TE TROUBLE
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SpecialK: Hope you're feeling better!
I am 5'8" and 150lbs. My implants (which of course I no longer own lol) were 700cc. I really liked the shape and size of them, but they were NOT that big. MAYBE a small C, if that. I always wonder if my skin could have made it had I had TEs put in instead? or smaller implants? But it is what it is....
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special K - I hate those UTIs!. Hope you're feeling better.
DLL66 - Thinking of you today getting your surgery. So good to see people moving forward and getting better. Will be sending good energy your way.
I scheduled a 2nd opinion with a new PS for mid October, around the same time I'll be seeing old PS for follow up post TE removal. Things seem to be healing fine except lots of fluid (seroma, I guess) in the area where the TE was. Oncologist told me to watch for redness/fever but otherwise I guess it will eventually dissapate. I knew there's been some discussion here about this so I am going to read back through this thread.
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Jane-there is a whole lot of fluid discussion here. I luckily never had excess fluid, I only lost fluid...
DLL66- Good luck on the surgery! I hope it isn't oo hard on you!
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DLL - all the best with the surgery. Hope your recovery goes well.
Went for a fill today. Only had 30ccs put in each side so it's not hurting this time, but man do I feel huge and tight. I negotiated a deal with the PS to only do 2 more fills at 30ccs each, so I'll finish at 480 and she'll still do an implant of around 400. We chatted for a while today about different implants and she said she'd order in a few different types. They use sizers (one time use per implant type/size) at the exchange surgery to figure out which style/size looks best. It was the first time I actually felt excited about getting implants
She also said that I was her first non-radiated patient that had to have a TE removed….guess I'm special.Chick - are you a teacher?
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Mich-I am a teacher wanna be. I career switched from engineering through a 3 year program where I ended up with Masters and a middle school certificate in math and science. Last year I didn't find a job (state of IL's education system a mess) so I subbed a lot and got a 9 week maternity leave. This year no job either (none out there and the whole BC thing) so subbing again and hoping to land one of 3 maternity leaves at the same time at the school I did the one in last year.
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oh and Mich...not fair that you get to stop at 480!
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Chickadee - too bad you didn't decide to go to Captiva Island for your vacation. I am about 30 minutes from there.
I never feel any discomfort when I go for a fill and the PS just puts one of those little round bandages on the site. But I still have absolutely no feeling in them, guess I never will. It will be nice when I get the exchange and I don't have these rocks on my chest.
The only way I can describe it is wearing a much too tight bra and then putting lots of stones in it!
Question: do any of you ladies with TE's have cleavage? I could probably wear a shirt cut down to my navel and there wouldn't be any noticeable cleavage. I don't know if they are too far apart or what and one side looks like my foob is growing from under my armpit.
I didn't realize that TE's came in different widths. While I was a D cup before BMX I am 5'1" and 140 right now with a short waist and long legs (for my height). Like SpecialK I don't want to look matronly but I don't want to look like a porn star either. My PS just tells me to try on bras to see what size I am but I don't know what to tell him I want. I'm thinking a large C but how do I interpret that to the PS?
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Just lost my post…now I'm ticked.
Chick - I'm in Canada (Ontario) and have heard that it's really tough here to get permanent teaching positions. It's not unusual for folks to get subbing in contracts for years before they finally get offered a full time position at a school. For you, I can imagine that the whole BC thing has just complicated things that much more. Good luck with your job hunt. And yes, good for me re 480ccs! The problem is my PS will probably forget she said that when I see her in 2 weeks, but I'll definitely remind her!
Chill - Totally agree about your description re lots of stones! Yes I do have cleavage, although one TE is perfectly centred and one is a bit closer to my arm pit area. Yes TEs come in different widths as do implants. What size TE are you at now?
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Chick-I am 5'9 and 150! I want to lose ten more pounds (have lost 30 since diagnosis), but it freaks out the oncologist and my doctor.
My PS ideally goes over by one fill, but I think we are both so paranoid that something can go wrong he may let me go less since it is a small amount. I see him again on the 4th and may tell him to fill to 400 just to be safe, but he is really good so I trust him. And full B, small c is exactly what I want.
Also, our trip to Dunns Falls was two hours from our place also, and we took a taxi min-van...over dirt roads...saw a naked old lady walking along the side of the road with a basket on her head...goats roaming the road...cardboard boxes for houses. It was sad. At the falls, the kids took off up the falls ahead of us and out of sight. All of a sudden, amongst a crowd of tourists, we hear a blood curdling scream, which I know is my daughter. All the Jamaican tour guys go scrambling up the slippery falls. I expect to see my daughter come hurtling by down the waterfall.
Instead, as we get over the rocks, we see her standing at the top of a rock, and there is a large lobster/crawdad at the bottom of the rock hanging on for dear life. My niece, son and nephew are laughing hysterically. The Jamaican guys are annoyed and the four adults pause to recover from the heart attack we thought we were going to have. It is a good thing she is really cute because she charmed them into getting rid of the crustracean and then they all stayed with the girls the rest of the trip up.
Well, off to the showers and dinner with friends. A margarita is calling my name! I know....no alcohol. I limit it to less than two a week. With my glass of red wine last night, I am done for this week, I guess. Bummer for me.
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I had my TE placed in April and the last fill was in July. I started back running a few weeks ago because I need to drop a few pounds before my exchange in October. Last night I woke up with lots of pain and swelling in my foobs. Should I be worried or could it just be the exercise. I wore a really good sports bra but I am so uncomfortable today. I thought it would be okay since I have had them for so long. Has anyone else experienced this???
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DLL66 - Yay for tomorrow! How weird is it that I am happy you are having surgery?
Chick - strangely I am shortwaisted so my height, what there is of it, is in my legs. I wear petite from the waist up and regular from the waist down!
Mich_M - I have talked to whippetmom - she advised a wait and see on size based on my stats, because of the skin issues. She advised going slow on fills and being aware of how the skin is tolerating. She wants me to contact her down the road after we see how things are going. I talked to PS today, since we had time on our hands, and he is not too worried about the skin, so...
All - thanks for the good wishes! Went all the way to the PS but when I told him about having a UTI he said no fills today! I need to be on antibiotics for at least 5 days before he wants to fill - and he was going to do both today!!! Oh well, next Tuesday will be soon enough - better safe than sorry with an infection. Would that be a UTI of the breast?
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chil-We were worried if we hit a cold snap the kids would be miserable. But we put it on our places to visit sometime. Re cleavage-none here, not any that I can move at least. He is going to try and get the implants closer together.
Mich-thanks for the luck. My first day back subbing a little girl I actually had 2 yrs ago when I was student teaching asked me if my hair fell out because I had cancer. They were 2nd graders and I think I freaked them out a little.
Fluff- I want to lose another 7 and be about 135. Why are your doctors worried? Too much too fast? Your Jamaica story cracked me up! Our travel agent said to make sure 1 electronic device doesn't go dead on the plane to entertain the kids on the ride to the hotel. Now I am thinking we will need it so they don't see naked ladies...
Emerson-I don't run I walk. Wish I could help with your question. There are a few here that do run so maybe someone can help you out.
Fill #3 on the new TE tomorrow. I have 150 left to go...do I shove it into 2 x 75 and be uncomfortable or 3 x 50? Oh the decisions...I think my PS is getting sick of seeing me
Oh and today I get a call from LG wanted to know if I got my dryer fixed. I said yes, my husband fixed it no thanks to you and your sorry customer service.
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Emerson - I'm not a runner but seems strange that if you started running a few weeks back (and felt good) that you would suddenly be sore from it last night….I hope it's nothing, and that you feel better tomorrow.
SpecialK - sorry to hear that you weren't able to get a fill today.But I guess a few days or a week longer won't matter in the big scheme of things.
chick - You'll know how much you can tolerate. Just don't let your decision be influenced by thinking that your PS is tired of seeing you. If you need more fills with smaller fill amounts, so be it. Better to be comfortable than in pain.
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Mich_M - Not disappointed, just glad I said something to PS, all I need is an infection in the TE's at this point!
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Chil-I think it is really hard to tell the bra size and everyone says not to measure your bra size by the way the implant looks...they are often very different based on the expander. Since I had to have my expander removed, I just tried them on in a large B bra until it looked like I wanted it to look, and showed him. When he put them back in, he used a narrower width and they feel sooo much better. They are not in my armpits. I have pretty good cleavage. Went to a CABI clothes party tonight with people who mostly didn't know about my BC. One lady told me I had a great chest in one of the lower cut shirts I tried on. The people who knew got this stricken look on their face, but I told her I thought for my age they looked good too and dropped it. It was nice to have a compliment about my rack!
Chick-I haven't asked since I ended chemo, but I know on chemo, they didn't want any changes. They said they liked it to stay the same. Don't know if that had something to do with side effects or what.
Emerson-congrats to you on running. I tried it and mine aren't even big, but it just was weird. Felt like rocks with no give. I just walk or do the elliptical. I am not sure about the pain part. IIt seems possible. Maybe give it a day?
Exactly one month to exchange and I have a trip to Hilton Head built in there....it is going to fly by! Can't wait!
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Emerson, do you have redness along with the swelling? I agree it doesn't *sound* like it's the running if you have been running now for a couple of weeks. Maybe it's heat-related? Was this a new sports bra?
I would call your PS's office tomorrow and let them know what's happening. They may want to see you. Better safe than sorry.
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I never asked what size TE's I had. :.(
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Thanks for the well wishes! I feel good about tomorrow's surgery.
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Good luck DLL66. Will be sending warm fuzzy thoughts to you tom. Let us know ASAP how your doing.
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Hey there. From what I hear from my plastics team the expanders can actually move around some. Especially if there was a cavity that is large to fill (meaning they took a lot of tissue to be safe for you). I am totally with you on the drains. I have had mine in a month (but that is bcse I have an underlying inflamatory issue only). But my team says the average is absolutely less than 2 weeks. And every person i know seems to have had them in a short time too. I've never heard of anyone with tissue expanders forever. So we have to get free soon! I hope you feel better soon.
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chiluvr you made me chuckle. I agree. I went upstairs the other night to take off my bra (as I often did at the end of the day) and realized I couldn't take my foob (well TE foobs) off! It still feels like a tight bra. lols.
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Heidenia-I've done that so many times. Want to let the girls breath then realize they aren't my old girls.
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Good visit at the PS today. He agrees with me that I am not insane and that the newie is possibly projecting more then the oldie. Told me to not be paranoid (is he reading my posts!!) that is was not leaking. It is probably a factor or placement or the fact that oldie is my cancerous side and they might have removed more skin/tissue on that side. So now he wants to expand oldie next week along with newie. Talked again about implant size and learned something interesting, anyone else had this conversation....He does not like to talk in cc's or bra size. He just wanted me to tell him expanded what I liked. Which I did at about 400cc. He said at swap he will order multiple implants from 400cc to 500cc, high profile and medium profile, and he (along with the murses) will keep trying until he feels he has the size and projection I was hoping for. He said he will not be surprised if I actually end up with a upper 400cc implant. That is his reason for over expanding. So he has wiggle room to get me to the size implant I want without the skin snapping back too tight. Does all this make sense to you...because it does to me and really helps me understand why he does what he does. So I only got 60cc today and it was tight so I told him to stop. Looks like 2 more fills.
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Doesn't it just blow your mind, that your customizing your boobs, like you were ordering a car of something. Crack me up.
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chick - totally makes sense. My PS is the same way, wants feedback more from the look rather than numbers. Then brings options into the OR - kind of funny to picture a committee of people voting during surgery on how different sizes look! Oh well, this is the world we BC girls live in!
Here is my new dilemma. Got a call from the urgent care re: the urine culture they did after I went in for the UTI. They gave me Bactrim same night but now the culture results indicate the bacteria strain is resistant to Bactrim. I am allergic to many antibiotics so I had them fax me the culture report. I faxed it to the MO. He called in a med to the pharmacy. MO's nurse called me back to tell me that but he clearly didn't read the culture report because the drug he called in is also not going to work!!! So now I called my PCM at the military base - technically they have 72 hours to call me back (why does this always happen on Friday? - It is 72 business hours) but the guy on the other end of the phone was going to try to stat the request. Some of the drugs that will work are by IV only - or are in the class of ones that I am allergic to! Argggh!
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Ugh SpecialK -- so sorry {{{hug}}}
So yesterday I worked from home and was sitting in front of my PC, talking to my son, when I noticed that the whole right side of my T-shirt was damp - the whole thing, above and below the boobette... so I freaked a little, thinking there is nothing left to leak, since the TE (which never received a fill anyway) had been removed months before... so I went into the bathroom and discovered my foob that I had stuck in my bra had sprung a leak... oh my gosh... I did get a laugh...
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just_v - OMG - even your pretend one is leaking!!! What the heck? I LOL'ed at that! And I needed a laugh as I wait for the doctor to call me back, and wait, and wait... And they may not call back until next week, because they have 72 hours. I hate being at the mercy of the system and not medicating the problem.
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SpecialK - I'm sure you're frustrated waiting to find an antibiotic that you can tolerate and that will work! I think I mentioned a while back that this year I've had reactions to 2 antibiotics (vanco and keflex), so I pray everyday that I don't get another infection. Have you been allergy tested? There's apparently only 1 Dr in my City that does medication allergy testing, so my appt with him isn't till Sept 2012….long, long time.
Just_V….how weird is that?? What's your prosthesis made of? Mine was a silicone gel of some sort and I didn't think they could leak.
Chil - were you not given a card after TE surgery that identifies the manufacturer and TE size?
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SpecialK - sorry about the UTI - I cannot take Keflex and something I was given recently for a breast infection caused me to feel like I had a volcano erupting in my esophagus. It's scary when you need to take antibiotics but are afraid to take them. When we lived in N.C. our medical care was done at the Air Force base. Man I hated them!
Just_V did you poke your portable foob with something? That is too funny. Well, I'm sure it isn't to you.
Mich_M - I was never given any card, guess my PS figures they wouldn't be in long enough?? I'll have to ask him next time I go. I got my next to the last fill today and I told him I didn't want them to look so wide when I get my real foobs (now is that a ridiculous comment - real foobs?).
Didn't fill out a C bra this morning but haven't checked since this latest fill. I don't want to go up as big as I was but I want them big enough where people go "damn - what a fine set of boobs that woman has"!
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DAWN "Doesn't it just blow your mind, that your customizing your boobs, like you were ordering a car of something. Crack me up."
Dawn - we'd better get something good out of this mess. The irony is for years I've been saying how I would love to get a boob job or a boob lift. However, this isn't what I had in mind!
Fluff - I don't know whether to cry about your story in Jamaica (the naked old lady) or laugh at your daughter's antics.
My PS filled the TE's during surgery to, I think he said 250. I've had 5 fills at 50 cc's a pop so I guess that means I'm filled to 500 (see how well I did that math...). Does that sound right? Maybe it wasn't 250. They looked like sad hamburger buns after surgery and I'm not 100% sure he said 250.
I just need to bring him a picture of some topless women and point out the one I want. I like Deborah Salvaggio's boobs. She is a model with perfect breasts. But then the rest of her is very thin. Her boobs on my zaftig body probably won't look the same.
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