BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
Comments
-
whippetmom :It was reccommended that I ask you about my situation. Here it is I had my BMX on June 23rd. I am scheduled for my exchange this Thursday, Sept.23rd. I was supposed to get Mentor CPGs but the hospital where it was to be done is outside my insurance's network. Because Mentor CPG is still part of a study it is only approved at certain hospitals. My approved hospital is on a waiting list. I am now scheduled for Mentor High Profile. I really like my PS and he is confident this will be good for me. I am getting nervous...I do trust him BUT i don't want to be high and fake looking. I think I SHOULD be happy the cancer is gone and I will have new boobs. I liked my old boobs. I was a B-C most of my life, at 51 I grew to a D. I'm hopeing for a full C.
Thank you
0 -
kitwe: Extracted from the top of this thread....need some additional info!
If you are interested in discussing implant sizes, make sure you compile and provide us with the following information:
Height, weight, ribcage measurement [measuring the circumference of your ribcage under your tissue expander(s) or under your bra line]. Also, if you have TEs [tissue expanders] - we need to know about them. The style - Mentor or Allergan most likely - and whether they are short height, moderate height, full height if Mentor and style number if Allergan. We also need the recommended fill volume of the TEs - the number of cc's.0 -
Yay Maria!!!!!
Stretch BEFORE radiation!!!!
0 -
Kitwe: Glad you found your way here!
Whippetmom's the best!
0 -
MBJ: You are pretty swell yourself sweetie!
0 -
Ladies,
There is a thread on BCO called
WHAT IS BCO WORTH?
It was started by our KATE33..:)
This is BCO's TENTH year...
I wanted to post this for all to see... if you can give any kind of donation... BOY...this is a GOOD THING! BCO has been here for all of us..... and hopefully will be here for ladies who come after us. They have PAYPAL.... and Kate posts this in her heading.
Let BCO know... how you thank them.
Laura
0 -
Thank you Laura! I celebrate two years on this forum in November. We can donate a little something - even if it is $1.00! Paypal is very easy to set up. BCO provides this wonderful forum for us and I am here only because this website exists!
Thank you so much!
Deborah
0 -
RESULTS OF NEW STUDY OUT THIS WEEK: TIMING OF BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IF RADIATION IS REQUIRED:
"The results of one study out earlier this week finds that about half of women who need radiation therapy after having had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction develop complications that require additional surgery."
The conclusion drawn from this study is that delayed reconstruction is preferable, if radiation treatment is anticipated as a part of cancer treatment. The principal surgeon involved in this study suggests that the sentinal node be biopsied first, in order to determine if having immediate reconstruction would be prudent. He states, "If the sentinel node is negative, there is a low probability they would get radiation,"
The complete article is linked below:
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/643306.html
Please cross-post...
Deborah
0 -
Thank you Deborah! I had heard that it was 40/60% chance of failure but that was a year ago. City of Hope was going to do radiation regardless of the pathology report, so I am glad that I changed dr/hospitals.
0 -
The uncertainty about treatment was one of the reasons I opted to not have "immediate" (I take issue with that term) reconstruction. I did not end up having radiation, but I can say that having had one breast with delayed recon and one breast with immediate, the delayed side is doing much better. It has caused me less pain, less discomfort and less grief. (I currently have TEs and probably one more fill left.) Even if you take radiation or treatment in general out of the picture, it's a tough call because immediate recon may eliminate one surgery, but on the other hand, giving your body time to heal a bit before growing foobs might be beneficial. Delaying recon also gave me time to grieve over my loss before moving on to rebuilding, so to speak.
0 -
This has been the thought from the very beginning dealing with radiation. This is why a lot of doctors will not even try implant only.. after radiation.
Most all of us were told we had about a 40% shot at it working.
0 -
I have just viewed the video clip where Dr. Weiss relates her very personal journey with BC.
Here's the link: http://www.breastcancer.org/about_us/press_room/press_kit/video/mw_message.jsp
0 -
I am a newbie, this is such a great site. It has really helped me with my new journey after being diagnosed with DCIS on August 9, 2010. To make a long story short (or what feels long with surprises along the way). I am to get a mastectomy (right breast) with immediate reconstruction silicone implants, will find out date of surgery this week. I decided on PS after talking to several. Would like to know if Whippetmom could suggest what size of implants I should get. I am thinking of going with one-step surgery but at times think the two-step maybe better. Any suggestions at all would be great.
I currently wear a 34D bra. Height: 5'5", Weight: 125 lbs, Ribcage: 28.5"
Thanks for all and for such wonderful postings! Great site and people!
0 -
HappyGirl: Your focus will be achieving symmetry with your native breast. If you do a one-step, you will have a smaller skin envelope - after dissection and retraction - than the opposing breast. With a one step, I don't know if you are going to have the best shot at getting that much desired symmetry you want to shoot for as a unilateral. So I would want the PS who says he can do the one-step to be honest with you about the anticipated volume he would be able to achieve with that procedure.
Are you planning on having or do you need to have a lift of the opposing native breast? That is a discussion to have with the PS as well. If you have some droop currently and you are not having a lift, your PS will need to overfill and overexpand the MX side and then exchange you to a smaller volume implant, in order to match the "ptosis" or droop of the native breast. I think that if I were looking at this in terms of what works well for your frame, I would say an implant with a volume ranging from 400 ccs to 475 ccs would be appropriate. But because you are a unilateral, symmetry is what is key and essentially, the PS is going to want to match the width of your native breast and select an implant which gives the same projection [more so in the lower pole = bottom portion of the mound] as you have with the native breast.
Deborah
0 -
Deborah,
Thank you very much for the reply. A lift will be performed on the opposing native breast to match. PS claims an 80% success rate for one-step. Can I get good results from one-step? There was so much information given in such a short amount of time...at first I was thinking I need to get this done as soon as possible without missing much work. Now that I have been reading and had time to soften the blow of BC the two-step reconstruction maybe best. I have another appointment this week to discuss surgery with PS.
0 -
HappyGirl: I think my question would be: Will a one-step dictate the size of implant and is it possible that the MX side will be smaller than the native breast or will not have the same shape as the native breast? And the question: Which method would enable you to achieve better symmetry? If you have a TE, I would definitely want a low height TE - a TE which leaves the upper pole techically "alone" and expands in the lower pole where projection naturally occurs.
Deborah
0 -
Could you give me help in deciding on an implant size? 5'4, 135, 32 inch ribcage(my bras were always 34 or sometimes 36) ...TE's are Mentor siltex contour profile 354-2513. My rads side is filled to 600 and my non rads is 550.
On a funny note my non rads side started leaking...so I've been going in for refills so I'm not too loopsided LOL
Thanks, Deb
0 -
HappyGirl: I am a uni, too. Although I didn't need a lift on my natural side, I did need augmentation to match. I had my final fill and then waited 2 1/2 months to allow enough stretch so that I could achieve symmetry. The idea of a one step is very enticing, but I think that works better on someone who hasn;t lost all of their breast tissue--you need time to stretch and my total time was from 3/20 to 8/20 with the expander in. You can work while being expanded if you want--many women do. Whippetmom helped me and she is amazing--I don't know what I would have done without her!
0 -
I am also wondering about that "80% success rate for the one-step." Is that percentage geared towards the cosmetic aspect of success, or referable to the viability of the proceedure itself?
0 -
Everett:
Well, your PS used the Mentor Spectrum Expandable implant, instead of a tissue expander. So obviously if you have sprung a leak, he is not going to be able to keep you in this implant. This type of implant is used in order to avoid an exchange procedure in most cases, but perhaps your PS used it as a TE for some reason. Does your PS perform a lot of reconstruction cases or primarily augmentations?
I would want to be switched out anyway....to silicone implants. If you are happy with your current volume, such as it is with the deflation, then I would say you would be happy with around 500 ccs or 550 ccs in a high profile, smooth round silicone implant. You don't want to put too much stress on that rads implant and so I would not push it size-wise. I would stay with an implant under 14.0 cm wide - and so the sizes aforementioned would work well - preferably 550 ccs.
Deborah
0 -
Whippetmom, you're right. Originally the PS talked about not doing an exchange. But, I'd really like to go to silcone. I think she was looking at 500cc, I'll have to compare sizes and verify the profile on my next visit. How much different is ithe result for 50cc?
Thanks for your insight! Deb
0 -
Deb: 50 ccs is not going to represent much difference - which is why either would work. Typically, it requires about 100 ccs [sometimes more] additional volume in the implants to match the volume of the TEs. Your TEs are 450 cc TEs....overfilled to a greater volume, and the only thing that changes with overfilling is projection and height. So this is why I suggested 550 ccs. Your PS knows your skin tolerance factor and your skin integrity, so trust her with selecting the implant she feels would best. She could order both sizes to try in the OR at the time of the exchange.0
-
I had bilateral partial mastectomies (kind of like a lift/reduction, nipple sparing) last April. They had to remove more tissue than had been expected during surgery, so I am quite a bit smaller than we had thought I would be. I am almost finishing chemotherapy and will undergo radiation approximately 1 month after I complete the chemo. Although I am really pleased with the results of my surgery, I am considering augmentation . I know that I need to speak with my plastic surgeon, radiation oncologist, etc etc etc....but I'm not really sure what to ask? Can I have radiation with implants? Any input would be helpful...thanks!
0 -
Whippetmom: I have an appt with PS in the morning. I have all your suggested questions to ask and will also ask him for clarification on the 80% success statement.
MBJ: Thank you for your message. It is good to hear what someone else has gone thru dealing with this issue. I think not rushing the process is better and the results will be worth the wait.
0 -
Janny: I would wait until after rads - perhaps at least four months - to have the "augmentation." I just posted a recent article out last week about the timing of reconstruction when radiation is anticipated. I am copying it here for you as well:
RESULTS OF NEW STUDY OUT THIS WEEK: TIMING OF BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IF RADIATION IS REQUIRED:
"The results of one study out earlier this week finds that about half of women who need radiation therapy after having had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction develop complications that require additional surgery."
The conclusion drawn from this study is that delayed reconstruction is preferable, if radiation treatment is anticipated as a part of cancer treatment. The principal surgeon involved in this study suggests that the sentinal node be biopsied first, in order to determine if having immediate reconstruction would be prudent. He states, "If the sentinel node is negative, there is a low probability they would get radiation,"
The complete article is linked below:
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/643306.html
You might want to inquire about the radiation device called a SAVI - it might be something to discuss with your oncologist....you might be a candidate for this device.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100712162634.htm
Please let me know what you decide to do and if I can help you with a "sizing" plan, I will be happy to do so. It could give you something to look forward to!
Deborah
0 -
Deborah,
Thanks so much for the reply & link of 9/11 re my question. I only saw it today! Very interesting. Am looking for the list of questions one should ask the PS at the pre-srugery exchange appt. Can you direct me to that? Thanks, fo rall you do for all of us, you are truly a GIft from God!!
orchidgal
0 -
Orchidgal IS there such a list? Did you try searching for the info using the search function here?
0 -
I don't know of a "list" either Melissa. Are you having some concerns you want addressed?
0 -
I am too waiting for delayed recon after chemo ends in February, no rads recomended at this time. I am 139lbs and 5'5 inches tall my rib cage measures 33 and 1/2 inches. I was a 36 C but while breast feeding enjoyed the 38 C would like to be that size or a little bigger. What do you think? I would like some input as to how your recon went and if the infamous gummy bear is BEST and is it available in the US? Please help:) I also would like to know how to find the picture fourm on this site, not sure how to find it. The pics google searched are not that impressive and am looking for some encouragement and positive outcomes. Thanks so much, Heather
0 -
KC Mom - Deborah will answer most of your questions but here is some info I can help with.
Re: Picture Forum -- send a PM to Timtam on this site. Be patient. Post and be a part of this community as that is part of what it takes to be accepted into the picture forum, which is private (not connected to BCO) and guarded to protect everyone's privacy.
Re: Gummy -- I have one (I am a unilateral) which is a pretty good match to my remaining natural breast. It is a little firmer than the natural breast. It does not move. It has a nice anatomical shape and, so far, I have no rippling or divots. I like the gummy. I can't say I love it. I can't say, though, that I would love any implant
Women who get the softer, regular silicone implants say they are very soft and squishy... so if softness means the most to you, I'd say look into the smooth round silicone that many here have opted for. I chose the gummy because of being a uni and wanting the best possible match to overall shape. I am happy with the results and don't mind not having a super soft and squishy implant side (my natural side having never been all that soft and squishy anyway).I'll leave it to others to talk about the regular silicone!
0
