BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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mommyathome....I will try to answer you, but whippetmom will have a MUCH better answer I'm sure! I can only go on my personal experience. My TE's were filled to 550. It was so hard to tell if this was the right amount. PS totally left it up to me. He said that the implants would be very much like the Te's....but they would sit differently....a little more relaxed. Well, I thought I was pretty boudacious in those TE's...especially in certain shirts. waaay too big. But, then again....in other things...I wasn't so sure. I almost didn't do the last fill because I thought it was good enough. But, then hearing that everyone experiences that feeling of being "much smaller" after the exchange surgery, I went ahead and had one more. The total amount of breast tissue I had removed during surgery was 671/691 gms. I did NOT want to be as big as I was before. I always wore sports bras or reducing before. My PS told me that the size of the implant would be up to him, as he needed to 'try them on' in the OR. He would choose the one that filled the pocket, gave the best projection, etc. I ended up with 650cc. This is bigger than I thought I would end up with. My first reaction was...I'm pretty flat! But, on day 5, I can say....um....I'm bigger. And, I am glad I didn't go even bigger!! This seems really unusual for women to experience....most are disappointed with their size and think they are too small. I should mention that my TE's were narrow...I don't know if this affects anything or not. I am able to fit into my old underwire bras now....and fill them up.
One thing you need to know is...does your surgeon put the exact same size implant as the TE? It seems(from reading here) that some do.. Others put a smaller implant in (overfill the TE's), and others (like mine) use a bigger implant to fill the same amount of space the TE's did. Having this info helps you make a good decision, but I think everyone is nervous and unsure about how big!
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Mommyathome: I just feel that you are going to find that 650 ccs is on the small side for your frame. That is why I originally said at least 700 ccs in Allergan Style 20.
Edited: If you are on the Picture Forum, look at mnmbeck's photos. She is taller than you, but about the same weight and ribcage circumference, and she is happy with her 650s. If you are not a member of the Pic Forum, someone will tell you how to get there.
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Whippetmom
I get to see the new surgeon on thurs to discuss putting in TE I finally got on picture forum, I saw you and you look great what were your TE and implants or do you have any suggestions for me, he was right I have tons of rippling my 535 are way to small.
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To wippetmom
my rib cage is 28 I am 5ft 5in
and weigh about 120lbs I want to have most projection and fill my old bras as much as possible I was 32DDD at this size I can get up to 130lbs and wear 34DDD so I need to be somewhere around there, or as close as possible. Also, that surgeon forgot stitches in me luckly I found them after 3 weeks and my primary care took them out, they already grew into the skin, he was unaware he even put them in....0 -
SavedbyGod: You have to go back and look at my responses to your posts on March 8 and March 19.
(In answer to your question about my own reconstruction: My TEs were Allergan 133 MV-400 ccs, and my implants are Allergan Style 20, 550 ccs. I wear a 32 DDD or 34 DD, depending on the bra mfr.)
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Whippettmom,
Good morning! Thanks for the post. I checked out the picture forum. Even though Mnmbeck had less filled in the te (550) her breasts seem to project more than mine. They are rounder also. This could be due to the different te chosen by the ps. Is it possible to try to email a picture to you of me as I am now; with 600 in left and 500 in right? You can private message me your email if that's ok...
Mnmbeck- you look great!! Thanks for sharing your experience through this journey, it is so helPful to all of us
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Thank you whippetmom, you are such a blessing to all of us.....May God bless you always.
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Mommyathome: You have short height TEs. They are designed to allow expansion in the lower pole only and do not expand the upper pole - which is a good thing - in my book. So yes, they look different than mnmbeck's. I have sent you my email address!
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I am happy to share. I hope it's not overkill. I feel that as many pictures are on the forum, it wasn't enough for me. I always wanted to see more. I have no idea what final results will be or what the future holds for me, but.....we're all on this journey together. I'm planning to post more pictures today or tomorrow. Tomorrow will be 1 week since my exchange surgery.
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What is the benefit or drawback to the short height te? When you say upper pole is that the higher part of your breast? So the te when filled won't look like I have on a push up bra? When I get the exchange, will the shape of the breast and height, resemble the te?
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Mommy,
I had short height TEs too. They just expand the lower pole (bottom) part of the breast. Mine when fully filled looked a lot like normal breasts. Then my PS was able to put a significantly larger implant in at exchange. My implants look very natural now...much better than the TEs. Natural slope in the upper pole (top) part of the breasts. I'm in the pic forum if you are able to go there.
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Mommyathome,
I don't think the TE and the permanent implant look similar in any way, at least in my experience. I started out with Allergan Style 20, 800cc saline round permanent implants, but after losing one, got an Allergan 133MX, 700cc tissue expander. It was interesting to have them side by side so I could compare a TE and an implant. Once the TE was filled to 580 cc, it looked like the 800 cc implant and in clothes you couldn't tell the difference. By the time it got to 740 cc, the TE looked about twice the size as the implant, even though the implant had more saline. I could balance a full Solo cup on the upper "shelf" of the bulging TE and I started having to wear a softly filled pad on top of the implant so they wouldn't look so obviously different in clothes.
That fullness on the upper pole was gone once I exchanged the TE for the implant. You go from half a coconut glued to your chest to half of a hamburger bun. None of the pictures I've seen show anyone with implants that look like round stripper boobs. They are wide and flatter...changing shapes as they "mature" the first few months to become a bit rounder, but not projecting out any more.
I switched to a different style when I had my exchange and now have 740cc gummie bears. They look pretty much the same as the 800cc rounds, but have a little bit more fullness in the upper pole because they are so much taller and have a gentle slope down to the fullest part at the bottom. Even though they are full height, full projection, they only project 2.5 inches at the bottom.
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Dulcigirl and Sandra,
Thanks for your responses. I'm going to check the picture forum. Do I just skim through the picture forum or do I type in your names?
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If you look for names I'm "Pamelita" on the pic forum.
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...and she's one of the prettiest girls up there!
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AZ!!! Eventually I'm going to need your address to send a check for all of these compliments.
But it must be kinda lonely in there as the only member of my fan club!
You crack me up!
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I have the short height T.E.s. In fact if you go to the picture forum you will see my one day post surgery photo that includes an "outline" of where the T.E's were placed. My PS was actually one of the original inventors of this style, so of course it's the only type he uses in his practice. He believes that if you get most of your expansion in the lower pole, you get a better slope (and more natural look) once the implants are placed....hopefully avoiding some of the step-off problems some women face.
My T.E.s are Allergan 133LV-14
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Dulcigirl,
Thank you! I just read through your posts and saw your pictures from your first exchange and then revision. You look great!!! Gosh, I hope mine come out looking as natural as yours. I'm so worried they will be too small/big... I know I have to have enough confidence in my ps and I do have a lot....but it's the new me, I want to be comfortable w the outcome. I don't want to have to worry about revisions etc.
Thanks again for sharing! I am at 600cc on left and 500cc on right, right now. My ps said if we stop at 600 she would probably bring in 600, 650 and 700 implants. She didn't say what kind. I'm going to ask her next week if she's planning allergan 20.
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Raelan,
My te are allergan 133sx-14 what's the difference?
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Mommyathome - The answer to your question (with pictures) can be found on pages 2 (Raelan) and 3 (you) of this link....
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Thanks AZ!
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Is it safe to remove an implant to do some pocketwork then put back the same implant? I had my exchange about 2 months ago, and my PS said in about 6 months he will do fat grafting in the cleavage/ top area, and lift one boob slightly. I wanted a C, but it ended up being a B (500cc) he said that if he goes bigger my nipples will not be straight?? Is that true? Doesn't sound right?0 -
Salina: Yes, it is safe to use the same implant. As far as nipple placement is concerned, I do not think that around 100 ccs would make much of a difference in location on the mound. It all depends though, whether you have sufficient room for a larger implant.
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Whippetmom- I believe I have enough room, because my skin is not tight at all, I was about the same size if not a tiny bit bigger before, except for being a little bit droopier due to having a kid. I'm wondering that maybe he don't want to go bigger due to his possible misjudgement? Insurance should cover if I ask for about 100 cc bigger? Thanks for your help.
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Sandra - sounds like you had similar TE's to mine. I have Allergan 133MX-15-T and am filled to 570. That's my max. I wanted to be the same as "before." I used the weight of my original right breast to gauge the size (was 590 grams), but the TE's feel a lot bigger at 570. Wonder why that is....
Has anyone noticed that their cancer side looks different? From my point of view looking down, my left TE looks wider and extends more toward the side and under the armpit. I realize the different shape is partly due to the scars from my lumpectomy, but that side started out smaller (460 grams) and they've been filled equally, but it still doesn't look or feel even. The right one is perfectly round and leftie is well...just bigger. Plus, it feels like there's a lot of "stuff" on the left side of my breast under the armpit. I'm thinking maybe it's the Alloderm. I've been pretty numb up until now and am just starting to regain some sensation, so I guess I'm feeling around more and feels it hard all around in there - kind of like where your bra would be under your arm. Scar tissue maybe??
mnmbeck - I checked out your pics. Thanks for posting and no, it's not overkill. I've got mine posted, too, under the name "boobyprize." It helps to see other's pics, but so hard to really compare - apples to oranges to grapefruit, lol!!
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Salina: Would you please private message me all of the details of your reconstruction, including the style/volume/mfr of your TEs and the style/volume of your implants. It sounds as if you need a new PS. Let me know the name of your PS also in that private message. We will figure out what you need....
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I'm 3 weeks out from an extensive revision that didn't change out implants but included a lift, fat graphing and I think releasing more muscle at the top of a divot on the side the implant was remove and then put back in. So I'm not sure it included "pocket work". The PS did tell DH the IMFs were exactly where they were suppose to be when he got in there. I think they might have been reinforced? The problem before the revision was lack of symmetry and a divot. I was really happy with the results immediately after surgery and they have even improved since surgery. (I'm documenting this with photos so I can see the changes...you know, boob obsessed 24/7) So what's the problem?
Yesterday, I was at the hair salon sitting in the styling chair, chilling and looking out the window when the next thing I know, my muscular, male stylist is squeezing my chest with his whole arm from behind and above me trying to hug me! He managed to sort of roll and press hard both of my boobs with his entire arm and maybe even shoulder! I was so freaked out and taken aback and I've been stressed about it ever since!
I took pictures when I got home to see if anything had changed. The last pictures were taken about a week ago and I look even better in the photos now. But when I look down the lower cleavage on the side with the lift looks fuller than the other side. (But you can't see this in the photos.) I was symmetrical there before the hair appointment. BTW I was wearing a bra at the appt, Bali 3550 (no underwire). I've been wearing some sort of bra 24/7 since surgery, usually the surgical bra and today an underwire fit after the original exchange.
Sorry for the long story...do you think that incident could have harmed the way my implants will heal and look permanently? Anything I can do to minimize any damage if you think there was? Thank you for reading and sharing what you might know about this!
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friendship...looking forward to hearing what some have to say. I had my exchange surgery a week ago. On day 5, I was holding something for my daughter. I thought I was dropping it. So did she....we both grabbed it instinctively and pulled and...yowzah....I felt "something." Not sure what it was. I've felt aching ever since.
Also...did you all feel instant relief after your exchange surgery? I still feel like I am wearing a TIGHT band across the front that tightly holding in something heavy (my pectoral muscles, I assume). Last night, everything was so tight, I was afraid I might 'eject' the new implants! I don't think it is something you can see so much from the outside....but, man....I sure can feel it from the inside. It gets worse when I am doing something....like washing my hair in the shower. I assumed it was the bra, so thought it would feel better in the shower, but it doesn't. It doesn't hurt. But, I'm hoping I don't have to learn how to live with it for the rest of my life. I just didn't really get the "ahhhhh" that so many do after surgery. At first, I assumed it was because I was in a bra over liposuctioned areas, new surgery, etc. I But, I do recall so many saying they woke up with a huge relief. It is different than the TE's, because the TE's were so rigid that sometimes I couldn't even move. So, this just feels like I am squeezing something softer.
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mnmbeck, my chest was tight and felt heavy after the exchange (and the revision) too. The feeling only gradually eased up over time until it was completely gone and I was having no tightness nor discomfort of any kind. Activities like washing my hair etc would, in the early days, caused the tightness to return temporarily. I'd advise anyone to take it as easy as you are able. I still sleep with the wedge pillow, keep dishes on the counter, have a stylist wash and blow out my hair. I have promised myself, no matter how great I feel, I will not return to the gym for at least 3 months after my revision and then only very gradually start up in order to minimize risk of lymphedema.
I've always been a "gym rat" and I was back in the gym, with the blessing of my PS, three weeks after MX and TEs placement. Big mistake! If I had a redo, I wouldn't ever do that again. It felt great but one TE "dropped" and I can't help but believe I contributed to that. This is the only chance we get for our bodies to heal properly and we have the rest of our lives to go back to gym etc. We have heard this numerous times on this board but it took numerous times for me to hear it for that to sink in!
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friendships....thank you so much for the response!! I am dying to return to exercising/weightlifting. I had completely transformed my life and my body in the 2 years before being diagnosed. I have gained 20 pounds since diagnoses....and it is so depressing.
BUT....I don't want to do anything to mess this up!!! I have a friend who has gone through this, and she is very active, too...returned to workouts the second they said yes. She has had several revisions. I don't know if this is why, but I just want so much for this to be "it."
How do you feel about lower body stuff? walks? lunges? core stuff after 4-6 weeks? (sit ups?). I would think doing legs alone might be OK? I suspect my PT will get me back on that when I go back to see her. I DO have Lymphadema, by the way....so just another thing to hold me back. Ugh!
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