Topic: Looking for advice on implants

There is a discussion on Longetivity of saline implants going on right now in the breast reconstruction section that you might like to read.

Mine (saline) don't feel heavy.I sleep on my stomach,used to go to gym a lot but just walk for excercise now. They DO feel different of course but I am happy with the result. I have very little feeling in mine.

Good luck

jezza

ps

as for numbness....yes my foobs are numb.  Some women get some feeling back.

I dont have any tingling either.  I am only about 2 months out of my exchange surg......and I am doing well

wish you all the best

j

Thanks Ladies,

So just to clarify. Am I going to be able to forget they are there or will I always have an awareness of them? I dont know why this is so important to me. My husband and I love the beach and I would like to be able to still wear a bikini so I think Im worried about feeling self conscious.

JustTurnedForty. Im interested to read that you had incisions under your breast. In the pictures Ive seen the incision goes right through the middle across the nipple. When I saw the plastic surgeon, he talked about tattooing the nipples which makes me think he can not save them but I will ask at our next meeting. Can you tell me more about "skin saving"?

Chilidog

I too love the beach, and I love my bikini too.  You can see some of my scars when I ware a bikini.  I figure one day I will over hear some ignorent soul saying "gee I am glad I didnt get her ps".  I am getting used to the difference in my body and I try HARD not to dwell on it.  I am 37 and still look good in a bikini......someone will always look better,yet, someone will always look worse:<}.

My husband has rose colored glasses that see me as beautiful:<}

j

I have heard the skin sparing mastectomy gives fantastic results. Unfortunately they are not suitable for everybody.

I have had my implants since 1992. I guess my breasts feel a little "tighter". As if I have a bra on even when I haven't. I sometimes have to reach up and feel whether I have one on or not cos I often go without! (One of the benefits.)

Another benefit is....like you Ruby...I went a little larger of course...why not!!!

jezza

jezza

All this positive advice has made me re examine my fear of a bilat mx. My first surgeon had recommended it along with my oncologist but I have been resistant and have been pushing to have the option of a lumpectomy with rads to save my breasts. I had an independent surgeons opinion who agreed that it was a reasonable request but I know given my age that the greatest possibility of moving on from this permanently is to have the mx.

Jeeza - just read the saline/silicone discussion. Wow, thats a hot topic !!! 

The part thats impressing me a little is that you all seem pretty happy with your decision and thats what I want. To go into these surgeries knowing I made the right choice.......bigger boobs, albeit Foobs, sounds like a pretty good consolation prize too.

Still hoping to hear from someone with "fipples" or tats but thanks again ladies. Ill be following the rest of these discussions with anticipation.

Chili, I went for the bilat mast with implants. I went to the PS and told him that I just wanted something that matched. Prior to my bilat, because of previous biopsies for ADH, I had an a-cup and a c-cup. I am now a happy B-cup with 580cc saline implants. Like Ruby, I came out of the surgery June 1, 2007 with some saline in my expanders (200cc) so I woke up with 'breastlets'. My PS had said that he would try to put in 100cc but had more room and doubled that amount. I had the 'fipples' done in December (I got my nipples for Christmas) and the tattoos done in Feb and touched up in April. I am happy with my decsion. The 'fipples' are just big enough to notice when I go braless in a t-shirt, however I went a little dark on the tattoos to allow for fading and the color does show through when I wear light colored t-shirts. My hubby is a trucker and when he comes home he huggs me to feel my back and see if I am wearing a bra just by looking he cannot tell. I usually go braless on the weekends and after work.

Sheila

I had a skinsparing mast. w/immed. reconstruction - not expander, the PS used Alloderm. Not sure how he managed this - I went slightly smaller on one breast but the other stayead the same size (I was a little uneven before).   I have silicone implants, not sure what kind.  Now I'm in the middle of nipple reconstruction.

I'm very happy with the results.  My breasts feel very slightly heavier than before, but I don't notice it at all.  I did regain a good amount of sensation in both breasts.  There was some occasional tingling feelings the first few months but it went away.

My incision is over the breast, but my understanding is that it's possible to do it under the breast.  Few surgeons do it, I don't know why.  I have to say that after 18 months, the scar is almost un-noticable though.

Also, few surgeons do the immediate implant w/Alloderm (skipping the expanders), even my surgeon has mostly stopped as he wasn't happy with the results - lots of infections, etc.  So I was one of the lucky ones.  He was more willing to do it with me as I'm in good shape (not overweight, never smoke, exercise) with good circulation.

Re the bilateral part - do you need to make that decision now? - do both breasts have cancer or only one breast?  I had a unilateral mastectomy at first; I knew I might want a bilateral but wasn't ready to make that decision at the time.  Over a year later, after treatment was completed and after thinking about it for a year, I had the second mastectomy.  My advice is that if you're not ready to make the decision, don't be pushed into it.  Yes it could mean another surgery, but I was very surprised how relatively easy the surgery was compared to others I've had in the past.  The second was even "easier" (I mean this all relatively) as I knew what to expect.  And recovery from a bilateral seems like it's a fair bit harder than recovery from a uni, so in the end I think it more or less evens out.

Hope this helps.  Feel free to PM me if you like.

Kerry 

I have dcis in one breast and dcis and adh in the other so double trouble. I was diagnosed March 5th so I really want to set a date for surgery and Im actually waiting for my surgeon to call as I write. I asked my gut this morning what I should do and it replied mx so thanks to this discussion Ive come to a place of acceptance. Phewwwww!

One question I forgot to ask was how long you guys took off to recover from surgery? I have a business and if I don't work I don't get paid so I need to know how many weeks Im potentially looking at.

Ivtwoqlt - Glad to hear you were pleased with you nipple recon.Would you mind telling how your nipples were made. I heard that the skin was taken from the inside of the labia(sp?) Tell me that isnt true!

Lilith - your comment made me laugh. I forget that there are women out there who actually have too much boob. As a 34A I find that difficult to imagine but its cool that we will probably end around the same size.

Someone mentioned in a different thread that rippling is often a result of using textured implants over smooth. Has anyone had this problem?

Chili, I had a fipple created using the C-V flap method.  It is made from an incision on your foob that looks like <C>, except the C is turned sideways.  The Vs are then wrapped around the C to fashion the fipple.  My PS wanted to graft but I said NO so fast, I'm not even sure WHERE the graft was coming from....LOL.  I had the areola tattooed about 3 months later.  The nips really are the icing on the cake.  I REALLY didn't care about getting one but decided to go ahead because I had a natural side to match.  IF I had had bilats, I don't think I would have done nips BUT I do think I would have missed out on 'the look' because they REALLY make it look like a BREAST.  I am still wowed by mine when I catch a glimse in the mirror.  Best wishes

Hi chilidog --

I too was not a candidate for TRAM flap, though it was the surgery of choice for my p.s. I did bilateral with tissue expanders and eventually saline implants.

My implants are small, 330cc, giving me a B cup (I was an A before). At first I felt they were too noticeable, and I was aware of them often. If I went out into the cold my muscles constricted and my chest felt tight. But I found that wearing a snug supportive bra helped.

I had cancer in the left breast, and I think they take more nerves on that side. So my left foob is quite a bit thinner skinned and more numb than my right. I can still feel the pressure of the implant against my chest wall. But the outer skin is kind of numb-ish. But the right side has more sensation and a more natural look. I lost my nipples in the mast so of course that element is gone.

That said, I'm 3 years out and I rarely think about my implants. I put on a bra in the morning, get dressed, and go about my way. You may find you're self-conscious about your foobs at first. But after some time passes, I'm betting you'll be as able to disregard yours as much as I.

Chili

I had skin taken from the continuation of my caesarean scar for my nipple recon.....can't see it at all now. So I guess this is a common thing..if you have another scar they can just take a little from the same place??

Shelia..good idea to go darker on the tatts as they do fade. Also the nipples shrink incredibly...anyone mention that yet? You have to remember I'm 16 years out but while the nipple was huge at first..it is now small. I have my original nipple on my prophylactic side.

jezza

Hi chilidog,

I had a left mastectomy last April because of invasive ductal carcinoma that involved my nipple and areola.  My breast surgeon (who is great -- I love her) said that in my case a lumpectomy would be "the worst of both worlds" because the whole point of going through radiation and a somewhat higher risk of recurrence with lumpectomy would be to have a cosmetically acceptable breast -- which wouldn't have been possible for me, since it was nipple and areola that had to be removed.

So, I had left mastectomy with immediate placement of tissue expander (TE) in April 07.  Exchange surgery to replace TE with silicon implant on December 27.  Creation of nipple yesterday (!) by C-V flap method described by RubyTuesday.  So, I can't yet report on what the "fipple" looks like -- but I'm very happy with the silicon implant.  I have a lot of sensation in the skin of my left breast -- I guess I'm somewhat unusual in that regard, but not unique.

The tissue expander felt fake, hard and uncomfortable -- but with my silicon implant, I'm really starting to feel like it's "me."  I am aware of my left breast, and it doesn't feel strange to me.

Wishing you the best,

Ann