Exchange City
Comments
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Mommy, my PS first said he wouldn't use fat from my upper abdomen because of two previous surgeries. But he decided to send me for a CT scan with contrast to make sure there was nothing hiding in there (like a hernia.) He did find a small one so he stayed away from that area. I have 6 small holes scattered around my upper belly. He took 900 cc's of fat and then spun it in a centrifuge to separate fat from the epinephrine they inject and any other fluid like blood. Then it is injected into the shallow spots on your chest. I see about six or seven spots of dried blood across my chest. I haven't looked in the mirror yet. Don't have the energy to climb the stairs yet and still feeling a bit "thick brained" from the general anesthesia. If I sit still I don't really feel much of anything but when I move the burning starts. I understand there will be impressive bruising on both the donor area and my chest. I'm taking Tylenol and it works fine. Never needed anything else, even right after the operation. Surgery was 2 hours.
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Sandra, 900cc is a lot! I think I'll be lucky if my PS takes 200.
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They actually took more than 900 cc's but after it's spun in the centrifuge and all the epinephrine they injected plus blood is separated, they ended up with 900 cc of usable fat. Some of it was used on my side, not all on my chest.
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I think you'll definitely see a difference once all the swelling goes down!
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Do they know in advance how much they need to take?0
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Sandra-so glad your surgery went well. Best wishes to you and your hubby. I hope you get good news from his tests. You have a lot on your plate right now.
8 day count down till my exchange with lat flap. I am soooo ready.
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I've read that insurance will only pay for the amount of lipo needed to fill in the low spots on your chest. If more is taken, they say it's cosmetic and won't cover it. So I would imagine the docs know ahead of time how much they will need. I'm just guessing though so I could be totally wrong. We are retired military so we go to a large military hospital and don't have to deal with insurance restrictions. Still, I suspect the doc didn't take more than he needed.
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Sandra---I am glad that you are home and resting and probably feeling wonderful after your shower today! My thoughts are with you for a speedy and uneventful recuperation. My thoughts are also with you and your husband and hope that his test results return only good news. You have been through the wringer--it is time for that to change NOW!
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So I've heard silicone implants only last about 10 or 15 years. Do all of you expect you'll be getting them replaced? Did your PS say anything about that? My PS did say that Kaiser won't cover MRIs to see if they are leaking or not.
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Sandra4611 Holy moly!! You do have a ton on your plate. You and your husband!! I pray for good news for your husband and that your healing continues to go well. Keep on posting!
My exchange is scheduled for Dec. 31, with FG on the right for sure. I am so ready to think about something else for a while. Will let you know how it all goes.
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My pho n e has been wonky. Sorry I've been absent.
Congrats to all you now on the squishie sude! I hope your healing goes well and the results are close to your dreams.
Sandra. I ado glad you are done! And so Sad about your husband. How horrible. When it rains it pours! . Keeping fingers crossed that it's not his bone marrow. Hugs.
I had alloderm at my BMX and my last sx to implantt. It freaking hurts me when the put it I . Feels like a broken bone for about 2 weeks before it feels better. LOL. O well.
Much love to all. If my phone remains stupid, Merry Christmas to all.
Much love
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Juliecc, my PS said my silicone implants (Allergan 410s) should last about 20 years. I think he said I will have an MRI every 3 years, but I'm a little vague about that timeline. I will see him in ten days and will verify.
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Did anyone have lipo/fat grafting and no compression garment? They only put a bra on me. The lipo areas are my flanks plus a little bit from my upper abdomen, and I look like I'm 8 months preggo! Not to mention all the bruising, oh my!I did go out yesterday and buy a camisole and will be putting that on when I take my first shower in a little while. I got one that doesn't compress the breast area because the bra is tight enough. I really could have used an XL bra but they gave me an L.
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Thnks, Janette.
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Straitlover, I had exchange Friday and lift and I only have a bra they put on during the surgery. My fat grafting was all done with fat from like the side or back bra area. I have piles of padding they put in there, looks like giant sanitary pads of diapers or something.
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My PS said that yes, that type of an implant will need to be replaced. He gave a range of 15-20 years for the average user. This is why I went with the new Mentor cohesive- it is not expected that I will need to get these replaced. I am 46 and do not want to go through another surgery unless required. I have read that getting the MRI approved by insurance can be difficult.
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I have read many times on this site that you have to replace implants at ten years, but what the ten years marks is when some implants no longer carry a warranty. If an implant has a leak or rupture during the warranty period (10 years for my Mentors) the company replaces it if it is defective, after 10 years it would be an individual case for each patient and insurance company. This is different from needing to have the implants replaced at that point - they don't necessarily if there are no problems with them.
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Sandra best wishes to you and your husband.
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My reconstruction surgery was Dec. 8th. I had fat grafting with a compression garment, but he told me the garment was optional for the 2nd week post surgery. Now I wish I had kept it on. I have hard bulges on my stomach in two spots. They are painful, and I'm wondering if it is a hernia. I put the compression belt back on as a security comfort. I had a hard time when the surgeon removed the dressings. I don't like the look...
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I remember Whippetmom saying implants don't wear out like tires so there is no reason to get new ones. Like SpecialK said, it has to do with the manufacturer giving a 10 year warranty. If you want a new warranty, you'll have to get new implants. But if you don't care about a warranty, leave them alone.
I had a Velcro compression garment on my abdomen when I woke up Friday afternoon. My PS said there should be no compression on my chest at all so no bra for now and keep the ab garment low. Don't let it ride up. (It does want to do that when you are sitting.) He showed me how tight it should be...snug for sure but not super tight so you can't breathe easily. It feels like I have Spanx on. I have 8 little scattered stitches on my chest where the fat went in and 6 more around my abdomen where they took the fat out. It's now 3 days post op and I don't see a sign of bruising on my chest or abdomen. They abdomen is quite sore, as expected. It's a bit better than yesterday so I suspect in another day or two it will be just mild discomfort. My chest still feels like I got a sunburn and is tender to the touch but doesn't hurt like the donor sites do. I quit taking Tylenol. It's not that bad. Just a few moments of pain when I stand up - but then it fades away as I stand straight. Mostly I'm being a compliant patient by sitting in my recliner. The Exparel is still working great so I feel nothing from the work he did on my side. Hopefully I'll get another day out of that magic stuff and by then the soreness will be going away anyway. I'm sleeping in the recliner. Trying to roll out of a bed sounds like something I would NOT enjoy. My recliner rocks too so I just let it rock me up to standing. So far, so good.
No news on my husband yet. I just pray it isn't myelodysplastic syndrome (bone marrow cancer.)
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Sandra - great to hear you are recovering well. I too hope your husband has something verytemporary and not what you are worried about.
When they do fat grafting on top pole...where do they make the holes for fat going in? Thanks!
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Cancerjourney - you sure had quite a journey. I visited your inspiring blog and wondered how in the world you got so much treatment done in less than a year?! You are one tough girl. I only read a piece here and there and quit because there were parts that were too similar to my experiences in early 2013. A mini-flood of unresolved anxiety re-visited me and I was done with reading, I do want to say you and your kids are beautiful and I wish that 2015 is all that 2014 should have been for you. Hugs, Nisa
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Outtawhack 12/16/2014 (completed)
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Just wondering if it's normal to have small ripples in upper part of breast and a dent at the edge of the implant by armpit. Already had alloderm with my exchange. Not sure if it's something I just have to live with. Also feel a little depressed about my scars. What is the best product to make them fade?
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Yes, implants can last decades. As SpecialK pointed out, the 10-years is more about the warranty (which is only given in limited circumstances from what I understand, the manufacturers will inspect for tool marks, etc). For those having reconstruction, the warranty is less a concern as revisions are covered. For augmentation patients, it can mean being out of pocket thousands of dollars if the warranty lapses and they have a leak due to what would have been a warrantied cause. There is no real need to replace implants unless they NEED replacing.
sandgar, well, rippling istelf is pretty normal. Where it is depends a lot on your own body and where the tissues are thinnest, etc, as well as the implants themselves and how they are positioned on your chest wall. I have some minor rippling on the interior part of both implants, which would be very liveable for me, but I also have a dent on upper outer part of right side and some other contour deformities on that side. There is no alloderm there, my alloderm is only underneath my breasts as "slings". There are ways to reduce the appearance of rippling like fat grafting) but you really need to talk to your PS to determine the cause of the rippling (i.e. is it thin tissues, or size of implant, or positionof implant, etc) and what may help. For some of us, "no rippling" won't happen, especially if you are thinner, but you can certainly reduce the appearance of it.
The best thing for scars is time. Lots of scar healing is genetic (I have fortunate genetics that way). There are lots of "scar remedies" but none are really "proven" to work, though many women report some benefit from silicone tape or other silicone gels. My PS recommended that trying to keep the incisions flat during healing, as well as some light massage once they were closed, might help. I have very, very faint scars everywhere except where my steri-strips came off too early (steri-strips also help keep incision flat) and there it is a little more pink, though I imagine they will fade in time like my other scars based on past experience. I tried silicone tape only for a few days but it was a pain in the butt for me to remove and re-apply 2-3x a day (for shower, for gym, for scuba classes, etc) and then just switched to light massage 1-2x a day with some gentle lotion. Many recommend Vitamin E, but some studies show Vitamin E may actually enhance scars.
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Nissa, here is a photo of my chest with the low spots. They look like bruises but aren't. The worst of it was covered up by tall gummy bear implants. The next photo is 48 hrs after fat grafting,
Each of the 7 entry points in this area has one stitch.
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Sandra - thank you for taking the time to show me in pictures. So nice to see that your spots are tiny. I have 2 divots located along theupper edge of the implants. It's been just over 2 weeks since my implant switch so there may be more divots in a few weeks. I hope your recovery continues fast! Hugs, Nisa
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nisa - I had grafting done to the upper poles above both implants and the entry point for that was in the cleavage, pretty low - almost to where the bra band would be. A small cannula was used and pointed upward and the fat deposited between the top of the implant and the area below the clavicle. I had dermabond on both of those tiny holes and they left no scar.
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I dont think I'll have stitches for my FG entry points. My PS says she uses very fine needles to inject it up top. I hope so because I'm a poor healer when it comes to scarring.
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Have my appointment with ps to discuss fat grafting on January 13. What questions should I ask?! Nervous about it.0
