BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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MMTOMH - I'm a Natrelle girl so I'm not positive about Mentor TEs and implants, but I don't think any TEs are square. Those first numbers (12.7cm and 13.6cm) should be the actual diameter of the base of the device.
April will be here before you know it!!!
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Tina- I didn't mean they are actually square, but they just appear squarish on my chest. It has improved over time as my muscles have relaxed and the expanders are completely full. My (Siltex medium height) expanders are 12.7cm wide x 10.8cm tall as opposed to the 13.6 diameter of the implant.
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Dawn, I don't notice any swelling at all. I just have a lot of pain in my shoulder . PS states it may be rotor cuff and that it is not caused by mastectomy, but I am reading different . he said he would write and RX for PT but I figured if I had to have surgery again Feb 12 , I may just wait to do PT .. I notice my pain is worse after work and in the mornings.. today I woke up in a lot of pain , but I am also thinking it has something to do with the bed I sleep in .
I still have to make a decision on what implant to go with next . I am 5 foot 95lbs and ribcage measures 30 . I wear a size 0 jean as well. I am thinking maybe Mentor 350cc high profile gel .. my implants are way to wide now . I have Mentor smooth round moderate profile 400 cc .. and I feel they look to wide and kinda flat round , like hamburger buns .. I look like a body builder .. people used to say that wwhen I had my TE's . I used to get so upset ....anyway my time is ticking and I am getting worried .. such Anxiety and all..
I also have a state cancer insurance .. its like medicaid and noone takes it .. so the 2nd opinion is hard because I cannot afford to go to another PS and pay oop for this ... my moods are very sad.. anyway thanks for all the help you ladies offer here ..
Lisamarie
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Tina that is very weird indeed! I can't imagine why that happens to you!
Lisamarie if your insurance would cover a visit to PT both before and after the upcoming surgery, maybe go now? The thing about PT is they give you exercises (if it's an issue treatable with exercises) that you can do at any time (including after surgery), so why not feel better now?
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I will be having a unilateral mastectomy next month. Does anyone know if it is possible for the BS to do the MX, and then at the same time the PS do an implant and a breast reduction on the healthy breast. Is this possible all in one surgery? I have not consulted with a PS yet.
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Hi Waiting:
Ask your BS if she/he works with a PS. You can absolutely have the MX and the placement of your TE (which is step one for implant reconstruction unless you are doing a one step) at the same time but it does have to be coordinated with the doctors and their schedules.
If you are having a TE placed (for expansion following by later exchange), then the reduction/lift of the healthy breast would be done at exchange (that's how I did it). The reason for this is that while in the expansion/TE part of the implant reconstruction process, you don't want to reduce the healthy breast because you don't yet know the size you will end up with and because when the "final" implant is placed, a better match can be made with the reduction side.
You can get something to put into your bra to make them look even while you are in this interim TE part of the process. The breast center where I had surgery had a shop -- and in that shop they had falsies, essentially, with stuffing that could be taken out as the TE was expanded (and they gave it to me for free).
The best person to ask about the coordination with a PS is your BS.
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Hello I have TE's on each side. When I came home from hospital my right side had a big wrinkle. I chalked it up to not having much fill in it. As I have been getting fills the wrinkle is not as deep, but still there. I went for my 4th fill yesterday and asked my PS why my right side seemed bigger and different than my left. He told me that the expander is sideways. I have the TE which is suppose to widen lower pole, I believe they also have tabs. My left side the scope is on bottom where it should be. My left is diagonal. Where the TE is the scoop would be between 1:00-7:00 position. He did not seem to worry at all about it. I am a little concerned! I hate the wrinkle, he said that will come out at exchange. Do you think I need to be worried about my TE positioning on getting a good implant position? I only have one fill left.
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Hi Lilah,
Thanks for clarifying the reduction issue especially. It is so much easier to mentally prepare for things if you have an idea. I just hope the end result comes out well being as it is a unilateral.
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I hope so, too, Waiting!
And, really, waiting to do the reduction at time of exchange will give you a better chance of a good match.
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congrats vik11 on getting your squishies, glad they are already in great shape!
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lisamarie: Well, they certainly ARE moderate profile implants. Honestly, I do not know of a plastic surgeon who would use moderate profiles on a recon patient. You have 400 ccs, with a width of 14.5 cm and a projection of 3.2 cm. Very low profile implants. In order to maintain the width, you would need Mentor moderate plus profile implants around 550 ccs or high profile implants - 600 ccs at the very minimum. You need to see someone else to discuss pocket revisions, which you may need to have if the implants are too wide for your frame.
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cheryl e: Well, the nurse did not give you the right information about Mentor TEs. They do NOT come in "small medium and large"! They come in: low height, moderate height or full height". Call and get the catalogue information - the actual style number or ask her the WIDTH of the TEs. The width is what I need.
I think that you will want to end up in the 500 cc range with implants, although if your PS is using the ultra full projection style, that number would need to be revised in accordance with the width of your TEs. So let's find out!
Deborah0 -
MMTOMH: I think you need to clarify this with your PS, because you are correct with the dimensions differential. I think though that 550 ccs and a 13.6 cm width is perfectly fine for your frame.....so perhaps she meant that the TEs are narrower than the future implants?
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lisamarie: Please talk to your PS and have someone with you to write down what he has to say regarding the revisions he will perform at the time of the surgery. Those pockets need to be sufficiently narrowed for 350 cc HPs and how does he plan to do this? We want to know beforehand what he intends to do to revise the size of those pockets.
Or ask him to EMAIL you his plans for revision.
Deborah0 -
Thank you Lilah and kayb!
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Whippetmom , I am so confused now ... oh no.. They called today and she told me they orderd high profile implants .. but no size , I guess I gotta call back tomorrow .. I feel so lost and sad now .
Lisamarie
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lisamarie (((((((((((hugs)))))))))))
You're going to be ok. The information you are seeking is info that you as a patient have a right to know. You're not being pushy or rude to ask for this info. One thing this whole process has taught me is that we have to stand up and be our own advocates. You can do this and you're going to be ok. xoxo0 -
Thanks Dawn , I just wished maybe i had more information to begin with . I don't want to go through another surgery and then not be right and have to go back in again .. I appreciate the hugs
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Hang in there, Lisamarie, and be persistant. You are your own best advocate! We are all here to support you
Whippetmom-you are such a blessing to all of us here. Thank you so much for all your hard work. We appreciate you!
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Deborah (Whippetmom),
Thank you very much for the info. This is an amazing service you provide to the sisters here and such a blessing! I will call the PS office today and see what I can find out about the width of my expanders. It seems strange to me, also, to see ladies write about having 500, 600, and 700 cc's in their expanders, and I only have 300 yet look pretty big-- like an average c? Maybe it seems that way to me compared to how small I was before.
My heart is heavy for you, LisaMarie. You have prompted me to be diligent in finding out as much as I can about the implants I will receive before surgery. I am praying your revision surgery will go beautifully and that you will be very happy with your new implants.
Cheryl
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Cheryl, thanks . i gotta call back today because she says she already orderd my new implants and they are high profile , I just dont know how many cc .. I am very nervous . I don't really want to be very tiny like before a neg A .. but I also don't want to be big so I look fake and wierd . I am so upset over it all and the more I learn the more depressed I get . like i said to the other girls , I am not afraid of anyone looking at my pictures . I have a blog it's not the best . I was trying to put some stuff out there so others could see what it is like to go through bi lateral mastectomy , and recon .. if you google hopeserenitystrength all one word you will see my photos ... good luck on your journey
Lisamarie
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Lisamarie,
Thanks for sharing your blog. I do see from the pictures what you mean about needing less width and more projection. I know you will look and feel great with the new implants that will give you what you were seeking in the first place. I am just sorry that, as whippetmom put it, you received the completely wrong implants for you. Hang in there, and thank you again for sharing, as I know your story will help many other women who are on this journey.
Cheryl
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Deborah,
Okay, I got a quiet moment at work and was able to call the PS nurse and ask what type of tissue expanders I have. I must say that it was like pulling teeth, and I get the feeling she thought I was asking a very strange question-- kept telling me they didn't have that info in the computer. I told her, thanks to you, whippetmom
, that there has to be a number in my file, and that's when I got the info I needed. They are 3546211, which, when googled, states they are Mentor Siltex, Contour Profile, Medium Height. Device Volume: 275 cc's, Width: 10.7, Height: 9.3 cm, Projection, 6.2. Again, I am 5'6, 127 lbs. (I was 123 at surgery but have gained since then), 31 and 1/2 in. ribcage, and I am filled to 300 cc's. The doctor has ordered 7 different implants for surgery, all ultra high profile and ranging from 350 to 535 cc's. I would like to be the size I am in the TE's but with a little more projection and fuller at lower pole. I was a smallish B before surgery. I had a nipple-sparing mastectomy, and he went in around the bottom part of my areola (where I had incisions for two previous biopsies) and slightly out to the side of them.Can't thank you enough for your help. I am so worried about getting the right size for my build.
Cheryl
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Cheryl, good for you . at least you got some valuable information ... isn't it scarey to wonder what you will look like and if it will be right ? I am just going insane and feel lost ..
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Greetings all-
What a blessing all this information is.
I like so many am looking for an opinion on just the right size and fill. I am going to get dual chamber sientra expanders in march.... Filled to their max possible at time of surgery, with a tentative exchange date of mid June. I had the option if direct to implant but feel there us more control in a two step reconstruction.
Size wise - my ps and I agreed in sientra shaped with round base 350- 400 cc's.
Based on my measurements below what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Rib cage- 33"
5'10, 130 lbs. I was a small b before nursing four kids and my lumpectomy and I would like to be a small c after.0 -
Hi, I am missing the size of my TEs but I will ask on Friday during my fill. I have one question I am hoping to have answered before my appt on Friday for a fill.
I had bmx on Dec. 19 and I was filled to 200cc, I have since had two fills of 50 cc and I have two more which will total 400cc. This is what my PS said I was at naturally. (34C). Prior to my surgery I told the PS I was hoping to go a tad bigger. So I assume I have TEs to accommodate a bit bigger. I am in constant tremendous discomfort/pain. My question is, will going bigger give me more risk of not having relief after exchange?
I am 5'3.5" and I weigh (presurgery afraid to look since I haven't run since mid-Dec) about 132 lbs, my rib measurements if 29.5 inches but I have 39 inch hips to I need to be careful that I don't go too big and look like Snooki.
Thanks for your help.
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Hi all, I like to post this link from time to time. It's actually geared to augmentation rather than reconstruction, but I still found it helpful as I was struggling with decision-making during the TE phase. Just some info on how chest wall configuration can affect breast positioning, cleavage, etc. I'm slender and have a prominent sternum and ribcage so helps my understand why my breasts were and are wide-set. I didn't have cleavage before BC. My PS asked me right from the start what my goals were and I wanted to look like "me". So....no cleavage now either
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Brownlee: I can't address your sizing questions with any level of confidence but I would like to ask about your pain. Are you still on pain meds? If so, what are you taking? The reason I ask is that I, too, had constant pain for about 4 and a half weeks post BMX. I was still taking Vicoden every 4 hours on the dot but it wasn't cutting through enough pain. When I called my BS for yet another refill she said the surgical pain should be resolved by then and switched me to Neurontin which is for nerve pain. Since I've been taking Neurontin I've had no pain or serious discomfort at all, even with a couple of 70cc fills. And trust me, I had learned to dread the fill process because of the pain.
I hope you get resolution to your pain and your other questions. It might be worth your while to ask about Neurontin.
Lisa
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Lisa,
I will ask. Lately my skin seems on fire. The tightness alone I might be able to handle. I am only taking ibuprofen. Once in a while I take a vicodin but it really upsets my stomach and gives me a headache. I had almost 90 neurotin/gabapetin leftover from my elderly dog but I gave it to another needy dog when she passed. I have to say, living at the 60% quality of life thing, really has me rethinking how long to keep my old and troubled dogs alive. I wish they could talk. I use tail wagging and appetite as a gauge, but my last two elderly dogs lost the use of tail and it was so hard to tell. They both ate like a champ until their last day. I can tell you this - if I had a tail--it might wag once a week.
Thanks again.
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Brownlee, the 'skin on fire' comment sounds familiar. I did have lots of tightness as you mention, but I think what told my BS that Neurontin was the drug for me was my description of a 'burning' sensation across the top of my bosom. That burning feeling was nerve pain. My neurontin scripts come in quantities of 90 to be taken every 8 hours (more like, morning, mid-afternoon and just before bed, whenever those times happen to be). You take it regularly, not just when you have a fill or something, it needs to stay at a consistent level in your system. After my fills are all done then I'll have to taper off over a period of time.
I haven't had a dog since I was little but I do understand the love that dog owners have for their furry friends. Hopefully a change in meds will get your tail wagging again
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