Does anyone know what this might be?

Hi, ladies,

I am trying to identify a thin piece of padding I got a few years ago at a mastectomy shop and determine if it is something that I am going to need (I'm considering PBM). It's a strange and somewhat funny story, so please bear with me.

About 5 years ago, my husband's grandmother, a BC survivor, asked me to get her "a mastectomy pad." She was in a nursing home and couldn't go herself. I didn't know exactly what she was talking about, and she couldn't really tell me any more than that.

So I went to a local wig/mastectomy boutique and told the lady there what Grandma had said. The only thing the saleslady could come up with was that maybe Grandma wanted a pad to go in her bra between her prosthesis and her chest. Not knowing very much about prostheses at the time, I said OK and plunked over about $28 for one of these pads. (Grandma had a bilateral but I didn't want to pay that much for another pad until I was sure it was what she wanted.)

Well, I got back to the nursing home and showed it to her, and it wasn't what she wanted at all. I discovered that she had never been fitted for prostheses. For forty years she'd been wearing foam rubber cups she cut out of old bathing suits, and she wanted me to get her some more. I had to explain to her that they don't make bathing suits with cups like that any more, and that even if they did, you couldn't just buy the cups without buying the whole suit. She wasn't interested in real prostheses, and she couldn't use this pad thing I'd gotten.

Since I paid so much for it, I kept it, and now I am wondering if it is something that I might need if I have my bilateral PBM. It's thin and flat but has some slight weight to it. The best way to describe what it looks like is this: You know those non-slip pads you can buy to put in shoes, to keep your feet from sliding forward? Well, it looks like that, only bigger. I just can't figure out what it would be used for, as I thought that prostheses just fit in special bra pockets.

Anyway, if anyone can identify this, I'd be most grateful. If it's something I might need, that's good, but if not and anyone else does need it, please PM me and I'll be glad to send it to you. It has never been used.

A little inspiration from Grandma: She had her first mastectomy in the early 1960's, before my husband was even born. Then she had a new primary around 2001, had another mastectomy, and died 3 years later at age 85 from unrelated pulmonary disease. She was a 40+ year survivor, and all that time she only used old bathing suit cups!

Thanks so much for reading all this and for any help you can give.

Thanks for that link, Sassa. No, that isn't it. What I have is perfectly flat and fabric-covered. When I said that it has a little weight, I just mean that it is heavier than you'd think it would be from looking at it. It probably doesn't weigh more than an ounce or two, but it looks like it would be weightless. I wonder if maybe it is something that once was necessary to use with a prosthesis but isn't anymore?

I just have never heard of anyone using a pad between the prosthesis and the chest wall. Wouldn't the back of the bra pocket keep the prosthesis from actually touching the chest?

Thanks to anyone who can help solve this mystery!

Wow! I can almost hear the "Twilight Zone" music!

This "thing" is light peach in color and measures approximately 5"x5.5" inches. It's 1/4" thick. It's straight across the bottom and more rounded on top (unless I'm looking at it upside down, or sideways, in which case. . . oh, well, you get the idea). It's perfectly flat and filled with some very thin padding. I put it on my kitchen scale; it weighs 1 1/8 ounces.

Otter, that's a great idea about a picture. My husband is the digital guru, so I will try to get him to do that, although I doubt he can get to it today. But I will work on him!

Nan, I am so glad you posted about the climate-controlled prosthesis. I have heard of those and wondered how they might be. I do get so hot in the summertime, and was thinking that they'd be worth looking into. Can you post the manufacturer of the one you have? And please forgive me if this is a dumb question, but if it goes in a pocket, how can it rest against your skin? Or does it work though the fabric of the pocket?

I saw my dermatologist last week and she told me not to get anything that sticks directly to my skin, since I seem to be allergic to medical adhesives. I hope that doesn't mean I couldn't use the prosthesis you're talking about, though.

Thanks so much for your help, everyone!