Exchange City
Comments
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Ok ladies, I need to hear something nice about your implants.
for those who have had their exchange... please compare and contrast the TEs to the long-term implant. I met with my PS today and learned that I will be getting saline implants and he says they will feel just like the TEs which is a huge disappointment because I really wanted to be more comfortable than this.
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DiDiT -- Aw hell what a thing to have to go through on top of everything else. Sorry to hear this but bravo to you for staying upbeat about it! Yeah, Geewhiz is right, Herceptinn without port will be OK. Only a 1 hour transfusion (at least for me it is) and not so toxic (I find my only SE is heartburn the night of the transfusion). Hope you are feeling better and share with me the mantra: this is not forever, this is just for now. You will get all put together (and nicely I am sure) before you know it.
Laura -- how is it going kicking the pill habit? I so hear you. I take SO many pills (for diabetes, for High BP, for High Cholesterol... I used to say I had the trifecta with those three diseases... not sure what it is when you add Cancer and make it four). I bought Viactin (I think that's the name) caramel chews for Vitamin D and Calcium supplement today -- at least I can chew something tasty for a change
Hope you are feeling good.Geewhiz -- you change your mind just as much as it feels right to change it. And let's hope that wherever you land (in the end) you are happy with the decision and the outcome.
Cheers,
Lilah
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DiDiT, What a total bummer but what a great attitude. My non-cancer side has been my pain in the rear as well. I've decided it's mad at me too, but when all is done, I'm convinced she'll feel better and be quite happy to know she doesn't have to worry about that darn C word invading her space.
Geewhiz, We're all here to listen so you keep processing with us and we'll help as much as we can.
Julie
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Big Apple ~ Fabulous new photo!!!
Do many PS's do the fat grafting at the same time as the nipples?? It seems odd but I guess the implants aren't going to move, just adding fat aaround them??
Welcome to all of the new ladies!!! Colleen
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BigApple~
Love your updated photo!
Astorm~
First of all...WELCOME! The long term implants will be like night & day compared to your TE's. I had questions myself when I jumped on board this forum during my expansions. The implants are soft & definitely far different from the hard TE's. I actually have both kinds...a silicone in my MX & a saline in my augmented side. I really cannot tell the difference between the two...but I do know they feel awesome...literally! Not sure why your PS would tell you such a thing...it would have discouraged me too if I was told the same! Anyway, don't worry...it is much better!!!
NAE
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kookiesmom - i had both implants removed and exchanged for implants that were 300cc's bigger than my original implants (3 days before Christmas). I was able to still cook Christmas dinner and returned to work the Monday after my surgery. A week and a half after surgery, I was able to travel for business. In my experience, the second exchange and recovery was pretty much like the first exchange. I didn't think I would want another surgery but I wasn't satisfied with the size. I am very happy that I made the decision to go bigger. I hope you reach a decision that will make you happy.
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Nae,
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been reading comments on this site and everyone says the exchange/implants feel so much better than the TEs. Maybe PS just doesn't want my expectations to be too high.
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Katey: I want you to really clarify for us WHAT style of silicone implants you are getting. I am just a little alarmed when you say "420 ccs", because the only 420 cc Allergan silicone implant is the Style 10 - which would be just terrible for you. Totally wrong for your frame and in my estimation, totally wrong for nearly every woman who has had breast reconstruction. There is virtually NO projection with that implant. It is round and flat as a pancake and only works for women with a really large ribcage who want just a small mound on their chests.
I would not recommend anything but Style 15 or Style 20 for you. My ribcage is the same as yours - I have Style 20. Style 15 is moderate PLUS profile and Style 20 is high profile. Cancel and reschedule your appointment if necessary - to get this right. That style is archaic - almost no one uses that style any longer. I think you should have at least 450 cc's....
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AStorm - I have had both silicone and saline implants. While the silicone were softer than the saline, the saline implants are no where near the feeling of the TE's. My TE's were like steel turtle shells on my chest whereas the saline implants are firmer than silicone but they have 'give' to them, look like breasts instead of odd shape objects and do not hurt my ribs (I am able to bend over and paint my toe nails now
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AStorm, Big difference from the TE's to implants. I too was worried that there wouldn't be too much of a difference but I can tell you that the implants feel like real breasts. They don't hurt your ribcage and they are soft and squishy! Perhaps saline are not as soft as silicone, but they are way more natural feeling than the TE's.
BigApple, Beautiful new pic!
Terri
Edited to add: MooreTennis, so true about painting toe nails (made me smile). That was impossible with the TE's
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Colleen -- I do not know about other PS, but mine would not do fat grafts at the same time as the nipples. I have not had fat grafts done as yet -- I may wait a year or so. The thought of anymore surgery nauseates me --- I have had 5 in the last 1 1/2 yrs.
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MooreTennis - thanks for your input about going bigger. I'm still mulling it over. Wow 300 ccs bigger than your original! Your skin just stretched out and wasn't too bad ? That is very encouraging that you were able to go back to normal so fast. Did you get silicone this time or saline? Why the change? I have silicone gels. Sometimes they feel kind of heavy. Can you wear a bra all day and not be in pain? I don't want to be Dolly Parton I just would like to be a C like I was naturally.
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geewhiz: Ha! Indicision is my middle name!!! Boy do I perfectly understand what you are going through. So you make whatever decision works best for you and fits your plan for going down this road we are all going down together. I do think getting a second opinion is a great idea though....
Here are the Atlanta plastic surgeons I have heard of:
Mark Deutsch, M.D.
L. Franklin Elliott, M.D.
Keith Hanna, M.D. [This is ehall's plastic surgeon and she has had excellent results. Her photos are on the pictures forum.]
Thaddius Fabian, M.D. - Works with Dr. Hanna.
LAURA: Do you recall the name of Karen Moody's plastic surgeon in Atlanta? She has not been on the boards for a week or so...I'll try to reach her. She really loves her PS and he does do great work....
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kookiesmom: If you have the skin flaps sufficient for 100 cc's - I would not perform an exchange for less than this volume.
Storm: I have never heard of a PS telling a patient that the implants will feel the same as the TEs. Ask him WHY he says this. Make sure he has some happy patients....
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JUdy, I went back and found your post to Deborah about my TEs. Seems like we have the same TEs. So I went back and found some of your earlier messages and saw that you not only have my same TEs, your PS recs 800mg Advil every 8 hrs. after fills and you live in Sarasota. I'm wondering if maybe we are both going to Moffitt?
I'm going to PM with details about fills. Deborah said to be cautious about overfilling with these expanders and that's what my doc recs. I'll PM you tomorrow. Time to head to bed, deekaay.
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Hi Ladies,
Haven't been on this thread in a while but I did want to let you all know that I just posted my nipple pics. Hope they help some of you out in your decision on whether to do the nips or not. I absolutely love them, I'm so happy that I did it. Now I'm looking forward to the tattoos in February. All the best to you wonderful ladies - you all deserve so much. Thanks too for all the help and encouragement you gave to me while I traveled along this road. HUGS, Dawn
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Oooo Nice new pic Big Apple!
How was your date????
Cheers,
Lilah
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DENRulzBC
I looked at your picts and they are amazing!
Thanks
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My exchange is set for the 20th of January. At first I was real calm about this process. Now I am freaking myself out second guessing everything. I am due to get saline implants, mods (not sure if they are mod plus or not). I think I would feel better if I just knew how I was going to look once this process is over. I am so tired of looking like a cancer patient, my hair is slow in coming back, just got the 5 oclock shadow look, this week. Last chemo was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Just feeling overwhelmed right now.
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smore: One thing we can't do is spped up the process.. I know how you're feeling. It will pass, it will be better, you will look fabulous. Hang in there, January 20th is right here!! JUDY0
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Deekay: Yes, I am going to Moffitt. My PS is Dr. Paul Smith. You can PM me anytime.. (I don't have a PM from you yet...) JUDY0
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Great information Whippetmom. I have an appointment 10 days before surgery and will bring this up. I could have incorrect info, have trust in this ps at a top nyc hospital, will double check size, style and make of final implant. What is actual size difference between 450 and 420? My last implant was 450 but looked smaller than what I have now because of encapsulation. My husband, daughter and a couple friends think size before my last saline fill was fine. My left side now looks too large and right smaller! Of course the shape of these TE's is plain silly!
Thanks Kookiesmom for reply! Maybe this is a dumb suggestion, but perhaps it's the bra you're wearing that's making you uncomfortable? I can't wear one all day with these TE's, but was always able to with implants.
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Firstmate, 5 surgeries in one year, the thought of another would nauseate me too!!
Storm, maybe you misunderstood your PS, that's such an odd comment and I know there have been multiple times that I thought I fully understood a simple comment my PS made and my DH would say, "uh, no that's not what he said."
DENRuizBC, Congrats on the nipples, I can't wait till I get to that point!
Smore, My exchange is the 19th and I am so in the same place as you. I keep thinking of stupid details that I wonder if my PS thought about and will he know what he's doing (as if I know what I'm doing!!!) and I'm so wigged out about how I'm going to look. Knowing in 3 months tthey will look different from how they look right after surgery makes it harder. I mean weather you love them or hate them, they'll change so I guess we have to force ourselves not to become attached. I keep reminding myself that, at this point, they HAVE to look better than they do now and they will definitely feel better. I've decided to plan on having a second exchange. That way I'm prepared for imperfection and if I do have a second exchange I won't be disappointed. You've been through more than I have so maybe that's a little harder to convince yourself of but maybe you can think of it as being a second exchange further down the road if that helps. Hang in there!
Katey, for my last appointment with my PS I took a list of the implants I was okay with and their dimensions so that as we talked about it I could look at the numbers and see what we were agreeing on that way I felt certain before leaving the office. (The links to allergan and mentor charts can be found at the top of this page, in case you haven't seen those)
TGIF!!! Julie
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Just got back from my PS appointment. She said the "divot" on the upper part of the prophylactic side is simply lack of breast tissue as the implant settles. She didn't offer fat injections and I'm so thin that I'm not sure where I'd donate them from anyway. It's 4 weeks post op. I'll see what it looks like closer to the nipple surgery.
Rad side: she mentioned LD Flap as the only recourse for a revision. I'm just not ready to go there yet. I'm not that unhappy. So she started me on upper body exercises to try to prevent the "migration upward" and tightening from getting worse.
Nipple surgery scheduled for March 22nd. I want to give myself time to see the direction my body takes with the symmetry.
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Thanks Julie! I am giving myself a crash refresher course on implants! Have out the Allegan book and reading reading web info. I will be well prepared for appointment:)
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Astorm - I have saline implants and the difference from the TEs to the implants are like night and day. The implants are much softer and feel more like natural breast (at least mine do). I am on my second set of implants as the pockets got too large for the first set so 2 months after first exchange they put in Mentor Moderate Profile Plus filled to 960cc. The TEs are so hard and have the metal ports for fills which is where I had most discomfort.
Nancy
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I have not posted here in a long while but I have been following along since last May and when i miss a few days - oh boy! it takes me hours to catch up!! So much great information. I have learnt so much here. I had my first post-radiation fill yesterday and it was not bad at all. So for any wondering about filling more after Radiation, it was a little more painful and tighter than the non-radiated side, but very doable (it was only 35cc's). 2 Advils last night was all I needed (so far!). My exchange is scheduled for mid-April and I my PS wants to do fat injections at that time of exchange to address the "step-off" and other areas that may need extra fat for a good look. Is this normally done at time of exchange? He also said drains.
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Kerkle - I am sure others will post regarding radiation and fat injections. Let me know when you have a date and I will be happy to add your name to our list.
Smore - As others have said, TE's and implants are not at all the same. You will be much more comfortable w/ the implants. Though I can not speak specifically for saline implants since mine are silicone.
Texas - Nip surgery!! Yahoo for you!
DenRuizBC - Your results are wonderful! Congratulations!
Peace to those that are recovering from surgery. - Jean
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Smore - hang in there, sweetie - it really WILL get better! You certainly have every right to feel overwhelmed - that's the general state in which many of us have spent this past year.....(((((HUGS))))
Texas - congrats on the nip date! It's smart to wait....I'm amazed at how my implants didn't seem to change at all until exactly 12 weeks post-exchange - when my ps originally scheduled my nips. Then for the next two weeks, it seemed they changed a bit every day....go figure.
DenRulzbc - Hey there! I haven't been on the pic forum in a couple months, but am headed there now so will check out your pics. Thanks for sharing!
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Denrulzbc - Awesome nips, girl! Don't know when I'll get mine, but sure hope they look as good as yours!
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