BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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Natalie: Found your private message and responded!
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Whippetmom - I am on picture forum and I posted a new photo a minute ago, Thanks !
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Going there now Shannon!
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OK home from my exchange surgery. Went right from hospital to sonic for a banana split.
I ended up with 600cc. I have not looked at it yet. I did get drains but only need them for a few days, so they come out of Friday. He ended up needing to do a little lipo on the prophy side to make them even.
Still have some pain but not too bad. Pain meds are helping.
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Congrats, Carrol!!!! Yippee squishees!!!!
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Yay Carrol. Remember they will change over the next few months. My PS may do more lipo in the future too.
BTW I got my stitches out today. No more Franken nipples. Still can't wear an underwire bra for a while. In a few days I won't have to put so much gauze protectors on them either. Next is tat's and I'm done!
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Carrol: Congratulations!!!
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Good catch, robo47! lago, you could have had the best Halloween costume out there!
What's your timeline for tats? I'm so jealous of all you ladies! Exchanges, nips, tats...I SO want to be there!
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Day 2 home from the hospital. I have a little pain and my throat is sore. I had to have drains but they come out tomorrow I hope. Doctor ended up with 600cc instead of 650cc. I imagine that I wont notice that much. Right now they look flat like my TEs did except they look to be even now. I can feel when i push on top that they are a lot softer. Tomorrow should be interesting. I was told i could shower but i figured i would wait until the drains came out. I have some pain I have been taking hydrocodone. They said percoset was stronger but i found it not to work as well. It is def not as painful as my bmx or my TE surgery.
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Robo I did mention to my PS that I was losing my Franken nipples for Halloween. I'm not sure he knew that I was kidding.
Not sure about timing of the tats. PS said we needed to wait a bit. I see him in a month. I'm sure we'll discuss it then. Fall/winter/early spring are his busy months so it also depends on when I can get in. This is done in office.
Yamaha you'll get there. I'm acutally frustraited that I'm not done yet. I'm back in PT too. (rearended and my LE is acting up).
Carrol I didn't think your TEs looked flat… at least compared to what I've got
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Carrol, sorry to hear you're having some pain, but glad it's not as much as the other procedures! And, it's SOFTER! Whoo-hoo!!!!!
lago, sorry your LE is acting up on you! I've noticed lately mine seems to be bothering me more, but I had been a little lax about wearing my sleeve... At least I now know it really does make a difference. I'm hoping, once I *finally* get my exchange done I'll see some improvement in that area. Fingers crossed...
As for my exchange, I'm scheduled November 14, with PS #2... I really like this lady; she has a great bedside manner, and it's been so much easier to talk to her about my boob expectations.
HOWEVER...my sister was dx'd last week with bc, so at my regular onc follow-up this week, I talked to him about having my other breast removed. He suggested BRCA testing, which means I MAY push that exchange back again. If I'm BRCA positive, I definitely want to have it removed, and if I'm doing that again, I might as well do the exchange at the same time, right? ****SIGH**** The cancer clinic sent all the info to my insurance company today, so waiting on them for approval, now. I just don't think I can pull it all together by November 14! And, if I'm going to have another mx, I may want to wait until January because of insurance deductibles. So, I'm feeling like it's never going to happen! Does anyone know...if BRCA testing is negative, do most insurance companies fight removing the non-affected breast? I'm worried since my first PS already did the augmentation that the insurance company might balk at it... Even if it comes back negative, I believe there's something wrong...grandfather (prostrate); mom (colon); aunt (Stage IV bc at 50); and, still living--grandmother (melanoma); uncle (leukemia), and uncle (basal cell carcinoma). So, now with my sis and I both diagnosed prior to 50... I just want to get it done so I can move past this!
SO, I might not be a UNI much longer, anyhow! Will definitely make symmetry a much-easier task!
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YamahaMama - Sorry to hear about your sis. How is she doing? I'm sure you'll be a great resource and comfort for her - that's what sisters are for, right?
Can't help with the insurance question. Both my cancers (and more found at surgery) were in the same breast, but since one was lobular I opted for bilateral and it wasn't an insurance issue. However, it wasn't a separate surgery so not exactly the same as your situation.
Hang in there!
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Thanks, TinaT! Sis is handling it okay--tubular carcinoma, very early. She was told, if you're going to get bc, this is probably the best kind to get--slow growing, non-aggressive. Of course, until she has surgery, they don't know about lymph node involvement, etc., but don't anticipate any. The radiologist led her to believe a lumpectomy is all she'd need, and I told her she would actually have the option of having an mx, uni or bi, and I wish I had had a bilateral done. She's now choosing a bilateral (pending HER insurance approval), with her surgeon's blessing, given family history. The hard part for HER is she had surgery on her skull in September, so she hasn't fully recovered from that yet. It's been quite the fun year!
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Natalie: Very few insurance companies in the U,S. deny when it can be substantiated that the family hx is significant. Your sister's diagnosis puts you in an entirely different category in terms of risk.
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Natalie:
I don't know what state you live in, but in Michigan the insurance companies have no say as to the treatment you choose once you have a breast cancer diagnosis. At least that was what my BS told me. I also found out that Michigan law prohibits them from denying reconstructive surgery. Of course, you do have to have insurance to had these laws apply.
Good luck to your sister.
Phyllis
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Natalie
Oh dear you and your family have been through a lot. Given the strong family history with your sister now it puts your risk (regardless if you get tested for Brac or not) higher your insurance should not deny. Best wishes for you and your sister. You will be in my prayers
Liz0 -
Hi Natalie, sorry to hear of all the upheaval, I hope it will all go "relatively" easily for your sister.
I had the BRCA testing before deciding between uni or bilateral. I was told insurance would pay for the test if I had other primary cancer (I have had lots of skin cancer) OR if there was a family history (have that too). It turned out what seemed like a lot of family cancer was statistically normal based on the large family (irish italian catholics! ) Also for me the BRCA came back negative (97%). (thank god, for my daughters' sake!) I had decided to do bilateral anyway and it was NEVER an issue with my insurance company.
Good luck... hang in there!
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Hi Natalie,
I don't know if it helps but I wanted to let you know that I underwent a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy this summer and it was covered by my insurance and I had never even had the BRCA testing as my mom tested negative. Unfortunately my mom passed away last year from breast cancer and two of her sisters have battled breast cancer as well. Despite the negative BRCA result from my mom's testing (her two sisters never tested) and me never even having been tested, PBM and reconstruction were both covered. Just to echo what others are saying, I would think with your situation would be covered for sure.
And I couldn't agree with you more that even if the test were to come back negative, there are links in some families that just haven't been discovered yet. I was about to have my third biopsy when I decided to have the PBM instead. After watching my mom and her two sisters struggle, I just couldn't help but feel there is a genetic link, proven or not.
Please know there are prayers going out to you and your sister from our house as well! I wish you both all the best!
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Just a quick update on my exchange surgery for those of you who have helped me along the way; I had my exchange two weeks ago and am quite happy already.
My PS brought in a ton of sizes for both Mentor HP and Allergan 45. It's the last thing I remember seeing on a cart in the operating room before I was out. I said "Wow that's an entire buffet of implants!" They all laughed and that's all I remember. My PS ended up using Mentor HP 475cc. He said not to wear a bra for four weeks so I have no idea what size I am but I can't wait to find out!
I really wish I could wear a bra to be honest. I think they would feel a bit better. I've read other women were told to wear a bra 24/7 after exchange but am doing what my surgeon said. There must be a reason.
I think it's so interesting to read everyone's story on their journey. Thank you all very much for allowing me to share mine. I worried that I was kind of being a bother or somewhere I didn't belong as my journey didn't include a cancer diagnosis but Whippetmom and all of you have been great. I most sincerely appreciate all of you and wanted to say thank you. I know my mom is smiling from heaven at all of you who have helped her daughter as well. Thank you so much everyone!!
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Congratulations "B" - cannot wait to hear your pronouncement that the size is PERFECT! So glad you found your way here!
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Ok day three since the exchange. PS only able to take one drain out so i am a bit bummed out. He said he will take the other out on monday. There was a lot of pocket work and some lipo on one side. Now he has this crazy tape holding everything in place, then the straightjacket thing they call a bra, and a very tight band thing across the top. I feel like a mummy.
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carrol, i just got the "bandeau" yesterday! at my 2 week check up. i am supposed to wear it for the next 2 weeks! sorry about the drain. hope you can lay around all weekend...?
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LMichele yes i planned to rest for at least two weeks after the surgery.
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Loveb my PS had me in a barely there bra. Then after a month I was wearing nothing this summer… granted my implants seem to be smaller than most people here. There are 2 thoughts regarding bras after the surgery. Support is one but the other thought is all that tightness stops blood from flowing and slows healing. I was told my PS goes back and forth on what to do.
Natalie that sucks about your sis. I did have my other breast removed because the MRI showed some suspicious spots. BS recommended it after he saw those spots saying I would have biopsies yearly. Ended one of those spots was a small amount of LCIS. My feeling is if your BS is recommending it I can't see how insurance would fight it BUT I recommend getting the codes from your doctor and finding out for yourself. I did this for my reconstruction. Needed to see how much they would cover since my PS is out of net work. If you have the codes they will tell you. Also your doctors go and get everything pre- approved. Not a guarantee but usually works.
Carrol you'll heal fast.
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I finally did it! I posted some photos on the picture forum. As I said earlier, being a "bodacious" gal (Whippetmom, I took your suggestion!) I thought it might help those of us with a not so petite figure. The encourage and support I have received from all of you here helped me to make that plunge!
Phyllis
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Phyllis:
Thank you for posting your photos! See my comments there!
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Does anyone got really red on the incision area after adding more cc's to TExpanders? Just wondering because my last time I got really red on the side that I had radiation and I am wondering if I should stop filling. I already double my size, I was really small, so I had a TE of 200cc's and now I have 425cc and 450cc.
Tiki0 -
Tiki: That sounds like a lot of overfill for someone who has a history of previous radiation and perhaps impaired skin integrity. You can always ask to cease fills, since you are already well past the recommended fill level.
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Whippetmom- what is the recommended fill level?
Thanks,
Tiki0
