TE TROUBLE
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Hi everyone,
Back to feeling better. Thanks SpecialK for your muscle relaxer advice...it helped so much on Sunday. Sorry to hear you are in discomfort....how are you doing today?
I'm so glad to learn new info on how the matching will take place because I've been wondering the same thing since my right side needs to catch up to the left. I also had dead tissue removed after my infection so there is less skin on the right. I didn't even consider 2 different sized implants. Go in for my next fill next Thursday.
Momof3: so envious you can have fills so frequently. My doctor's schedule is so booked the wait is long (3 weeks) for the next fill.
Wishing everyone a comfy day!
T0 -
Me too; they are jumping around!
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Humph - No fill for me this week due to the missing port! See the PS next Tuesday.....We'll have to wait and see. I could have went in for a fill on my right, but I really didn't see the point of that.
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SpecialK- thank you...I have been getting Herceptin since September and will be till next September...I also have to get Tamoxifen, but they wait after my February surgery.... I wonder- what about next operation - silicone- in June? Should we wait till then? Is Femara something similar to Tamoxifen?
I am afraid I am addicted to Lorazepam, I cannot sleep without it, my TE hurts and port...
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olgah - depending on your Feb. operation they should be able to tell you about when to swap out to implants. Femara is similar to Tamoxifen, but it is for post-menopausal women only. Tamoxifen is usually given to pre-menopausal, and sometimes to post. Femara supresses estrogen, Tamoxifen blocks it.
All - since I took that one Vicodin, I have had less pain. Slept better night before last but last night - not so well. Had a nightmare in which I was being attacked (very rare for me to have a nightmare!)
and I didn't go back to sleep after that. Went to have an eye appt today - the good news is no problems and even though I have not had eyes examined since Mar. '08 no real change in eyesight! Yay!0 -
I'm not having a TE problem per se, but hoping someone can give me a pep talk to help me get through my next fill! I had a BMX in July 2011 with 300cc TE's inserted. They were filled with 50 cc's during my surgery. 10 days later, I had a fill of 75 ccs which I tolerated fine, but a week later (my last fill before chemo started) I had a second fill of 75 ccs which was EXTREMELY painful. Lots of muscle spasms. Fast forwarding to January - I finished chemo, and have 3 weeks before starting radiation to finish my fills - my RadOnc wants me fully expanded before my simulation next week (Feb 7). I had a 50cc fill (all I could handle) 2 weeks ago, and a second last week. Again, the second fill was extremely painful, and I'm still very sore 4 days later. I'm now at 300ccs. My dr is willing to overexpand me, and I have another appointment this Friday - but I'm really worried that I'm not going to be able to physically handle any more volume. My ribcage is 31", before my mastectomy I was a 34B or 32C depending on brand. I really want to be at least that big, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Any words of wisdom? Tips on how to manage pain through my last fill so I can get as much in there as possible? Anyone who ended up as a full b / small c with only 350cc expanders?
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KrystalRose, you and I had about the same experience- I had a bmx on 12-8 and had an infection in my L TE which was removed almost two weeks ago. I have a boobette on the right (about 500 cc's - my PS fills 100 cc's each time and I had 2 fills I was going for a "C" cup. MY BS saved some skin so I didn't have to stretch so much) and a crater on my left. I will start chemo probably next week, so will be stuck like this for months. Oh well. You are at least not alone! LOL.
To all the other wonderful ladies on this board, I hope you get your squishies soon and the exchange goes well. Take care.
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I'm in the same boat as the both of you. Had a left m/x in 2009 and at the time, I didn't want anything to do with reconstruction. Fast forward to 2011, I had a skin sparing m/x on my right and TE put in. I'm at 310 cc's and I don't know how much more I can take. Maybe another 60cc's to 80cc's and that would be it. I was a 34/36B before so I think I may have to go smaller. I was hoping for the same size but unless they find where my port has migrated, I think this will be it for me.
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lstreett - I would medicate with pain meds and muscle relaxers and max out the fill. Then continue taking the pain meds/muscle relaxers until the pain subsides. If you want a full B, small C you will need quite a bit more saline. Can you split the fills with 2 appts. between the Friday and the 7th - like maybe 75cc each time? I think you will be uncomfortable but once you radiate that side you are stuck with that filled amount, don't want you to be disappointed when you exchange.
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Moonflwr912 I had my port placed today, lots of needles with local anesthia, but it's in, done, over, check. I go Friday to Chemo school where they go over all the meds, side effects, answer questions, then they schedule me for chemo. I was to go back to work Monday, but with the TE infection I may wait another week.0
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Thank you SpecialK. I think my only option if I want to fill more is to delay my radiation by a week (if they'll let me). They could barely get 50 in last week after a full week off, so I think it's highly unlikely that I'll be able to do 2 fills of 75 in the next week. Do you know how the size of the breasts after implants compares with what they look like now? My 32C bras are actually fitting pretty snugly with my 300ccs, but I know that the implants tend to be smaller than the TEs?
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Krystal - good for you! You will learn a lot at your class, and feel better once you have a clear understanding of how the process works at your center. I would encourage you to join a thread of the ladies who will start chemo the same month as you - our Feb. group from last year was the best! Also go to the threads that are the same drug regimen - they are full of ladies with great advice on the specific effects, and how to prevent/treat problems!
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SpecialK, I definetely have a chemo head...
I was told , that I cannot start Tamoxifen before operation, because of its side effects and risk of blood clots. But I see, you are taking it ( Femara) and have operations , and everything is Ok... so I was wondering.. MAY be it is Ok for me to take it later before June ( my silicone time, I guess)I just, probabaly cannot express myself clearly, because of chemo...I left my doggie outside in the back yard yesterday and completely forgot about it...Poor thing was sitting at the door waiting...What can I do? chemo head... 0 -
olgah-My ps always requested that I stop tamo for 1 week before and one week after surgery. My MO does not understand why the PS wishes this, but honors his request. So maybe ask your PS if you go ahead and start it, then stop it, then start it again, for each surgery?
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Had my first fill. He only put 20cc . Didn't feel a thing then or now
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lstreett - you will lose the forward projection of the TE when you exchnage. Some PS like to place slightly wider so that you get some "squish" together in a bra, and can form some cleavage. My understanding is that you need 50-100cc's more saline to get a reasonable facsimile of the TE size. So even if you can get a 300cc implant in it will look like a 200-250 cc TE. Ladies who have exchanged - help me out!
olgah - I have done a few of those types of things too - don't worry, it will get better! I have to ask my MO about stopping Femara (or maybe ask the PS) because it also carries a clot risk.
red - I would say that is good! I usually did 25cc. I tried 50 one time - bad idea for me!
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Krystal. That's great you have a chemo class! All I got was a brochure.
Olgah I get the chemo brain thing. I once went to visit a friend and brought my 7 year old son with me. I left without him and got halfway home before I remembered!
5 days out from my TE removal and feeling okay physically, some pain, but manageable. Emotionally, not so great. I am so depressed about these wonky craters that were once my breasts, Ugggghhhh. My PS thinks we can try the TEs again several months after radiation. I can only hope so! Going to the PS tomorrow and hopefully will get the drains out, although they are not bothering me at all like they did after the BMX.0 -
Special K - Thanks for sharing your experience with different fill amounts and appearance. There is no we are going to need to fill my problem side to the same amount as the good side. With only 200cc it's well over half way done based on appearances iMO, but the other side has 475cc implant. I bet it ends up being 50-75 less than the other side.
Bebop- I definitely think it was harder to lose a TE than dealing with the results of a BMX. You expect to wake up from BMX with craters, but you don't expect to have to go through those same feelings all over again because you experience a complication. Hang in there:)
redninrah - I only got 30 at my fill. I can see a difference, but didn't experience the extreme discomfort that accompanied every expansion my first go round with TEs.
fluff - My chest feels like it is in a vice when I am out in the cold. I swear I think it causes my whole upper body to tense up. I do think it is related to the implants/TEs because I didn't experience anything like this before my BMX.0 -
Kim-i am either having a chemo moment or a total blonde moment. All this time I have been reading about your missing port and trying to figure out why no one is just totally freaked out about it. However, I have been thinking all along that it is the port for iv infusions! Just realized how stupid I am when you wrote that you didnt have a fill and I was trying to figure out how a missing iv port would affect that. Bahahahaha!!!!!
Special K-because pf my infection and the skin being thinner, i ended up with implants at exactly what I was filled too, instead of what he wanted. For me, the biggest difference is softness. If you want to, it is easy to squish them flatter. It is also easy for me to make them look bigger. If I go out without a bra, i feel slightly flatter, but with a bra, I feel pretty much the same as my expander, just more flexible.
Lstreet-loom for whippet mom on the sizing boards. She is an expert at how to determine what you need for sizing. You can pm her with all your details and she will tell you what works best. Specialk is right....it does sound like you need more. Skelaxin is a good muscle relaxer also. On one plastic surgeon site I found, they tell their patients to take ibuprofen the night before a fill and the morning of, and then take a skelaxin about an hour before the fill. Said they have good results.0 -
Beebop - I feel so bad about your TE removal. I was so depressed when my right side had to come out. It took about a week or so before I started feeling better. What helped was buying a foam breast form to slip into my bra to help balance me out.
Fluff - How do your implants feel now? How is the sensation different than the TEs?
The muscle relaxer that helps me most is Soma.
Take care,
T
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tatina-my implants feel great. They are very soft and natural feeling to me. My original ones were very dense, do they have a similar feel. The only thing that weirds me out a little is that the pec muscles, especially on my right side, will occasionally flex and it feels weird. when it is cold, and I shiver, the muscles tighten p a little...at least that is the best way I can describe how it feels. I went smaller and they look really good. I have cleavage, good slope (almost too much slope) etc. And if I put on my bombshell bra...yowza!
For me, the most uncomfortable thing is wearing bras. The band area goes right across where my drains have been nad it just isn't completely comfortable. It is getting better however.0 -
Istreet - I also have a 300 TE expander and PS said no problem with over flling 150% or more. I stopped at 420ccs because the discomfort was more than I could handle. It sounds like you're about to go through radiation….hope you get through that ok before you have to finalize the TE and implant decisions. Good luck to you.
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Thanks everyone! I will try for as big a fill as I can on Friday before I start radiation next week. I dont know how so many of you have gotten into the 400s and beyond! My skin and muscle just dont seem to want to stretch (or else I'm just a big baby). My PS said they can also often do one or two more fills after radiation depending on how my skin does. Were any of you who had radiation able to do that? I will get the details on what type of expanders I have when I go in this week, and follow up with whippet mom as some of you suggested. And thanks for the tips on muscle relaxants!
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Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (2/2). Just praying the drain will be able to come out quickly. If I have to go another 5 weeks with a drain, I might just lose my mind. Does anyone have experience with replacing a TE and what the recovery might be like? I'm guessing it's similar to having a permanent implant put in. I keep thinking it's minor and I'll be back on my feet in no time but would love to hear some real life experiences.
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Hi Marcy,
It took me about a week to feel almost back to normal. For the first few days, I had pain right near my ribs where the PS replaced the TE. I did not need a draining tube. My PS filled my TE at 150cc.
Will be thinking of you tomorrow.
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Someone mentioned they were taking 100 g of protein per day to facilitate healing. Can't remember who, but if you are out ther I would love more info on this. Thanks!
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I know this really isn't the thread for this, but I post so much on this one... thought you'd all like to know that I get the results of my oncotype dx test today!
Ironically, I also feel like today is te first day I have admitted to myself that I am being treated for cancer... If I hear that I need chemo, I am no longer afraid
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Marcy, I had a TE removed and replaced on 11/11/11. It took me about a week to feel somewhat normal again. I had surgery on a Friday, went back to work on Monday (desk job)...probably should have stayed out of work another day but it wasn't an option. My PS did some work on my pocket which caused me the most pain. I didn't have a drain, WOO!! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.
Beebop-hugs to you and sending you healing thoughts.
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DM-let us know what you find out! You're in my thoughts today.
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Thanks, ladies...My MO told me not to use saturated fat, another people- nothing white , definetely not sugars, or risce... What am I eating now- eggs, chicken, lean beef salads, fruits...like some movie star on the diet...how they want us to be healed and practically starve?
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