Exchange City
Comments
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Catey, I think most us got the same advice...no mammograms needed. Just the thought of having one makes me cringe. What would it do to the implants? Breast surgeon said to come see him every 6 months. He feels around the incision areas and all the lymph nodes. I asked about an MRI or ultrasound but he said they would not be routinely done unless his exam was inconclusive.
Lori, I started off with Allergan Style 20 800 cc rounds. Three and a half months later I switched to Allergan 410 Style FF 740 cc gummy bears. There is very little difference in "feel." 410's are not in the least bit hard or too firm. I switched because they are so much taller and they cover up some very sore and deep divots left over from the BMX.
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Catey--I was also told no mammos, but because I felt a rope-like thick area between my armpit and top of the left implant, the oncologist sent me for a CT scan which revealed the rope-like thick area to be scar tissue on the left but also found an enlarged lymph node on the right (where I had already had 14 lymph nodes removed--WTH!!!). Anyway, this led to an ultrasound and a subsequent core biopsy of the lymph node under ultrasound guidance (talk about worrying about implant puncture) and placement of a biopsy clip. The mammo was only done on the right side to confirm the location of the biopsy clip. Previous to that, my BS told me no more mammos and just breast MRI's unless there was a suspicious finding on a physical exam.
Sandra & Catey--thank you for telling me your experience with your swap from silicone rounds to 410's. When I lay down, my rounds just fall to my sides like my originals, the indents in my chest are extremely noticeable, and my cleavage is at least the width of both of my hands (kind of like the Grand Canyon). New PS is proposing 410's and pocket work to get the implants out of my armpits. I am hoping the 410's will adhere to my chest wall better too because I have a constant pulling sensation like a plunger has been applied to each foob and a plumber is trying to pull the plunger off my chest.
I see the new PS at the beginning of December for a second consult to discuss size/projection/height and schedule revision for February. I currently have Mentor Silicone Moderate Plus Round 500cc's. At my first appointment, the PS suggested revision to Allergan 410 in the 420-475 range, probably full height, but he was not specific about full or moderate projection. I like my current projection (a little more would be acceptable but not necessary) and would like narrower implants which do not rub against my arms (especially my right arm which is mostly numb from ALND making this sensation particularly uncomfortable) when I stand up and don't fall into my armpits when I lay down.
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Hi TwistyKristie,I am six days out for exchange and I have Allergan style 45/800 cc's High profile implants and I love them. Yes, I had to have fat grafting during surgery and may need more if needed at a later time. I will give it a few months to know for sure if I need more or not. As of today things look really good. Also, I am waiting to see if these larger implants will drop and fluff as I hear other implants do. I'm told they will settle after the swelling goes down.
I opted for the Allergan 45's because I wanted a bigger size than what my original breast were. Also, my TE's were filled to 700 cc's and the 45 give the highest projection up to 800 cc's (the max size for silicon implants). Good Luck with your exchange.
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Frostecat, happy for you. Yay!
When I had the lymph node lump, I went for an ultrasound. The tech checked with the radiologist and they decided the could do a mammo on the tissue under my armpit and overhang by my boob. At the time I did not have my implant or TE in.
Whoever asked about the cold feeling, yes!!! After my BMX it drove me crazy. Then I never noticed it again. LOL
Much love
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What does the "fluff" of the "drop and fluff" phrase mean? I've heard that the implants can take several months to drop into place, but I haven't heard of the fluff.
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Just to clarify, I am a UNI so mammograms will continue on my natural side. I have the allergen 410, and it feels a little heavy to me, but then I am also comparing it to a natural (lifted breast) too. The natural breast feels so light to me, especially after having it reduced, where the implant feels like it is just a big weight sitting there. I'm sure if you have implants on both sides, the feel would be more symmetrical and not as noticeable.
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Hey Goldie8469! thanks for your update about fat grafting. I'm planning to have some done in February, and it's so useful to hear about your experience. When you talk about fluid oozing--that must be from the donor site, right? Some people seem to experience a lot of soreness at the donor site, but some don't. I wonder what the difference is.
May your fat stay where you want it!
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The drop is the implant settling into the pocket. The fluff is the implant kinda spreading out a bit wider and forming a more natural slope rather than the fried egg or hamburger look.
Much love
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Going in for exchange tomorrow morning.
Nervous, but wanting to get it done, and hoping all goes smoothly! PS said I may need alloderm, maybe fat grafting, - not sure if he means now or later on?
I had infection after bmx, i sure hope that i can avoid it this time!!
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good luck another. Mine went very smoothly. What is fat grafting? Anyone?
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aNYC, good luck. The alloderm is most likely for tomorrow. Fat grafting could be at a later time or tomorrow. .depends on what he sees when he puts the implants in. The alloderm will go in because it helps hold the weight if the implants and requires a larger incision. The fat grafting just requires multiple sticks to gather and distribute the fat.
Lord did that help?
Much love.
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Lori, it sounds to me as if your pockets are too big. The implants shouldn't move that far to the side. It's imperative that the PS do some revisions to the pockets to make them exactly the same width of the 410's. Otherwise, the 410's will tend to migrate or even rotate. With rounds, the pockets don't have to be precise. If a round implant rotates, it's still round. If a shaped implant moves, it can go so far as to turn completely upside down!
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anotherNYCG, Best wishes for a smooth exchange surgery tomorrow! I just had mine on Friday. Surgery was at 7:30 a.m. and I was discharged before noon.
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my implant is very heavy also Frostecat... also a UNI,,, my implant has ripples if I bend over forward or lay down, I plan on going back to bartending and I am not happy about the ripples as they will be noticeable.. what . if anything can be done about that? I have Allergen 25/800 style 45.. (I think),, I know I have 800ccs...lol... healing hugz to all.... J
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Hi Ladies--
Haven't been here in a while. I saw my PS yesterday on the premise that I would get another fill in preparation for the new style of implants that became available this month. These are supposed to allow me to go a bit larger than originally planned. I was very excited about this prospect since I've been pretty flat-chested for most of my adult life. But the PS told me that she hadn't yet used these new implants and didn't want to use them on me until she knew how good they were. I like her thinking. But then she went on to explain to me why she had some doubts; the combination of how the volume is distributed, how thin my skin is (because even after I shrunk from a "D" cup to a small "B", my skin didn't entirely shrink with it), and the fact that I'm thin with a long but narrow rib cage. She showed me 3 different implants--none of which looked right to either one of us. The narrow ones would look really saggy, but the wider ones simply won't fit. She told me that I should be prepared for some disappointment because my implants won't look perfect no matter what. Well, I know I shouldn't expect "perfection", but I have to admit, I probably have been having some unrealistic fantasies. With the expanders in, I have these great porn-star looking boobs right now. I had read that the implants will look smaller, even with the same volume, but when she showed me the implant that fits my specs, it looks waaaaay smaller. Just how low should I set my expectations?
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Iwanna.... sorry about your letdown hun:((,, I have 800cc and as far as I know those are the biggest implants they have,, was wondering about the "new" ones they came out with..... Do u know anything else about them? what are the called? is there a website that tells this new implant? I also loved my TE boobs,,and my implant in reality is very heavy and sags and has ripples, so I dont know that much about them,, you might wanna direct your question to whippetmom,, she is an expert in that field.. healing hugz...J
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Yes, your implants will be a good deal smaller than your TE's. People that are not prepared for this are shocked after the exchange, especially when the TE and the implant have the same number of cc's. In my opinion, the implant is at least 1/3rd smaller. I had Direct to Implants, 800 cc rounds, but lost one early and had to go through the TE phase on one side only. The TE side was the same size as the implant side by the time there was about 500 cc's in it. By the time I got to 680 cc's, I was bursting and had to wear padding on top of the implant to even come close to looking the same in clothes.
Why? The TE has a hard back, meant to push all the saline OUT to press on the skin and muscle. The implant has a soft back that conforms to the shape of your chest and kind of falls back IN to the spaces between your ribs and other "valleys" of your frame.
It's not something that's common knowledge, but chests are differently shaped. Some are like birds.. they poke OUT in front and are narrow. Others have a heart shape and sink IN between the breasts. Some are flat and wide. Some flat and narrow. Some have a lot of padding, others are very boney. When you put an implant onto a chest that sticks out in the middle but falls back on the sides, the implants are going to look one way if they are small and entirely different if they are big. Some people have long torsos, others don't have much room between the breasts and the waist. Obviously implants are going to look different on each of us, even if they are the same size.
At the exchange, implants are flat like the top of a hamburger bun and can even have "edges" (which WILL smooth out...don't panic even if one is shaped differently than the other.) In a few weeks they'll start to assume a shape more like a breast. I've had both rounds and shaped implants, and they BOTH looked flat and weird in the early weeks so you can't blame it on the kind of implant you have.
Doctors should NOT tell you to stop fills when you get to the size you like. You will not look the same!
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Sandra:,, thanks for the info above,, ?... I had my exchange in May with mudflaps removed in Oct. my implant still looks like a hamburger bun and is dropping, it has ripples also...how does that fat grafting work? I am thinking mine are where they are going to be for now on??? thanks hun...
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Well I go tomorrow early for my final (hopefully) exchange/surgery. Am pretty good with it- 2 differences this time- the pre surgery nurse told me in the phone call they have started people using Hibiclens before the surgeries. One shower with it tonight and one in the morning. Got some on Amazon, and will use it tonight then in the morning. Sounds pretty simple. Clean towel, clean pajamas, etc.
I also have been calling to try to get TIVA instead of throat tube anasthesia. Total IV Anas. Like what you get for a colonoscopy only you are completely out. Possibly have to have a throat tube for breathing but not necessarily. It is supposed to drastically cut the difficulty, length of time, and nauseau possibiity than normal anasth. I started calling the hospital, referred to docs anasth. group, referred back to hospital, 6 calls in all. Finally the scheduling nurse claimed to have an anesthesiologist standing next to her, she asked him (her?) who said its no problem, bring it up that day. That they all do it. From what Ive read its alot more expensive so thats why hospitals dont normally use it. So Im going to speak to them tomorrow during pre op, and hope for the best. Will let you know!
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My PS wants to wait 3 months after last TE fill then switch to permenants. This seems like a long time. I did NOT have rads or chemo. I had a skin sparing BMX with no complications. Will be at 600ccs each at 4 weeks from BMX (next week).
What are others experiences?
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6 weeks from last fill to exchange.
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6 weeks here too....J
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Hi Jeaniebeanie, I've got ripples too. I'm about 2.5 months from exchange. As the implants settle, the ripples are more noticeable. My PS suggested I wait about 6 months and do some fat grafting to fix them. There's a thread on fat grafting. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/823278?page=3#idx_66
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6 weeks for me, too. That was the absolute minimum my PS would allow (her standard is 6-8 weeks). But I want to get it done and still have enough recovery time before flying home for Christmas.
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10 weeks after last fill for me!
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By the time my exchange surgery comes around in a few weeks it will be 8 weeks since my last fill.
I do have a question for anyone that has already done the exchange. If you had fat grafting done, what sort of compression garment did you wear and for how long? Does anyone have any opinions on the best place to pull the fat from? Tummy or thighs? What was the recovery time like for the exchange and fat grafting?
Thanks!
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Elizabethshaw..... I am already 6 months out from exchange and my PS said I will always have ripples because it is an implant,,, I think I will discuss with him the fat grafting and I will be more that happy to let him take it off my tummy,,,lol...and yes, the more it settles the more ripples it has,,,,,,,,healing hugz to all........J
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I have 800 round saline Mentor filled to 850. They are one of the largest availabke. What Sandra said is true. You will NOT project anywhere near to the projection of the TEs. People who get augmentation have muscle and breast tissue BEHIND the implant. That's why they can be so large. We don't have that. We have bones with a bit of muscle. Big difference. We have to fill in the empty places in our chests with the fluud in the implants so not as much can push out the front. See what Whippetmom will recommend and do speak with your PS about real outcomes.
Much love.
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Elizabethaw, It was lots of oozing from the donor site. It lasted about 24 hours. I used lots of bedpads. Soaked. The following day, I was finished with the pain meds. I wasn't that sore. I had a LOT removed at my waist. I have bruising but it healed. I did get off of tamoxifen a few days before - when I had my exchange. I have some swelling but that is normal. I will posts pics in the picture forum in a few days.
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I am not sure why it posted in that font. Sorry.
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