Exchange City
Comments
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Hi Stephaniegee, I am still wearing my camisole because I only had my exchange the 29th. Once I am out of that, I will wear sports bras or non-underwire bras only. I had loads of sports bras because I am runner but I will want something more forming to wear under dresses. I would go to a better department store or bra shop. Do you have Nordstrom in Canada?
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I was told not to wear a bra for a month except maybe a very loose sports bra. I have been just wearing tank tops or cami's. It's now been a month so I guess I'll need to find a bra soon. My old bras are too big:( finding bras without underwire is tough! Good luck!
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If you have a Ross near you-Ross has a ton of different style bras for cheap. love that place for bras and panties
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I've been looking around for bras even though I have yet gotten my squishies in. The best one that I found so far was a (believe it or not) nursing bra that has a zipper in the front and adjustable band straps from xs to L, I found at Target. Its called Lansinoh.
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Stephanie, I was wrapped tight for a week then told to wear a sportbra, wireless, for 6 weeks. I am 8 weeks and still wearing them, 24/7. This week I have been taking it off when I get home from work to give it a rest. I have Allergan 410 475cc anatomicals. They are looking goodGo on the thread called Bras 101, lots of good advice there.
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the on Q is great...my sister in law actually markets them and that is how I knew my ps used them...bmx was not too painful with it...ps said his older patients who did not get on Q first time around were amazed byits effectiveness once they were available..some insurances do not want to cover them though....if they only knew how much money they would save on pres riptions and the possibility of addiction....they would prob change their position...ask ur ps about them a positive for ...anyone about to have bmx be sure to inquire!
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Hi to all! I had my exchange surgery today. Yippee!!! It was a piece of cake. Surgery lasted 1 1/2 hours. My PS said I had minimal scar tissue formation so it made it easier. On one side I had a little bit of pocket work. I left the outpatient surgical center 1 hour after surgery due to feeling good. We went to eat a small lunch at cafe/ bakery. My arms are what hurt the worst but now tonight feel better. I opted to have 1/2 the amount of Verced pre anesthesia so I was completely aware when I was wheeled to the OR which was cool! I know my arms hurt because they have you lay them out away from your sides at shoulder height. Other than that I feel little twinges of minor pain in my chest area and am wrapped in an ace bandage until I see my PS on May 7th. He "installed" Mentor moderate profile plus gels at the 400 cc size. Originally he said high profile but decided with the OR nurses that these look the most natural on me. Directions are arms by my side and showers waist down. My DH is off for 2 weeks to help. Thanks to all that share their experiences/thoughts that have had their exchanges already!
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Ladies: Every doctor requires different kinds of wrappings or bras or whatever. You might enjoy looking at the Bras 101 thread.
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I am a fairly petite person with pretty large implants, or at least the one I still have - lol! When I had two I wore these bras - supportive but non-underwire, as per PS who doesn't like underwire. There are several other types of wirefree bras by Warner's that you can look at on their website, and they are available at JC Penney, Kohl's, Macy's, and other stores online. I have also found them in Marshall's & TJ Maxx.
http://www.warners.com/bras/wire-free/elements-of-bliss-lift/1298
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My sister sent me this link for bras: http://www.people.com/article/woman-designs-lingerie-breast-cancer-survivors
I had my follow up today, ps says I look great. I feel pretty good. He left my drain though, said I have to be under 25 ml, and I was just at that today. So I made an appointment for Wednesday, didn't want to get there Monday and still not be ready. They said I can call and they will squeeze me in if I'm ready sooner. I have to work next week, really wasn't counting on having this drain. Oh well, such is life.. I'm just thrilled - almost no matter what they look like - that they aren't TEs anymore!!
I'm still sore by the drain, still taking pain meds just because i can (and because I still hurt). I'm exhausted. So ready for this journey to be over.
ps just wants me in a loose bra. I really want to be braless especially with this drain still in, it keeps catching. Oh well again, such is life.
Have a great weekend everyone
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Yesterday I had my first follow-up since my exchange. I also had to leave in one of my drains. My right breast has just been giving more aggravation at every step of this whole thing. I've been wearing a hospital issued sports bra that has velcro tabs over the shoulders and in front. Until yesterday I was also stuffed with gauze and cotton pads. I felt great for the most part. Hadn't been taking any pain meds. Then yesterday, my doc removed everything, told me I looked great (save for the fact that I still need my right drain), and put the bra back on me, without the gauze and cotton, and instead wrapped me firmly with an ace bandage over the bra. She asked me how I was feeling; did I need any more pain meds. At that moment I still felt fine, so I told her no. She was pleasantly surprised. Well--not more than 30 minutes after leaving her office I started getting a terrible pain on my upper right breast. It's that indescribable "skin-pulling" pain that I (and probably a lot of us) got right after the mastectomy. I tried to describe it to my husband and the best I could come up with is this: "Imagine what it would feel like to have your scrotum waxed." I really don't want to take anymore Percocet, but it's 3:44am and I can't sleep. A few minutes ago, I stuffed some soft toilet paper between the bra and my skin and I think it might be helping. I'm theorizing that nerve damage has caused my skin to be extremely hypersensitive to the texture of the seams in the bra. I once had nerve damage in my foot from an extremely severe bout of sciatica and the slighlty bumpy texture of my Crocs shoes made me feel like I ws walking on daggers.
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I had my exchange about ten days ago and while feeling great am noticing that there is a spot on the outer side of each breast that feels cold to the touch. Just colder than the rest of my breast. The cold spot seems to be getting bigger. I have heard that implants can be cold. Anyone have this happening? I am wondering if the spot begins small and spreads?
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One thing that has helped me is putting on a soft cami with seams to the outside before putting on surgery bra. Used this after BMX and EX. Hope that helps! Hugs, Valorie
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Stephanie- I had my revision 14 days ago. I am wearing very tight sports bras as well as these light soft Cami bras that I bought from Walmart they are 5.00 a piece and I probably have 20 of them. When I'm able to wear my bras again I'm wearing a Wacoal brand that I bought from Nordstroms. There are several brands that are European that have bigger cups and the wires sit BEHIND the implants. Check out the Bra Sizing 101 thread. My PS told me I can either wear wire or wireless which ever one I'm most comfortable in
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trailrose, I have been completely awake going into the OR both times and as I got strapped in and set up. They did not give me anything until I was set up as when I was in the OR they had me meet the surgical nurses and confirm with everyone what surgery I was there for. I did not know that people were usually not aware when going in?
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Yes please check out the Bras 101. After my first surgery my PS wanted me in a surgical bra/sports bra for about 2 months. Not too snug as the implants needed to drop a bit. I moved to underwire at about 9 weeks, please get a proper fitting - read the 101 thread for more info - as it is very important to get a proper fit around the implants. 80% of women wear the wrong size bra which means y are not getting the proper support (most common mistake is too large of a band size and too small of a cup, and this is often even with a "pro" fitting as many fitters are terrible...).
After my exchange to anatomicals, I had to wear a sports/surgical bra 24/7 as these ones need to adhere. I am about 2 months out and still wearing my Marena's as none off my old underwires fit and I have not had the time or money to go buy new nice underwires. These babies do feel a lot more fixed in place than the rounds though so I feel okay with the support from my surgical bras. I do have some sports bras for working out that still fit.
If you want and need a soft wireless bra post exhange, lots of women like the Wacoal Awareness wireless, they don't make it in a small enough band size for me so no personal experience.
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Hi Everyone,
I have been lurking on this thread while greatly anticipating my exchange surgery. Well...I had it done last Tuesday!!! The pain right after surgery was pretty bad, but once we realized it was my muscle spasm, they gave me some Valium and Voila - all gone. Now, 6 days out, it is only a little tender where the scars are below my breasts. I must say that I am extremely happy with my "new girls"! The biggest surprise was going to Victoria's Secret and finding out that I am a 32DD! Say what??? If I had to guess, I would have said a 32C. I am medium framed, 5'8" and 136 pounds. They really look good - not too big, nice balance to my shoulders. Prior to all of this, I was a 32B (small
.So - this just goes to ditto what everyone is saying - get measured! It is so interesting how everyone is managed so differently by their PS. I left the hospital with no drains, the velcro sports-bra thingy and was told I only had to wear it if needed. No underwire bras until the incisions heal, but after that I can wear whatever I want. So, I bought a supportive, non-underwire bra at VS and love the support and comfort. It doesn't aggravate the scars, as the band sits below them, but it does keep everything in place and also provides smooth lining for t-shirts and such.
To be honest, I am not sure what size implants he used - I see him today for f/u so I will ask. I know they were Allergan rounds and I am guessing about 450 ccs.
Happy days to be finished with all surgeries, finished with most chemo (except for Herceptin) and just started Tamoxifen! Once November rolls around, I finish Herceptin, take the port out and move on with life! Yippee!!!!!
Best to all,
Akitagirl
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Hello, I'm having my revision on Thursday and I'm quit nervous. Switching to Mentor Memory Shape implants. Hoping for the projection I wanted. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
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akita - yay! Glad you are feeling well. I too looked visually like a full C but required a DD underwire to get all the way around the implant so that the wire is not sitting on top of the implant. I have quite a bit of projection since I am petite, so require a larger cup than it seems like I would need to accommodate - that is a problem now that I only currently have recon on one side - trying to match a prosthetic has been a challenge, and finding a bra that works for the fairly large implant on the one side and prosthetic on the other. It will be interesting when all is said and done next year if any of the bras I have now will work!
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Hi Divecat- The three times that I've had surgery in my life they asked questions first in pre op, set up the IV catheter, meet the surgical team and then gave me an injection of Versed (a benzodiazepine) and wheeled me to the OR. It's supposed to help with anxiety and just helps you relax and can cause a loss of memory. The thing is that I am always SUPER mellow right before a surgery ( I fall asleep while waiting) and am very fortunate to not suffer from anxiety. I thought it was neat to know when they put the oxygen mask on me and put my arms out from my sides. The propofol injection did taste nasty as it went through the IV line (I worked for a vet for 12 years so surgery doesn't scare me) I'm so happy that they offered to just give me half the amount for the exchange surgery! They did say that would allow me to be able to recover faster and leave sooner if I declined the whole amount. Interesting how each doctor or facility does it differently.
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Divecat,
I too was given the "happy juice" in preop room. I met my team and answered all the questions there. For BMX I was almond st out jyst remember oxygen mask. For EX totally out. I was not nervous either time and had never had surgery before.
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HI, HAVING MY REVISION ON MAY 7TH
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tailrose and robinblessed - I was not fortunate to get the "happy juice" for any of my surgeries either. I remember all three walking into the OR, lying on table with my hands outstretched and them asking me what procedure I was having. I was not nervous in any of the surgeries because in my MX I naievely thought no big deal, I'm just going to get bigger and perkier boobies. In my exchange I was too excited to be finally rid of the TE and in my revision I again naievely thought this was going to be it and boobies 2.0 were going to be the ones. I will definitely be asking for the happy juice for the next revision...lol
sherry - good luck on your revision Thursday. I hope you'll be delighted with the new girls!!!
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Interesting about different experiences! No happy juice here, but was not at all nervous either. I was actually very calm. Maybe if I had been nervous they would have done differently? I am a pretty curious person found it all rather interesting and had no problem being totally alert and undrugged and shifting onto the surgical table and adjusting as requested so the could hook me up. I had to answer questions in pre-op about medical history, etc, and got my IV, but in the OR was the actual confirmation of the surgery I was in there for I imagine as a double check (like the equivalent of confirming what leg is to be amputated, I guess?). I got to tell them if the leg compression things felt comfortable, if I fel them working, see the boxes of implants on a nearby table. Then I got to countdown both times from 10 but never made it to 1 in either case!
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Hi everyone--had my implants in on April 6, 2015. Saw my PS a week or so ago,but never asked about massage. Been wearing a sports bra 24/7, and they seem like they are far apart. Is this normal? should I be massaging them? Can't believe I forgot to as this.
Also, been feeling a tightness in my right side. It comes and goes. Could this be LE or is it too soon to tell? Have an appt w/pt next week.
thanks,
Gina
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I had my exchange yesterday and I must say so far so good. Pain is minimal. I was given the scopolamine patch for nausea and now I have blurred vision... Has this happened to anyone who has had the patch?
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Cindy--did your doc mention that blurred vision is a possible side effect of the patch? I had the patch too, but I didn't have any problems. I do know that I was warned not to touch the patch, and that if I did, to be sure and wash my hands right away. If you have the same thing I did, the chemical is the same as or similar to what they use to dilate your pupils. So maybe you touched it and then your eyes?
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It is possible that I touched my eyes after administering the patch and nope I wasn't told about the side effect of blurred vision. It is strange because everything that is far away I can see.. But typing on the PC is super blurred.
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I'm putting my money on you having touched the patch and then your eyes. Here's a website with more info: http://www.medicinenet.com/scopolamine-transdermal...
Here's a quote from it: "This medication can cause temporary blurred vision and widened pupils if it comes in contact with the eyes. Therefore, after handling the patch, always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Also wash the area behind the ear where the patch was removed."
I doubt it will last much longer.
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Thanks I am guessing at some point I touched the patch and then my eye. I put a call into my PS and was advised to flush my eyes with cold water and use a compress. I was also advised that it should last too long. Thank you for your input.
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