After breast cancer surgery, many women are left feeling hopeless and alone. They don’t know where to turn and are uncertain about their future.
Luckily, the Women’s Wellness Boutique at St. Elizabeth Edgewood is there to help.
Helping women feel like themselves again
The boutique is the only hospital-based shop of its kind in the region and caters to the retail needs of women going through treatment for breast cancer, as well as the needs of nursing and pregnant mothers.
Cathy Halloran and Angie Griffin have worked in the boutique as prosthetic consultants for a combined 22 years. Both breast cancer survivors themselves, they help fit breast cancer patients for bras, including bras with fillers and prosthetics, after surgery.
“We’ve both walked the walk, so I think any apprehension women might feel when they come in dissolves quickly once they know we’ve both been there,” Halloran said.
Understanding her options
Typically, after a woman meets with her surgeon to discuss her options ““ which are, generally speaking, a mastectomy, the full removal of the breast, or a lumpectomy, a breast-conserving therapy that aims to remove the cancer and leave the healthy tissue behind ““ she then meets with Halloran or Griffin in the boutique for an initial consultation. Then, after the surgery and after the incisions are healed, she comes back to the boutique for a fitting for a filler or a prosthetic.
Lumpectomy patients often are fitted for silicone fillers to give them more balance if there’s a depression of some kind or a discrepancy in breast size due to the surgery, Halloran said. Mastectomy patients are fitted for a full silicone prosthetic that’s assimilated as closely as possible to the size of their other breast.
“We’re trying to get the same projection off the chest wall so they mirror one another,” she said.
Both filler and prosthetic orders take about 10 to 14 business days to come in once placed and are delivered directly to a patient’s home, although they also can be delivered to the boutique so Halloran or Griffin can answer any questions.
One of the most common questions Halloran hears is if the prosthetic will feel like a natural breast.
“With silicone,” she said, “it truly is amazing how natural it feels.”
Another positive is that maintenance for the fillers and prosthetics is low, Halloran said. The main thing women have to remember is to store the prosthetics nipple side down within a provided cradle. This prevents air pockets from developing within the whipped silicone form.
Also, Halloran said, most insurance plans follow Medicare’s lead in paying for a prosthetic every two years and for six bras every calendar year for breast cancer patients. (But call your insurance company to check on your coverage.)
The bottom line is that Halloran and Griffin want women to understand that there are “tricks of the trade” that can help them feel good about themselves again, that there is life after diagnosis.
“When women come in here, they’re so upset about their disfigurement,” she said. “When they leave, they get a hug and they get hope. It’s one of the most powerful tools we can give them.”
For more information about the Women’s Wellness Boutique, call (859) 301-6200.
