Exchange City
Comments
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((Laura)) Thanks, I PM'd you, it has been a rough week-end. I need to try to ship my cape to someone else. The superwoman thing is highly over rated!
((Alo)) Thank goodness you called the Dr. I think it is always best to be told it is "no big deal" Than to find out that you should have come in sooner and we could have treated it. You were very smart to err on the side of caution.
((Sandy)) You did it! Woo hoo.
((Cheri2)) You sound like you are recovering well. I think the vicodin and valium are helping a lot. I haven't seen Ella Enchanted, but I have a feeling the medications enhance the plot some. I agree with you. I was shocked to find out that the babies that Laura had pictured in some of older posts are her grandchildren. BTW, you are quite the beauty too, inside and out, just like the other ladies here. Jan
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Jan, I buried my cape when I got BC... now go bury yours sister!
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Hi everyone. Well I have to be at the hospital in 6 hours. Im excited and nervous of course. Now I am concerned too, see yesterday on my non cancer side I discovered a spot in the scare, right in the center of the boob that is a bump, its weird feeling honestly. I will point this out to my PS in the morning. I hope its nothing. Ok well I think I will try to sleep now. I will update when I can. Thanks for the well wishes.
Teresa
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Teresa- please keep us updated!!! Maybe it is scar tissue!!! You are in my prayers and just remember in a couple of days you will be back in your own bed or perhaps even out of bed and doing your own thing. I was much more nervous this go around than during my BMX! Don't know why. Maybe I was so numb due to the cancer aspect the first time? Anyway- we are all thinking and praying for you!
I had surgery Friday and today I am feeling great. The last time I took valium or vicadon was last night around midnight. I am just a little sore but waiting until I finish eating before I take a valium as it puts me right to sleep. It is just hurting on that one side that he stitched up the pocket all the way up! I can feel it! But my other breast is feeling great AND I EVEN SLEPT ON THAT SIDE last night!!!! WooooooHoooo after 6 months of not being able to sleep on my side!!!! I was so happy!
Rockwell Girl- great job in your dragon boats!!!
Jan thank you and I love your cape idea- ship it off!
I love to garden so have had short nails my whole life. I even cut them down if they get long and file them. I wish I had some advice but don't know too much about that. I only paint my toe nails! Good Luck.
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Good luck on your surgery today, Theresa..
Way to go Rockwell Girl.
I always have short nail with no nail polish because it's required where I work. I can't help on this but hope that you will find a way to prevent this from happening. Good luck.
Alo, I am so glad you callled your doctor.
Cheri and swest glad to hear your update. What a nice feeling to have soft foobs. I
Have a grea day everyone. Celine
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Thanks Laura for the reply to my PM, and letting me work off some stress. I owe you!!!! I took the cape off, ripped it in two, buried 1/2 of it and gave the other half to my DH to try on for awhile. For the other sisters here a small prayer for my sister Sally. She is Oklahoma in ICU in a medically induced coma after a simple hernia surgery went really bad.
Teresa, I hope that it is smooth sailing for you today and that the bump is just that, a bump. Let us all know how you did and what the bump was.
Cheri2, Thanks for the cape reminder. Do you think well worn superwoman capes would get much on Craigslist?
To Pam and Gibby your day is coming up on Friday!
Jan
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Just got back from my pre-op appointment and found out I get to have the freakin drains again - yippee yea! - NOT!!!!!!! He's removing my dog ears under my arms and that necessitates the drains. And the PS thinks the moderate plus style will be better than the high profile. Hmmm - have to think about that. He did say he would take both into the OR. This is just adding to my exchange anxiety and I have 2 weeks to dwell on this.
Thanks for letting my vent. I am just tired of this whole process as are all of us.
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Jan ~ My thoughts and prayers are with your family and your sister Sally.
Peg
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Hi girls! Just checking in before I go out and enjoy this beautiful sunny morning here. We've had so few of them. I'll be leaving Thursday to go to Oakville where I am having my exchange surgery on Friday. I'll stay with my daughter who is a nurse at the hospital there. I can't figure out why I am so anxious about this surgery. Every other surgery, I was calm and ready for it but this time I feel nervous. I think I'm afraid I will wake up and be dissappointed but I don't know why. I have a wonderful PS and he knows what I want. Oh well, I guess I'm just rambling on but I'll let you all know how it goes.
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Well, I talked to 4 docs and they all said to do the nipples next --- so put me on the list for this Friday, Sept 4th. I had to schedule the surgery date soon, before I changed my mind. It has been a long process getting to this stage and this decision, but I am content that I have reserached the options and I ready to complete this process. Thanks for all the advice I have received form the experts (and new friends) on this site.
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Denise... HP is a narrower implant... maybe this is why? Did Dr.P give you a reason. If so.. share it here and Deborah can pipe in....
I know it all seem like so much.. we just want to be done. I probably need fat grafts.. Do I want to take more time off work.. is it that big of a deal... will lipo hurt a lot... will I regret it if I don't do it??? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh... the BC fun never seems to GO AWAY....
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Robin!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.. at least you made your decision sister ! That is a hard step huh?? Just think.." I am going to be a knockout in my own right".. knockout...knockout....knockout...knockout..... ((((((((((((((((((((hug))))))))))))))))))
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Good luck Theresa! You will be fantastic! You too, Gibby! It may be a long week, but the wait will be worth it!
Firstmate! Wow...that was a quick date! Good for you! I hope it goes well!
Jan...prayers for Sally and the whole family....amd prayers work!
God Bless!
Angel
PAM...you too sweetheart! Good luck this week! Hang in there!
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OK ladies...so I am 2 weeks post exchange op....had some stitiching done on my cancer side for the pocket....TE was not sitting well. I looked fine for the first 10 days, saw some improvement over those days too in terms of reshaping and symmetry. So far, so good. So on day 10, my PS had me graduate from the surgical vest to a "stage 2" compression bra with a "wrap". The bra snaps up the front but has about as much support/compression as my first teen bra...which was actually a t-shirt cut short to make pre-pubescent girls think they were wearing one! That lasted one night. the next morning my cancer side (stitched) had slipped back toward the armpit slightly, and seemed to have lost a bit of roundness. So back into the surgical vest I went. I will not see the PS for 2 more weeks, and will continue to wear this contraption alternating at times into a front-zip sports bra cuz I "ain't" messing with this thing...but would be interested in knowing if any one had this as well, and if so, did you continue with the surgical bra and for how long did? Appreciate any thoughts, comments!
God Bless!
Angel
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Jan: I am praying for Sally! A medical induced coma???? How utterly frightening.....praying for great wisdom from the doctors to get her through this....0
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Jan I will keep your sister Sally close to my heart with prayer and positive vibes. HUGS to you Jan!!
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Hey, ladies! Out of town and away from computer all weekend. Cheri - so happy everything turned out so well for you! It made me feel better knowing that you were nervous this time. I was even thinking of asking my priest for "annointing of the "sick" again! I personally was a wreck for both my sentinel node surgery and my bmx, but I'm already getting nervous for the exchange. Everybody thinks I'm crazy - "you're just getting implants, right? People do that all the time....." Ready to wring their little necks!!
Question: despite my best efforts, my parents are coming for my exchange. They won't be much physical help - in fact I think I'll worry about my mom (cervical spinal fusion in April) more than me....Anyway, my sister keeps offering to come help after they leave, probably two days post-op. Should I take her up on it? She was here for a week after my bmx and was a true lifesaver. My ps insists on ABSOLUTELY no arm movement for one week post exchange - keep elbows at waist -so I could use her just to open the fridge LOL! I know he has to do a good bit of pocket work -"tissue release" he called it. I just don't want her to fly all the way here (from S.Carolina) and me feel absolutely fab. I swear...I can't seem to make a decision to save my soul!
Question #2 - Did any of you notice changes in your TEs during the final waiting/"relaxing" phase after fills? I swear mine have dropped and particularly migrated laterally, and they seem larger, too. I was going to ask my dh what he thought, but we all know what he would have said......!!
Thanks! Three weeks from today........
.....not that I'm counting or anything....... 0 -
Angel: I would not mess with that migration issue either and I would do just what you are doing - keep wearing the surgical vest. It's only been a week - a little over a week - you need to wear whatever keeps that breast confined in the newly defined pocket. At night you could wear a sports bra and keep a rolled up sock tucked under the sports bra at the side of your breast to keep the implant in place.
BTW: I use a rolled up sock and the one I use is the sock from the hospital. At Kaiser they use Bair Paws....did anyone else get this garment and socks during surgery?
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Val: Could your parents just stay for the two days post-op, as any assistance will be mainly food prep. I presume there will be no drains....right? And you will have on a surgical bra presumably which you will not take off until you are able to shower - so there is no help needed with garment changing. With a few exceptions [Cheri is one] most of us rebound much faster from the exchange than we can imagine. My sister was also here for my mastectomies and it was a huge blessing. She wanted to come up for the exchange but I said I think I will be fine this time and I was...she just would have been keeping me company after the exchange. You just feel so relieved to have this new lighter sensation on your chest wall - this feat alone will boost your spirits. It is just not the intensive, chest wall tissue dissecting experience you had with the MAST. This is a 1.5 hour surgery [for me it was] versus the what - six or seven hours for the first surgery? A much different animal indeed.
gibby: Most of us felt much greater trepidation with the exchange surgery than we ever did with the mastectomies. It is an odd phenomenon - a sort of "this is it and what if I don't like it" sort of thing and we just have to push through it...I canceled the first exchange date they gave me....I just was not ready.....so I hear you....been there, done that.
Denise: Remind me....you are slated to get around 800 cc's, right? Those moderate plus profile implants in the larger size range look really nice. They have a better width to projection ratio after 600 cc's it seems. Look at KEW and sam1991's moderate plus implants - they really are just perfect for their frames. They have plenty of projection. But refresh my memory about the size again....
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Hi girls: Just saying hi to all and a worried, "oh crap, not again".....
I was on the way home from PA yesterday, loooong car ride, (too long) after dropping off DD at college...I found a new lump in my right natural girl. Freak out time.
I didn't have lymph node involvement, do not have genetics, tumor wasn't HER2neu or anything else other than the "usual type". Have been on arimidex since January, finished chemo last July, had mtxmy and recon...this is the other girl, who did not show a thing in the MRI in January, nor the mammo last November. However, my mtxmy girl had it twice and I've got fiboids galore in the "old" girl who tests clean as of January. Common sense is telling me, if things double in 90 days, and if I was all clear on MRI in January, then anything getting started would have had time to only quadruple, leaving it still itty bitty now. These are palpable and feel like fibroids, round, smooth and moveable. So it would seem to be in my favor, So it also seems that common sense has deserted me today.
Needless to say, I am seeing BS first thing in the AM but I admit it,,,,I'm scared.
Any good words out there from my girls?
xoxoxo
annie
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MooreTennis/Denise: I just checked your numbers and your TE is as follows:
15.9 cm width x 13.7 cm height x 5.7 cm projection.
The Mentor Moderate Plus 800 cc's is:
16.5 cm width x 5.1 cm projection
The Mentor High Profile 800 cc's is:
15.5 cm width x 6.0 cm projection
You are just a few millimeters off width wise, but most treatises I have read suggest that having an implant of greater width than the expanded pocket gives a better cosmetic result. We are talking fractions here, obviously. I personally think he could try out the HP sizer in the OR....just to say he did....but certainly the moderate plus profile would give you better bra cleavage than would the HP.
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Annie: Whoa.....I can imagine how worried you are feeling. But you said:
"These are palpable and feel like fibroids, round, smooth and moveable"....
So it is more than one? It sounds more like little cysts or fibroadenomas but good thing you can get some reassurance from your BS tomorrow. I am praying it is absolutely nothing to worry your pretty little head about....
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(((((((((annie)))))))))) Please keep us updated!
Val- I had my surgery on Friday and the last time I took pain meds was last night 2 am. I have been in a bit of pain today but not too bad. With that said- there is no way I could attempt to drive and have pretty much been in bed relaxing today. With my husband brining me food. I guess if I absolutely had to take care of myself today I could have but my doctor had extensive work to do. He stitched up a bad pocket, made 2 new pockets and stitched a little bit of another bad pocket. Also used alloderm and I have drains. My surgery was 3 hours, which was much longer than my PS had anticipated. And so far, I think I have been the worst case on here. I don't want you to be nervous though, because despite all of that I feel 100% more comfortable to sleep and in general more comfy!!!! I have complete mobility of my arms- washed my hair no problem (nothing like after the BMX) I have more energy then the last time. My left boob feels great- no problem at all. The one with all the stitching is the one that hurts!!!! But no where near as bad as the BMX. I was very nervous too. Why don't you ask for an anti anxiety pill to get you through until surgery? I had my priest come and sit with us pre op and 2 very funny friends from church came too and they had me laughing so much the time went by fast so I didn't get too nervous. Good Luck!
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Val - I am so sorry to hear about your sister. I hope all her problems resolve.
Annie - Oh, my! I hope it is nothing. Best to find out, rather than worrying.
Best wishes for both of you.
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((((Annie))))
Robin - thanks - it's actually my mom, and she's much better now, though still frail. My sis was going to come for my surg, but I think Cheri and Whippetmom have convinced me that I'll be okay.
Deborah & Cheri - thanks for the advice. Sadly, I definitely will have drains (which for my ps precludes showers - yuck!) and he said the surgery should take about two hours. So.....I think I'll be okay, as you suggested. The no moving the arms is one of his big deals - really careful about guarding his work, I guess. Luckily it's only for a week this time!
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((Annie)) Take a deep breath, prayers going that this is just a booby lump. You are smart to rule out anything else. I know as a Uniboober, I fear that a new cancer will show up, even though statistically is very unlikely. Keep us posted.
((Robin)) Whoo hoo, this friday, you get hats on the ladies! I hope all goes well for you.
((Denise)) Drains are a bummer, but are better than a lot of fluid collecting and causing pain. They are a major annoyance, but hey, just think, a nice soft set of breasts are coming your way.
((Angel)) My implants tend to go to the side as well. I wanted them a little more to the center, but I didn't have them close together before. With a bra on they look pretty good. Shaving under the implant side always leaves a missed spot because of the indent there.
((Val161)) The time is getting closer and this is a wonderful thing to get over with and get the prize for all that you have gone through.
((Deborah)) I had the bear paws get up too, Purple the first surgery and white with the second one.
Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers for Sally. They took her back in today and still cannot close the wound. She is and will be in an induced coma for several more days. She will be in ICU for up to 3 weeks. They will attempt surgery to close the wound on Wednesday. Just make sure if you go in for hernia surgery, that the stupid surgeon doesn't nick the bowel, then close you up. Then tell you the pain is NORMAL until the peritonitis is so bad that she nearly died at home. I pray that she can recover from this. She is 57 years old. Jan
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Jan1 and Annie - I am so sorry! You both will be in my prayers!
Well I had my unveiling today and I have to say I a tad bit disappointed. My PS put in the Allergan 14-616. I told him I wanted the 659's. However, the width is perfect on the 616. But the projection is nonexistent. He is so happy with the results. Big smiles. I am now out of the surgical bra and into a sports bra with ace wrap on top. He is trying to prevent movement upwards. I looked on the allergan charts High Profile and to match the width needed (which is perfect) I'd have to go up to 800's and it would add 1.1. That just seems too big to me. Not sure what to do....I guess I wait it out. Maybe they will do the drop and fluff thing.
They really do look good from the front. I guess I'll just need time to get used to them.
Thanks everyone for letting me vent.
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Annie ~ Sending prayers your way. It's good you could get in tomorrow with the BS.
Jan ~ Keeping your sister in my prayers.
Swest ~ I had my exchange May 19 and felt the same way. They have dropped and fluffed so much and I am much happier. Just take it a day at a time. They change so gradually that you don't even notice it day by day.
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Thanks Peggio! That makes me feel much better.
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swest, I would say wait it out but start requesting all of your records. I have requested mine and am waiting for them to arrive. Once I have them I need to send them to another ps that I called, they will review them before scheduling, so it does take a bit of time. My main hesitation is telling work I need more time for another surgery!
Annie, sorry that you are experiencing the scare again. I always had something growing in mine and even when you don't want to worry, you can't help but wonder. Movement is a very good sign. Let us know what the BS says.
Val, so sorry to hear about your sister. I will pray for her healing.
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