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Exchange City

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Comments

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited June 2009

    Oh yeah Sandy...our moniker should be "Plastic Surgeons, WE Are Your Worst Nightmare"  So many of these docs are upset that their patients are asking too many questions and doing too much research....they probably would really rebel if they knew we dispense advice without a license!

    AND THAT BIKE:  Holy cow.  That bike is the same price as my leather sofa!  But maybe you sit on your bike as many hours a day as I sit on my sofa...

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited June 2009

    Robin:  I PM'd you with some information re: Phoenix plastic surgeons. 

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited June 2009

    Cil and Janet.. thanks for that... I really want to keep the port in until the end.. and PS really wants to take it out and not have to put in my High Profile Hooters and work around the port..hehe.. but he will if that is what he has to do...

    Thanks! Now I KNOW it can be done as you ladies had it done...

  • Jazzygem
    Jazzygem Member Posts: 125
    edited June 2009

    Yes no problem Laura!  Mine are natrelle high profile 20-700.

  • Cheri2
    Cheri2 Member Posts: 185
    edited June 2009

    Deborah- I like your new moniker!!!!  Actually you should work in a PS office and get half his take!!!!  You are more informative than most docs!!!

    Hey I am on to the FL sun and can NOT wait to stick my toes in the sand- I will catch up in a week and a half!!!  Bye girls! 

  • Cheri2
    Cheri2 Member Posts: 185
    edited June 2009

    Deborah- I like your new moniker!!!!  Actually you should work in a PS office and get half his take!!!!  You are more informative than most docs!!!

    Hey I am on to the FL sun and can NOT wait to stick my toes in the sand- I will catch up in a week and a half!!!  Bye girls! 

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited June 2009

    Have a great time in Florida Cheri!

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited June 2009

    Have fun Cheri!

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited June 2009

    Hood and Cook... good luck tomorrow.. I hope you both do great!

    Laura

  • georganne
    georganne Member Posts: 56
    edited June 2009

    Ladies,

    I hope and continue to pray that you are all progressing and feeling well today.HUGS!

    I want to thank mykidsmom and whippetmom for your help last night. I did call my PS today, and had to see him for that red spot. It turned out to be infected stitches. He pulled them out OUCH. Then, he put me on clindamyacin for 10 days. Nothing serious, but AGAIN I am thankful to you for support and advice as we go through this "adventure" together. God is good to all of us.  Now God willing on to the exchange on June 26th.  

    Again, I honestly pray for you ladies and know that God cares for each of us.  BLESSINGS!!!Georganne

  • georganne
    georganne Member Posts: 56
    edited June 2009

    Cookymkr,

    I was off of this thread for awhile, and I noticed you're a more full figured lady (perhaps like me) looking for sizes, ... We're not all tiny. I haven't been below 125lbs, or a size 8 since high school 30 years ago! 

    If this info helps, here it is:  I am about 5'71/2 - 5'8".  I weigh 160.  I wear size 12 in misses clothes, and before I had my bilat MX, I was a  36 D cup.  I wanted to go to a C cup because I've always been a little self conscious about being bigger busted.  I currently have the Allergan Style 133 MV Tissue Expanders with a 600 cc capacity in.I am  a little over expanded to 650cc. God willing on June 26th, I will get my exchange to a Allergan Style 15 silicone implant. I choose to aim for a 36 C, or as my husband and I joke - "built for speed not for comfort."  (So bad!!!!) Anyways, we discuss all sorts of things here, so God bless you. I hope you will get beautiful results and get healthy!!!!!!! Georganne      

  • Blake1960
    Blake1960 Member Posts: 48
    edited June 2009

    Seems this is the place to be for advise!.... Sandy/Sunshine and Deborah maybe you can help: I had a TE exhange on left side and a lift/implant on the right on May 26th. Both implants are silicone. It has only been a little over two weeks, but I am not happy with the results. First, I am smaller than I expected and the exchange side is smaller than the lift/implant side. The exchange side is also high and flat. My PS has me wearing this band to push it down. Even if it does settle, I am not sure that it is going to be the same size. On the left, I have a Mentor Smooth Round Moderate Plus Profile Gel - 500 on the right the same implant at 300. I asked to be a full B, small C. I am 5' 1", 120 lbs. I am not sure what my TE was filled to, but in cup size he said it was a D. It was huge! I have an appt. next Wed. to see if it is dropping and find a solution. Any thoughts?

  • hood1980
    hood1980 Member Posts: 168
    edited June 2009

    Thanks Laura!  I have to be at the hospital at 0530 & I can't sleep.  :(   I suppose I will get plenty tomorrow!

  • YvonneB
    YvonneB Member Posts: 149
    edited June 2009

    Hello to all!  Thanks so very much to all for your kind thoughts and words.  I've been busy trying to help my son and his wife get settled in with their new babe and have been a very tardy poster!!! That won't do!!! LOL  Doing a bit of cooking and laundry for them and car shopping for me!  Man, I hate car shopping SOOOOO much.  My poor DIL had a horribly hard delivery and has been told that she needs to be on complete bed rest for 3 weeks.  How the heck do you manage that with a newborn?? Luckily my son is off for a bit more than 2 weeks, so he is doing everything but the breastfeeding!  I really feel sorry for them as it is hard for my DIL to watch us all doing the little things that she would love to be up and doing for sweet little Ella.  God willing,  time will heal all and a few short weeks from now this will only be a memory.

    Good luck to Hood and Cookymkr tomorrow.  Love that name Cooky....images of all things sweet and chewy!! 

    Don't stress about size my friends...I would imagine we comprise every size, shape and color out there and though we may be different on the outside we all share something way more important than size. Some of you may not have been on this thread that long but on older posts we made two teams, the Tiny Ta Ta's and the Towering Ta Ta's and we were pretty evenly matched in number!  Don't let a few extra pounds rent any space in your brain!! 

  • Jazzygem
    Jazzygem Member Posts: 125
    edited June 2009

    Thanks Yvonne you always know just what to say!  Your poor dil!  I will keep her in my prayers!!  Man sounds like a busy house but such a sweet grammy!  You need to take it easy too!!!

    I will be thinking of Hood and Cookymkr tomorrow!

    HUGS! JazzyJ

  • Mykidsmom
    Mykidsmom Member Posts: 448
    edited June 2009

    Sandy - New bike! What fun!! Congratulations!

    Cil - You and I have matching implants. I like my girls as well!

    Firstmate - I am so glad that there is so much knowledge here, I can't help, but the other ladies know their stuff!

    Georgeanne - I wonder what causes some of our stitches to get infected and others just absorb away the way they are supposed to?? I am glad you saw your PS. Take care.

    Best wishes to today's surgery sisters:

    6/11 - Hood1980 - Implant one side to balance the other Laughing

    6/11 -cookymkr - swap out surgery

  • KEW
    KEW Member Posts: 450
    edited June 2009

    Hood1980 and cookymkr--My thoughts are with you today.  I wish you successful surgeries and quick and uneventful recoveries.

    Karen

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited June 2009

    Ah yes, I remember the  Tiny Ta ta's and the Towering Ta Ta's... I think I named us the Tiny's.. I forgot who named the Towering... WOW.. we have been around here awhile.. WARMS MY HEART YVONNE... and all...

  • firstmate
    firstmate Member Posts: 153
    edited June 2009

    Kathleen - I am so sorry you are not happy with your results.  It is so emotionally trying to go through the surgeries with high expectations and then have to deal with the disppointment of dissatisfaction with the results.  I feel for you.   Hang in there!   

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited June 2009

    Blake1960:  This is a common complaint - "Implants Smaller than Expanders"....I have bumped up the thread with that title so that you can read through it to see that many women on these boards have been unhappy with sizing and have switched out to different implants.

    I personally think that your Mentor Moderate Plus implants are too wide and have too little projection for your petite frame.  My choice would have been the Mentor High Profile implant.  Here are the dimensions of both:

    Mentor Moderate Plus: 14.1 cm wide by 4.3 cm projection

    Mentor High Profile: 13.2 cm wide by 5.3 cm projection.

    You might also have been a candidate for the extra full projection implants, however, you had a unilateral and that might have been trickier to match the healthy breast. 

    I just think that you would be happier with a little more projection and not so much width.  How does your healthy breast look?  Sufficient projection there?  The implant will eventually drop down - but this will not change your symmetry dilemma and the implant will likely still appear flat to you in profile.

    If you can get the style number and # of cc's of your expander, we can compare dimensions of expander vs. implant.  Your PS will have this data in his file.

    Deborah

  • Blake1960
    Blake1960 Member Posts: 48
    edited June 2009

    firstmate: Thank you for your kind words. If at first you don't succeed, try again... right? I wish you the best in finding a great PS!

    Deborah: Thank you for the advise! My healthy one looks good. It seems to have good projection, not too high and not too wide. Maybe a bit smaller than I wanted but apparently my PS was trying to match them and had to go to a 300 not a 325 like a wanted. I will get the style # and cc's of my expander on Wed. and let you know. I think I was expanded to around 560 cc's.

    I will have to take a picture and post it on the picture forum for you to see. This is crazy.... I first have to "stuff" my healthy side to match the expander side and now I have to stuff my expander/implant side to match my healthy side! Arghhh!

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited June 2009

    Blake - Okay, so the moderate plus profile worked for your healthy side because you have fat and tissue to add to the volume in that breast  The augmented breast looks entirely different than the reconstructed breast with implants.  It is very difficult to get projection with the reconstructed breast and so this is why higher profile implants are used more often.  Your 300 cc implant on the healthy side is only 12.0 cm - so this is why I personally think it would have been more appropriate to use a high profile implant on the expanded side - to match the width better.   Just express your thoughts and concerns to your PS and see what he thinks. 

  • Blake1960
    Blake1960 Member Posts: 48
    edited June 2009

    Thanks Deborah! I really appreciate the help. I will let you know the outcome of my appt. next week!

  • misty123
    misty123 Member Posts: 63
    edited June 2009

    Hi Ladies,

    Could someone tell me the wait time between final fill and exchange. Thanks

  • Vinogal
    Vinogal Member Posts: 114
    edited June 2009

    Hey ladies......just wanted to check in and say that I am reading everything and my thoughts are going out to all that need them.....sorry I haven't been posting much.......I am feeling very well........in fact.....I am beginning to realize how poorly I was feeling........it sucks to be flat on one side.......but it sure does feel nice to be healed and strong......I had forgotten what that feels like.........I look forward to getting this recon finished.........but at the same time......am looking forward to a summer without going to the docs every other day!

    Cheers and hugs to all!

    Jax

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited June 2009

    Jax, great to hear from you and that you are feeling better......((((hugs))))

    misty123, as for the time from the last fill to the exchange, it is different for a lot of us...for me it was 4 months.  I had a previous radiated side and my PS wanted to give it extra time.....for others it has been a matter of a couple of weeks to 2 months and for a few it has been a year....each case is different.

  • YvonneB
    YvonneB Member Posts: 149
    edited June 2009

    Nice to hear from you Jax - it is great that you are feeling better.  I agree that we often don't realize how crappy we are feeling until we actually feel good for a change.

    ((((((((((Kathleen)))))))))))))))))))  Seems so unfair for you to be dealing with this. 

    I noticed a big change this week for me too.  I only thought about my foob about 4 times yesterday and the same today!  That is a great change from noticing or thinking about it constantly because it didn't feel comfortable or right.  I guess I'm coming to terms with my Barbie boobie after all.  I am a teeny bit disappointed that it is not as soft as I had hoped but I was prepared for that due to the comments on the gummies from past exchangees. 

  • cil326
    cil326 Member Posts: 27
    edited June 2009

    Misty123, 

    I had the TEs put in @ time of mastectomy (11/08), then the filling process started at the same time of chemo (1/09), my PS stopped at 350cc in March, i finished chemo 5/4/09, and exchange was on 6/4/09.  It's all different from person to person, it's more customized to personal needs I think.

    Cil.

  • hood1980
    hood1980 Member Posts: 168
    edited June 2009

    One of the Tiny's checking in (5 ft 3 in) after surgery. The surgery went fine but had a bad reaction to the anesthia & had to have a general and it took way toooo long.  It made be sick - headache & nausea.  Hoping today is better!  Thanks for all the thoughts & prayers!

  • TXBadboob
    TXBadboob Member Posts: 109
    edited June 2009

    Hood, welcome back!  I also had a bad reaction to the anesthesia.  They kept me an extra day because I couldn't hold anything down.  I hope you are feeling better.  How's the new girl?  I hope you are happy with the results.  Let us know!

    Deen

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