Exchange City
Comments
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OMG! I wish it had taken some off my butt too. That is hilarious!
You know when I started this whole journey for some reason I thought they sucked the fat out of your thighs to create your nipples so I am telling my husband and our good friends this one night at dinner and I have that same Margarita glint in my eyes because I am so excited about the possibility of really smooth thighs to match my C cup boobs. Well my husband looks at me and reads me like a book after 24 years together and says "Yeah you'll have really beautiful legs but your nipples will be THIS BIG" and he holds up his hands to make a shape about the circumference of my head. Whatever it was I was chewing spit right out of my mouth I was laughing so hard and our friends almost choked to death. Oh my goodness. That was so freakin' funny. Couldn't of made it through without him. He keeps me laughin'.
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sunnyhou: Well, 60% or more of us have implants at least 100 ccs larger than our TEs. My TEs were 400 cc's, overfilled to 425 cc's and I was exchanged to 550 ccs. So certainly it can be done and it IS done all over the US. I might add though that in your case, overfilling expands the height/projection but not the width. The overfilling is done to really stretch out the skin and the PS does this because they think reconstruction patients need a natural droop or "ptosis." So your PS might not be willing to go more than 550 - 600 ccs at the most. You may need to really PUSH at least for 600s!
ADDENDUM: I know you are exchanging out soon, but you should have and should be wearing something to support that fallen TE. Never too late if you have not done so...
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Nedeza I sent you that PM
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Sandy -- that is great news!
Lilah
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Colleen~
I am sure it has been mentioned elsewhere but what about the Tamoxifin contributing to your weight gain?? I know this is what my PS said when I mentioned I felt "puggy" & had added some weight. She said she has seen women gain upwards of 10 lbs. with the this medication.
Did the storm hit you down south? Stay dry!!!
NAE
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SANDY... Again... I cannot help but smile and thank God! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOBBI.... I HAD NO FLAP.. just implant...... THE FACT THAT YOU HAD LAT FLAP WITH NO BACK INCISION MAKES YOU A HUGE HUGE HUGE RECOURSE HERE TO THE SISTERS of BCO and EC........ I am SO SO happy for you ...WOW.... I think it is wonderful.... KEEP TEACHING! I would LOVE to start a... " What to do with FOOBS and Rads..... inquiring mind want to know...." thread... ( NO... you cannot take this thread name... LOL LOL..... not yet)
BUT... right now I seem to be working 16 hours days... ( thus the 12:30 am time now.. and I get up at 6).... I hope... after my Salon is back where she needs to be... I can give the time I need to here... ( HOPEFULLY in two more months....)
I DO write back to ALL PM's first... daily... or every other...
VAL... (((( special.... tender.... loving ... HUGS to you at this time.....))))
PS... I am off all meds... and pain is there... I start Massage therapy and LE teaching and Yoga incite Tuesday... ALL PAID for at my BC center... ( as I am a " big time patient..." GREAT.. LOL)
It feels SO SO SO great to be free of ALL DRUGS.... Just give me a little "wine" and I won't "whine" ( I am so freakin' funny after midnight..... NOT..... heheheheehehehe
Ladies.... A dear sister here on BCO... SAINT is her name.... she is progressing with STAGE 4 BC. Take this info... and do what you do best with info like this....Me... personally.. I storm heaven.... but...... I just ask... you keep her close...........TY!
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Aw Laura so sorry to hear about Saint. Prayers, prayers, prayers for her.
Wahoo for you being off all drugs!!!!
Going to go pour myself some wine now
Lilah
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Ladies for those BC teeshirts, check out Cafe Press. I bought the same one Val has, and there are others that allow us to show our sense of humor despite this stupid disease.
http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/breast-cancer
Prayers to Saint!
And Bobbi: I'm also one who wants to know about the no-back incision LD Flap surgery. That's hopeful should I ever need it!
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I went to see my PS yesterday. After all the debate about me wanting hp and him wanting me go with mpp (we did hp), He walked in checked me out for an uncomfortably long time, even if he is a doc, and said, "Well I guess you were right, hp was the way to go for you. You were right, I was wrong." I'm still not sure how I feel about these things but I can see that he is VERY proud of his work so I left feeling pretty good.
Connie, What's the reasoning for possibly taking you off of tamoxifen earlier than planned? (maybe I forgot details from your previous posts--so much to keep up with here) Just curious for my own info.
Sandy, Excellent news, congrats!
frywoman, That was an awesome laugh! It's funny the things we misunderstand and don't see the logic in how crazy it is.
Laura, You've had a long hard ride, I'm sure no drugs is such a breath of fresh air for you. Congrats and many many prayers to Saint. I'm always amazed how I can tear up over someone I don't even know. Tell her there is much love being sent from EC.
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Hello all - sending up prayers for Saint.
Whippetmom, may I also ask for your advice on my te's/implants? I've done a little research, but obviously not as much as many of the women here - I have Mentor Siltex Med Ht Contour profile te's 354-6215, am 5'6", 160 lbs, ribcage about 33.5 inches, pretty broad shoulders, athletic build. Was very comfortable at 500 cc's, (was very large before BMX and don't ever want to be even close to that again), am currently filled to 600 cc's with plans for 550cc Mentor round high profile implants. Could you please provide your opinion? Thank you for any thoughts/experience you are willing to provide.
Also, my onc said that se's for Tamox can include about a 20 lb weight gain for women, and a loss of libido - as I am the opposite on both counts, it's gotten into my head that maybe my dosage of Tamox isn't quite right? Is Tamox always supplied in 20 mg tabs? Has anyone else on Tamox lost weight? I realize I had a "jump start" with the bmx, but just wondering..
Thanks all - best wishes for good health, xo, Erika
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Sandy -Yippee!!!! Wonderful news!!!
Kristinka - welcome! my t-shirt says, "Darn right they're fake! The real ones tried to kill me!"
Grakenmom - regarding the tamox - although there are lots of reports of weight gain on tamox, my onc swears that there's no true correlation. I actually lost weight on it - been on 11 months now - and haven't gained a pound back (please don't hate me...). I will, however, add a hearty "Amen!" to the libido issue..... had my first massage yesterday to celebrate my bmx anniversary and told my gf that it was better than sex....at least tamoxifen sex!
I ended up having a lovely day yesterday; thanks for the cyberhugs, girls! I'm off now to watch my son compete in the regional swim meet - I missed it last year 'cause I was in the hospital after my bmx.....throwing up......Hope he makes it to state!
Enjoy your day, ladies!
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Thanks Val61, happy to hear you've kept weight off, that's wonderful. And happy to hear your day yesterday was great! Hope your sone does great in his meet!!
xo, E
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Big apple and Texas--The lat flap proceedure sans back incision is not widely performed. My PS is in Reno NV and I live way the heck up in the mountains north of Boise ID but put in the travel time to see him for this type of surgery. He's a real character and when I asked him how he did it he said, "I could tell you but then I'd have to..." Anyhow, I believe he does it with a scope. That is what someone else told me. How he explained it to me, he said he goes through the MX incision, detached about 80% of the lat, pulled it through under the skin, turned it over to form a pocket and attached it to my sternum. Of course there is no skin flap, so there is no extra help in stretching the skin, and in my case, radiated skin, I couldn't go very large; I stayed with a Bcup. Without radiation there would be no size restraints. I hope this explains it.
Estepp--so glad you are off your meds. It feels good to get the brain out of a fog, huh? Where are your pictures posted? I need to get mine on but I'm a computer dunce and catching DH to help has been impossible lately. But I will, and show off my scar free back as well.
Prayers are going up for saint.
Take care, ladies,
Bobbi
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Looking for a new Plastic Surgeon in Dallas Texas... not happy with my exchange. I don't have symmetry and I can't wear tops that are low because I look caved in plus I'm not near the size I was before the exchange. Thanks, aj
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can you post exchange ladies please tell me once again how good it feels to get rid of the TEs? My exchange is 5 weeks from today, and although I know I can make it until then, I'm so uncomfortable and the nights are so very long. I liked how one of you said that 80% of the pain disappeared as soon as you woke up from the surgery....
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aj: I am going to ask Val to PM you with a name of a PS in Dallas.
Grakenmom: Based on where you want to be, I think that 550 ccs and maybe 600 ccs would be excellent for you. You have sufficient volume in your TEs now for either of the above. Ask your PS to try the 600 cc sizers as well....
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2X: Thanks for the follow up information. I'm pretty sure that if I needed to go this route, I'd also need the skin flap.
Kristinka: I'm 5 weeks post and it's been such a relief not to have the TEs. The side without radiation in particular feels almost as natural as it did before the mastectomy.
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Thanks whippetmom, all the PS's I've been calling will not take insurance. Thanks, aj
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Kristen what happened to your adorable picture?
Lilah
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Erika, I've lost weight since my diagnosis and have been on tamoxifen for 3 months. My understanding is that it's not clear what causes the weight gain, based on research, many believe that it's stress related and not directly related to tamoxifen (ya think women on tamox might have stress???). My libido, I'd say a lot of that's in my head, it's great when I'm feeling good and not so much when I'm down on myself. My husband has learned to give me a little extra time to get going but once I'm there it's all good. I heard once that men are like microwaves and women are like ovens, we need a little extra time to warm up perhaps more so on tamox. I'm not sure how directly either area is related to tamoxifen (except for vaginal dryness, sorry if that's TMI, but it's an easy fix).
Kristen, I'm 3 days post exchange and tired but these things actually feel like me. So worth it!!!
Julie
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Kristen ~
It is like night & day!!! Sure...you will need to adjust to having the new "girls" but all is good!!! It took me several weeks after the last expansion with my TE to feel normal & comfortable even with those contraptions! The feeling wasn't perfect but do-able. I am 8 wks post exchange & I am feeling like these new foobs are a part of me for once. For about the first 7 wks. post exch. I felt like I knew it was "different" with my MX side...a week later...I am not as aware & "it" actually is feeling better...my pecs are not spasing as much...maybe that's the difference.
Anyway, it does get better!
NAE
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Hi,
My first implant was removed/replaced on December 2 because of capsular contracture. The new one is already starting to contract, so I'm thinking I'll keep it as long as it doesn't get too painful. The PS said to give it 6 months and I will, but it will probably be hard as a rock by then -- LOL!
Have a good weekend.
Bonnie
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Hi Julie, Thanks for being so straightforward on the libido stuff! This is another SE I've been thinking about in addition to my cystic uterus! I worry A LOT about it becoming a bigger issue after the use of tamoxifen!
I showed your note to my DH this morning and told him to be aware of tamox. He laughed and said -You ladies think of everything ahead of time! I like the microwave/oven analogy!
I posted this note on bottle o' tamox thread, so, sorry if I'm repeating myself! - I will do whatever it takes to fight any possible recurrence. I'm going to see my oncologist next week and will ask if I can get the oncotype DX test. I learned that insurance doesn't pay for the test unless there are obvious reasons to have it done, and the requirement is lymph nodes involvement and tumor larger than 2cm!
Even though there were no lymph nodes involved, the two additional cancers -IDC (2mm) and IDCIS (4mm) on the right, DCI (1.5mm) on the left, and both breasts with usual ductal hyperplasia should be enough for my oncologist to request it! Well! I can't get tired of saying how glad I am to have opted for BLM!
Have a nice weekend! Erika
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Hi beauties. I'm baaaack and checking in. Woefully behind with the posts but reading things about Laura with no more meds and someone else about sex and libido - seems I've missed some good stuff.
I had my exchange Wednesday - 4.5 hour operation and kept overnight. Doc had to do major pocket revisions (my last pics on Timtam's forum with wack-a-doodle TE's explain why). It's the first time I've come out of surgery just soooo knocked out - extremely sore throat (from anesthesia tube) and burning on urination (apparently from catheter placement). Also I always seem to puff up to an unrecognizable degree with surgeries - seriously - like elephantitis of my legs, trunk, face, hands. It is just, just starting to abate today. Anyway, I brought pics I found on a plastic surgery website for my doc and she hung them in the OR. I was definitely going for a small B - and although I have not yet unveiled (I'm in a compression bra and an ace bandage on top and need to keep them on 24/7), I think I have them. She placed 300cc Mentor HP's after trying all the way up to 400's. She said if she put in what SHE would have envisioned for me she thinks I would have thought it too large based on my pics (all of small B's on women my size). I can tell these are small (and GOSH I'm hoping I didn't go too small) - but if so she says she can switch up if I need. She also said I couldn't have gone above 375's because my radiated side wouldn't allow for larger when all was said and done. My skin was simply not going to stretch any further and that TE wanted out. The little expander escapee left me with another scar - bugger!
So well I guess my story wasn't one of an easy exchange or journey - but I know there have been worse just as there have been better. Thus far (fingers crossed) It is STILL better than the Bilat MX and TE placement for anyone wondering. I do hate this body right now, the restrictions in terms of no lifting, no pushing, no pulling, no washing, no, no, no and feeling so blobbish - but I am remembering I've been through this ride before in a way, and it passed. I'll get my body back and I'll get ease of motion back - it just takes time......
I want to thank everyone sooooooo very much for your kind words prior to my admit - I read much of it just now and my heart is full.
Peace and love,
Geena
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Hi everyone!
Val told me to check you gals out and I just saw Whippetmom's implant sizing 101 thread.
So here goes my information and maybe you gals can help me figure out where I am, what implant I possibly could get, etc....as I have not discussed implant choices with my PS yet.
Height: 5'2
Weight-80lbs (on a good day, but still trying to get it up)
Ribcage- 25 inches (Nordstrom lady said i should wear a 30 band bra and with where i am at with these TE's she said i may be a 30C or 30D, i tried on a wireless 32C bra and it fit perfectly...excitement for me because i never filled out an A cup)
TE-mentor siltex round spectrum style 354-2410M. (diam. 9.2cm, proj. 3.5cm, max fill final vol. 150cc). This TE is an implant/TE. I could keep it and have him pull out the valve but i don't want these saline boobs.
Current fill as of 1/22/10-200cc's
So what do you guys think???
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Geena -- I so know how you feel and well remember feeling rather set back physically by the MX (after having finally recovered from the lumpectomy/snb six months earlier). But I am already noticing how much better I feel and I'm sure you will too in a few weeks. Do the doctors know why you swell up? Sure sounds like an allergic reaction to me (but then I'm not a doctor so what do I know)? Anyway so glad you are past this hump and on to better things! Prayers and good wishes to you for a speedy recovery and, upon unveiling, a happy result
Cheers,
Lilah
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Geena--Let me be the first to congratulate you on your exchange. I am almost six weeks out and feeling really back to normal. Or make that--the new normal. I was afraid I went too small also when I first saw myself, but now that I've sort of settled in, and even the old rad side is dropping into position, I am pleased I didn't go bigger. I hope you will be pleased with your result.
Bonnie--Have you been stretching? My PT said that stretching can keep the scar tissue from tightening up. He gave me some stretches that were pretty difficult at first, but getting easier. I had delayed reconstrution on one side and after the MX I was pretty lazy about my stretching and had a lot, and I mean A LOT, of scar tissue that the PS had to remove before my TEs were placed. After the recon surgery they had me gently stretching while still in the hospital, and also after my exchange. So far so good. I didn't have any scar tissue when I had the exchange. You might ask the PS about having some physical therapy. I hope you escape cc this time around. Good luck.
Bye bye,
bobbi
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Welcome back Geena!!!
NAE
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Klawless: Welcome to EC! You have some options regarding implant style which you should discuss with your PS. Because of your very small ribcage, you might be a candidate for the ultra high projection style implants, although I see your PS uses Mentor and someone said that their PS was unable to get this style in the US at this time. [Allergan does, however, have Style 45 which is their "extra full projection" style of silicone implant and this would have close to the same dimensions as Mentor]. For purposes of this assessment, I will give you an idea of what you could expect. In the Mentor UH style - 270 ccs: 9.3 cm width by 4.8 cm projection. I have never really liked the dimensions of the Mentor UHs - it is almost as if someone who is dyslexic typed out those dimensions. In contrast, Allergan's Style 45 is much nicer:
Allergan Style 45:
240 ccs: 9.6 cm wide by 4.3 cm projection.
The most popular Mentor style is the high profile, and I would imagine with your TE max fill plus your overfill, the following would be about where your PS is able to go for you:
Recap: As you stated, your TEs are: 9.2 cm width/diameter by 3.5 cm projection
Mentor high profile silicone rounds:
200 ccs - 9.7 cm width by 4.0 cm projection
225 ccs - 10.1 cm width by 4.2 cm projection
250 ccs - 10.5 cm width by 4.3 cm projection
I would wager that your PS is not considering anything over 225 ccs and she might even be thinking less...but in most cases, it takes more implant volume to match TE volume. All of this will depend on your skin flap integrity and coverage ability. I will have to say that the majority of us have erred on the larger side where implant volume is concerned and we are happy we did so.
Edited to state: Many of us have implants with an average volume of 100 ccs over and above the volume of the TE{s}.
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Geena - So happy to hear from you. We will be looking forward to photos next week!0
