Exchange City
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Mommy at home
I had 2 sessions of FG. I didn't have stitches. The PS used fine needles to inject the fat. At the donor site for the fat, they used small cannulas and again no stitches and no scarring.
Ask what kind of anesthesia they are giving you- I didn't have general so the recoup was easy.
Ask if you'll need to wear a compression garment-and, if so for how long (I wore mine for 8 weeks.)
If you have more definite ufo that you'd like to know you can PM me.
Babs
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Thanks babs! Kind of feel like I'm playing with fire having another surgery. I'm healing ok- now and don't want to push it but then again I have a divot on the side of my breast from the lumpectomy that was done nov 2013. Don't think it's going to get any better and now after my exchange which was done June 2014 I have well, some concaving at the top of the implant. My ps said its because they took so much tissue I'm pretty much down to the bone. I'd like that to look better but I'm nervous it'll look worse or my stomach will look crazy. Lol thanks for your response! What type of fat grafting did you have done? Did they put fat through a machine? I think that's what my ps uses.... Again clueless at this point!0
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Hi all
. My reconstruction surgery was yesterday (at USC keck hospital)I had my exchange on my mx side to 800cc allergan silicon implant. It feels good so far only some soreness where she did lipo on the side. It feels good to get rid of that grapefruit and get a squishy in there. On my other healthy breast side I had a lift and a 300cc implant put in and a little lipo. It is quite sore, nothing horrible . I do have a drain on lift side(oh joy!) and a semi tight bra with gauze over incisions. Mentally I feel more like a whole person again...I am not lopsided!!!! There is light at the end of tunnel , I feel blessed0 -
It's been a week today since I crossed over to the squishy side, Woohoo! A little sore but feeling good. This was way easier then the BMX! At my post op my PS said he wanted me to come back in two weeks and he was going to do some massage on the new girls. He said he would be able to minipulate/adjust them by doing the massage. Has anyone else had this done?
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I had the FG to help the elasticity and the skin integrity on my radiated side and also to add some upper pole fullness. The first time, they took the fat from my stomach & thighs. The second time from my back and flanks. Yes, it went through the machine first so they could filter out the stem cells for the injections. My donor areas look perfectly normal. The upside to FG is getting rid of fat in areas it shouldn't have been! I was very limited in the donor areas because I'm thin and had had lipo in the past. If I could have, I would have loved to have had my entire breast on the left built just with my fat but that wasn't an option for me so I also had to do an implant-although a very small one!
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Merry Christmas everyone!
Specialk - I like the idea of tiny holes in hidden places but will gladly also take the ones that Sandra got. They look really small and I heal ok. I hope FG is done with local anesthetia.
Congratulations to those who crossed to the squishy side, enjoy!
Hugs, Nisa
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nisa - I have had FG for two different reasons - initially for filling large divots above my implants, then later for the same reason as babs - to condition the skin after the loss of the left implant. Both of these were handled as surgeries - under anesthetic, not a local.
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Nisa had anesthesia but not general so it was an easier recoup. I think doing it under local would probably be too painful.
Babs
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NisaVilla, Thank you so much for your kind words, and well wishes for 2015! I found that writing about my experiences, as raw as they sometimes were, was very therapeutic. It certainly was a year that put things into perspective for me. I may have been a bit too impulsive in trying to push to get it all done in a year, but I want to get on with living! I hope that you are healing well from your latest surgery. Here's to all the best in 2015
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. To those on the squishie side, Congrats. To everyone who's waiting, I hope fills go well. Much Love
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Nissa, I had general anesthesia (propofol and TIVA) even though the PS did tumescent lipo which injects a local anesthetic and epinephrine. The whole surgery was several hours, which surprised me. Didn't think it would take that long. My PS also did work on my left side, transplanting lots of fat and I have a new scar that wraps onto my back where he took off an overgrown mudflap. I could never shave my underarm because of all the deep "troughs" and abundance of scars from muscle repair surgeries. I couldn't maneuver a razor into those low areas. Now all those areas have been filled in. My underarm looks normal for the first time in 15 months. Thank you Dr. Chan. The tiny single stitches on my chest are dissolving and I don't see any intact sutures on my abdomen either. Still not bruising on my abdomen but my chest is "blooming" much more than this morning.
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Sandra, I am happy you are doing well. I have my pre op for fat grafting on January 15th. She tokd me before it would be general anesthesia and that I would be under for probably one and a half hours. I am supposed to wear soanx for 2 weeks after. I'm choosing my outer thighs. She is ok with that.
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Three day count down-getting really excited
So ready for this......0 -
vette, you're almost there!!!
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Well, I have not been on here for awhile. Just want to report after seven surgeries I will have my eighth surgery on January 29th. I had my final fill today yipeeeee! I am glad to report that everything has gone well this second go around with the fills. So ready to go on the squishy side for a second time. I hope everything works this time and no infections. I am sooooo ready to put this journey behind me after a year and half dealing with all of this. All of you have been wonderful and have a wealth of info to share. I wish you all the best!
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Hey all,
Just a quick question. I am 3 weeks out from my exchange and still have my drains. Output is a couple days around 30 or so, then jumps up to 100 or so for a few days. I am scheduled to go back to work in 1 week, but I am beginning to doubt that is going to happen. Any experience on the board with something like this? I am not doing anything to aggravate the drain situation- sit in a recliner by day, sleep at night. No lifting, cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. Any suggestions on how long (on average) until this drain issue stops? It is also starting to have an odor... is that indicative of an infection or just that I have had them for a few weeks?
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Happy, odor is not a good sign. Also the output jumping so high is odd when you aren't raising your activity level. If I were you, I'd talk to your doctor tomorrow just to be safe. Something could be brewing since you've had them 3 weeks already. If you don't get seen tomorrow, monitor the situation by looking for any skin color changes and check your temperature frequently. Good luck. Hopefully the doc will take them out and your body will absorb the excess fluid. That happens often.
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Hi ladies. I'm sort of new. I had my exchange Dec 4. I'm 5 7 about 175 pounds. I wanted smaller breasts so I asked for c cup. Got high profile silicone gel implants. I had a huge dent on left side before exchange. Doc did a lot of work during expander exchange but small dent is still there. He thinks it will fill out. I don't. It's been 4 weeks. He took fat out on both sides to back so I have incision on each side all the way across breast to back. On both sides at end there is a dog ear. He thinks all this will go away also. The problem is I don't see him again until the end of January...the day he is constructing nipples in his office. If I still have dent and dog ears at that time can he fix that once nipples are done? Can revisions or things be fixed after that? Can dog ears and dents be fixed in office?
I am a little disappointed in my size....My fault....I asked for this size. They don't project and I look flat chested. They are spread apart much like my precancerous breasts...and they don't fill out a c cup bra. He says nipples will help. I was looking forward to going braless and didn't even want nipples but am getting them to help look normal. I have to stuff my bra. I can't find a b cup bra in size 40. I tried measuring myself and according to my results I am a 40 as. How is that possible? I'm not a complainer and I love my surgeon, but I feel like if I go in and get nipples it will be too late to say hey let's fix this other stuff. Do they do revisions after that step. He has not mentioned possibility of revisions. It's like he thinks everything will be great or I should be satisfied. I probably should trust him and just stop worrying. I have requested to join the photo group so hopefully if accepted I can show what I mean . And see if I'm normal compared to others. Mine sure don't look like most I see on plastic surgery sites. Thank you for any advice...reassurance.
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tiddly--Welcome--sorry to meet you here. There is no rush to get nipples!. If I were you, I would seek a second opinion with a different plastic surgeon--call now and schedule an appointment for a couple of months away as you will continue to see changes in your implants over the next few months. Dog ears and dents usually require a return trip to the O.R. and are not office procedures. You need to be happy so you owe it to yourself to get at least one other opinion (or more!). Once you gather more information, you will better understand your options and feel more comfortable with your decisions. Keep us posted. We all understand how you feel at this point.
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One month is actually not that long to wait to see how they will be. Its agonizing waiting longer, but I think more like 4-6 months will be a truer outcome. Try to stick it out awhile before getting upset or wanting to rush to change.
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Tiddlywinks, I agree with the others. Wait. But while you are waiting, see that other plastic surgeon. Sometimes it's just a matter of what someone likes...if your doc likes what he sees, he assumes you will too. We are all different. I like vanilla, you like chocolate. Breast shape, size, etc. vary so much. You deserve to have them look the way YOU want. Don't feel bad about wanting to be happy. After what you've been through, you don't have to settle. I've seen phenomenal transformations posted on the picture forum. When you see how they started out, you can't imagine that some of these women will turn out looking even close to "normal", but they do.
I found it helpful to take in to my PS photos of people with breast/chest characteristics I liked or disliked. Using words to describe something doesn't always ensure an outcome you expect. (As you know.) At least if you have a photo you can use it as a visual aide when you speak to a plastic surgeon. You can still do that.
I advise you to postpone nipples. Getting them is not going to help you feel better about the shape, size, and placement of your implants. Many of us have revisions, some of us more than one. Wait to make that decision until you are finished. Once you are happy with your implants, you can make the decision. Lots of women (like me) are choosing to go without nipples (Barbie boobs) or they decide on getting 3D tattoos that are absolutely remarkably realistic. The problem with a nipple created by the surgeon is that it is always "out". Some women have to cover them with band-aids so they won't show in clothing. However, I have a friend who had a single mastectomy and had the PS make a nipple for her after getting an implant. After it healed and she got the areola tattoo, she looks great and is very happy.
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How does revision surgery work with insurance? Is it covered or considered cosmetic?
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skool - depends on the revision, but for the most part insurance covers it if you have had a mastectomy. What type of surgery are you considering?
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Tiddlywinks,
I kept my nipples, but I would second the sage advice above about waiting for that "icing on the cake" until you are done revisions. You really should wait for those to be done once you are satisfied, as all they will do right now is complicate later revisions (with placement, etc). They won't cure what bothers you about your reconstruction. As said by Sandra, many of us do go for revisions. I had a PBMX with direct to implant reconstruction in April of 2014, and am heading in for revision in February or March of 2015 to hopefully remedy a dent and some rippling.If your PS is not willing to listen to your concerns and is rushing you to nipple recon, please postpone the recon and seek a second or even a third opinion. You have TIME. Reconstruction is not a race! It can take MONTHS for implants to settle in - my PS says he sees changes up to a full year after. And I did not have dog ears, but as I understand it they do not just "go away", they need to be removed.
I also recommend heading over to Breast Implant Sizing 101 and posting ALL of the the information requested in the header for Whippetmom to provide some insight into implant sizes. She does NOT talk cup sizes though (for good reason) so you should give her an idea instead of what you are looking for in terms of appearance, and it may even be advisable to PM or email her some photos.
The problem with talking cup sizes is a lot of people - including PS's - don't understand cup sizes too well. A C-cup, roughly, for example is about a 3" difference from your ribcage. So if your ribcage measures 36", and your bust measures 39", you are about a c, if you are a 30" ribcage, and have a 33" bust, you are ALSO a c-cup. Obviously however it looks very different on each women (and the volume of the breast is also very different). I also can't tell you how many women I have met over my lifetime who have said "I am definitely a B-cup!" who are actually an E-cup, etc as the majority of women wear the wrong bra size (they are mostly in the wrong band size which affects the cup size). The other issue with many women with implant reconstruction is that implants appear wider than their natural breasts did, and yet often lack the same projection they expected in their natural breasts (I should note however some women do have very shallow yet wide-rooted natural breasts too, so it is not ONLY implant recon women who experience this...my own experience is that my implants are not any wider than my natural breasts were, but I do lack some of the projection...but I am still the same bra size as before surgery!). So even if you ARE, say, a 36C, you need to find bras/models that have shallower cups but still have the proper c-width wires. This takes some bra-education as to what to look for.
There are some limits to how close your breasts can be together, and much is really pre-determined by where they sat before surgery. You don't want to be compromising that muscle in the middle much, as you increase risks of migration. But, that being said, depending on the width of your chest, a moderate-plus might be better for you (Whippetmom will know). Also, when you look at plastic surgery sites make sure you are looking at recon after MX, not augmentation. Augmentation photos can give a false idea of what you might look like after MX/recon. You do not have breast tissue like augmentation patients do.
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Thank you Sandra- heading in tomorrow to have the doc check it out.
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Thank you so much for all the great advice divecat!
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Ive had 2 revisions since my exchange and all completely covered by insurance. When I started all this I had a one side lx and insurance covered the oncoplasty-- lift and minimize to match left side to cancer side. At the time I thought thats all I was having (ha!), and was thrilled to be able to basically have a boob job for free.
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Thanks Divecat for your advice. I see my ps next month and will definitely suggest fat grafting. I also have a pucker in the corner of one scar and a dented scar under armpit at the other end. Not sure what can be done about that. What do you think?
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Just a question... As I am preparing my questions for the ps for fat grafting, I'm thinking back on a conversation I had with her a few months ago. Where I had lumpectomy I have a divot and it's tight and hurts. Ps said she can "untack it". What does that mean?0
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mommy, basically you have some scar tissue that needs to be freed. But if you're not sure what your PS means, talk to her.
Much love
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