BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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hi all. I am going to have revision surgery in a few months. I have a lot of rippling on both breasts. I have round implants now but am wondering if I should switch to anatomicals. Is this possible? Has anyone out there done this? Any success? Downsides? Thanks for any thoughts....
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thank you whippetmom,He spent 3 hours on the revision. It looks high right now and a bit flat. Probably due to the swelling in different areas. If this fixes it I will be broadcasting who did the revision. This is my 3rd plastic surgeon.
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Hope it works out perfectly stix! And please do broadcast if happy. I have had 7 consults and am ready to flip a coin I swear. Do you live in northeast
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I live in Michigan. Where do you live?0 -
I live in Connecticut. I've had both surgeries in Boston. I've had consults there and in NY and in Miami.
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I pm'ed you
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D nice
You're from ct? Me too! Where abouts? Have u seen bs or ps in ct?0 -
D nice,
Just curious. Why, after mastectomy did u go on tamoxifen? Also, my dr told me I didn't need HER test... What's that for?0 -
mommyathome. I sent you a PM0 -
I live in Mystic area. You? I consulted with Dr Au at Yale about revision surgery. He's at the Smilow Cancer Center. I went to Dana Farber in Boston for MX and recon. Tamoxifen therapy is what my ONC put me on. It is for pre menopausal women. Studies show it helps statistically. I am not sure why you don't need the HER test? I think it's standard? You may want to bring that up again or get a second opinion? It would affect therapy choice? I think there may be a topic here about it. There is an abundance of info on this site and amazing support from others.
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I didn't have the HER test. Mine wasn't invasive. But it was in 3 quadrants of the breast and ER/PR negative and high grade. All 3 opinions that I had said they wouldn't recommend saving the breast b/c it would look funny with at least 3 areas taken out and would need PS anyway. One surgeon said if I wanted her to save the breast she would not do surgery on me b/c I was too young at that time (2010), too aggressive and in too many quadrants in the breast.Tamoxifen was not recommended in my case- they told me b/c I was ER/PR negative.
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yes everyone's situation is different. I had both DCIS and IDC. Also was ER/PR positive. HER negative.
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Dnice I pm'd you0 -
I live outside of Waterbury. My bs said since I did BMx tamoxifen wasn't needed even though I'm ER/pr positive. The side effects out weigh the benefit. I was pre menopausal. I had a TAH/BSO this past August and it put me right into menopause. I have bone scan tomorrow morning0
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mommyathome-good luck with your bone scan. I will update on the reconstruction progress Dnice.
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Thanks!0
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Togetherness, I would like for you to get a second opinion before you do this AGAIN. I don't like the placement description of your TEs. Why is that necessary? Sheesh. You have plenty of time. Please send me photos
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I NOW know why we cannot see into the future. If I would have known when I was first diagnosed in 2010 the crap I was going to have to go through over the past 5 years- I would have given up at that time. There are definite reasons of why we don't have a crystal ball.... and that's a great thing!
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Dnice: If you switch to anatomicals, the PS needs to know what he is doing. It is better to use an anatomical that is a little wider and has more projection than your current implants, to mitigate the risk of implant rotation
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Thanks Whippetmom. I will bring that up at my next PS appt. I am meeting with a breast recon specialist in a few weeks.
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I just sent you some pics. whippetmom he said he was trying to take the pressure off the incision since I have had problem with the tissue closing in the past. Makes sense, but I do not want my implants up that high. I expressed that to him today in my pre op meeting. I just hope he gets it. A bit nervous about the whole thing. Thank
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By the way- b4 my surgery I was asking the question if strattice feels different- like a cardboard under the breast? One surgeon told me since I don't have any adm in one side and strattice was going to be put in the other- she said it will feel different and won't move the same. she described it similar as a light cardboard under the breast.. The previous surgeon also said that - I may feel self-conscious nude with the opposite sex because it may feel weird.
Well, my good reconstructed breast was fairly tight anyway. So, thus far- about one week post op-there is still swelling of course. I can't feel the strattice at all. No cardboard feeling. The breast is soft thus far. Its a tad bit more immobile than the other- but, nothing too noticeable. Just an update if someone is thinking of strattice.
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just posted in exchange city thread, but I am so excited I want to share here too. I scheduled my exchange for 2/25. I had a fill today that put me at 560cc. I will do one more fill in 10 days ( a little sooner than usual, my choice) to put me at 620ccs. Then I wait just about 4 weeks for exchange. Have discussed with my PS and she will use Mentor Ultra High Profile smooth silicone. Ultimate goal is the 590's ( recommended by Whippetmom after reviewing my specs and what I think will look best based on where I am now) but could be as low as 535 or as high as 650 depending on what she thinks is best at time of surgery. Thanks for all the helpful info and support here.
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PLEASE HELP
Surgery in TWO DAYS! Emergency Surgery/Unexpected!!I have a major concern....I am new to this particular forum, as I'm from the Sept. Surgery Sisters (2014) group. I had Nipple sparing double mastectomy on 9/23, then at the end of October, I ended up with Cellulitis & Lymphedema which halted my TE fills (only had 60cc's at time of mastectomy) then got 50cc's last month (FINALLY!!) and 50cc's two weeks ago today which was ONLY a total of 160cc's over the process into my expanders- barely enough to make a "lady lump" except in my outter edges of my sides!...... I awoke Sunday morning (my 12 year old daughter's birthday) to a FLAT CHEST on my cellulitis side (from Capsilar Contracture) and major scarring that I can literally SEE & FEEL where the drain was for 45 total days. I was devestated.
I was planning on having the Natrelle Allergan 410's in 425cc's once I was filled up to the right amount....but now with this NEW issue and not being able to have expanders due to the scarring issues (I also have systemic lupus which may have helped me reject the left one), I saw my surgeon today and she told me I can go straight to implants BUT I have to go VERY SMALL. Like possibly only a 300cc expander will fit?!?! I was NOT a happy camper. She thinks it will look great, but I saw the round smooth silicone implants and was NOT impressed.
I am 5' 4.5" and weigh 129lbs with a 31" ribcage. She said she will TRY to place something larger, possibly 325? 350? but she isn't going to "force" anything in there and risk my losing them, which is a good idea, I'm on board with that thought process, but the implant seemed so TINY. I also was told that she will TRY the allergan FIRST, to see if they fit but they will be small also (trying for the 300-325cc Full Height, Full Profile) but she thinks they will end up going outside my chest area and causing me to look strange since they seem too tall for my bony chest? & thinks the rounds will be best, which I am all for since she's the pro.....If she can't get at least a 300cc-350cc implant in she will place new expanders on both sides and place as much saline as she can without causing issues, which would cut down my MONTHS of getting 50cc fills at a time bi-weekly to half of that so I can HOPEFULLY have what I was originally aiming for= the 425cc Full Height Full Profile implants. I will know once I awake from anesthesia what has been done.....my faith rests solely in her judgement....she thinks small is better, I was praying and hoping for larger. :~/I am not even tight with the 160ccs I have now in the expanders (or should I say EXPANDER on the right, since the left gave out and 100% ruptured Sunday). The fluid freely moves around and I have LOTS of room. There's NO tightness what-so-ever. I feel she can squeeze a larger implant in. I don't even know what to think, since surgery is JUST 2 days away and I JUST found out this afternoon that this expander needs to come out ASAP and I need to go in that soon......YIKES> no time to process, just straight into the OR for the third time since September 23rd and time to see what I get. Not many options at all regarding size, just her judgement, which she thinks a small implant would look great on me, but I have always been a size B-C and was hoping to get a large C out of the deal. LOL.I am blabbering away, mostly due to NERVES kicking in and worried out of my mind, but laughing to stay sane at this point. I am 34 years old, have breast fed 4 children, and a set of twins being my past children of the bunch. I was a large D and that was too large, but when I got done I was a nice full C and loved my girls. Then I lost weight and went to a B.....liked them, but didn't love them (definitely loved them nice and full), but they remained perky my entire life. I was thankful for that much. I can send pics and am also on the pic forum same name....Looking for as much information as possible and any insight for those of you with smaller implants, those of you who maybe had a similar scenario, or simply ANY insight into what you think about this whole BOOK I wrote. LOL.
Thank you if you read this far and DON'T have a pounding eye ache!! LOL. Thank you for being a great group. I've been a lurker and haven't done too much as far as posting, because I had months left for fills, but now the time is HERE! AHHHHHH......scared, excited, yet a little disappointed I didn't get much of a choice in what I truly wanted, and they are in for SUCH a long time! Yikes.
Marie J Mello
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Stix: I did not believe a word of that bit about it feeling like "cardboard". That was nonsense
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MarieJune, So sorry for all the complications. Do you have to rush the surgery? It is so hard to think clearly when under such pressure. It sounds like a second opinion might be really helpful. I can only say that you deserve to be happy with your end result. PS 's all approach things differently. Having a surgeon that LISTENS to you is an extremely important part of this process.
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Marie, with the pocket discrepancy and your lymphedema, I would go with silicone rounds. We don't want anything too rigid and also, based on what you are describing, full height anatomicals will be too tall on your chest wall. A good option though would be Sientra, because they still are more "cohesive" than Allergan or Mentor and might mitigate the risk for capsular contracture occurring again. I would suggest Sientra textured round high projection - 350 ccs, if she can make it work. Something in the 325 to 350 cc range should be just fine for your frame, whether Sientra, Allergan or Mentor. I think that moderate PLUS profile in Mentor orStyle 15 in Allergan would be good secondary options.
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Dnice,
Thank you for your kind words. I wish I did have time to see someone else...unfortunately my wbc's are elevated, I have a rash (unknown why?!) all over my chest and back since the rupture, & it is risking another lengthy Cellulitus stay in hospital.
Best to take out ruptured TE asap for safety before my lupus reacts. It's split completely in the middle near the magnet. I suppose it's best, and I may begin to love my new breasts once I get implants....it's so fast though! Like you said- hard to think under pressure. But I know how painful it was for my infection and refuse to go through that again if I can avoid it- so this sucker must come out.
I've looked up people on pic forum and also posted my own pics before and now again in my newest thread- so I can hopefully get answers. Nothing yet though. Just my own words and blank spaces waiting for answers and help lol.
I saw others with 325-375cc's in ultra high profile and loved the cleavage, so I'm glad to have found pics. All I really desire is cleavage (at least SOME) that's my only wish now, lol. Funny how a few hours of being glued to a laptop and seeking hundreds of pics can give such clarity. I now know I NEED the smooth rounds (natrelle style 45 or 40) to be fully satisfied- even if they have to be small and I'm only in the 300-club lol. I've decided to not be so picky & let this rest in God's hands and pray to find peace with my new look once I'm finished.
hope my optimism helps and works. I can't change the future or the outlook but I can just live for the moment and be thankful I'm not sick or suffering anymore. I find peace in those thoughts. It could be worse so I have to accept the coming plans. 
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whippetmom,
You're a blessing!!! I didn't even know those existed.
So blessed to have been sent to you. I'm going to ask my PS tomorrow about those options. She will order them all and see which ones fit. One thing is she's great at allowing me to choose several kinds and she will try hard to fit them in. Profile and cleavage is my uppermost importance. It's something I never had that I know I truly want. Thursday is my big day. Yikes! Hope to wake up with new boobies.
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Marie: Hope you come back to read this. Will send via private message also. I am glad you mentioned Picture Forum pics, because I went to take a look. I see you have SX-14 tissue expanders. Thank goodness for the style and volume chosen by your PS! I think you have sufficient pockets for at least 13.0 cm to 13.5 cm wide implants, which means something like 400 ccs in Mentor, 397 ccs Allergan, and a Sientra smooth or textured HP or moderate round implant in the mid 400 cc range. Here is the Sientra chart, with your surgeon's selection to be cbased on the width and availability of good skin closure over the implant.
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