BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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Jessicav,
I believe the saline implants are heavier then the silicone. I just had a revision from textured silicone to Mentor Style 20, high profile, smooth round and it made a huge difference. The textured felt like firm rubber balls under my skin and the smooth round feel so natural. Plus the smooth round did give me great fullness in my upper pole. It will be 2 weeks tomorrow so they may still settle so I could lose that upper pole fullness. But I am loving it while it lasts!
Deborah can help you with dimensions. One question, have you switched plastic surgeons or staying with the original?
Dianne
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bump
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Whippitmom: Thank you so much for your info and help. I do have TE's and have had it filled. I also have an appt with my PS this week and I will get more info so I can make more informed decisions from this point on. When I have this infor I will be in touch.0
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Ladies,
Whippetmom is amazing, and after reading thru EC, and further directly asking her for advice, I was both appreciative, and amazed, at her knowledge, and selfless willingness to take the time to help me ! Thanks for taking the time to write the "overview" for our fellow BC sisters -- I love the "breast whisperer" moniker.. great ! Jeanne
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Jeanne: I have PM'd you for an update!
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hi, whippetmom, I have followed your postings for months and am in awe of your expertise and the willingness with which you share your knowledge (and time!). Now it's time for me to ask you for advice as I'm scheduled to meet with my plastic surgeon this week to discuss and schedule my upcoming exchange surgery (probably in mid-March).
I'm posting my pics and info on the picture forum and would be so grateful if you would look at them and give me your opinion. Thank you so much, and by the way, thanks for posting the above info as well -- very helpful!!
Patty
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Patty: I commented on your photos on the picture forum!
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dear jessicav
i am writing from australia some terms are different here but i have a 690cc implant in my chest it is heavy and hard , it has no breast shape at all it is a teardrop low profile silicone gel that sits up high on my chest , it hasnt dropped in 3 months , and has pushed my natural cleavage out of shape along with sitting up under my arm pit. it is extremely uncomfortable and showing no signs of changing at all the TE was 630cc and that is what i thought i was being exchanged with .
my cosmetic breast cancer surgeon says he can fix it with another op , but what next ...i have paid out $30,000 to have 3 operations and cannot afford to keep having them . am thinking i should now c a PS to correct the disaster as i cannot live and walk around with this implant of 690cc when my other breast was reduced to approx small C cup ...the natural breast sits normally and the implant sits 3 inches higher on the other side ,
when i told the breast surgeon i was not happy , he just said he can fix it with another operation
but why should i pay him another $10,000 to fix his mistake when he could make another mistake , i have seen photos of other PS work and the women look quite good with the MX breast a real breast shape .
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Bump for a friend
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Jasper -- so sorry you are having such trouble. If I were you I would seek out a Plastic Surgeon who specializes in reconstructive surgery (rather than a cosmetic plastic surgeon). Even if it's just for a second opinion at this point.
Does health insurance in Australia not cover reconstruction for Breast Cancer patients?
Lilah
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hi lilah
i am not privately health insured ...in oz you either use the public system or pay to have a private surgeon ..in my case i needed urgent surgery to remove the tumour which turned out to follow on to a mastectomy because of the margin clearance. if i use the public system i would have had to wait too long to have the operation which would have put me at risk of the cancer spreading
so you pay to save your life , the reconstruction is done by the same breast cancer surgeon he is not a PS and probably in hindsight should have gone to a separate PS prior to going inot the reconstruction however i did not know and everyone said he was the best so i just kept paying and praying it would be ok and that he knew what he was doing , obviously the 690cc implant is way tto big or wrong shape or texture or whatever, but i would have thought being the best surgeon he would have known what type of implant to use. regards jasper
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Wow Jasper what a horrible system. Makes the "haves" basically able to survive better than the "have nots" as long as they are willing to pay. I am sorry.
I am not a doctor but have you researched capsular contraction? You describe the implant being hard and mis-shapen and that can be a descripton of CC (which requires more surgery to correct). I urge you to see a Plastic Surgeon. A different doctor than the one you are seeing now, since he is not a PS (and even if he was a PS since you are so unhappy). Some Plastic Surgeon's DO put a larger implant in place of the TE... some a smaller, so it may not be a matter of a wrong implant. It's impossible to know from here in the US... but I do know that the best thing you can do for yourself is seek a second opinion.
I'm sure Deborah -- who knows far more about this than me -- can add to this.
Lilah
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Jasper: I agree with Lilah - what you are describing sounds like a high grade capsular contracture. This is distorting and squeezing the implant, pushing it upward and also causing you pain and discomfort. It will not resolve on its own at this point. It must be surgically reduced.
The shape of the implant sounds terribly wrong for you. Could you call your PS and get the information on your implant? Actually, since your implant IS a registered medical device, you should have been given this information at the time of surgery or sometime thereafter. They must, by law, record your implant information in their files. Obtain it and then come back here and we can chat further.
Deborah
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Jasper: Can you NOW go through the public system and obtain consultation with a reconstructive plastic surgeon?
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Good idea Deborah. I wondered the same thing. It sounds like the problem with the public option is the waiting... but since the cancer is removed, waiting is not a life/death situation.
Lilah
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hi deborah
I am 51 yrs size 10 figure weigh 60 kilos ...i have a slight frame . my implant is a 690cc anatomical teardrop textured low profile cohesive 111 . the surgeon reduced my natural breast to a small C cup . the implant is no different in feeling to the TE only bigger and harder , it sits high like the TE and has not dropped at all . the TE was 630cc the implant 690cc. i asked the surgeon if it would drop 1 week out from op on 11/11 and he said he didnt think so , the breast care nurse told me it was unfortunate what had happened about my implant when i frantically rang the surgery 3 weeks later, they obviously know something i dont . when i asked the surgeon 5 weeks out form op why it didnt look anything like the photos he showed me and why was it so hard . he just said he can fix it with another op ....by cutting under my breast and pulling it down ? I have contacted a PS and sent him photos and he said the implant was massive at 690cc he said he normally would not use an implant that big ...the shape of the implant looks like its upside down wide at the tope with little fullness at the bottom ....it is oushing right up under my under arm and my cleavage is all crooked from where it pushes over onto my natural breast. The beast cancer surgeon is not a PS he is a Cosmetic breast surgeon and everyone in the city that i have spoken to says he is the best!
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dear whippetmom
no here they have private reconstructive PS that you pay to c . you can only go thru the public system for emergency treatment and the waiting lists are from 3 months to 2 years . life threatening illness is usually 2 or 3 months wait.
the operations here cost $10,000 each operation .thats for an overnight stay and all meds .
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Jasper: I am sorry about your complications with breast reconstruction. Have you contacted the local Breast Cancer Network to see if they can help you?
http://www.bcna.org.au/content/view/243/233/
If you are describing the Allergan 410 cohesive gel implant - yes - it is much firmer than the standard silicone or saline implant. However, what you are describing sounds like a combination of unfortunate complications after your surgery [and perhaps during your surgery, based on nursing comments] , coupled with what appears to be the onset of capsular contracture. If you would like to send your photos to me I can take a look and see if I have any suggestions. But beyond making some recommendations in this regard, we are sort of bereft of how to help you further from here - where we are on the other side of the world. You might try starting a new topic on this web forum - with the header asking for other Australian women on these forums to respond.
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dear whippetmom
thankyou for your input , i know its difficult from over there , my implant is a mentor brand not sure about the photos, i do have them but attaching them is not working. am very grateful that the people on this site care the way they do. there is a breast cancer net work in aus but it is not immediate feedback like this site. the biggest problem since having the breast cancer has been lack of resources available , other women to talk to , look at , etc there is not a lot of networking here, the surgeon isnt available after 4pm. for any complications they just have a recorded message to ring 000 which is the public emergency hospital and they wont touch you because you are under a private surgeon . i discovered this site and have gained an enormous amount of info but unfortunately a bit too late , and at $10,000 an operation i cant keep having revision surgery. am seeing a PS on the 4th march and the capsular thing does sound spot on .
thankyou will stay in contact
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Jasper: You will need to email me personally with your photos. I will send you a private message. Look in the upper right hand rectangular box with the "Private Messages" caption and click. If you have Mentor, and they are anatomical gels, they would be CPGs. I am not sure what you have but we will figure it out. I will see what I can do to help you from here.
Deborah
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I understand about insurance not paying. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield in the USA. They are now coming after me for 1900.00 for the Alloderm after a yr. We have spent about 14,000 out of pocket in two years... and they want even more.... God forbid I wanted any more breast surgery... with my BCBS.. I pay about 4000.00 a year out of pocket and that does not cover meds or copays or premiums...
Oh well.... they told me if I kindly paid 350.00 a month... they would not turn me over to claims....
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bumping for newbies
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Hi,
I had a right. Mast on 12/7 at the same time I had a reduction/lift on my good left side. I do not know what kind of TE I have in place. I am scheduled for one more fill next friday and exchange in March. I am completely uninformed. The only thing my PS has said was the implanr will sit a little bit higher than most because the reduction/lift is so high. I know it won't stay that wasy forever. Please tell me what I should ask next friday about the TE I have. We are aiming to match not to create a specific cup size? Am I too late?
Thanks,
Jane
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Jane: It is never too late to ask your PS what manufacturer, style and volume of implant he intends to use. As I might have mentioned above, gaining symmetry in a unilateral case takes precedence and so the focus will be on which style and volume of implant will most closely match the healthy, newly reduced and lifted breast. I am impressed that your PS got such a nice lift with your healthy breast. Reduction/lift - not an easy procedure. If you want to post a pictures on the pictures forum I can take a look....or you can email me photos. PM me if the latter.0
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I do not know how to do anything with pictures. I have been curious when people have posted that their pictures are on the photo thread. Help.
I will get the info at my last fill (hopefully) on Friday. My PS prefers to do the reduction/lift at the time of Mast.with the BS. His belief is that in the 3 months, which he says there is no compromise on, allows the natural breast to "fall" into place. So far I have no complaints other then TE discomfort.
Thank you
Jane
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Jane: The pictures forum is an entirely separate forum from bc.org, set up and maintained by a bco.org member whose screen name is "Timtam". You will need to PM her and ask her for entrance to the pictures forum. Click here and send her a private message:
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bumping for Dreamcatcher
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Hi Whippetmom
I had what I thought was going to be my last fill today, but it looks like one more will be needed. My exchange date is 3/24. I did ask my PS the name of my TE and it is a Moderate Profile, Mentor Expander. I now have 310ccs and will probably have another 60cc fill. At this time the PS said he cannot determine what size silicone implant he will use due to the fact that he is attempting to match my already reduced/lifted other side. Can you think of something else I need to know or to ask him? The reason for the extra fill is to create some more tissue so he can do some repair work at the time of exchange.
Thank you
Jane
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