How long does it take to get a prosthesis

I had unilateral surgery July 8th 2009. I bought some post surgical cami's at Nordstroms, they had pockets for drains and came with two foam filled forms...kind of like really fat shoulder pads...Not real supportive of the remaining boob...but okay under a loose shirt. I used the poofy thing in cami's 2 weeks after surgery, with a jacket over no one noticed much...I was a 36 D. I did not swell much. I actually lost weight but the bra size went to a 38 because the 36 was too tight on the radiated tissue and caused swelling. I got fitted during rads for a prosthetic...if you have to have radiation, do it before you get near the end. My skin broke down at the end, so it would have been painful to be fitted. I bought mine at the store in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, but the staff at Nordstrom was knowledgeable. I was told that they would file my insurance though, and they did not...I had to. The store I was at had the prosthesis in stock and you can take it with you. If you need an odd size you may need to wait a week. Bring a few shirts with you that are what you normally wear so that you can see what the fake boobs look like under the shirt. I have the pocket bras for the form. I am now  over a year past radiation and am looking at DIEP reconstruction. The prosthesis is okay, but it is heavy, and hot in summer and limits what I can wear. My closest friends said that in most of my clothing, it does not look much different...I feel lopsided though and am hoping to have scar tissue cleaned up to decrease pain and tightness in chest and arm.

I went to a smallish specialty store, so had to wait a week until it came in. I also waited until 6 weeks after the mx - could have gone earlier (my surgeon said 4-6 weeks), but i'd bought some blouses that worked with the poofy in a "leisure bra" for teaching, so i didn't feel i had to hurry.

On a slightly different note -- I had a somewhat unpleasant experience later, when i went to Nordstrom's to buy a bra. There were 2 salesgirls at the register, and when i said i needed a mastectomy bra, one freaked out and said she just couldn't do that, don't ask her to, she wasn't trained - it was clear from her tone and body language that she couldn't deal with seeing mx results.

I was a year out by then, and not too skittish anymore, so i just assured them that all i wanted was to be steered to the bras, i wasn't looking for a prosthesis. But afterwards - and ever since - i've thought that it isn't what any of us need - to have people freak out at the thought of seeing us as we are  ... 

So if you go somewhere besides a specialty store - and even there - call ahead to ask if you need an appointment to see a trained fitter. For that matter -- emphasize that you will *need* a trained fitter. Even if the young lady had been willing to try, i'd hate to have someone inexperienced fit me the first time.

They gave me a "huggie" with soft breast forms right at the hospital when I had the surgery.  They are very comfortable and soft for the first couple of months.  (I also had rads after) so didn't even bother w/ prosthesis till later.  We have a major medical dept store where I live and they keep the forms in stock, so it is just a matter of being fitted & you can leave w/ the form.

I won't try to encourage you one way or the other regarding having the 2nd breast removed, but would ask you to be thorough in your research. Strangely, my oncologist (who is a personal friend ) asked if I was considering it... assuming I was going for Reconstruction, which I ultimately decided against.  My surgeon said no medical reason to remove it and removing can give one a false sense of security, since you can still get cancer in the chest wall.  (That was my determining factor.)  I would suggest also to get Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book.  I found it very helpful.

I waited 8 weeks before wearing a prosthesis, as recommended by my surgeon, physiotherapist and prosthesis store owner.

singletona80,

Like most everyone else here, I was told to wait 6 to 8 weeks after my left-side mastectomy/SNB before being fitted for a prosthesis.  There was a mastectomy supply store in a nearby town, and I stopped there just a week or two after my surgery to see what they had available.  I wasn't given anything at the hospital (no cami, no puffy/comfy), so I was happy when one of the store clerks gave me (free) a breast prosthesis cover stuffed with fiberfill that I could use as a temporary prosthesis.

In retrospect, that didn't make much sense, since I wasn't wearing a bra during the 6 to 8 weeks. But it turned out to be great, because I still use that simple, inexpensive "puffy" instead of a real prosthesis.

I did go to that store for an official fitting maybe 5 or 6 months after my surgery.  I walked out that same day with two mastectomy bras and a $$$ Amoena prosthesis.  The clerk (not the same one who helped me the first time) urged me to spend my whole insurance allowance and get 4 bras that same day.   I declined, though, because I didn't know if I would like the bras she did sell me and I didn't want to waste money, even if it was insurance money. The clerk calculated how much my insurance would allow for the prosthesis and each of the bras, and she charged me the remainder.

It was a good thing I only bought two bras, because I never wore either one of them.  They were way too tight (many of us have found professional fitters want us to wear bras that we think are too tight).  Also, the prosthesis was too small.  The clerk first tried a size 3 on me, but then insisted I really needed a size 2.  She was WRONG.  I was too flustered to argue with her at the time, but it was obvious once I got everything home.

I didn't know how else to do this the first time, though.  Now, I can buy what I want on line, even though I won't get reimbursed by insurance.  (It would end up being less expensive on line anyway.)   I do think the fitting experience should be unhurried and as comfortable as possible.  Anybody who has a bad experience (including those Nordstrom's stories) ought to contact a customer service rep and file a complaint.

otter

I had a single mastectomy, no radiation, no chemo.  I got my first silicone form (Amoena) at 5 weeks.  I was overjoyed.  The fluffie I was wearing never stayed put. 

If you go to Nordstrom, make an appointment so that the fitter is there waiting for you. They can be very good.  They filled in all my forms and  contacted my insurance company.  They even sewed pockets in my favorite spanx bras for free.

After seven months, I am getting a second form:  a light weight silique that I hope to wear in the shelf bra of my yoga tanks.

The shop at UCSF (Mt.Zion) has a supply of prostheses and bras -- but I never bothered.  If I had BMX I might just go flat, but for the one side I use "breast enhancers" from WalMart worn in a sports bra.  No insurance reimbursement, but at $15 a pair it's not a problem (and I don't feel wasteful if one gets stepped on or has to be thrown out.)

I was fitted just this week and my LMX was Sept. 8. There's a boutique in the breast care center affiliated with the hospital treating me. It's rather nice to have an entire building dedicated just to BC. You can get your mammograms, ultrasounds, breast MRIs, chemo, and see the surgeon all in the same building. And they have the boutique. The first time you go in, they make a file with your insurance info, how much you're entitled to, etc. Whenever you visit, the information is right there, so you can take the goodies and go, while they deal with the paperwork. I got 2 bras and an Amoena form, and all it cost me was the $25 difference between one of the bras I wanted vs what the insurance would cover.

FWIW, my BS gave me a green-light for getting foobs about 3 weeks after surgery; I'd healed nicely,had no swelling, pain, or other issues. Of course, that began my months-long learning experience (hmmm, maybe we all should collaborate on a handbook entitled "Foobs for Dummies: Everything You Never Realized You Never Knew About Breast Prostheses"  ) which ended in the great revelation, i.e., that I much prefer going flat!

As otter and Lisa mentioned, I too didn't quite have my head on straight when I went for the mastectomy-shop appointments. Way too easily cowed/swayed into getting something that in my gut I had doubts about in several respects. Luckily I was able to rectify what would have been an extremely expensive lapse in common sense (since I have no insurance to pay for foobs).

Mouser, IMO buying online has a great advantage because the entire "foob marketplace" is at your disposal, whereas I don't think any one mastectomy source -- be it a specialty shop/boutique or Nordstroms -- carries all the brands. So you're really at the mercy of the store's owner or buyer as far as what you CAN see and try on, unless you're able to drive from store to store to store until you've checked out every brand that's out there. For instance the shop I went to, which operates 3 locations (two of which are in  hospitals) only carries Amoena. A friend recently told me of a new, differently owned shop which she went to, and I asked her what brands they carry: Airway, TrueLife, and Classique. They don't carry Amoena at all. From what I'm reading here, Nordstroms carries only Amoena. And most importantly, as far as I know, no brick-and-mortar stores carry Silique, which IMHO is the best line of all. It's online-only (though there are several choices of who to buy through).

To be honest, I don't see how buying a foob online is any different from buying clothes or shoes online: You use their size chart to make your best choice of sizing if you don't already know it, read the description to see the material(s) it's made of, order it, try it on when you get it, and if it's not quite right, either exchange or return it. The only major difference is that there's usually a 7-day return/exchange period for foobs, whereas with other online purchases 30 days seems to be the norm.

I've bought/returned/exchanged far more pairs of shoes online (since I'm a hard to find width in stores) than I can remember -- and am still doing it! I can never find what I'm looking for in the stores....

I also like front closure bras with underwires.  My favorite is Spanx.  What I did was buy my spanx bras at Nordstrom and they put the pockets in for me for free.  While it is true that Nordstrom only carries Amoena forms, once you have your Amoena size, you can call a place like Truekare ( who carries Silique) and they can tell you what size to order. I like my new Silique MBT light weight form which is in three layers, and fits in my yoga tank tops as well.

singleton --

i don't think that what's considered 'low' these days would work well. I can wear everything i always have - but i'm 67.  I look at what the girls on campus are wearing and.... no, it wouldn't work with my prosthesis.

I think that showing cleavage is tricky with a prosthesis. Maybe impossible?  But the younger women here have more experience and will hopefully chime in.

Hi Singleton80

You asked about what to wear with low cut tops. I had a BMX so I obviously have no cleavage. I like the champion brand sports bras I find at Target. Every season they come out with new colors, patterns and sometimes contrasting straps. They come with thin straps or thicker straps. I wear them under a low cut top and they look good. I have wide shoulders and wore size XL before surgery and I wear the same size now. I use microbead breast forms. They are lightweight and look rather like triangular bean bags. But once I put them in the sports bra it looks like I have breasts again. So far the one mastectomy bra I ordered online makes my breasts look unnaturally high. In the sports bra I can put the microbead shape lower and they look real. You can order microbead forms at www.tlc.org. You can wear them soon after surgery because they are soft. They cost $40 each. I have yet to get fitted for silicone prosthetics....and I had BMX July 12.    

Hi singletona,

Just get a prescription from your BC doc, if you have insurance it should cover it. I got mine the very same day but you need to make an appointment. Good luck, I'm new to this stuff but you can pm me if you need more info.

1badboob