all, I felt pressured to buy the things the fitter said she liked.  Both the Amoena prosthesis and the ABC bra cost more than my insurance allows, so I ended up spending about $110 out-of-pocket.  That's not a big deal--I've wasted many times that amount in the past, on bras that don't fit right.  I guess I was looking for perfection after waiting this long.  (My mast/SNB was way back in February '08.)

The seriously hard sell came as I was getting ready to leave.  The store owner saw me and asked about my eyelashes and eyebrows--had I lost them during chemo?  (They are growing back nicely.)  My soft crewcut made the scalp hair loss pretty obvious.  She pulled out a tube-shaped product, maybe 6 inches long and 3/4-inch in diameter.  She said, "Apply this to your eyebrows and eyelashes, and they'll grow back faster.  If you had used it during chemo, they wouldn't have fallen out."  The price?  Around $45.  Good grief!  Then she showed me a smallish-sized bottle of shampoo (salon-grade), which she again said would have prevented my hair from falling out but will now make it grow back faster.  The price?  Over $12.  I declined both, but she insisted.  She said, "You have to buy shampoo anyway--why not use this?".  She finally ended up giving me a sample-size bottle of the shampoo which she originally said would cost $2.

I was treated well, with kindness and compassion--but I sure didn't appreciate the hard-sell approach.  I'm 8 months out from surgery and 4 months out from chemo, so I'm pretty seasoned; and I'm used to making-do with less (less hair, fewer eyelashes, no boob).  What if I had just washed up on their doorstep, newly cut or chemo'ed and fully vulnerable?

otter 

Hi Otter,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience in detail. I'm glad that at least you were in an atmosphere where you felt pretty comfortable, with women who themselves were survivors.

Crazydaisy's point is interesting--maybe Amoena does pay better commission or otherwise reward retailers for sales of their products. And the fact that an Amoena rep was there that day may have contributed. But also, it's my impression that saleswomen have their own personal preferences or are just more familiar with particular products and push those.

The Natura Comfort+, as you know, is a new product for Amoena and they're pushing it hard. Maybe there are incentives for selling that particular form. It's also gotten good reviews from women who have tried it, so it seems to be a nice breast form (I've even recommended it on BreastFree, based on hearing good things about it from a number of users). So, hopefully, you'll find it very comfortable. But I am a bit surprised the saleswoman didn't show you one or two other forms for comparison purposes. 

I'm due for new forms from my insurance and went to a fitter (at the Dana Farber Hospital boutique) specifically to try out the Natura. I was wearing my Airway Tritex forms in a regular bra (they have a microfiber back, so I don't need pockets). The fitter seemed familiar with the Airway forms and even said, "Those are really great forms," yet I didn't have the impression she actually carried them in the boutique. As you mentioned, this is the frustrating part about many retailers of breast forms--they carry a very limited selection and try to sell you what they have. It was only by looking at online sites that I realized what a great variety of breast forms is actually out there.

The bra issue is a whole other subject. One reason I've become so interested in silicone breast forms with fabric backing (the three I've found are made by Airway and Silique) is that I really like to wear regular bras. I just haven't found very many comfortable mastectomy bras. I tried on the ABC bra and had just the same problem that you describe--I didn't like the extra space, or gapping when I had it on. Other mastectomy bras feel constricting and like more bra than I need, since I'm only a size 3 breast form. It would be hard to sew pockets onto the little bralettes I use, but that would be an alternative for you--to buy or make pockets (you can order them online at TLC, the American Cancer Society site) and put the Natura form in a regular bra.

Regarding the three Natura sizes--this was explained to me as you described in your other post. They've adopted the numbering system to "simplify" things. So a 3 is always full, 2 average, 1 shallow. When I went to the Dana Farber boutique, I was shown only 2s and 3s (of course, I have a bilateral, so didn't have to match a real breast), but I haven't really heard of anyone buying a 1, so perhaps fitters simply don't carry them as much. Maybe your fitter selected the best fitting form for you among those she had, or maybe, even though your other breast may be shallow when you don't have a bra on, in a bra perhaps it matches up best with an "average" fit form.

Please let us know how your new form works out. I think you can usually change your mind within 30 days, so if you're not happy, you should return and try on some other styles. The Natura Comfort+ is supposed to minimize perspiration behind the form, so please let us know if it does for you.

Thanks again for sharing your experience. Without this forum, I'd be completely in the dark. It's so helpful not to feel isolated in my quest for nice "breasts".

Barbara

The info on this thread has been very helpful.  My mom had a mast on 10/1/08 and is anxious for her fitting.  Her dr. gave us the prescription and said she could be fitted this week.  Is there any advantage/disadvantage to waiting longer?  My mom is already afraid to go out of the house due to her looks, so I'm afraid to wait too long.  I think she will feel better about herself once she is fitted and that process is under way.  Any thoughts?  I would appreciate your comments.  Thanks!  PS.:  Her onc appt. is 10/23, but she had a good path report and her surgeon feels at this point that her only tx will be HT.

She has been wearing her surgical bra if she goes out (because it flattens her left side) and her regular bra around the house.  She has never had any pain or discomfort with the surgical site, only some "pulling" (as she describes it) under her arm, which may be part of the healing process from taking the nodes.  The only problem the dr. had with my mom is they had to use "glue" on top of her incision because my mom is allergic to adhesives so they could not use steri-strips.  The dr. told my mom to lightly scrub her incision when she was in the shower using a clean washcloth every time and soap.  Come to find out, my mom was afraid to touch the incision and was only patting the area, so the glue had not come off all the way.  So far, though, she has not had any tenderness with wearing either of the bras, so we thought we would give it a shot.  To give you some idea about how she is feeling about her looks, she has told me on a couple of occasions that she's glad my dad isn't here to see her this way (they were married 51 years and he died suddenly in 2002 from a ruptured aneurysm).  My dad would not have cared at all how she looks, just that she was with him.  It is not a matter of vanity with her, it's a matter of being feminine and she's feeling that has been taken away from her.

Jenjan, your mom's mast/ALND was just 3 weeks ago.  That's probably not long enough to wait for a fitting.  Her surgeon may say otherwise, but generally women are told to wait until 6 weeks or so (I was told 6 to 8 weeks) after the surgery.  That's assuming everything goes okay and the healing is occurring normally, of course.

It's important to wait that long because the incision(s) must heal completely, and the skin and underlying tissue can be very tender even after the incision is healed.  Even several weeks after the surgery, many women complain of a "pins-and-needles" sensation, or even a painful burning feeling, in the area.  Vanity notwithstanding, a bra band would NOT be comfortable over that area and might even delay the healing process.

As wishiwere mentioned, one of the issues to consider is the risk of lymphedema in your mom's arm, armpit, or chest wall.  That is a risk after any lymph node manipulation, but the risk appears to be greater with a greater number of nodes removed.  The rubbing and compression of a bra band and straps--even from a well-fitting bra--can trigger lymphedema, which is a life-long problem. 

I hope you can convice your mom to wait another few weeks, and to get her surgeon's okay before she schedules a fitting.  Some fitters won't even measure a woman for a prosthesis until the appropriate amount of time has elapsed.

otter 

crazydaisy,

I think it varies by insurance. My old insurance allowed a new breast form and two bras every year, no prescription needed. My current insurance allows a new breast form and bras (not sure how many) every time my doctor prescribes them. I haven't bought any with my new insurance yet, but I think my fitter will communicate with my bs to get the prescription. She said that more insurance companies are going this way recently, rather than having an across-the-board once-a-year or once-every-two-years policy.

jenjan,

I was fitted after four weeks and wished I'd waited longer. I just wasn't quite ready to wear a silicone form against my chest. If your mom decides to wait a few weeks, there are soft puffy non-silicone forms that can be worn inside a comfortable bra to give her some shape. Your local fitter or hospital boutique could possibly help her with that.

Barbara

Thanks Otter and Erica

I guess I should call the mastectomy shop I went to as well since they handled all the insurance claims. Otter...lol, maybe one day they can grow us new ones just like the ears they can grow now! It would really be a pain to have to go to the doctors just for a prescription tho. I have 2 insurances so what one won't cover the other will. I need more bras, 3 just does not cut it and I find my proth does not fit into a regular bra as well unless I get a larger size but then it would be to large for my good side. By the way......we had snow all day!!!! That's what ya get north of the border, wanna trade?

wishiwere,

Forms should last much longer than six months--at least two years. In fact, most good forms (Amoena, TruLife, Nearly Me and other major brands) come with a two-year warranty, so would be replaced if they failed due to a defect (not if they were punctured by a sharp object, like a fingernail). So that's why some insurance companies limit women to new forms every two years.

I'll let Otter answer your other question definitively, but I'm pretty sure the answer is that you'll have to wait until next fall to get bras covered by your insurance.

Barbara

Thanks for the info, wishiwere.  The baby oil and/or vitamin E is a great idea!  We are going to her first onc appt. tomorrow morning and then she will be staying with me through the weekend, so we will try it.  I will take a look at her incision to see how it's going.  I need to call her surgeon Friday to report on the glue situation!  Hopefully, we can get that resolved.  As far as the lymphedema, she hasn't had any problems so far.  She was able to clap her hands above her head at her first f/u appt. (10 days after mast) and she has been doing the exercises regularly.  She has not had any numbness or tingling in her armpit or her under arm area, so I'm hoping she will be okay with that.  I told her to check it every so often and to let me know if she notices anything.  I always check her when I see her, though.  She admitted to me last night that she is uncomfortable around men, including my one older brother who is 55.  I reassure her that we are happy she found it early and that so far she has a good prognosis and that she is with us.  I'm hoping that telling her often enough will let her know that we sincerely mean it and that she should be proud of herself for handling this situation as well as she has.  I keep trying to point out silver linings, but some days it's tough for me, so I can only imagine how tough it is for her...

Some insurance companies payments are based on the calendar year (jan/dec) for the claim filed not when the script was written and some are based on 365 days from the last claim was filed. I got my script for my mast products in Jan 06 but didn't get to the fitter until Feb 06. When I tried to get more the following Jan (07), my fitter called the insurance company to verify my policy and they wouldn't cover any new ones until after Feb (07). She held the claim until after 365 days from my previous claim and filed it then. Sometimes insurance policies are as clear as mud! 

Sheila

My insurance is per calendar year, so I will be able to get 2 more bras in January.  I need to call them about the prosthesis, they don't say how often they will replace, only specifying they will replace when normal wear and tear makes it unusable.  I would assume this might correspond with the warranty period.

I know the store I went to seemed to push the ABC forms, she didn't have one in my size but I did try on a several different forms in different sizes and there seemed to be at least 2 or 3 different brands among them based on the packaging.  I came home with 2 different bra brands, Classique and Jodee.  The Classique is the one that really amazed me, camisole type that I never would have dreamed would provide enough support, I just wish it came in something other than white.

Yay!  I found the thread.... bump.

otter