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Exchange City

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Comments

  • RAK1
    RAK1 Member Posts: 97
    edited May 2015


    Kingster you are correct! My PS said it would paralyze the muscle. She said she has done it for other patients who did not like the animation.

    The last few weeks I have been able to flex my foobs (pects) It's very uncomfortable and I don't like how it looks. it is upsetting. I should add that I have been very physical recently. 

    I'm grateful, it is just trying to get use to these changes in my body. The PS said to wait until after I have the implants and see how I feel after awhile. It is an option she gave me. I am pretty sure it would only paralyze the particular area she injects it into not the whole muscle. However you make a point worth asking about.

    Robin 

  • kingster
    kingster Member Posts: 289
    edited May 2015

    Robin, when are you getting your implants? Do you have tissue expanders in now? My animation has become increased after my exchange. My te were solid to my chest and did not move at all. My implants are much softer (not as soft as a natural breast though) and therefore the muscles can move them easily. I am grateful to be cancer free (as far as I know), but it has been a major adjustment. I don't feel at this point that I will ever be totally adjusted to them. They feel foreign and annoying at times. Happy to look nice in clothes:)

  • RAK1
    RAK1 Member Posts: 97
    edited May 2015

    Kingster
    I still have my TEs in. My exchange is June16th.

    I will be glad to get these hard TEs out!

  • RAK1
    RAK1 Member Posts: 97
    edited May 2015
    Thank you for adding me to the list.
    Robin
  • LeanneF
    LeanneF Member Posts: 32
    edited May 2015

    Feeling really annoyed. I had exchange surgery this morning and we had agreed I could go bigger, but I'm actually smaller! I was a b cup before double mastectomy, maybe a c with expanded, now back to a perky b. At my last te fill we discussed I wanted c+ on the verge of d. PS wrote it down and dictated it. Is it possible he didn't even look at his own orders and forgot? This am he only talked about cc which means nothing to me. 540ccs on one side and 490 on the other. What does this mean? Now how long do I have to wait to get what I wanted?

  • cateyz2
    cateyz2 Member Posts: 253
    edited May 2015

    LeanneF- Its tooo soon after exchange to be judgiing size, as strange as it sounds once the swelling goes down, then the drop n fluff stage will began which can take up to 6 months. Please don't fret as many of us have before you, as the saying goes step away from the mirror

  • mjh1
    mjh1 Member Posts: 263
    edited May 2015

    leanne - glad your surgery was uneventful.  It's too soon to judge just yet.  You will go through many emotions in the next couple of weeks as your "girls" settle in.  Revisions are not done until at least 3 months post op so don't stress about it now.  Should you decide after 3 months that you want to go bigger, show your PS what you would like to look like.  Cup sizes mean different things to different PS's.  Women talk in cup sizes and PS's talk in cc's.

  • mjh1
    mjh1 Member Posts: 263
    edited May 2015

    Has anyone heard from roadrash????

  • sandgar
    sandgar Member Posts: 53
    edited May 2015
    1. My ps used the skin from my breast not a donor site. It's healing but no projection. Getting flatter each day. Happy yours turned out. Will there be a lot of scarring at the donor site?
  • sandgar
    sandgar Member Posts: 53
    edited May 2015

    I had a similar experience and wished We had gone bigger. I have gotten used to them though and actually am ok with the size after the drop and fluff. Give it time to see the end result.

  • LeanneF
    LeanneF Member Posts: 32
    edited May 2015

    Thanks everyone. I will try to be patient, but what is "drop and fluff"?

  • Elizabethaw
    Elizabethaw Member Posts: 165
    edited May 2015

    Iwannacookie: I also have significant rippling (exchange Sept of 2014), and it's not going to change. My PS said that I could 1) live with it, 2) switch to larger implants, perhaps using Alloderm to pad the area between the skin and the implant or 3) do fat grafting.

    I wanted to mention to you that my PS initially said I was too thin to do fat grafting (I'm 5'4" and about 117 pounds), but I whipped off my clothes and showed off my thighs. He said, "oh, ok." He said that he'll need to use both thighs, inside and out and any belly fat he can find. I have a scrawny upper body, so he apparently didn't realize I had a nice little fat store hidden on my thighs. I've had to prove my fat availability to him twice now, so he was definitely skeptical. Whippetmom on the "implant sizing 101" thread told me that you don't need a lot of fat to do grafting. Maybe you really are too thin, but maybe it's worth another opinion on that? My PS said rippling is really common in thinner women.

    It is also true that fat grafting may not fix the rippling. My PS gave me 50/50 odds that it would be successful. I'm going to try anyway--surgery is scheduled for Sept--my PS suggested not doing it in summer. It might take more than one round of fat grafting as well.

    Rippling sucks!

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited May 2015

    Leanne - the drop and fluff happens when the pectoral muscle relaxes a bit and the implant falls slightly lower and forward providing more projection.

  • kingster
    kingster Member Posts: 289
    edited May 2015

    Also, the drop and fluff may happen at different rates. Right now, my left is lower and appears larger than my right. I think my pec is larger on my right because I am right handed. My right is catching up some, but very very slowly. Hoping my left doesn't drop any more and my right catches up. Had ex March 6...so this really takes months! Anyone have hard bands of scar tissue forming on the foobs? Seems like I have some and becoming more noticable. I have follow up appt soon and was going to add this to my list of concerns.

    No, I haven't heard from roadrash:( I sure hope she is healing. And depression doesn't take her down.

    Love the saying "step away from the mirror" I never used to look at my chest so much. I guess because they are man made now, and they keep changing, I can't seem to not critique them. I always accepted how my natural self looked, because I never would have considered surgery on them. Mostly because of finance, and I never wanted to a adversely affect the results of breast cancer screening tests.


  • thinkingpositive
    thinkingpositive Member Posts: 564
    edited May 2015

    kingster..did you ever feel tight after the surgery? I almost feel like the TE is still in the MX side...and my good side that had reconstruction feels swollen and still hurts. Saw PS today, had stitches out. Right now it still feels like there are now two things sitting on my chest. Alot of people said there is a big difference when the TE comes out. Wonder why I am not feeling that.

  • fe_princess
    fe_princess Member Posts: 125
    edited May 2015

    Hi SpecialK, my implant is flat on the underarm side and pronounced on the cleavage side. I do excersizes by pushing the implant to the outside. Does "drop and fluff" also mean that it fills out on both sides? My PS did fat grafting over the top of the implant but when I life my arm up there is a huge divet on the topside of the breast. Is this normal to healing and I am just being impatient? I am one month out from exchange. I had a lot of surgeries really close together as well. I had mx and TE's on March 31 then exchange on April 28.

  • willowreed84
    willowreed84 Member Posts: 31
    edited May 2015

    Thinking,  I'm around 2 months out from exchange and I still have a little swelling on my cancer side.  I had radiation and feel very tight still on that side.  My ps says the radiation side will always over react to injury.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,359
    edited May 2015

    Thinking - Believe me, I know none of this is funny, but the way you described it really hit me.

    Well, we all DO in fact have "two things sitting on our chests"!! (or only one in some cases). It's usually better than the coconut shells of the TEs, but they will never be the same as our original equipment. I will be 4 years post exchange this fall. Most of the time I don't think about the "things" on my chest. However, although the initial strangeness & discomfort fades and we get use to our appendages, I expect we never totally dismiss the difference in the way implants move & sit & react.

    Take heart my friend, it does get better.

  • PhillyEmma
    PhillyEmma Member Posts: 15
    edited May 2015

    Hey everyone!

    You can add me to the list as my exchange is scheduled for July 1st.  I had my BMX 3/27 and last fill this past Thursday.  Topped at 320cc's and liking the smaller me.  Loving it.

    Can't wait to get the TE's out but will miss not having to wear a bra.  lol  What can I say, it's a love/hate relationship.  haha

  • kingster
    kingster Member Posts: 289
    edited May 2015

    Thinking positive, I was extremely tight with the te's. While they were in, my ps had me push inward on them with a 10 pound weight, or have my hubby push them in. I felt great relief with the exchange. It does feel good to massage and move them around a bit. Most of my pain comes at the end of the day after a hard day's work. I use oils and lotions, massage in circles around the edges.of the implants. I feel scar tissue forming, so massaging helps. I also find stretching helps. Muscle relaxers helped initially as well. Maybe your muscles are still retaliating. Maybe your pocket is smaller too. Also my ps made me keep my te's in for a full 6 months after the final fill, which was pure torture.

    Minus two, that's what I was afraid of. My 2 things are 700ml each. So I guess I better strengthen my back muscles, lol. All I can say is, they are feeling and looking a little bit better every day (not worse). Looks good in clothes and bras, no infections, no more cancer....life is good!

  • PhillyEmma
    PhillyEmma Member Posts: 15
    edited May 2015

    Hey everyone!

    You can add me to the list as my exchange is scheduled for July 1st.  I had my BMX 3/27 and last fill this past Thursday.  Topped at 320cc's and liking the smaller me.  Loving it.

    I've opted for smooth round silicone.  PS feels confident that it will give me a nice result and I didn't want to risk anything turning in pocket.  I know the risk was slim but just didn't want to worry about it so opted for round and feel great about the choice.  I love my PS and hoping for great results.

    Can't wait to get the TE's out because they feel like boulders and majorly awkward most days even if I've gotten used to them.  I will say that I might miss not having to wear a bra because these boulders don't move - LOL.  What can I say, it's a love/hate relationship.  haha


  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited May 2015

    Fe - you may have some scar tissue toward the side of the breast that is making your implant look flat there - ask your PS about whether massage can fix that.  It is entirely possible that as the pec relaxes a bit the implant will round out a bit and move more laterally to fill the currently flat place.  As far as the divot or hollow - is it above the implant?  If so, it is there because your BS scraped all the tissue out toward your collarbone - the result is that gravity doesn't allow the implant to occupy that space, so it can look hollow.  I had a pronounced case of this - I have a somewhat bony chest - and had fat grafting done with all of the fat going above the implant.  Best thing I ever did - it made a huge difference in the natural look of the implants.

  • fe_princess
    fe_princess Member Posts: 125
    edited May 2015

    Thanks SpecialK, I am hoping that through massage and time that it will round out. I did have fat grafting as well above the implant. I have a very thin/muscular chest as lift weights. Could it have not taken? I am NOT currently lifting any weights. Thank you for your response!

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited May 2015

    Fe - it usually takes a while for fat to reabsorb, up to six months, so I think it is unlikely that it would already be gone.

  • LeanneF
    LeanneF Member Posts: 32
    edited May 2015

    Thanks Special K. I am really happy with the shape, especially on the lat flap side. My PS did a beautiful job and they're definitely round enough. I guess I'm just hoping for more projection. Hopefully, this drop and fluff will do it. He did mention doing Lipo and fat grafting next when he does the nipples, but he didn't explain what exactly that was for and I was too sleepy to bother to ask. Are there any exercises I should do or avoid to help the specs relax?

  • mfana
    mfana Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2015

    hi everyone,

    I am new to this thread. Diagnosed in January and had my last chemo three days ago. I am scheduled for surgery DMX and immediate reconstruction on June 30th. I'm 5'2" and about 130 lbs so my PS really tries to push me for DIEP, but both me and my husband are not comfortable with the complicated surgey. I have been up almost all night reading your posts and it's making me more confident that TE/implant is the better option for me. I'm 31, have a full-time job and a very active 7-year-old boy and hate the look of that hip-to-hip scar.

    Anyone done their recon in UCLA by any chance

  • specialk
    specialk Member Posts: 9,261
    edited May 2015

    Leanne - fat grafting is added either over the implants, or in the step-off above them, to either add size or soften the look in the upper pole. Other than stretching and massage I am not sure about any specific exercises.

    Mfana - type UCLA into the search from the left column and it will bring up all references to it - I think that would be the fastest way to find any members who had recon there

  • trailrose
    trailrose Member Posts: 89
    edited May 2015

    Fe_Princess- My implants are a little squared off next to my underarms but rounded in the cleavage and underboob area. Our exchange surgeries are just a few days apart. Have you started running yet?

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,359
    edited May 2015

    mfana - Whippetmom - the guru of implants - is in Southern CA and had her surgeries done there. She also keeps a list of recommended surgeons around the country. If you read the header of the thread below and post to her, she will have good thoughts.

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/...



  • fe_princess
    fe_princess Member Posts: 125
    edited June 2015

    Trailrose, hello! I started to run last week but it really hurts my breasts badly afterwards. I am going to take it a little easier. My mx side has been aching a lot since I started too. It feels good though to run. I massage and stretch as well but not much has changed. It's very square and that's a perfect description. What does your PS say about it. How are you feeling these days? I am not full of energy yet.

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