TE TROUBLE
Comments
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Roadwarrior did you ever have implants placed
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Chrisrenee - No, I have not gotten to implants yet. I had 2 TEs placed after my mastectomy in May, and the left TE was removed in July. I'm now waiting for my PS to schedule surgery to replace the TE.
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I have given up on TE and implants. I am going ahead with DIEP.
The TE's were done and on to exchange when my trouble started. Left infection healed. Right seroma did not. Implant removed. At my PS appt he says DIEP is a better option, due to thin skin, two incision repairs and ultimately losing the implant. To replace implant I would have to have another TE implanted, expansions again, then another exchange. Too much, too long, and too risky. He doesn't feel another implant will be successful.
Besides, after my weight loss, it will be a plus to have my tummy tuck done and over with at the same time.
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So for those ladies whose ps saying that the body sometimes doesn't accept a foreign body like a TE, does that mean implants will never be for you? My incision kept on opening , and it was either cuz of foreign body or badly radiated skin that just hadn't healed.
I've had 4 failed diep (blood clotting issues in new vessels) and 2 failed diep, so what happens next for me?
Au de naturale ????0 -
Redninrah - my PS said even if the TE didn't "adapt" the first time doesn't mean it won't at all. My right TE healed just fine and it was the cancer side, so go figure. I almost feel like it was too much trauma to the body all at once - there are some doctors now who won't do mastectomy and TEs in one step.
So much of this is trial and error unfortunately. I'm trying the TE again.0 -
I did have mine in one step.....it did fail....I was very sick......I knew then and there I would never attempt this again ..... looking back I wish I had waited after the Mastectomy.....and let my body rest......Liz
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red, I was finally successful with an implant & lat flap after rads. On my rads side my skin opened up twice even with the lat flap. The second time was when my PS removed the implant & left it out for 2+ months. For me, that was enough time for the radiated side to settle down. My PS removed some of the problematic skin & pulled my lat flap over for better coverage in the problem area & everything worked out beautifully after that.
SheChirple, best of luck! Do you have a surgery date?
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Sandcastle - same here, I would have waited after mastectomy and chemo if I knew what I know now.
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The problem being when you get this news we are in such an emotional state.....of course we are caught up in what we will look like......I did adjust really quick to going breastFree.......I think because I just feel that I am beautiful!! It all depends on ones's journey.......Liz
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Breast free is beautiful. It can be.
Reconstruction can be successful.
Either way, the journey SUCKS!
Hang in there ladies, hang in there.
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Hi all
I had my drain removed and i got to look at my incision with the implant gone..... holy shit, I look deformed. My chest is like concave, I was told because the implant pressed on the chest wall. They told me to massage it in a about a week. and it will fill out somewhat.....
I guess I have to get used to the new me................
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I, have to tell you that after they removed my implant I could not see my tatoo...which was a big thing for me and if he could I wanted my BS to leave it there...it not OH, WELL! but he was able to leave it......it did look good with the implant but after it was removed away it went....it did take weeks or maybe a month and one morning there it was....standing tall...the good thing is that being a PS did this I have a beautiful scar...or almost no scar.....time will tell for you....I know you feel more comfortable with it out ...... Liz
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hi ladies
ive jumped in and out of this thread a few times before...interesting about the TE's and mastectomy all at once. Thats exactly what i did, i think (i know actually) it was way too much for my body. I am still so uncomfortable with these bricks - 6 weeks almost post op. I have contacted my surgeon about removal. I am walking hunched over, i feel like i cant breath properly and doing simple chores tires me out. Can't do it, i am throwing in the towel and will maybe try going direct to implant with alloderm but not for awhile - my body desperately needs a break
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OK my Tampa girls, start watching Bay News 9. They are headed to my house now to do an interview about the Baycare/United Healthcare dispute. My nip surgery is scheduled for Dec. 6th, but if they can't come to an agreement by Monday, we can't use Baycare anymore, and that's where the hospital is where all of my surgeries have been done.
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momof3 - you are famous! Will tune in right now!
I lost my TE on the non-cancer side about 3 months after placement at BMX and after 3 surgeries to try to keep it - I never had an infection but did have a lot of necrosis and skin healing issues. My PS also said that my body appeared to be irritated and rejecting the foreign body. I went on to chemo and about 6 weeks afterward successfully had the TE placed again and went on to fills and exchange with no problems. My skin healed without issue and I did fills very slowly - 25 ccs at a time. It has been the better part of a year since exchange and everything looks fine. I sympathize with those of you still stuck in this situation - I went 7 months with nothing on the left and endured a lot of extra surgery. It is hard to make decisions at the beginning and so frustrating when things don't go as planned. This whole experience seems to require constant readjustment of attitude and mindset - it is so hard. Sending you ladies strength to continue with whatever choices you make.
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Special K, it will be on the 10:00 news tonight
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I will watch for sure!
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Just realized that I can't see the broadcast because I don't have BrightHouse - so I looked it up online! I hope they get this settled - what a PITA!
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I hope I read the correct article! I agree, I hope everything comes to an agreement before your surgery date. I really hate insurance companies. I had issues with mine at first (uhc as well), but after I put the "bitch" in all my conversations and the SR VP of HR for my company, I haven't had any issues with it.
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I have united health care also, and so far, we have had no problems. They have ok'd everything. I have actually been a little surprised by it.
As I look back, with my infection and issues, I was going through chemo at the same time. I think my body just couldn't take are of everything, although my counts were never bad. I try to think if I would have still done immediate reconstruction if I knew what was going to happen, and I think I probably would have. After the te's were removed, I was not comfortable with how it all looked and I didn't like wearing the stuffing or my silicone foobs. They looked fine, no issue with that, but they just never felt comfortable against my skin. I suppose it could have been due to the recent surgery and my skin was just sensitive, and it was a miserably hot summer.
My PS did say if the second set had failed, we would have done something different. I know I would then have traveled to do the full fat grafting implants.
The DIEP has always worried me because heart disease runs in my family and, as I understand it, with the micro stuff they have to do, if you were to need a cardiac cath, they have to find a different way to do it, as they use one of the arteries to attach? Not sure I am exactly right as it has been a long time since I researched it all. I did talk with my ps about it and he confirmed that it is a little trickier. If you have a strong stomache, you can search on YouTube and there is a long video of docs at Beth Israel doing the procedure. It is pretty cool although I couldn't watch it all. Lol...there is a reason I am not a nurse.0 -
momof3, I am crossing fingers for you that things get resolved before your procedure.
rozem, the TEs are just temporary---do you know how far off your exchange is? Going direct to implant is not always possible. Did your PS say s/he could do that for you? You've had a really big surgery & I am not surprised that you are worn out from simple chores.
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dll66 im quite a ways from exchange..havent even had a fill yet due to pain. I am at about 120ccs and need to get to 450ccs or so. So at 60 every other week we are looking at a few months then 3 to exchange - so 5-6 months at minimum. I did ask about direct to implant and he said i couldnt do it on the radiated side but i am trying to convince him too b/c i did have the lat flap which does provide additional support. I am feeling better, still feel heavy and tight but will attempt a fill next week. Some women have told me it felt better after a few fills..hope so
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rozem - if you are not having to travel too far to the PS you might want to consider 25cc fills weekly instead of 60cc fills every other week. I had healing issues on the left and I could not handle more than 25cc at a time. I did have a 50cc fill only once and had pain - so went back to 25cc and had no problems. It took longer to get to where I needed to be for exchange but I was never so uncomfortable that I needed to medicate.
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thanks SK ! i will ask him about that....i honestly did not think this process would have so many challenges. I've talked to 3 ladies here at home who had expanders and barely had any issues with pain or any healing problems. I guess they are the lucky ones. I seem to fall outside the curve on this one
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Specialk that's good advice about the fills. I was getting 60 cc every other week because of travel. But now with my problem side when I get a new TE I'm going to get 25cc every week. I don't want to take any chances and have this happen again.
redninrah I'm all concaved in too. I have one perky one and then the 'strange' one. LOL.
momof3 I hope everything works out with your insurance company. When I look at the bills and see what mine has paid already I get a little worried. I've called them and asked if there's a limit on what they pay for a certain health problem. They assured me there's no limit. But still you worry about them.
I don't really want DIEP surgery. I already have a hysterectomy scar and don't want another one. So smaller is how I'm going to go.
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rozem, I had rads on one side & I have bilateral lat flaps. I have implants on both sides now & even though we overexpanded the rads side & I have a slightly larger implant on my rads side, that side is still tighter than than the non-rads side. That might be the issue for you as well; even with a lat flap the tissue on the rads side is tighter & needs to go through the expansion process. Hoping that your pain lessens soon!
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Rozem, does your PS make you wait three months after you are done with fills? That seems odd. Mine was just a couple weeks after my last fill, so it was a total of three months for fills and then a few weeks to surgery.
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yup, he said 3 months after my last fill which is why i am so discouraged at this point...i can maybe get through the fills but then 3 months of waiting after that? ugghh i don't know if i can do it. I will ask at my appt this week if he can shorten that time
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Rozem,
I had to wait 3 months after my fills were done for an exchange....
T
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It's Kat again. I noticed before I took my bath, the left expander looked flush(like it is blushing) and is warmer than I am. I don't have a fever but I am out of breath so much that my DH is driving me to my standing appt. with GP. The last two nights I have been afraid to go to sleep but managed to get 4 hours. GP put me on Keeflex 3 weeks ago thinking I had a sinus infection. Advil does help the swelling but I am still having issues with nose clotting and bleeding. We have purchased a standing humifier to see if that will address the issue. I live in Michigan and the cold has never ever bothered me but it does now.
Can I have a problem with the expander itself? I have an appt. to see PS and am so tempted to schedule these expanders out.(not wanting surgery during chemo). When you see the PS, she is always reassuring but this left one is so different than the right one. Just don't know what to do. If PS suggest removing it(then the other one will come out again) how long can the MO delay Chem. This will be my 4th round and he wants to do 6(ugh ugh).
I feel like a deer with blinders on. PRMA has been in touch and if we can swing it with all the cost involved. That won't happen until early Fall.
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