Exchange City
Comments
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I just went and had a second opinion with a different PS for my exchange this afternoon. Now that's how a plastic surgeon should behave! What a difference! I was putting up with such a disrespectful jerk! I trust that not only is the new doc very capable but I feel like he listened and got my concerns. I feel like I'll be able to work with him if any fine tuning is necessary. I feel safe. This is the hopeful/ rebuilding part. It should be like this.
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you’re right, Rachel! I didn’t realize how great my surgeons were until I read the horrible experiences of someposters here. Glad you found a better choice.
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I will do exchange surgery with prepectoral reconstruction the Tues or Wed of Labor Day week, then return to work the following Monday. Does this sound feasible? My PS says "yes", as do two friends who have had this surgery. Are there drains involved with the exchange surgery? (someone please tell me NO) And how quickly do people bounce back and resume normal activities/exercise? I am a middle school teacher and I coach tennis, so once I return back to work, it's 100%. I love my students, but they have no concept of "taking it easy" even if the teacher isn't feeling well.
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I had my exchange on a Friday and went back to work on the following Tuesday...I moved slow but was fine. I also teach, but was off any exercise for 6 weeks...so don't think coaching tennis is part of the immediate work load, but teaching, sure.
No drains.
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I do know this one! There will be o drains for my exchange and I don’t think others have either.
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I was told I would not have any drains after the exchange, but did end up having 1 that was only for a week and much easier to manage the 2nd time.
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I was told 95% chance no drains but ended up having 2 drains for a couple weeks but I don't think that is a the normal experience. But, after experiencing them the first time it was much easier to adjust. Hopefully you won't need them.
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I also had two drains with exchange.
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I had drains as well.
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ReadyAbout- My surgeon told me I had a 50/50 shot with drains depending on how much scar tissue from the first surgery. And luckily, I didn't need them so no drains here.
She also said depending on your job she recommends taking 1-2 weeks off after exchange. I teach high school and she said I'd be really tired and sore and would recommend taking off two full weeks. Never ended up being an issue since I had it done in July. I totally get that you don't want to bounce in and out, and with middle school - they won't necessarily go easy on you so I'd try to take 10 days. I'll be two weeks out from my exchange on Wednesday and I'm still feeling tired and sore. I could probably teach if I had to but I'm so glad I have a few more weeks til we go back!I'm not allowed to lift anything heavy or put my arms above my head until I hit the two week mark. And no heavy exercise til six weeks out.
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ReadyAbout: my surgeon always uses drains for anatomical ("gummy bear") implants, so I had drains. The drains were in for a shorter period of time, maybe 10 days vs 13 days for BMX.
I substitute for middle school, and we've had a few teachers in and out for BMX, and Ex. Our students are able to take it easy on the teacher. I would not advise playing tennis for a while. Could you demonstrate tennis but be easy on yourself? Demonstrate in slow motion or with less force? Ask your PS in your case.
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Hello all, exchange day is finally here. Surgery Thursday. I'm excited but nervous. Outside of post op discomfort did most of you notice an immediate difference with the new implants vs TE's? Also guessing I will feel pretty beat up around the fat grafting areas?
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I had post op discomfort, especially since PS did a lot of pocket work.
The left TE had drifted towards left armpit area. So having the implant place correctly in pocket, not in armpit, was a relief!
Also implants are softer then TEs.
Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery.
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Deb - most people recommend with exchange surgery - DON'T look in the mirror. It can take 3-6 months or more for all the swelling & inside stitches, etc. to resolve. Only then will you get an idea of what the finished product will look like.
And agreeing with Mominator. No arms above the shoulders for at LEAST 2 weeks. No lifting until released by the PS.
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Deb - I completely agree with previous posters. I would not say I had immediate relief due to extensive pocket work. So I was pretty sore in and around the chest cavity for a little more than a week. However the fat grafting wasn't a big deal at all. She took from my stomach and it wasn't much so that helped. It just felt like a bruise. I'll be two weeks out on Wednesday and my stomach is fine. I'd say most of the other pain is gone too but - to be honest - I'm still quite uncomfortable. I'm still stiff, in part, because I'm still sleeping sitting up to help with swelling and I'm not moving my arms much. The foobs are soft but feel foreign. My PS said it could take 6-12 months to feel "normal" again. So while the pain is gone, there's still discomfort if that makes sense. Good luck to you for a speedy recover.
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ReadyAbout I had my exchange over Spring Break. (So I wouldn’t miss any more school days). I had my students do any heavy lifting and I was fine. No drains. I got very sick after my surgery. Some stupid stomach bug that was going around. That was worse than my exchange recovery.
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August 17 is my last chemo. I'm scheduled for implant exchange surgery with new PS on September 13th if I'm fit enough. I'm still waiting for an authorization from my insurance to go out of area for this surgery. If I have to fight them I will. I guess they often have to. I might have to write a scathing letter about my original PS. The leader of my support group has helped women write these letters. Man what a difference a week makes. My new PS asked me to send him photos of BC reconstructions that I liked the look of so he could get a sense of my aesthetic. I emailed it on Friday not expecting a response for at least a few day if not more and he replied Saturday morning! ...two whole paragraphs asking for more dialogue about the desired shape and size.
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Rachel, loving your new PS. He's a keeper!
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Thank you all for your replies. ljm, I wish you a speedy recovery too. I don't expect to have too much fat grafting but who knows. Restrictions sound similar, no more than 10 lbs for a month, no arm raising for 2 weeks. No pushing, pulling , tugging either. I have the time so I took 3 weeks off work since I work in surgery then light duty if needed. Rachel, so glad your second opinion was better. I was scheduled for the exchange 6 weeks post chemo. I had the most uneventful course, counts stayed up all along. He still asked me to wait if it wasn't a "hardship" of course, it wasn't so I waited. He said 6 weeks was the absolute earliest for the exchange. I could just tell he preferred waiting and if it decreases the chance of infection it's worth it so here I am 9 weeks out. When I read these experiences with seromas and infections it does make me a little nervous. Nothing is without risk as we all know. Thank you all again
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DebAl: I'm scheduled to have my exchange 3 weeks out from chemo ! Am I making the wrong decision? The PS is willing to do it if my blood counts are good, I pass EKG pre op check and it's okay with my oncologist. I've had minimal SEs and my blood count levels have been holding steady all the way through. I healed relatively well from my double mastectomy surgery. My oncologist says if I make it through this last chem the same he thinks it will be okay, I'm pressured to get back to work but don't want to end up with infections. Darn another hard decision. I'm tired of this.
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Rachel, I had mine exactly four weeks from chemo along with a prophylactic mx on the other side. I was fine. Hope it goes well for you. Let the docs know how you feel
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star2017: thank you. I want it done sooner than later if possible. That makes me feel better.
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Rachel, same here. My ps preferred doing it before radiation, and I was glad it worked oit
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I hear you Rachel. Maybe others that have been through chemo will chime in too. And please don't think I was inferring you were making a bad decision either. I"m not . We are all here to look out for each other. You may do just fine. I trust my PS and he flat out said he would not touch me b4 6 weeks. At 6 weeks he would have done it if I insisted. I just can't do that because to some degree he is the boss. It just seemed right to wait as bad as I wanted this behind me. I'm sure he is basing this off previous experience. I'm thinking it's because chemo has a cumulative effect and the further out you are probably decreases the chances of infection. He is also one that wont do fills during chemo. It was hard for me to wait because I breezed through chemo. If you proceed maybe you can ask for an extra lab draw a day or 2 before to be sure your counts are still good? We are in this together girl!
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DebAl: auh the limitations of writing. I didn't take it that you were saying I was making a bad decision. I want to make an informed decision and appreciate all input.
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I have my exchange, fat grafting, and port removal next Wednesday. It will be 7 weeks post chemo. The breast surgeon, oncologist, and plastic surgeon all prefer to wait 6 weeks after chemo. Throughout this entire process, I’ve been surprised at how doctors have such varying opinions on every step of the treatment
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debAL
My PS said the same thing...I didn't want any issues so I did it at Week 9 post chemo. FAC was rough on me. I wanted to be strong going in too. Infection risk is higher than average with exchange surgery...reversing gets messy.
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Scrafgal, my PS said mastectomy with expander placement has about a 10% infection rate, whereas the exchange surgery is about 1%. Again, different doctors and such different opinions. It has made each decision so stressful, not knowing if there is a definitive “right” answer
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I was treated at a large cancer center where they see a population that might be more at risk given the treatments. Maybe my doctor's view was skewed because of what he sees a lot.
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Deb, I didn’t have drains, even with gummies. He said there was the smallest chance I could have them, but it wasn’t necessary. I only had drains in for 6 days with bmx. I too chose spring break for my ex. We get 2 weeks so I had plenty of time. Just like others said, no lifting, pulling, pushing etc for at least 2 weeks. I had some pocket work on one side but not too bad.
Remember, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should “. Be careful! You don’t want to disturb anything. Follow your doctor ‘s orders to the “T”. It is easy to do too much.
I wore s soft front close bra, no underwire, 24/7 for a long time. It just felt better to keep them put.
Take care,
Robin
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