Regaining Balance After a Mastectomy

For weeks after my bi-lateral mastectomy, I sometimes lost my balance when getting out of bed or standing up from a sitting position. I was still getting used to not having anything weighing me down in front now that my breasts were gone.

I’d opted not to have reconstruction and needed to wait almost two months before my surgeon felt I could be fitted for my prostheses and the bras that held them securely in place.

I chalked up my loss of balance to still being weak after surgery. It wasn’t until I went for my first fitting for my prostheses that I learned what was causing me to lose my balance on a fairly frequent basis.

When I met with the certified mastectomy fitter, she mentioned the importance of wearing a prosthesis (es) following a mastectomy or bi-lateral mastectomy.

As she put it, being fitted with a breast prosthesis that matches in size to the remaining breast, the weight equilibrium of the body is kept in balance. In my case, having had a bilateral mastectomy, being fitted with two identical weighted prostheses was necessary to restore and maintain body balance.

The fitting of weighted breast prosthesis is not only for aesthetic appearances, it is for balance. It is a therapeutic measure that replaces the weight of the lost breast(s).

A woman’s body is essentially symmetrical; imbalance occurs when breast or breasts are removed. When the body is not properly aligned, back, shoulder and neck discomfort may result.

Wearing weighted silicone prosthesis(es) restores the body’s natural balance. Not wearing a breast prosthesis(es) or wearing one(s) that too heavy or light can result in the following:

• Spinal curvature

• Shoulder drop

• Muscle contracture, with accompanying discomfort (neck or back pain).

• Balance problems

So, fitted with my prostheses and wearing them daily, my balance problems are a thing of the past.  I have had no difficulties with neck, back or shoulder pain.

It took a week or so to get used to carrying the weighted prostheses after eight weeks of going without breasts, real or otherwise. These days, I often forget that I am wearing prostheses. I am so used to the weight and the feel of them.

Each year my insurance covers the cost of additional bras and prostheses. Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance companies cover, at least in part, if not entirely the annual or bi-annual purchase of new prosthesis(es).