Exchange City
Comments
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Oh Di, I am so sorry. But, lipo hurts, and I ain't going to lie. But, the good news is the pain is gone in about a week, or the worst of it is. Just get the drugs you need to get through it. My experience is the thigh lipo is the most painful. Flanks were no biggy. Sound like you are not having thighs done, so it shouldn't be too bad. Have you had lipo before, and you are redoing it to even things out?
Funny, I was just thinking about you. You were quiet over the holidays. How is everything else looking? Face, etc.
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Goldie, I never ever had lipo.....my first revision was perfect for almost a month...I was. so pleased... they were round and perky foobs, with a "blank slate"(no nips)........something I had not seen in a long long time.....being 66 now....and having DD++ Long that rested on my lap (TMI) PRIOR to cancer...first revision got rid of excess skin/shar pei puppy look, it
was mostly a skin reduction/masteoplexy......swelling went down.....and the darn divots and dents are backi might even post a pic tomorrow....or PM them to you
I read a whole book and watched a entire movie today....2 thing I don't usually do...tired...
my face/neck lift is doing great
....still some sore spots and sometmes feels like a tooth ache...its been 4 weeks since my lower eye life and brow lift....not happy
....I still have chemosis of both eyes and the brows lift did not work....PS is working on a plan of action....he did offer his fees back....but I want it FIXED!!!Di
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I had extensive pocket work at the time of the exchange. No drains even though PS told me I'd have one on each side. I asked why later and he said it was looking like I might not need them so he decided to minimize chances of infection by minimizing incisions. We watched for any fluid build up but saw none in the hospital and I was there 2 1/2 days. Saw the PS in his office 4 days later and still no fluid pockets. Went again 7 days later and still nothing. No drains! A first for me.
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Somehow this topic fell off my favorites list AGAIN. I was last here two weeks ago when I was only a week out from the exchange. Now I'm three weeks and doing better, but this surgery has been the hardest of the three to recover from. I've had more pain this time than the BMX. I suspect three surgeries in three months was just too much for my body and at 65, I can't expect to bounce back like I did at 64.
. Sure didn't expect to have so much trouble because almost all of the rest of you were doing so well. I thought my string of good luck would continue. It did in one respect - no infection. That was my primary worry and I was determined not to go through that again. My PS was great about infection control and made sure people who came into my room washed their hands and put on fresh gloves. I was also lucky not to have a roommate, so that kept the potential for infection down. (The last two surgeries I had terrible roommates with hoards of family members tromping in, touching everything & going in our bathroom.) My PS started me on IV Vancomycin before the exchange surgery to try to block any infection from starting. This time I only stayed on it for two weeks, until he was sure we were past the danger zone.Surgery was on a Friday morning and I was able to get home Sunday afternoon. Wish I could be like some of you and get home the same day. I always have to stay a while because of my history. They always put me on a monitored floor and hook me up to a bunch of machines. Takes 5 minutes to get me unplugged so I can go to the bathroom. This was my shortest hospital stay though so that was a good thing.
I have never in my life had pain that made me shake, but did this time. Thank God that part is over - no shaking, but I'm taking 1,000 mg of Tylenol around the clock, STILL. My surgeon had created pockets for 800 mg saline rounds during the first surgery, the BMX+direct to implants four months ago. We switched to Allergan 410's style FF 740 g because the much higher implant would cover up most of my upper pole divots and save me from having to have fat grafting. Worked like a charm. But he had to re-do the pockets in this surgery and one side in particular felt afterwards like he had hit me HARD with a baseball bat across my lower ribs. Now that pain is 10% of what it was and intermittent. But when it hits, OUCH. I also set my recovery back about a week by doing too much twisting, pulling, and stretching to get off a sports bra. I was trapped! Finally got out of it but tore some internal sutures and had some bleeding and bruises on one side. Muscles are still sore from that too. I'm an idiot.
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Sandra - glad you're feeling so much better and hope the lingering aches and pains clear up soon. Tearing internal sutures sounds PAINFUL! But I can understand getting trapped in the sports bra and wanting to get out......I still sometimes feel that way after a hard workout when the bra is all sweaty. I get it partway off and then it just sticks there and I have to be a contortionist to finish getting it off!
Nissa - so glad the exchange went well for you! Rest and heal and don't overdo things just because you feel good. Remember - 'just because you can doesn't mean you should'! Take care.
Di - you sure do still have a lot going on girl! I hope you can get resolution from your PS with the procedure(s) that didn't work so well. Hang in there sweetie.
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Di, I hope your P'S will have answered for you. Hang in there.
Nissa, I agree with Sweets. Do not do too much. I too feel very good and have to remember I am only 2 weeks out from surgery. Since this is the only time I have felt this way I don't want to ruin it.
Sandra, you really had a bunch of stuff hit. It hits harder when you are not expecting trouble. Someday you will be telling your bra story to get a laugh, but not for a long time. I am so sorry that you had so much pain too. I kept waiting for my pain to hit harder and for the first three days it was pretty much as expected. But no drains so I felt so much better from that! I am glad you are finally feeling better. I hope once you see the real shape that you are pleased.
Much love to all.
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Hey guys
Sounds like everybody is doing fairly well. Di, let that surgeon have it!!!!
Sandra, you will get a little better everyday. Remember, always step into and out of a sports bra....hehehehehe. Even before my bmx I never could get those things over my head. They stretch enough to go down over your hips.
Moon, you sound better everyday.
I go for a second opinion tomorrow. I have had enough.
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okay......here comes some pic....
post face lift
Post brow and eye lift....NOT!!!!
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You are gorgeous!!!!!! Just beautiful!!!! Now, the second pic is after facelift, but when you are healing from browlift?
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You look beautiful in photo #1. (Not so much in the next photo.)
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The following pics will self destruct in about a hour.....
Post BMX (skin sparing ...no expanders)
Post exchange (TE to implants)
Post revision #1 (1 Week post)
Post 6 weeks revision #1 (this pic was taken into mirror)
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Di, the breast pics are small and hard to see, but the first revision looks good, and then the last picture the left breast looks funny, but I can't really see it. Can you make the pics bigger?
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My face lift/neck lift is the first pic about 10 days after.....I am STILL healing and my lumpy neck is getting better (face lift goes from cheeks down....not my entire face....)
The horrible pic is my LOWER eye lift and mini brow lift which was done endoscopic-ly.....rather than a full crown incision from ear to ear....I remember waking during surgery and that said what is wrong...I said OUCH!!!....my head.....they were really tugging the sutures....I had about 4 or 5 sutures which were attached to brow on each side of my head straight above end of brows
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Wow, you look so beautiful. Makes me want a facelift too! And your boobies make me want bigger foobs! My new ones are 470cc and I have no idea what hey look like. Can I pull the coverings and peek?
Thanks all for sweet words and good advice, I will follow. No fat grafting and not entirely sure what it is used for. Did read the tummy lipo hurts like crazy. I am willing to live with some irregularities...doubt my husband will notice LoL. Just want to stay away from medical stuff for awhile. Hugs, Nisa
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Di, you really are beautiful! Hope you continue to heal well and that your PS will fix your brows. Please post after your fat grafting. I'm discussing having it done with my PS, cause I'm not happy with how I look right now.
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Nissa, go for it. Peek away. Just remember they look weird for a couple of weeks.
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I did a little peeking but I'm afraid to pull too much. I see tiny bits of dry blood. It must be my wishful-thinking but they look a bit lower than TEs...could that be the case?
How long will I have to sleep "sitting up"for? Only 2 nights and my back is now feeling it.
Thanks, Nisa
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Hi Nissa, i used a recliner for 3 nights now in my bed with lots of pillows, my back also tired. Hope you feel better soon.
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Nissa,
You don't have to sleep sitting up. As others have said, prop yourself up with pillows. Have pillow of all sizes so you get everything just so. You probably won't be able to sleep on your side for a couple of weeks and it will be longer until you can sleep on your stomach. My recliner goes almost always horizontal, so I've spent many nights there.
Yes, your implants will be smaller than your TE's, won't stick out nearly as far, and they won't be up so far on your chest. Unless you look in a mirror, you shouldn't be able to see much. Are you in a surgical bra from the hospital or do you have bandages? I had thick surgical pads across the incision lines but everything was covered by a surgical bra for the first couple of days.
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Hello Ladies!
I'm headed to the hospital in a couple hours to swap for something squishier. I don't know who is more excited, me or my kids! One in particular really doesn't like to hug the coconuts!
Have a great day all!
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4swewhat good luck, hope all turn out great.
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Thanks! Heading out the door right now!
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hey 444444444....hope all goes PERFECT and you'll be up and about really soon!
Hugs,
Di
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Good luck 4s! Di. You have really been through a lot. I hope you get the results you want finally.
Nissa, I have slept on my recliner for a long time. I couldn't make it up the stairs for a long time without using my arms to help pull me up because of my knees. But like Sandy, my recliner goes horizontal and actually goes negative. That was handy to get my body farther in the right spot to bring up the chair to sitting position so I didn't crush my chest when I slipped down while sleeping.
Much love to all.
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4sew, thinking of you and hoping all went well. Let us know.
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4sewwhat - best of luck......cya on the squishy side!
nisa - I slept only part of one night in my recliner then moved to the sofa. Sleeping in the recliner brought back too many memories of post-BMX misery. I was able to lay on my side with no pillows right from the get-go and on my tummy within a week. Just depends on your situation and comfort level. Do whatever can make you comfortable so you can rest and heal.
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I'm like sweet, I've been braver this time with what I'll try and I've pretty much slept on my side from the beginning. With a very nice stack of soft pillows I might add! Today makes two weeks postop and I think last night I slept more on my stomach than any other way. Every time I rolled over or wiggled I'd wake up because I needed to adjust the pillows to make it comfortable. But it was pretty bittersweet after not being on my stomach for over 5 months!
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Brave stomach sleepers, I salute you. There's no way I could do that yet and I'm 3 weeks out. If I accidentally roll to one side in bed, I wake up right away. Ouch. I have to position my little pillows beside me so I'll stay in one place. Plus I still have surgical glue on my incisions. It's supposed to fall off when I'm completely healed so I guess I think if I roll onto my stomach, my implants will burst the incisions and squirt out!
I think when I have no more pain, I'll be braver. Not yet.0 -
Don't let yourself feel like a wimp Sandra - you had WAAYYYY more work done in the past few months than I have. My exchange was a piece of cake with no residual pain so that's why I was able to side- and stomach-sleep so soon. Your body's been way more violated than mine has!
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Sandra quit expecting too much of yourself! You heal on your own time. I always write down everything I've been through whenever I get down about my slow healing. When you see it all written down in one place, the surgeries, infections, antibiotics, blood transfusions, hospitalizations ,chemo treatments, hormonal tx, and pain, is it any wonder you are taking your own sweet time to heal? That's when I pat myself on my back and am happy just to have made it no matter the timing of the healing. So as a certified member of the Surgery of the Month Club, give yourself a break! LOL♡
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