BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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Dianarose: 250 ccs is a very small implant. I would say you would be happier with 325 ccs. Your 350 cc tissue expanders should easily get you there. Nothing under 300 ccs, is my recommendation.
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Dianarose: 250 ccs is a very small implant. I would say you would be happier with 325 ccs. Your 350 cc tissue expanders should easily get you there. Nothing under 300 ccs, is my recommendation.
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Blessings -- LOL on Doogie Howser!
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thanks.
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I am aware that no one can give an exact cc fill for a size, as everyone is different. I currently have 150 ccs filled, 100 ccs during TE implant during my BMX May 9, and 50 ccs added last week. My problem is I do NOT want to be bigger than a C/D! I was a 40DDD before surgery, and I refuse to be even a D. LOL I am 5'2-1/2", small frame, short-waisted and overweight, of course, but the weight is reducing. :-) I know that the PS fills you a bit bigger than you want to allow for settling and a bit of "droop" for a more natural look. I don't want headlights. LOL Any ideas? Thanks!! I'm just so afraid of going to the dept store or Victoria's Secret (where I haven't shopped in YEARS!) as a DD or DDD again!!! This PS is very good, BTW. :-)
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mariwyl - focus on size, not breast cup size. It is likely you will wear a d cup because the implants are wider that natural breasts. I wear a d cup but it looks like a b cup...bra size is not a good measure.
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Good advice Dawne-Hope. I'm in a DD bra and in clothes I look like a large B/small C.
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I was shocked when two different fitters sized me at DD. I would never have guessed. I have Allergan/Natrelle Style 15, which are moderate plus. There are two styles (20 and 45) which have more projection than mine. So, as others have written....it's difficult to have your heart set on being a particular size. Every body is different in configuration and in the way it heals. Past surgeries, radiation, etc. all seem to come into play and contribute to the final cup size.
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I had a appointement yesterday...I was at 300ccs before this fill...Now at 360ccs. I was thinking that I was already there but it seems that it is an error... My PS let me choose if I want another fill or not...I don't know what to do...My exchange will be in september. I will have Mentor CPG....
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Mariwyl: Read #4 above in the header. If you want me to narrow it down further for you, I need more info. You will never have breasts like you had pre-BMX... Not to worry!You need to have the appropriate size implants to balance out your frame ..at least an appropriate size for your chest wall. I can pretty much guarantee that you will want midrange plus profile implants. As Dawne-Hope stated above, forget about cup size. It is entirely meaningless at this point. If you start throwing cup sizes out at your PS, you could end up pretty unhappy. No PS can predict cup size anyway.
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Hello again to all ladies on BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101:
Just back home from my first TE revision operation - a most extraordinary experience! Having the benefit of this forum, and doing extensive research in how to care for the new TE has made this experience a lot easier (& pain reduced !!).
Differences:
1 Implant placed by PS instead of breast surgeon
by having a PS instead of only a breast surgeon has meant the world of difference. The PS been taped up my breast with supportive tape, so there isnt the feeling the te is going to fall out, and that walking is a thing to be feared & avoided! He fitted me with allergen TE, and clearly stated that it was temporary. My previous expereince was of being told the becker's implant was a permenant one, and refusing to exchange it, even when it had contracted.
2 The right bra!
I get quite miffed that breast & PS's always say 'wear a sports bra after surgery'! I can tell you that not all bras are created equally!! I found that the Z bra (link below)has been a great support over the Royce 'minimum support' Post surgery bra
http://www.medicalz.com/plastic-surgery-breast-S014.htm
I feel that it really helped with the post surgery swelling, and is comforting, as my TE isnt going anywhere! Im in London , UK so was able to buy the Z bra at 1/2 RRP £19.95 on ebay (so fortunate that it came in my *NEW* size!)
3 The right type of TE:
My revision consisted of removing a mentor Beckers implant (140cc, way too small for my frame!) and capsulectomy of CC Grade 3, and losts of medial scar tissue from mascectomy - which caused my untold pain & discomfort!!) In its place was fitted TE Allergen 133MX400, currently expanded to 300cc during my operation is looking fine & dandy! It looks like a lovely full B cup at present, and is a gorgeous breast shape (with some swelling, of course - its only day 3!) but it sure beats the previous grotesque hard orange-like beckers that was stuffed under my muscle for years!
Dearest Whippetmom - you couldnt have been more correct with the TE sizing too! My new TE fits my frame, and I already am appreciating it under my clothes.. so again big thank you for the guidance, it meant I could envision the surgery's outcome... BTW, PS did not once mention the actual sizes of the TE's he had ordered for me, I covertly got them from his secretary when I rang up to chase up my referral weeks ago!!! However, he did know his stuff, as the TE fits beautifully
Anyway, must rest, as even though the pain & movement restricion is less than mastectomy, I am feeling rather sore & exhausted though Ive onlky been up a few hours!
warmest regards,
BuddhaWolf
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Oh by the way, any tips on how to avoid capsular contracture most welcomed! Im concerned that as I have quite firm muscles that exercising too soon after surgery may have some impact on my developing this - any thoughts on this?
x BWolf
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I'm happy for you BuddhaWolf ! 0
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Hopefully someone can advise me here as I am not sure what to do:
I had a UMX in Decemeber and then did the other one in March so my TE fills were never at the same time. I just had my last fill on the March TE last week and am concerned that it is noticieably bigger than the other side. The other side is exactly where I want to be and the bigger side is not where I would want to end up. Additionally the bigger TE does not feel good. It is much firmer that the other side and still uncomfortable from the fill which never happened with the other TE. She did fill me 10ccs more than she usually does (70 instead of 60)just so I could be finished. I should also mention that the first TE seems a little flatter and goes up my chest farther than the other one.
So I guess my question is can I have them take a little OUT of the bigger side so they match better and get me to the look I want? Does it matter that one side is bigger? Or is it not so big of a deal that they do not match perfectly and when I have the exchange I can still be where I want to be and not bigger?
I am sorry that I don't know the size of the TEs or the final amounts. I was kind of big breasted before and was excited to fit in shirts and jackets nicer. Now with the big TE the shirts are gaping. My exchange is not until September and I feel self concious now and would hate to go that long with what I look like now.
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BuddhaWolf - Congrats to you and thanks for the observations. Always a help for those coming up behind you with exchanges or going through revisions.
It is my understanding that the massage is what mainly prevents capsular contracture. Best to be on the same wavelength as your PS on when to start and what method he/she recommends.
Happy healing!
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BuddhaWolf: I am relieved to hear you escaped from the painful clutches of that Becker. You are at increased risk of CC, merely by virtue of the fact that it occurred once, but, that said, in your case, you had a very specific circumstance of the wrong placement, wrong device and perhaps it was more of a sterility issue [i.e. bacterial contamination]- which seems to be the number one cause for the development of CC. So I think you had, what we call here, "a perfect storm of events" leading up to your disastrous results.
Yes, as Tina states, massage is good - most often done after the exchange, but I know a lot of gals gently massaged Bio Oil or Aquaphor or Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream over their TEs. So ask your PS though before doing so. Your skin is thin and the TEs are hard and so you do not want a friction rub issue to compromise things. You would need to do it gently. Take a baby aspirin daily. Just do it as a general rule to keep inflammation at bay. And take adequate Vitamin E.
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Mallory: It is not uncommon for assymetry during the expansion phase. But I think that the PS should strive for assymetry and even though they say they will achieve it at the time of the exchange, why not adjust the volume accordingly during expansion, to ensure that the same volume implant can be used bilaterally. In the past several cases I have seen of a PS using a different volume or different volume and projection of implant on one side, the results have been not quite right. Thereafter, a revision and correction to utilizing the same volume and style implant bilaterally just works best. With implant-only based reconstruction, it seems rarely would implant volume variation be necessary, if TE expansion is carried out with an eye towards symmetry. So it is not too late to remove some volume from the larger TE - but just know that the way you look in TEs is not how you are going to look with implants. It will take more implant volume to approximate what you have with the TEs. So plan on another 100 ccs in implant volume as compared to your recommended fill level with the TEs. Tell your PS that you want to match volume to volume with the implants. Do you have the same PS for both TE placement procedures?0
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Re: taking Vitamin E... check with your doctor. Vitamin E, like aspirin and other products, can work against clotting, which is a necessary part of healing (certainly DURING surgery but also possibly after). I know when I had surgery I was told not to take Vitamin E, aspirin or advil, among other things, for two weeks prior to surgery.
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Too add to that my BS/PS had me stop taking my multivitamin before and for a while after surgery because most (including mine) have vitamin E in them.0
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Thanks for the information Whippetmom! Yes, I do have the same PS for both TEs. I am going to call tomorrow to see if I can get a bit taken out of the right side. It is just so darn uncomfortable and getting worse. Even every little bump while driving hurts it. And it was perfectly find before the last fill.
Question-how big of a deal is it to take some volume out? Specifically, is it painful or just kind of like when they do the fill with the needle ony in reverse?
Also-I have been ramping up the exercises that the PT gave me for my chest. For example taking the wall pushups down to a more horizontal angle on a couch. Could excercise be causing some of the pain I am feeling? I wonder if besides being too full if it is somehow a little out of place now.
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I had radiation after swapping TE for silicone implants. I avoided capsular contracture on my right/cancer/irradiated breast by holding my breast in my palm and "circling" it clockwise for a few minutes and then circling it counter clockwise.
My PS didn't recommend this. But when I told her I was doing it, she said it was OK to do. Couldn't hurt.
I did this a few times a day for about three years. Year 4 I got busy and stopped doing it. During Year 4, I started to get capsular contracture in my right breast.
Now the scarring is so tight/bad/dense that I need a physical therapist to break it up or a PS to remove it.
I do think if I would have kept up w/ the circles/stretching I still would have eventually developed capsular contracture. But possibly it would not have come on so fast and so furious.
Good luck.
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Mallory107 - Removing saline from a TE is just the reverse of putting it in. I had to have one of my TEs partially drained at one point. Also, thoughout my fills they always told me I could go back and have saline pulled off if it was too uncomfortable, that it was not a big deal to do so.
It seems that the exercises could definitely be affecting how your chest is feeling, especially if you've changed the way you're doing them.
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Thanks Tina! Good to know its not a big deal.
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Lilah: Thanks for the reminder. Added to that is Omega 3 - fish oil - an every day thing that many folks take.
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And I was also told to stop taking glucosamine / chondroitin 10 days before surgery.
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There's a huge list of things to not take before and after surgery... so best plan is to check with your doctors.
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Mariwyl
I am glad you have a good ps. I am starting to understand what whippetmom, Dawn Hope and MTnester and saying about cup size. I am still going through expansion. I am filled to 650 cc. At this point I fit in a 40 c bra, but look like a b-.
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mkw1 and all who answered my quest for a smaller bra size, thank you.
I also have a question about the exchange surgery. Since I was on LWOP and returned to work today after my BMX May 9, I filed a claim with my short term disability company. It took them forever to get the check to me to pay bills! For the exchange, I anticipate less time off from work. My recovery so far from the BMX has been textbook and smooth. How long would you anticipate recovering from the exchange surgery in terms of anesthesia and resuming a regular schedule??? I'd like to plan ahead this time. It's not easy going 4 weeks without pay, though my husband did amp his up a bit.
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mariwyl - For me, the exchange was a cakewalk compared to my NSBMX. I don't work outside the home, but felt pretty good in a few days. No driving on pain meds, but it sounds pretty typical to only need those for a few days. It might all boil down to the type of work that you do.
The danger for many of us is overdoing because you're liable to feel like you can do more than you probably should. I would ask your PS what your post-surgery instructions and limitations are going to be and compare that to the kind of work that you do.
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Thanks, TinaT!! I am a renal social worker at one of the VA hospitals. Unfortunately, we are in a hiring freeze, so we all take turns covering the med floors, which is frenetic to say the least. And I drive 56 miles one way to work!! So, it looks like I may plan on at least a week. I will ask my PS for his input, though.
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