Interesting question - although now 3+ years on, I have to say I was somewhat dismayed that I had to initiate action to get my prosthesis, after having been told that I would be contacted 6 weeks after my surgery to be fitted with silicone prosthesis, after using the soft fabric one immediately after surgery.
6 weeks came and went and I waited patiently, not wanting to burden them, 7 weeks came and went. At 8 weeks I could wait no longer, so I rang, spoke to one of the bcnurses who said, yes you should have had one by now, and did indeed arrange for my own bcn to contact me.
She is an excellent nurse and the fitting was fine and I was very pleased with the prosthesis I got because I felt it was a good 'disguise' unlike the fabric one, to conceal which I wore big cardies and jackets and scarves (fortunately it was winter) and which I could not wait to get rid of. But I was disappointed that I had had to wait, it is so traumatic to go through that operation, and to face the world with disfigurement - well, okay, it is character building, but I was dxxx glad of my disguise.
I have found them slow to respond whenever I have contacted them; my bcn is part-time, and I dare say they are overloaded and the more immediate cases are priority - but it is difficult to wait, and I have found it disappointing. I have learned that you have to ask if you want something, and ask again, and again, and I personally find that very difficult and it adds stress, but I push myself to do it because the alternative, going without the help I feel I need, is unthinkable. How women used to cope years ago...?
