Exchange City
Comments
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Bigapple09 ~
The port in the TE is not noticeable...is embedded in the expander...plus I did not feel a thing each time PS expanded because I was SOOO numb anyway...the luxury of having no sensation for once! LOL!!!
Wabiwoman ~
Thanks for the tip! Since my port is right along the fold & the cord is right there too..this is the only thing that is most uncomfortable!
Jan1 ~
It was raining cats & dogs this morning...it's 12pm & no more rain...for now. Looking forward to seeing you in January!!
Many blessings to all the "sisters"!!!
NAE
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NAE, I can't wait to get together with you too! The rain has stopped here, but it looks like it could start up again anytime. Jan
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Packer I'm thrilled your feeling better and made it to the hospital with all that snow
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here is a pix of what one style of tissue expander looks like...
the other style does have a port with a tube atttached. That does stick out about 3/4"
but I think most of us have the style above
on my healthy side I had the implant/expander that had the port and that was located at my bra line down from my arm pit
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They look like highly unattractive sunny side up eggs
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Ladies ~
I just posted new pics...I am nearly 3 wks. post exchange. My aug side dropped down slightly so I would have to agree a lift is needed now. In clothing...hard to tell the difference.
NAE
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Texas: The LD flap is always "threatened" in cases of radiation being done to one breast. That is what my PS says too, BUT... I am not going to assume that I will wind up with one. NOt that they are bad, just that it is not my first choice. I can only cross my fingers that your nips stay where they are put!! The other choice is not to have them done at all. Let the tattoo artist do 3D nips and areolas when the time is right. I assume you are in Texas, Dallas? If so Dixie Medford is there and can help you.
In any case, I wish you the best of results.. JUDY
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Hi everyone,
I'm still fairly new to the boards. Although I will not be having my exchange until probably March, I have finished with my fills and am curious about the next step and the difference in appearance. Please tell me that the implants will look nicer that the TEs. I am also wanting to get an idea about the nipple/areola recon vs tattoos. What do you do to be able to see the pics?
I'm so glad that everyone is recovering well from their surgeries and I really appreciate all the information that everyone is so willing to share. TCK
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Karen: I sent you a PM yesterday because I guess I was over my limit for posting. TCK0
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Hannabearsmom ~
The implants are sooo much nicer!!! I had the same concerns when I joined this thread right after my MX. I had a single MX. The TE was hard & uncomfortable. The new implants are soft & natural & do not at all look like the TE's. Once I finished with my expansions, eventually the TE softened a bit.
NAE
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Packergirl...YAY!! It is such a relief to hear your awesome experience!!!! What an inspiration to others!! I am wondering though why your ps put in the smaller implants.
It sound slike all of the surgeries this last week were all successes!! WOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
I post mostly on the tata site and they know what's been going on with me, but I thought I would post here in hopes it may help somebody else.
I had nipple sparing mastecomy and didn't mind the expanders at all! IN fact I loved waking up with breasts!! I think it made a huge difference in my recovery. I had to go through chemo and herceptin. Jan was my last chemo treatment and my wbc was so low and I developed cellulitis on my left breast. I was hospitalised asap and was in there for 4 days yuck!! I had my exchange March 10th...it felt wonderful, right after the exchange I developed cellulitis for the 2nd time...urgh..I was also very depressed about the size of my new girls. I wanted to be the same size as I was before or at least close to that, plus my nipples hadn't recovered as expected. I would go in my closet and just bawl. :-( My skin was so thin and it kept ripping (the skin under my nipples). I would go in and have my ps sew me up...after the 3rd time being sewn up my ps looked into my eyes and said...you haven't been happy since day 1 and I want to make you happy. So he said he could do a lat flap which would bring more blood supply to my breasts which will totally help my skin to grow tissue and make the skin thicker and he could put in bigger implants. Anyway...I ended up having a lat flap done on both sides May 26th. I've got to tell you it was the most difficult surgery to recover from, and I have had 4 surgeries in this past year. It was nice to have a back lift and get rid of my back fat!! Woo Hoo!!! :-) I right away developed a capsular contracture. urgh!! I worked on it and so did my ps...squeezing and sqeezing. I should have gone and used the mammogram machine!! Anyway the constant squeesing really helped and it broke up a bit. I couldn't have any surgeries for a while since I had had so many. So I waited until my surgery in Oct. I had an abdominal hysterectomy/ooph....plus a new implant on the left side with some pocket revisions. I developed cellulitis for the 3rd time on this left breast!! URGH!! It still isn't as soft as my right foob and hasn't dropped like it either, but with physical therapy it has been getting better!!! I highly recommend physical therapy! It has helped tremendously!
Last Wed Dec 2nd, I had my very last treatment/herceptin!! WOO HOO!!! It has been a long 14 months with cellulitis 3 times and 4 surgeries...urgh anyway I have been having breathing problems and when I went in for my treatment my blood pressure was way low and my blood test was off a bit, so my onc ordered a ct scan. I went last thurs then fri saw my onc for the results. He said that they found a nodule on my left lower lobe of my lung. He also said that I had one in Jan and it hasn't change and they are both very small. He said that he didn't think it was cancer. OK I just about freaked...to hear the word CANCER! When I got home I thought...what just happened??? The appt was all such a fog. He referred me to a pulmonologist to have it all checked out. I went yesterday and she had acted like...why are you here kind of thing. Once I started talking she realized that I am more than concerned about getting cancer again! HER2+ has a high risk of reacurring cancer in other parts of the body and I was freaked!! So she explained that the nodules are very small and way too small to biopsy. She also said all we can do is do a ct scan every 3 to 6 months and watch them. She really made me feel like it's no big deal...but she told me that I have 5 nodules not 2!! URGH!! I am relieved but will always be concerned about reacurring cancer. I hear it gets better.
STAY STRONG MY TATA SISTERS!! WE WILL SURVIVE!!
I love you girls and even though I don't post often please know I pray for all of you daily and send hope and a lot of faith.
HUGS!! Jazzy
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OK girls please say a prayer for teresa (sftfemme65 ) she was admitted into the hospital because of her fever, swelling, and pain. They say they think it's adema (fluid). She is in pain, and a bit scared. Please say a prayer for her. She will call me tomorrow with an update and I will post.
We are thinking of you Teresa!!!
HUGS!
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Hi everyone. I just wanted to update you all that I did call the PS about the blood/fluid coming out of where my drains are and he said that it is common in the first few days after and that it should stop completely (which I am happy to say it has). He said if it did not stop then I needed to call him back but other wise nothing to worry about and then he told me about bandaging it, blah, blah to protect my clothes, like I am at all worried about my clothes! Any way I feel good other than a bit of light head which I think is from the pain meds or coming down from the anesthia (I hope). After reading some of the posts above I see that some are having terrible side effects and infections so I will just stop my complaining about some fluid and say prayers for all the ladies that are not well right now. Big hugs to you all
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Jazzy - Thank you for letting us know about Teresa. I'm praying for her....
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I am also
plus sending many (((HUGS))) her way...
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Thinking of you Theresa!!! Many thoughts & prayers are behind you for a speedy recovery!!!
Hugs,
NAE
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Sending out peace and healing thoughts to Teresa....
And thank you for your story of strength, Jazzygem....
Peace and g'night,
Geena
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Jazzy Thank you for sharing your story, I feel like you should get a prize for enduring so many surgeries. I am glad that you completed the last Herceptin treatment, and now are moving forward. I am glad that the nodules are small and most likely have been there for a long time and don't represent a new growth. You are smart to have them monitored to ease your mind every few months
Thanks for letting us know about Theresa, goodness, I thought that she was beginning to feel better. Please let us know how she is doing or Laura let us know. Keeping her in prayer. Jan
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Teresa -- you poor, poor, dear girl! I am so, so sorry to hear about your hospitalization. Hoping you heal fast, the pain goes away, and you are left with beautiful, perky boobs. Hugs!!!
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Yes ladies, they think she has cellulitious(sp) now...:(....
She had been posting on facebook... so I thought she might post here. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers.... she is scared she might loose the implant.
I have spoke with her daily.. so I will let you all know, if she doesn't, what is going on. Jazzy knows all about cellulitious...:(...
TAKE CARE TERESA.... I am SOOOOOOOO glad now Dr. R. made you go to the hospital and admitted you.... HEAL FAST!
Jaz... can you explain to the girls what cellulitous is.. and what is at risk here?... Some might not know... Also... you can correct my spelling of it.. I am just learning myself what it is...
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(((((((((((((((((packer)))))))))))))))))))))
So wonderful!
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Cellulitis is an infection in the deep layers of the skin. It can become systemic and is treated aggressively with antibiotics for 10-14 days usually. I don't know whether the implant is threatened..
It is caused by either a strep or a staph bacteria that enters thru an opening (the surgery) in the skin. I have had it many many times before I had breast cancer. It is generally treatable if caught early. JUDY
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So sorry to hear that Teresa is back in the hospital -- sending prayers and good wishes her way.
A question about cellulitis... given the very clear explanation from Judy (Facecrafter)... upon my discharge from the hospital I was given antibiotics that I must take 4 times a day for 15 days! I was wondering if that is being given to me prophylactically to prevent cellulitis and whether those who did develop it were also taking it? Interesting, Judy, that you had it many times before BC, so clearly it is something one is prone to.
Anyway, here's to everyone having easy and swift recoveries!
Cheers,
Lilah
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Packergirl - It's so great to hear how you're doing. I remember our talk in Vegas about how hard these expanders are. Mine have been expanded to 550 and 575. My PS said he will take 550 and 600's into the surgery room. He's doing silicone HP's. He said with augmentations he tends to go bigger but with recon's he usually goes smaller. I'm also getting a capsulotemy. I'm kind of getting used to having huge upper pole foobs. LOL! I'm now wondering what my final result will be. My sister told me she was also nervous for that. During this expansion process it's all temporary.
Only a few more days to go! I already had my bloodwork done at the hospital. It will be nice to get the spaceships out!
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Oh, I forgot to mention how strange it was to fill out the paperwork at the hospital and write in "40" for my age - yikes! And to check yes on if I had cancer.
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Facecrafter: I'm in Houston and there are probably reputable 3-D artists around here. But my PS assured me that nipples are easy to do over if neccessary so I've decided to relax about it all. I love your attitude about radiation and the LD Flaps. I've done some research and the so-called "failure rates" of going theh implant only route are a matter of degrees -- not always requiring that women pursue another approach.
Prayers to Teresa!
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Any update on Teresa?
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Lilah, Your antibiotics were most likely preventative from the surgery itself.
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I got home from surgery yesterday and am feeling very uncomfortable and taking pain meds. So glad to hear the others who had surgery are doing well! I am really having a hard time sleeping which isn't helping. My PS unwrapped me yesterday in the hospital and then put me into the mastectomy bra I had bought upon his recommendation and I have gauze pads inside the cups. I have to go back on Tuesday or Wednesday to see him and he will remove the one drain I have and then wrap me tight again so help the drain hole to stop producing. It seems as if a lot of you felt so much better than I am which is kind of discouraging but hope each day I will feel better quickly!
Theresa: We are all thinking of you and praying for your recovery!!
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Theresa---I hope you are feeling better today and that your body is responding to treatment. Here's to getting to go back home soon. Hugs and prayers.
Karen
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