TE TROUBLE
Comments
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Lisamarie This fill for me was a killer too. My others didn't hurt but after this last fill which I believe is my last fill before my overfill (oh no!) is the first one that actually made me cry. There is alot under my arm but I just feel like I'm going to explade. I have alot bigger frame than you too though so I can't imagine going thru the same discomfort with such a tiny frame. I tried tylenol then advil, then valium then vicodin. None of it worked-then I found some tramodol from my lumpectomy and fortunately it does the trick. It does seem to be letting up on its own though now but I am dreading the overfill. I think I am going to ask the ps if I can have 2 smaller overfills instead of one. But After not having any pain with my prior fills and just a feeling of tightness with the one before this one, the pain was surprisingly uncomfortable with this last one. But mine are definitely somewhat sprawling towards my armpit too.
SpecialK when you say that the implants are where they should be, are they any closer together than your expanders? I mentioned to my ps that I didn't like the space between and she said she could open the pocket if I wanted to make them closer, but I don't know if I want that either. LOL with all the skin issues I had had I don't know if I want to mess with the pocket now.
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Roadwarrior- Good luck!!!!! I'm sure you'll feel much better with it out!
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Best wishes, roadwarrior! Feel better soon.
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yup just get it out... I did Monday it was heaven. I was like that to I wanted to rip it out...
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my ps admitted to me that he put my right side in too high. it hurts a lot under my arm. i kind of think i just need to stretch but it really hurts today. they filled me 360 on table and i got 60cc at first fill which was monday this week. so, im guessing 410.? HE WANTS TO FILL ME TO 800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think he's a madman!
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Road, I am glad for you, and sad too. Hope the procedure goes well.
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Binc, why on earth would you take a kickboxing class? Did you ask the doc before risking it? You really have to be super careful while undergoing recon.
Lisamarie68, yes it's normal for the expanders to be close to your armpits, but take it from me that you should not be in severe pain. Your PS should not be that negligent in filling you to that point. Keep a close eye on possible infection. I am convinced that my infection was due to overfilling.
I for one am being super careful now. My advice to everyone is don't do anything stupid from the moment the TEs are placed until you have completely healed from the exchange. You didn't do anything to cause breast cancer, but if you overdo during recovery, you have only yourself to blame.
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2fried eggs - that is actually a hard question to answer because the rigidity of the TE, especially when maximally filled tend to stick out farther than the implants will. The implants are much softer and can be squished inward and upward and actual cleavage formed, lol! I would say that essentially my implants are in the same location as the TE, they do not project as much, the slope looks pretty natural, they are less under the arm and I have approx. 1 1/2 finger width between them. In a regular bra they look completely natural, and appropriately positioned. Does that answer the question? I had a lot of skin issues too - but I had a revision and exchange on the left, a lot of scar tissue removed and pocket work done, I had no problems. That big list of surgeries in my sig line was predominantly done on the left side, the right only had BMX/node dissection/exchange - the rest were all on the left.
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Lisa- I did ask my ps and was told there were no restrictions on my activity at that point. In any event, I've turned to these boards for support, not blame.
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2friedeggs , this was my last fill and when i had it done I called back crying like a baby and he had to call me in percocet again. h said he is so sorry that he thought maybe we pushed it too far and he felt so bad , but this is my overfill, I feel kinda like I can never get comfortable sitting or in bed . I feel as i have little balls in my armpits and my arms constatnly rubbing on them . I sure hope that my implants do not go under my arm . I cannot even shave its gross especially now at summer . the other day i had my brother come and i held my arm up and pulled it over while he shaved what a sight that must have been ... but I did get a little more shaved
, today ps office says I am scheduled for July 19th exchange . I am hoping for some relief . he also said I can go back to work in a day , does anyone know if that is correct ? am I going to be in pain again because I dread the pain meds . If i must have it I am going to ask for tramadol . i hear that it is not narcotic and wont give me issues as far as throwing up and not going to the bathroom . I guess like anyone else I am ready for this to be over hopefully .. u are all so sweet thank you for answering my ?s 0 -
Support is great but sometimes we also need tough love. My PS also said no restrictions, but you also have to listen to the little voice in your head. Give yourself time to heal!
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lisamarie - don't think it is wise to go back to work in a day after exchange - it is still a surgery. I did not need much in the way of pain meds, but I didn't with BMX either - I did take them for a few days. If you feel that your TE are too far to the side (under the arm) you need to discuss this with your PS, and discuss pocket work to bring the implant more to the center of the chest. Also remember that the implants will be soft and squishy - the TE are neither, I had trouble shaving under the arm with TE too. Gotta say - your mental picture of two-person shaving made me smile!
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Lisamarie- I had the same exact experience after my last fill last August. Terrible pain, muscle spasms, could not sleep and boobs in my armpits. I had to take Valium every night to get any rest. I had 2 months till my exchange and it was torture. I had to cut back my work hours. After the exchange it was so much better instantly. And they were not in my pits But I would not have gone back the next day. It would have been too soon. I did learn after the fact that they could have removed some saline to make me more comfortable so you could also ask about that.
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Left expander is out and drain is back ugh! I feel so much better but the site looks terrible like a crater. He put diagnosis as cellulitis but said the inside didn't look terrible.
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roadwarrior - Am I correct in assuming that you will have a delay starting chemo?
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Well my chemo was already delayed due to IVF so it's not affected by surgery
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roadwarrior - I see - I was going by the dates in your signature line. Do you have a re-scheduled chemo start date?
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Roadwarrior- glad you're out of pain and the inside isn't too bad. I hope it heals well. Impressive that you're already back on the computer!
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Road, you are kinda like me, I have a crater on my left, and ( Thx fried eggs) one fried egg boobette. I had to postpone my chemo for four weeks. But I just finished so it will happen for you too. Much love.
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Ginger48, my PS told me I could go back to work .. now I am scared because of what everyone is saying . I am however relieved to know I am not alone with this TE crap . I have Valium as well , it will put me to sleep for a little bit but then i wake again , same as if I take flexaril .. its so frustrating .. and now it's bedtime for me and I am totally miserable ... cant wait to get some relief .. Hugs
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Lisamarie and roadwarrior, sorry you are both in pain and problems.
Lisamarie,yes the TE are gonna feel like they are under your arm because they are hard plastic,they dont have any "give" like normal breast tissue. The implants will be softer. I agree with the others,maybe the size of the TE in relationship to your smaller frame?
Ask your PS if you can take epsom salt baths, I found it really helped me a lot. They did give me flexiril which took the edge off and TyCo#3.
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Layla I have taken epsom salt baths and it did help up until this lasst fill .. crazy as it is the bath does not relive this ...
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SpecialK - yes starting the 20th
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Lisa96 - I see from your signature description that you completed your reconstruction with implant (I'm guessing sometime late last year since your MX surgery was in 2010) and you joined breast cancer.org this May. Have you had any recent implant complications or is all clear on your end?
And was your TE saved after IV antibiotics? Perhaps I missed it in previous posts but I don't see you lost it which is excellent news. If so, that's a success story that I'm sure many would like to hear.
Take care everyone.....
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NanG, I think its great that he admitted he placed the right too high. I wonder what is worse... too high or too low. My right is too low. Had TE's taken out and repositioned but the right didn't hold, its back at the bottom lip of my ribcage and I'm MISERABLE. I compare myself to a pregnant women in her 10th month. I'm that cranky.
I was scheduled for exchange surgery on the 19th, but I decided I need one more fill on my left side. It's the perfect side but I'm guessing I'll lose volume in the exchange so I'd rather be safe. So this means one more fill on the 11th and then I wait.... it sounds like 3 weeks is normal?
Is anyone able to sleep on their side with TE's inplace? I can't, its too uncomfortable. Will I ever be able to sleep on my side or stomach again?
Last weekend my left mound got inflamed and red in a spot on the suture line. I ended up squeezing it and lost of puss came out. I then put peroxide on it and took my antibiotics. My doctor was away on vacation as was I. Oddly, seems to have worked. I've been massaging my mounds with shea butter, maybe that is what caused it. Weird, right?
Roadwarrior, how are you doing today?
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Hang in there road warrior .... I m positive my left one will be out as well Monday . The right was taken out this monday.It is from my fills. have a lot of questions for my PS monday. Hope and pray second time around no complications. I am also going to tell my PS to do slow fills, and low.
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I'm doing OK no pain but still horrified at how it looks. To think that's always what women dealt with before recon was even an option.
Orange73 I missed your posts - did you fill up too fast?0 -
i just now realized that i will have new boobs for christmas!! LOL!! i am SO getting a sexy ms. claus lingerie to celebrate!!!!
GREEN...my ps told me that we will fill till we're satisfied and then wait three months till the exchange. im not sure if that is because of how many patients he has or what but...thats what he told me. my ps is really high strung or something. lol. he's always really wide eyed and talks fast. i think he nips the meds in the back room!! lol. jk.
he wanted to give me a 120cc fill last week my first time in!!!!!! i got through 60cc and it was too weird to continue on. i had to stop but next time i will know what to expect. im at 410cc now because he did 360cc on the table at my mx. which was HORRIBLE to wake up to, but now im actually greatful because that bit of extra pain bumped me up like a few months of fills!! Plus im so curvy and with 360 looked SO flat that it was rather unnatural. I actually really like the size i am now, but im willing to go more.
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I am a firm believer in the low and slow approach to fills. It does take longer, but I think it stresses the area way less. From what I have seen too many PS like to put too much in the surgical fill, people have problems with their incision line, and then they fill too rapidly. My issues had to do with skin heaing over the surface of the breast - not the incision line - I was just one of the unlucky 20% who have this with a skin/nipple sparing procedure, and my case was fairly complicated because the skin would not heal no matter how many times it was surgically excised. I did weekly 25cc fills starting about a month or so after my left TE was put back and did great. I had about 4-5 weeks after the last fill until exchange.
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I know try to keep it covered its very hard to look at............................ But think this too shall pass. I was awake they numbed me . I Had no pain that day, Next day whewww I felt like someone beat me up. Hang in there and think how you felt when you wanted to rip it out. yes i believe they did .My first fill was one vial. Never even though to ask how many CCs second fill 2! Three days later I popppped in both insicion sights. Thanks to Special K I have been learning a lot.
I see my PS Monday I am going to ask how many CCs hes doing. How many he did last time. How many CCs hes planning on making me.Once they go back in I am doing very slow fills.
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