TE TROUBLE
Comments
-
Galsal,
Lefty has an implant, however I had to start over with a TE on righty. Every 2 weeks I get 160cc's and almost finished with the fills. My ps wants to wait a month for the exchange, to make sure it holds. What is your ps's time frame for, as far as exchange?
Michele
0 -
He isn't waiting after done with fills. I know some do but he said from the get-go wouldn't be doing that. WOW, that's quite a fill you get! My body likes slow and go.
0 -
If you fill more slowly you generally don't have to wait as long for exchange because the expansion has been more gradual.
0 -
I got my TE in April with a small fill at surgery, then he waited a month to start filling me. I meant to say 120cc's. I thought I was going low and slow. I asked him if I could keep my TE, only because I am afraid of another infection. He just laughed and said no.
My fills at the beginning were 60
One more question, how much are your fills?
Thank you ladies
0 -
Michele - mine were 25cc weekly for the replaced TE.
0 -
Michelle...I had 120 cc's each side at surgery and got my first fill today which was 60 cc's each side. Because Im such a big baby my ps is going to go slow and that's fine with me ! Lol ..Ive had enough of being in pain and I JUST started feeling good the past few days or so. Sooo doc please, go slow
0 -
There are times I get the feeling that PS want to fill faster to reduce the number of times you need to visit to get the fill done. To free up time for other patients, since your fill appts are covered under the cost of the procedure. Yesterday I learned something new. Insurance put a limit of 90 days for the fills to have been completed and then have to start paying the copay. Office staff acted like it was common for most insurance, not just mine.
0 -
Galsal, oh the things we never wanted to learn! I found out that more and more insurance policies are not covering hospital stays for observation and I KnOW Medicare doesn't cover it. When I was admitted to the hospital a few months ago for being borderline neutropenic, I had to sign a desperate paper saying O understood my stay might not be covered because I was it there for observation. I ASKED what would happen if I just went home and they said my white cells could fall farther at any moment and it could be very dangerous. It was 2am so I couldn't get through to my insurance company to double check....I got lucky. It was covered!
0 -
My fills on the first replaced TE were not completed within 90 days. With 25cc weekly fills I was only filling 100cc a month - I filled to 575cc on the left and 650cc on the right - def not 90 days!
radical - the key is to stay in the hospital longer than 24 hours - if it is 23 hours they can code the stay as "observation" and then insurance can deny.
0 -
Thursday I will join the Squishies Club. Tomorrow, I meet with the Dermatologist to determine the course of action on the Basal Cell skin cancer. Blessedly, it is NOT on my face!!
0 -
GalSal - in case I don't get back on line tomorrow, best of luck with the surgery Thursday. Here's hoping everything will be marvelous.
0 -
Thinking of you tomorrow, GalSal. Hopefully they will be able to propose treatment that will deal with the skin cancer quickly. I read several posts from women who've gotten a skin cancer dx after BC. Hmmmmmmmmm, curious.
0 -
Good luck tomorrow!
0 -
gals Al , good luck on Thursday. Also hope the basal isn't too bad . My DH gas had a few removed.
Much love to all
0 -
Galsal - Wishing you nothing but the very best of luck tomorrow! You've been waiting so long to be part of the squishettes! I can't wait for you to finally have your day! We'll all be in your pocket....
0 -
Thanks ever so much for the good thoughts and wishes. Squishy Club, here I am...it's MY turn. I'm most blessed to have TWO of the Tampa Bay area Ladies to help me today - one to take me and bring me home, the other to watch over me until the evening shift arrives.
The skin cancer will be done with electro someting or other and curretage so burnt and scraped. Biopsy says it's a nodule and certain characteristics mean it's not deep. Thankfully.
0 -
GalSal
sending wishes for your squishy day!!!! I also had a mole on my back removed during my last exchange revision which my PS thought was Basil Cell, however pathology came back as benign, so that is my wish for you too!!!!
0 -
galsal - yay for squishies! Glad to hear the skin cancer spot can be dealt with later and that the electrocauterized and curetted - it is not bad - that is how they did my most recent one. It only takes a few minutes and surprisingly was not too uncomfortable later. Also, I'm here if you need me for anything.
0 -
WOOOHOOOO...I'm in the Squishy Club now!!! That bus was the most fun with the
group of those having surgery today.Got home about 1pm. All went
well. It's notable that this is the first surgery I've do well after.
Since the surgery this morning, I've not slept yet today. Only just now
tired enough to do so. Left side with Percocet I rate at a 2. Right
side with Percocet I rate a 3/4. More work was done on that side. This
time there wasn't a problem getting the IV into my hand, although they
did need to use a 24 gauge needle. Post Op took at least one hour
longer than normal as they were training an RN on the use of their EMR
system.The implants are Natrelle Style 20 Found Smooth Silicone High Profile, 700cc.
Special K, I'll PM you tomorrow once I learn a schedule of whether I'll need a favor or not.
Thanks bunches!!
0 -
Yay galsal! Welcome to squishy land!
0 -
Hi ladies .This is my second post .I too have a problem with TE. My BMX was on September 24 .All went well ,I was in a lot of pain but I'm a tough cookie . My PS removed my drains two weeks after surgery and at that time I got my firs fill.That was on Thursday . Sunday night I felt so much discomfort in my right( prophylactic) breast. My breast was red ,swollen and felt really warm . On Tuesday I went to see my PS for my weekly visit, and bc he as well as me, thought something was not 100 % right .He prescribed Bactrim . Long story short.Thursday my pain was awful my breast was awful as well. I was admitted to the hospital on Thursday evening , was put on IV antibiotics . On Friday after my PS visit the decision was that we will wait for the antibiotics to work.By Saturday afternoon I got some pain relief and my incision from the drain had opened and out came the river of green pus . The decision was made that I will have a surgery to remove the expender. I was home from the hospital Tuesday night. . 10 days of oral antibiotics .My incision heels good ,no pus ,no pain just a little discomfort. How long do I have to wait for the next try ? My PS put 60 cc for the first fill ,was that to much? Could that cause the infection.
0 -
Probably not the fill that caused the problem. But things happen .And sometimes things just suck. Sorry that at happened to you. Do you have chemo yet? Or rads? That will make a difference in how long you wait. I had a real rough time with chemo and was so worn down I lost my 2nd T E after it was replaced 2 months after I finished chemo. It was too soon for me. But everyone is different so you will have to see how you feel. Much love to all.
0 -
My personal opinion is that having a fill two weeks after BMX is too soon. Any time you introduce a needle through the skin it is an avenue for infection, but you may have been brewing that infection from the time of your surgery - the timing could have been coincidental for the fill. The timing of your TE replacement is dependent on a number of factors - what other treatment you will need, as moon said. If you do not requite chemo or rads it is dependent on your plastic surgeon's philosophy on how long to wait when there has been an infection.
0 -
Thank you for all the answers !!!! I don't need any chemo or rad....just hormonal therapy so that will not be a problem. i went to see my PS today,and he said he will not put another TE for at lest three months.
Oh well it could be worst right.He filled my left breast with 60 cc Any suggestions what can I use to fill my sports bra on right side? the nurse at the office said nylons/sacks ? I don't want prosthesis.Thank you all.
0 -
I used some soft cotton "poofs" I found on Etsy.
0 -
These are the type of fiberfill forms that came with my original mastectomy camisole. They have fluff inside that you can use whatever amount of to make the form whatever size you need. These are very soft and almost weightless and you can just put them right inside a bra of any type. I am currently using this now as I have an implant on one side and nothing on the other, and used them when I had one TE and nothing on the other side - they are good because you can adjust the size to match.
http://www.mastectomyforms.com/p-31197-softee-poly-fil-breast-forms.html
0 -
Add me to this unfortunate list.
I had a proph BMX with expanders on Oct. 6. Recovery was going swimmingly - walking a mile or two easily a few days atfer surgery, plenty of energy, minimal pain meds.
Had two drains pulled at a week. At the two week mark the remaining two were ready to come out. Literally, I was skipping out of the PS office (and of course arrogantly put up a facebook picture with my arms held high proclaiming how free I felt).
It was short lived. About three hours later, I was shaking uncontrollably and spiking a fever of 102 that would not go down no matter how much pain reliever I took. Went to the emergency room. They got fever down with IV antibiotics. At noon next day, PS syringed out about 60 ccs of pink cloudy fluid and said we should probably go back into surgery to clean things out.
By 10 pm that night, I was in surgery. She said she "powerwashed my insides," replaced the expander, put two new drains in a different spot. Diagnosis: Staph infection, which she says she has rarely seen. So no one really knows "why" this happened.
I have to believe it had something to do with the drain tubes. While the tube was in, it was removing some of the bad stuff. As soon as it came out, disaster.
So...it's been a week. Lots of pain at first but not so bad now. I am on Cipro and Doxycycline and will be for a few weeks. I am filled on that side to 500CC (as big as we were going to go) so PS won't have to mess with it much. One drain still in and will be for probably another week. I actually don't care if it is many weeks AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
Biggest bummer now is I am very weak, tired and anemic. Back-to-back surgeries and an infection took WAAAAAY more out of me than the BMX!
Just wanted to share my story. Anyone else been there? I am now convinced hospitals are secret petri dishes!
0 -
kayg, so sorry abut that! I know all about that. But my P'S doesn't ever leave the TES in after an infection. As we all know every P'S is different! LOL. Here's hoping for a better recovery now! My drains were in for more than 5 weeks in One case. Whatever works.
Much love
0 -
Kay G,
Unfortunately many of us have faced TE replacement and removals due to Infections. I had them replaced due to an infection, then I had to have one removed. Infections have been my friends , I have caught several different ones and been on all sorts of antibiotics both pill and IV. Like Moon I had a few drains that almost became third arms. My biggest issue was incisions that would not close. But I am all better today and working towards reconstruction being completed with probably one more surgery.
So please hang in there, take your meds, eat well, rest and it will get better.
Speedy recovery,
Vivian
0 -
Hi there! I haven't been following along on this thread but I wanted to pop in and tell you my experience. I was 6 weeks out from my BMX and still in a LOT of pain and discomfort from my TE's. Sleeping more than two hours at a time was still impossible. My range of motion was significantly limited on my right side. I was still needing narcotics and muscle relaxers most nights. My energy level still wasn't back to normal, probably because I wasn't sleeping. The last two weeks, with every inhale AND exhale came a stabbing pain.
Everyone told me I shouldn't still be in my much pain. MY PS said I shouldn't still be in so much pain, but we kind of chalked it up to my coming of chemo 8 weeks before my body just being 'done". Then right at the 6 week mark one of my TE's ruptured and slipped under my arm and was headed around my back as well as developing a seroma.
I just had surgery again on Monday 10/27 . My PS replaced both TE's and cleaned up a TON of scar tissue. The scar tissue is what was pulling my TE out of place. It is what was preventing me from sleeping. It was the source of all my discomfort!! I'm now two days out from that surgery. Both nights I have slept all night long, in my bed! I am only needing 1/2 the narcotics I was prescribed and anticipate being off them within the next couple of days. My ROM is nearly normal now and I'm able to do all my stretches. The iron bra feeling is completely gone and other than some incisional pain I feel almost normal. I'm no longer dreading the next couple of months with my TE's.
I hope this can help someone somehow. That scar tissue is nothing to mess with and if you are "too tight" and completely uncomfortable you need to tell your PS this and not just accept it as your fate.
0
