TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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scottie - does your BS know of a PS that does the one-step that they have worked with previously? That might save you some interviews. My BS has specific PS that he works with depending on which recon the patient is choosing.
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My ps said I would not be happy with the size of permanent implant he could put in immediately. That's why he recommended the TEs.
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Yeah, that's what these new PS's are telling me, as well. I just sometimes think it's a money game with them, however. Just look at it; One time surgery vs. weekly visits (co-pays) for the TE's to be filled. I am no fool!! I know how the game works!!
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scottie - My PS explained that direct to implant can result in capsular contracture, and he felt there was a better result from TE because of the constant and steady increasing pressure the scar tissue doesn't form in the same way. My PS charged only for surgery, but never charged for post-op visits or fills. He also agreed to accept what my insurance paid, my only out-of-pocket cost for him was the co-pay for any surgery which was $12.00 each one.
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thank you ladies! this gives me a lot of info for tomorrow. Understanding why TE's are important. I am a large B so maybe to give me the same size i will have to go this route. I met with my surgeon today and he said it is partial skin sparing, whatever that means. No nipples tho, they don't "spare" them here
they recommend 300cc's for me -
scottie - of course breasts are important to us. It drives me crazy when someone on these boards says something like " well my life is more important than my breasts" WELL OF COURSE IT IS, dosent mean we have to pretend like its ok to lose them. I look at my nipples daily now and wonder what it will be like when they are gone...I mean this is the body i've had for 43 years and I like it!
my appt today was the last with this surgeon, he is going back to montreal. I cried and gave him a big hug. I LUV THIS MAN. He held my hand through the entire process. Its funny how I only connected with him and not really with anyone else on my team. Now I am starting over with a new surgeon JUST as Im planning this surgery. uggggg
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Scottie,
I had a skin sparing MX. My PS cut off the nipple and extracted the breast tissue through it. Placed a TE, then he used alloderm (skin from a corpse...ew!) to help cover the area under where the nipple used to be before pulling my skin closed in a purse string suture. I had healing issues with the alloderm because I ripped my stitches open during chemo. I didn't lose my TE or anything...just had to have a revision once chemo was over so my nipple scar looks a little bigger, it's about a 1 1/2 inch line now (as opposed to before I ripped the stitches open...it was just a round rough spot...much like part of a nipple, no incision line at all)....it's still really small and will easily be covered by a nipple tat, or skin one if/when I decide to do those.
The great thing about skin sparing MX is, if they do it the way my PS did, you don't even really have a scar. It's just a small round patch that ends up under ink or new nips.
I also wanted the one stop shop, but he said this is the closest we could get because I had really large nipples and removing them took too much skin. And of course I was going a size bigger
I've had my TE in for almost 2 years and will get it out in July! And I had rads btw.
Hope this helps! I'll try and find my pics I posted WAAAY back when...and let you see what my skin sparing MX looked like...
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These aren't pretty, but the first was within a few days of MX..ignore the bruising.....
The black is from the SNB dye....but once it wore off, the stitches were also black. When it healed, (at least until I popped it open) it was just a round rough patch of skin...tiny...
The angle of the camera makes this one below look much larger than it actually was...heck my boob looks HUGE but I didn't have any fills yet in this pic....so it was just about an A cup actually, maybe barely a B....this was during chemo after I ripped a few stitches open and had two different minor procedures to correct it...which I screwed up....long story.
The last revision (and I didn't pop that one!) he just closed it with a straight line, so it is literally about this long
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hope that helps and doesn't gross you out...lol
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Gosh TonLee, you were lucky! That looks great! I had a skin sparing mx as well, but they closed it with a straight line, leaving about 3 inch lines across my boobs. A tattoo, or reconstructed nipple will not cover it all. I cant wait to be done, but for summertime swimming and my yoga classes in lycra tanks...it is nice not to worry about nipples showing, lol. I am still needing more recon with all this fatgrafting route I chose. My major concern is repeated surgery and the anasthesia effects on my immune system!
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NORA, I am so happy you are on the mend! My nephew got Valley Fever last year. He is in his 20's and got a really bad case. He was in the hospital almost a month. He is completely recovered though. : )
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Iou look great TonLee!!! am going to have to share my pictures as well. How do I do it so that it only shows the picture I want to want to show and not a whole portfolio? When I tried to show on photobucket I had issues.
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TonLee, 2 yrs w/TE's? When were you diagnosed? How long did rads take? I don't think I'm up to that! Regarding my co-pays, each visit, even just a consultation, (with a specialist) costs me $45, it's how the insurance is set up.
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Thanks for sharing TonLee - so what qualifies one for "skin sparing" procedures?
Nora - glad to see that you are doing well and it is Valley Fever and not mets. Thank you for sharing your experience and reminding us that there ARE other explanations for things.
All - Thanks for the input on the meds and "being in a funk"....my struggle as always is knowing that there are going to be periods of time that I don't have all the answers, that I am going to be worried about this disease, new symptoms, etc...and I cannot put my life on hold from dr appt to dr appt waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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thanks for sharing tonlee - so that is with zero fills, it looks good! they said i would wake up a A cup
ktb - i have done a little research, skin sparring can be done if the tumor is not close or invading the skin. I think in most cases it can be done.
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Thanks rozem...I have been in the "ignorance is bliss" camp about the surgery aspect of this process until recently.
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You are brave Tonlee to share your pics on line. Did you have a blmx? Your picture looks similiar to mine after mx except my surgeon only took the nipple. I did take a picture before and after surgery. My plastic surgeon nurse is always taking pictures. They must have a good size portfolio of my breast. Are you comfortable with your implants. I'm hoping after the 3rd surgery and fat grafting that I won't feel the fg against my ribs. My plastic surgeon is taking part of my other breast good nipple and putting it on my implant flap breast...not sure what to call the new breast
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You are brave Tonlee to share your pics on line. Did you have a blmx? Your picture looks similiar to mine after mx except my surgeon only took the nipple. I did take a picture before and after surgery. My plastic surgeon nurse is always taking pictures. They must have a good size portfolio of my breast. Are you comfortable with your implants. I'm hoping after the 3rd surgery and fat grafting that I won't feel the fg against my ribs. My plastic surgeon is taking part of my other breast good nipple and putting it on my implant flap breast...not sure what to call the new breast
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Thanks for sharing ToniLee! It looks great!!!
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This is completely off topic, but I wanted to say hi to everyone and tell you that my household has done a voluntary evacuation. The fire is now consuming houses and businesses. When we left, it was about 15-20 miles from our house. The smoke was unbearable and going through chemo, I figured get the heck out of dodge. We are at my sisters and watching as the fire spreads. Trying to decide what to take and what to leave; my heart is breaking. Thinking about those who were not even allowed to go to their houses.
Hope all that smoke doesn't do anything weird to me; my Buff came in handy; used it as a face mask.
Stay safe out there.
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Prayers coming your way, Vickilind61. Please keep us posted.
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Vickie, sorry to hear that you had to leave. Will keep you and tours in my prayers. Also praying for those in the flooding in Florida. Anyone who is in tx this week, much love and small SEs, to you.
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Vicki: I'm praying for you and all the people going through his! My brother just came home to Monument, CO after six months of hospitalization in Colorado Springs......long story but I'm very concerned about his recovery with the situation there! He's just getting to the point that he's ambulatory and now he has to stay inside due to the air quality. I pray the situation improves and people are able to return to their homes soon!
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Nora....so glad you can quit worrying a little. While I am not a Suzanne sumers fan, I did read her book, Knockout, with all the alternative docs. Not only did she have Valley Fevet, but a very similar story. They told her she had lung cancer and to get her affairs in order. Docs didnt even consider anything else until a relative who had been doing research, convinced them to test for it.
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Scottie my PS charged for 4 procedures. 1st was expander placement and expansions. 2nd was exchange with fat transfer. 3rd was nipple recon. 4th was tattoo but I never got a charge for that... and since my deductible hadn't been met it meant he got paid $0. I was never charged for each expansion and I had 10 expansion. I don't feel these MD's do this to charge more. You would be suprized how little they actually make. It's the hospital etc. that ring up all the charges.
OMG Vickie, so glad you are OK. Hope your house is spared.
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Vickilind,
Wishing you and your family the best. My cousin lives in Colorado Springs and we've been monitoring it closely. They live on Cheyenne Mountain...Broadmoor area .
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Sad about Norah Ehpron. Not enough laughter in the world. I feel like I lost a friend.
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Scottie,
Two years because my PS moved, and I am flying cross country so he can finish the reconstruction. My breast looks a BUNCH better now...but I don't have any recent photos. Those were approx...4 days post MX, and and 6 months out after last TCH.
My PS did a "purse string" closure so there wouldn't be any incision line. Women on this board said it was "old school" and not recommended, etc. (This was after I popped it open. It was almost completely healed when I did that.) I found the purse string closure to be exactly as he described. Do you remember the small pox vaccine scar people have on their arms? It was just like that. And with a tat it would be easily covered and have some "texture" like a natural nipple.
If you consider a skin sparing MX, ask about the purse string closure. Wonderful results! Even though I ripped it open and had to get a small incision line, every PS I see says it is a "fabulous" result.
Who can get skin sparing? As mentioned above, as far as I know, any woman who doesn't have skin mets.
When my MX was done, the BS called me into his office and said I had very close skin margins. Meaning there wasn't enough "safe" distance between the tumor and skin. he made a small football shape with his hands and placed it over the top of my frankenboob. He said, "I need to go back in and take out this much skin to get clear margins (essentially giving me a normal MX). You'll lose your TE."
I consulted with my PS, researched, and at that point knew I was getting rads, so I declined. My BS was fine with it because of the rads.
You could see my lump, especially if I leaned backward. It was at 11 o'clock on my right side and just beneath the skin. I swear my body was trying to push it out! lol
Ok....I found out about the skin sparing by NOT BEING RUSHED! They told me on a Weds that I had BC, wanted a MX on FRIDAY. I said YES! But on Friday, as I was being prepped for the table, my surgeon and I couldn't agree on axilla tx, so I got up, got dressed and left.
Two weeks later, armed with research and a great PS, I re-entered the surgical theater and boom! Skin sparing.
Now if I could have just followed the PS orders and saved myself an open MX incision for 7 months...all woulda been great
Eve, I just uploaded pics to photobucket, resized them, right clicked on the individual photo I want to share, go down to properties, copy the addy (be sure to get it all), then plug it into the photo button here on top of the dialog box. (Sorry if you already know all this.....)
I've name the frankenboob Lizzy.....or Elizabeth...anyone get the reference? lol
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Vicki - stay safe and hope the fire gets under control soon - so many lives affected!
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Hi to everyone
MRI update: my scan showed no nasties!!! Hurray. One slightly bulging disc. I feel like ive waited years for this reassurance. Tx planned: core strengthening exercises so its pilates and a general gear shift towards a better level of fitness.
Job update: if I dont hear today or tomorrow I dont think ive been shortlisted. Will let you know........
Vicki: Huge hugs to you at such a difficult time. x
Liz
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Oh Vicki: So sorry to hear this ...hope they get the fires contained soon. Stay safe and well!
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Yeah Jack!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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