Microfat grafting or BRAVA doctor recommendations
Comments
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Beacher-If you read through the reconstruction stories (or look at the signatures of the members) you should find them on fgp. Pretty sure that Kareenie, PSF, bher are some ladies with radiation and implants. I think the best thing for you to do is have a consult with someone who is a specialist in microfat grafting, who sees the potential and advocates it. If you keep visiting PS who "prefer" other forms of reconstruction, you will probably not get the reassurances you are looking for. At some point, you have to take the "plunge" - I've been there and my leap of faith has been rewarded many times over.
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Hi Beacher, I have severe radiation damage and have undergone two sessions of fatgrafting. I do not regret having my implants removed one bit. Still too soon to know what the final outcome is going to be but I am very hopeful. One thing for sure though, it does require a lot of patience because the radiated tissue is much harder to expand with the Brava but it is doable and so far is slowly working.
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Thanks I will try to find those three ladies, ya i know i have met with one Dr. Trott who went to learn from Dr. Khouri , and there is one more out here Dr. greenberg talked with her office and am gonna try to get up there about 12 hrs away after xmas. But i think my fear is that these 2 ps's that really do advocate this procedure are new at it and i know i shopuld be willing to be one of the first to make it better for those following i do not think i could handle it if for some reason it fails only because being a first patient i know i feel selfish but i also think about my family and friends around me they too have been through alot ,we all want me back and pain free. So i know Dr. K or Coleman or one of the orginals would probably be my only way of doing this and keeping my sanity. But i will still meet agin with the 2 ps's out here just to answer all my questions since they are on board with it thanks for your help i will take the dive somewhere by FEB
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Beacher, I had rads damage and 550 implants. Dr K removed the 550's and replaced with 325cc implants and I have completed 2 rounds of grafting with him. I did use the brava prior to the first surgery. The grafting did improve the damaged skin, but I am much smaller and now lopsided after this last grafting. I had to buy all new bras, and get a prosthesis. I was happier prior to this second surgery. I probably should have left well enough alone. I am only 2 months out from surgery, and will require more grafting. I have looked into more options than Dr K and now had several consults. More and more docs are doing the grafting with droplets, with success.
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Hi geewhiz, plz elaborate about 'you should have left well enough alone'. Are you unhappy about taking out the implants or something Dr. K did on the second round of fat grafting? Was the lopsidedness there before or did it arise as a result of the fat grafting? I checked your fatgraftpatients posts and didn't see any recent posts - maybe it was from some time ago.
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I regret the 2nd surgery. I look worse. And I have not had sensation return to the area that was lipo'd in the center of my lower back. I do love Dr K and entire staff. I am not sure where to go from here, but am looking at options...including going back to Dr K.
And no, you wont find me again on fg forum. I asked the administrator to remove my profile. I did not appreciate not feeling like we could present lots of experiences, positive and negative. I think the final straw was the administrator lecturing me about insurance. We have different experiences. I have been through 11 surgeries, 25 rounds of radiation and $250,000 and 18 months worth of chemo...trust me, I do not need lectures about insurance navigation...and my sister is a state insurance commissioner, lol. We all have to do what we are comfortable with...and I am comfortable here : )0 -
Hi Geewhiz, thanks for sharing and u have been through alot. Can i ask if your rad damage was painful sometimes,tight, stabbing,feeling somewhat like you are in an iron bra? But if you did have these feeling its sounds like the fatgrafting did help? But you are now unhappy with the lopsidedness i wonder why they are that way now? do you think its that some of the fat did not take as well and just absorbed? Did you plan on more FG ?or now its just needed? Thanks
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Hi Bher, so i would have thought just having the implants out would make a big diffrence on that radiated skin. So now im thinking is it having the implants out that makes it feel better or the FG? Did you have all the se with the radiated tissue? Pain,stabbing,pulling,iron in your chest and arms and sides? Just trying to figure it all out before i make my next move.... But i know everybody is diffrent too,so i just am gonna have to just take the dive someway as lee said ...
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Thanks for the explanation geewiz. I'm saddened with your fatgraft experience. It is critical to me to know that any site I go to for information and advice is not biased. I don't want to just read a bunch of 'rah-rah everthing is great!'. We must have the good with the bad or we are not giving others true unbiased info from which to make life altering decisions!
I know I made my decision on reconstruction based on what people here were saying about micro fat grafting and Dr. K. I say we need your voice as much as or even more than those who have had great experiences!
I was also wondering how receptive fatgrafts would be if I had a bad experience. I had an overall good result, but did have a not good experience, and I found it was OK to post my experience.
I hope everything works out with whatever you choose to do from here, and I for one will be watching for your updates.
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i am having trouble navigating on the fatgraftpatients website,i remember this from months ago hard to get around on it so quit,but i was tring again to find the radiated ladiesthat had FG,i got to the patient data base then woild click on one of the names (kareenie is one i tried) then all it gives me is her profile! i want to know her story ! how do o get there or if any of these ladies Kareenie,psf would pm me and tell me how you are doing that would be great, thanks to Bher and Geewhiz for sharing knowing you both were radiated and doing Fg now is good to know i will be following your updates and if you would want to pm me to tell me anything more please do!
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Thanks Kareenie for the correction. TFM is what I meant. She is under "Other Surgeons' Fat Graft Patients' Stories" under Brava Fat Graft Patient Database, Stories and Photos.
I know I won't do this justice as I just have a few minutes...want to read your posts over more carefully Beecher and Geewhiz...there is a lot of pain and a lot you have both been through. Hoping you find the connections you are seeking, Beecher...I know it always takes me quite awhile to learn how to navigate any new sites and it can be frustrating, but if I can get it, I'm sure you can too! fatgraftpatients.com has a lot of dimensions, I am still just figuring out! I will try to PM one of the ladies to see if she can connect with you. She has had very good success with FG to radiated breast, it just takes longer.
I think it is always tricky on these forums to be able to express the "bad experiences" in a way that is honest and yet constructive, staying away from bitterness or public negativity. I would encourage you, Geewhiz, to attempt to work this through with the administrator of fatgraftpatient.com. All of us are fallable and words don't always come across how we mean them (I often need mercy for poorly chosen words!). We might think we are being helpful and it hits someone (esp when people have been through SO much) the wrong way and just hurts. I have only seen kindness, great information and support from the site administrator...not trying to diminish how you felt about your interaction...just hoping it could be worked through for the betterment of everyone involved. MD's are fallable. One woman recently was telling about a pretty bad omission of information by her PS that had a major effect on her course of action. but they worked it through.
with care and respect...
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Beacher-The implants were painful like you described for me too. I could not sleep on my side with the implants. I do not have pain now but lingering tightness on the mx/rad side. I thought the tightness would be relieved once the implant was gone and it surprised me when that did not happen. Also my radiated skin reacts after each surgery for a few weeks.
Geewhiz-You have gone through so much with all your surgeries and treatment and can understand your disappointment with your last surgery. I am curious if you have any tightness or pain on your radiated side now that you have smaller implants.
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Beacher - I had radiation in 2010 with an old implant from 1999. The implant was very contracted and uncomfortable. I could not sleep on my side. Dr K removed my implant in Aug 2011 and did first round of fg. Second round of fg in November 2011. I am not done yet but I know from psf's photos that the radiated side will take longer to respond to the fat and may require more rounds of fg than unradiated side. That may be why geewhiz feels lopsided. I know psf was lopsided for quite a while. This is a process and requires a lot of patience and some faith. The first surgery when he took out the implant I did not use Brava so he could not put much fat. Second surgery I used Brava and he was able to plump out my scar. Now using Brava in prep for third surgery. I know it will take at least 4 total if not more.
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hello Kareenie,So now is the radiated side still unfomfortable? thanks again
Thanks Blher, sorry you are still unfortable even with those foobs out! its that darn radiated skin! hopefully it will get better as you keep Fging.....
I will be following all you fg radiated ladies for my research thanks sooooo very much good luck
wish there were more than 4o5 of you! its so scarey....
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Hi Geewhiz, i know you are unhappy with your FG at this piont,and you said your damaged radiated skin was now less damaged ,but does that mean less pain? If you even had pain with your rad skin? Again sorry for your lopsided but what i have read it may be able to be fixed on 3rd FG....now i do not know im just following all the radiated fg Gals GOOD LUCK
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HI LADIES I STARTED A NEW TOPIC "FG VS DIEP" UNDER FORUM" BREAST RECONSTRUCTION"PLEASE CHECK IT OUT WE COULD USE YOU RADIATED BC LADIES HELP THANKS!!!!!! 0
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thank you for starting this thread. I am also looking into my options for recon after failed implants due to radiation. Is this a brand new topic and would it be at the top of the forum????
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Eine-It's mentioned all the time here on the thread, but a valuable resourse is fatgraftpatients.com
You have to agree to guidelines after registering, but once you have access, you can learn a lot about fat grafting. Good luck!
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Beacher, I would have to say that the radiated side is not normal YET, but it is a great relief to have the implant out. I can sleep on my side now (except the Brava prevents me...) Please keep in mind I had a wide chestwall incision 8/2010 of the side/underarm area including chestwall muscle and some of my pec muscle. So I have a lot of scarring there in addition to radiation damage and implant damage. I am willing to be patient but have faith in the process and I know my final outcome will be better than the implant.
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Well spoken (or written I should say) wisconsinrandi on the delicate subject of the forums and FG. It can't be easy to be the administrator of a board.
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Wisconsin Randi I really havent had been through so much more than all other cancer patients who have gone through surgery and chemo...which is why I appreciate this breast cancer community...complete with a picture forum with thousands of other cancer survivors stories.
With the rads..yes, it was tight, and hurt occasionally. It felt like muscle contractions sometimes, is perhaps a good way to describe it? It is better, and my range of motion has improved. Last night I won a regional tennis competition and for the most part, my serve and overall range of motion is ok. I never had pain or problems with the implants..I think I got greedy and lost sight of things more important. Shape, size...I wanted bigger and rounder. And when they marked me, the fat was coming out of my thighs. I woke up with grafting from the back...they explained that the number one requested procedure down there is to make booties appear larger..think "J Lo", accomplished by narrowing the back area to make the butt more prominent. Sometimes ya gotta just laugh. I am a 45 year old freckle faced blonde minivan driving soccer mom who birthed 3 kids....to say I did not want to wake up with smaller lopsided boobs...AND a bigger butt, is an understatement. O.M.G.
Anyone who knows DR K and staff, knows that the man would skip dinner to make sure he fixed whatever I wanted...Im just not currently in the mood for it.0 -
Geewhiz...you have me laughing!! There is something to the curves and bigger butt in Dr. K's vision. I remember him saying something about that to me. In my world...bigger butt was not something I was ever aiming for either...but I do have to say, I love the curves almost as much as the restored breasts. Don't think the butt is actually made any larger, just accentuated, maybe.
Then your statement about him missing dinner to "make sure he fixed anything I wanted" is so on target. I think that's why so many of us are so loyal to him...he sacrifices so much to serve all of us. You have a point though, that if women have strong opinions about where we want fat harvested from...they need to make it abundantly clear. I tend to trust his sense as an artist...but I can see how it felt strange to wake up with something different done than what you were expecting. I like how you say you aren't currently in the mood for it. That is a plus...nothing has to be done right away if it isn't just what we were aiming for....eventually, the time may be right. As you implied, there are more important things in life than perfect breasts!! We probably all need to say that a few times a day.
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Hi Ladies-
This is such a fantastic thread! Please chime in on this one if you can. I need my very painful implants out asap and think my pec muscles are definitely damaged. I would like to do full FG if possible but cannot wait 2 or 3 months to get on Dr. K's surgery schedule. I think he books surgeries that far out.
I would like the implants out in the next few weeks...even drained as a PS suggested asap to take all of the pressure off my back which is aching I don't sleep from pain. This is of course, my own clinical diagnosis...but who knows really. Question: if I have implants out first and then go to Dr. K. will it be OK asthetically or will the tissue surrounding the current 530 cc implants adhere to chest wall after they are emoved making BRAVA difficult or making the final results not good. I know it's better probably to do all at once but don't thin that is going to happen. I did hear from one PS that if I go the route of deflating the saline implants just to stop the enormous pressure on my chest, there would be a fluid build up. Yet, another said it would be fine and I trusted here more. Why, oh why do they all seem to say different things...
Love to hear your thoughts...love this thread! xo
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Jessica have you had a consult with Dr K? Have you sent pictures? Have you called about his schedule? Sometimes what he does for the first step it to put in smaller implants and FG around them. It wouldn't hurt to ask...
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Kareenie- I couldn't get a consult booked for 2 months with Dr. K and that was just the consult. That was supposed to be on Nov 29 but we had to put my Dad in hospice that week and I could not travel even though I had waited 2 months for app. Was disappointed. Have another scheduled now in Jan. but situation is getting ridiculously painful. I tried to get a phone consult and send pix but that was a no go. I will call to see how long after consult before I can book surgery but it can't be several months. Non-stop pain affecting everything in my life.
Robo47- how was the second incision? why an extra incision? Also, I'm most concerned about the pec muscles bcause that is where the pain is coming from..I don't want implants anymore...even smaller ones...they are not working with my body...just soo very uncomfortable.
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Jessicav-Try to hang in there. After I had my consult with Dr. K, they had me scheduled pretty quickly for surgery to remove the implants. It was within 3 weeks. It was tight because I had to get my preops done before the surgery could happen but thankfully I got in to see my family doctor easily for the preop tests so it all worked out. I was in great pain and just wanted the implants out asap and felt desperate to do something. I had other issues as well with the implants. If you are going to do the fatgrafting/brava reconstuction, I think it is important to have some fatgrafting done at the time the implants are removed. How long ago was your implant surgery? I am sorry you are having so much pain.
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robo- After consulting with 3 different PS's, who all do fat grafting, I've learned that Dr. K could go through the same incision but chooses not to. I think for no other reason that it's just easier for him. My original incision was under the fold of the breast and he had told me he would use it again. Instead, 15 minutes before my surgery, he suddenly said he was putting a new incision in my armpits instead. All 3 of the PS's I consulted with said they would never put an incision there as it's not aesthetically pleasing. (It shows in swim suits and tank tops.) And there is a major nerve running through there that, if cut or bruised, can cause a lot of issues with numbness down the length of your arms and shoulders. (Which is what happened to me.) My original incision, like I said, was under the fold of the breast. This incision was opened up twice- once when I had my TE's placed a week after MX and a 2nd time for my exchange and it healed perfectly. Why put new scars on someone when they already have one? It seems at one time Dr. K would use a woman's original incisions but with newer patients he seems to insist on this armpit incision. It just makes no sense to me.
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hi kate33, ya that is what scares me about Dr. K i would demand he do not make a new incision,i would haven it written and signed ,then he could not change his mind.I have pretty much decided on the diep now though.,only because i cannot seem to find an radiated Fg ladies with long term results of NO pain. You still have pain in your arm correct? and was that made worse when the new incision was made! Geez .....
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beacher- Another member who contacted me said she told Dr. K she did not want the incisions in the armpits (after hearing the issues I had afterwards) and he said that is the only way he would do it. So she elected not to do the surgery. I did not have any pain or numbness in my arms prior to him doing the incisions there. I also did not have truncal lymphedema which is what they think I have now or the scar tissue that has formed on the side of the breast into the armpit which tugs on the left implant.
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Yeah, I got the new incisions in the armpit too. I was shopping for a holiday top for parties this week and was really upset to see that I am now going to have to watch what I wear to hide yet more scars. The first grafting he went back through my mx scar line. The second time he was insistent upon the armpit incision.
When I went for a consult with another ps who fatgrafts he was shocked that I got the armpit incisions...he shook his head in disgust actually.
A sidenote ....the tape on one incision fell off after a day. I left it off and let the other side fall off like he said after about 10 days. The taped side is red and ugly and the side that was left open is much fainter.0
