Exchange City
Comments
-
I met with my PS today, I'm bummed
. He told me that I have to wait 6months after rads for my exchange. He doesn't want to risk infection. I completed rads in May. So, No exchange until November for me. I was hoping to do it in September but he wouldn't budge. I know it's for the best, I'm just ready to get these darn expanders out!!!! Ugh!!!0 -
Lonnie, I know....the waiting is the worst. Just give me the plan and get on with it! I called upon my friends to keep me busy and distracted. My rads was long before my TE exchange, so not an issue for me, but I understand your PS wanting to let the irradiated tissue settle down and recover from the trauma first. I hope the time passes quickly for you. Hang in there, girl!
0 -
Lonnie I know it's not what you wanted to hear but if it prevents having to do it again its worth it.
Di my P'S hit one of those too. He told me as he was wiping me up, " Oh that's gonna leave a bruise!" He was right. I'm glad he told me because i would have been concerned about my whole foob being green! LOL
0 -
Olaf: I figured I'd need to drive the automatic for a while post-exchange. That's what I did after the BMX. The only bad part was that the automatic car is a big minivan, and I had such a hard time turning to look when backing that thing up!
I still have no idea how anyone can handle 100cc!! Maybe I'm a wimp.
0 -
Lonnie - turn that additional two months into a positive - do what you can with lotions, oils, whatever you can to keep that radiated skin as soft, supple and flexible as possible in preparation for exchange
. I didn't have radiation but there are many ladies here who could give you lotion advice.0 -
elizabethaw, I had 100 but I am a plus size lady getting filled to 850. So it's like a 400 TE getting 50 fills. LOL. Don't compare yourself to others that way. Everyone has their own challenges. BTW i am just a C cup, even after all that fill. LOL
0 -
I'm with you Elizabethaw! I had 200cc at surgery and then 5 fills and all were only 25cc and I was uncomfortable for a day or two with that amount. My husband kept asking if I was just going to do 50 or more to get it done faster..I said there was no way I would want to do that to myself. I have a small expander so maybe that does have something to do with it..
0 -
I went got my final full today. Have a 350 but was at 425 and love my size. Tried on bras although I know it's not totally accurate . I was a 34b but now can wear a 34 c which is what I wanted. I have been reason on these forums that implants are usually smaller, my PS said they really aren't but since they are softer they look smaller. So because everyone said to fill an extra 50 when you hit the size you want, although you don't really need to he said, I did. So now I am at 475 and am 5'4" and 130 but usually 120 and small frame. He told me that I was fine that if it made me happy do it but it wasn't necessary and although my skin is extremely tight I did it. He told me itbis okay like having a baby, skin can go back to its original tone but I don't want to harm the skin and what if he chooses a smaller implant will it damage the skin since it was stretched? I left the office feeling sure but now I am doubting it. I have been obsessed with making sure I am bigger than I was but now I feel like I don't want them bigger like they are now but I know being softer they won't be. What sparked this is my husband you'd me that I am huge and I don't want to be huge, only bigger, my husband said I am as big as my friend who is a DD but 5 inches taller but what does he know about boobs. So, how many of you went bigger than you were before and by how much? Do you regret that? If you were used to being smaller was orchard to adjust and did they get in the way of activities?
I guess if he asks me if I want to be conservative or as much as he can I am leaning towards conservative. I was so all over the place with him that I don't think he actually know what I want. lol I just told him make them look good for my frame.
Sorry I am consumed by this just as much as I was when I thought I was the right size. What happens if he under fills by using an implant smaller? Will it look weird or affect my skin or would it just look more natural?
Thanks for your responses. You guys have really been great to talk to here. My PS told me to stay off the internet! Part of me thinks he's right! Lol
0 -
babyo if he uses a smaller implant, he will probably take off a bit more skin in the incision so you won't sag. Take a deep breath. Every P'S says something different but things usually work out. However the projection will NOT be there. That's one big difference. Hugs.
0 -
babyo - what moonflwr said. Level of projection is always the big question with implants. If you exchange to the same cc implant as what's in your TE(s) you WILL lose projection. That's why Whippetmom sometimes recommends exchanging to implants up to 100cc larger than the TEs were when you achieved the projection you like. The implants do not have a rigid back and therefore relax into your ribcage, losing a bit of the projection the TEs achieved because they sat on TOP of the ribs.
If you haven't already done so I would highly recommend you visit the 'Implant Sizing 101' thread. Deborah (Whippetmom) is the implant whisperer and can really help you decide what's right for your frame and expections for desired appearance. Read the header information very thoroughly and then post the information she needs to help her make a recommendation.
0 -
I did send info to whippet mom and she have me some good advise. I have 350 TE that is now filled to 475 cause I took everyone's advice to overfill by 50 when you get to the desired size but wish I hadn't. I don't want him to give me a 600 to keep the same projection and be bigger than I am now. I loved how it looked at 425 so that would have been much easier to work with. My rc is 33 for the most part. The suggestion from whippet mom was to not get another fill or that i didn't need one but to get at least a 500 implant. I wish I would have read about them going over by 100 to keep the projection of the TE as I don't want them to go 100 over 475 but maybe if I reintegrate I liked them at 425 he will only go to 500 or 550. Would this cause the drooping?
0 -
I disagree about projection. With the Allergan's you can mess with projection. My projection matches exactly my expanders. But your PS has to know how much to go up in volume to get that match. Babyo20, If you don't get your exchange soon I think your heads going to explode! Lol! Anndddd that's how I felt too! It's such a relief when it's done but then you'll start obsessing about other things! Now I'm like, did the left one drop to much? Should I get a revision for this that or the other thing? It's so funny! And I love mine and my size! I'm sure that will go away soon! I hope. Hahaha!
0 -
So, Kamm, do you think if I specifically talk to my PS about projection it would help? Does it help to measure around my chest (fullest part) and say I want the implants to match that number? Would that help? I don't want a flat pancakey look!
0 -
Yup! That's what I did. I think I said before, I went in and told him I wanted to be EXACTLY the projection of my expanders and then I gave him the reigns and said go for it and make it happen. He said no problem and he was right. He was able to match it by doing the high profile implant and by increasing the cc's in the implant vs. what I had in the expander. So I'm about 80'ccs bigger in my implant than I was in my expander and yet I'm still the same size. I actually fill out my bra's all the way to the tip which I didn't do with the expander. I didn't do any measuring. Just used the expander and my bra as the guide for him.
0 -
Kamm, glad things worked out for you. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by your PS increasing the cc's in the implant. Perhaps you have a different kind than most of us have. Implants that most of us get are a set cc amount, width, height and projection. You can't decrease or increase the size. Are you in the US? I remember Whippetmom saying something about an implant available in Canada that was put in empty and filled with saline in the OR.
If anyone thinks their implants will stick out as much as a full bulging TE that looks like half a coconut shell stuck on your chest...think again. I appear to have lost a third of the 800 cc TE projection at the exchange to 800 cc implants. You can go on Breast Implant Sizing 101 and at the bottom of the header are links to the manufacturers products. You can see exactly how much your implants will stick out and how wide or tall they will be. I now have the largest kind of Allergan 410 anatomical shaped cohesive gel gummie bear available in the U.S. (Style FF, 740 cc) It sticks out from the chest wall less than 2 1/2 inches! Prior to this I had 800 cc round Allergan Style 20's and they were about the same projection as the gummies. The gummies are much taller however and slope down gradually from the top.
I was fitted by the Wacoal rep during a special event at Nordstroms and can wear a few bra styles if they are stretchy, but I don't fill out 99% of the bras she had me try on. The end is missing. I am a closest to a C cup. As so many others have said, much depends on how your chest is shaped. The TE's have a hard back that prevents the saline from going anywhere but out. Implants are soft silicone usually and kind of "melt" into the shape of your chest so you lose projection. Maybe saline implants are different.
Whippetmom is the expert and she says to get to the size you like, then add 100 cc's to compensate for the projection you will lose in the exchange.
P.S. Want a shock? My first fill was 180 cc's and second was 240 cc's. No pain. Also felt absolutely nothing when drains were removed. We are all different.
0 -
You can add me to the exchange schedule! I'm scheduled for September 17. I really need to get my info to Whippetmom on the sizing thread. I've been trying to get a good picture to post on the picture forum but when I raise my arms with the camera to take a mirror photo, it distorts the shape of everything. Not sure my husband would want to take that photo.
0 -
Just wanted to ask a question for those who may be trying reconstruction for the second time. How long did you wait between surgeries before you tried again. I want to try again in October and at that point it will have been nine months since my last surgery. In 2013 I had 4 surgeries within a 6 month period. My last surery was jan 2014 to have the implants removed due to infections, cellulitus, non skin healing, chemo and I didn't even gave radiation. The chemo took ts toll on my body and I just couldn't fight everything that was thrown at me. Feeling better now and blood counts are good. Just wanted someone elses thoughts??
0 -
Sandra,
I believe kamm meant her PS chose an implant with more cc's compared to her TEs. I.e. He increased the size of the implant he put in compared to the TE fill by 80ccs.
I think the ones you "increase size in" you are thinking of are either Becker implants (which are available in the US), or sizers used in OR to determine what size implant might look best, which are not actually implants and are removed after sizing.
0 -
Divecat is right. That is what I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear!
0 -
Saline implants are still available too. They're are put in empty and the PS fills them after they're 'installed' in the OR. You can have post-surgery tweaks to sizing with saline that you can't do with silicone. I think the majority of us go with silicone implants so that's what most of our posts are about. I remember my PS telling me of the two options and that he prefers the results with silicone over saline (don't remember the reasons). Saline implants have some sort of port which I assume would be similar to the TE fill port for adding (or removing) saline.
0 -
I have the saline implants. I have Mentor 800. They were filled in OR to 850. He told me he would put in 900. The largest saline he could get. But these must have fit my chest better. I am a full C. In most bras. I had enough of my own padding on top my slope is pretty good. He told me he could not put in Saline for me as they weren't large enough for me. Also, because I can't have MRI to check on them, because I have a pacemaker he wouldn't put them in anyway. So I'm stuck with saline. I am lucky they look pretty good! LOL oh I was just a C before too. LOL
0 -
how long was it between your last fill and exchange for you? My last fill was July 28 but when I came in for pre op I got another fill. I am scheduled for exchange August 21 so am wondering if that's the norm. It seems that most wait so the muscles can adjust but I am not sure. Any thoughts? Has there been evidence showing it is best to wait a certain time frame for better results? I do want it done fast for a few reasons but want the best results. I can't question my PS about it but I can maybe postpone it although I would rather not. Can you give me some input on this whippet mom since you know so much? Thanks!
0 -
This is my opinion only and is based on my own experience plus reading this thread for over a year. My PS requires a 3-4 month wait between final fill and exchange. My wait was nearly 4 months, so by the time of my exchange I had lived with the TEs for a full 9 months. I had a bit of swelling after the exchange, it wasn't obvious to the eye but I realized several weeks later that they were a tad smaller (still great, just realized oh, yeah, I guess there WAS some swelling). I never really got any 'drop and fluff'. They still look pretty much like they did a month after the exchange.
I wonder if, when someone has their exchange more quickly, they're the ones who more frequently experience 'drop and fluff'. I mean, my pecs/skin had nearly four full months to continue stretching and relaxing to accommodate the volume of the TEs. If the pecs/skin are still tight from a more recent last fill when exchange happens, maybe that's why it can take 2-3-4 months or more for things to relax and the implants to 'drop' into place and 'fluff' out a bit? Sound logical?
0 -
what is drop and fluff I have been hearing about? Can someone describe it?
0 -
Over time, like 2 to 4 months, I think, the pecs relax and your implants drop a little and project more. They look less hamburger bun looking.
I get my squishies tomorrow
I'm filled to 450cc and will endup with Allergan style 20 somewhere between 450-550cc.
0 -
Thinking about you Julie! So excited for you!
0 -
so that's not a bad thing then If the fluff
. Good luck Julie keep us posted!0 -
Sweetand special you may be onto something - I waited 4 months for my exchange after my last fill and I experienced no drop and fluff either. Hmmm....
0 -
Good luck Juliecc! That's the style I have. Your gonna love them! How much they drop has a lot to do with how high they're placed to begin with. The fluff occurs when the swelling goes down and the tissues relax and that time frame is different for everyone because of the differences in what work the PS is doing to the pocket and the placement.My experience was exactly like sweetandspecials. Very little swelling , but four weeks later noticed there had been a little after it was gone. They did drop the tiniest amount but mostly exactly where they were after the exchange. It depends on so much as to what happens.
0 -
sweetandspecial,
I actually think your theory makes perfect sense. I was a direct to implant so had no pre-stretching done and I experienced a LOT of drop and fluff. This is a good thing as they started out pretty much at my collarbone and in my armpit! As my pectorals loosened and relaxed, they dropped, one a bit faster than other, and at 3 1/2 months out finally seem fully dropped, evened out, and I think are still fluffing a bit week to week. My PS said for me that most of the change is in the first 6 months, but final results aren't really known until a year following!
So I would think if someone had a short period of time between end of fills and exchange, their pectorals might still be in the process of relaxing and not quite there yet, whereas yours may have already done a significant part of their relaxing
0
