Monday, January 29, 2018

How could this possibly happen?


This past week at the Boutique I have seen the most extreme example of rank stupidity when it comes to post breast surgery prosthesis fitting and apparell.

This is the first email that came to me...

Hello, can I please make an appointment to be fitted for a right prosthesis and mastectomy bras please? 

I have had a dreadful experience with another supplier and have a stick on prosthesis that I think is too big, it is uncomfortable and the bras are uncomfortable too, digging into the flesh under my arm on the surgery side.  I wasn’t fitted properly, just had a prosthesis and bras  thrown at me and given no choice in style, shape etc.  After I got home $650 poorer I read that you are not meant to wear stick on prosthesis until 6 months post surgery. My surgery was 24 October. 

Ideally I just want a traditional prosthesis (I can’t be bothered with one I have to scrub every night - I am a busy working parent) that matches my other breast and bras that I can stand wearing for an 8 hour work day,  and possibly swimmers and a swim form. 

I would be looking at possibly late this week (thursday or Friday) if you have anything or the week of the 23rd January. 

Many thanks for your help

Ms B


So from this email a very distressed lady came in and very tearfully asked if I could help her.

Once we were in the fitting room, she removed her top and showed me....

This lady was of small frame and had her breast removed due to cancer.  She went to another retailer (whom we shall not name) and was fitted in a bra several sizes too big for her. The "expert" then supplied her with a breast form to suit the bra. And of course it was too big for her body and much bigger than her remaining breast. So the "answer" was to supply her with a SECOND partial prosthesis to "pad out" her remaining breast, so that the bra now fitted.

If you're old enough to remember the Carry On films, then you will remember Barbara Windsor who was small with a large bust.

This lady looked liked her and cried as she told me she hated lugging all of this weight around and looking out of proportion.

I fitted her in a single prosthesis of the correct size and a bra of the correct size.. she now cried tears of joy and hugged me over and over as she now looked and felt like her old self.

How on earth could a supposedly qualified prosthesis fitter do this to this poor lady?

It's not good enough and the lady suffered for weeks as a consequence.

As I said.. we have never seen this before..  just an awful experience for a woman coming to terms with breast surgery.

We see women every week who have been poorly fitted.. and we get them sorted much to their relief.

But this takes the cake..

Cheers

Debra

STOP PRESS

And today this email came to us.....

Good afternoon Debra,

I just wanted to thank you for looking after me so well on Tuesday. I wish I had just come to you in the first place! I wore my new prosthetic and bra all day after I left your store and it was comfortable all day long. When I finally took it off that night, my husband could not believe the difference in weight and size compared to the one I was originally sold.
I wore my new singlet top with the prosthetic on Thursday and got nothing but compliments. I will be so much more confident going back to work in a few weeks looking like myself!
I have recommended you to my sister and have let my breast care nurse know of my experience. I will definitely be back to purchase more bras and a swim top later on.
Thank you again for your kindness, understanding and obvious expertise!

Kind regards

Ms B.