BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
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This is a pretty silly question and I even feel crazy asking it, but is it possible that a 397cc Style 15 appears larger than a 500cc Style 20? Even though they have the same width (13cc), could the projection of the Style 20 actually make it look less full and therefore smaller than the fuller-looking Style 15?
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Enerva - Sorry you had to fight so hard to have yourself heard. Makes me so appreciative for my wonderful medical team for making my journey relatively easy, all have been informative and respectful of my wishes. But, so far it looks like your fight was worth it - you look wonderful! I can't address what's happening in Canada, but in the US I think more women are getting access to nipple-sparing surgery. Just from reading posts here on BCO for the past few years it seems to be much more accepted than when I had my BMX so that's an encouraging sign!
Take good care of yourself!!!
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Enerva, you look gorgeous! I am reading a book by Jullien Gordon who writes, "One who has experienced a problem is usually the most equipped to help others overcome it." Thank you for taking the time to share your story and help others possibly achieve such beautiful results.
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Thanks i am here for anybody who needs me. I also thanks the ladies here, they helped me and i will always be thankful.
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Enerva, you look fantastic. I would be thrilled with results like that!
As far as NS surgery, I know not everyone is a candidate. My BS and my PS try to 'always' do NS as much as possible. There are risks involved....you could lose the nipple anyway due to necrosis. But, in the end, I couldn't do it. Actually, the PS explained why he didn't think it was a good idea in my case....he said my breasts would look more like "snoopy" when I was done if I kept the nipples! (pregnancies and many years or breastfeeding!). I've looked at tons of pictures of nipple sparing MX, and many are so happy they did it, but there is a trick to making those nipples end up in the right spot! Many times they aren't even. Yours are perfect! But, I was just reading about somebody else who has one of her nipples in her armpit! Enerva, you did a great job of staning up for yourself. I am sorry it took so long and required so much on your part to finally get the care you needed. You deserve the fantastic final result that you got! I pray for perfect healing for you from now on!
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Thanks i am still praying since i need it to settled and see if it ll turn out good.
I will keep you posted. 0 -
Enerva honey I am SO glad you're feeling better ! Do you have good pain meds? Did you ever get some anti nausea pills?
I understand what that's like taking care of your mom. My grandma who's turning 92 in a couple weeks stayed with my son and I for a year and a half. She's been here this week too. Is your DH helping to take care of you both? (I'm kind of screwed where that's concerned. My flakey mother who originally said she'd stay with my son and I for a week after my surgery has now changed her mind and thought she'd just have my almost 92 yr old gram move back in to "help". Pfft., nice. )
Thank you for caring and posting your pics for me ! You're such a caring person sista. : ) Yours turned out FABULOUS! I can only hope mine will turn out that well.
All your boldness worked in your favor. I made another appointment to see the ps on Monday. I'm goin in armed ( can I bring copies of your pics with me? ) and ready to stand up for what I think is possible. They all said they cannot do the NS surgery for me because I have tumors behind the nipples as well as on either side and they can't spare them. I don't understand why? Can't they just cut the nipples off and stitch them back on? Either way, I'm standing up for the results I hope to have, because like you said, we're the ones living with the results. They move on to the next patient and we're just another number in the end. 
Hope you're feeling better today !0 -
Got your pm honey. Thank you!
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Hi Tessa, I live alone now. Mom past away this past July, yes i had to deal with losing her wile going through bc. I am single so its hard but i am a survivor. Yes please take my pictures with you. Also search in youtube videos of NS surgeries, it will give you lots of info. I will send you a link to the video i watched. I am feeling better, now taking 1 percocet every 4 hours instead of Tylenol 3. I hope you manage to get the right size implants and the right surgery. I ll look for the videos to send you an link.
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Thanks dear.
I am so incredibly sorry to hear about your mom! ( Not to mention going through bc at the same time.) Seriously, if you ever need to you can call me anytime.
Thank you for all your help.
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Hi all. We go in for a fill on Monday, and if they put in 75cc's like they did at the last fill (3 weeks ago...PS takes it slowww), we might be getting pretty close to our final fill. We have 13cm TE's filled to 275cc, and another 75cc's would get us to 350cc and pretty close to where I would imagine we want to be, size-wise. We are thinking about either 397cc in a Style 15 or 500cc in a Style 20, so 350cc's in the TE's would be pretty close to the Style 15's and if we wanted the size of the 20's we'd need a little 50cc bump to get to 400cc. There may be some overfill, so this actually may not be the last fill, but from the standpoint of determining what we want the final size to be, now is the time to pay attention.
What conversations do we need to start having with the PS? What questions do we need to ask? We talked briefly with the PS about this, and she said we could just call into the office when we are happy with the size and they will work on scheduling the exchange for us. I was surprised it was that easy. I figured the PS would want to talk with us about options or take a look and give approval about the size choice relative to body shape.
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whitenack: I would advise to fill to 400 ccs. You say "we are thinking about ....397 ccs.....500 ccs...." but who is the "we" in this? Your PS included? You need to get your PS to commit to what size she will be ordering for the exchange surgery and then check with the nurse, prior to surgery, to verify the size(s) ordered.
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Thanks for the reply. The reason I said either 397 or 500 is because she hasn't been filled to the equivalent sizes yet, so she (my wife) doesn't know which one she (my wife) will prefer. The PS is fine with whatever size my wife decides upon.
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I wondered about NS, but according to my breast cancer center, nipple sparing surgery should not be done if you have DCIS or IDC. The nipple is part of the ductal system so there is an increased risk of recurrence of that kind of cancer. If there are no more parts of the ductal system left because it was all removed in the mastectomy, DCIS cannot recur and perhaps advance into IDC. However in the tiny amount of residual tissue left which does not contain any ducts, another kind of breast cancer could begin, although the chances of that is only 1%-2%.
I don't know about LCIS or ILC because at the time I asked, they didn't know my other breast had any cancer at all. It had been missed in two mammograms and an MRI. They didn't find it the pathology exam after the bilateral mastectomy.
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Sandra i am trying to find the videos I watched so i can send the link. There is one in which a Dr. explain the risks and that the cases if bc recurrence at the nipple are not many, I promise you my tumor was right under mt nipple and i thought it was not possible to save and then my BS told me it was possible. I will send you the link as soon as i find it.
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sandra4611 - I had IDC. Just the thought of any remaining teensy cancer cells in the same zip code as my breasts made me not even consider nipple sparing MX.
I really didn't investigate it further until after my surgery, and while I have seen some beautiful outcomes, I don't think mine would have been. For one, my nipples would have pointed due south from the get-go, or else they would have had to have been whacked off and reattached higher up. (Original Girls were huge and drooped nearly to my waist...)
From what my PS told me, at that point I would have lost all sensation anyway, and could have had nipple reconstruction without using the original breast (nipple) tissue.
For now, I'm happy with my implants, and staying with the smooth look (LOL) until I make up my mind about Vinnie.
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Me too Blessings. I like having Barbie Boobs. I don't want tatoos or more surgery to create nipples. Maybe if I was younger I would feel differently. But I fully support those who DO feel differently and agree they should stand up and fight for what they want.
People should be careful that the information they are reading is current. So much of what is on the internet is old. I wouldn't trust anything written before last year because the science is moving so rapidly. When I was researching, I stuck to NCI hospitals and cancer centers like MD Anderson, Mayo, and Johns Hopkins. If all of them agreed on a particular subject, I could assume I had the most current thinking. Fortunately my breast cancer team agreed as well. I didn't have to fight like so many women do and instead could relax and trust, knowing I was getting the best treatment available in the U.S. as of August 2013. Had I not spent so much time researching, I wouldn't have been able to completely trust my team.
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Oh Sandra i agree with you, I only want people to research all options including NS, but everybody is different and it must be discuss and agree. All depend on the risk and each individual case. I hope that NS becomes more popular with time. I am not saying it is for every body just that i was sad when other people i met told me they have never even hear it was an option.
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I have been reading all these posts about NS and I was so hoping mine could be spared but my BS at the cancer center I went to said they could not save mine. When they went in they said the tumor was too close to my nipple and since I had IDC they couldn't save them. I can't get over how good you look Enerva. I am happy with my perky boobs and hope to get my tattoos soon.
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The following is just my own personal experience. I had both ILC and DCIS and had bilateral nipple-sparing surgery. I was considered an excellent candidate by my BS because I was not large breasted and neither of the masses was too close to the nipple. She is a major advocate for NSM and according to her there is no convincing evidence that DCIS is a contraindication if the known tumors are not close to the nipple. She is a very experienced BS and has been doing NSM and following her patients for quite a few years. The nipple is cored out and that tissue sample is sent separately during the MX for the pathologist to closely examine. If cancer cells are seen the nipple is removed immediately. If it looks clear on initial pathology, but if the final and more thorough pathology finds cancer cells the nipple must be removed in a separate surgery.
Breast cells are always unavoidably left behind in any skin-sparing MX. Follow up drug treatments and breast exams are essential to monitor those cells under the skin surface and to make sure nothing new crops up. The same precautions apply to the nipple.
Again, this is just my story. As with all things BC, opinions and practices vary from region to region and doctor to doctor. For me, nipple-sparing surgery made my journey a lot easier....not easy, but definitely easier. My wish is just that more women would be made aware of the option before they have surgery, not after. Certainly, not everyone is a candidate, but I still read posts and get comments from women who write, "I wish I knew...."
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Tina thank you, i am using my blackberry and have no access to all the links from my phone but I will post the links as soon as i get a chance. Like you i am glad i had the NS surgery and wish it was mention to others before they have the MX so they can look into it. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
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Yes, I agree with all of you. Doctors don't seem to give us all the information we need. We have to be the ones to research and ask questions that will get us the information we need to make intelligent decisions. We DESERVE to know what ALL the options are and our medical team should give us facts AND access to the medical information to back those "facts" up. One doctor says one thing is fact and another doctor says the opposite, also claiming that is fact. Well, they both can't be right, can they? We see this on this forum all the time. Some doctors are adamant about something that another doctor claims isn't necessary. One doctor says for optimal outcome, you need to do xxxxx. Another doctor disagrees. What are we supposed to think? I know it comes down to trusting our doctors, but I want to be sure my doctor has medical fact behind his recommendations. Then I'll trust him.
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I hear you Sandra, i lost faith in doctors. Now i just listen to them and i go home then i read and decide. I don 't trust then
. I am glad so far so good but it is sad that i have to feel this way. 0 -
I was fortunate. I was dx'd in October 2011, and immediately joined BCO. By the time I had my BMX in December 2011, I had read hundreds of posts here, and was armed with SO much more info than I had gotten from anyone on my medical team.
I went to appointments with printouts of pages and links to other sites. I asked questions in technical language that my docs never expected me to. My PS always laughed because I would come to my appointments with two things: a two-page list of questions, and the Allergan Implant catalog with different sizes circled. (Thanks, Whippetmom!!!)
Even though I wasn't informed of all my options by my medical team, I do feel like I got that knowledge from the awesome sisters here.
Unfortunately, it usually doesn't work that way, and too many times we are at the mercy of our physicians, who may be kind and compassionate, but not very forthcoming about our options.
By the way, my MO told me I couldn't go to any breast cancer sites EXCEPT for BCO, as this was the only site that had current, legitimate information, and the best support!!! :-)
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I love my medical team but before I could trust each one of them, I had to take my three ring binder to every appointment to ask about one thing or the other, depending on which one I was seeing. I had done my homework and I knew which path made sense to me, but I kept it to myself. I wanted to know what THEY thought first about an issue. If they routinely did something differently than what I had read about, I asked why. I was so impressed that they stayed patient and didn't seem put off by my questions. I had them draw pictures for me sometimes as I tried to understand just what they had planned and why. I go to a teaching hospital, so the doctors are used to questions I guess. This approach worked wonders for me. Before surgery I was sure I was getting the treatment I needed and wanted and was content that there would be no surprises they couldn't take care of. I could relax and trust.
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I've had several consults with PS about possibly going with Implants. Yes, my profile says Diep but it failed in the operating room.
The one I had this week was THE only one to say she wouldn't even discuss it until I'd lost 30 lbs. I'm 5'5" and 205lbs. One out of six over the past two years. Could have knocked me over with a feather and my buddy there with me too, another BC lady. Ironically, this PS was the one with the least experience but recommended by another BCO gal.
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Galsal, I am 5'4" and 235 lbs. I have 800 ml high profile gel implants. Because of my body size these large implants do not look so very large on my chest. But I'm happy with them and know that if I choose to lose weight now they won't be ridiculously large looking later. I have good cleavage and they are up where they are supposed to be
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Thanks, I hear you. Sadly, it went beyond that. She wouldn't even consider me as a Recon patient without losing 30lbs. As if the Factor V Leiden issue had anything to do with my weight or the surgery this summer with a dehiss 30 days later.
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Hi Everyone - I am completely overwhelmed with information and any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. I am meeting with my PS for the first time after my BMX on Monday and would like to be prepared. Here is my info:
Height: 4'11", weight: 119, ribcage measurement: 31" TE style: Allergan, short height, style number Natrelle 133SV-12. The sticker on my card I received reads 250cc and I assume this is the recommended fill volume of the TEs.
I have a curvy figure and I was 36D prior to the BMX.
Here is what I would like to have:
I would like to be a very full C cup after the surgery. I always enjoyed propping up my boobs to give a nice full cleavage look prior to the surgery but I don't like the look of the rounds as they look like balls on the chest. I like the tear drops but I would still like cleavage and decent sized breasts. Life would be great without a bra.
My PS told me that the expanders are selected based upon my body type more so than what my final goal is. I am concerned that my current expanders at 250cc will leave me small chested yet the expanders themselves do feel about the right size for my body. I also have a lot of extra preserved skin that looks funny right now but I was told that will be of benefit later on.
I am lost. I look through the catalogs and feel even more confused.
Please advise and thank you in advance.
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Check with Whippetmom who is our boob whisperer and knows all things implants. If you just had them put in recently you probably have much more to go on fills, that would get you towards your goal. Definitely ask your ps what their plan is for fills. Make sure they say they will go slowly-- the more put in at a time the more problems and pain women seem to have- tho we are all different so you could be ok with it. I am over expanded by 100cc on each side, and planning to stay small. Exchange in 13 days, but who is counting?
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