“Do I need the glove too, or just the sleeve?” It is the question women ask most once a sleeve has been recommended, and the answer is usually both. A lymphedema compression sleeve and a hand piece are worn together as a system, and which one you need depends on where the swelling sits. A

A breast form that shifts, rides up, or rubs is usually not a defective form. It is usually the bra. First, check the band, the strip of fabric around your ribcage that holds everything in place. It should sit level with the floor and feel snug. If it rides up toward your shoulder blades, or

Every silicone breast form is built to match the weight of the breast it replaces. That weight keeps it sitting naturally under clothing and both sides of you balanced. It also hangs off one shoulder all day, which is why lighter forms exist for the hours when silicone is more than you want: August, a

The bag you carry through the hospital door should be small. For a one- or two-night stay: a button-front top, loose elastic-waist pants, slip-on shoes, photo ID and insurance card, a long phone charger, dry shampoo, lip balm, extra safety pins, and a small pillow for the ride home. Everything else on the forty-item lists

The words certified mastectomy fitter usually arrive on a prescription or a discharge sheet, with no explanation attached. A certified mastectomy fitter is a trained health professional who fits external breast prostheses (breast forms worn outside the body) and post-surgical bras. She has completed a pre-certification course, at least 120 supervised hours with patients, and

Almost every woman swells after breast surgery, and that swelling is not lymphedema. It shows up soon and settles. Lymphedema arrives much later and does not resolve. Lymphedema is swelling caused by lymph fluid collecting in the tissue between skin and muscle, when the lymphatic system — the network of vessels and nodes that drains

If your health plan covers mastectomy and you elect reconstruction, federal law requires it to cover breast prostheses too. The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act has set that floor since 1998. It does not set the detail: your share of the cost, replacement intervals, and whether a pocketed bra is included come from your

Most gifts that go unused were chosen carefully. They just did not fit, arrived in the wrong week, or were bought for the diagnosis instead of for the person. Patients are specific about which ones went in a closet, and why. The Gifts That Get Put Away Were Bought for the Diagnosis Skip anything scented,