Exchange City
Comments
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Hi Ladies,
I would liked to be added to the list for Aug 5th exchange and nipple at the same time.
I had my second mast Apr 9th, set back in May with an infection that had to be surgically debrided, able to keep my expander and on to quick fills 100cc at a time w/o pain.
I was so excited in the PS office today looking at the catalog, being measured....more pictures and all I forgot to write down what I am getting.........I know it is silicone........moderate profile......400/450 left side and 450/500 right side 14.5 cm wide and 4.5 projection......I think I remember it correct/ probably not but anyway I am so excited to be at the end of the road and yes she will be doing the nips at the same time with a graft from my underarm boobs but she said I would have to have some kind of hard plastic shell over them for awhile...forgot the name...and I might wake up with a surgical bra and if not it would be going on at the post op follow up in the office, also I will have 2 drains again...i was under the impression no drains after exchange but o'well.......
Thank to all
Melissa
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DV8Q--Hmmm...I'm with Deborah on this, he should have told you this ahead of time, I'm sorry you have to go through this extra mind stuff before surgery. I have big hugs for you and hope that all goes well tomorrow, and you wake up with soft girls that look and feel great. If you ever want counsel from another PS, PM me and I'll give you the name of mine, he works out of St. V and Good Sam, he really is amazing and kind.
Hugs,
Karen
http://rfcp.convio.net/site/TR?team_id=42052&fr_id=1110&pg=team
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((Tg33- Trudy)) I am so glad that you are doing well and happy after the exchange.
((Dawn)) 1 month from tomorrow
((DVQ8,)) You should have the final say on what type of implant is being put in your body. I think that your physician should not put you in a position like this on such short notice. I will let you know that my sister has saline implants to replace her 25 year old silicone implants. They were not offering the silicone implants a few years ago, so had to go with saline. They look great, but she has augmented breasts not reconstructed breasts. She said she would go back to silicone when she needed these replaced as she liked the feel a little better, but is happy with what she has. I will be thinking of you tomorrow as well as ((Snoopygirls)) for your exchange surgery. Report in when you get a chance.
Got some not so good news on the "Mom", my mother in love who has a breast lump. Her PCP called her with the results today. She has "ductal carcinoma" but since it was a needle biopsy, she won't know any details of grade or stage until a lumpectomy is done. She see's a surgeon next Friday. She is an 83 year old fighter. Jan
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Jan. I just want to say.. you are a sweety.. keep supporting the gals..you are a value here to the boards!
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Jan... your m-i-l is in our prayers...
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Ladies.. please let us know how your exchanges went.. praying for tomorrows!!!! GOOD LUCK.. and let us know!
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DGVQ8
I was the other person that Deborah was referring to about seeing a ps that only did saline. I went for a second opinion because I am totally freaked out by the implants that my ps has ordered for my Tuesday exchange. The second ps told me everything that I wanted to hear, allergan smooth round high profile, smaller in diameter than my tissue expanders etc... The only red flag was he told me what he would probably use on me and it wasn't familiar. I messed up the style number but the one closest was saline. I called the office the next day with questions and mentioned that I only wanted silicone. They called me back and said the ps only used Saline and he discussed that with me. I told them he absolutely did not because I am not interested in Saline.
My daughter works as a pharmacy tech and was telling the female pharmacist about my experience and that I didn't want saline. The pharmacist thought I was crazy because saline is so much safer and the replacement rate is lower.
I have a very bad feeling about my upcoming surgery. I am getting textured, which seems to be unheard of. And they are larger in dimension than what I wanted.
I don't think I am sharing anything here that is easing your anxiety but just wanted you to know that I am right there with you!
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Ladies, my prayers are with you who are trying to decide on what will be best in your recon. I think we all second guess ourselves by habit, and it's wonderful that we have a great place like this to come to for support and knowledge.
I'm giving my foobs until my followup in August to get better. I'm already rippling and I know they've dropped again. PS better do something or I'll have to go somewhere else, but I hate to because I really like him and his staff. They look great in a bra, but hang low without, too low!
O.K., my little rant of the day! Thank you ladies for listening.
{{{{HUGS}}}
Deen
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((Laura)) Thank you, I get concerned that I say too much! BTW, how old are your children? They are so cute! 10 more days for you until exchange day, I can't wait to hear how it all worked for you!
((Dani42)) ASK! ask! and ask more until you are satisfied with implants you are getting. I don't think your PS would appreciate YOU choosing a testicular implant the size of a malt ball made of saline, for him. The point is I think he would want some input on what is being put in his body. Go forth and BE BOLD. I declined the textured implants after the help received here and my PS agreed with me after discussing the benefits and risks.
Next week is a very busy week for the ladies here 7 exchanges!!! Wow I can't wait to see how everyone fares. I didn't list your names, but you will be well thought of on your day and a prayer said for a great outcome! Can't wait to hear from all of you on how you did! Write when you feel well enough. Rest, be pampered and take care of yourselves.
Jan
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Those are my grandchildren Jan... but thank you for the complement...~wink~
Our children are 23 and 18... our grandchildren are 2 and 1
My hubby and I were young marrieds and our oldest son married his high school sweety too.. they were young marrieds.. sooooo we are young grandparents..:) It is GREAT!!!!!
Our youngest son is starting college next month and dh and I are AMAZED at how we get to come and go by ourselves again...lol....
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Oh mercy me Jan, that was just priceless!!!! A malt ball gonad!!! LOL! It would be equivalent to those mini sirloin burgers at Jack in The Box. [And I second Laura's comments about what a treasure you are to us here on EC! Say too much? Heavens no! I am blessed by the comfort you impart with your words...]
DANI!!!! I am PM'ing you right now!
Deen: Could you post your photos on the picture's forum to see if we can help?
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Jan! - that was hyterical!
Deborah - I fear I am in for a scolding!
Deen a co-worker worked for a plastic surgeon for over 20 years and she told me to be patient after my exchange (nearly impossible for me) because it takes 6 months for them to settle.
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Good morning everyone. I've been a quiet member on this forum and I believe this is a place to go for support because everyone's so great, wonderful and lots of great advices to fellow BC members.
I have dmx and te last April 30 and still in the filling process. So far at 350 cc on both sides.My last fill, PS added 100 cc. Should I go for another 100 cc? Before I see him, I will take a Valium and Vicodin for comfort.Is this a good idea? I have a 38 rib cage and my te's capacity is 550 cc. I wanted to have a size C but do not know how to get there since I am poor in calculation. Am I asking too much since I am only 5 feet tall. I just happened to know that my PS placed a textured TE (Mentor) on me. I read on this post that textured is not good. Can you help me understand why not? I am going to see my PS next week and I have a list of things I wanted for my foobs.I can add this to my list if it's not too late.
Thank you in advance for helping me out. God bless. Celine
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Celine: No - all tissue expanders have a textured surface - we were referring to textured implants. You are fine with your current TE. Please find out what style of TE you have. We know it is a Mentor 550 cc's, but is it low height, medium height or full height? There will be a style number. Your PS will have that data. You might have been given a little card at the time of surgery...this helps determine the actual dimensions of your pocket created by the expander. Question also: It sounds as though you had a one-sided reconstruction? Is this correct? Are you going to have an implant/augmentation/lift in the healthy breast? All of this is involved in the size of implant for the exchange.
We also need to know if your PS places implants with greater cc's than the expander or if he places implants with less cc's than the expander. Future fills and the need for same hinges upon this method of exchange. Your PS knows what your skin can handle as far as further expansion - skin integrity does have much to do with implant sizing. So get some additional information from him and let us know.
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Hi lovely ones,
Just checking in. Looks like I have to go back to the OR on Tuesday for removal of skin that will not heal. Bilat mx 6 weeks ago, expanders placed - and the side that was radiated 2 years ago just not wanting to get better. I am a social worker and I've had to cancel a day of clients - but doc said this could not wait for fear of infection. She says my new scar will look like a "T". Geesh.
I'm typically not a fatalist - but I fear this is shades of things to come. I'm guessing I'll know if and when it becomes time to cry uncle. My PS keeps reminding me that the lat flap would have been a better option - I just don't want that....
The up side is that my pain with the expanders has been far less and my ROM continues to improve.
Thanks for listening,
Geena
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((Celine)) you are a very wise woman to think about all of the questions that need answering. Deborah and Sandy are the booby guru's here. For what it is worth, I have a 31' bra band circumference and a 500cc Mentor moderate profile implanton the mx side. I am a nice C cup, don't have the projection that I wanted, and the PS said it won't come at a later date.
((Geena)) I am so sorry to hear of this setback with the infection, I hope that this is something that can be cleared up rapidly.
((Laura)) Grandchildren!! Good God, you are so beautiful and young, I thought those were your babies. I started young too, tried to earn my Girl Scout merit badge in child bearing. I have 2 grand sons, ages 3 1/2 and almost 2. Too bad they live in NY and I live in CA!
BUMMER news and I am ticked off. I picked up MIL x-rays from this year and last year with her. You can clearly see the BC on the x-ray from 2008, it was never biopsied. The radiologist that read it this year caught it, he was the same one that found mine last November. I ask for two radiologists to read my x-ray's. My ex Brother in Law was a radiologist and he taught me to ask for a second reading by a different radiologist to improve the chance of catching an abnormality. Jan
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Geena: Why are you against the lat flap? I have seen some beautiful results with this procedure on women who have had prior rads. I know it is mammoth to think of that type of surgery...but it is a great option. Hopefully this fix on Tuesday will work. So sorry you have to go through this...you are in my prayers...
Firni: Just read what you wrote yesterday. You blessed me with those words!
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Jan: Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your MIL's diagnosis. And then to find it was missed last year? It is this kind of thing that shakes us and makes us feel so utterly vulnerable. I know you are a great blessing to her. Are you going to let them know they missed this? They might hop to on her care from this point forward...0
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RE: PICTURES FORUM
I have been informed that Timtam is having some family issues and so she has not been able to check her messages the past week or so. She also lives in Japan and so time zone wise - it might take a full day or two for a response. So if you have applied for entrance and have not heard from her, this is the reason. I am sure she will be getting back to everyone very soon. I am sending prayers and well wishes her way....
Deborah
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I have my report and it says a sub-muscular pocket was created on both sides to allow for the placement of a 550 ml moderate profile Mentor 6200 series te on each side. I do not know if it is low height, medium height or full height. I will ask my PS for a card when I see him since I didn't get one. In the report, it also mentioned that the pocket created was approximately 13 cm in diameter. My general surgeon did the sln on my left side and bilateral tissue-sparring mastectomies while my PS did the reconstruction after wards.The last time I talked to him, he said I can go to 500 cc's te fill but will give me less cc's than the expander at the time of the exchange. Is there anything I need to ask him when I see him next week? Thank you for answering my concerns... kudos to you, Deborah. You are awesome. Celine
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I'm so excited I can hardly stand it - I HAVE A DATE FOR MY EXCHANGE!!!!
September 21st!!! Funny....that's exactly nine months after my bmx ...........kinda like being pregnant LOL! Anyway, had my 6th fill today - put in 40cc each side - which brings me to 245cc & 255cc (cancer side - no rads). PS wants me back in four weeks, at which time he'll probably add a little bit more. We talked a bit about implants, but said we'd really get to it at the next appointment. He said he prefers the Allergan 45 and 20, as they generally have more projection than the Mentors. When I asked him about the volume differences, he said "don't worry about the volume. It's the width we want to be concerned with." He also will address my TE height difference, which you'll see when I get my pics posted at some point. I don't have an expander card, though by measurments I think I have the 133SV-12 (12x8,4x5.3). I have some time to consider my options, but I'm certainly open to opinions! 0 -
Hi all,
((Deborah)) Thank you for the update on Timtam!!! As for my choice not to do lat flap -- I am a metalsmith on the side - and need my back muscles for that. I can't risk any weakness there - it's just not worth it to me. I know some women come out fine, but I also know some women struggle with weakness for the rest of their lives.... It's implant or nothing!
((Jan)) Thanks for the hug!
Geena
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Geena: GOOD REASON! GOT IT!!! Metalsmithing eh? You are this tiny little thing and you wrestle with metal. You crack me up!
Celine: I have your TE info. Width: 13.5, height: 11.7 and projection: 7.4. Your ribcage is 38 inches and I personally think that you need an implant with at least 14.0 cm width. I think that you would be happiest with the projection of the Mentor High Profile, but in order to get sufficient width, you would need an implant volume of 600 or 650 cc's - maybe 550 cc's would be enough - 13.6 cm wide I believe. A Mentor Moderate Plus of 450 cc's would be 13.6 wide by 4.2 projection. 500 cc's: 14.1 by 4.3 and 550 cc's: 14.6 by 4.5. It is hard for us to make recommendations when the PS wants to go with implants of less volume than the expander. He is doing so to get a modest natural droop. I personally think that a Mentor Moderate with at least 450 cc's will be necessary to get you close to a "C" cup. We would need to see your photos to get an idea of your skin integrity - how your TE is looking on your chest wall and the dimensions, as compared to your remaining breast. Sandy can help more with this - she had a unilateral and she has something more to share in this regard.
Val: Refresh my memory - what is your ribcage circumference?
Deborah
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Ladies - thank you so much for all the prayers and support you have given me. My exchange went wonderfully! I am healing and waiting to see how they turn out - hopefully I will get nips in a couple of months! Or should I say a nip since I had skin sparing on my left side. I thought I would be a little bigger than I am, but whatever I have is more than I had before my mx - I was a AA! Love you ladies.
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Oh - I have Allergan style 20's - 450 cc's
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Hi everyone! I am having my exchange on August 31st. I always saw this board but never came on here...but now I belong! yea! I will be having Mentor MemoryGel Silcone implants. Anyone else have these? I would appreciate any info you have.
Teresa
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so sorry to hear of you gals that are having problems with infections and healing issues , hope all works out for you all...... my prayers go out to all of you.
For the gals having troubles getting your PS to listen to your questions and concerns........yell, jump up and down, do whatever you need to do to get what you want.......it is the least you deserve after going thru all this cr*p with bc.....which sucks BTW.
Good luck all you gals having procedures next week.
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Kim, Glad to know you are doing well, what type of implants did you get? Are you happy with how everything went?
Teresa, Welcome! I have a 500cc moderate profile, smooth memory gel implant, It is so soft after the TE. I didn't get the projection I was hoping for, but am bigger than I was before the mastectomy.
I also had the left breast augmented for symmetry with a 275cc memory gel implant. I had the exchange on 6-15-09. I really suggest describing the type of look you want with the PS (take in a picture if necessary) sometimes it is hard to describe a breast feature that you like and size, then verify that the Mentor is the implant that will do the job you want. If you have any question on how a implants size will tranlate to your body size and type, ask Sandy or Deborah. The education they share here make for better outcomes by making us think and not accept that one size or style fit all. Jan 0 -
Jan,
They said they can use a high profile or a moderate plus. I dont know what would be best. I am a size 12 right now, trying to loose this nasty weight and 5'5". I love the projection my expanders have so I was thinking high profile but Im wondering if Im too fat for them, I had heard that they are only good on small women. Any thoughts on this???
Teresa
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Teresa, I don't have any clue on how implant size translates as actual breast size on women. Deborah or Sandy will read your e-mail and give you some great input. I didn't question my PS about different brands and eventual look on me, and I regret not asking. My foobs still have a little of the hamburger bun look, but they seem to be dropping a little.
Teresa, with everything you have going on, I wouldn't suggest a drastic diet, that just adds stress when you least need it. I was a size 12 and 173# and 5' 6" last November. I changed my lifestyle after the BC "wake up" call. I have lost between 25 -30 # very gradually, I also have a job that forces me to walk 4 to 6 miles; 3 to 4 days a week. What made the biggest difference for me is my husband started a lower carb, higher protein food plan with lots of veggies and we both have been the beneficiery. Thanks for joining the group here!
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