Exchange City
Comments
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Hello sistas - Sorry, I have been pretty busy these days. My mom is still not doing well. Please PM me if you have a new surgery date for me to post. I am thinking of all of you! Hugs. - Jean
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Thougths and prayers for you and your mom Jean!
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Blondie, I'm so sorry you're having all these issues. There should be a rule: if you're dealing with BC, everything else goes away. And no piling on other problems!!!
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You girls move fast so I am 3 pages behind but will pop in here so I can remember what to say, then catch up.
I am a similar in size to IM313, but bigger. My ribcage is 33 inches, and I am 150 lbs. (minus a few chemo pounds I have on me right NOW-grrr). My tissue expanders are filled to 480. I had my final fill yesterday. After much talking with my PS I have decided on saline implants. I worry about worrying and just don't think I could bear thinking about the silicone leaking needing periodic mri's etc. I told her I would like as much projection as possible. I had a 350 cc implant in my hand. She will go as big as she can on the day of my surgery. She is hoping she can get me into a 400 cc implant. (hopefully more depending on how much scar tissue I have built up that has to be removed) Does this sound doable Breast Whisperer's?
Thank you for any and all information.
Val I AM SOOO SORRY you are hurting.
Alicia
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((Jean)) - I'm sending warm thoughts to you and your mom.
Buddy48 - Sooooo great that you're feeling OK. Your question about implants settling into pockets - I have no idea. I'm sure you'll hear more from the women here on that. Go easy, easy, easy.
Alicia - Congrats on your final fill!!! Woo-hoo!
cs777 - Welcome. If I were you I would go to the upper right portion of the computer screen and do searches for keywords that you are interested in within the Reconstruction forum. As for the TE's under the arms - yes, that can be corrected when they place the implants.
I have to sign off for the day. I have my thyroidectomy on Thursday - I have visions of my thyroid doc leaning on my chest in order to get at my neck! I'm going to ask if I can wear my compression bra to the surgery.... how might THAT go over?
Geena
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Hi Allison, Recovery from the nip procedure has not been bad. I don't have a job that I go to every day so I can't address that. The pain has not been much at all. A scar revision was the most painful, not the nips. I go to the PS tomorrow and will have the great reveal. The main thing is the cover over the nips makes it difficult to wear clothing. My PS used clear swim goggles cut in half to go over the nips. I will let you know after my appt tomorrow.
I also had some fat grafting to the port site that had a divot. This is the second time for that. That procedure is not a biggie. Just a little sore from the lipo and for some reason the divot site itches after it!!
Hang in there Allison, you will have your nips in no time!! Good luck.
Buddy, so glad you are home and feeling well.
Hugs, Kathy
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Yesterday was SO much better.....but I tried to make it through the night without vicodin....just didn't work.....woke up not so happy.....grrrrrrrr...... (at least the senna finally kicked in....TMI, I know, but it does work!)
Buddy48 - Welcome home! Yes, the implants WILL settle into the pockets, though exactly how long that takes depends on a lot of things. Just be patient....not easy after all we've been through, though!
cs7777 - Welcome to EC! Yes, your ps can definitely revise the pockets at your implant exchange....it may not be fun, but it works....those TE's have a way of wandering off sometimes! Like NAE said, the implants are immensely softer than the TE's. As for feeling that "push" against your arm, I do have that, but I never really had measurable real breasts to speak of (less than a AA pre-bc), so I don't have a memory to compare it to. They "squish," but probably not like a real breast....it's all relative, I guess....I say it's definitely worth the "adventure" (how's that for a positive spin?) of reconstruction! You are very smart to be doing the stretching - that was my saving grace during the TE's...if I missed a day, I really felt it. I've very active, too, though do Pilates instead of yoga. Just be careful of much involving the pecs, particularly weight-bearing pec work (like dips or push-ups) - that's where you may have some issues - I still can't do those..... My ps told me that yoga and Pilates are the hardest kinds of exercise on the implants.....
Daisy6 - No, girl, you're not alone! Some of us have easy times, some not so much. I had a very difficult time after my exchange in September, and just had a revision/exchange on my left last week and am still on my vicodin. My ps has had me in my post-op bra 24/7 since my original exchange. Hang in there, sweetie!
Off to my first post-op visit with ps this afternoon....hope he pulls the old J-P drain! At the very least, I'll get this foam tape cocoon off my torso......
Hugs to y'all-
Val
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VAL.............you sound so much better than your last couple of posts!!! That is great news!! So glad to hear you upbeat!!
Hugs, Kathy
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Thanks to everyone for addressing my many questions and concerns. It's SO useful to get a reality check from others who've gone through this in addition to the docs' point of view! Its really good to hear that the actual implants are much more comfortable. I just can't imagine feeling this barnacle sucked onto my chest for the rest of my life! I will take a look at the reconstruction forum and see if there are posts there that deal with these questions too. Thanks again, and best healing wishes to each of you, wherever you are in this journey.
CS
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Val - Soooooo glad you're feeling a bit better. Thank goodness for senna. I'm with ya.
Geena
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Check out the 2nd Ta Ta Reunion thread for room rate information....
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Julie: I just bought the Chic Shaper on Ebay - $13.99 new includes shipping. Could not find it at Walgreens. I want to see how it works...
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Hi Ladies,
I finally have my date for the exchange. It is on March 17th. Hopefully I will have the luck of the Irish on that day. ( I am Jewish).
My PS filled me to 360 cc's . He said he likes to over fill. He is matching my new breast to the one he lifted . I believe I will get a small C.
I am very confident in the PS. As a matter of fact I have two ..one seems to take my insurance and one doesn't so they both see me at the same time and even operate together and get more money.
Please do add me to your exchange list. This has been a very long haul for me as I lost my first two TE's to necrosis and infection.
You ladies offer great advice to all.
Hugs,
Francine
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Deborah, Thanks for the book link. I haven't looked at it yet, but I KNOW I'm gonna love it! Also thanks for the clarification on exercise. Wish I'd have asked that sooner, I've become a blob! I can't believe how weak my arms are. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of the chic shaper. I had mentioned that it doesn't fit my 32 body very well, but a warm wash and run through the dryer seemed to fix that problem.
Buddy, Glad you're home and doing well!
Val, Glad to hear you're doing better. I had no idea this would be such a hard run for you.
Julie
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Val -- ask your PS how much movement you can do. I'll bet some of the pain can be alleviated through simple exercises (of the type they have you do after MX). Glad you are feeling better though! Hope the aggravation is worth it and the results are spectacular
Francine -- woo hoo on the date! I wish mine was sooner but what can you do. It's so good to have confidence in your team. Much better than the alternative!
Deborah -- Can't wait for the Vegas event! Going to see rates now.
Lilah
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Thanks to all those who responded to my question about "forgetting they are there". I really appreciate your responses. I guess it all depends on a lot of things, but ultimately, they will never feel like your old ones.
I just realized today that my PS really wants to fill me up to 800 cc's!!! I am a little person, 5 feet flat, about 110 lbs. with all my clothes on, with small hips and shoulders.
He did say that my implants will only be 500, but he needs to expand to 800 because he can use all the skin he can get.
He also remarked that my radiated breast is stretching very nicely.
I asked him what he was planning to do to anticipate that my radiated breast will not drop and fluff. He described to me how the IF will be set lower than the healthy breast. He thinks he may even raise the IF of the healthy breast. He said that whatever happens, my radiated breast will be the "model". The healthy breast will have to copy the rads breast.
I really look forward to reading your posts. They are fun and informative. This is also a very good place to celebrate and commiserate.
Take care.
Brenda
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Sounds good Brenda! Did you ask him about the arm pain you were having or did the pain go away? (Think you posted about that elsewhere but it's on my mind here).
Lilah
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cs7777 Just wanted to respond to a couple of your concerns,after being fairly 'awake' yesterday aftter exchange surgery I noticed 2 things. #1 TE pressure was much less & implants were less 'under' the armpits,maybe because implants are not quite as wide as TE's.
val61 Glad you are improving and I'm sure you will continue to.
As I was moving about a little today I had this weird feeling that one of my foobs had dropped. I looked in the mirror and the implant was down to the 'marker' line the PS had drawn. Yesterday it was 1/2 inch above the line, so yes I lthink they are going to settle in lol !!
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Brenda: I have never heard of a PS overexpanding that much. I see you are in San Diego. Are you going to a PS from UCSD?
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Hello Ladies - I have a few questions. I've seen the expression drop and fluff. I understand what drop means but not sure what fluff means. Can somebody enlighten me? Drains...when you have ex surg do you always have a drain afterwards (like Mx)? I've also noticed discussion about bras with particular names and such. Does one need to wear a particular kind of bra or are there bras that support implants better than others? Just a little bit in a fog about it all. My surgery is on the 4th of Mar and it's beginning to slap me on the head. Getting anxious.
Chris
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Brenda - My PS was going to expand me to 600cc to fit in 300cc implants, but as time went on and she saw how little I was stretching without damage, she stopped at 470cc. IStill, I got the 300cc implants and they ssem to be a good fit thus far. 800cc on your 5'0" frame? You're going to need a counterbalance, girl!
Francine - Congrats on a date. Feels good, doesn't it?
Geena
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Hi All, I've posted my post exchange pictures under a new thread on the pic forum. I put pictures from beginning to end so there's a lot, sorry to take so much space, but I thought having them all together would be helpful to newbies. I would love some constructive feedback on the most recent pictures as far as what realistic expectations are and what may not change and therefore have a good chance of needed tweaking if I so choose later.
Brenda, I was filled to 600 and looked ridiculous in my clothes! I'd question the need to fill so much. On a better note, my implants are 475 and they're a good size for my 29" rib cage.
Chris, Welcome! Many of us go into panic mode at the end. Deborah will "enlighten" you more than I can but I'll tell you what I think because I'm here now.
Fluff, I'm not sure what it is technically but it's what appears to be the bodies way of "naturally filling things in" it's what makes the foobs look like boobs--more like they actually belong on your body.
Bras have been a hot topic lately. Some PSs seem to recommend no underwire while others recommend underwire after exchange. The support you need on the sides and under will partly depend on how things are going for you specifically after exchange. Most PS's seem to have us wear a compression or sports bra for the first few weeks after exchange.
Drains, some have them, some don't. Again, this is PS preference and what your body is likely to need.
Hope that helps.
Julie
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Traceyz, I am new to this thread but I have the same exchange date as you and almost the same DX. It is awesome to correspond with people going through the same type of stuff. I too can't wait to get these "steel monsters" out and get on with my life! I wish everyone with upcoming surgery's the best of luck and all my positive energy. I have no idea what type of implant I will get or what size I will be but completing this phase of the BC journey feels great!
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DAISY... I am SO SO sorry you are still in this pain! I do believe though, that we heal at different paces.
..... have you talked to another PS for your second opinion? Just to make sure. I might do this. Thank yo for calling the TaTa's at my home this weekend.. it was great to hear from you ! I wish you felt better though......Laura0 -
daisy6, I had my nips done Dec. 10. I still have thick crusty scabby areas and there is some oozing as well. PS has me using Silvadene until all the scabs are off. So I too am still wearing bandages on my nips over 6 weeks after surgery. They are healing slowly and PS is not worried. The nips look pretty good except for the scabby parts.
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Brenda -- I've been thinking about that size (huge for your frame)... does he want you to have really floppy breasts? I should think that is what you would get with that much stretch filled with so much less implant. I agree with Deb and Julie... it sounds like too much. Can you ask him WHY so much when you next go in? What that means in terms of firmness, etc? What kind of implants is he thinking of? Saline? Silicone? Cohesive Gel? (Sorry if you have posted this in the past... I'm too lazy to scroll back).
Lilah
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My new PS expands 200cc over the implant size. The photos of his results are fantastic. I wasn't going to him until after my first exchange with first PS. I think I would have had a better result had I gone to the new guy in the first place. Brenda, have you seen photos of your PS's work?
edited to add: You can see my PS results at bershofplastic.com. Go to the photo gallery and click on breast reconstruction.
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Brenda, your PS makes a LOT of sense. I don't see why mine didn't do that. I wondered why she didn't use a smaller implant on the non-radiated side. But now I think I'd have too much skin remaining and she'd have to do a lift ...I'm not sure I'd want another scar.
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Buddy, I'm so happy that you're home and feeling okay!
Seems like PS treatment is very individual. I searched for a zip up sports bra, finally found some but they were so uncomfortable over these te's. Years ago I had a very soft one from Champion that I wore after surgery, but maybe because I had a uni. My PS tells me I'll go home in a surgical bra, but will not need to wear anything 24 hours or at all if I don't want to. He's moving the right pocket down and in, Think I'll give him some crazy glue to keep this baby from moving up again:) 2 implants and this TE have all shifted up, I asked him if it's from me raising my arms, he said it's nothing I have caused, some people's scar tissue causes this to happen. My last PS told me not to wear underwire cause that could add to the rise, and that gravity let's it settle down. So who knows, I trust in my 2 PS's and will follow what they say for me!
KBram, did those goggles come off? That is a funny picture! I can't remember what my fip was covered with, but think I will have a skin graft for this one, I have a puckered scar on upper leg from last time that will be just perfect:) The good news is everyone that you will forget some of this crap we're going thru!!
Have percocet and a good frame of mind for tomorrow
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Brenda, You poor girl, I'm sure we're confusing you more. I think the point is that you need to talk to your PS, he/she may have very good reason for what he's doing but make sure you understand the pros and cons. And realize that at 800 you'll be quite uncomfortable. I think some PSs over expand less and then keep you at that last expansion size for a longer amount of time (say 600 for 3 months then a 500 implant). I wonder if that would give you the same result he/she's going for?
Julie
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