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Comments

  • Cheri2
    Cheri2 Member Posts: 185
    edited September 2009

    first mate- how did it go????  I hope you are happy!

  • firstmate
    firstmate Member Posts: 153
    edited September 2009

    I had my nipple unveiling today, and they are BIG.  The PS says they are swollen and will shrink quite a bit.  But, it is amazing -- they look like nipples -- just BIG nipples.  I have to be careful not to put any pressure on them for another few weeks.  So, time will tell!

  • firstmate
    firstmate Member Posts: 153
    edited September 2009

    Jan -- I had the criscross cutting as well (for scar tissue and capsular contraction).  The surgeon makes cuts in the area like this XXXXX.  It seems to have worked fairly well for me.  The scar tissue is still a bit tight, but not as bad as it was before.  It was creating a stricture right across the middle of the implant, causing a deformity. 

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited September 2009

    HAVE FUN JUDY... and learn a LOT for ladies who get tattoo'd   .. 3D nips...:)..... I have seen your work... WOW!

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited September 2009

    Jan.... yes... what Robin said.... :).. I have been at work all day.....

    GOOD LUCK WITH EXCHANGE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Jan... Linda54 said hers are really big too.. and after time... they will shrink...LOL... You will have to wear a tight white tee in Vegas... LOL ... Happy you are getting done sister!

    JUST A SHOUT OUT!!!

    LADIES GOING TO VEGAS.... it is time to get active on that thread... there is a Susan Komen Event there Sat. Night 6-9 pm... if we buy tickets ahead.. they are 30 bucks... anyway.... I think this is something we should so as a group... how awesome for us all to be there in our TA TA shirts... and tell our story about meeting here on BCO.. the place that gave us so much... including our freindships...anyway... get on over to the Vegas thread.. we only have two weeks till we jump on those planes....:)

    L.

  • KEW
    KEW Member Posts: 450
    edited September 2009

    Deen-

    I'm glad things went well.  Are you willing to post photos of the graft area?

    Jan-I'm so glad Sally is improving, what a blessing.

    Vegas Gals--Don't forget we will want to see pictures.

    Also, Janet, Kathie, and I will post pix from the Race for the Cure --in just a couple of weeks--I can't wait to see them in person!

    Robin--It sounds like things went well!

    Hugs,

    Karen 

  • sftfemme65
    sftfemme65 Member Posts: 74
    edited September 2009

    I have a question.  After your exchange did you ever wear a bra with wire?  if you did, when were you allowed to? 

    Thanks to anyone that can answer that.

    Teresa

  • Estepp
    Estepp Member Posts: 2,966
    edited September 2009

    Teresa... PS all say different things on this...

    mine said I could where whatever I wanted... after ONE week.

    I did buy a push up wire bra... it makes me VA VA...LOL... I wear a Warners  cotton stretch bra daily... COMFORT ( kohls)

    So.. my PS said yes.. ( but I also have feeling in the breast) and it was 1 week...

  • sftfemme65
    sftfemme65 Member Posts: 74
    edited September 2009

    good deal.  I am going to check out that Warners bra myself!

    Teresa

  • gymgirl
    gymgirl Member Posts: 12
    edited September 2009

    About the underwire - I wasn't cleared to wear it until 5 months after the exchange. I have silicone, I can wear any type of bra I want but am more comfortable with ones tha have a thin layer of fill to cover the nips that would otherwise show through t-shirts.

    Another question was about how often to massage? My PS said every time I use the bathroom. I just got in the habit since I'm sittin' there anyway. It's not really a massage though. The PT showed me to push them together, push them up, then down, then grab ahold and twist them one way then the other. It's all to keep the implants moving freely within the pockets.

  • Believe1
    Believe1 Member Posts: 31
    edited September 2009

    I had just had my two wk appt. with my ps and now I wont be seeing him for 3 mo. and he never said a word on massaging????????  That is so weird to me how we have all had pretty much the same thing done, yet the after care is so totally different. I will be calling the office today to ask if I should start massaging, because 3mo. is a long time to wait if I should be doing it now.

  • TXBadboob
    TXBadboob Member Posts: 109
    edited September 2009

    Hi KEW!

      I can shower today, so I'll try to get DH to take a pic after I scrub off the sharpie marks!:)

    My PS said I didn't have to wear a bra, but I wish I had, because they fell a lot.  I am most comfortable in sportsbras, but I haven't tried the Warners.  I think I will now!:)

    Hope everyone has a great day!  Remember, too.

    Deen

  • 4greatkids
    4greatkids Member Posts: 89
    edited September 2009

    How much money do you think we have all spent on bras, sports bras and camis since our journeys began? We could all be very wealthy!!!

  • Believe1
    Believe1 Member Posts: 31
    edited September 2009

    TXBadboob, what do you mean they your breasts fell alot from not wearing anything? My ps assured me that they wont go anywhere, just settle and look more natural. How far can they fall?

  • Jan1
    Jan1 Member Posts: 281
    edited September 2009

    ((Laura))  I agree, Judy does great work!  I will get the chance to meet her in March 2010 when the DH and I worked a vacation visit in and around Sarasota Florida.  I am going to have Judy do my Tattoo.  I am leaning towards having just the nipple made and then have Judy use her talents to replicate what BC took away.  I am blessed to have connected up with the sisters here and the knowledge and talents they share to keep me moving forward in this journey.

    ((Robin)) Thanks for answering my PM.  I have so many questions about nipple reconstruction and your answers are helping me.  I just wanted to know if those that had the nipple made, now was it done and are you happy with the results.  This is the next phase of my journey and the insight you sisters have is so helpful.  Hugs!  Jan

  • gibby
    gibby Member Posts: 25
    edited September 2009

    Hello all!!  I am finally home with my new girls! I couldn't be happier! I got 410 gummies and they are just beautiful. I am still a little tendre but wow are they pretty. I went from an A cup to a full C. My PS didn't have me wear a bra or anything and so far so good. I just wish that everyone could be as pleased with their outcome as I am. Now it is time to get the rest of my body back into shape for the upcoming ski season. This does wonders for a girls self esteem!!

    M.J.

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited September 2009

    Gibby:  What size did you get and could you post photos on the pictures forum?

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited September 2009

    My implants dropped also.  With partial unders, the only thing holding up the implant is skin and the Alloderm sling.  As we age, ahem, ahem, our skin thins and becomes more lax and stretches easily with the weight of the implants.  So I too must wear a support bra on a regular basis, although a few days a week I wear a strapless sundress w/o a bra.....But the implants CAN and WILL bottom out in some women, without regular lifting support. 

    4greatkids:  Are you wearing a support bra?  You need to find a bra which pushes your breasts towards center and upward....out of your armpits.  A wireless push up bra would do that for you. 

  • 4greatkids
    4greatkids Member Posts: 89
    edited September 2009

    Deborah- My ps still has me in the tight compression bra during the day, and the sports bra at night. It's just over 4 weeks for me, and I see him in 3 more weeks. I have to say that when I do my massage, I push them up and in, and they look good. So, I am thinking that you are right on with the wireless pushup bra idea. Do you remember the name of the bra you recommended a few weeks back and you thought it might be available at Marshalls/ TJ Maxx? I looked in our Marshalls a few weeks ago and they didn't have them. ( I got some nice shoes, though) Now, I'm going to go to TJ Maxx and I can't remember the brand name.

    I just read that you can expect to see dropping/settling on your less dominent side before you see it on your dominent side, and that you may always have more of a drop on the less dominent side. Anyone find this to be true?

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited September 2009
    4greatkids:  Now I have to say that I have a friend who is a natural, born-with-them, double D cup and they actually still look very good at 59 years of age.  But she is also a bra-junkie, bra-addict and she knows everything and I mean EVERYTHING about bras and she has worn support bras her adult life and her breasts are a testament to good treatment.  She frequents TJ Maxx and Marshalls, where she finds some great high end bras.  There you can find Natori, Wacoal, Le Mystere - and other high end bra manufacturers.  The "catch" though is that you need to take the time to try on these bras to find something that works for you.  It is not like going to VS or Nordstrom, where everything is categorized and salespeople are there to haunt you....I mean HELP you... You are on your own in the mixed up, jumbled up morass of bras at TJM and Marshalls....and it can be daunting and overwhelming if you do not have an hour or two to devote to the hunt.  I really like my Natori 136001 bra and my VS Angels wireless push up bras.  Neither of which have I found at TJM or Marshalls.  I purchased my normally $65.00 Natori bra on Ebay - brand new - for $30.00.   
  • aoandrews43
    aoandrews43 Member Posts: 32
    edited September 2009

    Put me back on the exchange list :-)

    I'm having my 585cc Mentor CPG gummies replaced with 465cc ones on October 6. It sounds like a big difference, but the way it works with the anatomicals is interesting. The smaller ones are only 0.5cm narrower and 0.2cm less projection, but they have a shorter 'height' (size they take up between collarbone and belly). I think that will give me about the same projection/ look in clothes, but I will have less weight and they won't take up as much room on my chest. She will bring in one larger size (515?) in case the smaller ones seem too flat.

    My ps needed to do a revision anyway since there is a fold on one side and the scar is under my bra line. Once we met and really talked about it, she could see just what I was talking about with wanting to be smaller. The one issue is that the pocket for an anatomical really has to fit so it doesn't turn. So she said if she thinks that could be an issue, she may use a round silicone instead of the anatomical. But I feel better because I think she sees now what I'm trying to 'avoid'. 

    Thanks SO MUCH to everyone here and on the picture site that helped me think this through. I brought all the sizing information to my ps and she was very impressed with what I knew (and I told her how helpful this wonderful site/thread is). She teaches other surgeons about how to size the anatomical gummies and said they have a lot of trouble with it.

    Thanks again,

    Alice

  • mom2b
    mom2b Member Posts: 4
    edited September 2009

    Hi Ladies,

    I had my exchange surgery on 9/8 and all seems to have gone well, per my PS. I'm taking it easy at home. No pain. Wearing a sports bra. But I have several questions... when should I start massaging the implants? Will any lotion do? And finally, I've read about "fluff and drop," but would like clarification. Right now I think my implants look flat (Mentor HP 350cc's). I'm not currently very pleased with the look. My DH told me that it's too soon to judge the outcome. Is this true? Will the look change in the next few weeks. I hope so. Would love some input. Thanks!  

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited September 2009

    With everything I have read, don't start massaging until your sutures dissolve....which means about 10 to 14 days.  Some may have been advised differently.  I would give it at least two weeks to a full month for the releasing of muscle and skin or "fluffing" to occur.  For some [complete submuscular placement] it is longer....

    Wow aoandrews - not too many here go smaller.  You are in a minority to be sure!  You probably have some girls thinking "Don't give them up!  I'll take 'em, I'll take 'em"  But you need to feel comfortable with the end result and this is so important.  So we hope the smaller size works better for you....but I do know I have read what your PS stated, about that pocket needing to be exactly the right size...so will she have to perform some significant pocket revisions, i.e., reducing the size and shape of the pocket?  BTW:  Did you ever post photos on the pictures forum? 

  • samiam40
    samiam40 Member Posts: 93
    edited September 2009

    Hi exchange ladies.  I haven't been on these boards over the summer, but just had my exchange from TEs to gummy bear implants on 9/9 and have some questions. 

    My plastic surgeon and I never really discussed the ultimate size that the implants would be.  I trusted her that she'd use her expert judgment and we joked that she promised to make them big enough so they stuck out farther than my stomach!  Even after the operation, when she said she used the biggest implant that would fit, it didn't occur to me to ask what size it was.

    Well, I finally pulled out the implant ID card and checked it against the Allergan online catalog, and it looks like my implants are Allergan 410 FX (= full height, extra full projection) size 615.  I notice Allergan uses grams, while you all talk in terms of ccs.  Is this the same thing?

    I can't believe it looks like I got one of the biggest gummy bear implants.   This is so funny to me, since I had droopy little A cups before cancer.  Now, I am not a small girl (5'7" & "big boned"), but I've always had "small girls", if you know what I mean.  It's kind of hard to picture what they are going to look like when they settle, since I'm only 2 days out from surgery, but did I end up with some ultra huge foobs?  (I haven't taken any pictures, either before or after--I just couldn't risk having that on my hard drive when we share computers with the kids.) 

  • Alitman
    Alitman Member Posts: 95
    edited September 2009

    I am starting to think about nips.  My exchange is scheduled for Nov 24.  I have been toying with going without but I am finding a lot of resistance from friends, family and my PS.  I really don't relish the thought of another surgery and have recently found another discussion board relating to 3D tatoos.  Facecrafter - I understand you do this.  What can you tell me about it?  What do I need to know?  The photos I found make it look like a real nipple but wihout the protrusion.  Any advice on the subject from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

    Allison

  • Wink
    Wink Member Posts: 476
    edited September 2009

    One of my questions at my PS consultation was about CC.  He said that when the implant was under the pectoral muscle, every time you move your arm it massages the implant - thus reducing the incidence of CC.  Was anyone else told that?

  • kittycat
    kittycat Member Posts: 1,155
    edited September 2009

    For you gals looking for bra sizes that are larger, Soma makes really nice and comfy bras. After I had my breast augmentation, I had a really hard time finding bras that fit correctly. Trouble is that implants fit into bras differently than real breast tissue. And Victoria Secret bras seem to run smaller than the other bras too! When I first got my breast aug done, I was a 34D. I did not look huge, I swear! Lol! Anyway, after time, I wasn't fitting into my bras well. I found a Soma store and loved their bras. I bought a 34D, but one day tried on a 34DD for fun and it fit! So, you never know, until you try! I was kind of glad that I didn't buy too many bras, since I have to go through this process all over again! Plus, I don't want to be a full D/DD again. :)

  • janloy
    janloy Member Posts: 32
    edited September 2009

    Hello Exchange Ladies: I'm new here but do see some familiar faces. I just finished scanning all the past posts looking for information about my upcoming exchange. I just finished my fills. I feel huge and a bit awkward as one boob is lower and off to the side. Oh well, not an issue for me.

    I just want to know more about the exchange surgery. I believe mine will be November. I will find out Monday. How much time do you need to take off work. I think work is pretty sick of the cancer patient - LOL. My TE & lat was delayed one year from my bi-lat due to treatment.

    I'm pretty happy w/the fills. I think I am much bigger than they thought I would be. He didn't think he could get me back to my 34B due to radiation damage but it seems we have gotten there. I understand my implants will be smaller than what I am now.Which brings me to another questions? What kind? I'm leaning toward silicone.

    Thanks for your help.

    Love and prayers to all,

    Jane

  • TXBadboob
    TXBadboob Member Posts: 109
    edited September 2009

    Hi Samiam40!  Glad to see you're done with your chemo!Congrats on your exchange.  Different sized implants look different on each person, depending on how much was taken at mx, chest height and width, muscle, etc.  I have 600cc, and they don't look huge even though I'm 5'2, 118 lbs.  We still talk a little at Feb Surgery thread, come see us!  I'm on Zometa, too, how is that going for you?

    Wink, I've never heard that, but it makes sense.

    Alitman, whether you decide on nips or not, it's YOUR decision, not anyone elses.  I hope you find some good info.

    Janloy, congrats on your upcoming exchange.  Don't worry about what they think at work, they can't understand what you're going through.  I'm glad they were able to get you back to your size.  Check out Laura for info on rads skin, as she is a wealth of info on that, and a fun gal, too!

    Deborah, can you tell me how long it took your fat grafts to reabsorb? Mine are still swollen, so I can't tell yet.

    Hope everyone has a great weekend,

    Deen

  • firstmate
    firstmate Member Posts: 153
    edited September 2009

    MJ -- I am so happy for you, and so glad you are pleased with your outcome.  Enjoy :)

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