Exchange City
Comments
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I got the silicone strips and found a really good deal on drugstore.com if you subscribe to an auto re-order. I am absolutely TERRIBLE about remembering to use them, but even so one of my lumpectomy scars has broken up and is fading really nicely! Thanks for reminding me. I am going to redouble my efforts to use them daily now that I am pretty much done with expansions.
And thank you all on your responses to the style 45s. I am just going to go with it. He is a great surgeon. Everything is going to be okay.
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I use scar away stripes....then I cut them.....when I had fat grafting I had 5 little squares on my chest....the scars faded quickly.
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My tablet goes wonky, and starts typng backwards so I will try again.....I tried Bio oil...loved it.....1/2 of the little bottle was used so I bought the big bottle online.....before it arrived I had an allergic reaction to the bio oil,,,,,if any one would like a large bottle of bio oil FOR FREE....I will send it to you.....when you get it please just cover my postage.....just PM me please
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thanks for all the suggestions! I'll get back to my health food store this week and get something.
My PS didn't even mention the silicone sheets - I wonder if it was because I always react to band aids and tape? Did anyone have a problem with the adhesive on the silicone strips, or not react to it despite having problems with other adhesives?
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McKatherine,
I am not sure about the silicone strips, but the silicone tape (Mepitac) I use is known for being very gentle...they even use it on preemies/those with fragile skin and such, and I know it is often recommended to those who otherwise react to adhesives. I often react to adhesives (and many other things...fair redhead) with blisters, red and itchy skin, etc. I react even to paper tape (i.e. Micropore) after much use (which is supposed to be ideal for prolonged use and is supposed to be gentle). No reaction to the silicone tape.
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McKatherine,
I react to SOME bandaids and must use paper tape, but I did not react to the silicone Scar Away strips. I also used Kelocoat gel without issue.
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There used to be a thread on those with sensitivity to adhesives. I looked but can't find it now.
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Sandra - Do you mean this one? https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topic...
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Thanks Sandra & AZ. That is the thread. A bunch of us try to keep that thread active but we can sure use new ideas. I can only use Hypafix or Medipore so I usually take my own "tape" with me to the docs. The hospitals usually have one or the other. MD Anderson uses Medipore. I can't even use paper tape for more than 30 minutes. Also it helps to have a "skin protectant" barrier (moist wipe) before taping. My infusion center uses Applicare and my hospital uses Cavillon.
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That's the one! I had read through the thread a couple of months ago and wrote down some ideas since tape doesn't like me. Now I have to research the kinds of "barriers" that can get painted on before adhesive tape. I really suffered at the last surgery with my PICC line dressing. (I get a PICC the day before every surgery.) For some reason, my skin went crazy around the edges and blistered.
I only had it for 10 days once I got out of the hospital, which is much shorter than the other times, but OMG. The PICC team did put some kind of barrier on my skin each time they changed the sterile dressing and they moved the rectangular dressing to another place on my upper arm in order to give my skin a rest. BUT after nearly two weeks it was a mess. That night it felt like a match was being held against my skin. It took forever to heal and I still have scars in a rectangle shape two months later.
Since I have surgery #5 in June, I want to figure out how to avoid the same thing happening.
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McKatherine - I react badly to adhesives on EKG pads, bandaids, tape, etc. but the Scar Away strips and Kelocoat gel don't seem to bother my skin.
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thanks, everyone!
Off to amazon to order some silicone tape.
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I had hoped to have my final surgery next month but my PS let me know that he was moving me to September. Most of his patients are active duty soldiers who were burned in the war. Unfortunately there are too many of them coming back with devastating burns right now and they will require all his time for the next couple of months. These brave soldiers need many surgeries - often more than 20 in their first year or two. So the breast cancer reconstruction patients of my PS will wait, as we should. We can wait, they can't.
The next surgery (#5) was supposed to be the last. The PS is going to finish the repairs to my left side and do some fat grafting. I'm thinking of asking about changing to a different kind of implant and I doubt if he will do it in the same surgery as what we already have planned. The left side, which was damaged so much after the BMX by a serious hospital-acquired gram-positive staph infection, is not adapting to the gummy bear anatomical. The right side has always been happy with whatever was put in, and the gummy bear works fine there. The left side, however, keeps migrating (sometimes up, sometimes down) and rippling. The PS tried to fix it in my March surgery #4 by adjusting the pocket (again) and putting in another line of sutures, but the rippling is starting again and I can feel more migration, this time up and over. The top is leaning a bit towards the sternum and it feels weird & uncomfortable. I'm going to ask the PS to change back to rounds. We changed to gummies in December because they were so much taller and covered some of the painful divots on my chest. It seemed to work fine at first, but the left side won't cooperate.
The PS said we could do a Lat Flap, but I think if this next surgery doesn't work, I'm going to ask to go flat. This has been one hell of a year and I'm tired of it all.
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Sandra hugs.
Yes waiting may be the right thing and the patriotic thing to do but it sucks. You can say that here! LOL. Tell lefty to knock it off! Settle down. LOL maybe it'll listen. You can hope. I hope your hospital will pay for the problems you're having since you got the infection there.
Tina and McKay heroine tape sensitivity is the oits. I still have a rectangular scar from my PICC line in 2012. The last time they used a barrier cream and it worked better but I was still itching.
Much love to all.
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Hi ladies. What can I expect at the pre-op appt for the exchange?
Thanks!!!
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All my PS did at my apt before surgery was to look at my TE's and take a picture and remind me briefly about what would happen in surgery (pocket work - sizer info - etc...). I also had to sign the consent forms about my implants. I think the whole appointment took less than 20 minutes.
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Hello. I am a month out of the exchange as of today and am hoping that at some point I will feel normal without a bra or camisole with a bra built in 24 hours per day. I guess I just remember reading that people always said they went around bra-less a lot and had very little sensation in their chest area but that doesn't seem to be the case with me (so far at least). Oh well! The main thing is that I am healthy and alive
No need to focus on minor things!0 -
Hipz, My PS hasn't even discussed what size, projection, etc. All I know it's a mentor gel....but what projection....and how do we choose that?
She knows I would like to be a full C. Gotta trust in her!
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During my Pre op for exchange I got prescription for pain med and anti biotic, discussed procedure a bit, use same incision but only part of it, no showers 48 hours, may use glue instead of steri strips, they're taking 3 implants in to try out... They'll sit me up and see what looks best. I asked if they can take pictures in or she said sure bring a camera!! She didn't go into detail about size, just that because I'm filled to 650cc they'll being in 600, 650 and 700 and she's using silicon gel Allergan
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Going into surgery with no idea what to expect is a recipe for disappointment afterwards. You can't tell a PS that you want to be a certain size because that really doesn't mean anything. There are so many variables. If you haven't been to the thread called Breast Implant Sizing 101, run don't walk over there. Whippetmom will need the exact kind of TE's you have (call your doctor's office if they didn't give you a manufacturers card), your height, weight, and measurement around your chest just below the TE's. You can PM her or put the info on the thread as a regular post. Be sure to tell her how soon your surgery is coming up. She is a bona fide expert in implants and can tell you if you what the best implant is for you, depending on what you hope the end product to be.
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I agree, have some idea of what you want and grill the ps on what they think or plan to use, and why. Good idea to get prescripts then, so can fill before surgery. Ask about drains, incisions, showering, pocket work, fat grafting/lipo, recovery time...
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Thanks all for responding. I have mentor expanders. We are going for the 700 or 750's Mentor silicone gel implants. She only uses high projection for expander surgeries.
I will still go to implant sizing, per everyone's suggestion. As far as fat grafting, she says she really won't know until we get there.
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Just for fun, one of our ladies on the TE Beginners board, suggested something. Take a flashlight and shine it through your implants or TEs..... LOL. So find a dark room and have a laugh......
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Hello everyone! This is my first post! I am so interested to read about everyone's CCs number.
I was a small 34 A before surgery 3/14. I am afraid to end up too big or too different than I was. Not sure .... right now I am at 250cc and feel huge like two balloons sticking out on my chest. I live in Spain and my PS doctor only offered me the Allergan tear-drop silicon implants and he showed me a chart with my weight and height and chest measurement and then he brought out 3 'foob' (fake +boob) samples. The biggest one felt so heavy in my hands it was scary. I am a sorta thinner woman. I chose the 295cc one because it felt ok in my hands. I super appreciated reading how overfilling was common for thinner women as that is what my PS said he was going to do, so that it looked better, not so tight. I believe I made a good decision (and my boyfriend liked it, agreed too), but the PS couldn't talk cup size at all and so I wonder if with 295cc I will look 'less than before'?
I hope not.... these balloons expanders on my chest make me feel a quite big already.
Thanks for any input feedback ... my transfer is probably going to be in Sept or Oct. 2014
BRCA1+, 52 yrs old, oopherectomy (both ovaries removed) done at age 46 so immediate menopause after surgery and now advanced osteopenia and some osteoporosis.
Dx: Carcinoma Ductal Infiltrate 1cm, Nottingham 8/9, clean margins, however 3mm mestátasis found in sentinal node
. IIA or IIB they don't talk stages in Spain. Current chemo is the cocktail of Genoxal, Fluoracilo, Epirrubicina (the Spanish names of the drugs) weekly TAXOL x8 start 6/25; and then radiation. Also have breast expanders in place and currently getting filled. 0 -
Lindypen,
I'm having hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy In July 1. I had BMx in January. My cancer was ER/pr positive. I see you had hysterectomy also, we're you ER/pr positive ? We're the doctors concerned about putting you into surgical menopause? Did they have you take estrogen? I'm meeting w MO in June to discuss this. My gyno wants me to take estrogen but because my cancer was ER positive I'm reluctant/defiant lol. Just wondered how you handled it
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my new girls are 3 weeks old and i know i need to stop looking but they are just so flat! has anyone had fat grafting to add projection to implants? I have 800 mentor high profile implants on a 41" ribcage....i am not obese just big boned
i could stand to lose 15lbs in my belly...0 -
My PS used sizers so I had no clue what I would end up with (except the brand and type he was using). I am super pleased with my results so far though
I had a lot of faith in my PS so that helped. I did tell him the info that whippetmom suggested but it was a different brand than he uses and due to my radiation on one side he used sizers. He was really funny before my surgery. He told me that he has a ton of implants in the OR for me all ready to go! 0 -
Does anyone only feel comfortable in a bra after their exchange? I am a month out now and eat, sleep, and breath in one. I am hoping that this is because I am still healing on the inside. I am surprised about the amount of sensation I have left to be honest. It is a good surprise though!
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It takes at least a month or three before the new ones are dropping into their natural area of your chest, and getting to a shape they will be. Thats a minimum amount of time. Its horrible the first few weeks- because they dont look like you thought- but try to be patient! In a few months they will be different, and then start talking to PS about how you feel...
I just went from 410s about 400cc, to Allergan 15 rounds, 286cc. They are a little squishier than the gummies. Not alot. But a bit. Its only been a week for me, so I know to wait and see, but so far am happy with the swap out.
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hipz,
I was a direct to implant so my PS used sizers in the OR too and had the nurses give their input as well. I had talked to whippetmom before about what she thought, but on discussion with my PS that would have left me a bit larger than I wanted to be. I was a 32DD before surgery and wanted to be at least a bit smaller, at least as much as NSM would allow. Also, as I was doing direct to implant he also had to consider of course what he was left with after the BS finished the mastectomy and use a size that would not add undue stress to the skin.
He brought in a few sizes of implants based on my pre-op measurements and what we discussed about my size goals. He ended up using the largest size he brought in - 435cc Allergan high profiles and the nurses thought that looked best too. I think I might end up at about a 32D or so which I am happy with, I would not have wanted any smaller OR bigger than I appear right now. Things are still settling but I am very pleased with the size.
Regarding bras...I always wore bras before surgery as a 32DD (night and day!) for comfort, and still do. My implants are still settling into place, and while they don't really feel any heavier than my native breasts, I do like a little bit of compression to keep down swelling and support to support the healing process and the implants, as well as to add protection from chafing clothing, etc. It just feels more comfortable for me. The only ones that are comfortable to me right now though are either my post-op bras (Marena B2) or my Genie bras. I basically wear the Marena's now at the gym as I can adjust them to be more supportive, and the Genies the rest of the time (with the modesty inserts during day, without them overnight). My implants have dropped a lot but are still fluffing out so stretchy bras are great for me as they change a lot in the course of a week. Also, my incisions run the course of my IMF's so I need bras that hit below the incisions which both those bras do.
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