TE TROUBLE
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Bev, ditto on what everyone else said, its 7 and a half months from the surgery to remove my left TE for an infection, to just having surgery two weeks ago to replace it. I now have a small matching pair, but can't day I'm comfortable because I know it can go wrong. So I am crossing my fingers and hoping it heals, and I can get my squishies before the end of the year. We shall see. Much love.
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Yep Cmartin,saw you and Blessings on Exchange City thread,so happy for both of you and wanna follow you both on Thurs but so nervous. Fiance says he will take me and pick me up and take time off work,he cut the grass today for me after he cut his own and his rental house grass,he doesnt know he is not a teenager. I had been cutting the front yard and not telling him,yep it doesnt hurt to keep them guessing. I could cut the yard but after all I am recovering from cancer and was very fortunate and blessed that all I needed so far was the bmx and the Femara but I can milk it a little right? Am I taking advantage? Should I stop it? He's so tired theres little romance left in him. However, I cooked rice cause we had leftover Chinese food and fish and here he shows up with spaghetti. Has anyone ever drank Chimay? The beer made by Belgian monks? Its pretty good but its awfully pricey for beer and you only get 4 small bottles in a pack! He got some and I cant have any cause I got surgery on Thur!
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thank you so much to all you ladies who responded to my concerns. I feel somewhat better now. My PS has stuck by me through thick and thin, through almost dying when I had a massive hematoma and 2 emergency surgeries to dealing with this ridiculous scar that was perfect but is now almost entirely open. He never said he would abandon me. I'm just scared that he's going to be scared about any more complications and leave me high and dry with a really lumpy chest and boobage under the arm... He has given me no indication of that. It's all me. I am having mood swings extrodinaire.... probably from the Femara.... I find sometimes I am just crying my eyes out for things I'd have once considered trivial and way worse than that, I find I am attacking my loved ones (not physically lol, though I'd like to sometimes).... I snap and say mean things, then end up crying. Ugghhh.... Can't I please go back to the days before breast cancer when I had a real job (done) and I got dressed every morning and I knew what my mood was gonna be and I didn't have what feels like a hundred appointments a month with doctors.... I guess not. Again, thank you so much to all you very caring and helpful ladies. I wish only good things and good results for each of you and am sending loving and healing vibes...
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Renassus and SheChirpel,
Thank s so much for your replies. I am somewhat comforted. After reading the other posts I feel like a big whiny butt. I think from now on, I will just take some ibuprophen and thank God I am healthy and nearly finished with this process.
Bev, I am praying for you and crying with you. That just stinks! The indignities of this disease seem to keep coming. Do something nice just for you! You deserve it.
Gemmy0 -
Gemmy - You are a damned sweetheart and I mean that. Thank you.... I am going to do something for me. I'm going to go clothes shopping and get some really nice cami's which were a god send since the surgery, some had velcro down the middle and some you were able to put on feet first so you didn't have to deal with over the head..... the best thing was the pocket and the foam foob.... Until I can get the real thing (or really a fake thing that looks like a real thing lol), the foam in the cami looks great. Lucky for me my good breast is a saggy c so it's easy to put on a sports bra and make them look the same. Next week I'm going to my uncle's house in Windham NY. Love to see him except ----- he has a fabulous hot tub I'm not allowed in and a wonderful in groud pool I'm not allowed in because of the opened wound. Lucky me. It will be nice to visit at least
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Bev, I truly do know how you feel! I am also grateful to have a self-proclaimed stubborn PS--he was quite pleased that he was able to out-stubborn my reconstructed breast & I am sure yours will do the same for you. In my case, I had to leave the implant out & let my rads side heal for 2+ months. Everything is going well now. You'll get there, too.
Yay, Cmartin & Blessings! Glad to see you guys posting.
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Moon, when my drain came out post exchange, it continued draining for almost 2 weeks. I used surgical pads. Just popped them in under my bra. Then when it did heal, some fluid found its way out through a pinhole on my incision line. That took another week, but everything healed up really nice. Patience is the name of the game, and I'm still learning!
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Thx, momof3! It's leaking a lot less now, so a large bsndaid is working. It is just so hard to get to, in the back of my side almost to the back behind my elbow, not easy for me to reach with either arm. Ah well, everything else looks to be healing. Much love
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Good morning and happy Monday,
My dr appt is at 1:30p today. I also have a surgery date for exchange of the right TE - October 16th. That was the earliest date available! This is ok, I do have a lot of things coming up before then. This allows me to go ahead with those plans.
Anyone have experience with a leaky TE? Last night I was laying down in bed and the bottom compartment of my right TE looked and felt weird. It doesn't feel like the upper compartment that is filled to capacity. There is fluid in it but it doesn't look like it's projecting like it was nor does it feel like it's filled to capacity like it is supposed to. I'm hoping maybe something just shifted and it's not a big deal. We'll see what my PS says.
bevg - As long as my appointment goes well today, my October exchange date will be 16 months post BMX for me too. Hang in there, some of us are just lucky to take the scenic route through breast reconstruction...the extreme scenic route! Everyone here gets what you're feeling. (((hugs)))
Michelle
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Bc, my right side made noise, br PS wasn't worried. Oh well we shall see. Hope yours isn't anything.
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This morning was my first Post-Op visit with the PS. The good news: the incisions have stopped bleeding, and I'm off the Norco. The bad news: he frowned a lot when examining me.
I was filled with 133MV-16 TEs, 700cc capacity, filled to 620ccs. Got Allergan Natrelle Smooth Saline High Profile 68HP-700 implants, filled to exactly 700 ccs.
I found out that he did a HUGE amount of pocket work when he was in there - removed a ton of scar tissue from around the TEs, released the pectoral muscles at both the tops and bottoms (near the IMF) and did lateral capsulorraphies on both sides to bring the implants in from under my armpits.
Prior to surgery, I'd had a lot of loose skin at the IMF. He said it was because the muscle wasn't fully released there. Well, guess what I still have? Lots of loose skin at the IMF! I asked if the implant would drop into the fold, and he said he couldn't guarantee that the loose skin would fill in. I could tell this was frustrating him.
I also have a distinct crease in the right implant near the IMF. Whether or not this fills in, we won't know for a while.
I'm also really swollen on the left side - up to my collarbone - from swelling. He says that should go down.
Even though he used dissolving sutures and skin glue at exchange, there was a lot of dried blood on the right, and fresh blood on the left. After the Grand Unveiling and my first shower on Saturday, I put Xeriform strips over the incisions, then mini-pads inside my sports bra.
After the second shower, yesterday, I just used dry non-stick gauze pads along with the minipads. The bleeding has stopped. I did ask how long before I could take a bath, and he said that the sutures needed to be fully closed. Well, we all know how chancy that is, so I guess a bath isn't in my near future. (I'm still taking Cipro, an antibiotic.)
I am giving it 3 - 6 months before I even think about any revisions.
I just want to take the time to tell ALL of you ladies that I am so grateful for all of your stories. Technically, I didn't have "TE Trouble" in the sense that I had to have any removed prematurely.
But all along the way, I kept reading here, learning from each post. I knew what to watch out for, and the possibilities of how things could change overnight. I learned to be patient, and to listen to my body. I had to redefine what was "perfection" and what was "acceptable" and I think that in itself put me in a much better place today.
So thank you all again, from the bottom of my heart!!!!!
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BEVG: We can all relate! Hang in there. As far as your PS, these guys/girls are pretty tough cookies, they have seen a lot. If you are intent on sticking with your PS, next time you go in, ask him to bring your case before a peer review board. (That helped me close any doubts I had.)
BCAvenger, you are on the list! Let us know what your PS says today about your wonky TE.
BLESSINGS: I have seen that look you describe on my PS's face too... It is frustrating. Give this all a little time. We are on the slo-mo recon train over here, that's for sure.
OLGAH: Thinking of you and wondering how you are doing with your decisions re: future reconstruction. let us know.
FL ladies, hope Isaac is a gentleman and skips over you!
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Hey ladies! I'm home from bi-lateral incision repairs and feeling pretty good. Surgery was 1 hour, was under "local anestetic", I was knocked out.
PS removed unhealthy tissue and stitched healthy tissue and I got an added bonus...he removed the necrotic black tissue on my left nipple, ol' blackie ...yeah! He says there is a healthy small nipple and I have an option, make it bigger to match my regular large sized right one or make the right one smaller...decisions, decisons what's a girl to do? (- : I'm sporting a new black surgical bra and will see him tomorrow. I am very happy with today's procedure and feel back on track. 0 -
Glad it all went well for you Jill...
I'm laughing at two lines...... We are on the slow mo recon train
and we are definitely taking the scenic route through recon..... When I feel down, I will remember those two sentences and realize there is nothing wrong with taking a scenic route in slow motion ).... 0 -
Blessings - I'm sorry things didn't go perfectly for you, but you sound calm. What os next? I go in Thursday for the same operation, so I was eager to hear and searched for you. xxox0
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The scenic route is always "interesting". But so often interesting like the Chinese curse! LOL
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Avenger-there are a few of us here who leaked. That was actually my only problem with reconstruction, a TE that sprang a leak. For me it happened at the last fill, that must have been enough pressure to spring open a hole that my PS had made during a prior fill. How he explains what happened is that my TE was probably laying over itself and that during a fill he actually punctured it. Once I hit a certain volume the hole would open up and leak out until it had relieved enough pressure to close again. In my case it would leak out enough that reconstuciton would have not achieved desired results so I had to wait until I was done with chemo, get a new non leaky TE and refil it, and then have exchange. Like someone else mentioned evertything seems to revolve around 3 months, that is why a year an 3 month later I am still working on this. Just talked to the recommended PS since moving. She does not do tatoos, but referred me to a "spa" that does (for $125 since she is not affiliated with a dr). The "spa" wants me to wait 3 months (there it is again) from nipples until getting tatoos.
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Rennasus -
Oh, Kam - don't just go by my experience. There are wonderful stories out there of that immediate "ahhhhh" feeling after TEs are removed and implants inserted. And there are many ladies who are perfectly happy when their new squishies are revealed. They just aren't posting as much as those looking for answers and support.
I knew from the get-go that my case wouldn't be a slam-dunk. I had my BMX when I was just under 200 pounds, and there was no reason for my PS to think I was going to get any smaller any time soon. So he inserted the TEs that fit my body back then. But then I decided to lose weight, and suddenly, those TEs were HUGE on me. I stopped my fills early, but the pocket width had already been determined.
I knew early on that I had very loose, stretchy skin, and even more so after the weight loss. I was hoping that it could be smoothed out by the muscle-releasing procedure the PS described, but for some reason it didn't. And there's nothing to suggest that even if that did work, the skin wouldn't become loose again in the future.
If I were in my 20's or 30's - or even in my 40's - I may have wanted perfectly round, symmetrical, perky boobs immediately after exchange. But I'm 61, and my body has been through many changes lately. I've lost more than 50 pounds, and more than 63 total inches. I've managed to get through the whole TE process without some of the more severe challenges women have experienced.
I'm really quite satisfied with the outcome I got, and if I decide to have a little tweaking done in the future, I might. But for now, I'll just be happy and wait for the ol' Drop and Fluff.
I will be thinking about you on Thursday, and praying for a quick procedure, a successful outcome, and good healing for you!!!!
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Well, I'm back. There is a leak alright. The bottom portion of the TE was jsut abotu empty. It wasn't my imagination. She hooked up an iv bag to a syringe and filled me back up to capacity. Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww... I feel like someone ninja kicked me. Driving back was fun...not. It hurts. The plan is to see if their is a cancellation in the OR at my hospital and get me in much sooner than Oct 16th. And in the meantime, fill me back up to capacity each week to keep the cavity stretched out.
Fluff - My TE has an upper pole and lower pole compartment, a port in each. Luckily it was just the bottom. At my third fill, I told my dr that I could feel the expander was wrinkled up and it was hurting. That's when she put in 120ccs to fill that up to see if it would work. It worked. But now I'm wondering if it could have been punctured when I was getting those initial fills. I could swear that it was good Saturday. It wasn't until last night that I noticed I was alomst completely flat! Did it all of sudden decide it wanted to leak?
I'm taking the scenic route alright and it ends with another boob and Disneyland on the 20th! That means this temporary fix of filling me back up as I leak out and getting an earlier date for surgery that still allows me to go to Dland has go to work!
Michelle
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jill47 - Sorry for what you're going through and hope you heal up well. I'm past my healing troubles (hopefully), but I identify with your nipple dilemma. I too lost about 2/3 of one to necrosis so ended up with a very unmatched set. Have been waiting to see how much and what kind of sensation might return so I'm not rushing into anything yet. I will likely end up taking the unscathed one down rather than having any grafting done to the other side. Ugh...it never seems to end.
Best wishes!
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Thank you Tina, I'm going to get the opinion of my BS, I see her on a regular basis still; in addition to my PS's. I'm reluctant to mess with the good nipple because that was the cancer breast. I have time before exchange to make up my mind, I rather have matching nipples prior to exchange if at all possible, which I think it is. So far I've been treated very, very well by my BS and PS so their opinion holds a ton of weight. Yeah...you are not alone, others journeys seem to go on and on. thank you for your warm words and encouragement. hugs, jill
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Avenger happy to hear ps thinks that you wnt have to have the te replaced!
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Hi, Ladies.
I had a BMX last December and TEs put in. I was a full A or small B before and have filled over the course of April to August to 350cc. Just wanted to be the same as before. My problem is my arms. I get pain in my arm about the spot where the pectoral muscles attach to the humerus bone. I guess that kind of makes sense. I am 47. Was not overweight and prior to this worked out a fair amount -- so my muscles were in great shape. I would get the pain if I made unusual arm movements or reached behind me. But since the last fill in August, the pain has increased to the point that it hurts just doing normal movements. I can't more my arms more that 90 degrees straight out to the side. Can't put arms straight over head. Can't do lots of movements that I was able to do after the BMX.
I have read through some of the posts and don't see anyone talking about this (I confess, I stopped after about 7 pages). My PS didn't seem concerned. My impression from him, however, was that he doesn't get many complaints in this specific area. Have any of you had this type of pain? Did it go away after exchange?
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anneland - I had pain there after each surgery. It was the worst after the BMX. I worked very hard with a personal trainer and a physical therapist. My personal trainer is not just someone who took a couple classes to be certified as a trainer. He was pre-med and one of his degrees was in body mechanics. I say that because you don't want to go to someone who just has that after there name. You need someone who really understands how muscles work. He put me through some rigorous stretching to get full movement back. It wasn't without pain, the normal pain associated with seized up muscles. I would ask for a referral to a physical therapist who specializes in breast cancer patients and/or sports medicine. You'll probably have to go through your primary care for that. You don't say whether the pain is muscle or nerve pain. Either way, I would get a referral out to a professional so you know for sure.
I forgot, I've had exchange on my left side. I was expecting more of the same but I had almost no pain in that arm. Stretching it back out was not a big deal. In fact I had full range of motion within a week on that side.
Michelle
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Anneland - my surgeon referred me to a PT who specializes in working with women past breast surgery, and lymphedema prevention. It took several months of doing specific stretch 2-3 times a day, but I now have full movement of my arms back with no pain.
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3 months does seem to be the magic number. After my recent comlications, ending with loss of my implant on the right on 8/15, my PS says we will let my body heal for 3 months then revisit reconstruction options. At this point, I may want 6 months. But 3 is a good traget to revisit.
Hang in there ladies!
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A lot of you have had your implants or TEs removed due to all sorts of problems. Is it an option to try a different approach to reconstruction and do Diep or Lat flap instead of implants?
Hugs
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anneland - I echo the ladies recommendatons to seek out a PT - preferably someone who works with BC patients and/or is LE certified - sounds like it could be frozen shoulder. The exchange surgery is easier to come back from but I would recommend re-visiting with the PT after that surgery as well.
katarina - yes, some do go from TE/implant to autologous flap surgery. Have you visited the flap threads to talk to any of those ladies - they may have some insights for you.
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Michelle - Chin up, sister. You have been through so much, and I'm so sorry there's a leak in the bottom of your TE. Your attitude is fantastic. Get it fixed, and as quickly as possible. Good to hear that they can keep filling it to keep the skin stretched. Keep us posted. XOXO
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Hello everyone
I am almost there and about to have my final big surgery. My exchange to squishies! YAY! Some of you may remember me, I was the one who had that darn drain in forever! I ended up having it for over 4 mths. Crazy, right?
Finally, after 6 surgeries since 2010 and a whole year with these TE's I am ready to say good bye to them & hello squishies..
Renn, we have our exchange surgeries on the same day. The 5th of Sept.. They want me in there at 5:30 am! Geezz..
Take care all, and remember there is light at the end of this tunnel.
XOXO0
