BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
-
Blessings,
As always, a thorough, thoughtful, wise response! Thank you for all you do here on the board!0 -
Oh! It does say 2013 doesn't it? I'll have to fix that.
I totally agree with Dulcigirl! Thank you!0 -
Tessa - I sense that you are very concerned about how you'll look right after surgery. Are you a candidate for nipple-sparing surgery? I was not large and I fit all the criteria so I was able to have it and I think that really helped me. Most breast surgeons feel that it's too risky in larger-breasted women, but I think techniques are improving and things are starting to change so more women are able to have it. It's worth asking about if it hasn't already been discussed by your breast surgeon.
The second thing that I think really helped me a lot was that my PS instills quite a bit of saline right when the tissue expanders go in. I had 350cc, which apparently is more than typical to start with. When I saw myself for the first time it was not nearly the shock I was mentally preparing myself for. So, express your concerns and ask your PS to fill to whatever the maximum volume he/she feels is medically safe. Much depends on the health of your skin, etc. so you certainly want to be sure that all heals well.
Hang in there....you can do this!
0 -
Tessa I have saline implants and like Sandra mine are filled to 800 cc's I am happy with them and have had no problems with them I know they look more like a C cup not a D on me but i think the body size has a lot to do with it . I also never had TE's my PS did a one step0 -
whippetmom, seeking your advice and recommendation.
I am 5'4", weigh 235 lbs and my ribcage is comfortably 40" under the bustline.
TE is Profile Mentor medium height 800 ml, ref#354-7216
Right side is expanded to 800 ml. It sits higher and tight because I had stitches early on that made the skn on that side tighter. I do really like the cleavage I have and the shape, it just feels a little flat on the bottom towards the outside because of the tightness and scar tissue. I do have the scar fairly soft though so I'm hoping that side will settle and 'droop' naturally eventually.
Left side we are not sure of exact volume because it seems to have a very slow leak in the upper portion. Looks marvelous when expanded then I lose the cleavage within a day. We know she has put over 1200cc's total and you cannot tell. It's also not hard at all compared to the right side. I had SSM and he kept lots so he is not worried at all with fitting an 800 ml implant in that left side. I have my exchange surgery on 12/16 so we are just going to keep the left 'filled' as much as necessary as to not look ridiculously lopsided.
If you need more info please let me know. Your advice and recommendation would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you in advance
Julie0 -
Aw, Dulcigirl and Tessa... you are welcome...
(And sorry I didn't read the posts before mine... I seem to have missed some of Tessa's details, and repeated a lot of what Dulcigirl said!)
Hugs!0 -
No one reads the thread header anymore....
An 800 cc implant on ME would be a 32 H cup!!!! Think about it girls. We come in all shapes and sizes and we need implants to match! It is not one size fits all!
BREAST IMPLANT SIZING IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR VITAL STATISTICS
Implants of a specific volume will look different on A 5'10" 176 pound woman with a 35 inch ribcage, than they will someone who is 5'3" tall, weighs 110 pounds and has a 29 inch ribcage. So height, weight, ribcage circumference, body habitus - all of these things come into play when determining what style and volume of implant will best fit someone's frame.0 -
I had a BMX with TE placement 4 weeks ago. PS put about 360 in the TE's at time of surgery. I have been miserable until a day or so ago....starting to feel some relief. But, only a little! I am starting to think about how big I want to go. I read my pathology report and it says the tissue they took on one side was 677 grams. ( I can't remember the other side). I assumed I would replace about that amount. But then I started thinking about 677 grams of soft droopy tissue vs. 677 grams all "out in front" and I started to wonder. I asked PS, and he said most people do not replace as much as they "took" for that very reason. I am curious to know if anybody knows how much breast tissue was taken compared to the amount the size implant they ended up with, and if you are happy with what you chose. I always wore "reducing" bras. I don't want to be enormous, just 'appropriate' for my size, and I'd like to look similar to the way I looked in a bra before. Is this number (grams of tissue I had previously) a good indicator of anything?0 -
mnmbeck: The weight of my removed breast tissues were 618 and 680 grams. My TE's were filled to 350 and 360 at time of surgery and like you, I was miserable for the first 4 weeks. I was a 40D prior to BMX. I received 500cc silicone Mentor Smooth Round Moderate Plus Profile implants and I am smaller than I was pre-BMX which is fine with me and I think I would have been happier even slightyly smaller. I am 5' 1" tall, currently weigh 141, and my ribcage is 33" now but I weighed approximately 160 and had a 35" ribcage at time of mastectomy. I hope this helps you. Hang in there; it does get better.0 -
Hey ladies - just a shout out in support of Whippetmom. She works very hard to help everyone. If we aren't reading the header and giving her complete information we're just wasting her valuable time. That said, I know everyone is anxious and it's hard to slow down the questions, but she can help us best when we help her.0 -
Xoxo to whippetmom0 -
Tessa - I was a 36D prior to BMX and now am a 36DD or 38D depending on the bra, at least with wirefree bras. I haven't bought any underwires yet but I'm looking forward to when I have the opportunity (closest Nordstrom's is 3.5 hours away). I think they took 500+ grams from mine. I do know my right breast was larger and they took about 151g more tissue from that one. When I woke up from surgery I had 100cc in each and was very happy to find I had at least little baby boobies to go home with instead of being totally flat
.
You can do this - don't let the anxiety about size overwhelm you. We've all been there and probably all of us have listened to the awesome boob-whisperer Whippetmom. I went with her exact recommendation (750cc high profile smooth round Allergans) and they're beautiful. Not beautiful like the originals but beautiful as my new normal. Great shape, symmetry, placement, cleavage. When I have a nip-tuck early next year to remove underarm flab I expect to be a real masterpiece (sans nips)!0 -
Echoing what MinusTwo and aviva5675 said, a big THANK YOU to whippetmom.
Maintaining this thread is incredibly time-consuming, and believe it or not, whippetmom actually DOES have a life away from BCO!
Yet she continues to provide this service, which most of us have never, ever gotten from our doctors, and she does so only because she feels called to help us. It takes time, energy, and commitment to read all the pleas for assistance, review each person's individual statistics, research the literature, call on her vast experience, and make personal recommendations for each one of us who asks. She could have left the forum years ago, but she stays to help us.
Ladies - do you need implant recommendations from whippetmom? Ask yourself these questions:
1. Have you read the ALL the information that is printed in the blue box ("Header") at the top of each page? If not, please do so now.
2. Have you provided whippetmom with ALL the details she requests in #3 in the blue box ("Header") at the top of this page? If not, please go get those details now before you ask for recommendations.
If you take the time to do this before you contact whippetmom, you will be helping her help YOU.
And again, big huge honkin' hugs to whippetmom for all you do for us!!!!0 -
Tessa, You have to realize that for the BMX, the surgeon has to take some tissue and skin.
So after that, you may not be immediately ready to stretch the remaining skin over a D or perky anythg so be prepared. I had some "chicken cutlets" to fill in for a few wks til my TE had enough saline to look like stripper boobs. They looked great after 4 months but gosh darn they sure hurt. I was happy to get implants but I got smaller ones. Then, later got larger implants. These are the perfect size for me. I am about a 40 D with these. I was a really small 36B naturally and without a bra to shape the natural ones, they just puddled into pancake batter. These implants don't do that. They maintain a nice shape with the silicone. its a bit of journey but you can somewhat whole again. Don't let the disease win!0 -
Pancake batter Layla you're too funny. I'm so glad to hear you're happy with the results!
Funny thing about the chicken cutlet comment: My neighbor had one of those plastic breast enhancers on her counter. I honestly thought it WAS a chicken cutlet until she walked over and put it in her dress. LOL.
( She doesn't have bc. She just wore it to make her own boobs look bigger.)
So it only took a few weeks for them to fill to a large size? Wow.0 -
Hi Ladies! I just saw this and thought it was appropriate to all of us on this journey...at the end you can spot Dulcigirl's awesome shoes!!!
Tami0 -
OMG LOVE IT!0 -
Oh. My. Word.!!!!
Tamiami!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!0 -
Tessa - the time it takes to totally expand is different for everyone. From BMX to final fill at 750cc for me took from early November to early April. Started out fast (100cc at a time) which was too painful. Slowed down to 50cc at a time, sometimes weekly, sometimes bi-weekly. Then PS wasn't working over the holidays. What we thought was the last fill to hit the TE capacity of 600cc was late January. Saw PS again late February when I told him I wanted to over-expand because 600cc was too small, and this wonderful woman going by the name of Whippetmom on bc.org recommended 750cc for me. He agreed to overfill but warned me they'd be 'hard as rocks'. Didn't start overfilling until late March after a trip to St Maarten (PS didn't want to start overfilling prior to the trip in case it was uncomfortable or painful for me). Three more fills of 50cc starting late March put me into early/mid-April for the final fill.
There's really no need to rush the expansion process. It's tempting for many because the faster you're expanded the faster you can exchange to implants and if your TEs are really uncomfortable and/or painful it can be tough to be patient. I had a lot of pain at first but after we slowed down on the expansion process and switched pain meds I never had any more pain. A more gradual expansion may also be more beneficial for your skin. After all, it wasn't meant to be stretched over a water balloon and needs time to adjust. And don't forget it's not just your skin that's stretching, it's your pectoral muscles underneath too. You'll just need to work with your PS to determine what works best for you.
The days/weeks leading up to the mastectomy are really, really hard. I was an emotional wreck during that time and finally decided to ask for an anxiety med which turned out to be exactly what I needed to get back on an even keel. Once your surgery is done and over with you can begin to move on, but for right now we all totally understand how you're feeling. We've all been there and just look at us now! We're back to our jobs and caring for our families and running races and doing zumba and buying pretty bras and arguing with our husbands and then making up and now planning Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning the house before the in-laws descend (ok, those last two might be only me...lol)). And, most important, we are realizing we did NOT lose ourselves along the way. We have become better versions of ourselves because of what we've been through, and we are all now able to help women like you who are just starting this journey.
You can do this, Tessa, and we're right there beside you.0 -
^^^^Awesome, Sweet!!! And you made me cry!!!!0 -
Awe shucks Dulci - sometimes I make myself cry when I think over the last 14 months and how far I've come since then......0 -
sweet and special ; great comments. You hit it on the spot!!0 -
sweetandspecial......thank you for those comments. I think all I have wanted since this stupid BMX 4 weeks ago is for somebody to say that I will be back to normal once I get to the other side. My PS told me on day one that this would be a tough year, but promised me that there would be a day when I wouldn't think about my breasts all the time....I would be back to living my normal life. These TE's are painful, and I haven't even had both sides filled at the same time, yet! (appt on Monday....scared to death). Thank you for sharing.....I cried, too.0 -
Hi mnmbeck, I don't hang out as often on this thread as I used to. My exchange was back in April and feeling so much more "normal" than last year at this time. Do I understand you're about to start post-op fills? I was petrified before mine, as I have a low tolerance for pain and very squeamish so I made my PS aware of this. We had ways to work around all this: for me, I took a Xanax the night before and morning of procedure (was so anxious I couldn't sleep but this will require someone else to drive), they took me into the exam room a little early and applied a Dr-strength topical called Emla as a numbing cream (this really worked well, didn't feel syringe, just some minor pressure and a slight pinch), took muscle relaxer right when I left the office (Flexeril, again, I wasn't driving) and later in the day. I didn't want to watch so I made the wonderful nurse aware; I put a magazine over my face to keep from peeking but I don't advise this exactly as it left news print on my face. Lol! We used a towel or drape after that. Also, they gave me a squishy ball to squeeze thru the procedure to help with anxiety. But the best thing turned out to be was this nurse put the saline bag (I guess that was what it was as I didn't look) in my hand and had me squeeze slowly, that really helped my anxiety as I felt I was more in control. I nearly freaked at the time but it turned out to be a blessing. I did this same procedure for all my fills as it worked well, that is, till the very last one.
Couldn't get anyone to drive me the last fill so I talked myself into putting on my big girl panties and braved it almost cold turkey, we just used the Emla cream. Much to my complete surprise, the result was the same as having the Xanax, I was pretty cool with it. I just took Flexeril when I got home. If I would have known how easy and relatively pain-free I would have done it differently.
The other thing I almost forgot: I asked the PS office for a "breast buddy" who was a bit ahead of me in the fill process. It was similar to BCO support, but we met a couple of times and made the process so much more personal.
Sweetandspecial, you have done a fabulous job of sharing, informing and be supportive for all those still in the TE phase. You and Whippetmom are angels to help all who need it! We've come a long way baby, huh?0 -
2nd_time - so nice to hear from you honey! You always have great perspective too. You know the old saying 'it takes a village to raise a child'? I think that can apply to these threads somewhat too. It takes this whole community to help each individual through this journey to the other side.0 -
sweetandspecial and 2nd_time.....I could hug you both! Thank you for coming back to the site to give encouragement. There's a special place in heaven for people like you!
I did have a fill....just one side, and just 30cc. I was in a constant Charlie horse for about 18 hours before it started to become more intermittent....SO much worse than I thought it would be. (I should add that I left surgery with 360/300cc already). So now, I am a little more even....360 and 330. I have been taking muscle relaxers around the clock pretty much since surgery (4 weeks ago). I can tell the time by them....I cramp up as they are wearing off. I am also still taking a narcotic at night. It is a bit better....I actually haven't had a true Charlie horse in a few days. Just extreme tightening. Everything is so tight that I feel like if I take a breath too deep, laugh or sneeze, something will tear open! I also started having that "raw, sunburned skin" feeling, which (I learned from others on this site) is a good thing and means that the nerves are firing. But I am told I am actually healing beautifully and everything looks great, so I am grateful. I do have what feels like stabbing pain quite often on the side that was filled last. 2nd_time...I am certainly able to relate to your anxiety. I am glad they don't take my blood pressure at the PS office. I can't imagine what it would be! Hoping the 2nd time goes better. I started getting really anxious about it yesterday (Friday)....and the appointment is on Monday. If I have the same experience, I am going to tell him I don't want a fill the next week. My husband will be out of town all week, and I just can't lose function like that again for a day (or more) if he is gone. Oh....keep talking you two! There's a light at the end of the tunnel, right!??0 -
yes, mnmbeck, there is! Good going for small fill amounts - slow and steady wins this race (learned that by mistake). Something else that helped me: heating pad on lowest setting on my back only. All my nerves were messed up, this seemed to calm them. I was compensating by hunching over, and shoulders up by my ears so this helped (PS said it was ok as long as on my back only and low heat). Besides the healing and the chest muscles stretching, part of the pain can also be nerves trying to regenerate. All part of the recovery process. I know it's tough now, but after the exchange it does get so much better! Just hang in there!0 -
hi S&S, sounds like you're doing great! Did you ever have the revision to remove the "mud flaps"? I'm so glad I did, was the easiest of the three surgeries. I don't have the constant pain I had before. Amazing how difference a year makes, right?0 -
To all: this Is the best place I have been since my cancer recurrence. The exchange ( no pun intended) of experiences only helps to strengthen me and I am sure the rest of us on this journey. I have been a basket case since the surgery for the TE started. I spoke to a therapist and I had a melt down since this was the first time I accepted the fact I have Stg 4 cancer and having the reconstruction only reminded me of this fact. She advised me to join a support group and when I told her about this very special group she advised that she was referring to a live support group. I didn't have time to explain to her the reality and 'life' of this group and the site overall but I will tell her at my next visit.
I have NEVER been a part of such a great and awesome group that has made such a difference in my life. Thank you everyone especially Whippetmom who has been so supportive of all of us. Thank you everyone.0 -
mnmbeck - I simply cannot imagine being expanded to over 300cc right outa the chute....ow, ow, ow, ow! I have to believe you had a larger skin flap than I did to be able to accommodate that size. I was miserable for just over a month post-BMX too. The hydrocodone just wasn't cutting the pain any longer. When I talked to my breast surgeon's office and described the burning pain I had across my upper chest they recognized it as nerve pain and changed my med to Neurontin (gabapentin). That was the miracle drug for me. Never had pain again and quit dreading my fill appointments. I mention this because you said something about a 'raw, sunburned skin' feeling. Might be worth asking your surgeon about. I did continue to pre-medicate with a valium and ibuprofen but never had anything more uncomfortable than a little bit of tightness after that. Hang in there!
2nd_time - my mud flaps will be removed some early next year - YAY!! I'm not quite five months post-exchange now and PS wants to see me in January which will be 6 months out. The girls have softened up quite a bit since exchange. I haven't been as faithful about taking pictures of them as I intended so I don't have a good photographic timeline but they look really good.....I mean, as good as I think they can without any nipples or tattoos.
Activern - hang in there honeybun. Stage 4 has got to be a scary thing and I don't have any personal experience with that but please know my heart is with you as you walk this road. You have many sisters of the heart here thinking of you and praying for you.0
