Exchange City
Comments
-
I also had excruciating pain and anxiety after my mastectomy and I have been shocked at how easy this procedure has been. I don't have any drains and the swelling is about 60% gone already
0 -
thats great that you are doing so well. I am also doing better than I was when I had my mastectomy. But I have uncomfortable drains, and I don't like being so tightly bound on my midsection or my breasts because it hurts a little. Maybe im just fussy.
0 -
DanGrankitty - everyone is allowed to be fussy now and then. Give yourself some time for TE swelling to go down and to start hearing. Good luck
0 -
Exchange was today for me. I'm home, bound in compression garmets, have two drains, and am very tender and sore. Pain is combination of lyposuction, traumatized muscle & stitches and is controlled with the help of pain meds. Very tired so going to bed now. I can tell already, this surgery is less extensive than the BMX. I will probably be bored out of my gourd in a few days.
0 -
Yay! glad to hear it went well. Hope you feel more normal tomorrow!
0 -
Thanks Orca Porkka!
0 -
Thanks for the support SanFran..
Back to sleep now...;-/
0 -
keep us posted LRGO
0 -
LRGO2016... My friend ... you made it through ... twig in hand! Blessings!
0 -
How is everyone doing?
I have finally had a chance to look at myself. Everything is kind of bruised. some parts of my breasts look a little lumpy!? due to swelling and fat transfer maybe. I also look six months pregnant because my abdomen is so swollen. OTherwise I'm tired and just trying to get healthy food down. STill sore but nothing like the mastectomy surgery. I hope you are all healing well
0 -
Thanks Newme and sanfran!
Sanfran...I've been told not to worry about the lumps as your body will absorb some of the graft as some of the cells will die. It will take months to achieve a final shape. So hang in there!
I will be bound up in these bandages for several more days. Until I'm allowed to remove then, all I can tell it that my deep divots and puckers are no longer present. Woo hoo! I'm very sore today. Kind of like after a workout, the 2nd day is the worst. I have two drains and they are working overtime! 140 cc from one and 50 cc from the other. Good news, these drains are placed well - no nerves being rubbed.
My donor sites for the fat graft are complaining - feels like a burning sensation when I move around. Breasts are just sore but they look even and nicely shaped, even if they are swollen at the moment.
I expect the bruising on my donor sites is widespread and a lovely shade of purple... must wear a matching shirt to accessorize!
I checked out my Mentor card, I received two medium height, high profile, anatomical squishies, 495 cc each. Bigger than I thought I'd get considering my TE's were at 450 cc and I thought they were huge!
Guess I had big enough pockets to take them.
How are you ladies doing today ?
Funny thing, I just woke up from a dream where I saw my new breasts and I already had nipples and areolas! Guess my mind is running far ahead of my schedule!
Time for more pain meds and blissful sleep!
0 -
I still can't sleep in a bed at night because of the TE. They end up hurting after an hour or so. The weight (only 500cc) and pressure just make it impossible to be comfortable. Will the implants finally help this? And if so how long will it be after the surgery to feel "normal" again? Maybe normal is too much to ask
0 -
Mom2fourplusmore, How long have you had your TEs? By the time I was almost ready for my 2nd surgery mine felt pretty normal. But I was still sleeping in bed with like three pillows. I'm sleeping like that now too.
LRGO,my drains didn't bother me as much as they did with the mastectomy either. You are getting a lot of fluid so the drains are doing their job!
0 -
mom2four - it may take some doing to find a good sleep position. I still can't sleep flat in my bed (at 5 weeks with TE) but I bought a wedge pillow for when I sleep in the bed, but still find myself more comfy in my recliner.
Sanfrankitty- so glad you are doing well after your exchange! Hope all the swelling goes down
0 -
My squishies feel SO much better than the TE's. Even though I'm only 2 days after exchange and am sore from the surgery, they feel much better. No more hard and tight pulling of the muscle.
Can't try side sleeping yet because of the drains.
Look forward to the exchange, my foobs are feeling almost normal, much like they felt before the mastectomy ( Minus local sensations of course)
0 -
My surgery was June 30th. So I've had these TE forever. During the day I'm fine. I have the iron bra and some nerve pain pain in general I am great during the day. At night I sleep on my side and I wake up a million times with pain that makes it hard to even roll. I don't take any pain meds so it's not that bad. It's just enough to wake me up and keep me up for a little while.
0 -
The entire time I had my TE's (3 months) I slept on my back or partially on my side by propping my back with a firm pillow. I prefer side sleeping, so not being able to do so is a bother. The pillow prop (have a small one to hug too) trick was all I could do to get comfortable.
You might give it a try. Not quite side sleeping but not full back sleeping either. Hope it works for you.
0 -
Mom2four I sent you a PM about sleep. I had my TEs in for while too. About 4 months. I know things will get better comfort wise for you. I do understand your frustration. This is all very difficult to go through.
0 -
The pillows do help a little. I can only sleep on my side so this hasn't been fun and sleeping is kinda necessary. Lol. I'm just hoping when I have the surgery I won't be in pain at night. I'm a little worried that the weight will still cause issues.
0 -
Mom2fourplusmore, I sympathize with you. I got my TE's 6/7 and my exchange is not until early Dec. I also wake in pain during the night and hurt first thing in the AM. Cannot wait for the exchange!
0 -
I had my TEs for 8 months before exchange surgery 5 weeks ago. My PS has had me sleep on my back ever since TE placed. I'm so tired of it. I twist and turn trying to get comfortable. He still wants me on my back so the implants will develop scar tissue around them to help keep them where they belong. I'm almost a year from diagnosis and wish I could curl up in my preferred fetal position and sleep 6-8 hours I go back in a month so hopefully
he will ok side sleeping. I have been the most compliant patient ever because I want a good result . Mine look pretty good but I have some ripples or wrinkled looking area on outer left one which is the non cancer one. So I hope it straighten out or I may have to have more fat grafting there . Honestly at this point I think I'll let it ride a while because the cleavage area looks great and nobody but Drs and DH see the side . Sorry to ramble , feeling tired and hormonal tonight .0 -
Keepongoing, wow..I applaud you on sleeping on your back for so long!! One of my TE's turned and is vertical on my chest. Now I'm lopsided and have to live with it until Dec. I haven't had a chance to ask, but wonder if I caused it by sleeping on my side. My PS never told me not to, so I did. Let this be motivation to you to keep doing what you are doing!!
0 -
I have a lot of pillows on each side to keep me there. I do put a thin pillow under hip occasionally to relieve pressure . My implants are a lot softer and I'm usually very positive but I'm tired!!! And my husband sleeps in the other room to keep from bothering me as he side sleeps and has restless legs . It's all such a life changing experience .
0 -
I wish my husband was that nice. I sleep with one pillow under my bottom, because I'm thin and sleeping on my back hurts my tail bone. I have three under my head, and a few scattered around. I always have to re adjust everything once or twice a night. THen my husband usually gets irritated because he says I move around too much.
0 -
wow, my PS did not tell me to back sleep only. He's not a good communicator. He and his PA did tell me to wear a sports bra or the surgical bra and my lypo corset 24/7 for the first 4-6 weeks... ugh!. After that, the scar sacks should be formed and I can go bra free, forever if that floats my boat.
Sleeping on my back was the only comfortable option for much of my time with TE's.
Sounds like we all end up sleep deprived through this process. I'm sure that doesn't help us heal.
I find taking a sleep aid (Benedryl) has helped. But even with that help, I'm lucky to get more than 4 hours of deep sleep per night. I wear a Garmin fitness band, it tracks movement. My sleep patterns have been awful while dealing with this process!
Can't wait to return to sleeping on my side, fear that is a long way off...yawn
G-night ladies, hope you all are able to rest.
LRGO
0 -
I take melatonin 5 mg and I fall asleep ok but I'm on Tamixifen and have hot flashes that wake me too so I can't get back to sleep . Benadryl is on the list of drugs to not take with Tamixifen ( I used to take it occasionally) . i think DH sleeps a lot better is his motivation as much as being nice.
0 -
Hi all! I empathize with the sleep issues! I just had my exchange 17 days ago. I'm feeling really good, but I HATE sleeping on my back. I have already started cheating. I put small pillows under my armpits so that I am sort of on my side. I just can't get a good night sleep, and I wake up with back pain when I sleep on my back all night.
But I am happy with my implants so far! They are already more comfortable than the expanders. Right now they look pretty good (well, not GOOD like actual BOOBS, but you know, they are symmetrical and in the right place).
Also, it's only been 17 days and I am so sick of these Spanx in this hot weather! It was 100 degrees yesterday. My PS said to wear them for 8 weeks. UGH. Then he relented and said after 4 weeks I could go down to half a day for the second 4 weeks. I have bought 4 different kinds and they all drive me crazy by the end of the day. And I have been wearing the surgical binder at night, but it is so itchy!
0 -
I bought a corset style body shaper, much more "comfortable " than the surgical binder. It actually hugs my body better than the surgical one which was so stiff it puckered and creased in places, providing no compression in the wrinkled areas. Darned uncomfortable and hot. I agree.
I'm only 3 days beyond exchange. It seems my foobs are huge!. Is swelling after exchange normal and do PS typically put excess fat in , expecting some to die?
I've never had boobs this size.. Cant wait to see if they are even, symmetrical and nicely shaped. No peeking until I get the clear to remove the bandages.
I'm like a kid at christmas, waiting to open her presents
0 -
That's funny!I just bought some of those high waisted underwear body shapers on Amazon. I am also having issues with my binder, so have just been wearing a huge ace bandage around my abdomen. Not sure if it's enough support though. Yes my foobs are huge too. I am six days out though and I actually think they, and my belly may have gone down slightly. I have some slight oozing ( gross I know) at the site of the stitches under my chest. But, called PA about it and she said as long as the area doesn't seem extra red it's probably okay.
0 -
LRGO....I am a week post-exchange and just saw my PA today. She said I'm still extremely swollen, so I do think that's probably fairly normal.
0
