Exchange City
Comments
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Shoregirl, my friend had tattoos doneby Vinnie in January and paid $400 for each tattoo. I can't imagine it would cost $2000 for a set! I wonder where your PS gets her information.
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Leslienva $400 sounds much more like it!! Maybe my PS is just trying to keep me from going to Vinny so his office gets the money!!
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shoregirl- I'm sorry your surgery was so painful! I hope you are feeling better now. We must have the same PS (did you go to JHH?) because that's exactly what my PS told me about nipple reconstruction. I have a follow up with her next week and will bring up the subject again. Please let me know if you hear from anyone who had nipple recon done successfully.
Best wishes
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Grandma3x, I have two friends who have had successful nipple reconstruction. I had mine done two weeks ago, so I won't know for awhile if it was successful or not.
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Shoregirl, funny that you were fine before the BMX, but had butterflies before the exchange. That was me exactly! I was very anxious yesterday before the exchange surgery, more so than before the BMX, maybe because I had longer to think about it and kind of knew what to expect (drains, pain, etc!) You start to drive yourself crazy the more you think about it! I'm fortunate to only have minimal pain (just took Advil today) but just took a Percocet so I can get some sleep. I was on Percocet for a good 3 weeks after the BMX, so I can certainly sympathize. I hope your pain eases up every day!
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Shoregirl, eemaxx, robinblessed54, leslienva and others! Thank you for the update! This is the night before my exchange and I have the butterflies too! I guess it's normal!
Thank you for the sports bra ideas! Sending you all hugs and smiles! 0 -
heartful best wishes for tomorrow.
Shoregirl, I had side skin and pocket work with my revision. It is painful. Rest and take meds as needed. I was told than Vinnie is $800 for both 3D tatts. My original PS knows him. I think I will have 3D done with new PS though. Covered by insurance that way. Take it easy.
Scottie
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All you ladies, Vinnie charges $800 for the set. Kingster has them. I went to Corey Miller of LA Ink fame. He charged me $600. He also knows Vinnie. Corey is amazing! I love them. I didn't want to do the nips. They have a high failure rate. Plus, I didn't want to have more scar tissue. The need for nipples is over.
Hope you ladies that just had ex are feeling better soon. My ex was easy, just took otc Tylenol. Just had some pocket work to even them out
Robin
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heartful, try not to be anxious!! It's the end of day 2 for me and I am already a lot better. Like Scottiemom11 said, I had sideboob work done and a little pocket revision, I am sure that is why I had more discomfort. Plus I just can't be kept down. I have been going nonstop ever since my exchange, going with my mom to her medical appointments. The softness of the silicone is sooooo nice though!!! I LOVE IT, Way better than those heavy clunky turtle shells!! My Inspira rounds look so good, I don't think I will even need fat grafting!! I will call Vinnie tomorrow, get a quote straight from the horse's mouth!!!
Best wishes for you ladies getting ready for your exchange!!!
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In your pocket, Heartfull! Shoregirl, I am sorry you are dealing with so much pain. It's funny, my PS was disappointed that I didn't want nipple recon. I plan to get 3 D nipple tattoos instead. I really want to use Vinnie but another member told me about a tattoo artist pretty local. I can't imagine paying the airfare to Baltimore. I am very encouraged at the improvements the last couple days to my implants. Radiated side still is wonky but softer. Right side is a tiny bit dropped and to the side but I think the sports bras are helping. My scars are looking better with the calendula lotion and coconut oil.
You all are just the best. I am grateful to be part of this group.
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Molly, since you are in the LA area, you should go to Upland to get your 3D tats from Corey Miller. You need to make an appointment at least 6 months out. His shop is called Six Feet Under. Let me know if you would like me to PM you with a recent picture. My PS was also disappointed, but it is my body and if I was going to have more scar tissue (I keloid very easily), why would I go through that.
Hope you heal quickly. Blessings, Robin
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I am trying to put a new avatar and I can't see it. So this is a test.Robin
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Shoregirl, I just made my appointment with Vinnie for September, it is $800 for bilateral tattoos. You have to be 5 months out from your most recent surgery before he will tattoo.
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Resting here on the couch 48 hours after my exchange and thinking about shopping for bathing suits for summer! Haven't had my follow up appointment yet with my PS to ask, but what kinds of bathing suits are best for our "foobs"? Underwire or no underwire?
Heartfull, good luck tomorrow!
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eemax, i bought a nice one piece suit at JC Penny a couple of years ago. It had crisscross pleats under abd over foob area. It is Liz Claiborne retro style. I am almost 63, so not into bikinis!
Robin
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Thankyou, Robin!
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good evening recon sisters!
I've been off the forum for a while, working and getting back to "life". I have some experience to share in answer to recent questions posted here:
I have had trouble with rotating anatomicals (Mentor 495's). My first exchange was in August 2016, the right implant rotated about 30 degrees. We decided to exchange it with the same type in January. The replaced implant also has rotated, again about 30 degrees so I think it must be related to my muscle or body structure. Leftie has behaved, is settled and fluffed (softened). I think Rounds look better on younger women, and my 55 year old body would look odd with perky symmetrical foobs so, my PS and i agreed to try "burying " the implants under fat - call it fat sculpting rather than exchanging both with rounds. Today I had fat grafting again on both sides. My PS gave me some "bonus" lyposuction (Ok, now I think I kind of love him for that! ;-) i think my waist is looking better than it has in 20 years!
As for insurance not covering grafting.... Federal Laws are in place requiring reconstruction to be covered by insurance. It sounds like the insurance Co is trying to skirt the law by reclassifying the established procedure as experimental. I would talk to your PS about this. So far, my experience with FG is that it IS working, even though about 75% of the graft has failed each time in my case. Today was my 3rd round of FG and we are nearing a pretty good result, in spite of the rotation. I think the insurance Co should be reported to the Feds for pulling this trick.
Thanks for the discussion about tats vs recon nips. I'm having second thoughts about the recon route due to the failure comments. What are the stats on failure? So I am now planning on Vinne M tats instead of hospital tats. The cost is high, but when i think about looking at them for the rest of my life + the fact they are a work of art...My decision is easy. I'm saving up for the best. He has a shop just across the "Border" (im in Texas).
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Eemax,
4 months from exchange, settling in and one side small divit. Both kinda Barbie boob looking. I might consider fat graft but it would have to get worse than this. I'm 67 so what the heck. Got this great suit, Vince Camuto from Macy's. High enough to hide top of implants, has very thin liner that is removable to smooth things out, and shelf bra, no underwires.
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67? You like fantastic!
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Hey guys...I've talked to a lot of plastic surgeons about nip recon before I took the plunge and got my Vinnie's. The vast majority was against it (including mine) that said they flatten out and cause scar tissue which makes the ink not hold as well. When I got my Vinnie's, a lady from Atlanta Georgia said that she would not have gotten nip recon if she had to do it all over due to how much flattening occurred. Vinnie's are $800...$400 at the time you make your appt and $400 at time of service. My insurance reimbursed me $315 after I was granted a benefits exception through my employer ( had to contact human resources). My claim and appeal were denied because I have no coverage "out of network". Medical grade ink fades very fast and looks terrible...think twice about going to a doctor for tattoos. Ask robinblessed54 about her experience with medical grade ink. The best part about my tattoos is that they don't look like tattoos!
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yep! Went the PS first for tattoos and they looked horrible! My real tattoos don't look like tattoos either. I just can't stop looking at them, they are amazing! Worth every penny.
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I just came back from seeing Vinnie. I live in Mich and happened to find tickets to Baltimore for $48 one way. My friend and I went for one night and I was able to pay for both of us plus motel and car. Had a great time. $317. Vinnie is good. Just expensive. Hoping to get it back from ins...
You're probably done by now.
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Hello, I'm now 3 days post exchange surgery! It went really well! My only pain is in the lower left breast in the incision area...I assume it's from the bra compressing on the incision or some type of rib pain. Hopefully it will keep getting better! The surgery is much, much easier than the first surgery! Wearing the surgical bra 24/7 except for daily showers!
So happy to be moving forward! Hugs to you all and thank you so much for all of your helpful ideas! 0 -
Hello to long-time friends and welcome to newer ladies! I've not been posting much as there's so much stuff going on with my family.
LRGO: good to see you. I'm so sorry to hear of your rotating anatomicals. Please explain more. Your first exchange was anatomicals in August 2016. Righty was replaced with another anatomical in January 2017. Righty rotated again and both were then just (4/28) buried with fat grafting? Or was Righty replaced again?
I'm pretty sure that my Lefty has rotated about 30 degrees, as the top of the implant is pointing to 1:00 o'clock. It started gradually, but now I am aware of Lefty most of the time. It is uncomfortable, heading towards painful. Righty is starting to feel a little tight, almost like a TE again. I see my PS tomorrow afternoon for a looksee and find out my options.
I would like to hear more about rotation and treatment options.
Keiki: you look GREAT for 67! Kudos to you.
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Hello everyone!
I'm back from my visit with PS.
PS said that Lefty has not rotated. What we are feeling is not the implant, since implants are soft and squishy, and this is hard. It's some type of tissue, maybe a cyst or scar tissue (or ??).
We need some imaging to know what is going on.
I have a script for an MRI. I already called the MRI provider and went through the pre-appointment medical clearance. We can't make the appointment until my insurance issues the prior authorization for it.
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Hi ladies I'm coming here now because I will be having my exchange next week and I visited with the plastic surgeon today and I'm not very happy first of all I wasn't happy with the incisions from my double mastectomy because it wasn't as I was told it would be(skin sparing)u and now they have to extend the scar even further to take care of some puckering that occurred and I won't be able to have origami nipples I'll have to have tats due to previous radiation on my right side in 2008 and I have 800 CC expanders. I weigh a hundred and seventy pounds so they don't look very big and he said they're not going to look any bigger when he's done well at least he was honest but I'm sad that I feel like I'm not getting anything I wanted after all the pain . I just got done with chemo and I certainly have the blues today hopefully it feels better to have these expanders out and implants in thanks for listening
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Mominator,
I had a hard lump on my right side several months after my implant exchange. I had a needle biopsy and it turned out to be fat necrosis. It eventually reabsorbed.
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Linda, I hope the blues pass soon.
Yes, there's a lot of disappointment there.
Some good news: many ladies here say they like tats better than reconstructed nipples. I don't know about origami nipples, but many ladies say their reconstructed nipples flattened out. Lots of ladies like the tattoo nipples, especially Vinnie's or other professional tattoo nipples, not medical grade nipples.
My native breasts were 38 DD, large and ptotic when I was 190 pounds. After loosing 55 pounds, my breasts were still 36 D or DD and still droopy. I am 5' 2" and currently hovering around 160 pounds (boo-hoo, gained some back). My implants are 450 and 495, around a C cup on me. I like my implants. I am now wearing 36 C and I am very happy with my smaller breasts. My clothes fit better. Many people have commented that I look great, even though they don't know I had BMX and reconstruction. I just look like I lost weight and got fit. I don't miss the larger breasts at all.
Good luck on your exchange. It will feel better to exchange TEs for your implants. Also, the implants will have a better shape than the TEs.
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Linda, I just have tats and I am very happy. I just didn't want to deal with another procedure and the healing time. Maybe other ladies can chime in with their opinion.
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Just got back from my one week post-op appointment after my exchange on 4/26 and got my drains out. Woohoo! That feels so much better. I'm still a little sore at the incision site on the one side, and a little itchy, but I'm planning to head back to work tomorrow. I had a nipple sparing double mastectomy back in December, and I'm very happy with the results of my exchange. If anyone has questions about the nipple sparing, feel free to ask. It definitely makes me feel more like "me".
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