BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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My first post to share with others but read numerous post prior to my surgery and am grateful for the insight I received. Bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction done on July 17, 2013. I do not have patho report yet but pretty sure that my choice allowed me to bypass further medication and radiation treatment. I was hoping to look very similar to my pre-surgery look which was a 36A. I had the teardrop gummies implanted. My tissue removed weighed 325grams and implants were 370. He plans on doing a little touch up work with fat grafting and I will need nipple reconstruction on one breast. I currently have 4 drains in and swelling has decreased some. I am doing better than I anticipated. I was able to go and watch my sons baseball games this past weekend with naps between games. I am taking painmeds at night to sleep but am able to get through my days without it. Excited to get the drains out and that process should start on Thursday. Thank you to all of the women here supporting other women - heart warming indeed!
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CMD13 - Wow, you are doing great! I'm with the others, no way I could have gone on an outing a few days after BMX.
I'm confused....I understand that the choice of MX over lumpectomy can mean no rads. But, seems everyone is recommended to do hormone tx and/or chemo based on tumor and ER/PR stats. You have no info yet in your post - was it a prophylactic MX?
Glad you're doing well so far!
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I am just stubborn and will need down time this week for sure. I was excited about the one step but nervous at the same time after reading this site. Too early to tell but I think I will be pleased in the end. I think that my desire to stay small made me a good canidate for the one step and teardrop but not sure, I really got to the point in my decision making process to let go and have faith...not easy to do.
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I will try to put my history in and get my biopsy report to share.
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CMD13: you are doing great to already be out and about. I had mine on 5/8 with TEs at 400cc each and I was in bed at least a week. I chose the BMX too. I am only on tx, no rads or chemo (no chemo was my choice).
It's great you are doing so good!!! Hugs to you!0 -
I had two areas in my right breast with 1 1/2 cm between the two areas that needed to be removed and with my small breast size they could only do a 2mm border which would increase my risk for recurrence instead of the 10mm border because it would leave quite a deformity and then I would need radiation. It was explained that I may end up needing mastectomy in the end and I would still need to take tamoxifen for 5years with the risk to the left even with mastectomy on the right. Well my breast were dense and had many cysts as well that would continue to be worrisome to me. It is my understanding that now after bilateral mastectomy - I am done besides finishing up with fat grafting and nipple reconstruction and tattoo. I have yet to go to my follow up appointnents though and hear the results of the patho report. Thank you for the encouragement, I can't tell you how many hours I spent reading on this site before my surgery.
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CMD13 - Thanks for the clarification. It's great that you could forgo the tissue expander phase because you were a good candidate for direct-to-implant. And, nice that you will be able to forgo the Tamoxifen tx (because your cancer wasn't invasive?). I incorrectly assumed that DCIS and ER+ still meant an automatic course of hormone tx no matter what the surgical choice.
Best wishes!
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CMD you sound just like me! Had BMX with TE on a Wed...released Thu...and went to my sons first tball game Sat WITH O2!! My Dr had me on oxygen to help wounds heal quicker...it was a pain to haul around but my recovery was relatively quick.
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Thanks tina. Clyday you made me smile! Yes I too was home on Thurs and went to 2 games Sat and 2 Sund. I must say I was very weak today and staying in bed. I didnt have oxygen but the drains were quite enough for me. Best wishes to all who are on this journey!
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Chinneymae: The issue is: Is there a risk of not having sufficient skin closure over the implant? If your PS feels that this is a concern, then it is not worth the risk and you would need to go to a high profile smooth silicone round. If what he is saying is that the skin will be taut and he feels this will "flatten" you out....that does not make sense to me. It might compress the implant initially, but it will all settle out just fine. It might ride a little high initially, but it will settle out just fine. The key is making sure there is good skin closure over the implant. It seems that this would not be a problem, based on your current sizing, but your PS can see and test your skin integrity and I cannot.
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CLYDAY...Hmmm....oxygen tank after BMX. I think that is a pretty novel approach....not to mention how much better you might have felt while using it.
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CMD13: Thank you for sharing your one step journey! Going small is definitely a positive for this procedure, and the gummy is firm enough and adheres to the chest wall - which is a plus in a direct-to-implant. Do you also have Alloderm or Strattice or some other dermal matrix as a "sling"...?
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Whippetmom, you are so good!!!! I kept telling my husband that it didn't make sense to me. I felt like my skin would stretch if it was tight at the beginning. I still have some loose skin at the base of my breast and the incisions are not pulled tight either. Thanks again for some good advice. You are doing such a good work here and saving alot of us some possible dissappointment.
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I posted on Exchange thread by mistake. I am not good at this sort of thing. I have been lurking since my diagnosis, because I feel a little guilty complaining. My cancer was found early and I had a bilateral mastectomy. I won't need chemo or rads. My problem is with reconstruction. I had skin and nipple sparring surgery with TE implanted at the same time. I had my last fill on Monday and exchange surgery is scheduled for 9-5-13. I
My "healthy" side has very thin skin, the cancer side skin looks healthy. I take it the thin skin was "somebody's" mistake. The TE on the same side was implanted way too far to the side. At my first consult the PS said he would have no problem saving my nipples. Now that I am close to exchange it has become a problem"challenge". No one informed me that my nipples would become so distorted. The PS said at the pre surgery consult that since I was doing the bilateral mastectomy I would have an excellent outcome. Ha! What a joke. My one TE was placed way too far to the side and now he says he needs to do a lift on both sides. So that means more and bigger scars and longer recovery with drains, because of the extensive pocket work that he needs to do.
I was a 36C before this and I have told the PS that I want to be the same or smaller. He says he hears me but I had my last fill on Monday and I am huge! He says h overfills them. Well I have natrelle 133MV 14T. 500cc filled to 800cc. Does that seem right to anyone?
He says he will put in the gummy bear type of implant and he's leaning towards round ones because of the concaveness of my upper chest. My rib measurement under my TE is 34 in I am 5 ft 2 1/2 in. 145 lb0 -
Lucky: Why would your PS have filled you so much if you were at risk for needing a lift? The size of your TEs is fine - just cannot fathom why he needed so much overfill. I would recommend that you email me photos. I will PM you with that information. Personally, I think you are going to be fine....but I want to see how you look with this amount of overfill. As far as implants are concerned, if silicone rounds are his choice, I would say that Allergan Style 20, 650 ccs, would be a good size for your frame. You would not be as large as you are currently and would be about where you were when you were filled to 500 ccs. But let's see about this "lift" issue and your chest concavity issue.
Deborah
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Well, Wednesday, July 17, 2013 I got a new set of expanders. I now have 133 mx 14. Can anyone give me insight to the fill capacity, both of a normal fill and the over expanded fill capacity? Much thanks....
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cmd, how do the gummies feel to you. Are they soft? Do they move, or bounce a little like realy boobs. I am glad you are happy, and doing so well going straigh to implant, but since you are small breasted it probaby wasn't that bad.
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I'm new here to the forum. I'm trying to research more on implants for my upcoming surgery & reconstruction in November. I have had my initial consult with the PS and felt like I didn't leave with enough info to make a good informed decision. I now have lots of questions and am feeling very overwhelmed about the decisions that come with choosing what type & size. I had orginally thought about opting for silicone gel but now am leaning more towards the saline option. I'm very confused on how to figure out what size to be afterwards and want to be sure that the PS and I are on the same page with this aspect. What are the best resources out there for sizing info and what kinds of questions should I be discussing with my PS at my next appointment?? Thanks for helping this overwhelmed girl out!
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miamimiami: Your implants hold a volume of 600 ccs. Please read Item #1 in the thread header above for further information on overfilling....
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emilykay: Please read Item #3 in the thread header above....provide the information, and then we can help you further. It is key to also let your PS know exactly where you want to be in terms of size and appearance and what you hope to achieve through reconstruction. .
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Hi I am new to this page but not BC.org. This is my second dx just after the 5 yr celebration. I decided to have a double mastectomy as this cancer was in the other breast and again aggressive had lumpectomy and sent node biopsy 1st dx. I had Natrelle 133 expanders filled to 650cc and just had my implant exchange done last Thurs and I hate them! I told the RS I would like to Go a little bigger during consult to a full b or small c. I feel like a tween with these girls!
1/2/2013, IDC, 1.5 cm, Stage 1c, Grade 3, 0/4 nodes, ER/PR-, HER 2+
I just got 15-397 implants and they look like pancakes I don't even register for a cup size.
I am 5'3.5", 120 lbs and have a 30" rib cage . Previously I was wearing a 36b cup.
I have post op Wed with RS. If Whippetmom or any others can help with a new size recommendation I would greatly appriciate it. I am so upset with my results I want to ask for a redoo so I can like my body again.0 -
Wing.....did you say you were expanded to 650cc but only ended up with 397cc implants??? OMG and WTF!
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Yup that's correct. I got room for expansion! I did read back several pages and saw the "pancake" effect is normal but can't help thinking I do not have the right size even though it's been only 8 days since implantation. I hope they "fluff" to what I think they should be. /p>
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Why in the world he would fill you up to 650cc and only put 397cc in is beyond me!! I don't blame you one bit, he would definitely fix that. Were you happy with the 650cc size expanders?
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Wing: Need more info re: your tissue expanders. They were Allergan 133's, but what style and what volume? There are six styles. You were filled to 650 ccs, but what was the actual recommended volume of the TE? Essentially, I need to know the width of your TEs.....and so I need a style number. There might even be a number after the 133, such as 133-14 or 133-13....something like that. See if you can find the iinformation.
Deborah0 -
Hi Deborah the device card says 133V. I hope that is what you are looking for. Thanks for your help!
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Yes I have Alloderm in place too. With clothes on I look very similar to my pre-mx look but definately a different look nude. I am slowly gaining comfort with them. I still have two drains in and I think there is swelling to those areas and I think under my arms, trying to be patient and excited to get the drains out. Personally, I can't believe how firm they feel but I don't have a lot to compare to and not sure how much swelling is there. They are feeling slightly softer each day. The PS wants to do the fat grafting to the upper pole to help blend the areas and some to one breast for a little projection on the nipple sparing side that has the appearance of being sluggish and traumatized for sure. There are a couple of dimples as well but this stuff will be a few months down the road. I do not think they feel like real breasts at all honestly. I doubt they will ever bounce much. Yes I was up and getting around soon and my pain was tolerable once I loosened the bra, but I do not have my stamina for sure. I find that I need to make sure I keep eating and take in a lot of protein or I will feel so weak and ill. Sleeping on my back is also very difficult for me. I am left surprised about my implant the Sientra teardrop 370: I am still considered pretty small and I wouldn't think larger than a B cup but in this line I think there is only one size bigger and it is only four something. I would think most women would want larger sizes but in this design, maybe I am missing something??
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Wing: No, they are all 133Vs.....I need more info.....as noted in #3 in the header to this thread.
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CMD13: One of my gripes about the Sientra implant line up is that the sizes are pretty limited in the larger ranges. Hopefully larger implants will be introduced at a later point.
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whippetmom, I just sent you pics of my final fill to see what you think!
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