Exchange City
Comments
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Well Di, I am sorry for you, because you lost what you wanted. I hope a lose some, but not all.
Moon, you are higher than a kite...LOL. You sound happy though.
Sandra, I hear that the round silicone's can take on a new shape for months after they finally settle in. Too bad you can't do one of those time lapse videos...that would be fun.0 -
Di, one more question,...where do they harvest the fat from for your grafting.0 -
Congrats Moon!!! Happy Healing
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moon - higher than a kite for sure! thanks though for taking the time to let us know how it went. Rest and heal, girlfriend, and check in again soon.
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Moon - you sure are higher than a kite. I understood only about half of your post. You need Vanna so you can buy a vowel. LOL!! Glad you are home!!!0 -
Goldie, I'm 5 days out from my exchange and had fat grafting too. Also I have too much on upper pole at the moment. My PS said about half takes and I'll lose about half. Right now I have cleavage all the way up my collarbone! I had liposuction from my abdomen, so I'm bruised, sore and trussed up with compression wraps all the way from my pelvic bone to my collarbone. And I also had to have 2 drain tubes! Sheesh, this has been almost as bad as my BMX. A lot of pain and discomfort. Tears, too. Should be happy but I'm afraid I'll be too big and bulgy. It's hard to see how this will turn out.0 -
Alaris - oh no, this isn't very encouraging! My exchange is Jan 16 and was hoping it would be way easier than the BMX. And drains??? Man, if I have those again I'm gonna cry!!!! Hope all settles down for you. Please keep us posted.0 -
cjc, I had no drains for my exchange. I think it has to do with how much pocket work you need. Now, I did have some pocket work to bring the foobs closer together, and I had some work under one armpit to reduce some excess fat, and skin, but no drains. Also, quite a bit of bruising from the fat grafting. The donor sites, which were inner thigh and flanks area were extremely sore. I didn't think I would get over it, but I did. No pain meds for a couple of days now.0 -
Goldie, I'm sure you are right. The exchange can be tough if there is a lot of pocket work. This has been by far the most intense pain I've had in all three surgeries although it is mostly limited to the bottom rib area on one side. It IS getting better and I know not to expect much since I'm only one week out, but I seem to have less tolerance for pain with this surgery than the others.
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So happy for you, Moon!0 -
Goldie, haven't had fat grafting yet...that my New Years Eve date with my PS
Yes, I HAD PERFECT foobs for almost 4 weeks post revision #1......but when the swelling went down....I was sad......
I already grieved the loss of my breast post BMX for a month......as my PS did not put expanders in at the time of BMX......but a month later.
My PS will be taking the fat off my "flanks"......makes me feel like a side of beef! I ask for him to point it out my flanks, below my hip bones on the sides....he said he won't take much.....don't want my size 4P jeans falling down around my ankles. (had a crude tummy tuck 12 years ago, by my bariatric surgeon a year after I lost 129 lbs.....I had a massive amount of excess skin removed so I have a flat tummy...no belly fat)
Moon,congrats that your surgery is over.....looked like you were a bit "looped" last night.....each day will get better than the last.....gentle hugs to you!
Di0 -
Di, I thought flanks were are above hip bones, but right below waist (the area that causes muffing top), and everybody can afford to lose a little there, at least I could. Not much , but some. Yeah, if my PS took some from below that are I would be dropping my low cut jeans too...lol.0 -
Moon....happy healing! I am smiling and giggling at your post! Enjoy the post op mediction! We can't wait to hear about how things are going!
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moon, wonderful news! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's been a long journey for you! Great new photo, BTW! Keep up with the pain meds0 -
Goldie,
I also thought flanks were above the hip bone too....so I googled it and it said below the ribs and above the hip bones..."muffin top".....I do have some fat in that area but he said the skin would just sag there....(I am old...and skin does that....DAMN!)
Maybe PS decided in a different place for me, on the outside of legs just below the joint.....I ask for fat from my upper arms or inner thighs to be used and he said it could ends up rather lumpy bumpy not a desired place to take it from....he is on the faculty at the University School of Medicine....besides having his practice.
I have been his teaching tool several times, which I don't mind. The chief of residents was with assistant for my face lift and I ran into her on Friday in the hallway of PS's office and she gave me a hug and said let me see you....and she examined my face and declared I LOOKED GOOD......she is a beautiful young woman and when she has her own practice those patients will be very very lucky!
Di0 -
For those who had fat grafting, did you have to buy a compression garment? If so, what kind?0 -
My exchange is tomorrow and I'm more nervous than the first time. It's like, this is it what you get is what you get. Have to be there at 11:30.0 -
Jtapp9 - Prayers for a successful, easy surgery tomorrow. Are you having fat grafting? Anxious to hear how things go!0 -
Julie, best of luck, this is a breeze! Is it being done out-patient? I think part of the anxiety (at least for me) was first surgery was absolutely necessary, get this BC out of me to save my life. I knew what recovery was like after that so I saw both of the other surgeries as a repeat of the first. But the exchange really is a piece of cake compared to mx/TE placement. A lot of the time is taken by PS determining which size is best for you (it's usual for PS to take more than one size to surgery). That's why you need to make sure PS knows your desires and preferences before surgery (my PS and I reviewed my written list while she was marking me up). They're saying you'll be home tomorrow night? Remember to take your pain for the first 24 hours. Can't wait to hear how easy it was when you check in again post surgery.0 -
Hey Andrea!!
My PS had me buy one....he said go cheap, don't get anything expensive...go to walmart and get a spanx like compression....one I bought is like a pull on 2 ply panty girdle, and the other is like a tube....can use it like a high waist cincher or hip cincher....both in boxes by Hanes around $12 each
New years. eve for my fat grafting...and ....3 surgery in 6 weeks
NO CHEMO for me .....so I get Chemosis with my lower eye lift.
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Julie, good luck tomorrow.......it is a real pleasure to get rid of expanders.......squishy 4 U TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!0 -
I am excited to hear from all of you what a relief it is to get rid of these expanders and I am truly looking forward to that. What I'm not seeing a lot of are comments about how painful fat grafting from abdomen is or isn't? That is my biggest fear waking up that I'll be feeling great on top, but will hardly be able to move around from the stomach soreness. Any recent fat grafting ladies out there???0 -
Di2012 - I notice in your stats no chemo and also no hormone therapy? Chemo was not advised for me due to oncotype score of 12, but doc did recommend hormone therapy. I opted out of it because I had already had a total hysterectomy and was diagnosed with BC after taking estrogen for almost 2 years AFTER my hysterectomy. I am no longer taking it so figure my estrogen level has prob dropped significantly now (and by the return of horrible hot flashes I'd say so). Just curious about your story for opting out of HT.0 -
Congrats to everyone who is out of surgery and good luck to those coming up!
I am now two weeks out from surgery and feeling pretty good. Actually good enough to start a new job tomorrow. I do still find it's more comfortable to sleep in the recliner, but that's because I'm a side sleeper and the outside of my thighs is still sore from the fat grafting when I lay on it. Other than that I don't notice it.
I'm popping back with a recommendation for compression garments for those who have fat grafting on their thighs. I went through a lot of them that didn't work so hope to save someone the same thing. What finally did work for me is Spanx Skinny Britches capris item number 38-843953162810. It goes all the way from belly to mid-shin. They're comfortable enough to wear for several days running but provide enough compression to work. Pricey, so if you can find the same thing in other brands I say go for it.
What did not work were the power panties that came to mid-thigh. They stopped midway through the fat grafting area and ended up cutting off circulation because of it. Not good. However I wore those into surgery and am glad I did because my surgeon cut out the crotch and I'm glad it was those cheaper ones that got cut up. It was nice to have a crotchless compression garment at first though because I put my underwear on outside them and then didn't have to pull the compression on and off to go to the bathroom while I was still sore up top.
Also the Spanx leggings didn't work. They didn't provide enough compression.
In case that helps...0 -
I have been just using spanx for compression, and only because it feels better with some support. My doc told me I could stop compression after a week. A lot of people believe compression make the lipo smoother, but all it does is keep the swelling down. At least, that is what my doc said. I also read that somewhere. I believe my swelling is just about gone, but I am still a bit sore on the inner thigh part, and the flank area, but that doesn't jiggle as much when you move.
Di, I am glad your face looks great!!!!! Heck, it better look great after everything you have been through. I give you a lot of credit. I am just freaked out about looking at my new implants everyday and watching them change. I can't imagine watching my face take a new form too. Bravo!!! You are brave.
Julie, you will do great tomorrow. It is nothing like your mx. You will be able to move your arms, and the pain is nothing like the first surgery. Also, the only anxiety you have now is how will the implants look, not how bad is my cancer!!!! This is a piece of cake. You will see. Keep us posted.0 -
Thank you everyone
. I really appreciate the encouragement! I'm not having fat grafting done. There will be some lifting and minor pocket work on the left and a large chunk of scar tissue removed from the right. Yes t is outpatient so I should be home tomorrow evening. I've already got my antibiotic and hydro prescriptions filled and ready. Ok, time to get excited for squishies!! As soon as I'm able I'll check in.0 -
Julie, please get some sleep!0 -
Cheryl,I can't remember/or don't have an oncotype score....after a long discussion with my breast surgeon, I chose not to
. keep my breast in order avoid chemo, radiation, and hormonal therapy. my tumor was between.9 and 1 cm which was found by mammogram 1 year and day from my previous mammogram.
I had a hysterectomy and ovaries removed when I was 47....I did take estrogen/progesterone....after a few years change to estrogen patch and continued until I was diagnosed...although I did decrease the mg amount over the years.....now l am 66 and still have hot flashes.....
I even had a hot flash during my face lift....i was under with Iv sedation, and began kicking the blanket off....Jeff, the nurse anesthetist, lighten sedation and ask what was wrong.....I said HOT!!!!.......my PS said after surgery, we do believe you had a hot flash during surgery.
In Oct I saw an oncologist due to an anemia, which is not an iron defiency......i will have a bone marrow biopsy & bone/marrow aspiration in Jan.....to see what is going on....he mentioned MDS.....scared the heck out of me.....he did talk to me about hormonal therapy too He said my cancer was "aggressive" since it grew so quickly. Everything is up in the air for now.
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Jtapp - Everything will go great with your exchange, you'll see. And don't worry about 'what you get is what you get'. It is very, very common to have some sort of revision surgery after the exchange to fine tune things. Consider me, for instance. Even though I'm very, very happy with the size, shape, placement, symmetry and cleavage with my implants, I'll be having a mud-flapectomy to remove some bi-lateral tissue 'overage' that spoils the look enough to bother me. I told my PS many months ago that I want to be his finest masterpiece.
There are lots of ladies here who have had revision surgery to fix a whole host of issues that can keep you from being totally satisfied with the exchange alone. It's definitely not a 'one and done' surgery if you don't want it to be. Hang in there, you'll do fine today.
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cjc1961 - just had grafting done 5wks ago. It was rough for a few weeks. Lots of bruising and swelling in the harvest area but all tolerable. I expected it to b easier than it was but now its a distant memory!
Jtapp9 - hope all went well & u have a quick road to full recovery!0
