BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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whippetmom - Thanks, I've got a little homework to do
and the links will help. As I said, I used to be able to link directly from the Allergan/Natrelle website, but can't seem to find it there now. 0 -
WELL..... we had the Grand Unveiling this morning.
Fortunately, I knew what to expect, so wasn't too disappointed.
After being wrapped like a mummy in a very tight Ace bandage for 72 hours, the implants were shaped more like TEs, and had gotten a bit, er, dented at the bottom.
But I took a shower......ahhhhhhhhhh.....washed my hair......ahhhhhhhh.....and then after I dried off, I put a Xeriform strip across each incision.
I can't really tell if the PS extended them at all, but there was some recent bleeding on one of them and a lot of dried blood on the other. He said he had used skin glue on both, and to go ahead and get both wet, but y'all know how OCD I am about germs!!! So on went the Xeriform, and then we stuck mini-pads inside my sports bra (sticky side against the fabric) so nothing would rub the incisions.
Within about an hour, the bottom half of the implants started to fill out. I still have a tiny crease on the bottom of the right one, but I also have quite a bit of swelling from the additional release of the pectoral muscles in the IMF.
I can also tell I'm pretty swollen in my upper chest (I think he did a lot of work up there,too), but once I get to the ol' Drop and Fluff, they should be lookin' pretty good. I definitely don't have stripper boobs!
We didn't want to take a chance on uncontollable pain this time, so have been hitting the Norco, Cipro, and Benadyl on a regular basis. Cut back on the Norco today - I'm just sore, no constant pain whatsoever.
I have been eating my protein (100 grams a day, girls!) and napping like a big old housecat. I figure I have a prescription for two weeks of couch potato, and I'm taking advantage of it!!!
Sorry to be lazy, but I might copy and paste this post in a few other threads.
Hope everyone is doing well and having a good weekend!
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Whippetmom,
Thanks so much for the info. I asked my PS which sizes she had ordered and she replied "lots of different sizes" . The only one I actually saw on the chart was 500cc.
The TE seems too wide to me as it sticks out under my arm . I would ideally like less width but more projection. The PS said she only uses silicone implants with the highest projection.
I think I will call the office and try to get the info from my chart. I find that when I ask questions when I'm in with the PS she doesn't really answer specifically and always has to dash out!!0 -
Blessings --
Yay for you. I'm so glad to hear things went well today. You can count me in on that couch potato club! After all, that is part of proper healing. So, 100 grams of protein? Is that per your docs instructions? I try to get my 30-40 per day, so I can see how the higher intake can be beneficial during healing. Also, I've not heard of Norco and Cipro, are they codeine (sp?) based? I assume so if you are taking Benadryl for itching? I tend to itch with vicodin and percocet. Don't recall that effect so much with oxycodone when I took that years ago. Take it easy and get those long cat naps in. Do you have fur babies to nap with you? I have three. Keep us posted!0 -
Sorry I had company this weekend and was off line for a few days...
Vik with nipple sparing many women look pretty darn good with TEs... depending on how much skin is left there may be some droopiness at first (immediately after BMX/TE placement) but I believe you've said you are small... so that is not likely to be the case. Here is a link to a website that shows the whole process (though this was NOT nipple sparing, as I recall)... this woman shares this link in her BCO profile so I'm not violating privacy issues by reposting here:
http://www.courageismystrength.com/
There are several videos posted showing the entire process.Susannikki -- Whippetmom is the BEST resource I know for getting advice re: sizing... and I will only add that I LOVE my after on the lifted/reduced side... do not miss old saggy boob
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Vik I was very small chested before BC 32AA. I had a nipple sparing BMX and when I woke up from surgery with my TE's I had 100cc in each side. I was the same size as going in to surgery so it was a very easy transition for me once the pain subsided.
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Lilah,
Thanks for the positive words it gives me hope that I will get a good result. I just hate the fact that this is out of my control!0 -
Susannicki -- my worst time in the whole process was the period when I had to decide between lumpectomy and MX (after two lumpectomies had already failed to get sufficiently large enough clean margins). It was agony. About two weeks before the MX I simply decided to trust that it would be OK. It was. I woke up relieved it was over, relieved it didn't hurt too much, and relieved that when I looked down there was still something there (the sightly filled TE). Here's hoping it's as an easy surgery for you too.
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Sorry - tried to post a couple of times over the weekend and my computer was acting finicky. Nothing would go through. I wanted to answer your question Deborah... I have NO idea how wide my old implants were. They weren't even labeled with a serial code or name, according to pathology. I'm just astounded the left one was perfectly intact after over 30 years. Now the newer silicones are greatly improved.
During the same conversation with Rachael, my PS' PA, she said they'd be bringing various sizes into surgery- which from what I'm reading thankfully seems to be the norm. These women have a great eye for aesthetics.
For our newly exchanged ladies- I hope the transition has been a great experience and you will love your final outcome! I remember it takes a while for swelling to go down. While there may be some similarities in healing, I don't think you can really compare an implant with breast tissue to one which is post MX.
My September appt. is to go over all of the sizing issues- implants that will be taken into surgery. I'll be able to tell you much more after our meeting. Thanks to Deborah's expertise and education, I won't be going in blindly now.
SO grateful for this thread, our amazing breast guru Whippetmom, and all the wonderful women here.
Group Hugs {{{{{ }}}}}
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Mindy --
I am shocked that you had your original implants for 30 years! Wow! And, you never had any problems with them? That's very interesting.0 -
Sherryc --
Thanks for the info. I am on the small side too, but I am a 34 B. I am so glad that you come out of bmx with "something". I am getting so much info from all you ladies and trying to prepare for what lies ahead next month. I agree with Mindy, this an excellent thread!0 -
I know Vik.. lucky I guess. The right implant had a slight rupture the year before diagnoses. None of my docs were overly concerned, but they all mentioned implants weren't developed to be a lifetime device. Plus- you'd never know it, unlike saline which deflates. I attribute the implants (in this instance) to helping me find my mass very early. The implant pushed it out close to the skin surface making it quite palpable. I'd always had dense breast tissue and the mammography performed 2 months prior picked up nothing. I also had ultrasounds in tandem with mammos. I don't think I had one in 2011... for whatever reason.
xxx
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susannickski,
My stats are similar to yours. I met with my PS today for a final fill, I thought, but now I don't know. I am 5' 8 1/2" tall, weigh 143 and wore a 38D bra before my left side mastectomy. My 350 cc expander currently contains 665 ccs of saline. I was concerned that it couldn't take more, but my PS said it could. When I lift my right breast a bit, my expanded side is still not up to par. But the expander does go out to the left side more than my natural breast and my PS said that he thinks I am about done. He said he would "release" the upper area of my left breast (where I currently have a pothole (as my husband lovingly calls it) and we discussed the new Mentor 590 cc Ultra High Profile implants that just became available in the US this month. He suggested that or a 700-800 cc Moderate Plus, but thinks those might be too wide.
I have another fill scheduled for next week. My goal is to look as close as possible to the way I did before my nipple/areola-sparing mastectomy. My PS will do a lift on my "good" side. I don't mind ending up a little smaller, but not much. Has anyone here received the new Ultra High Profiles, and if so, what do you think about them?
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whippetmom -
I am currently going through reconstruction after a bi-lateral mastectomy in June. Early stage DCIS, my mother and both grandmothers also had breast cancer although later in life (I'm 51). This along with the fact that I had such dense breasts that imaging was difficult at best, I opted to have both breasts removed. I was certainly very fortunate not to have to have had neither chemo or radiation. I'm wandering about size as far as my implants. My expanders are Natrelle Style 133 tissue expanders. I am currently at 450 cc's. I am 5'4, 150 pounds and my ribcage measures 32". I wore a size 36C bra before the surgery (although it was not a full C). I would like to be at least that size or bigger (I figure if I'm having to go through this I might as well make it worth it). My question is how many cc's would you expect I would need to acheive this?
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Call me computer illiterate, I'm having trouble figuring out this sight as to posting to a specific person. I was diagnosed with DCIS and had a bilateral mastectomy in June. My mother and both grandmothers also had breast cancer at a later age, they were in their 70's, I am 51. Early stage DCIS, grade 2, HR and PR negative. Having very dense breast tissue, it was difficult for imaging to pick up the actual tumor so after 2 mammograms, 2 ultrasounds and MRI and finally an ultrasound guided biopsy, it was found and I opted for the bi-lat. I am nearing the exchange phase of my reconstruction and have a lot of anxiety as far as sizing. I have a wonderful PS and am expanding wonderfully but I don't want to wake up disappointed, seems to be mostly a one shot deal. I am getting the idea reading these posts that the implant is smaller than the expander for the most part. My PS doesn't deal in cup sizes as it looks like from reading many posts that many do not. I am 5'4 and weigh 150. My ribcage measures 32". Is there anyone out there who measures similarly that could share there experience?
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thankfulbcs: I responded to your PM! But I will tell you that I think you are going to want at least 600 ccs in a Style 20 - Allergan - a high profile smooth round silicone implant. I think you would be happier if your PS could get you to a 650 cc HP implant though - so discuss this with your PS. Your TEs should be sufficient to get you there, but you will want to fill to 500 ccs or overfill a bit - depending on what your PS feels is necessary. Let me know what your PS has to say about this. In my PM to you I mentioned the Style 45 - 650 ccs as well - but I personally feel you could use a 14.0 + cm wide implant.
Deborah
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A few posts back whippet mom asked about medications Norco and Cipro. Norco is pain med, another brand of Vicodin which is acetaminophen and hydrocodone. Cipro is ciprofloxin, an antibiotic.
I have been following posts since I had uni NSMX on right side with immediate implant (mentor smooth rnd moderate plus gel, 425 cc) on 5/17/12. I am grateful my recovery has been totally uneventful. I was looking for symmetry with my left natural breast and have achieved it without an additional implant. Happy with my results especially since recent " drop & fluff". I certainly am not gloating but just wanted to add my unique experience for consideration to those perusing these posts. Please know that my thoughts and prayers have been with each one of you as you have struggled to get answers and deal with your own experiences. My very best wishes for healing and cosmetic success.0 -
thankfulbcs I am 5'6" 160lbs with a 32 in rib cage. I got 600cc HP implants. I am a 36D. Don't know if that translates anything to you.0
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Just wanted to give a heads up that generic Singulair is now available in the US. I am on it to prevent capsular contracture & have been paying $163 a month because BCBS won't cover it (My PS was really mad when he found out they weren't covering it.)
Anyway, just refilled @ CVS this past weekend & they offered me the generic Montelukast which only costs me $36.
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What does drop and fluff reallly mean? Can anyone explain what to expect with that? Not sure what to expect how our foobs will change.
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I only learned that term after I joined the picture forum last year. There were so many ladies who had just gotten their squishies, and had this issue, or that, and everyone's advice was to just be patient and wait for the "Drop and Fluff". So of course, I started using that term, too.
I asked my PS, and he had never heard of it!!! So I had to explain it to him. He thought that was cool.
Here's what it means: When you get expanders, they're pretty much locked into place just because of the way they're constructed (hard plastic backs, etc.). When you get your permanent squishies, at first they might look like hamburger buns - kind of flat, and high up on your chest. This is a pretty common look.
But as the days and weeks go by, gravity helps the implants start to "drop" into the pockets created by the TEs, and assume a more natural shape. Then they kind of "fluff" out, and look more like a breast than a hamburger bun.
I'm not sure who first used the term "Drop and Fluff" but I've seen ladies use it on many other BCO threads.
"Drop and Fluff" can take anywhere from 3 - 6 months. I've seen other ladies' pics where the first few days after surgery I would have stormed into the doctor's office and asked for my money back! But with patience, (and a good bra!) eventually, the squishy implants move farther down your chest, and the swelling in your "upper pole" (the area of your chest below your collarbones and above the tops of your implants) goes down. This in itself could make the implant look slightly larger.
Then, the implant fully settles into the IMF (intramammary fold), even sometimes with a little natural droop. Then it REALLY looks like a breast. The only thing that is different is that being underneath muscle, it will be flatter than a native breast, and not having a nipple (unless you have one constructed) will also keep it flatter and rounder than a natural breast.
Hope this helps....
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Hi all, I hope this post finds you all well and worry free. Congrats to the recent exchange girls.
I start my PT this afternoon to manage my TE pain, so am looking forward to getting off these wicked drugs. Yeah!
Blessings, you mention the picture forum. How do you gain access? I tried searching but could be the drugs are playing tricks. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
A good day to all.
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Blessings: That is the best explanation of drop and fluff I have read. Thank you! I still haven't seen examples of what this progression actually looks like, but this really helps me to visualize it.
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dragonfly I posted my pics on the forum if you have access and you can really see the drop and fluff
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I would love to see the drop and fluff pics. Who do I contact to get access to forum?
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jamie you have to PM the moderators here to get access but if you give me your email I send you my pics
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Dobie: maybe you were thinking of someone else on another thread? I never asked about Norco and Cipro....
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Whippetmom,
You are a tremendous source for information! I am new to this site, and am wondering if you know anything about the new Mentor Ultra High Profile 590 cc implants. My PS is suggesting those, or High Profile 700/800 cc. I wear a 38D bra now and my PS wants to do a lift on the right side (I'm not that droopy, but certainly not as perky as the expander!). He would also like to do a reduction because he says smaller breasts are better suited to the surgery and won't sag as much over time. I'm OK with a small reduction, but fear that the 590 cc implant will be too small and after he makes my right side "match" I may be very unhappy. I have friends who have had bi-lats and hate that they ended up small and flat.
I am blessed to have a great PS who seems very excited about my potential outcome. He usually doesn't work with patients who have had nsm's and seems to think I will look great.
Do you think a topic of New Mentor Ultra High Profile Implants would be appropriate? Whom do I contact to see pictures (if available) of women with these? My exchange surgery will be in October.
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staynsane: I answered your question about the Mentor ultras in a private message to you. Check the boxes to the left of the screen and look at your message box. I doubt you will find photos of women with Mentor Ultras - I do not know anyone who has ever had them - either here in the U.S. or in Europe. The Allergan Style 45 is the extra full projection style implant which has been widely used here in the U.S. and which, I feel, still has better dimensions than the oddly sized Mentor ULTRA. In the PM, I stated that I would prefer Allergan Style 45, 600 ccs, to Mentor's ULTRA 590 ccs.
I think a reduction might be advisable if you are really droopy - if there is so much elasticity to the skin that attempting to gain any symmetry with the MX side is going to be a huge challenge. Otherwise, I do not see why it would be necessary. You can always email me photos privately. You can PM me for my email address. Would you please PM me and tell me your plastic surgeon's name?
Deborah
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Sorry, whippet mom. It was vik11 who asked about Norco and Cipro here on 8/26. So vik, see my post above.
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