BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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Hi Galsal, I'm a Florida girl too. Grew up a few miles from you in St. Petersburg.
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Hey there Sandra! I've lived here since 2003 and from 93-96 lived in Clearwater. Might I ask, was there a complication that necessitated permanent implants twice?0 -
Galsal,
We visit St. Petersburg as often as we can. I inherited my mother's house and my daughter lives there. We had planned to retire there, but my three serious health issues that appeared in 2013 have us tied to the big military hospital here in San Antonio.
I had the "one and done" surgery, a BMX with immediate reconstruction with implants. The next day I had a fever and a developing infection on one side. I was in the hospital for a week on IV vancomycin and then home for a week with the IV and a visiting nurse. I went back in the hospital on post-op day 14 for surgery on the "bad side" to remove the tissue that didn't make it. They removed parts of three muscles and a lot of tissue on my left side and under my arm. I lost about 1/4 of the skin covering the implant so it had to be removed and replaced with a TE. Now it's full and I go back to surgery next week to get a different kind and smaller size of implant than I had before. They will also remove the "good side" implant and put in the new kind in a smaller size for symmetry. The PS is going to try some surgical magic to improve the range of motion and appearance on the 'bad side." In spite of physical therapy to stretch the repaired muscles, it's not nearly enough.0 -
Sandra, when you're in town you should join us! There's a group of us in the Tampa Bay area that meet every few months for a Lunch. It's major helpful for us to be able to be around others going through the same thing, since some have families that think of them being "healed" once the BC is gone. Search for the Tampa Bay thread - I think it's in the Get Together section.
Ahhh, Ft Sam I imagine is the one you mean. Son was there for his Medic training and the first phase of his Nurse training. All of my surgeries have been at the Tampa VA, although I've pulled away to a private Oncologist after a while. I'm incredibly fortunate that my VA has one of the very few Breast Clinics in the Nation. All but the Breast MRI is done there. All patients (male and female) are followed by the Clinic for five years, whether under VA treatment or not.
I'm from Chicago btw.0 -
My PS has not give me a size/number of cc's that would be a goal. He said that I should just fill until I am done. He recommended that I try on my button-down shirts and when I feel like I am happy with how I look, I should stop.
But....as I'm reading through all these posts, it sounds like there's more to it than that? Are the TE's actually bigger? Why is that? I have actually been trying on my old bras and feel like maybe when they are full, I am done. Will I be disappointed if I do things that way? It seems like I may be missing something.
Whippetmom suggested a size for me that is about double the amount I am filled right now. But, my bras aren't half empty right now....they are getting close to filling it up! And as far as I can tell, she is helping people predict with a LOT of accuracy and they are very happy they followed her advice.
Whippetmom....you are the resident "guru" on these things. First, I just want to say "thank you" for helping SO MANY people. It's incredibly kind of you. Can you ...or anybody who is on the other side of the exchange surgery.....help me understand if I am way off on my thinking?0 -
Hi, mnmbeck... did your PS ever show you a Tissue Expander before you had your surgery? (Most of them don't.)
If not, picture this: it's just like a regular saline implant, with a metal port in front, so the needle can be inserted, and saline injected to make it bigger.
It's squishy all over, EXCEPT for the back. The back is hard and rigid, and sits firmly against your chest. They are built this way to make sure all the saline the PS injects pushes the TE outward, stretching your muscle and skin as far as it will go.
What happens at exchange is that you swap out this TE with a hard back, for a saline or silicone implant that is squishy all over.
Immediately after surgery, there is so much swelling, the new implant can sit high and tight on your chest, but as the post op swelling goes down, the implant will "drop", or settle into the pocket your PS created for it; and "fluff", or spread out against your natural ribcage.
In the process of doing this, the implant loses the projection that the hard-backed TE had. So this is why generally, the number of ccs in your implant will be greater than the number of ccs in your TE. It makes up for the loss of projection that comes with a totally squishy implant that has the ability to conform to your body.
Now comes another variable - implants come in all sorts of sizes, makes, and models. There are low profile, high profile, etc.
If you have given whippetmom all the information she requested to make a recommendation for you, then what she gave you was the size of implant you would need to approximate the size you have now, or the size you want to be.
Hope this helps explain why the TEs look big now, but why you'd need a larger number of ccs in your implant to maintain a similar look.0 -
blessings- that was a perfect explanation. I wish I had been told that before my exchange surgery.
Mnmbeck- also keep in mind that with the implants sometimes the implant CC won't be the same on both sides. For example: I had my exchange surgery a year ago on the 5th I walked in thinking I was getting 800cc on both breasts. I find out after I get home I have 650 implant on the left and 800 on the right. I asked my PS why he told me because I had more skin on the left and when he was using the sizers 700cc and up I looked very uneven. Now they look perfectly symmetrical after my last "nips and tweaks".0 -
im different also... will have 400 right side, 300 left0 -
Galsal: I am so sorry. My feeble mind in action! I knew I had talked with you, but I could not place when I had done so.Now I remember you! I looked through your posts here on bc.org to see if you had posted in this forum previously, but I could not find anything. You private messaged me some time ago. The problem with private messaging is I cannot do a search to find previous conversations. i receive around 75 or more private messages a month....
So I remember you were "considering" implant-based reconstruction. Are you still struggling with the issue? I think you need to PM RoseBuds, look at her photos and get some encouragement from a sister who has more knowledge than I do about delayed reconstruction. But I am glad to help you anytime you need me! You just need to refresh my failing memory!
Deborah0 -
Blessings... Great explanation of the function of the tissue expander!0 -
mnmbeck... When you are filled to 450 ccs, I would like for you to send me photos...0 -
Thank you so much, whippetmom. I appreciate your input and caring for so many here!0 -
Whippetmom.....I will do that. Thank you so much. I cant' believe how helpful everyone here is. I am so thankful for this lovely group of women!!0 -
Galsal,
Well we sure do have a lot in common don't we? I will be sure to contact you when we visit in May. My daughter's graduation is May 10th so we'll probably drive in three or four days prior and stay a couple of days after. St. Petersburg is my favorite place in the world. As soon as I leave the airport and start across the bridge, I roll the windows down and breathe in that wonderful fragrance...home!
I'm really encouraged to hear about your experience with the VA hospital. I've had the same support here at San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC, formerly called Brooke Army Medical Center, BAMC.) I've described it as a virtual hammock that they offer you, just climb in and let them support you. I'll have a 5 year follow-up too. This hospital is top notch and I've been lucky to have the most current cancer treatment with the best equipment available by a combination team of young doctors and "old" experienced doctors too. You get the best of both worlds I think.0 -
Yes, do give a shout! The Breast Clinic was great.0 -
Hi Whippetmom
Just wanted to send you a belated thank you for your help last week with my implant sizing. My computer crashed and I'm just getting around to being able to send you a message. I have my pre-op appointment with my PS tomorrow which I'm a bit anxious about but feel so much better because I have more information on what I should be asking for. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again!0 -
Ugh, girl bad timing for sure, but at least the Jerk is out of the picture. Who does that? Really? I understand it hurts. My ex-husband had an affair throughout my pregnancy and moved in with the woman 3 weeks after my son was born. Trust me I understand the feeling of betrayal, anger, rejection, etc. You're better off without someone like that at this point, as hard as that is to take in all of a sudden. I promise you. No matter how you feel right now, you'll realize at some point you're so much better off without him.0 -
OK, that was for Layla and I have no idea where her post went.
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Tessa...I can relate. Ex messed around while we were separated. My Son has a half-brother that's about 6-7 months younger than him. They married within days of the divorce. He saw our Son once at three weeks old and then never once until he was 16 yrs old. Never wanted visitation. What a schmuck! We're always better off without that kind in our life!0 -
Tessa you are so funny, I figure you meant to post that in our other forum for singles ha ha ha
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Pfft, girl that's how things go for me these days! My 91 yr old gram has been here visiting for two days. She keeps putting things in weird spots and forgetting. ( Like the toothpaste! ) Driving me kinda bonkers and I think she's rubbing off. LOL0 -
Tessa, like your sense of humor! Can relate to the "hide and seek" problem: mom has Alzheimer's, was here last week. Constantly moving/taking items. My size 14 mom was wearing DD's size XS cami twisted around her neck and insisted it was hers! Best part, after several days, she figured out how to get upstairs - tapped me on the shoulder when I was napping Friday afternoon, almost wet my pants! Needless to say, Dad packed them up and were gone within half an hour. Getting older isn't for sissies!0 -
Just out in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, reports yet another reason to lose weight and quit smoking after breast reconstruction....increased risk of losing implants or implant failure....
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-obesity-breast-reconstruction-implants.html0 -
Oh my gosh! LOL.
I sooo needed that! ( DD's twisted xs cami insisting it was hers )
I've been in tears and SO angry today. I may have just lost a friend and possible later something. He was going to tell me what he does when he's down about where his life has gone. In so many words I told him that by getting behind the wheel intoxicated (TWICE) he brought some of it on himself and it snowballed. What did I do to cause breast cancer.
His ex told him he chose what he got and he was SO offended.
Come on though, he drove drunk, went to jail, lost custody of his 3 girls, lost his house after temporarily losing his job, etc. All of that started when he drove drunk.
If I HAD KNOWN what could cause breast cancer or mine in particular I would've AVOIDED it.
Yeah, both of our lives suck, but I don't feel like I directly caused a BC diagnosis.
FEELING the full weight of it as a single mom today without a freakin break I was ticked off majorly.
That is until I read your post.
I really needed that.0 -
Blessings, your explanation was just perfect! Thank you! I am anxiously awaiting exchange so it was interesting to read!
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so..... my oncologist blew me off today when we were discussing treatments for my abnormal bone scan. Again his feeling is that Stg IV cancer is always terminal so treatment options are limited or useless. Well..... I am in the process of having reconstruction that he was against in the first place so I am guessing that he thinks this is a waste of time and money. Do they ever think of quality of life and that they are not God to decide how long I live?0 -
Holy cow activern - your oncologist actually expresses an attitude that you're terminal so why bother with treatment? You need someone who expects you to live a long and fruitful life right now - not someone who's written you off! Are you OK with that or have you thought about finding someone else? Just curious - I just can't imagine one of my doctors being a Debbie downer like that.
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Blessings, thank you so much for your explanation. Yes, my PS showed me a tissue expander when I had a consult with him. He also showed me an implant. I went to see him that day for a "consult." I wasn't sure when I made the appointment if I was having a lumpectomy or a BMX. Before I walked in the door, I was beginning to realize that I needed to have a BMX. He started talking and I think I processed about half of it. I so wanted him to tell me that everything wouldn't be so bad, everything would be fine. He didn't sugarcoat anything. He said it would be tough. It has been my husband who has remembered things about that conversation as they apply to how I feel now. His comments at the time were about something I could not BEGIN to relate to! My Physical Therapist has helped me SO much as I've seen her and spent so much time with her. She spends time in the OR's with various surgeons to watch their surgeries so she can better understand why her patients are feeling the way they are feeling. She has been great about 're-explaining' a lot of it as it relates to me. As time goes on, and I spend more time on this forum, I have wondered about other things he said that day. ....like, does he only do one kind of implant? Is that why he only showed me one? (He actually showed me 2, but one was silicone and one was saline....he also only gave me literature about Mentor). There are lots of things I wonder, actually. But, I sure appreciate the answers I get here! Thank you all!!0 -
activern....I know it is not really my place to say this, but it seems like you really need a new oncologist. If he doesn't have any options or hope, why should you see him at all? It sounds like his job is done! Find somebody who can work with you. There are tons of options of things to try....never give up. You need to be able to count on your doctor for help. The last thing you need is discouraging remarks and lack of help.0 -
mnmbeck, I can relate to your PS's comment that it won't be easy, he's being honest. I lurk around this thread and don't post here often because it's been a while since exchange for me. Was just reflecting today how much has happened this year. A year ago, still healing from mx/recon, exchange surgery in April. Was thinking earlier that while some days are better than others, I'm generally happy I went down the recon path. I still can't call them breasts yet (sorry, Whippetmom), but then again I was concave on one side for 16 years so I might need a little more time (it was so bad, I could easily feel each rib. I still have a little pain at times, but mine was an exceptional situation, not the norm - had to move parents, then water damage necessitated me doing too much too soon and I paid the price). Am feeling good I can wear pretty bras and I make them look good, they don't make me look good! The shape will never be what I had, but I now dress without camis and I have to admit I sneak a lot of peaks at the "girls" and it's still sinking in they belong to me. Honestly, there were times I thought "why did I ever do recon?". Now, I know why and I know why my PCP has been asking me to consider recon for many years (she had bc/recon just before my mx). Whippetmom and everyone else who has helped me along the way - a great big thanks to all of you! And for those of you still in the process, hang in there, progress may not come overnight, give it a little time, your body has gone thru a lot and needs the time to heal.0
