BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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I think we should have pre surgical classes. I don't think our pre op phases should be simply appointments with time constraints. I am going to push for this with my PS. This is ridiculous.0 -
I am with you two, this past nine months have been terrible, all i keep thinking is what will happen next with my next surgery, what are they not telling me? i hate it
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I agree with you but only to a certain extent. I have to say if I had known the kind of pain I'd be dealing with for a over a month after BMX because of the TEs I may have decided against it. I guess I'm actually kind of glad I didn't know then what I know now. I understood the basics at the time, anything more than that would have been mental and emotional overload for me on top of dealing with the diagnosis and coming to terms with having the BMX. That's just me....our opinions on the topic will be as numerous as the number of us there thinking about it....lol.0 -
Those of you thinking of taking Gabepentin (Neurontin) should take it nice and slow. Several years ago I had an orthopedic injury and was given this drug - 300 mg, 3 times a day. Well after one dose, I was sick, dizzy, and felt like I needed to go to the ER. The doc changed to Lyrica but it was as bad or worse. Earlier this year I had a stroke and was again prescribed Gabepentin by my neurologist. I told him what had happened when I took it before. He said no one should start off with that high a dose. It's a drug that you should gradually build up in your body. He told me to take 100 mg at bedtime for several days, then add 100 mg in the morning if I was tolerating it ok. The next week I added a mid-day 100 mg. One I was used to that, we doubled the before bed dose to 200 mg, and so on. I got to where I could do 200 mg three times a day with no side effects. The doc said I could go up to 900 mg per day, but I never did. I started having serious memory problems and found out that amnesia is a common side effect of Gabepentin. There are actually a lot of side effects but of course some people never get any or only a few. Everyone should be familiar with them so they can recognize symptoms if and when they occur and let your doctor know. I didn't know about the amnesia and it got so bad, I was afraid I had had another stroke. What a relief to learn it was the medication. I stopped it and the amnesia vanished immediately.
Like any drug, if it is working for you, you might want to put up with side effects. When the side effects are worse than what you were taking it for in the first place, it's another story.0 -
Well, I am in the health care field and I didn't get any info on teaching after and the implant dropping. Then my PS was suggesting fat
grafting and he said there were no complication long/short term then I researched it and it said FAT Necrosis is a complication. So much for honesty. My breast surgeon told me that he had not been doing it that long.0 -
I have to say that I am somewhat relieved to hear that VERY FEW people get any really good literature or expectations of what is 'normal' as they go into this process. I thought I might be the only one, which was disappointing because I really like my PS so far. I was hoping he wasn't some deadbeat who didn't care about me, because he seems like he does. I am a nurse, and I know that education is SO important for patients to experience less fear, which results in realistic expectations, less pain, and quite frankly......less time and questions for the doctor! I have told ALL of the surgeons and healthcare providers I have talked to that this is a missing piece for patients like me. My PS has told me that there is such a huge variation of what is 'normal' that it would only cause more anxiety for patients if he handed out a 'what to expect' list, since very few people would fall under the umbrella of whatever he might describe as 'normal.' I thought I was such a freak because I am still having such discomfort and pain. I know 3 other people my age who have had this surgery. 2 of them had no problems, were on Tylenol after a couple of days, and describe their fills as "some tightness"....nothing that interfered with life. The third was unable to care for herself for weeks....she was absolutely debilitated. But, she also had previous radiation to her chest and I thought this is what caused her increased pain. On this site, I can see that there really IS such variation in how people react to the BMX and TE's. It seems pretty common to just tell the PS how miserable we are and have them say "it's OK...it's normal." But, I know my anxiety would be far less with more information. Since finding this site, I have felt so much better....so supported. It is so helpful to hear from people who have been there/done that. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!0 -
hi
I would not be relieved that women are not getting information....
Why? WE should be irritated.
If they were taking a male sex appeal body part out and rebuilding I am sure
they would explain EVERYTHING
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my feelings too Stix. There is so much more to a diagnosis of breast cancer. Not just the mortality. We all champion survival but survival to what end ???0 -
Well said stix
Has anyone after two months post op have one of the girls feel very soft and squishy and the other one a little firm and not so squishy?0 -
I realize that some women prefer not to know anything and leave it all up to their doctors. You see that in pregnancy too...some people don't ask questions and don't want to know about all the things that COULD happen. But I think in 2013 most of us DO want to participate in our own healthcare. We want to know what to expect and we want to know about possible complications no matter what disease or condition we are dealing with, including mastectomy and reconstruction. We are grown women and health care consumers. It is ridiculous to keep information from us because we might experience "anxiety." That attitude is so patronizing! They might as well pat us on our "pretty little heads", tell us to go back home, fix dinner, and let the MEN handle everything.
Why CAN'T we get all the information? Who cares that most of us won't experience all the complications that could happen. When we get a new prescription, it comes with a list of every possible complication. TV commercials about medications have more info about possible side effects than about the medication itself. When we go in for surgery we have to sign a consent form that lists all kinds of problems that COULD happen, including death! But we women have to be protected from the mere MENTION of things on a list! I'm outraged!0 -
I whole heartedly agree. There should be formal education, pre and post op, not just meetings with the PS when things get forgotton, not mentioned or overlooked. I am not sure why hospitals and Breast Care Services havn't quite got it right. It puzzels me when there is so much awareness about breast cancer in the community, why arn't we support better, armed with knowledge and expectations. Knowledge and understanding is empowering and gives a sense of control.
It's hard being the patient, there is no control over the disease process, what treatment you need, what information you receive, and what you body will look and feel like at the end of it all. How about a take home video presentation, post op advice/information, tip sheet. Education sessions held reqularily by a Breast Care Nurse, to advise on meds, pain, emotions, treatment, reconstruction etc etc.
I think many women feel lost in the journey but don't say much, we often feel naieve about it all and that we should just be grateful. It all happens so very quickly, most other surgeries have months to consult and discuss, do research, get prepared emotionally and physically and build a knowledge base.
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Good morning whippetmom,
It's been a long journey and I'm finally finished.....I know that I still have further reconstructions.... I spoke to 2 plastic surgeons for the past 2 weeks... My Regular PS I kicked him to the curve he was such a waste of my time.... He was never honest about reconstruction he made it sound like a walk in the park and never mention anything about radiated skin having any issues... He would only say will see how the skin heals..... and had infection cause his floor manager pulled out my drains...which It had some pus coming out and he ignored it... But moving forward I been looking for PS ... One PS said that he can actually help me with AFT the end of December and if dosent work we would have DIEP... My choice is not DIEP or any more scars ... I want to have AFT but I can't find anyone in Miami that could help I did my research and dr. Khroni but will not take my insurance ....... The second ps I saw said that he does not work with aft because it's like making the cancer cell reactivate ... I'm not in rush just want to do some more research if you can please help me I did create a forum regarding Rediated skin without TE.... But not much answers.... Can you please help me ?... I have noTE on the right side...0 -
Sandra - when my BS realized my pain was nerve related (after over 4-weeks of Norco every 4 hours wasn't doing the trick) she prescribed Neurontin 300mg 3x daily. The only dizziness I experienced was a little bit after the initial dose. Mental clarity was an issue at times but I was ever so thankful to be pain free that I was willing to put up with it. I've been off it for over 6 months now and still have some mental clarity issues so I kind of think my problem is fatigue resulting from inadequate sleep due to insomnia which is both menopausal and Arimidex related. I'm just not as 'sharp' as I've always been.
mnmbeck - this site saved my sanity. I found it just prior to my pain med getting switched to Neurontin, when I was really second-guessing my decision and wondering how the f*** I was going to stand the pain for several months until exchange. This community helped me know I was not alone and that there was light and happiness and joy at the end of the tunnel.
All - I totally agree that information should be more readily available and shared, but I also know that our individual need for information is as varied as each and every snowflake that falls. For myself, I knew enough to make the decision to go with reconstruction. I did not want to remain breastless, therefore reconstruction was the avenue for me. I did not think would be a walk in the park and knew I would have to deal with issues as they arose. I tend to think in terms of project management terminology because I'm studying for a certification right now. For me the time after BMX until the present has been a process of what's called 'progressive elaboration' in project management. I knew and understood the high level details at the time I needed to make my decision and have the BMX. As time went on I progressively learned and gained a more elaborate understanding of the process. I've been very comfortable with my particular journey and the level of information I received from both doctors and these forums as I had need of it. Maybe that won't work for everyone but it worked very well for me, and I have been and remain very involved with all my doctors throughout this journey.0 -
Patriciahurtado: I have sent you a private message.0 -
I was asking so many questions and had so much pain I was worried my PS and Nurse would think I was crazy. All the "it will go away" or "it's just the TE's" but my favorite was, " you' ll be back to your old self two weeks after the BMX" lol. I am thankful for my team of Dr.s though. I am so happy with my results. I am grateful for all they have and continue to do for me.
We should start a FAQ or QRG and pass it on to all the threads for everyone's input. I can honestly say all my questions/worries/concerns are answered by the ones who have and are going through this journey..and honestly no matter if its what I want to hear or not. That is what I find most helpful, just being informed and prepared. As a newbie thanks to all of you who continue to post and offer support, advice and just provide overall comfort.0 -
I wasnt able to read/process a ton of info at the beginning,and I am a HUGE question asker. But I would rather have had gobs of info sheets to go through when I could, rather than try to hunt down information then ask drs about it. You dont have to read thru info they give out, but itd be nice to have it.0 -
Yes, women should not have to search much for information, it should be presented to them. Everyone's information needs are different, but all should be offered a Breast Cancer/Treatment/Reconstruction 101 session in detail.
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Thanks WhippetMom!!!0 -
Whippetmom, I know it's entirely cheesy and dumb to put a pic of my current breasts as my avatar, but I didn't know of any other way to do it.
How realistic is it to expect the "after" boobs to look like the ones I have now? Some of the posts I read make it seem VERY UNLIKELY.
I want to be realistic but I also don't want to overstress either.0 -
How long after stage 2 (exchange) do you wait for fat grafting to fill in defects?0 -
I think My PS said around 4 months so everything had time to settle!0 -
I just wanted to jump in and say that the TEs can be a real pain (pun intended) but it can get better! I had UMX 11 months ago. Came out of surgery in so much pain I thought they'd forgotten the morphine. I was filled to 360cc at mx and I believe that is what gave me most of my pain. I had the drains removed 7 days later as I had very little output and was given 30cc at that visit. I waited a month because I was in so much pain before I got more fills. I ended up with 2 more of 60cc and 50cc to get to 500cc. I then took 6 weeks to rest before EX surgery. The entire time (3 months) I was in intense periodic pain, muscle spasms mostly. Flexeril was my friend. It made me drowsy so I cut them in half and took half a pill 3 times a day. I didn't need it at night as I had no pain while lying in bed. At one point I asked my PS to remove my expander because of the pain. He pretty much blew me off. So I went to my BS who checked my ROM. It was basically non existent. I had a PT visit me in the hospital after MX, but I don't remember it and didn't find the literature she left me for 2 months. I kept asking my PS about PT and he'd just shrug and say "Don' worry. Your daily activities will bring it back." My BS said until I got my ROM back, I would have these terrible muscle spasms. He basically just pulled my arm straight over my head, I yelped in pain, and he said "It might hurt but now you know you can do it! So get busy doing it!" It was the push I needed. I finally insisted on PT which started a month before EX surgery and that was the beginning of my true recovery. I had weekly visits for a month, had implant put in, and resumed weekly visits for another 2 months. Made a huge difference for me. I was cutting back on the Flexeril and getting more of my old life back. Then I found a cancer class at the gym which I joined to learn how to do circuit training for my ROM and also to use the pool (they had a warm water one which was heavenly for my muscle spasms). Also at this gym they had a spa which happened to have a girl there that does myofascial release therapy. And this was the fix for me! It did hurt a bit at first (which it should) but it busted up that terrible scar tissue that the drains leave behind. I saw her weekly for 3 months while also learning how to lift weights and generally help my body. I gave up the Flexeril pretty quickly and exchanged it for daily stretches that help keep my pec muscle loose. I haven't done the myofascial therapy for a couple of months but am going to start back just to keep me at a maintenance level, maybe do once or twice a month for a while. I credit PT and massage therapy with getting me back to (mostly) normal. I still can't wear and underwire bra as I have a small bit of scar tissue that won't break up and it's a bit sore when an underwire sits on it for any length of time. I'm hoping a visit to Nordstroms will help me find a bra that won't cause this problem. I'm getting my new nipple put on this Friday and I'm more nervous about this than my other 2 surgeries! In about 4-6 months I will be looking to get my areola tattoed on by Vinnie and then I'll be done! Nine months ago I thought my life as I knew it was basically over, not because of the BC, but because of the pain from the MX. It was hard work but I'm here to say you can get through it. Pester your PS or BS until you get some answers or relief. My PS is really really good at his job (my boob and foob are just about perfectly matched) but he sucks at what goes on around the surgeries. So I came here and educated myself. I read tons of articles and ask lots of questions. I call the office with every little question and don't care if I'm driving them nuts. They are on my payroll! I now go to the gym 5-6 days a week and lift weights and use the treadmill or the pool. I just turned 50 and feel better now than I did at 30. And I have the boobs of a 30 year old! I've learned to take care of myself and advocate for myself. I hope I never go through this again but I'm eternally grateful for what I've learned through the process.0 -
TessaW: I think that photo tells me that you are large breasted currentlly. I think it is possible to get you back to the approximate size you are, although the breasts just look different. There is no fat or connective tissue in those breasts after mastectomy. So only the implant and any matrix support [such as Alloderm] will provide the volume on the chest wall. You are having two-stage reconstruction, correct? Also, if you have a significant amount of droop, other considerations need to be made with tissue expansion and implant selection. So many variables come into play with breast reconstruction after MX.
Deborah0 -
TessaW - as Whippetmom said your breasts will likely never look quite the same but for me, fully clothed, I look pretty much the same as I did before BMX. The new girls have no nipples and I have scars (less and less noticeable as time goes on) but they do now stay where they're supposed to be when the bra comes off instead of heading south. I have nice cleavage and pretty good symmetry. Still wearing non-wire bras because I haven't been able to get to Nordstrom's to shop for underwires (3.5 hours away). I do have a Victoria's Secret gift card and will probably try them next time I'm there (30 minutes away).0 -
Lala, good post. Wonder how much better your recovery would have been if you surgeon hadn't put in any fills until several weeks after surgery. 360 cc is crazy! No wonder you were miserable.
I second your opinion of physical therapy. I started last week, 3 times a week, to hopefully put myself ahead of the curve before exchange surgery on Dec. 6th. Wish I'd started earlier. The intense stretching is helping so much and the massage has softened up tight muscles already. I hope to be back to physical therapy by 2-3 weeks post-op this time, just as soon as the drains are out (I'll have one on each side) and I get a release from the PS.0 -
Stretching is sooooooo important even without medical issues causing problems. Keep stretching even when you feel better and regain range of motion. Muscular tissue tightens as we age so stretching those muscles is really an easy anti-aging regimen! Some of the benefits from stretching:- Increased circulation (better circulation = less muscle pain from working out)
- Flexibility (Duh!) (flexibility = reduced risk of muscle, tendon and joint injuries)
- Increased range of motion (increased range of motion = better balance, better balance = less susceptability to falls w/resulting injuries)
- Reduced stress (reduced stress = relaxation of tense muscles. Also, since stretching is an exercise, it has the same endorphin-boosting effects, improving your mood and the way you feel in general.)
- Alleviation of lower back pain (Since many muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back muscles and hip flexors) contribute to your posture, stretching these muscles has the ability to greatly reduce or eliminate lower back pain.)
I was not flexible at all as a youngster, I dont' think I could even touch my toes! Then in high school I got talked into joining the gymnastics team. Well, I can tell you, I wasn't much good at any of the events, but boy did I get flexible! You don't have a choice when you have to stretch with a partner and they hold you down for whatever count coach decides on
. I've maintained a good level of flexibility ever since high school, so when my ROM was soooo extremely restricted after BMX it was very frustrating and kinda of scary for me. I've since regained total ROM and get in a good stretch after working out and many times at home I'll target certain muscle groups for stretching that don't always get used much. It feels so good!0 -
TessaW: As sweetandspecial states above, please note that I should have completed my thought in response to your question. Personally, my breasts look better than they did at the time of BMX. I was 58 years old at the time of my BMX and my breasts look like they did when I was in my twenties. Well, maybe even better than they did during my twenties, since one side was always smaller than the other all my life, and they now finally are the same size. So there can be a positive end to the journey. Certainly my clothes look better and fit better than they did prior to BMX. It is a conundrum....I just want everyone to know that it is a journey. You might not even get it completely right the first time....and certainly many of us desire or need revisions at some point in the process. Just hang in there!
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Thank you whippetmom!!! Can't wait till I get some answers I'll keep you post!!!!
All this positive results from all my ladies give me hope that one day I will have a boob looking hot!!!0 -
Karoline, I use the Organic Oats cream from Yves Rocher of Canada. They ship out from NY and they label is bi lingual in English also. If not, sometimes I use plain old fashioned olive oil or organic coconut oil from the health food store cause its cheap and last forever. I would get it all approved by the dr just to be sure but I don't ask my dr about that except the dermatologist.
Blessings is right. My derm gives me Cetaphil. I don't use it often though. It does not seem to do much for my dry skin. I blame it all on the Letrozole/Femara. I always had oily skin and hair.
Hey Blessings, hope you are doing good lately. My implants didn't work so I got new ones. So just now after 2 yrs getting nips. Hope they don't turn black and fall off after this huge medical bill. What did you do on the nip issue? Did you get 3D at Vinnies?0 -
Hi Whippetmom,
I'm hoping you or anyone else can help talk me down from the ledge. I had PM'd you about a month or so ago about a recommendation for implant sizing. My TE's are Allergan TE 133MV-13-T, now filled to the recommended 400ccs. At 400 ccs in my TEs, I like the projection, but of course they sit very high and are a bit wide, too much under my arms. My PS plans no more fills. Currently, my rib cage is about 29.5". You had recommended Allergan 475 or 500 smooth round implants and that is what I have discussed with my PS. My exchange is Dec. 9 and he plans to take in 450, 475 and 500. My husband thinks this will be too big, but he doesn't get that the implants will actually sit lower and droop more than the TEs. My concern is that this will be too SMALL. I like the projection of the TEs. Before BMX I was a small B cup and now I want to fill out a B cup. Will the 475s with slightly less width but almost as much projection as the TEs give me the fullness I want? I know I'm obsessing about this, but it's about the only thing I can control in this whole process. I'm really second guessing my original decisions.
Thanks for the help,
SanDee0
