Exchange City
Comments
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I can't figure out why Allergan has so many other names: Natrelle, Imagen AND McGhan!
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ALLERGAN:
I believe the way it goes is: McGhan changed their name to Inamed Corp...then Allergan bought out the Inamed breast implant division. Natrelle is a "collection" name under the Allergan label.
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Oh wow! What to say? Newbie for sure, but well acquainted with BC as my mom and sister both had it. Bi-lateral mast. (not sure of the abbrev. yet) July 2. My TE's will hold 450cc's. I'm at 375cc's now, with another (and I think final) fill-up tomorrow. I was so pleased to come out of surgery almost looking like myself since my PS filled my TE with 250cc's! And my scars look fabulous!! After my mom's I'm really blessed. Before I was an A, sometimes a small B. I want bigger, but I'm thin. I don't want to look ridiculous! I've read so much about all this stuff, my heads in a whirl. I will have a high-profile, not sure what brand. What I've read has been such an encouragement to me. I love my PS and thanks to reading here have some questions to ask tomorrow. I'm sure you've heard it all before. But I've been here for over an hour and there's no way I can read over 16,000 posts!
Ugh! I'm so confused. Such an encouragement to me reading these posts and finding this website! I'll be so glad to get rid of these darn TE's, they are so uncomfortable. I'm excited about getting my new foobs in the next month or so! Any other advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.0 -
Jydy and brunettesrule, hoping you are both home, comfortable, and on your way to healing softness. deekaay
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Deekaay I rsponded to you on the pic forum.. He (my PS) said he will trim tuck and stitch. Hope this works..
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Whippetmom -- thanks for that clarification!
Happymom -- go to the Breast Implant Sizing 101 thread on this forum and talk to Whippetmom. She is our "breast whisperer" and that thread is far shorter
Judy and Brunette -- hope that you both are doing well!!!!
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brunettesrule & Judy Hope all went well today with your surgeries...thought about you ladies earlier today but was too busy to get online. Good luck with your recovery!!!!
Diane
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happymom- Just wanted to say welcome! The women on here, and on the Breast Implant Sizing 101 thread that Lilah told you about, are wonderful. Just post any questions you have and someone's always along to answer. Don't worry about the abbreviations. It takes awhile to learn them all. Bilateral mastectomy is BMX.
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MJB...... THAT WAS A WONDERFUL thing to post. That article. Those of us who had rads and onyl want implants... well... we are a hard bunch to please. Well, our skin is hard to please. I want to try the fat grafting... but it will cost me another 1000.00. this yr. if I do it once in Oct... I can have the follow up one in Dec... but after that.. if it does not work... I cannot pay my out of pocket for a fourth yr running... of 4000.00.
I do not really know what to do.. i NEED to decide. I do not NEED fat grafting...... if it actually would work... and my PS office of doctors is not big on it.... but it might be nice to get it under the rads implant so that it looks as big as my non rads breast...??? I don't know what to do..
for me.. it is NOT a surgery thing. I do it well. It is ONLY about money. I HATE THAT! I really do. Something as minor as money keeps a woman from finishing her reconstruction. Have good insurance.. BUT.. I have to pay 1000 deduct. and then up to 2500.00 in co-ins. before they pay 100%. So.... this is my third year of paying 4000.00 out of pocket for medical and RX.
.. not to mention the 400.00 a month in my premiums....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrI wish a doc would take me on probono....ROFLOL... whatever...
The reading was great. i hope , in the future... this all becomes part of the original recon.... I never want any woman to have to stop her recon. due to money.
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Hey Ladies - I know it's been some time.
3 months too go and I will have my very own nw foobs! Nov 17th.
So far so good!!
Cindy
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MBJ - Just wanted to you know that I'll be thinking about you this week as you have your surgery. Hope everything goes well. Your post earlier about the anxiety ... I was totally there too. Didn't make sense to me, but it is encouraging to know that so many before us felt the same way. I was more worried about the exchange than I was my DMX ... crazy. Praying for you and hope everything goes well! Sending much love! - dh0
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brunette and Judy.. hope today was a good day for you both!
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Hi everyone!! I'm home, recovering. Not much pain, just a little where he did liposuction and fat grafting..The surgery was about two hours and yes, I do have a drain. With my history, I expected there would be one. It is not putting out much and I expect to have it out in a week.
Thanks for all your good wishes and thoughts and prayers. I am now SQUISHY on both sides!! Yay!! Good luck to everyone else getting their exchanges. For me, it was a piece of cake!!
JUDY
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Oh Judy, I am so happy for you. The drains produce nothing compared to after BX surgery. It really should be a much easier recovery. 0
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Estepp: I am so glad I stumbled upon the fat grafting for those with radiation. I was very close to having had to have that done, so I really do sympathize with those who have had to struggle with it. Yes, it sucks regarding insurance and pay out. The reason I didn't have insurance was due to the huge outpay of money per month plus deductables! Here, in the state of California, they bridge the difference between your insurance and the pay out. Maybe you can look into seeing if they do that where you live. I had no idea that MediCal covered breast cancer and ovarian cancer until a very kind nurse called me and had me fill out the paperwork.
Judy: Such good news to hear you had an easy exchange. Nothing coming out of the drains is a very good sign! Gentle hugs to you!
Brunettesrule: Hoping you had an effortless surgery and that you are home gently recuperating!
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Great news Judy!
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Judy - congratulations on having the surgery over with and all went well!!
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JUDY: Praying everything goes well and there are NO COMPLICATIONS!!! So happy for you!
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Laura: Another study - also European - which addresses lipofilling AFTER reconstruction in the irradiated breast: This study performed in Italy. But as much as you/I love your PS, this is one procedure which needs to be done by someone who loves performing free fat transfer and who has a lot of experience doing so. So this is for another physician to address at such time as you are ready to do this.
FAT GRAFT TRANSFER TO THE PREVIOUSLY IRRADIATED BREAST:
Background
This study investigated the effects of lipofilling on both the functional and the aesthetic aspects of breast reconstruction.
Methods
Sixty-one consecutive patients with irradiated reconstructed breasts (62 breasts) were offered free fat transfer to enhance the results and correct the defects. Twenty patients were enrolled (active branch) and underwent multiple sessions of lipofilling, while the others were considered controls. The fat was harvested by syringe and processed by saline washing only (no centrifugation). Three months after the last session the functional outcome was evaluated using the LENT-SOMA scoring system and the aesthetic outcome was evaluated using a visual 5-point scale.
Results
A significant improvement in all the LENT-SOMA scores after free fat grafting was observed; the scores after treatment were all significantly lower than those before it and were also significantly lower than those of untreated breasts. These results also were confirmed by comparing homogeneous subgroups of breasts with similar LENT-SOMA ranks before treatment. Similarly, the cosmetic outcomes were significantly enhanced after serial lipofilling. The four cases in the active branch with severe flap thinning resolved with no implant exposure (mean follow-up = 17.6 months), while implant exposure occurred in the two cases with the same problem in the control group. In one case, a Baker 3-4 capsular contracture was downgraded to Baker 1 after only one session of lipofilling. No complications occurred in the treated cases.
Conclusion
Free fat transfer is a safe and reliable technique in improving the outcomes of irradiated reconstructed breasts with implants.
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Okay, here's a weird one. I'd had some issues with minor Capsular Contracture because of radiation. Each time I had surgery,my plastic surgeon would remove the scar tissue and it would return a few weeks later. She told me I'd have much better luck with the LD Flap.
So, I'm weeks out of LD Flap surgery and guess what? The entire top part of my breast, the part that still the old radiated tissue,is hard as a rock. PS says the capsular contracture is back. She'll remove it when she does the exchange, but I sincerely believe it's something I'll always deal with. Bummer!
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Okay, here's a weird one. I'd had some issues with minor Capsular Contracture because of radiation. Each time I had surgery,my plastic surgeon would remove the scar tissue and it would return a few weeks later. She told me I'd have much better luck with the LD Flap.
So, I'm weeks out of LD Flap surgery and guess what? The entire top part of my breast, the part that still the old radiated tissue,is hard as a rock. PS says the capsular contracture is back. She'll remove it when she does the exchange, but I sincerely believe it's something I'll always deal with. Bummer!
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I'm a long time reader but rarely do I post unless I lave something to add. I had my exchange yesterday to 360cc silicone. I'm a uni and my remaining breast is small. I have also received radiation prior to being expanded so I decided to stay smaller in hope the implant will do better and the skin won't need to be stretched as much.
I read many posts about "yippie squishy" and finally know what you are all talking about. I didn't think the silicone would be as soft as it is. My TE was hard and my skin was tight. Overall the procedure went well. Just a little sore from the pocket work.
Many thanks for to all for the info you post here. I've learned so much.
Karyn
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Judy, glad your feeling good! And that it was a piece of cake!! You are amazing!!
Yeah to your yippee squishy's Kward!! Take good care of yourself!!
Texas, I had cc with last implant (no radiation), ps removed a lot of scar tissue, after exchange the top felt firm pretty quickly and the ps couldn't guarantee my body wouldn't produce more scar tissue, he suggested massage daily in the shower, by next appointment and plenty of massage in between there was a noticeable difference! So far so good! Hoping yours can react the same, talk to your ps about massage, not sure how it applies to radiated skin, some docs are for it, some against, all I can say is it has worked for me!
MBJ, best wishes to you this week!!
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Laura and others: My PS totally believes in fat grafting, especially in previously radiated breasts. He also thinks it's better to do it in 2 or 3 sessions. It's only been 2 weeks, and my radiated foob feels really good to the touch. Laura, I am so very sorry that you have to pay so much for deductible and premiums! It seems wrong.
Brenda
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Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading, learning and getting to know this very select group of BC survivors.
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Got my Exchange Surgery tentatively scheduled for 9/24. Hallelujah! Get these things off my chest!
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Brenda: Thank you for sharing this....would you PM me with the name of your PS? We hope to follow you here on EC referable to this issue of fat grafting to the previously irradiated breast, because your initial findings are indeed very encouraging.
happymom: Welcome to EC! If you need implant vs. tissue expander sizing assistance, go read the Breast Implant Sizing 101 introduction post and provide me with the information required.
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Hi everyone! I'm new to this thread. My exchange surgery is scheduled for 8/25 ... that's next Wednesday!!!! Yikes!!! This is one surgery I'm actually looking forward to.
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Congratulations Judy and Karyn!!!!
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JUDY!!! 2 squishies are better than one!!! Yeah!
Texas, I am so very sorry for what your doctor thinks is a new capsule. Again. There must be some way that efficient capsule making machine in your body can be redirected and put to better use!
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