BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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Does anyone know what is involved with a revision? I had my exhange two weeks ago and I am not happy with the size. I was filled to 480 cc and have a 450cc expander. Aside from the size the ps did a great job. They are even and smooth, but when I wear a top i look so small. Maybe I was used to the expanders that looked so large. I would have been happy going up one more size. Possibley 550cc.
I'm wandering if the implants would have to be removed and expanders but in again?
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dipad - Few of us were happy 2 weeks out from our exchange. Everything is still compressed. They will drop and fluff at least a little. You need to give it some time, at least 3 months. Hang in there.
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Dawn-Hope- Thanks for that info. I'lll take just a little fluff up and we will be happy!0 -
So just talked to my PS about an implant in my native breast. He thinks that not putting in a implant is better in my case since the round implant he's using for my reconstruction won't provide the top fullness I would get if an implant was used on my non-mx side. I hope that hearing that will help me relax about my decision.
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dipad: And in answer to your question....TEs would not be required again for another 100 ccs, based on your TE dimensions. So that should not be a problem. But as DH stated, you need to give it two weeks at least to see how they settle. Keep us posted!
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whippetmom, you are the expert, perhaps you can help me. Tomorrow morning I'm going in for hopefully my final reconstruction surgery. The ps is taking half of the nipple off my good breast and put it on my reconstructed breast. I asked if they die or don't take. He said he's never had one die or have a problem. He also wants to put a small implant under my pec muscle of my non reconstructed breast to make it match the new reconstructed breast implant..since he made it bigger than my natural breast. He is also doing a lipo suction to put up around the top of my breast where there is now wrippling. He also wanted to do a nipple lift since he did something like that on the reconstructed breast. I knew if he did there would most likely be no sensation at all in that nipple. In the long run it probably doesn't matter and I should do it.
I've feeling a little overwhelmed by this because I feel like I might be messing up my good breast. I hate the idea of another implant in my good breast. I am somewhat uncomfortable with the implant I already have as it rubs against the ribs especially when moving my arm or driving. It feels wierd. I've been so glad to have one normal feeling breast. There was so much to decide and now I feel like it's too late. I' want to get it done this year especially since all my copays are paid, and I'm now 100% covered.
My appointed is at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. I just hope I don't regret what's going to happen especially since I'm not sure what to expect afterwards.
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DigitalCowgirl....sorry - missed your post somehow. I have responded with my email address!
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evebarry: A huge percentage of women who are unilaterals end up having a small implant on the native side. You will be fine. It will not respond like your MX side. You will get used to the implant quickly and you will probably soon forget it is there. I think you will be mentally and emotionally uplifted a month from now. I think that symmetry is the biggest hurdle to overcome for unilaterals and once it is achieved, you will be feeling so much better about this decision for further surgery.
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Jamie: I would tell my PS - "if you feel during surgery that a small implant on the native side would give me better symmetry, I want you to at least try it." I am not sure about his theory.....many uni gals augment the native side if they are going larger than they were pre-MX
Deborah
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whippetmom, do you think I should do the lift so the nipples match? My ps said I could wait since I was reluctant in that he said I could lose complete sensation of the nipple. I could call first thing tomorrow morning and ask for it to be done. BTW...where do they put the implant...top or bottom?
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dipad, sounds like we're aiming to do the same thing. I see my PS again mid August and hopefully after that I'll get my surgery date but I'm also hoping to get into a 550 and a tad higher, and closer together. I currently have 450cc implants and my te's were 400 - one was filled to 370, the other 430. I'll also be getting my nipples then. I'm not waiting for the fluff and settle stage. I know I want to be bigger and my left is smaller than my right, so my left is not quite a B. I was shooting for a full B (or small C). Good luck!!!
I have pictures on my blog if you want to look: http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/2012/07/monkey-me.html
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Hi Whippetmom,
Thanks so much for your note. I did mail you pictures again so hopefully you will get them. Sometimes e-mail just goes into the cyber vortex never to be heard from again.
I know you have been dealing with your sprained finger too....so not to worry.
Thanks again, we really appreciate all the awesome advice you provide. You are such a wonderful person to help us like this and you have also inspired me to help my BC sisters. I'm planning to volunteer at our local breast center to help comfort others--just waiting to get the call back that I can help. I'm also a seamstress and quilter and plan on making a few dozen drain vests for people in need after surgery. I myself could not find a vest in time and had to McGyver one out of my husband's t-shirts the night before I went in for BMX. I was so glad I had something to hold those pesky drains. I realized that having a soft, knit cotton against the skin during recovery really made my days after BMX a bit more comfortable. So I came up with a pattern, ordered a ton of organic knit cotton and pink ribbon and will be zipping the vests up starting this weekend.
Hoping everyone is doing well and that you all come thru the reconstruction knot hole with the right size and fluffiness you desire. Hugs to all.
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wow DigitalCowgirl , that sound like a great idea. I'm sure whomever receives your vests will be so grateful.
Whippetmom - I'm pretty busty (D cup) now and we got a good result with the TE's so I'm not looking for bigger, just symmetry. But, too, I worry about losing sensation. Do you know if adding an implant increases the risk of losing sensation?
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Eve: I cannot answer regarding the loss of sensation with a lift. I think it is the rare case where sensation is lost, because there are a lot of women out there doing this all of the time and I do not hear complaints about this on the breast augmentation forums. But this does not negate the fact that there is this risk of loss of sensation for a brief period of time while tissues are healing. This is breast surgery [more invasive to the breast tissue than merely inserting an implant.] So some temporary loss of sensation might be anticipated. It is a trade off - symmetry vs. risk of loss of sensation.
Jamie: Ditto the above. Lots of augmentations performed around the globe and I have friends who have had augmentations and have full sensation everywhere. You are just getting an augmentation on the native side.
Deborah0 -
DigitalCowgirl: I never received the first set of photos but I did receive this set okay. So I have responded - go check your email...
Oh...and bless you for sharing your skills for the purpose of helping women in a much needed area of post-MX care. .0 -
Whippetmom - Thanks for your quick response. I am having a lift to the native side, she's pretty sad these days. She needs a little tlc. I think she's jealous that she's the one who has been behaving, yet her sister has been getting all of the attention.
I'll have to have another chat with my PS. He said there is a chance of loss of sensation with the lift, but the risk is pretty low, especially in my case since he said he doesn't have to do a full lift. Why is this so hard???
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Jamie: I am convinced that life is just plain hard this side of Heaven. I am a much better person today than I was prior to my bc diagnosis. My life has changed for the better. I am a happier, healthier woman. I know this will be the same for you also.
Deborah0 -
Thanks Deborah. I am happier in some ways, others not so much. BC certainly showed me some peoples' true colors, and I need to decide what to do about it. I am feeling more settled about my surgery next week, so that's a positive. Haven't cried today!! Not going to make any life altering choices until I'm on the other side of all of this. I appreciate your support.
Jamie
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Hi Whippetmom, I think the internet is malfunctioning again. Grrr!. I am so sorry to ask, but can you please resend your PM to me? I've checked and rechecked mail and alas, it's not here. Not in my spam folder either. My apologies!
Jamie, your comments about your girls cracked me up.
Hello to everyone else this evening. I hope you are all well. Sort of a quiet day on the board. Green Monkey, you go girl!
I was so glad to stop work tonight. It was one of those days where I just wanted to scream "do I have to do EVERYTHING around here"? Dang, there are days I just want to pound whiney co-workers like a pinata. One of the guys I work with threw a bunch of his work over the wall to me via e-mail. He had a blister on his heel from new shoes and needed to get off his feet because of severe pain. I just wanted to tell him to spread his man boobs as far apart as he could and hold them that way for hours while sticking a knife in each armpit. Then come tell me how it felt in comparison to his heel blister. Yeah, I'm cranky!
Well I am off to forage for dinner. It will either be cereal if the milk is not spoiled or Milanos.. I kinda hope the milk is spoiled. LOL!
Hugs to all.
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DigitalCowGirl: I just PM'd you what was contained in the email....
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Dear Whippetmom, Thank you so much. This time your message came thru. My wireless connection has not been stable tonight so you may receive two PMS from me in response.
You are so kind to help us and your guidance is invaluable. My sincere thanks.
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Whippetom- Thanks for the info. i see my plastic surgeon next month and I'll discuss the extra 100cc.
Greenmonkey- could luck with the ps. Let me know what he says. I'm hoping my ps will be able to exhange for 100cc.
I did some research and found that you should never agree to added saline in original implants. the only was to increase size is for new implants. But not having to wear expanders again is a good thing. Maybe they will "fluff" a bit in the next few weeks.
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DigitalCowgirl - what a great idea. I'm sure the vests will go over very well for anyone needing drains. I have also heard of a company that has a really nice terry cloth/elastic belt with pouches for the drains. A friend of mine ordered 2 before her mastectomy and they worked great and she is planning to use them if she has drains for the recon. Called The Marsupial. Her doctor had recommended them, and she was able to use it in the shower, when she was able.
Dipad, I've heard the same thing about adding saline to existing implants. The silicone implants are much better and don't do a deflate over time like saline can.
I have considered seeing my ps now that it's been 3 years since the lumpectomy and my bs gave me a beautifully shaped boob and the un-cancer boob is now a little droopy compared. I wanted to see how everything would heal, and if it remained perky, and it did. I guess he took out just enough tissue when getting the tumor that it in essence is a lift. Now I'm considering a similar lift on the other side. I'm not terribly off-balanced, but enough that I notice and my bras definitely don't fit the same way on both sides.
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Hi Whippetmom - I have heard great things about you and your help. I was wondering if you can help me.
I just had a prophylactic nipple sparing double mastectomy and I am trying to figure out the size implant to acheive what I want. The TEs are hard to judge. I am 4'10", 97lbs and my rib cage is about 28" or 29". I want to look proportionate. I want to be a full b/small c. I don't want to look too big or too small (obviously). I have an allergan TE, SN#16991260, style 133MV.
How many cc's do you recommend? I plan on getting silicone or gummy bears. We are going to decide at my pre-opp in October.
Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you.
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megcon: Do you have any further data on the 133 MV? The serial number does not help me. It tells me it is a moderate height, variable projection TE, but essentially, I need to know the width of the TE. A catalogue number would help, as would a width or number following the 133 MV, like a "10" or a "11"....or a "12"....or a volume, like 250, or 300...I cannot imagine anything larger. You are a WAIFETTE! One of the waifs that comes our way - and so small implants for you. I personally vote for smooth silicone rounds, because you have a bony ribcage and gummies - Allergan 410s - are pretty darn rigid. I think that around 275 ccs in a high profile or even a moderate plus profile [in a lower volume] would be nice. Nothing larger than 300 ccs...HPs.
But let's see what your TEs tell me once you get that info!
Deborah0 -
Hi Deborah...
Umm I don't consider myself too early for the thread since I just started my fill process not so long ago, and I really want to understand.I was originally a A cup but told the PS I wanted to go to a full B/small C.
My bmx was on 6/20 with TE and was injected with 150cc.
My first fill after my surgery was on 7/25 for 60cc.
My second fill on 8/1 was 90cc.
Next fill for me ison 8/8. So I have about another week.
Currently I have 300cc's on each side. My PS has said he would like to overfill me when I decide to stop.I'm 5'0" usually 90lbs (I was 83lbs when I was at the doctor office, my appetite is still whacked after surgery).
My rib cage measurement (under the bust) is 25 inches. I don't know my the dimensions of the TE's are. I know they are small though. My skin is pretty tight around the TE's.I know the implants would look so very different from the rock hard TE's I have right now. I definitely want silicon vs saline, but I still haven't decided which implant shape (teardrop or round) that I would get.
My TE/implantexchange is Dec '12.0 -
kathyhong: Could you find out a bit more about your TEs? I need to know the style and recommended volume. You are at 300 ccs, but is this the recommended volume? Essentially, I need to know the width of your TEs. You are very tiny and possibly you have the smallest ribcage I have recorded in the past four years. So I do not believe it will take much implant to give you the appearance you desire. If you want silicone, there are really only rounds currently readily available. Sientra does have teardrop shaped siilcone implants, but they are not as accessible as are Mentor or Allergan. So unless your PS has access to the "gummy bear" Allergan Style 410 or Mentor CPGs or Sientra, the silicone implants would likely be "rounds."
Deborah0 -
Hi Whippetmom,
I just want to say thank you, for being so knowledgeable and for using that knowledge to help other women. You are truly a godsend!
On July 3rd I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with tissue expanders placed. My tissue expander is Allergan 133 MV-12. I also wrote down something about 12 x 11. Some sort of measurementof my old breasts I think. Max fill 300 cc (I think) with 5.2 projection. I hope that is enough info. I am 5'5 1/2, 135 lbs, ribcage 30'.
I did not discuss a specific implant with my plastic but I did say that I wanted to go larger somewhere around a C with either a moderate or high profile. My best friend didn't seem to keen on the high profile as she stated that she doesn't want me to have "stripper" boobs. Lol. What difference does it make between a moderate or high profile implant? Oh, and I will def be opting for silicone.
What would you suggest? Thanks!
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Oh, and my plastic surgeon told me that he wants to overfill my tissue expanders.
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Hi Deborah - thanks so much for your fast reply. I appreciate your help. I have 133MV-12 and it says 300cc. Does this help?
Thanks again!0
