BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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sweet and special and mnmbeck: apparently I am in "palliative" treatment since I am in Stage IV according to him. Well I have lived beyond their expectations. However, these 'Gods' decide who lives or dies and this is unfortunate. I plan to get a second opinion.0 -
you go, Activern.0 -
- Vilma, I'll give you a second opinion...he's a jerk for telling you crap like that and needs to find another line of work.(I was 65 yesterday so now that I'm officially old, I can remove my "filter" and say what I think.)
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Way to go Sandra!
Activern - I just looked up the definition of 'palliative' and I'm apalled on your behalf. Please do get another opinion or two and find an MO who can do better than this (from Merriam-Webster):pal·li·ate
transitive verb
: to make the effects of (something, such as an illness) less painful, harmful, or harsh
pal·li·at·edpal·li·at·ing
1: to reduce the violence of (a disease); also: to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
2: to cover by excuses and apologies
3: to moderate the intensity of <trying to palliate the boredom>
Synonyms
deodorize, excuse, explain away, extenuate, gloss (over), gloze (over), whitewash
Full Definition of PALLIATE
1
: to reduce the violence of (a disease); also: to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
2
: to cover by excuses and apologies
3
: to moderate the intensity of <trying to palliate the boredom>0 -
Way to go Sandra!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Activern - I just looked up the definition of 'palliative' and I'm apalled on your behalf. Please do get another opinion or two and find an MO who can do better than this (from Merriam-Webster):
pal·li·ate
transitive verb
: to make the effects of (something, such as an illness) less painful, harmful, or harsh
pal·li·at·edpal·li·at·ing
1: to reduce the violence of (a disease); also: to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
2: to cover by excuses and apologies
3: to moderate the intensity of <trying to palliate the boredom>
Synonyms
Deodorize, explain away, extenuate, gloss over, whitewash0 -
OK, I"m trying to paste in a definition of 'palliate' from MerriamWebster online but there's a bunch of embedded code that totally screws it up. I'll get it typed in manually instead when I have a little more time.0 -
I think I got it......
Way to go Sandra!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Activern – I just looked up the definition of ‘palliative’ and I’m appalled on your behalf!Please do get another opinion or two and find an MO who can do better than this (from Merriam-Webster):
Palliate
Transitive verb
To make the effects of (something, such as an illness) less painful, harmful, or harsh
1.To reduce the violence of (a disease); also: to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
2.To cover by excuses and apologies
3.To moderate the intensity of <trying to palliate the boredom>
Synonyms:deodorize, explain away, extenuate, gloss over, whitewash0 -
I'm not trying again. That's just weird - I typed the entire thing from scratch into a Word document, then copied/pasted my typing into the message box here. Apparently it doesn't like to paste anything from anywhere that has embedded font settings (like italics, bold, etc).
Sorry about that, but Activern, please do get another opinion or two. Some synonyms for 'palliate' are 'explain away', 'gloss over' and 'whitewash'. Definitely NOT what you want your MO to be doing!0 -
Vilma I agree with what Sandra said, and regardless of my age Id be willing to say it to his face!
Sandra- Happy Birthday0 -
Thanks Catey.0 -
Sandra-ditto on the happy bday and best wishes for tomorrow. I hope all goes well w you.0 -
Happy B day Sandra, be thinking of you tmw.
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activern....I am not sure what kind of practice you are going to...private or teaching? If you are going to a private Dr., maybe consider a teaching institution. I am a nurse and have worked in both (not in oncology). In my experience, the teaching institutions are much more likely to be on the cutting edge of all new research, new treatments, etc. My dad just went through oral cancer, and they were so on top of it, SO aggressive, that we had to tone them down! There was no "give up" in their vocabulary! My Dad is doing well today. Just something else to consider. I will be praying for you.0 -
I am using a teaching facility, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I love it! The main downfall is that at this facility my PS only does implant reconstruction. I'm perfectly happy with that though. Ther were other options locally but I like having ALL of my medical team in the same facility. My PS also only does reconstructive ps (of all types). He has a good portfolio, a great background, and he chose to put people back together!0 -
Whippetmom I have been sent to you for advice I had my breasts removed in May 2012 and reconstruction in March and it is kind of a sell job WE CAN FIX YOU so I did not listen to the voices in my head telling me to just not get the expanders in the first place. So after I got the reconstruction I kept asking when I would feel better and not like the expanders were still there. After some reading I figured out that this was the new normal and I asked the PS to remove them they felt awful. I had them taken out 11-12-13 and I have healed up and have questions on the way I look now. I feel much better not having them but I have lumps right under where my breasts were. It is bigger of course on the radiated side. I'm thinking it is muscle ( never much wore bras most of my life ) I'm wondering if this will ever get smaller and flatten out. I plan on tattooing my chest eventually but it would be nice if this area was less visable with my clothes on. Any idea if it is muscle? or any suggestions on how to handle I really do not want any more surgery to clean anything else up. Flatsy aka Mary0 -
Thank you everyone. mmmbeck: I work with an HMO so this is not the best environment to scream and demand change in practice
I do have Point of Service coverage though that cost a wee bit more but I have options to go out outside of the system and do what I want. I already called and spoke to the breast cancer department of George Washington University Hospital and plan to get another doc to take a look. That is one option. I did some research and looks like Tamoxifen is the best that can be prescribed and I have been using for the last few years since dx recurrence. Apparently, this has slowed down the progression of the cancer. This is the drug for positive ER/PR receptor cells. Nothing much else to do except enter clinical trials. He was still a nasty cold SOB tho 
. My cancer is hanging on by a thin thread and I must learn to calm down. My chest will still be boobs in about a year tho!!!
To Everyone: you are the best. Thanks for the support.0 -
Mary - I can't answer your questions about the lumps/bumps but please know that I'm so sorry that your TEs were so painful you had them removed. Were you close to being expanded to capacity or did you have a long ways to go yet? Mine were in for 9 months before the exchange to implants but there are several ladies here who exchanged in less than the 6 months you had your TEs. Just wondering how much longer you were looking at needing to keep putting up with the TEs that made you decide it just wasn't worth it any longer. ((((hugs))))0 -
Wow, this thread is active! By the time I get back here I feel like I'm out of the loop. Happy Belated Birthday Sandra.
Activern, let everyone know what you've decided, but I agree. As stressful as it can be to go through the process of changing Dr.s, I think overall it would definitely be worth it! The guy just needs to retire or change careers.
I did get some info to see if whippetmom or someone could give me any ideas of what I might be getting in the end? I know you've all got your own journeys to work out, but if you know the answers I would SO appreciate it!
The ps office said they work with Allergen TE's and ordered several different styles to try on me. Is that weird????
The inject saline into the TE and then put in a silicone implant. I'm just under 5'2 and weigh 140 lbs, I don't know if it makes a difference or not but I'm currently a D cup. I measured under my breasts and came up with 36'. I had a trainer measure me and he measured across my breasts for some reason and got 40.5 " (What would that measurement be for?)
The ps nurse said my base width was 13 cm. She couldn't answer the questions of does he usually overfill and whether or not the implant would be larger or smaller than the TE.
She did keep stressing the fact that BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IS NOT BREAST AUGMENTATION. YOU WILL NOT LOOK THE SAME. Both she and the ps said I wouldn't be as large as I am now.
They ordered a 500 cc TE for me.
Any ideas what that would translate to on me??
(thank you thank you thank you thank you for any info ! )0 -
Tessa - Whippetmom is the expert but I believe TEs have similar style differences like implants do (height, width, projection and of course capacity). You're fairly well endowed so I would imagine they want to make sure they use the largest one they can to accommodate the expansion you'll need to approximate your current size. But the largest may not be best if it's too wide or narrow or short or tall for your frame. The expander they end up using may also depend on how much of a skin flap you have after the mastectomy portion of the surgery is over. These are speculations on my part but seem logical to me.
I'm 5'8" and 175 lbs with a ribcage measurement of around 33 I think. My TEs were 15cm wide and 600cc capacity, but I overexpanded to 750cc and exchanged to 750cc high profile implants. I'm still wearing Bali comfort stretch bras but I think if went bra shopping I'd be a good solid D as long as the cup depth isn't too deep.
If Whippetmom doesn't chime in with a day or so you should PM her. She does her best but she's only human and does occasionally miss a post. WE LOVE YOU WHIPPETMOM!!!!0 -
tessa,
I can't answer all of your questions, and hope others will orrect me if ths is wrong, but the base width of 13cm means that your TE's will most likely be 13cm wide. There are different styles of Allergan TE's in that size. You can see them here. I think they start on page 30:
http://breastimplantadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Allergan-catalogue-file.pdf
I don't know how a PS chooses which style of TE to use. I had the short height ones that only expanded the lower pole. TE's can be overfilled. Mine had a 400 capacity and was filled to 600 and 650. Once filled you'll get scheduled for your exchange surgery. Sometimes a PS chooses to put a larger implant in, or a smaller one, but that base width is the super important factor. Different styles of implants have different amounts of projection and widths. Be very clear with your doctor about what you hope to achieve. Yes, the new ones will never be just like the old ones. If it weren't for my missing nipples/aereola, my new ones actually look better than my kinda saggy, nursed out originals. The big thing is that you need to be comfortable with your doctor and you need to feel that he is listening to you. Ask about his experience with reconstruction. This is not the same as an augmentation and you want to find a PS who has as much experience as possible. It's worth driving a bit further if it gets you better results. Although it totally sucks that you have to do this it seems like you have a bit more time to research and learn than most women here.
One other thing to keep in mind...I read this early on somewhere on this board...with weight loss, the new girls will not shrink. As I lost a little weight mine looked a bit bigger. (NOT what I was wanting!!)
Did you get my PM?
Wishing the very best for you!!0 -
Sandra you rock!!!
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Sweet I had my expanders in from May 2012 till March 2013 then I got my implants and that did not feel to me to be any better then the expanders and I was not going any bigger than I was to begin with. I knew I would not look the same but it felt so awful I wanted to take them off every waking minute. I feel much better now but would like to be more uniform in my look and not have small lumps under where my boobs used to be. If you have radiation you have to wait longer before they will put in the implants in and that would be why some women do not have to wait so long. Mary0 -
Ok, Mary, I got it now.....I didn't pick up that it was the implants that were still causing you so much distress. I thought you had requested the TEs be removed. I'm still very sorry, though, that the reconstruction didn't work out for you and hope you find resolution to the problems you're experiencing.
My new breasts look and feel and behave much differently than the originals, but I am getting used to that. The muscle flexing will, I think, always be an odd sensation simply because every pec flex causes the boobs to dance a little (even reaching from the keyboard to the mouse uses my pecs a little bit!). But again, I am much, much less aware of that now than I was four months ago immediately after exchange.
God bless you as you navigate the new path you find yourself on searching for solutions.....0 -
I have had a pretty good experience so far, and have my exchange in 5 weeks. That will be about 4 1/2 months to have in the te. I have said to myself from the start that if I get infections, they have to be removed, or the implants leak, cause problems, etc, that I would have them removed and go flat chested. So far so good and Im ok with the small implants Ill have, but not worth it enough to suffer thru complications.0 -
Aviva
I also said any issues and I'd go flat. Never really thought that would happen but it did. About 3 weeks ago I developed cellulitis on my left side (my radiated BC side) and was hospitalized for a week. I was out of the hospital for a week when it returned. Strange part is that I never had a fever plus by blood counts were always normal. All the Drs were stymied. But since it returned, the infectious disease Dr wanted the TE out on the left. I had it removed this AM. PS said he didn't see any sign of infection on or near the TE. No one really knows the source of the cellulitis. We're waiting for lots of cultures that were done. But, bottom line is now I'm back to being a uni-boober. I'm looking into the fat grafting so I won't be totally flat. Anybody have a similar experience??? Still have to do the exchange on my right side. Pretty bummed since we don't know where the infection is from.
Babs0 -
Yeah, that makes sense sweet.
That sounds like a large amount of overfill. I'm glad they could do that for you. I hope my skin stretches and will allow it too. 500cc's just sounds so small to me, but I have to trust the ps.
Dulci
I got the one with your email addy. I've just been swamped this week and haven't had the time til now. Although I did hop on for a few mins here while at work the other day.
Nah, not a lot of time. I just wrote down the questions from whippetmom's op and then called the ps office. It just looks like I did a lot of work. Wow, they filled you to 650 on a 400 TE?? Whew. Do they bother you at all? I looked at some pics at the ps office. He had about 10 before / afters. I hope that isn't his entire workload ! I'll ask how long / how many he's done just to be sure. Thanks. You're awesome.
Mary, that seems like a long time to have TE's in comparatively to some women whos' posts I've read. I'm new to this so I really don't know what that could be from. Could it be from the length of time she had te's in guys? I've seen some really beautiful chest tattoos Mary. The options seem limitless. I hope you find what is causing the "lumps" are and can put your mind at rest. I'll look online too and see what I can find for ya.0 -
Bab, sorry you are going through such an experience,
Flat, i have my exchange in a few weeks i am like you i had rad so its going to be 9 months with Te. Can i ask you how did you feel after the exchange any signs i should be looking for? i am getting very nervous, i will be on the table Dec 24, and the PS said i ll be going home with drains and a home care nurse ll come check on me.
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Yes, Tessa, I had 400cc TE's filled to 600 and 650, and then woke up shocked to find 800cc implants. I am now 6 weeks out from trading those which were much too much for me. I now have 650cc's and am perfectly happy with them. I would have even been happy a bit smaller, but these had that all-important base width measurement.
Oh!! I was absolutely fine during the daytime with my TE's but rather miserable at night. I slept in our recliner for 4 months. They did not bother me more during the overfill...but they sure felt hard as rocks! Lol. My implants feel close to my real breasts, but just a bit firmer. Mine are silicone.0 -
Hard as rocks pfft Yeah, I can only imagine going under expecting one thing and then waking up with Mt. St. Helens on your chest, BAM!
( Although for me I'd like it. Allows me to have a bigger butt. Lol ) You went 4 months in a recliner?? 4 months? Holy cow. Wow, I hope I can make that work. I'm borrowing one. If I'm sleeping in it that long I'd better plan on having it dry cleaned! I can just see the faces as I return it will drool and maybe a little spilled drain fluid on it. Yikes. Wonder if I can wipe it down with purell.
I looked at that link ( you rock! ). I don't know if my 2nd glass of wine had anything to do with it or not, but I was a little confused at what I was looking at ( Algebra all over again. ) I was assuming that was the projected amount the filled te's would well, project, from your chest.0 -
Tessa - my overexpansion also caused the TEs to be hard as rocks but I didn't really have any problem with discomfort or pain. They just got in the way because they were so hard.....they didn't move and they didn't mush at all!
You must remember that you don't have to just trust the PS and his/her intentions for your results. My PS put in 600cc TEs and planned to exchange me to 575cc implants. I would have been soooo disappointed if I had just trusted his plans. Whippetmom saved me from disappointment by giving me the recommendation for the size implant I insisted on and the confidence to tell my PS I wasn't happy with the size at 600cc and wanted to overexpand.
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