Exchange City
Comments
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Moon - I so happy for you. It has to feel fantastic to be able to plan things without first thinking about your BC!
I had my post op appointment with my PS this morning. The new foobs look great! I can see where the fat grafting will help, but it's really fine tuning. I'm cleared for regular activity now, and no bandages! I'll probably be able to go back to my taekwondo classes in another week, which makes me truly happy.
The revision surgery for fat grafting/nipple recon will be in July sometime, assuming I continue to heal well, but I don't see the PS for 5 more weeks - yay!
TGIF ladies! Enjoy your weekend!
Diane.
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Sweet Lisa Jayne--look into Graston massage therapy for your plantar fasciitis! My husband had plantar fasciitis and Graston has worked wonders for him.
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I just wanted to report about the pea-sized bump I had on one of my BMX scars on the side of my right foob about one and one-half inches from the cleavage area. My PS wanted to remove it an biopsy it because he said recurrence is commonly seen in the scar but that it may be nothing and may even be a leftover stitch trying to come out. I had the surgery in his surgical suite under a local last Wednesday and met with the PS yesterday for a checkup and results. It turned out to be a benign ruptured keratin cyst THANK GOODNESS! The area is healing well and he gave me no restrictions other than no swimming for two weeks in order to avoid infection. The PS explained to me that when the mastectomy was done, they strip the skin of epithelial cells at the incision and then fold that skin under to suture the breast mound closed. If some stray epithelials are left, sometimes, the body will see it as a foreign body and form a protective layer around it (a cyst in my case).
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Lisa Jayne,
Do you also have bone spurs?........I had both the Plantar Faciitis and bone spurs.....felt like the bone spurs were going to erupt through the BOTTOM of my feet (heels)....the surgical removal of the spurs and release of the plantar facia has cured me....it has been 22 + years ago......
my feet have grown also from a 7.5 or 8 to now a 9.....like skis on my 5'1" frame....better big feet than growing bones in the wrong places!
Hope the exercises work for you plantar faciitis. I sympathize with you.
Di
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Lori - yay for benign biopsy results. Our bodies do some crazy things to protect themselves.
Foob deflate update - it's definitely flatter today, but not completely empty. Hope some of it will hang on until Monday!
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DTKD----when did you have your exchange surgery? I'm at 3 weeks. I saw PS at 2 weeks, and he said I could 'graduate' from lifting a half gallon of milk to a gallon, could put my arms above my head "carefully", no jerky movements, etc. I am actually doing OK with those things. I am walking regularly...trying to get some uphills in there so I can make it somewhat cardio intense. OK, not 'somewhat'...I am OUT OF SHAPE! It IS cardio when I am walking hills! I don't see him again until 5 weeks, but I do remember initially that he said I would need to wear an underwire 24/7, and some other things about the first 4 weeks that I don't remember. So, I am wondering about restrictions after 4 weeks. I guess I can just keep doing what I'm doing for an extra week.
I have a question for those of you with exchange surgeries behind you....when I 'feel' lightly around the new foobs, the top is relatively soft/squishy. The bottom (of both sides) feels much fuller/hard/tough. I can still push it in, but it is VERY different than the top. I haven't heard anybody else mention this. I thought maybe it was lymphedema, but it seems exactly the same on each side (not just on the lymphedema side). I can't actually 'see' it when I look in the mirror. My PS said there was swelling at the bottom when I saw him a week ago....I don't really see what he is talking about, but maybe this hard tissue feeling is what he is talking about? I don't know. Has anybody else felt this?
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Hi mnmbeck: I had my exchange on 4/11, so I"m 1 week out, but I didn't have any pocket work and no fat grafting. My PS is doing a revision with fat grafting in July/Aug along with my nipple reconstruction.
From what I can tell, recovery varies a great deal for every person and instructions seem to be different depending upon the PS as well. I had a tough time following BMX, with a very large hematoma on the BC side that had to be opened and irrigated, but he exchange has been easy...so far anyway.
I don't see my PS for 5 more weeks either, but if you are unclear about the instructions, you should just call the office and get them to repeat them. This is what they are there for. I have called several times with questions that I forgot to ask at my appointment and they are very good about getting me an answer.
Finally, I just want to say that I've been reading this thread for several weeks now, and everyone says that swelling is normal and to expect change for MONTHS following exchange. I'm sure this is why our PS's don't want to see us for another 5 weeks....because our foobs will change. Obviously, if the swelling gets worse, call you PS or BS and have it checked out, but I would think that it's a good sign that the swelling or firmness is the same on both sides.
Hope this helps,
Diane.
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Lori, great news that the biopsy was benign.
McKatherine, the leaking TE is an annoying detour. My surgeon was wondering if my leftie had a slow leak because it looks smaller than rightie besides the same volumes. Think rightie is just sitting a lot higher. I think leftie is smaller so will see if surgeon will pump it up more at next expansion.
Moon. Great news about the TKR. Might be able to skip up those stairs soon!
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Lori - great news on the biopsy! And thanks for the Graston massage info - I'll check it out.
Di - no bone spurs to my knowledge although I haven't had any x-rays to rule it out. PCP seem quite certain it was 'just' plantar fasciitis based on the symptoms and time frame of onset. I have in-laws that have bone spur problems though so I know it's no picnic. I always wonder if its from their exposure in the 70s to milk contaminated with PBB (remember that?). They got their milk from an uncle during that time and the uncle's herd ended up being put down because of PBB.
Hang in there McKatherine!
mnmbeck - I just felt myself up on both sides to check the softness of my girls from top to bottom, side to side and generally all over. It's a good thing I'm not in a public place right now....lol! Someone asks a question about the boobs and up comes the shirt and I've got my hands all over myself
! I'm over 8 months out from exchange and what I find is that they feel the most soft all around the perimeter but pressing right in the middle they feel a little firmer. I haven't kept a journal or anything but I think I would be surprised if I could feel my implants at 3 week post-exchange side by side with the 8 month post-exchange version. They really have changed a lot, not so much in shape, size or placement but level of softness. You're pecs could easily still be a little tense and tight in areas as well which could affect the level of firmness or softness you're feeling in different areas.Dtkd - you've done well Grasshopper. (hopefully there are some out there who remember the old TV show 'Kung Fu'???). It sounds like you've really learned from all you've been reading about here that patience is the name of the game after exchange. I don't think any of us can help being somewhat hyper-focused on the new girls for a while after exchange and there are situations where a serious level of disappointment is justified, even immediately after exchange. After I went back to work, though, (2 weeks) life was just too busy to spend time being overly analytic every time I looked in the mirror or anything. Responding to some of these posts and doing the math I'm suddenly realizing 'Holy crap......I'm 8 months post-exchange!'. So, for anyone worried that they're a little too big, or too small, or lopsided, or square, or flat........you really do have to give it time. If, after everything is completely settled in, there are still issues, your PS should be willing to tweak and fine-tune the look. Yet another surgery isn't the funnest thing to look forward to, but I look at my next procedure as just one step closer to a masterpiece in the area of artwork that we call plastic surgery
Sorry all - I do get a little long-winded sometimes!
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hi az,
My implants are anatomical silicone, but they feel like I still have the expanders in I am very disappointed at this point. I pray that they change some, I'm only couple day out from surgery, but they feel awful.
I see my PS this comingThursday I can't wait to here his perspective. He's good surgeon.
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McKatherine & Previvor101 - there must be something going around! When the PA did my fill of 60cc last Wednesday, my left (cancer) TE filled nicely and sat high. The right one is lower and appears not as full. They were pretty equal when I had arrived (180 cc in each). I have wondered if the scar tissue is compressing the left one and that is what is the difference. I go in for a fill on Wednesday so we will see what the PA thinks. Keeping my fingers crossed for me and for both of you.
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HOPPY SPRING EVERYONE!
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Awwww that is so cute.
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Previvor: ASK ME!!! My hands are working in tandem now and I need the distraction! I don't want people to feel they cannot come to me! So PM me with whatever is going on - TE data included!
Deborah
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Good to hear from you Deborah!
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thanks Deborah,
I have all the details on a little piece of paper and have been carrying it around in my handbag for weeks. I will write tomorrow when I am at work on the implant sizing forum.
Thank you for being there for everyone!
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thanks Deborah,
I have all the details on a little piece of paper and have been carrying it around in my handbag for weeks. I will write tomorrow when I am at work on the implant sizing forum.
Thank you for being there for everyone!
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Hi, my exchange last week seemed to go well, but it looks like the implant breast is smaller than the reduction/lift side. Did anyone experience this? Will it even out? I am going tomorrow to have the bandages removed and check healing (I can't wait to get this rubbery tape off!!!), and I just hope I don't freak out when I see them......ugh!
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scrappygirl: mine looked the same way...it's been about a week and a half now and PS says it takes a while yet. So don't expect too much. He did clean a lot of the glue off which helps. I've been worried about about this huge "seam" and he says it will flatten. Just tell them to clean off the glue cause if you don't they probably won't. I also told my PS to look in the mirror with me so I could show him where I was concerned. When no one has set your expectations it's hard to know what to expect! Good luck...
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Scrappy and lost, STEP AWAY FROM THE MIRROR. At least when you are not at the PS. It can take months for the foobs to settle. Swelling will go down. If you have saline or silicone rounds they "fluff and drop". But the scars are less red and they are not so obvious and when the swelling goes down then you get a better idea of the final outcome. So please just wait a bit. If you need tweaking (NOT Twerking!!!) LOL it can be done later.
Sandra and her DH and I met up near Chicago! We had a great visit. I wish we had more time but it was fun. I truly enjoyed meeting them. Oh. And our first words WERE'NT I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours! LOL. Although I might, just might, admit to doing a comparison study....... LOL
Much love.
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Moon - Now I'm betting there was at least some 'show and tell' during that visit, right?
So glad you got together!0 -
you'd lose. There was a Comparison study......that's my story and I'm sticking with it! LOL
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That's great the 2 of you met up!
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Bink182 - Good luck tomorrow! We'll all be in your pocket!
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I'm dealing with a lot of fear about doing another surgery. My recovery from the BMX/TEs was much harder than I expected (although I didn't expect it to be easy!). My surgery was done outpatient and I was sent home only 3ish hours after coming out of surgery! I kept blacking out trying to walk from my car into my house--took me 30 minutes to do so. My pain was never controlled well, I never could seem to get ahead of it and I needed painkillers round the clock for nearly 4 weeks. I couldn't even get to the bathroom on my own, my husband or mom had to help me walk there, help me sit and then help me stand back up and walk back to the bedroom--for a week. (I have no feelings of modesty anymore, ha!) I felt like such a wimp and I'm so scared that my exchange surgery will be that bad
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What a wonderful photo!!!! Love those smiles
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kcat. Take a deep breath. Most exchanges are easy. Almost everyone says it's the easiest one. Mine was. No drains. Not much pain. Few restrictions. But all of course vary by person and PS! Talk to 50 people here and get almost 50 different stories. But by far people will agree that exchange is the best one. I had 7 sx. It was my shortest recovery time.
Much love.
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Great Pic Moon and Sandra! It's so great that you were able to meet!
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kcat - I'm with Moon. Some folks do have bad a experience with the exchange surgery and a few of them will likely chime in here, but the majority have a much better experience than the mastectomy/TE placement surgery. After my BMX/TE placement I also needed pain meds round the clock for over four weeks. I finally got a switch to Gabapentin (Neurontin) for nerve pain and that took care of it and I never looked back. The TEs were an annoyance but I did not hyper-focus on them. I had minor pocket work with my exchange and two drains for three days but really felt fine and did not need any pain meds, even ibuprofen, after leaving the hospital. There's an old adage that says 'Plan for the worst but expect the best'. I think that's a good one to apply here. Don't be scared - this is a surgery to look forward to! Getting rid of the rocks and trading them in for squishies.....YAY!!!! One more leg of the bc journey will be behind you
.Moon and Sandra - beautiful photo! You both look great!
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Hi ladies,
I just scheduled my exchange surgery for June 2. Like many, I have mixed emotions that change by the minute. At first I was like, "yes, I got a date to enter the squishy side (I actually said that to my DH and he was like the what?!?!)" but then as I sat in the car coming home I was like, "ugh another surgery"! Will I heal quickly? Will I like the outcome? Etc etc etc. it's so hard. I was trying to wrap my head around the idea of going back for more surgery and the PA was like so when we do the nipple procedure..... I was like one step at a time! Let me get through this first. But yes, one step closer to being done!!!!
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