One step implant procedure with Alloderm - Anyone?
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Hello everyone,
Fortunate1, I've kept you and DH in my thoughts and prayers. I'm happy he is doing well and you have the support of a good friend! I feel bad for DH... I agree the drain was the worst! I hope he is feeling better now. Happy 91st Birthday to your Dad!
Okiegal, May 26it will be 2 years since my BMX...just 3 days before yours. I do not have a follow up visits with my BS. I was told on my 3 years anniversary I would have a MRI of my implants that my PS will prescribe. Will you be having a MRI? I'm still debating if I should get tattoos. I'm glad I didn't get them sooner since the shape of my breasts have changed...who knows where the tattoos would be now! I still think I will get tattoos someday...just don't feel like dealing with it now. Congratulation on your nieces wedding!
Carole, I look forward to hearing about your adventures this summer! I hope you have not run into this horrible weather. Wishing you a fun and safe trip!
I have 9 lbs. to lose. I have been going up and down 2 lbs. for months. My nephew is getting married in September...I hope to lose some weight before then and all the weight before my son gets married in June 2012! I think I could do it in a year! LOL
Upcreek, I hope you're enjoying your trip!
I hope everyone is doing well!
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Fortunate, that is SO funny about your dh's drain!
We're in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It snowed yesterday! Today the sun is out, a very welcome sight after a long string of dreary rainy days. This travel in the truck camper reminds DH and me of our years living aboard a large sailboat when we were much younger. On Mon. we'll head a hundred miles north to Jasper National Park. On the way we'll stop at Lake Louise, but we've already heard from other travellers that it's frozen solid.
Hope everyone is well and happy.
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Hi Ladies, Carole, I laughed when I read ur post abt it snowing where u r.. Here it's 95. !!! So I have a question & I'm not sure if I read this on this forum or another. As some of u known I have another surgery scheduled in Aug. My FOOBS ( especially the left one) is more out to the side & this makes me have little to no cleavage. No biggie except this is the area where I have pain. They have done fat grafting 2x & it's NOT worth to do it again unless they were to take real fat(get rid of my belly lol). So the plan is to move the left one over more... But I read that someone had their implants removed & a larger size put in & they didn't need the drains !! I'm not sure this would help my situation, but I think the left one is not good. It's much softer then the right (mushier) & the right one I've always had some discomfort. So has anyone here or does anyone know of anyone that had their implants removed & a bigger one put in & no drains ?? Thx !!!
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Hi everyone. Thank you for your good wishes. DH had a bit of a scare last week. He was (very conveniently) waiting to go to a cardiologist appt when he felt very dizzy plus chest pressure. We went to the appt. early. His heart rhythm had slipped into something called atrial flutter. His heartbeat went up to 150! We were sent to emergency where he was seen immediately. After a couple of hours of intravenous beta blockers the heartbeat suddenly switched back to a normal rhythm. Scary, but apparently not unusual. He has been taking it easy and is steadily improving. A five hour nap today. Weight.... DH has lost weight, still losing in fact. I think trying to put pounds back on him will put them on me instead.
Love to hear of your travels, Carole. You lived on a sailboat? That's an adventure.
Tink, good luck on the revision. I know there are some that improve their reconstruction with bigger implants, but I don't know about the drains. I imagine it's very individual.
I am nervously glazing pots and hoping I will be ready for a sale in two weeks.
Hope you all had a good Memorial Day.
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Hi all,
Fortunate1, what a scare! I'm glad your DH is getting better and I hope that everything will steadily improve for you both. I admire your steadfastness with your work through all of this. Good luck with the sale!
Carole, how's it going? I can't imagine that anything is frozen at this time of year. We are experiencing summer temperatures already with highs of 94 degrees predicted everyday this week. I'm shading my newly planted vegetables in the hopes that they will survive and thrive!
Tink, I can't believe how many problems you have had! Here's hoping that you have found a supremely qualified surgeon to make it all better. If I had it to do over again, I would go a little smaller with my implants and skip the nipple reconstruction. Ah, hindsight and second guessing! I'm happy enough to forget about it most of the time.
Meg, I continue to "think" about getting tattoos, but I must not be very motivated or I would have done something already. Eventhough my nipple reconstruction mostly flattened out, I feel like I have finished my reconstruction. As a result, I sort of forget that I don't have the areola color/ finishing touch. I continue to experience a prickly, itching sensation in my arms and chest ( I think as a result of scar tissue or pressure from the implants). It's not constant, but I wonder if it will get worse. That makes me worry that I may need an implant exchange some day and then what would happen with the tattoos? Think I'll wait a little longer....
Here's hoping we all have success with our weight loss!
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Hello Everyone,
Fortunate1, Sorry to hear DH had a scare! I hope he is doing much better now. Good luck with the pottery and your sale!
Carole, It has been very hot and humid the past few days! I would have welcomed a little cold weather! Looking forward to hearing about your next stop!
Tinkerbell, I don't know of anyone who had their implants exchanged for larger ones. Good luck with your surgery...I hope you have an easier time than before.
Okiegal, My left breast is still a problem...the pec muscle tightens up and I get that poking feeling. The other day I had phantom nipple pain in my right breast. Both breasts have extra skin that should be removed. The top of my right breast sometimes has a visible ripple. I think about getting tattoos and then all the "what ifs" enter my head...they're uneven, wrong color, fading... I guess after my very unpleasant experience with my PS I just don't have the confidence I should...maybe someday. In a bra I look like my old self just smaller...I can live with that!
I've been working in my garden planting flower beds, pots and mulching. This morning I was removing rock from around our pool. The pool will be gone soon.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer!
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Tinkerbell99 - I just wanted to let you know that I had implants exchanged with larger ones. I had high profile Mentor 750s in saline and they were not wide enough for my sternum. PS was none too happy, but eventually agreed to swapping them for Moderate Profile Plus Mentor salines in 960cc.
A bit less projection but better coverage for my chest and better cleavage. Probably this was not the best move as I had to eventually have both sides reinforced with alloderm and then one replaced due to a leak, but overall my PS has done a great job and they look good. Will post finished product when some incisions under my arms heal up. Hope this helps.
Fortunate one - glad to hear DH is doing better after his cardiac scare.
Carole - sounds like your trip is quite nice. My DH and I lived on a 35ft sailboat for awhile. DH lived on it for 5 years prior to my moving aboard.
Delilahbear0 -
Fortunate, my "middle" sister has experienced that same heart condition that your dh had.
Meg, your flower gardening sounds really nice.
Tinkerbell, you have been through a lot with your reconstruction. I sincerely hope you get some good results with your next procedure. I would go back for larger implants if I were younger, but I will probably content myself with less than perfect boobs.
We are now travelling the AlCan highway. Yesterday we stopped at Dawson Creek, BC, which is Mile 0 of the historic hwy. Last night we set up camp at a rustic rv park beside the Sikanna River and awoke this morning to find that it had begun snowing during the night. We drove through snow flurries to Ft. Nelson and decided to stop and hole up the rest of the day. The next 200 miles of our trip are supposed to offer wonderful scenery and opportunities for viewing moose, elk and bear. We're hoping that tomorrow will be clear. Next stop is Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.
This is the first rv park of our trip with wifi. It is so nice to be on the internet!
Upcreek, how was your anniversary trip?
Greetings to everyone not mentioned by name.
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Hi deliahbear!! Thank u for answering my question. I have a few more questions, please fell free to respond PM if you prefer. Why did you have the larger implants put in? How long did you have the others in for? Projection... Mine now make me look real small!! It's funny. I am not all that concerned with that. Why did you have incisions under your Arm? Did you have to vet drains again? This is my biggest concern, I can't deal w/ drains again!! They were very painful. My implants r supposedly reinforced w/ allorderm Already ... At least underneath. I think his "goal" is to the the side of the left. Even when I move my left one over, I still think I have to much room in the middle. There is another PS that I'd luv to go to for this but he is far & I don't have the "support" for that distance & since I won't b able to drive ... I just wish this ps (he did my breast reduction yrs ago, but moved his practice an hr Away) had hospital rights in the hospital that I am close too. But I want to do more research on this. Any thoughts on how? I don't even know what implants I have now. !! :-). I shld know this...
Thx !!!!! & thx everyone else for your support!! I have been thru so much in the pAst yr & 1/2... Ugh!!!0 -
Tinkerbell99
I sent you PM with answers to your questions.0 -
We travelled from Ft. Nelson, BC, to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, yesterday. It was a lovely route with mountains, rivers, forests, some elevation ups and down, views of buffalo, Dall sheep and one deer. No bears, moose, or cariboo. Upcreek, I saw a mamma moose and baby a couple of days ago! Today we move on to Whitehorse, where we'll stay a few days and take a train trip to Skagway. It's an old train track dating back to gold rush days in the 1900's.
It's kind of fun being on a highway that is THE highway and the other rvs are all headed to Alaska as we are. As time goes on, we'll keep encountering some of them and get acquainted. Yesterday afternoon we chatted with our neighbors here at the rv park. One couple is from Maine currently living in FL and the other couple is from IN travelling with a teenage granddaughter.
The big tourist draw here in Watson Lake is a Sign Forest begun back in the 1940's by a US soldier working on the Alaska Hwy. He put up a sign with his home address. Now there are more than 27,000 signs, many of them stolen off of highways, many of them homemade. It's an amazing sight and kind of fun to wander through the "forest" and read the names and places. The town encourages this practice by putting up large posts for people to attach their signs. Wish we had made one. Easily could have, but didn't.
Hope everyone is doing well.
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I had bilateral MX on the 29th with immediate reconstruction. Used a silicone rough shell implant and spared my left side nipple. The right side had a drain, an extra inedent where they cut the nodes and is painful. I got the drain out the other day. I think the right breast would look the same size as the left if I had a nipple. Has anyone had a nipple reconstructed and does it make it look the same size as the other breast with a nipple? what do they use to make the nipple?
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Hi Alliesmom, I had a BLMX with both nipples reconstructed. The final healed results do not look like my original nipples. As they healed, they flattened out so that they appear as fatter protrusions than my original nipples. That said, I'm not entirely unhappy to have them. My PS used my own skin, wrapping it around to form the "nipple". There are a variety of techniques and I think some surgeons use Alloderm in hopes of more permanent results. The surgery is usually followed by tattooing of the "areola". Some women choose to have a nipple tattoo without reconstruction. There is a variety of information on this website. Look around or post a new question, you'll find lots of information and opinions! I hope you are healing well and feel better soon.
Carole, I enjoy your "travel updates". It almost seems like I'm with you!
Have a great Monday all!
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Mine came out great with graft for areolar and nipple--alloderm for nipple projection. Four years post-opt. Good Luck. Eileen
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Not much action here on the 1-step thread. DH and I finally made it to Alaska today. We drove the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City, Yukon Territory, to Chicken, Alaska. Now we are in Tok, pronounced to rhyme with coke. The truck and camper were filthy since much of the Top of the World hwy is gravel and mud, so our first move was to get to an rv wash place. The scenery today was beautiful with vistas of green valleys. Tomorrow we'll move on to Fairbanks.
So what is happening with everyone? Fortunate1, how is your DH? Meg, have you finished planting flowers in your garden? Upcreek, tell us about your exciting trip to Italy. Okiegal, what's the latest with you? Anyone not mentioned by name, hello to you and please chime in with your news.
A happy Monday evening to all from the land of the midnight sun.
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What is an Alloderm nipple? I have 4 weeks to go until he wants to make my nipple for me. He said he can do it in the office and tatoo it right there also.
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Hi alliesmom15--I had a graft for areola and nipple.
Alloderm--was added inside of the nipple area for projection. She considered using ear
cartilage--but decided on alloderm instead.
4 years out--stayed great.
Eileen
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EileenKaye15 - lucky you! My PS doesn't use alloderm for help with nipple projection so mine, as for most of us I think, has flattened out. I have no idea why he doesn't do it - he mentioned it earlier but when the time came, said no.
Hello to all. DH is doing very well. He's still taking naps and going to bed early - but is planning to go back to work next week. His progress in healing is interesting to watch. He is a very high energy man, always very busy, almost hyper. So this is quite a change.
My first weekend sale is over. Talk about naps - it really wore me out. I don't know my totals yet, and am busy planning for the next one three weeks from now. Fingers crossed. Pottery is not exactly a high priority item in this sad economy.
Carole - So glad to hear from the top of the world! Happy travels, more travelogues please.
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Welcome Alliesmom, I chose not to have nipple reconstruction, but plan to have nipple tattoos. Good luck with your reconstruction. I hope you are recovering well.
Fortunate1, Good to hear that DH is healing and ready to get back to work! Keeping my fingers crossed for your next sale!
Okiegal, have you planted a garden this year? It's a good thing I decided not to plant a veggie garden. We have a family of rabbits (cute little bunnies), chipmunks and new this year, a wood chuck! LOL Surprisingly, they have not eaten my flowers yet! I'm not complaining...much better than last year's skunk!
Carole, What an adventure! ...sounds like a great trip! Exciting that you're seeing wildlife in their natural habitat! Beware of bears in remote areas...they're not the same as the bears that are used to seeing people. I just heard that there was an earthquate in Alaska! Hope it wasn't near you!
Upcreek, I hope you had an enjoyable trip to Italy!
I've been working hard in our backyard. Dirt and sod have been laid where the pool was and today I started to remove two large rhododendron bushes. DH will have to remove the stumps! I'll be glad when all this yard work is done!
I hope everyone is well and have a great weekend!
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Hi everyone. Finally got the computer up and running at the cottage. Our anniversary trip to Italy was wonderful. If you get a chance to travel--Italy is a very good choice! The food, the people, the scenery, the coffee and oh yes, the wine were great. Visited with DH's family in Fano (3 hrs south of Venice), 2 days in Venice (unbelievable), Pisa (beautiful), Florence (so much art and culture) and back to Rome. We walked and ate our way across Italy.
Back to work and reality now. Been catching up with all of you and I missed chatting. I need a map so I can follow Carole while I'm at the cottage. What a trip!
Meg, how are you going to cool off without the pool this year?
Fortunate1: Glad your DH is out of the woods.
Okiegal: What are you up to?
Hi to Tinkerbell and all the new gals
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Hi Ladies, my pre-op appt w/ my PS is Monday N I have been active in some of the fOrums on here. Has anyone here heard of lipo micro fat grafting? What kind of "revisions" have u ladies had ? I do NOT want anymore surgery after this one so this time I want it perfect N 2 stay that way!! I want a "normal" cleavage N both sides to be even N the same "feel". I know I'm asking 4 a lot but damn... After all I've been thru... I better!! Lol. The forum on here has anyone had fat grafting... Wow!!! If this works... I know the ladies on there r very happy!! But I have to also wonder if this is so gr8, why aren't more PS doing this? The main guy that does it is on Fla ... But I can't travel there!! I've read & am so jealous how these women feel sensation in their foobs... & the pix I see... Wow!! No cuts, no scars... But once again why aren't more dr's doing this! I'm also gonna look into finding a bra that wks for me!! I wors a sports bra today & am I so glad I am not wearing it anymore!! Lol. Hope all is gr8 w/ everyone & u r enjoying ur summer!! Hugs to all!!
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Hi again ladies!! It's gr8 having an IPHONE... so much better then my BB.. I can acess this site so much easier!! AW, I learned a "new trick "... If u carry a cell phone all the time like I do.. & u don't have or have a sundress on... Where do u put it? So u put it inside ur bra. Well I did this today 4 the 1rst time N when my phone moved 1/2 way down my foob, I had no idea b/c I have no feeling!! Lol. So now I put it part way on my chest N part way on my foob, so I can feel it move!! Just had 2 share this!!!
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Hi everyone, and hi Tink! I had a little fat grafting to fill in a hollow in the cleavage area. It stayed. The PS wants to do more to fill a scar divot where the breast surgeon scraped too close to the skin. I'm not sure about that, but am considering. Why won't he put it under the nipple where I'd really appreciate it? But he hasn't had success with that.
Not much going on here right now. I hope its because all of you are having wonderful summers.
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Hello everyone,
I read this article today about the new FDA's review on the longevity of breast implants.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/22/us-fda-implants-idUSTRE75L3NA20110622
I have noticed wrinkles in my right implant...Only on the top half and not all the time. On my left side I still get that poking feeling and sometimes I feel like my muscle is squeezing my implant. The other day I push against the left side of the implant to try to get rid of that poking feeling and I felt my implant slide over to the center. It was a different and strange feeling. I have not massaged in a very long time, but when I did I always felt the implant was solidly set in place at the base of my chest wall. It was strange to feel the implant slide against my chest wall. Sometimes when I'm sleeping on my right side, I feel like my left implant is high on my chest. I don't know for sure what I would do if I needed to replace the implants. If the life of an implant is 10 years...I do not want to go through this over and over again. I have no idea what the future will be, but when I had my bmx I had the support of DH, family and friends and good medical coverage not to mention all of you (who made this much easier to get through). What will be my situation in 10-20 years or longer should I live into my 80's? My guess is if I had to have an implant replaced I would probably have both removed. That thought really saddens me.
Upcreek, Welcome back...I'm glad you had a great trip!
Carole, I hope you're having fun in Alaska. I look forward to hearing about your adventure!
Speech, I've been thinking about you and the fires in AZ. I hope you are not near the fires.
Fortunate1, Okiegal and all...I hope you are well and enjoying your summer! I may not come here as often, but you are all in my thoughts.
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Meg9
I so agree--Am looking into complete fatgrafting.
Things are improving.
Eileen
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Hi all,
Meg, I too, worry about such things! I recently discovered that the allergy medication, Singulair, has the odd side effect of helping with capsular contracture. Although I began taking it for seasonal allergies, I discovered the aforementioned possible benefit while researching side effects. Perhaps this would be helpful for you? It's expensive (with my insurance), but I think it's only prescribed for a few months if taking it for "capsular contracture". The price should drop as it will go off patent next year.You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsular_contracture
Eileen, I'm interested in the fat grafting too, but don't see how I will ever have the money to do that. For now, I'll just hang on to my implants for as long as possible and see what the future brings.
I still have the weird itching and stinging sensations that I was complaining about last year. It comes and goes. I worry that it's the implants, but I think it may be something else, menopause, allergies, vitamin deficiency, allergies, a combination? Implants, of all kinds, are (and continue to be) well researched so I try not to worry about it, except when I decide to worry about it!
The weather has been unpleasantly hot and will likely get hotter. UGH. I really hate it, but am glad there is air conditioning everywhere. I traveled up to Joplin and helped with tornado clean up for one day last week and will go again tomorrow. The devastation is so astonishing and overwhelming. I had never seen anything like it. My heart goes out to all of the people.
Monday, I'm going to go to a "docent's coffee" for the local art museum. I'm trying to find a new career and make new friends. I feel like I need to meet new people, get connected and branch out. It's hard to do when you are self employed and not really working much. Maybe this will help?
Tinkerbell, have you had your surgery? How are you doing? Hope everything goes perfectly for you the second time around.
Fortunate1, you sound busy! Glad to hear that DH is doing well and that your fat grafting stuck!
Carole, I imagine that you are cool, wherever you are right now. Hope you are having a lovely trip.
Upcreek, Italy! I'm so jealous! But glad you had a great time.
Hope everyone is good!
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Eileen, I don't know much about fat grafting for total reconstruction...I'm going to read more about it.
Okiegal, Interesting info about Singulair and its effects on capsular contracture. Thanks for posting. My breasts are not firm or lifting up so I don't think I have CC or at least not yet! I found this site...
Good for us to know if any symptoms appear.
I hope you have a good time at the "docent's coffee" and meet some interesting people. I understand the need to get connected outside the home. It has been over a year since I quit my job at my old church and I miss all the volunteer work I did there. I was always busy and that was good for me. My life since has been working around the house and dealing with family problems I can't get away from. I'm not complaining (just bored and not as happy)...things could be worse. It's great that you went to Joplin and helped with the tornado clean up. It's so sad that so many lost everything from these tornados and the fires in AZ.
It's been another hot, humid and rainy day today...same for tomorrow. I've been staying in the AC house, to the AC car, to the AC stores! LOL I'm on my way to the Laundromat. My washing machine broke and a new one will be delivered Saturday. See what I mean...more fun, fun, fun! (That was sarcasm...I hate the Laundromat!) LOL
I hope everyone is well and have a great weekend!
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Meg,
thank you for providing the article on the implants. I remember my surgeon saying that when necessary its 20 minutes a side to replace them. But I must say, I really hope that in the next 5 or so years that fat grafting will be done by many and will be the standard. I briefly looked into fat grafting in Jamuary before I chose 1 step direct reconstruction and had contacted a surgeon in Boston. The coordinator informed me that it was 5 general anesthesias to do it, and I knew I was not in an emotional place to do that. I do hope things improve. If anybody finds that in the north east its being done with less surgical proceedures would you please share?
thanks
Chocolate
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Meg, thanks for the link to a very succinct and well written article! Ah, yes. Fun, fun, but at least you have AC!
Ilovechocolate, I'm right there with you...hoping for something better when replacement time comes around.
My twin sister went for her annual mammogram yesterday. Instead of worrying about myself, I'm now worrying about her. On one hand, I hope they don't find anything, but on the other hand, if there's something there, I really hope they find it! My BC wasn't diagnosed by mammogram, so, I worry that they'll miss something. She'll get the results on Monday and, I guess, she can always get her doctor to recommend more screening if she wants.
Time to start the laundry and do some house cleaning...with AC!
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Ilovechocolate:
I am also hoping to learn of faster results.
It depends on how many cc"s you need.
Things are certainly improving rapidly.
Eileen
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