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Exchange City

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Comments

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

    DENISE... WONDERFUL 1200 saline... I bet you will be sooooooo glad this came about! (HUGS)

    Teresa... hoping your sleep was good and the pills are helping with your pain!

    PACKER LILAH THISDAYFORWARD Best wishes tomorrow !!!!

    Breastless... where do you live.. you need to go to ANOTHER PS that your PS is not buddies with.... Lets find you a better choice where you live... PM Deborah or Myself.... I agree with Cheri and Deb! You WILL bet fixed up... we will NEVER be perfect... but close to even as possible is good...:).. hang in there... it WILL be ok!

    Ladies... IT IS FREEZING HERE...... burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..

    Packer... hire Rudolf!

  • FACECRAFTER
    FACECRAFTER Member Posts: 433
    edited December 2009

    LAURA: Your prayer is so on target and wise.  We forget how awful it was at first.  Let's all send our most positive thoughts to all those sisters who are going thru this awful time.  Hang in there- We are with you and care about you.  Go easy on yourself, and heal well..  JUDY

  • blessedby4
    blessedby4 Member Posts: 117
    edited December 2009

    sftfemme65:  Glad to hear your surgery went well and hope your feeling more rested today.

    Ladies can you help me with a question I asked on the page before about having surgery on Friday and then having Herceptin treatment 3 days later on Monday.  I am wondering if this would be a problem with just having the exchange surgery.  I know my onc might allow me to postpone tx for one day but not any more.  Can any one give me some advice on if this may be a problem so soon after surgery?  I guess I am not sure how I will feel and that the chest area will be swollen and this is where they have to access the port for treatment.  

    Thanks for your help!!   

  • Nedeza
    Nedeza Member Posts: 351
    edited December 2009

    Hi ladies ~

    Hope everyone is recovering well.  My computer was down yesterday & I am checking in on my work's computer right now.  Hopefully..my DH will have figured out what is up with our computer.  I REALLY needed to be on yesterday too!  Yesterday was not a good day for me for some reason...Cry!  Of course then the computer's been on the blink!  I went to bed at 8pm which I never do!  As I've been trying to read as much of the postings...I was glad to see one posting from Jan1 mentioning one side feeling cold & not the other....(unilat. thing).  I noticed what some of you have been saying about the "coldness" in the foobs.  Since I only have 1 MX & the the other augmented, for the first time yesterday I noticed how "cold" my MX side was vs. my aug. side.  I suddenly felt down.  Honestly...I just never felt this way.  I wanted to take my Ativan this AM but my DH thought it would not be good for me with working & of course driving...but I felt so nervous.  I also have some other issues..now I'm venting...I've had some issues with my son's PTA Pres.whom I now consider my so called "friend"...this did not at all help with my "depression" yesterday!   Sorry if I am ranting right now!!! 

    It IS hard keeping up with everyone now that our list is growing & growing!  My prayers & thoughts continue with each & everyone of you!  Laura----loved your prayer!!!!  Oh gosh...here I go again!

    Cry  NAE

  • Hannahbearsmom
    Hannahbearsmom Member Posts: 266
    edited December 2009

    Hi everyone,

    I am back home after my ooph/hysterectomy yesterday. According my my docs everything went well during the surgery.I am feeling pretty good with minimal pain. No nausea yet either with is a blessing.  THANKS for all your well wishes. It means alot to have your support.

    I would like to say to the others who have already had their surgeries this week and to those scheduled later this week  that I will be praying for a speedy, painfree recovery. TCK

  • ajones120961
    ajones120961 Member Posts: 21
    edited December 2009

    Hey, stetemme65

    I'm going through the same thing w/my PS... I had my exchange 09-30-09 and told him I was disappointed and that I barely fit in a C cup and before I was a D.  I don't like they look and I think I should  like what I see and I don't.  I also have a sunken in area above one breast and the other it the breast with cancer and it has ripples and a dent.  I go back to see the PS in Jan.  I can only hope he'll do something.  Andy

  • KEW
    KEW Member Posts: 450
    edited December 2009

    Johnson--I have been having all kinds of shoulder problems, but aside from the arthritis and bursitis, I'm having tendon problems.  I've been told that women around menopause commonly develop shoulder problems because there is less estrogen keeping tendons pliable, but that it goes away over time.  I don't know where you are in life, or if you are on Tamoxifen or an AI, but maybe lower estrogen is the culprit.

    Just a thought,

    KarenW 

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

    HERCEPTIN

    I was told I could get my infusion after exchange. I had exchange and about...5 or 6 days later... HERCEPTIN, It is fine ... :) ..

    Blessings!

    NAE..........(HUG)

  • johnson7599
    johnson7599 Member Posts: 10
    edited December 2009

    Karen W

    Hmmmm.  That's a thought.  I am only 34 but I am taking tamoxifen and I do have a 32 lb 3 yr old that I pick up alot.  Who knows?  I just thought maybe since it was sudden that it might be related to the capsular contracture that seems to be getting worse with my TE.  I didn't really think about the estrogen thing.  THanks

  • blessedby4
    blessedby4 Member Posts: 117
    edited December 2009

    I feel like I am kicking a dead horse...I'm sorry to ask again but I guess I am not making myself clear!  The question is not about whether there is a problem with getting the Herceptin treatment itself but would the area be to tender so soon after surgery since they have to access my port right next to the augmented breast work they will have just completed.  Does that make sense???  Not sure how quick you were all up and moving after these surgeries. Not sure if in three days I will feel up to going for treatment and having them access the port.  

    Hannahbearsmom:  So glad things went well for you and that your feeling pretty good.

    gcarter:  Hope your surgery went well today and your feeling better soon!

    Packergirl;  Lilah;  Thisdayforward:   Good luck on your surgeries tomorrow!   

  • Mykidsmom
    Mykidsmom Member Posts: 448
    edited December 2009

    Blessedby4 - Sorry. I can't help you w/ your question. Did you talk to your PS about it?

    Laura - What a nice prayer. I know my heart goes out to every woman going in for a Mx, it is an emotional roller coaster and a physical challange. But we can all attest to the fact that there is life after a Mx.

    Dani - Pre-surgery? I don't have you on the list do I?

    Just to post a funny picture / story that I found on another thread in case you ladies missed it. I figured we all could relate:

    Photobucket

    Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered  a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

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

    HERCEPTIN PORT...

    SS..... I am the one reading it wrong. I apologize.....

    Your port will not be sore after exchange. At least mine was not. I used numbing cream. Put it on two hours prior to STICK. This way.. I NEVER EVER EVER felt a poke in over a year.

    If you are nervous about it.... get the cream from your onco PRIOR to Exchange...

  • MooreTennis
    MooreTennis Member Posts: 90
    edited December 2009
    Deborah and Laura - I am so excited about the new implants. Still a little worried over switching from silicone to saline, but my PS said I won't really be happy with the result unless I have the size I want. An increase of 400cc's should do the trick Laughing PS has already received authorization and my surgery is scheduled for 1:15pm... new foobs for Christmas.
  • Kristinka
    Kristinka Member Posts: 223
    edited December 2009

    I love the iTit!   Just asked my husband if I should get one...   I'm also loving my Percocet - just one pill got me through a rather painful day after my 1st expansion.

  • TXBadboob
    TXBadboob Member Posts: 109
    edited December 2009

    Mykidsmom, I want the iTit for Christmas!!!Laughing

    Deen

  • blessedby4
    blessedby4 Member Posts: 117
    edited December 2009
    Mykidsmom:  This is so funny!  My best friend just told me she had a dream that she had a radio in her boob and her husband couldn't figure where the music was coming from.  We laughed at her crazy dreams that she always has. Told her my surgeon better not drop any ipods during my surgery on Friday!   Then you post this.  I passed this story on to her for another good laugh!!  Thanks for lifting our spirits with some humor!!
  • cnemeth
    cnemeth Member Posts: 136
    edited December 2009

    Laura ~ Your prayer speaks to my heart.  This is the last path we would have chosen for ourselves or anyone else that we know and love (even strangers).  We continue to pray that as time goes by cures will be discovered and fewer and fewer women will have to make choices that take them down this path.

    Deborah ~ I should have Integra tissue expander specifications, etc. for you by my next PS visit on 12/21.  He was thrilled that you were interested and I told him you are a reconstruction patient advocate (next visit I will tell him that you are THE Breast Whisperer).

    MooreTennis ~ Can't wait to see photos of a 400 cc increase!!!  Go baby!!!

    Jazzy ~ You have a treatment place with poles???  That is a great way to celebrate, guess I was thinking that it would involve George Clooney or someone like that.  Must have been my after-surgery meds.

    Note ~  If your PS has done pocket work on the sides of your breasts during the exchange DO NOT SNEEZE!!  I can sit up from a lying position, drive, carry my handbag, pull on my pants, open wine bottles, you name it, almost died when I sneezed this afternoon.

    Prayers for all those having surgery this week ~ Friday is going to be a BUSY day in the operating room.

    Take care, Colleen

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

    I am really happy for you Denise! How did Dr. P get the 1200's??

    JEAN... FUNNY STUFF sister! bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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

    (((((((((((((((COLLEEN))))))))))))))))))))))

  • Nedeza
    Nedeza Member Posts: 351
    edited December 2009

    Mykidsmom ~

    Thanks for making me Smile !!!

    Estepp ~

    This "numbing" stuff...do you think I could use this around my port...I have that adjustable saline in my aug. breast & am not looking forward to my PS poking me since that area  is not numb at all!!!  If so ... what is it called??

    NAE

    Keep your fingers crossed that my computer is up & running!!!

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

    YES NAE!!!

    It is Lidocaine/prilocaine cream..... if you put it on... 2 hours prior to poke.. you are 100% numb!

    Now... you have to put plastic over the cream... I got these plastic 3x2 ish band-aid things.... if you cannot find these.... plastic wrap and tape work too...:)

  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,028
    edited December 2009
    Colleen:  Along with the dimensions, could you find out if you have the single, two or three stage version? And are they curved or standard?  I do like the premise of this TE - I just wish I knew more about this manufacturer.  You are the first person in California I have heard of thus far. 
  • gcarter
    gcarter Member Posts: 53
    edited December 2009

    Now for  the update. My new girls arrived. The right one weighed in at 300cc. Then came the left. She weighed in at 550cc. She was a little bigger then her sista. Unexpectedly she was supposed to be 450..but they were wrong. I hope that they are not

    I was in alot of pain when I woke up but...drugs really helped. I am trying to stay ahead of game ..hopefully no pain soon. I have to admit that the newones are so soft and my ribcage feels the best it ever has. This is a huge plus. Everyone has told me that the exchange should be the easiest part. So far so good. Ever since this journey the positive things have been amazing. The friends and family I have makes me one of the luckiest people, not to mention my friends on this thread are so inspiring. Being included here was one of best positive things in my journey because I belong. I finally can acknowledge my BC without the guilt of only going through 1/3 of what women have endured or are enduring through the journey. I needed all of you.

    If there is one thing that I would like to see on our signature is our real names. Its time I am on a first name basis. I will eventually learn the all but, there has got to be an easier way. Any thoughts or in site?

    Thanks for the positive welcome, the silly faces, the beautiful pictures, the support and of course the sense of humor. Sense of humor makes me smile and I  know how contagious it is.

    On halloween this year I thought that I would cut a whole out of my shirt (where i had the mastectomy). Draw a dark line across my scare, attatch the longest eyelashes and on my stomach, draw a side smile. It was a wink...Wink My husband was not as thrilled but, I made people laugh with the idea. For me laughter is the best medicine. I do try to deliver it because it feels good!

    Thanks for letting me ramble on and on. This is one of my new side effects from anethesia. I talk and talk. LOL

    gina michelene (pitrucelli) carter

  • rockwell_girl
    rockwell_girl Member Posts: 517
    edited December 2009

    so excited for all my sisters : )

  • Linda54
    Linda54 Member Posts: 509
    edited December 2009

    Hello sisters

    I just wanted to pop in and tell you that I posted my final pictures on the forum.  Updates on the nipps and a few pictures of my journey.  All of you have a very special place in my heart and I will always be so grateful for all the help and encouragement I received from these boards.  I am not saying goodbye, just that I am finished and I am trying to regain my life after breast cancer and all the surgeries and part of that is not spending so much time thinking about it.  I will be lurking sometimes to see if someone needs my help and to check in to say hello.  PM me anytime..

    I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2010.....

    take care

    Love Linda

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

    Linda54... thank you

  • juliempw
    juliempw Member Posts: 191
    edited December 2009

    Deborah,

    Wow, I see why everyone loves you!  How in the world do you know so much!?

     Thank you so much for helping me through this.  I believe that I have mentor expanders, as I was given a pamphlet on them.  I was told that they would hold up to 550cc which scared me because I'm guessing that will be my max--something about having someone say "this is all I'm going to let you have" just doesn't sit well with me.  

     Part of my stress is related to the fact that one side looks ok but the other just looks freakish  so I'm afraid I won't ever get to a size when I a say "oh yeah that's the size for me".   Do people really do that?

     I'll update with more info after my appointment tomorrow.  Thank you so much for arming me with questions to ask.  Researching cancer is easy but this part of the process is so foreign to me.

     Julie 

  • Breastless
    Breastless Member Posts: 14
    edited December 2009

    Hi sisters

    Thanks for all your kind comments.  Just to clarify my PS did not suggest the referral to this new PS.  He wanted to refer me to a one of two old guys in my city but I said I wanted to be referred to a doctor in another city which I heard does great work....He agreed to refer me to her but who knows what he will say in his referral.  I'm hoping he will be professional.  .

  • Jan1
    Jan1 Member Posts: 281
    edited December 2009

    Lilah,  Just in case you catch this, a big prayer for your peace of mind today.  I pray that you are comforted by those who love you and for great medical care. I am up praying early for you. 

    Packergirl, I am up for you too!   I hope all goes well and that you get a great pair of "breasteseses"

    Thisdayforward,  Today is your day too!  Prayers for a safe journey and great outcome as well.

    Post when you can, Hugs

    Jan

  • Hannahbearsmom
    Hannahbearsmom Member Posts: 266
    edited December 2009

    Good morning everyone!

    Linda54: It's got to be exciting to know that you have made through the entire reconstruction process! I'm very happy for you. My next step-the exchange-won't be until early March 2010 but I'm sure that it will be here before I know it. I too look forward to a time when breast cancer is not so in the forefront of my life.

    Breastless: I'm glad that you are seeking out another PS. You need to feel like your input/questions are being addressed. This process can be stressful and emotional. When I first found my tumor I went to a general surgeon. Because my fine needle aspiration came back negative and I have an extremely strong family history, I had the lump removed and then learned that it was cancer after all. Anyway, I then decided to change MDs for various reasons (and communication or lack of communication was one of the reasons). And I wanted to be at a large cancer center after It was confirmed to be bc. My new BS told me that any decent MD would(should) not take it personally for their patient to switch MDs. You need to be comfortable with what is happening with your body. Good luck with the new doc and let us know how your appt goes.

     Take care everyone! TCK

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