TE TROUBLE
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jmg...I finally saw an infectious disease doc for a terrible rash I had after the implants went back in. PS was freaking out as he didn't think it was an infection, but we couldn't figure out what it was. It itched intensely. I also saw my dermatologist who is a skin cancer specialist, and he thought it was a contact rash, prescribed a strong topical steroid that I was only allowed to use for a week as it can thin skin, and all was well.
However, the infectious disease doc gave me nasal antibiotic samples and told me to use them a week before I went in for my implants. I had enough that I have used it every time I go into a surgical room now. Don't know if it works at warding off germs from the workers or not, but just in case.....
I also used hibiclens starting two days in advance of my upper torso.
Good luck everyone with your surgeries!0 -
Ren - see PS tomorrow, was lucky to not get a drain
I hope all is good tomorrow.0 -
Hi Ladies!
The tatoos went well today. I will have to say it was a little more uncomfortable than I thought it would be but in a weird way. The skin in that area is still mostly numb but when the needle hit certain areas, it was like she was hitting a nerve and I could feel it in weird places (like in my abdomen). I also didn't expect to have to make so many decisions...like what color and what size. My husband went with me and he thinks they look great. After she was done, she put A&D ointment on them and covered them with gauze and tegaderm. It is supposed to stay on for a week but I'm sure I will have to change it because a little blood has leaked through. I have another appointment in 4 weeks for a touch up. It was a little uncomfortable, but definitely very doable! I was really nervous this morning but I'm glad I did it!
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jb....my ps tattooed the area that he turned into nipples...... Next, I will go back to have the outer part done. He used a local to numb the area, but there was a part that wasn't numb and it hurt a LOT. He had to stop and inject some more which I also thought hurt. I am not all that numb topically in that area.
Next time, I am going to use some emla cream first and just not mention it. I asked about it last time and he said he worried that it might effect the tattoo ink. I think that is hooey. You are right, though, it is hard to pick the colors. My nipples are a great shade, I think, so I am going with the same combo.
I see the PS for my one month followup tomorrow. Hoping he sais I can quit wearing nipple protectors and my compression garment, at least at night.0 -
Pingpong- I hear so much of my own experience in your words. I did not find bc.org till almost 2 1/2 months after my BMX surgery. I was in so much pain with the TE's and it was like my body was rejecting them. Spasms constantly and breathtaking pain. I had to cut back to teaching half time and even that was hard. But when I got on this site and listened and shared with others it made me realize that I was not a wimp and I was not going crazy. I am glad you found us now! I have completed my exchange and am here to tell you that you will get there too,
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Hello everyone: I have been reading some of your posts even though I have not posted in a while.I just realized that my left TE has move. The magnet is very close to the armpit. Is it normal for the Te to move? I will call to make an appointment with the PS tomorrow.
Thanks
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JB - I am hoping to be able to go to tattoo route too. Right now though, my PS says that my skin on the bad side is not thick enough...
I am wondering though, just in case I qualify, how long did it take?MKW - I don't think they are supposed to move like that. Glad you made an appointment.
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DM!3: I went to see the PS this morning. He said that the port shifted some, but it is still ok.
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Had my first post-op appt today. He says I am looking good. Going to wait another month before we start the fills. He pulled off all the surgical tape... I hate when they do that! Thank God I pre-medicated! Can take a full shower and drive next Monday.
Hope everyone id well today:)
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Hi to my TE friends....I haven't been by here in a while, I need to catch up. Looks like a big week for a few of the gals - wahoo! Hoping for great results for all of you!
This past weekend I discovered another unfortunate side effect to taking tamoxifen -- it makes me extremely sensitive to the sun. I am sporting a nasty sunburn on my chest and my arms from spending a little time outside Sunday and again yesterday...so now I've added 100 spf sunscreen to my morning routine. I don't see my MO until July but I'm wondering why I would continue to take Tamoxifen after having my hysterectomy in February. Thoughts?
Hugs to all of you - even when I don't stop by, you're in my thoughts.
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Hi, I am hoping someone can shed some light on my situation. I had a bmx 2 weeks ago and went to see the RO this morning. He said he was calling the ps and was going to tell her to only do fills on the right side and none on the left until after rads are done. I will be an A- on one side and a C on the other. WTH I was not pleased about this. It made me feel he wasn't confident in his abilities. He said if she fills the left it would make it too hard to do the radiation. Have any of you had this happen to you? If I have to do chemo first it will be 6 to 8 months before she could fill the other side.
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I am home?Thank You for thinking of me.
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Oops, Thank you for thinking of me
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Glad to hear surguries have gone well this week.
Dianarose-I did not need rads. However, my PS said if I had we would have not gone the TE route. I know lots have done it without trouble, but my PS doesn't like it.
Oh and guess what....I got the teaching job!!!!!
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Chick - Congratulations on the job! That's awesome!
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jlmg - yes my PS said to swab my nose with Mupirocin a week before surgery. I'll probably start a week and a half in advance lol. I also had my husband and 3 boys swab their noses as well. We also scrub down with Hibiclens from the neck down during the time of the nose swabbing. Overkill maybe, but it worked last time so we're doing it again:)
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mkw...My TE didn't move, but my fill port/magnet has moved around a LOT. I asked my PS about it when I was there yesterday because we don't know where mine has gone - I'm done with fills so it's no big deal. But we think it may have slipped underneath the TE. She said they have a tendency to flip around. I think the PS can move it back around to where you're more comfortable with the magnet finder. If in doubt always ask your doc.
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momof3infla: Thanks for the info. If the port keeps shifting I will not freak out.
How exciting that your exchange to squishies is coming soon.
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I think I lost my comment -so I'll start over. I am, after all, high on vicodin.
Rennasus, I spent the last two + weeks in New Orelans (I live in CT). We drove because I was concerned that it was too soon to fly and that I would swell. As it turns out, I even swelled in the car! It might have been due to the hills of West Virginia. The swelling lasted about 5 days but I was fine walking into surgery yesterday.
I had both TE's out, new TE's in and repositioned correctly! and, AND no drains needed! I was expecting one on each side but the doctor said their was minimal bleeding and it wasn't necessary.
Now I can focus on the fun decisions - how big do I want to go and what type of tattoo? I am seriously considering shamrocks. Round and brown doesn't sound like much fun!
While I was in New Orleans, I stopped at the police station and asked if a women could be arrested or ticketed for being topless if she had no nipples or areola. I was told that as long as you couldn't see my areola I would not be arrested. I asked him if I had fleur d'less instead of areola would I get arrested and he said no!
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Dianarose, I had rads, but my recon was delayed until after rads & I had lat flaps done. I was a tricky case, so I knew up front that it was best for me to completely delay recon.
Glad that surgery went well, pslams & greenmonkey. I am dying to know if you tested out your hypothetical situation, greenmonkey!
Congrats, chickadee!
Glad the tattoos went well, jbennett.
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Hello family is is psalms ( Michelle) just checking in. Everything seems to be going ok. Who has had a hysterectomy due to BRACA status? Can we talk? Thanks everyone for thinking of me.I believe I found a good breast surgeon out of Kaiser if anyone is interested
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Green Monkey LOL that's funny.
So...a little off topic here, but I had my normal Onco labwork done Tuesday. Meeting with Oncologist this coming Tuesday about the results. They have been watching my iron levels, and said that I'm slightly anemic. Ran additional tests this past week and just got a call that I'm not absorbing the iron as most people do. Hemoglobin levels are slightly low. So....fun fun, after I meet with him on Tues I will likely be getting an iron iv infusion. She called to let me know how to plan my day, as it takes 4+ hours! Wow! Hopefully the one infusion will do the trick and kick start my hemoglobin, but I wasn't happy to get that call. Especially with exchange surgery coming up on May 16th. I spoke to some friends who are nurses, and they say that it would actually be very beneficial to go ahead and get the iron infusion before surgery. The healthier my blood, the better the recovery. So I'm trying to look at it as a positive thing. I have likely been slightly anemic for years, and it's being treated now since they are monitoring me so closely. Just not looking forward to an all day doc visit. Oh well.
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GreenMonkey - I have no idea what possessed you to ask such great questions while in New Orleans... but I LMAO as I was reading your post! Looks like we should ALL plan a trip there
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Chick- congrats on the job.
Psalms- I had ooph due to BRCA2+ but not full hyster. Feel free to PM me.
Greenmonkey- that is too funny. I am a CT girl too; northeastern CT.0 -
Greenmonkey....I have a picture in my head of you in the police station having a serious conversation with the police captain regarding what constitutes topless. Did you offer to flash him? And wouldnt you garner some unique beads if you flashed the plain ones. I would wait until you got the shamrock tattoos. That would raise some eyebrows!
I told my ps I wanted him to design a flower around mine, with a vine winding around, and a humming bird with the edge of his beak right on the nipple. I think it took him ten minutes to recover we were laughing so hard. I am not sure my husband would recover!
Hey, maybe we can do nipples with glow in the dark ink....now that would be something. Kind of like solar lights!0 -
I like the glow in the dark idea!
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I'm in for the glow in the dark nipples!
Greenmonkey, thanks for sharing and making me laugh today - I needed that!
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DianaRose: I did not have chemo or rads, but from what other ladies here have said, focus on your treatment first, then the recon part. I know for many of us we have had to endure being lopsided for months at a time. Your other option would be to hold off on fills entirely until you are done with treatment. That way at least you will be "even" and not have to adjust for lopsidedness.
Psalms: Glad to hear all went well! Sending hugs.
DM13: Yay on shower and driving in your near future!
MTnester: That's funny you mention the sunburn, I was out last weekend for a short period of time and got one too. I have a vague recollection that Tammy increases burn risk. (Anyone?) Also, re: taking Tammi after hyster... I'm no doc, but I think there are still circulating hormones in your body even without ovaries. You may not be producing any more hormones, but you still have some in you, and that's what the Tammi is for. Let us know what your doc says. You could always call MO's office and ask them that question.
CHICK: Way to go on the job! So happy for you!!!
Greenmonkey: Glad your surgery went well! You are too funny! Thanks for the laugh about the NO and the tats. Has your swelling gone away?
Sundermom: Hope all went well with your exchange today! Please let us know how you are doing!
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because nothing is sacred with me - I posted my old TE's and my new TE's here:
http://greenmonkeytales.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-i-did-what-i-did.html
I really want to push the topless button, especially when in New Orleans, but my TE's were so bizarre I was afraid I'd make people ill. Now, I have nice, normal mounds. And I'm hoping the fills won't be a big dea now that the TE's are positioned correctly.
I was able to take post surgical tape off so I'm even more comfortable today. I'm wearing a nice comfortable post surgery bra that is so much nicer than the last one! Swelling is not bad at all!
I love the idea of glow in the dark nipples!!!
The nice police man in nola told me I found a gray area, but there is another gray area as well. If a transgender man goes topless, regardless of the size of his faux breasts, he will not get arrested as long as he still has his junk. Penis and breasts ok, no penis and breasts NOT OK!
Good to know right?!
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Mupirocin? I never heard of it. I did the scrub with hibiclens. also didn't shave under my arms 3 days before (read that somewhere).
Sundermom, how ya doing?
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