Anyone else tried one of these and been left with what I can only describe as an apple piecrust diamond lattice imprint all over the residual breast, which hurts.
My understanding was it should help with air circulation and cooling not make be look like a lattice and an irritated pink itchy one at that!
Not sure if the size of the partial prosthesis is wrong or if they just don’t tend to work…
Any advice or comments appreciated…I suspect I may be driving bc nurse mad but if I’d ever been measured properly or able to try on more than 2 I may have been sorted!
Any comments appreciated.
Thanks Seabreeze
Hi Seabreeze
Can’t help with partial prosthesis specifically as I need full prostheses but I do sympathise with difficulty with fittings and as nobody else seems to have replied I hope this may help. I did not really have any advice from hospital and not measured so when I could move on from softies I needed some help! Luckily I got some great help from one of the commercial suppliers - some of them have shops and do fittings. I found one with a shop I could get to - they were listed in the BCC publication on clothes and prostheses and I then looked at their website and called them before visiting. I have now been back several times - brilliant staff at the two of their shops I have visited. They advised on sizes and let me try different prostheses (and pocketed bras etc). This was really useful to me as I find it hard to work out whether something I see online is going to fit/be comfortable - and there are lots of different types of prosthesis so hard to know which will work. I avoided buying something which sounded good online but when I tried it did not suit me at all. Ended up with prostheses I am happy with. Maybe BCNs are restricted in what they can offer you so if you can it might be worth looking at the BCC publication and trying elsewhere.
Good Luck!
Hi Seabreeze
Here is a link to the publication that Somerset mentioned www2.breastcancercare.org.uk/publications/treatment-side-effects/confident-choice-breast-prostheses-bras-clothes-after-surgery-bcc123
Best wishes
June, moderator
I’ve my first prothesis appt at hospital in March - people say try on variety but I don’t know if it’s common for all trusts to offer multiple choices? Thx for the original post as it makes me more aware of possible issues tondiscussv
I seriously don’t think I could face recon and this is a big deal for me - the leaflets aren’t that helpful as not much about pros and cons of different types x why is everything so hard with cabcer?
Jets,
I reckon it must be harder re a partial prosthesis since its trying to match 2 curves, the inner and outer.
Never occurred to me amount textured back. We live and learn!
Seabreeze
We do indeed seabreeze! We do indeed!
Thx Somerset x super helpful x
Hi all,
I had WLE with reduction style reshaping of the affected breast, which has left me lopsided currently. (The surgeon said he can reduce the other side to match in due course as radiotherapy can reduce WLE side a little more). I am pleased with the resulting shaping - though have some lumpiness within the reformed / treated breast, and was fitted for an amoena partial prothesis. At the fitting this went from trying chicken fillet styled prostheses to more full breast shaped prothesis.
I find wearing it helped with confidence in the summer, but it was heavy and sweaty against my skin - surgery scars & rads. Bra fitting is not good on the treated side currently, and options are to wear the prothesis & have sweaty uncomfortable skin, or have a bra which doesnt quite do the job for either breast! Situations dictate how often the prothesis is worn & confidence needed at that time. This prothesis does leave a crisscross pattern on my skin.
Not sure if this helped - I will be opting for the reduction of the other breast in due course.
Good luck ladies, much love & confidence to be happy with your choices / fittings. x x
Lexilou,
Thank you for sharing…I’m going to ask if its normal to get indentation or if it just means the product’s still not right. Did you find it hurt after 3 hours or so of wearing, I don’t mean the skin but actually within the reduced breast?
I’m wondering if I just need more patience before rejecting it!
Seabreeze x
Hey Seabreeze,
Sorry for the delay I just gound your question here… (i dont think i am usong the forums in the most efficient way) .
for me, i have pain and firmness within the treated side , recently saw my surgeon who said this is normal following surgery and rads, rads finished in sept. Had recent scan of this breast, awaiting results, but informally was told likely tp be seroma and fat necrosis due to treatments. At this stage scanner felt biopsy was not required, as a treated area this is my new normal. Surgeon did say to keep gently massaging to reduce firmness .
My new normal is taking some adjusting to, and have to admit have not used the prothesis recently, but do dress to disguise deficit.
Have also private messaged you seabreeze.
Btw - my knitted knockers arrived last week and I love them - much nicer then the softies provided by hospital although I’m going out completely flat at moment x
Thank you. Just checked the knitted knockers website and they do partials too!
Just been informed by a fitter that she has never seen such a skin response as mine to wearing a prosthesis…she reckons I may be allergic to silicone…even through a layer of cotton! Great! Not!
Papermache! 3d foam cutting? Cuddly toy…(front of an angry bird!) Haha…
Hi Lavendersblue,
I had a lump and some nodes removed rather than full mx but the op zone was near the middle of the breast. After lots of googling I found a number of women recommended Bravado seemless silk. I found it really good post op and through radio/post radio. It has a wide soft underband which really helps. Only comes in sm, med, large and ex large and is only intended up to D cup but if over that and you size up its okay and still v good to see you through. Is back fastening which can be a factor early on. Available from John Lewis plus fig leaves online plus I’m sure other suppliers.
Hope you find something which works for you at this stage.
Seabreeze
Hi all,
I’m so pleased so many of you have joined this thread and with such innovative ideas!
I feel a bit like I’m going round in circles, possible allergy to prosthesis (comment from fitter in the job for about a decade when I showed her my lovely (not) pink shiny tastical skin photos after wearing one (well 3 types now) for as many minutes, pushed to hours as one can bare…litterally, without being oh so vlose to whipping the thing out on the bus!
no, not normally a flasher…but ou discomfort can do all sorts!
so, the second opinion was possible allergy, went to see bc nurse, a few days later she got back to me, " you need to request the blood test for a possibke allergy via your GP…see GP…get blood taken for test…weeks later the hodpital whoch tests the blood gets back to my GP sayjng…“we cannot carry out the test, it needs to be carried out by the doc responsible for fitting the prosthesis” and they destroyed the blood sample! Get this, its the same hospital who test the blood as where my surgeon onc works…talk around tearing around in a circle though at sn epically slow speed! It’s now nearly 3/4 year since I should have had a prosthesis which works snd doesn’t make me itchy! Tried knitted knockers but can’t get it to work for me…I’m lopesided signifucant reduction from G…still surviving on a soft v v v stretchy bra which pulls the mini(er) boob over to the bigger sized original survivor!
Thank you to everyone joining this thread of increasing DIY!
xxx Seabreeze (kind of bobbing along this eve)