BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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I am heading out tomorrow for the National Whippet Racing Championship meet in Tehachapi, CA - gone for four days. So if you need help before then, please private message me as well as posting here, so that I can easily check it in the evening when I get back to the hotel.
Thank you!! Have a great weekend everyone!
Deborah0 -
Sweetandspecial – SUCH great words of wisdom!!! I always had at least two pages of questions every time I saw my PS, and in the end, even took in the Allergan catalog with my future implant models circled to make sure we understood each other!!! AND – ahem – the implants I got were exactly the same ones, filled to the same capacity, that whippetmom had recommended.
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Dulcigirl – I’ve been away from this thread for quite a while, and just saw that you mentioned my story. How sweet of you to do that!!!
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Oh, Hollyboo –WhenI was dx’d with BC, I was 60 years old, 5’5” tall, weighed 204 pounds, and had a BMI of 33.9. Neither my BS nor my PS had any objection at all to doing a BMX with immediate placement of tissue expanders. Based on my size, the PS placed TEs that were quite large, but fit my frame.
I had no plans to lose weight, until my MO told me I needed to take Arimidex. I said absolutely not, that I was post-menopausal, and had already had a hysterectomy. That’s when she politely informed me that estrogen is produced in body fat, and that my cancer was 100% ER+. I had no snappy comeback (and a lot of thinking to do). (I eventually relented…)
So I entered a weight loss program at Kaiser (Optifast) and went on a four-month, physician-supervised liquid fast, followed by a three-month gradual transition to solid food. I exercised regularly (which I hadn’t done for years) and went off all my prescription meds. All my lab work returned to normal, and I felt better than I had for years. I did it solely for my health. I didn’t need chemo or rads, so that became my BC treatment. I ended up losing 60 pounds and more than 65 inches. My BMI went down to 24.
Unfortunately, my TEs started looking HUGE. I quit my fills early. Fortunately, many long discussions with whippetmom gave me the information I needed to take to my PS and ask about his intentions. She thought I would need a capsulorraphy, and in fact, I did need bilateral capsulorraphies and capsulectomies. (Fancy words for pocket work to narrow the spaces the TEs made for my implants.) Since the PS used only saline, I was getting implants narrower than the TEs.
Almost exactly a year ago, I had my exchange to 700cc saline implants. Two years ago I wore a size 40DDD bra, but was very droopy underneath. Now I can wear a 34DDD, 36DD, or 38C – depending on the brand – and I look about the same in all of them, except PERKY.
I’m not sure exactly what surgery you will be having, but please feel free to PM me any time if you have questions. Wishing you the best!!!
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Deborah – have a FABULOUS time with the furbabies in Tehachapi!!!!! xoxoxo
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Blessings: nice to hear from you!!! Was it the tissue expander pain thread that I remember seeing you on so much a while back? I need to check back in on that one and see what's going on.
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Okaaaay! Just found out my BMI (Body Mass Index) is 18.7....Um, is THAT WHY the docs said I don't have enough body fat for fat grafting?
Anyone know?
I can post a FREE website that tells your BMI by punching in your height and weight --an online calculator...:)
Gotta go find it..
have to attend a funeral this morning first.
Stats: 5'2" 101 lbs
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Holy crap Violet - that's a low enough BMI I'm thinking you must almost be transparent or something
. I'll have to check mine again. I was down to 20 or 22 a several years ago but I've put some weight back on.
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Violet- would love the web site info
Thanks!!!
Babs
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Funny, was just checking this out myself a few weeks back. Here's a calculator from the nih.gov website:
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Thanks Tina Based upon that chart my BMI is 20.4 !!
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Acefitness.org...for BMI
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I'm 25.8, just a hair over normal weight, which means I'm just over the HIGH end of normal for my height. Twenty pounds less is where I feel the best, that would put me at 22.8, right in the middle of normal.
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Thanks sweetandspecial:) I was hoping to go back to work after a week but it looks like it will be two. I am really looking forward to getting rid of the TE's!!
Deborah I am ashamed to say I don't know the brand of my TE's. I will send you the rest of the information later today; have to get a tape measure. Have a great time at the championship!
Karoline0 -
Karoline,
Hi. You can call your PS's office and ask/get ALL the TE info from your medical chart. That would help Deborah to help you, a lot...;) Lots of us were NOT given our TE cards unfortunately.
Hope that helps.
Violet0 -
The reason I was checking out my BMI was because my doctor had my BMI printed out after my office visit. Um, it was in kg formula--Greek to me!
Said: 26x26 kg /M2 (squared)...
HUH!!??
So I needed it translated!...:) LOL!0 -
I come up with 22.9, which I'm pretty pleased with actually cause my weight is actually up 5 lbs or so. Only 3-4 weeks till I think I'll get clearance to start running again. Hope I can maintain till then
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Deborah, I've spent a lot of time in Tehachapi! My uncle and aunt owned a business there as well as a horse ranch. I would get to visit during the summers. Have fun!
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Thanks Violet!
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Just know that there are BMI calcs specifically for women..maybe more accurate. Also, these #'s are general & bone size, body build etc. aren't taken into account. One can have a low BMI & STILL be unhealthy even though they have low body fat...;)
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Deborah, you are amazing. Thank you so much. I can't believe what a gift you give to so many women with all your knowledge and advice!! I hope you have a great holiday.
Blessings, I knew you had lost weight but loved reading your story. Thank you for sharing. You have given me some motivation to lose some weight. I am taking Arimidex but would love to reduce my body fat and also didn't need rads or chemo so your thinking that the weight loss was your treatment hit home. As I am a uni I would like to get to a lower weight before my exchange as I am having reduction and lift and would like to be at a lower weight that I can maintain. Tricky business as I am 55 and have been losing and gaining 25 to 30 pounds since my early 20s.
I have a meeting with my PS next Friday to discuss my implant, fills were done August 15th. Thanks to all who have shared advice, I feel I have some good questions to ask when I see him. He wants to wait three months from last fill but is crazy busy so might be pushed to January... patience is a virtue when it comes to tissue expansion!
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stepmic: If you're not having unbearable discomfort with the TEs I would let your PS determine the timeframe for the exchange. My PS also requires a 3-4 month wait and mine ended up being 4 months because of his schedule. As he explained to me scar tissue needs a minimum of 6-8 weeks to fully mature. His words were, you can definitely do this procedure too soon, but it's never too late. If you rush it you interfere with the maturation process of the pocket and other scar tissue which. This increases the risk of having complications/problems that may end up causing unsatisfactory results.
I second the kudos for Deborah. She is an angel in disguise and I think she is the primary reason I ended up with the happy results I did. Her implant recommendation for me was spot-on.
Everyone have a great weekend! I'm just a bit bummed because here we're going to have a nice, hot, humid, long weekend and I'd really like to do some power washing (deck/house/cement) and can't because of exchange recovery
. I can live with that, though, because I don't want to jeopardize afore-mentioned happy results 
.See y'all!
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Hi, sweetandspecial! I was on quite a few pain forums last year
... happy to say that most of that has resolved, and my only pain issues now (joint and muscle) have come from the anastrozole SEs. How are YOU doing?Stepmic - thanks so much for your kind words! Everyone in our weight loss cohort (16 people) needed to lose weight for medical reasons, but the two women in our group who were cancer survivors (me, and a woman who survived ovarian and colorectal cancer) seemed to be the most motivated. We shared the same Oncologist, and she was really, really insistent that shedding the excess weight could mean a lot in reducing our risk of future recurrence.
I waited 9 months for my exchange until I was nearly at my weight loss goal. Trust me, the implants look HUGE if you lose a significant amount of weight afterwards. And the native side will fluctuate in size as you gain and lose weight. You are absolutely right to want to be at your optimum size when you have the exchange. Don't worry about waiting til January.. you'll have more time to get in shape, AND - you won't spend the holidays recovering from surgery! Win-win!!!
Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing weekend.
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Hi whippetmom, I am new to this forum and sent you a private message for your help in silicone implant sizing. Thanks in advance for your help.
SanDee
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Blessings: I'll PM you with my status. Most everyone here is probably sick to death of hearing it every time I respond to new sisters
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Sweet: I never get tired of reading your posts.
I learn a lot from them.0 -
Thanks Chinney - very sweet of you to let me know
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I do too, Sweet! Thank you for you encouragement to wait and be patient with the exchange date. And thank you Blessings for your added wisdom!
I am so glad to have this site to feel the sisterhood of our lives. Thank you all!0 -
I third the kudos for Deborah- thank you so much for taking time away from the race to help me with my implant sizing. I appreciate it so much!!
Keep responding sweetandspecial; you help more people than you know.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend all:)
Karoline0 -
Hi Whippetmom,
Could you please advise me on size? I really appreciate what you do for the wonderful ladies here!! My BMX is scheduled for 9/17 but will see my PS on 9/10.
I'm 5' 6" 122 lbs., 31" ribcage. PS said he will use Allergan Natrelle silicone implants, Style 20 or 45, and is considering 400-450 cc's. He said my current natural breast volume is approx. 200 cc's which is an A cup. I want to be a large B, small C. I'm really small-boned with thin arms and legs. Thank you!0 -
KeeB: I think that 400 ccs to 450 ccs - probably Style 20 would be best if your ribcage is 31 inches - would be a good size for your frame.
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Wippetmom, looking for some sizing advice, my BMI is 24, rib cage 32, current I have Natrelle tissue expanders with 360 currently, with 400 capacity. My PS prefers Natrelle and silicone. I m ok with my size right one, I'm wondering if I will eventually be smaller due to atrophy? I've always been in the busty size, and don't want to be too small. My exchange is in octoberm and the window of opportunity to fill is closing. Thanks in advance,
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Jeepster,
Whippetmom needs your height and weight and the specific style of your tissue expanders. (Read #3 in the header for clarification.) If you were not given a card with that info (I wasn't) you can call your PS's office and ask for it. It'll be something with letters and numbers. (133SX)
Best wishes! You must be excited to be nearing exchange!0
