BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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jenamae - I saw a response to your picture forum question on another thread, but here is the scoop..... The picture forum is totally separate from BCO. It is a privately created and moderated site for those who want to share their photos to help others as well as get feedback along the way. It isn't available via any public link. Please contact nowheregirl or Lilah via PM on this site to inquire about the forum. The hope is that those who gain access will pay it forward by posting their own journey as well as contributing what they can monetarily to help keep the site running. I hope that helps!
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Lady7mom: Can you go out of state for a second opinion? Can you go to Kansas City, MO? I have a lot of gals who have gone there from Omaha....
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Had a really long talk with my Family Doctor she is also my good friend, and she helped me with the sleeping and pain issue. She looked over my TE and is making a call to my PS, she is going to try and be my middle man. So my plan is to hold out for a month and see where this goes. Not saying it will be easy and I will get my records from the hospital tomorrow or next week. I have been so busy at work I havent been able to do as much as I would like on me. I work with nurses and am working on my degree too, so life is a little crazy and this is just the icing on top. LOL every one here is such a help I can't say enough good things and I have spoke highly to one and all. Also if things don't turn around my doctor has a PS she will send me too for a second opinion. thank goodness. I will keep you all posted.
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Lady7:
YAY!!!!!
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LADY7..I had my last fill 2/11...I was always hurting after my fills and fills ranged from 35cc to 75cc or 100cc, i think..the biggest fill was AWFUL and i was hurting alot..told ps that I would not be doing that again! Most of mine were 50cc and I hurt after them..at first took hydrocodone for a day or two..especially at night. Then I was okay with ibuprofen after fills for a couple of days. I tried to take ibuprofen about 30-45 mins before appt for fills, but I always seemed to forget!! I can say that I figured out that stretching really seemed to help me a lot with pain..it sucked to do, but after I felt better. I stretched about three times per day and still stretch 2-3 times per day now. My TEs are much better feeling now (that being almost three weeks after my final fill)..i don't sleep great, and sleep one the couch with about three pillows around me so I am semi side lying..I would never sleep on my back before surgery..so sleep has been a challenge for me. The chest pain/rib pain is now nearly gone..just will get occasional pings of pain whenever and that's it. Regarding your card..that is crazy! If you are not having luck getting it or want to try this...tell you ps you may be flying to... and airport security needs to see the card..! I think most ins do cover second opinions??!?? I can say that you need to feel good about your ps or any MD since they have your life in their hands. I have had MDs tell me that if any physician gets irritated if you mention a second opinion..then they are not a good physician. Good physicans welcome a peer to review, because the goal is the best for you, right??!?? YES!! You deserve the best care for you! We have our own specific needs and that is different from one person to the next..as long as it fits you, then great..if not, then you have every right to find one that does.
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oh..and if MD says they do not have a card..they can contact maker of TEs and request one...!
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Lady7 - sorry you're having such difficulty. You could try telling the PS that you may be needing to travel by plane and want the card for proof of a device inside your body (though with this PS's attitude, I'm guessing she will have a reason to say "no" anyway)... having a card is a good "just in case" in the event of security questions (which I grant you are rare).
Aside from anything else, I agree with everyone else: the card should be given to you. Period.
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I actually asked for a card because I fly every week - but the TEs have never beeped - and was given the wrong one! They told me later they just gave me the Natrelle one because it looked nicer lol
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i was asked to show my card at the airport and when i told my ps i might be flying (to see if he had any concerns)..he and his nurse asked multiple times if i had my card! So sorry you have to deal with this stress...
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Had my exchange yesterday. I have Mentor MemoryGel smooth round high profile with 400cc on the lat flap side. I have the smooth round ultra high profile on the left with 480cc. He was trying for as much semestry as ie could get with the implants. I am still in bra and ace bandage for now but after talking with the plastic surgeon before surgery I think I will be very pleased with the results. He also said he cleaned up a lot of scar tissue from the radiated left side.
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Sounds like you have a good advocate on your behalf. Keep me posted!
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hwhranch: Congratulations! Keep us posted on what you see at the unveiling! But remember to give everything at least two weeks to settle....
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Whippetmom, my implants were exchanged to 750cc HP siltex Thursday. Never heard back from you. PS said he thought these would be better for me. So far, so good. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for all your help!
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Whippetmom, I unveiled tonight for a shower and think they look so much better than the TE's, lol. I will be patiently waiting for them to settle. PS said the would be a little flat because they are wrapped and smashed right now. But oh my, they feel SOOO much softer.
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congrats I can't wait for that day
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chawkins: Oh my....and I did see the photos and responded with a lengthy response, which I see never went through to you. Did your PS also open up that pocket you were pointing to - in order to lower the implant? It looked like it was underdissected. I also said that indeed, you needed larger implants. Perhaps, in your case, in order to gain some upper pole fullness, the Siltex might be beneficial. So I cannot wait to see the results!
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hwranch....Always a nice thing to hear about an unveiling! Photo journal the changes over the next two weeks.
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Whippetmom, ...Let me say at the outset how much I appreciate all the time and effort that you devote to this forum. I have read many pages trying to find someone with body build similar to mine, but with no luck. So let me tell you about me....
I had a bilateral NS mastectomy 1/30/13, and am now in the process of expansion. I have Mentor, medium high expanders, 450 ml volume. I should reach that volume or a little over, this Friday.
I am 6 feet tall, weigh 155 lbs. Rib circumferance is 31.5 I was an A cup before surgery, but would very much like to be more proportionate when this is all said and done. I have always been thin (and flat) on the upper half of my body, and curvy on the lower half. (Dare I say "bottom half"?
) For instance, a size 12 fitted dress would fit great over my hips, but hang like a tent on the top!Your thoughts? And again, I appreciate all you do!
Debbie
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Debbie: You would probably be a good candidate for the ultra full profile style implant. Allergan Style 45 is my preference, although Mentor now has one such style available in the U.S. I like the width to projection ratio of the Allergan version much better than Mentors, and I have not yet seen any results from the Mentor ultra, so I do have my little bias there, for what it's worth. You would need 600 ccs in Allergan Style 45. Here are the numbers:
Your TEs: Mentor mid height/450 ccs: 12.7 cm width and 7.0 cm projection
Implants: Allergan Style 45/600 ccs : 12.8 cm width and 6.1 cm projection.
You might need some overfill to get to this implant. On the otherhand, the Mentor equivalent would be:
Mentor ultra full profile/590 ccs: 12.5 cm width and 6.3 cm projection. [I just think that you need a bit MORE width, as opposed to less width than you have with your TEs.
Otherwise, my recommendation would be at least 500 ccs in Allergan Style 20 or Mentor high profile, smooth round silicone.
Your PS might have other implant options, such as the anatomical gummy bear or Sientra rounds or shaped implants. You should find out what implants he typically uses or recommends and then we can work the numbers again.
Deborah0 -
Greetings everyone,
Ok I got the info I wanted kind of...
I have Mentor ref#354-6214 and they fill to 550cc but my PS always overfills. I am at 275cc at this present time. I still have alot of wrinkles and hard plastic pokieness(funny word I know) but its how it feels. So starting next week they suggest increasing the fill to 75cc at a time instead of 50, guess we will see what happens. My Family Practice has been a real God send. She has given me lots of info and encouragement, also treats my pain as real instead of just saying everyone has some pain. Over all I feel a little better but I know when I get these TE out life will be great.Thanks again for all the support. Donna
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Lady7mom: you will start seeing a difference once you reach 500 ccs. You would need at least 550 ccs in a Mentor high profile smooth, round silicone implant. I use that style as an example, since it is one of the most popular styles used with breast recon patients. At some point you will want to find out what type of implants your PS intends to use.
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Whippetmom---I have now met with PS and have surgery set for March 26th. He is planning on using a Naturelle implant on my left MX side in 300c-400cc. I have a 500cc expander in. Is it normal to have smaller implants than the expander? You had recommended Allergan 410MX in 410cc or possibly 445cc. My PS says that will make me much larger and he would have to augment the other breast. I have a 34" chest. I have been a 38C for years but recently lost 20 pounds and can wear 38B in many bras. I am not looking to be larger but would like to be perkier (like 35 year old boobs instead of 50 year old boobs!) He said the expander did such a good job that he would probably be able to just lift the right breast and not need an small implant but would be prepared just in case. He said he'd take alot of implants in and see what worked. He's quite excited with my result so far. Says I'm one of his best ever which helps since I've had lots of muscle pain with this expander. He's quite good at his job but not very talkative so getting answers from him is difficult! Thoughts?
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lala1: Dimensions of your TE: 13.0 cm wide x 12.0 cm height x 6.7 cm projection
Corresponding Allergan 410 implants:
410 MX-410 grams: 13.0 cm wide x 12.1 cm height x 6.1 cm projection
I suppose you could get an LX - low height, extra full projection:
365 LX-365 grams 13.0 cm wide x 10.9 cm height x 6.1 cm projection.
So perhaps these are the two sizes he is contemplating, along with a lift of the native breast?
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Hi,
I need a bit of help from someone out there as my surgery is approaching and I am wondering...
I had a unilateral mastectomy last June and am going to begin the reconstruction process in May with tissue expander put in. Where I live in Canada, having immediate recon was not an option. So here I am waiting and ready to go down this long path. I am an F cup on my right side and have a prosthesis, size 13 (Ameona) that I hate. I work as a teacher and wear it every day at work but then switch to a micobead foob when I am not working and out and about.
So here is my question. It is important for me to look somewhat balanced so after I start to have fills, I am thinking my prosthesis won't work anymore as there won't be room for the beast inside my bra. So what do women DO to look balanced when they have one remaining large breast and are growing one on the other side? How can I look good out and about? Will I be able to use different sizes of microbead foobs on top of my growing breast? I want to be a C cup and will have a reduction done at the time of my second surgery.
I am hoping someone out there can help out here. Thanks so much!!
Karen
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I'm a droopy DD on the right side with a tissue expander filled to 640 ml on the left. I'm also hoping to be a bit smaller after reconstruction and reduction is complete. While I was filling, I used my old 40DD's with a fiber-filled form in the bottom of the left cup, and just kept removing fiber as I went along. I still have to wait another six months for exchange since I just finished radiation, so I went to Neimann-Marcus for fitting and advice and they measured me as a 38DD. That left me a little lop-sided and we tried a small prosthesis to even it up. It wasn't that comfortable, so I just use the fiberfill to even it out if I'm dressed up and really want to match. As long as I hike up the right side, it's close enough for everyday without it. My insurance didn't cover the pricey bras from Neiman-Marcus, but since my MO wrote a prescription for mastectomy bras my FSA should pay for them.
Good luck with your recon.
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Whippetmom---I have to say I'm not totally sure what he's contemplating. He's a really good PS and has done an amazing job so far but he's got the personality of a stick and isn't one for much detail. He said he prefers to give me a round smooth implant (offers others but he and I both opted out of teardrop or textured. I'm not one for something just approved by FDA.) and just said it would be between 300 and 400 cc. He showed me one he was thinking of using but didn't know model numbers or anything. I've emailed his nurse to see if she can get me some more info but so far, she hasn't responded and I'm not sure she even bothers to check email. I have to go to his office for pre-op one week out so I'm going to request another meeting with him to see if I can get more info. The main question is I just wanted to be sure it wasn't unusual to have an implant smaller than the expander. The expander side is definitely larger so I'm thinking that it's ok. And yes, he wants to lift the birth boob and leave open the possibility of a small implant on that side for symmetry.
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Stepmic---I am also a uni MX (left side) and had a terrible time with clothes and such for a while. During my MX my PS put in 360cc out of 500cc so I woke up with some bit of mound but nothing that matched the other boob which was much more droopy although not alot bigger. I went to the breast center at my hospital and was given a sports-type bra that had eye hooks up the front and pockets for prosthesis. It's different from most sports bras in that it was cut further down on the neckline so it didn't show in vneck shirts. On the MX side, I was sold a prosthesis ( I actually call it a chicken cutlet since that's what it looks like) which when placed in the pocket was heavy enough to create the illusion of drop thus looking more level with the birth boob. Then, because the expander gave me alot of fullness at the pole (above the nipple) I took a thin liner that goes in bras, stuffed it in the pocket on the natural side and put filling underneath that. The filler I got from the prosthesis that come in the camis I had after sugery, that kind of fake cotteny stuff. That helped give me some fullness up top to match. In a tshirt I'm even projection-wise and level-wise. As my SIL says "A man on a galloping horse would never notice!" Thank god for the woman at the center! I was ready to give up and cried every day cause I looked so lopsided. Insurance paid for 2 bras and the prosthesis. I am wearing them 24/7 till exchange surgery. And best of all, the compression from these bras helped me tremendously with the muscle spasms I had (and still have). Hope this helps!
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lala: I could not fathom why I thought your PS was using anatomicals....so I looked back at your first post where you said your PS uses "gummy" implants. That term is only used for the Allergan 410 or Mentor CPG anatomicals....so this made it rather confusing...
So, we are NOT talking anatomicals. So I presume he is using Mentor smooth silicone rounds, since he used Mentor TEs. With a width of 13.0 cm, he would need to use AT LEAST 400 ccs in a moderate plus profile implant. He must NOT use a moderate profile implant - [it MUST have that PLUS], because it would be far too flat and you would hate it. He could use a 375 cc MPP implant, but it would be a bit narrower than your TEs and I think you need more width, rather than less.
Deborah
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stepmic: Apart from the great suggestions above, some women have told me that the Ahh Bra [sold widely here in the states] is very useful - also with pockets in the cup to hold various sizes of prosthetic devices...those chicken cutlets included - and a bevy of scarves - the larger the better, to drape over the smaller breast. I think at some point, disguise is as good as anything else you might come up with.
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Hi Stepmic,
Am in the recon process myself with 2nd mx/delayed recon (wore prosthesis for 16 yrs and so don't miss that!) now. New mx side has so much more projection even though both sides are 720 cc's. Delayed side so much flatter so I need to use a little fluff and/or chicken cutlet to look more even in some tops. Found a cute pink Genie bra in Walmart (do you have them in Canada?) with pockets in them for all of $10 (USD). It came with small pads too. So comfortable I sleep in it and could wear 24/7.
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