Exchange City
Comments
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I've had two PSs recommend massage (or implant displacement) to help with the capsule that forms around the implants and to help a stubborn one drop. I'm going to add some bennies that are rarely talked about. I truly believe massaging helps bring good blood flow back into the breast skin which may help regain some sensation & aid in healing scars. I think it also helps soften the implants. I have one (one + year out from exchange) that feels like a real breast. The other is still a little tight. Massage massage massage, ladies, even if you're just moving 'em around in the shower.
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CAROLL and CRESCENT-Did you find it hard to massage at first? It sometimes feels like it's pulling on my incisions. Most times it feels like the implants are barely moving. I've been told to do it gently but for how long? It feels tight like there's no room to move. I think my pockets are small.
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so yet another exchanger reminding those recently exchanged and those up n coming... heed your ps restrictions despite how good u feel. i am almost 4 wks post op and my ps had me continue no upper body work, no lifting over 5 at my 1&2 wk f/u appts..which was fine becsuse i was sore, etc. so my pocket work side feelin much better and i agreedto play catch with one of the twins to keep him occupied ehile the other was playing in his baseball game...mind u my throwing arm is same as pocket work side... BAD idea... burning under my armpit n side, sore, and numbness on my side area...not fun. okay, AND i did about 800 loads of laundry... AND i got to hear from family n friends over n over "u r a nurse..dont u know better??" i read all the posts that said, just becausr u can, doesnt mean u should..tough to remember that, but so true..
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Mamatwinz.... Oh no! Hope you'll be feeling better soon! When do you see PS again? Didn't realize you're a nurse - are you back working?
Thanks ladies for your comments about massage. Since I wasn't given instructions by PS I'm hesitant to do it, especially doing it incorrectly and causing problems.0 -
mamatwinz - you're warning is timely! I took it easy all weekend and woke up this morning feeling good and wanting to do everything! lol Honestly, I'm looking at the weeds in the garden and thinking. "I could do that." Then I hear you all saying, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." I see my PS for my first followup tomorrow, and will sit on my hands today. Promise!
I'm wishing good exchanges to those coming up!
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MNSusan: Just make sure you keep those hands comfortably under the butt, no tugging or pulling to release them or you'll be in the same boat as Mamatwinz even with the good intentions
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Lorij and Violet... you're up!! Tomorrow's your big day! Wishing you the very best, I'll be thinking of you.
Thirdgen and Sciencegal, your wait is almost over.
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MN sent u a NO! STOP!! direct from nc! i m better today.. i even eyed my hydrocodone last night, but passed on it ..good luck upcoming exchangers..much luck n love yer way..0 -
Hi ladies. Congrats to all who have had there surgery. Good luck to all who are on there way. I dont know what I have done but the pain is getting. worse. I have shooting pain down my right ribcage when I cough or laugh. Pain across my chest. I couldnttake it anymore so I hadto go backto ps and get some pain pills. Im counting down ten more days. ugh..... healing hugs to all
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Good luck tomorrow Lori and Violet!! Tomorrow is YOUR day! I'm right behind you and have to admit I'm soooo nervous. Not sure why but am afraid of the outcome and scared to death to hurt again when I'm finally starting to feel well again (12 wks post op from BMX). Keep telling myself it will all be worth it and just another rung I have to climb on this road to recovery.
Mamatwinz I'm gonna try real hard to follow your advice "just because you can doesn't mean you should". Hope you are ok now and please take it easy!
Jen0 -
Thank you for the well wishes everyone. I'll have to get up around 3am to start my day tomorrow. A shower with the hibaclense soap, then travel for two hours to the city for surgery at 6:45am. I am super excited though. I'm drinking lotsa water today because I always forget about hydrating and then the nurses always have difficulty finding a good vein. I'm trying to be a step ahead this time. I also asked if I can gulp a ativan tonight and they said it was a good idea
I'll have to spend the night in town so probably won't post again til I get home on Wednesday. See ya on the squishy side Violet!0 -
Jen (3rd), hard to explain, but the pain is so very different. The tightness/rocks on the chest goes away, the surgery pain is so much easier than the TE's or mx. I was feeling nervous before mine, too, but I made myself look beyond surgery day and how I would feel, look and be after surgery (mind games). That helped me got thru the nervousness. Best wishes! Now, Wednesday at this time.....
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undercoverbel I am having trouble recalling beleive it or not but do think it was tighter and kind of sore to massage at first, it def got softer as time went on. Be careful do not massage if your PS did not say it was ok. You want to be sure you are healed inside. My PS had me do minor stuff at first including psuhing down on them to get them to drop, soemtiems I did this on the staircase.
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2ndtime: thanks I keep hearing this surgery is so much different and easier than the MX. I know I have to go through it and will be glad when its behind me. It's usually never as bad as you think. Just scares me when all you ladies weeks and months out still have some pain! Lol
Just will be glad when I regain all my upper body strength. Hmm maybe for Christmas would be nice! Thanks for the words of encouragement!
Jen0 -
Jen, thats's it: SOME pain, but absolutely nothing like TE's. Main differences for me: I can take a deep breath without restriction, easier to get comfortable to sleep (so i can get a decent might's sleep) and no heavy rocks on my chest. Yes, there's a bit of pain but the worst now is better than the best with TE's. Like a slight headache vs a migraine; the headache annoys but I can still function whereas with a migraine, I pray for sleep till it passes as at times, nothing relieves the pain. Maybe I'm whining too much. You'll just have to voice your opinion after your exchange.
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Lori and Violet - I will be thinking of you both tomorrow - sending you warm thoughts of peace comfort!
Jen - I read your post and it was so familiar - I just had my exchange last week and I remember feeling very anxious and stressed just one week ago tonight, and strangely much more so than before the BMX. For me, the BMX just had to happen, had to get the cancer out! I was only about 10 weeks post-op at my exchange date and I was dreading the mere possibility of having to go through anything similar to to BMX. Ladies here assured me the 2nd surgery would be far easier in comparison and how much better I would feel after.
I want you to know that they were absolutely right! Of course there was some pain/discomfort along with the post-anesthesia grogginess that always hits me hard, but things also felt so much better right away. It's unbelievable how much softer the implants are and how much the tightness in the chest is lessened. I will be thinking of you Wednesday and wishing you a very positive experience!
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CARROL2-Thank you for the advice,I'll keep going slowly until they soften. Just glad to know they eventually will.
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Hi Ladies! I've been MIA--just a busy-bee! And yes, it's lori's & my turn now...Thanks for ALL of your Cheerleading & well-wishes, Ladies.
Ok, so truth-be-told, I ALSO had a FABULOUS long romantic weekend w/ my Beau...;)... Retail therapy AND we even went dinner/dancing/saw a live band on an outdoor patio restaurant. And, well, the night before when he first arrived at my house, um,...the Intimacy Thang was over-the-moon--lol! TMI? Ahem.
I'm staying up LATE tonight (it's 2:09 a.m. here!) because my check-in time TOMORROW is 10:30 a.m./surgery 12:30...and I'll be starving & begging for COFFEE, so I figure I might as well go to bed late & try to sleep in a bit...;)
I'm pretty dang excited!...I don't get very nervous/fearful when I have surgeries...I just hope/pray the RESULTS are Grand! My super-supportive Beau (Jon) has been there for me EVERY step of the way & is taking off work again to be there for my surgery & then will come stay w/ me for the LONG upcoming weekend...Just. Love. That. Man.
We put some Fabulous pics up on Facebook...IF you PM me, I'll friend you on FB & will share
Also, my Mum will be taking wonderful care of me & I have great church community support--I'm a very Grateful Girl.Thinking of ALL of you who just had Exchanges...so happy for you!
I shall Report Back...SOON...;)
xoxoxoxo
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undercoverebel I'm going to guess that if massage feels like it's pulling on your incisions, you either have some scar tissue building there or your incisions are still fresh. Any time you're not comfortable, ask your PS or her/his nurse. Where are your incisions? If you're doing displacement massage (moving the implants around in their pockets), you really wouldn't be pressing on the incisions.
I also massaged my scars, and after my revision one incision was very sensitive, so I backed off a little on that one. The one I was most aggressive with is soft and happy now. The other one is still requring a little massage.
Good luck.
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Good luck Violet! Wishing you all the best with your exchange! Your beau sounds fab, glad you had a great weekend before the big exchange.
Good luck to you as well Lori-you might already be at the hospital by now.
Two days and counting for me- woohoo!0 -
omg.....i'm having exchange envy right this very minute! I'm so happy for you Lori, Violet and Thirdgen! Hope everything goes very well and you all get the boobs you want.
I gotta tell y'all that I'm pretty excited too. I sent my pre-BMX and TE pix (at 600,650and 750cc) to whippetmom last night so she can give me her final recommendations before I see my PS on the 30th. Her exact words in response were "Lisa: Wow....you look fantastic! I want to add your PS to my list!!!" I'm so happy to get that kind of response from our favorite implant whisperer
!2nd_time: you made a comment above that reminded me of something I've been wondering. You said something about 'no heavy rocks on my chest'. How does the weight of a TE compare to the weight of a silicone implant with the same cc size? Anyone know? Inquiring minds.......
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Lisa Jayne, good question. If I remember correctly, I asked the same of PS. Her nurse did a little "experiment" for me: she filled a TE to the same capacity as a silicone implant (for example, 500 cc TE to 500 cc implant) so I could feel the difference). Maybe you could ask the same at your next OV. The difference I think, but not sure is how they're constructed and that TE's are sewn into place vs pocket for implant. Maybe others can explain this better. Regardless of explanation, I know what I feel. It just felt different immediately after surgery, even with the slight pain. Just wait, you'll see!
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The difference between a fully expanded TE and the implants? Its like the difference between having a ceramic cereal bowl implanted under your pecs and a soft, squishy pillow. Seriously, the difference was amazing and immediate despite the surgical discomfort.
My PS also told me that the TEs take up about 60cc of space all by themselves, so my implants at 700cc would be close to the size of the 620cc TEs. That made sense to me.
I saw my PS for my first post exchange follow up this morning. Everything is going well. Light restrictions (mostly weight bearing and stretching) for the first two weeks, increase activity gradually to four weeks and then listen to my body. She said the internal incisions need a good two weeks to heal so no massage before then, and then I can massage if I want to but it isn't required. The next follow up is at four weeks post op.
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2nd time and Chi: thank you for the advice and comforting words! I know I am nervous for nothing and once surgery is done and over with, I'll be so much more relieved. The anticipation and worrying about what the end results are enough to drive anyone insane! Lol..I'm putting my faith in my PS to decide on which implants are best for me. We've gone back and forth on both rounds and tear drops. I trust her judgement to make me fabulous.
Will report back tomorrow on what type I ended up with and how I'm feeling.
Violet and Lori hope things went well today and you are home recovering. Congrats!
Sciencegal you're up next after me. Good luck!!
Jen0 -
Hi, I just found this thread. I had my original BMX in November, and was told I had to wait until after chemo was finished to do the exchange surgery. Now I'm just starting to try to learn about it, and what to expect. Can anyone point me to a summary of what the surgery is, what to expect, etc.
One challenge I have is that I have to start with a new PS (as the prior one was out of network, and my insurance did a horrible job of paying; I can't do that again!). I got a referral from my MO, but it's still unnerving to have to begin again with someone new.
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Ablydec, you might want to check out Breast Implant Sizing 101 (under Breast Reconstruction). You can get more personalized info if you read the top info. Hope to see you there!
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Hi Ladies. Exchange Surgery went well. BUT, I can barely keep my eyes open...going to bed soon...;)Piece-of-CAKE compared to the BMX surgery! More in the next few days....BUT, I can say they already look great from what I can SEE...and even though I have the Sientra smooth rounds (not teardrop shaped), they seem pretty SOFT & I CAN move them--not too hard/firm...so hiking them up in a push-up bra in the future looks like a GO...
.ALSO, they do NOT look hamburger-bun-ish at ALL--YAY! Right now, I have a REALLY smooth slope to my breasts concerning the upper pole...I'm not sure IF that's just from the swelling (possible, right?) or what.
Off to bed for me!
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Hi Violet, such good news! You may have some post-surgery pain, but it should only get better from here! Rest up! There is probably some swelling too (some ladies get drains)
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Thanks thirdgener. & 2ndtime! and all of you who have been rooting for me!
I JUST posted a LONG explanation of my experience/results concerning the Sientra implants I have over on the Breast Sizing 101 Thread...I don't want to repeat here...hope it can help/encourage some ladies...Go See...
I LOVE MY RESULTS/New FOOBS!!!! YAY!
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Lorij & 3rdgen: how did surgery go? Thinking of both of you!
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