TE TROUBLE
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Momof3~ Have so much fun in Vegas! You deserve it so pamper yourself in one of those fancy spas and have a wonderful time. Do you need a chaperone?
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Special K - Yes, the guy in Oldsmar. I see PS on Friday morning and will have lots of info about him after that appt.
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Glad to hear from everyone. What great community. I had another fill today. She is taking it slow, 30 cc per expander. So far so good. Redness went away and it doesn't appear swollen. I go back in two weeks and she is going to try 60 cc on each side. What have you girls experienced with the fills? It just seems like it is taking forever. Is 30 cc normal for weekly fills?
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kathy - I did 25cc per side weekly, and that was fine with me. I did one 50cc fill and did not like it, so dropped back down to 25cc. I lost the left side TE to skin healing issues, not infection, so both the PS and I were wanting to be cautious. It did take a while for the fills to reach the desired size for exchange, but I did not have to wait for 2-3 months to do the exchange because I had expanded so slowly. I think it is more common to do larger fills but I also think that ladies have more pain and muscle spasm than I experienced, then have to wait for exchange.
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Hi Kathy, welcome! I did 160 cc's (once each side, another just one side 160 & other was 100 - started out with differing amounts). Let me tell you, that was WAY too much! For me, usually 100 cc's per office visit, but I don't think that's typical. Now wish I would have gone slower. Do what you and your PS think is best for you!
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Thank you Special K. I am just so looking forward to getting this over. I told my PS I want to be between and C and D. I've been DD for years and don't want that anymore. She told me we need to get to 500 cc. I can't wait. If I can handle the 60 cc I'm figuring I only have four more fills. My PS told me I'd have to wait a month after the last fill and then I could get the implants.
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Kathy, I get 60cc fills every two weeks. I'm at 500ccs now and probably have 1-2 more to go. They're usually tender for a day or two, but nothing ibuprofen can't handle.
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Kathymc - I started out with 60cc fills, but the last 2 have been 30cc. My left TE was removed and then replaced and I guess the pocket is tighter, so it doesn't expand as easily as the right side. It's not uncomfortable, just hard, so we're taking it slow.
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Am new to this having TEs placed just 8 days ago, immediately following double mast. I am not even sure what he filled them to on the table. However, was an A before and looks like I am almost the same now? I have an appointment for a fill this Friday and will find out more as far as the quanity. Thank you to all of you ladies for this info.
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Hi Kathymc- I had 60cc weekly and I didn't have too much discomfort until the very last one. I think that was "normal" for my TE's and body. Good luck!
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Thanks everyone for the information. Good luck Not-Me. I never thought I'd make it to this point. But I have and am going strong.
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Thanks. I asked today, they said 100 cc on the table and another 50 cc today. I am in pain tonight! I was fairly small and they told me today I would be a B at least and to hold the doctor back from making me any bigger! What?
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KathyMC, consider yourself lucky if your PS only waits a month after last fill for implant exchange. My fills took 2 months after 6 weeks of healing after surgery, then have 2 month wait after last fill for surgery.
Not-Me, muscle relaxers help a bunch on the day (and sometimes next day) of fills. I got to take acetaminophen too which also helped.0 -
I'm having between 60-90 cc at a time for fills. First fill I had 90 cc right breast and 60 cc left breast. Was a lot of pain the following day and the day after. Called my PS and she prescribed Valium for a muscle relaxer. Helped immensely! Second fill had 80 cc and took Valium before my appt. All went well-a little tight but bearable. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow and will take more valium if needed. Only have few more fills to get to desired size.
If you feel too tight in your PS office, tell he/she! Do not leave in pain. They can always take some out. Your comfort level is the most important thing.0 -
Hey...im new to this topic! im 27 yrs old and was diagnosed on the 23rd of jan with IDC Grade 3, stage 2 triple negative... i decided on a bilateral mastectomy which I had done on march 1st followed by tissue expanded. I have a question for you all since I can't find a board better fitting with a larger group of woman to ask ...but for all of the woman who have had mastectomies in the past or even recently...did any of you end up with a section that has poor blood flow and turned a very very dark red color? My plastic surgeon said that I have a small spot that has poor blood flow, but he pushed on it with some pressure and it changes color which means it still has SOME blood going to it...he said f it completely loses blood flow that ill have to go in for another minor surgery, remove that section of skin, and stitch it back up..but my question is, I start chemo on the 25th, will that affect the surgery if I need to have it? My worry is, I can't start expanding my tissue expander until he sees where this section of skin goes...so I don't want him to decide "well I don't have Time to keep an eye on it and decide from there, so were going to just cut it out ASAP" jut wanted to know If anyone has had this small complication with their first chemo treatments right around the corner...I have an appointment with my plastic surge Wednesday and ill ask him then, but I jut wanted to get info sooner! Thanks
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keke - first, let me say how sorry I am that you are dealing with this at such a young age - that breaks my heart, and I certainly hope all goes well for you! I did experience skin necrosis, or skin death, due to blood flow issues. I did not have dark red patches, but rather black and scabbed areas - this happens in about 20 percent of skin sparing mastectomies. It did impact my start date for chemo as I could not seem to stay out of the operating room as you can see by my sig line. My situation was a bit more complicated as my expander initially ruptured through this skin area so it was an emergency repair. After that the skin would not heal well and tear, so i had a couple of additional surgeries. I finally had the left expander removed during the last one so that I could proceed to chemo. As it was, I was a little beyond the optimal window of opportunity to begin chemo. The expander was replaced about 6 weeks after chemo was done and everything from that point has gone smoothly. If you do need to have that small area of skin excised it does need to heal before you can start chemo. Once you start receiving chemo drugs and steroids, healing becomes problematic so this is important to resolve. There is the possibility that this will improve shortly as it has not been long since your surgery, but a decision needs to be made regarding this asap - if you need to have the area excised you may need to delay the start of chemo just slightly.
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Specialk..geez I am sorry you've had so many complications..that sounds horrible...I'm happy that things healed up for you tho after all that! Thank you for answering my question...I will have to ask my PS on Wednesday what he wants to do...if he choose to take that skin ill be ok with that...but i know its not completely dead skin so i dont want him to decide to take it before its dead!! i guess he might not have a choice tho...but, if he does take it that means my chemo is delayed which is actually a relief! I'm freaking out over that...I know hair is only hair, but mine as so long and thick that I've always been terrified to cut it short since it would be reallllyyyyy poofy if it was short...so now I'm not just going short, I'm going to have to shave it..so that's hard for me! I'm actually thinking that since I've always been so terrified to have short hair, I might as well go get a cute shirt hair cut above my shoulders just to see how it would look! And then from there just shave it once it starts coming out!
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keke - Sounds like a plan! I do have a site you should consider concerning your hair. Mine was also very long prior to chemo - longer than my avatar picture. My hairdresser cut off 8" ponytails and sent them to this lady - www.hatswithhair.com - she made them into a soft-topped hairpiece. I could wear it under a hat (I wore ball caps and cute fedoras) and it was much more comfortable than my wig, which was also nice. It was the best money I spent during the whole process. Many insurance companies reimburse for wigs and hairpieces - you need a prescription for a "cranial prosthesis" from you oncologist. I did get a chance to see my hair short before it fell out, which actually did not happen until after the second chemo - day 24, which is unusual. My hairdresser also said I would need to cut my hair a lot when it grew back in to make it look more intentional, rather than a chia pet. She was right and I am so thankful that she had been through this before with her other clients. My hair is now just brushing my shoulders and nobody would ever guess I was bald not that long ago! If you have specific chemo questions please do not hesitate to ask.
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This is the section of skin I'm worried about...I guess after looking at other woman's on google. Mine isn't that bad right? It isn't completely black.... This is the link to the picture I took...let me know what you ladies think.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/94123475@N05/8567916214/
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Keke - I had bilateral nipple sparing MX and I ultimately lost part of one nipple and some adjacent tissue to necrosis. It was a long healing process while my TEs were in and many trips back and forth to the PS office. Each time we were on the way to his office I was sure that was the day he was going to say, "Let's cut our losses and just remove this nipple", but he never did. He did have to do a few relatively minor resections of tissue, but we patiently waited it out. I was so thankful for his calm demeanor and for each time he said, "let's give it some more time". I hope your PS is as patient! That said, I didn't have chemo so there was really no rush for me. I'm thinking good thoughts for you....
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Keke mine was worse, I had a larger area of necrosis. I had skin sparing Mx and the incision skin was thin which compromised the blood flow. After each fill it would open up a little so I stopped the fills for a good 2 months during which time I used betidene and sterile gauze pads as the wound was seeping through bra. Fortunately it never became infected, I was paranoid keeping everything sterile, hand sanitizer, gloves and fresh towels. Changed bed clothes and linen each day as well, as I did not want to take any risks.
Eventually the black skin came off and the incision healed nicely. Be patient it does take time. Keep up with the protein to promote healing. As I did not have chemo my long waiting/healing time was not an issue.
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Keke, I looked at your photo and mine was much worse than yours. Although I did end up losing some tissue my BS, PS, and his PA all kept reassuring me that with skin and nipple sparing surgery things can often look quite ugly during healing and still turn out fine. As mentioned above, the best thing you can do is to take good care of yourself now for optimal healing. Lots of water, lots of protein, lots of rest! If you are having difficulty waiting until your next appointment perhaps your PS or the PA would look at that photo if you email it to them. Many docs are agreeable to that if you are able to take a good picture.
Best wishes!
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Thank you thank you! Yah maybe my PS will looks the photo..bc I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for chemo to start on the 25th, but that's hard to do when I'm not sure what the PS is going to say and if the chemo date will be pushed back..its jsut so disappointing think "oh yeah my chemo is scheduled" and then the drs say "nope, let's push it back a couple weeks"...but I'll give my PS a call and tell him I need some answers so I know when and if chemo is starting on the date the onco gave me!
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I can't seem to find any info on getting a staph infection back internally, at my mastectomy site. I had this horrible infection 5 years ago, it started after surgery, the first week allowed to shower. My stitches all came out and I bled for 16 weeks because of the staph, before a second surgery was performed to clean out the infection, have home health care come out and bandage and clean 3 times a week until healed. Now I have a lymph node in the same operated on breast that is enlarging, and has the feel of the burning, stinging, soreness, shooting aim. Anyone out there have a similar experience ? I am getting a ultra sound right away, 2 days to see what it is. The lymph node was arger in January, so Dr. Wants to see if getting larger. No pain before, now there is pain. So afraid of staph almost as much as cancer. Please help if you have had similar problems.
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My Ps only waited about 4 to 5 weeks for exchange. I had bmx with expsnders dec4 and implants on Feb 25. I am feeling pretty good do far.
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Maa764 - wow, that's fast! I've had my left expander in since May - wish it moved quicker!
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Just had my follow up today. PS wants to wait a year before trying again!! She wants to keep the left TE in place until the right is ready for exchange.
I decided to change my focus and start getting fit and healthy again. So excited to start living again!
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Ok we'll here's a little update! I saw my PS today..and that area I was worried about that had bad blood flow has gotten much better! The area actually came back and just has a dry very thin brownish scab that's flaking off..he said it looks great and he doesn't and wouldn't do anything to hold up my cancer treatment...his words were "everything is healing great...you need to take care of your health...nothing I do for you is more important than your cancer treatment...start your chemo, and if anything comes up I will work around your treatment...come back in 2 weeks and if you are feeling up to it we can start your fills, if you aren't feeling well we can delay your fills..we are working on your time here and I will wait as long as you need"...so my plastic surgeon is AMAZING! I feel a million times better knowing I'm healing good and my chemo will not be delayed...oh oh and the best news...........MY FINAL 2 DRAINS ARE OUT!!!!!!! I am soooo excited and I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and take a shower finally!!!!!! Some other news about tomorrow, I have very long thick crazy hair...but I chose to get it cut tomorrow to about my chin....I have always wanted to try out the short hair, but i use my long hair as a weight to weigh down my poof....but now is the best time to try it...if I hate it ill only have it for a few weeks before I start shedding and I shave it!! So I'm terrified and excited All at the same time! Thanks for reading my rambling!
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So glad to hear your incision is healing Keke. Your PS sounds like a nice doc as well. Sorry to hear about your lovely hair but it will grow back eventually.
Good luck with your treatment.
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Hi ladies, I took a little break from the boards, trying to catch up with how everyone is doing.
Keke713, sounds like things are moving forward; keep us posted please! Also, I have a friend here from the BCO boards who used penquin cold caps during chemo and she did *not* lose her long hair! I know it does not work for everyone, but it worked for her. Check out the "Cold Cap Users Past and Present, to Save Hair" thread here on BCO.
mssunshine...a year feels like forever, but I think you have the right idea: focus on getting healthy/fit is the best medicine.
kcsusan... hopefully you have been in to see your doc about that lymph node...I have no experience with that, but please let us know what you status is!
Hi to everyone else! My rash is 98.5% gone! I am using an OTC anti-itch cream every other day and so far, keeping rash at bay. Otherwise am trying to get back into klife and being much more physically active. I'm tired, but I feel more like my old self. Whew who! Hope everyone else is doing well.
Psalms: You have your long-awaited exchange coming up this week: how are you feeling?
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