TE TROUBLE
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I'm happy to read of so many ladies doing well. I must admit that I scared myself silly reading some of the posts here. I know the name of the thread is TE Trouble, which is very appropriate, but I want to let ladies who might be new to TEs that not all TEs are trouble. I've done very well with mine and can barely feel them at 6 weeks post op. I've had two fills of 60ccs each and never felt a thing.
The things can be trouble for sure, but not everyone has a bad experience. Those ladies just don't post here!
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fluff...what a GREAT idea... round makeup sponges. I need to get some asap
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LOL @ sombreros and hitchhiker thumbs!
I lived (almost) my entire life looking like I was standing in a 30 degree below zero weather system all my own so I'm thinking no nips for me - at least nothing that protrudes. I found a lotus flower tattoo that I really like so perhaps that's the route I will go; however, that route looks pretty distant right now.
I'm currently lopsided (one tissue expander was removed and then replaced) and still have one drain in on that side but I'm hoping, hoping, HOPING it will come out tomorrow. Ahhh, little pleasures - to be drainless for the first time since November 7th will be exquisite. This particular drain has a wider tube. It must be the troubled tissue expander model.
I think I started out with 50cc in each side (during surgery) and then 100cc on the first fill but that's when the infection set in so I'm not sure if there's any fluid in righty right now.
I'm still thinking about sombreros... that's a lotta hat!
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I have these garments -
http://www.maidenform.com/flexees/styles/body-briefers/flexees-dream-shapewear-wyob-romper-1856
I covered all possibilities, lol! Also wanted to have back-up for laundering, etc.
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I think the key is really firm control, although I am sure they are all different. My guy didn't think the spanx ones I bought had enough compression. They were more the smoothing type. That third one looks good for sure.
Even though I had to wear mine for six weeks, he eased up after my one month checkup on the type I could use.0 -
My little sombreros stay in place really well. I cut a hole in a small non stick gauze pad. Then place the sombrero over the pad and the nip, then top it with a 2nd non stick pad with a hole cut out in the middle. Then use paper tape above and below the hole. Bra goes over top of it all. Doesn't move an inch. The shields I have are also in Target (according to my PS's nurse) in the nursing section. Who knew?! LOL!
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Thanks SpecialK..!!!
I wrote a long reply before and lost it so I'm going to do chunks
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I agree... I like the third one!
I know I sound clueless... but why are we wearing these compression garments? to reduce the swelling or is it more than that?
oh and the nipple shields made from round makeup sponges... BRILLIANT!!!
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I'm wearing a double layer of spanx today. One high cut, the other mid cut. I need to find the third that specialK posted! that will be my goal for tomorrow!
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GM - I will ask the why question tomorrow at my post-op appointment. I got the Spanx at Dillards but I don't think they have stores where you are. You could certainly order online. Macy's appears to have a similar type of thing, actually with longer legs, different brand. Check out the online offerings.
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Green Monkey -
I had liposuction twice and had to wear compression garments both times. Looking back, I got kind of addicted to mine because the compression garment, in combination with a few doses of Lasix, really made the results all the better.
Years ago I used to go to a manicurist from Beirut who swore by compression garments/i.e. "girdles" and she said it was how she got her "girlish figure" back following pregnancy. If I recall correctly, she wore a girdle on a regular basis.
I also remember my grandmother having these scary looking girdles that looked like torture devices - complete with hanging gear/hook thingies for attaching hosiery (pre-pantyhose days). I think those old girdles of hers were RUBBER! Ack! Maybe they were sweating devices as well...
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LeeA, I guess this is our future and it does make sense - its like a bra for the torso.
The compression garment I was wearing for two days gave me BLISTERS on my thighs! UGH. my skin is so sensitive. It was caused by the rubber (stay put) band along the bottom area at the thighs. Today I went to Saks (we don't have a macy's etc) and got Spanx no# 3 that SpecialK listed. I LOVE IT (so far). Thank you SpecialK!
Someone mentioned wearing something underneat (Tshirt) and that's a good idea also. I might have to wear tights under my compression garment but then that means restriction in the waist which is uncomfortable... hmmm...
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Here is the answer to the why question - we have to wear compression because the liposuction canula makes tunnels through the fatty tissue but does not remove every bit of fat. If you don't compress the area where the liposuction was done the tunnels can fill with fluid and that has potential for seromas. I will be wearing compression for 8 weeks and cannot exercise, other than walking or non-core exercise, during that time. Bummer...
GM - glad you found the right Spanx! Yay!
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Yep SpecialK, no exercise for me either other than walking when he did the major lipo. Mine was six weeks and then he told me I could slowly s tart back.
Here is a link with a lot of detailed info on the why of compression garments.
http://www.liposuction.com/elastic-garments.html0 -
Her are a couple of other links . Te first is docs giving their opinions and they are all different, lol.
http://www.realself.com/question/after-liposuction-compression-garments-spanx
http://www.drelizabethmorgan.com/2012/04/must-i-wear-my-compression-garment-after-liposuction/0 -
Hey ladies, jumping in here. Sorry, have not had a chance to read back through all 175 pgs to see if anyone has had my issue. Not good with all the acronyms either so bear with me.
Diagnosed IBC last Dec. which meant 16 wks chemo, with most perfect results. Left side mod. rad mas. in May woke up with a skin sparing that I wasn't expecting, with immediate TE filled to 650cc of 750cc, which was expected just not that big. Healed just fine, got busy camping, landscaping etc. Radiation 7wk 5x week July/August. Great till last two weeks when I swelled to YOWCH, and patch of open watermelon skin under arm and strip under boob. End of radiation took out 60cc to relieve pressure. Relief lasted a week but skin healed.
Bubba boob stayed and we waited for it to go down. Finally on 6th of Dec. went in for more saline removal, but PS took out 240cc of dark red "old blood" he called it, from around TE. Thought it might have been from snowboard crash at Thanksgiving, even though I told him it had been like that since August. Coud breathe and sleep for three days and then started back re-filling. Went in 18th and he took out 250cc of same dark stuff. Did blood test, white blood count aok, and SED rate ok too. Cultures came back from fluid test negative for infection and cancer cells, (with high concentration of blood, duh!)
What the H--- is going on? He's stumped, thinks my body is just liquifying left behind hematoma. I think I sprung a leak under my armpit where it pings regularly and it's "old blood" cause it's usually a month or longer sitting there. By the way Tuesday's drain session,it's Friday and IT'S BACK.
Help, anybody else with any similar experiences?
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SpecialK and fluffqueen - THANK YOU for the info! Without sounding like a total wack job, I am pretty sure I already have a "pocket of liquid" in my stomach area. It's like a round buldge and if I push on it, I can feel liquid something move around. It's about the size of a .... lime. I guess I'll point it out to my PS when I see her on 1/3/13.
I still have so much pain when I get up - especially in the mornings after a night of lying semi flat.
snobord - sorry, I have never heard of this. "bubbha boob" what a great visual! Hope they find an answer for you!
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fluffqueen - the open drain tecnique seems like the way to go (but messy for sure). This also explains what happened to me in the hospital. I was leaking what I thought was blood - and a LOT of it. But now I see what it really was "blood-tinged tumescent solution"
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Green....with my first lipo, I came home, had a nap to sleep off anesthesia effects. Later that night I got up and my pad and garment were wet. It was reddish. I freaked. Pulled garment up over ab area. And then it was running out like crazy from the open incisions and the pressure of the garment above my abs.
I slapped on a a maxi pad as it was the thickest thing I could find. Hooked everything back up, started to text my ps that I thought I was bleeding to death, but decided to do a little research first. Learned what you did p. the tumescent solution.
Decided to give it a day. By the next day, all was well. I think we actually want it to drain, it is just messy.0 -
Fluffqueen - if we knew that we wouldn't have freaked. Even my nurses didn't know and it was something to watch them freak. My leaking stopped by the second day.
EVERYONE... I've started a new thread so that we can post what we've learned through all our reconstruction. I think it will be very helpful to people at the beginning of all this. If you'd like to join in the linke is called Now That The Drugs Have Worn Off - its under the reconstruction section. The link is here:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/797950?page=1#idx_2
Renn, I feel like I've high jacked your TE trouble Topic talking about my nipples and fat grafting and now this. Thank s for giving me the space to vent. You're the best!
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GM: LOL! No worries. Reading about your Lipo troubles has given me a better understanding of that process, so thatnk YOU! I will bookmark your new thread.
Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to all who find themselves in TE Troubleland — and to all that are trouble-free!
xoxo
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May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow. I wish all of you lots of love, joy and happiness. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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I wish everyone a Happy New Year, filled with GOOD HEALTH, happiness and prosperity.
I can't wait to get rid of the "sombrero" nip shields tomorrow! YIPPEE! Three weeks already:) Still have stitches since my PS is out of town, but everything is healed up, and I see her on 1/4. Nips are still off - left is pointing a bit up, and right is perfect. She said an easy "clip" to line up the scars and nips after a YEAR and all with be perfect. Oh the patience we have learned - lol, I'm not even worried about it.
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I'm officially resigning from TE Trouble. My TE's are gone. My permenent implant failed. After a year of this, I am moving on. I have scheduled DIEP for May 24, 2013.
I will leave this thread on my favorites, and visit often. But, I likely will not be posting (much). I wish you all good luck, good health and good results!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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shechirple, Time to move on indeed! I am sorry the implants failed but DIEP sounds like its the right way to go. I was originally so against the idea of it but now, after living with implants I get it! I wish you all the best.
momo, so glad youre healing! I'm two weeks out and mine are also healing. They've flattened a bit but thats a good thing - they were WAY too big. I'm trying not to focus on them too much but I noticed my PS positioned them by measuring my BMX scar instead of my chest wall so righty is over a bit too far on the right. OH WELL, nothing on my is even so why should my nipples be any different
WISHING ALL OF YOU A WONDERFUL 2013!!! xoxo
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Green, I suspect that if we were to look at our original nipples, they were probably not perfect either, lol. I'm with you, why should these be any different!
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snobordkymom I sorta have had a similiar problem. Like you I had chemo followed by radiation. I had my skin conserving surgery last September. So my tissue expanders were filled to the size I wanted before radiation. But in order to do radiation my radiation oncologist wanted some saline taken out of my TE's to lessen the chance of radiation hitting vital organs. So I needed to be refilled again this summer. Everything was fine for my first refill. But at my second refill I had the same thing as you. When my PA went to fill some old 'dark blood' came out. I had fallen on that side previously. Each time I went for a refill I had old 'dark blood' on the withdraw. My surgeon wasn't too concerned. When I went for my exchange surgery it turned out my TE with the 'old blood' was leaking. So I had a new TE put in my left side and a silicone gel implant on the right. But to add to my fun I developed a moderate staph infection with my new TE. I had a JP drain after my surgery that got very sore and irritated. So I had emergency surgery to take out my tissue expander. Right now I don't have anything on my left side.
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I have a question. Has anyone here had a staph infection beside me? If you have, how long did it take it to heal? My PS and an infectious disease doctor where I go didn't want to give me an antiobiotic. They want to be cautious and let my body heal itself.
Everyone have a nice weekend.
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Happy New Year to everyone here. You're all a bunch of really cool gals. A little about my story though I have no TE's at the moment and have a momentous decision to make. On June 7, 2012, I had an MX of the right breast, a TE was put in and I couldn't believe how easy it all went. I was supposed to see PS the following week after hospital for my first fill. OK, well 6 days after I got out, I started feeling strange and within 10 minutes my chest was so swollen I felt it pressing on my clavical bone, it turned purple and blood was pouring out of my drains and scar. PS said rush to hospital and meet him. I was so messed up, in pain, blood pressure down to 80/50... Anyway, he rushed me into emergency surgery, said I had a hematoma and they removed 1,000 cc's of blood plus 700 more after surgery. So I was in the hospital and 3 days later, started swelling up and bleeding out again, another surgery. He had of course removed my TE during the first surgery. Fast forward to 7 monhts later.... He says if I chose to do nothing, he will do a minor surgery to clean up my scar. After 3 surgeries in 11 days there is all sorts of lumps and bumps and big fat deposits. He says that can be fixed. On the other hand, he says because I'm off the medication they suspect caused my problems (Plavix) he can still do recon. However, because of the surgeries, it would be latisimus whatever it's called, fro the back tunneled to the front. I want it and yet, once I decide I might, the fear becomes overwhelming and I think I'd be better with a mastectomy bra and a prosthesis.... It's all I think about. Oh, I forgot, after the hematoma that almost killed me (I needed 11 units of blood, 2 units of platelets and 1 of plasma to get through it) once I was home, I woke up and my entire scar had opened up.. every single stitch... So he said it had to now heal naturally from the inside out and it took 6 months for that to happen. I'm 63, with diabetes, overweight. I'm not gonna be breast feeding, wearing bikinis and my husband doesn't care, in fact, he doesn't want me to have more major surgery and the lattisimus seems way more extreme than the original TE surgery. Has anyone been through this much? I see people with multiple failures and they still go back and try again. Why am I too scared? I wish I k new the answer.
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oh my gosh Bev... that was tough to read. What an ordeal you went through! I must say, I think I'd be gun shy about another surgery if I were in your shoes. And the very least, I'd get a second or third opinion and give yourself time to think about it. There certainly is no rush. I love that your husband doesn't want you to have another major surgery. I like the sound of having your current PS clean up the bumps and all - give you a nice clean palette. Best of luck to YOU and thank you for sharing your story.
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