Nipple reconstruction
Comments
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planetbananas,
I use to show and breed bostons, all of them are related....matriarch bitch has a son and a daughter here and the daughter has her 3 kids here too....all of the 3 youngest have hip problems so i choose to be a responsible breeder and not breed anymore.....the lost of my two 6 year old bostons ÀKC champions within 3 weeks cinched the deal never to breed again.They range in age from 10 1/2 to almost 4......I don't do facebook......but think bostons are us has or had a website. ...but i use to be active in Bt.org now closed and then woofboard.com a bt board.
Fat transfer is my last hope to have any kind of cleavage......I have a "cleav" or a "age"...put them together is what I want.......I have a "Z" divot and the top angle of the Z is where the deepest part of divot and where skin would peak out of a v-neck or scooped neck sweater or blouse, or dress ......if I had a cleavage
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as a seven-time and probably more in the future Boston Terrier rescuer I applaud your responsible breeding efforts, thank you. I know its not for me to thank you but I have seen and taken care of the results of irresponsible breeding. In fact it has taken me 2 years to rehabilitate the dog in my avatar picture who is a product of puppy mills, not that I'm suggesting that your situation is anywhere close to that.
Wisconsin, I'm not sure exactly what I would be going for either but the sound of the implant being warm is really nice. It is so weird to grab my implants and have them feel cold. I'm still not used to that! So, we'll see going forward..... my biggest concerns to date have been making sure that I take care of the preventative things that I had to do and just finish the reconstruction to a satisfactory point. Then, once I've gotten everything somewhat under control I can decide exactly what and where I want to improve. Thank you for the suggestions and tips. I'm just so darn excited to get nipples can't wait!0 -
posted a couple pics on the picture forum. Two days post op, still have nipple shields in place so I haven't seen what they look like yet. I also had scar revision while I was in there.0 -
TLR--All my PS told me about sleeping was "don't squash them!" I can't really sleep on my side as I get pain in the new nip when I do. I put a pillow behind my back while on my side and sorta lean against it and sleep. This way I'm not risking pressure on the foob/fip.0 -
I am scheduled for dec 12 to do the nipples, I'm told one hour tops and local. Any idea about how long not wearing a bra and how long until they shrink and "feel normal"? I hope I'm not making a mistake, would hate for them to pop out of my shirts or cause pain when laying on them??0 -
B123--It took my PS about 1/2 hour to do one nip with local. No pain other than quick prick of lidocaine needle. He is letting me wear my original MX bra that is soft and hooks up the front. He said no to my Bali 3488 as it was too compressive. But he did say if I'd had one in a larger size, he'd be totally ok with that. I do have a plastic cap protecting mine from compression as well. I'm only 3 days out so I'll have to let you know about shrinkage!0 -
Wisconsin - NI and tatts is definitely another option to consider, thank you!
Planetbananas - My PS does reconstruction from the groin area too, and I haven't found much on here of other's experiences with that. Best wishes on your nip recon - I'm interested to hear how it goes!0 -
girltravel I will post here once it's done, & I will post in greater detail on my blog. You can find a link to my blog through my profile and I will be putting pics up there on the mastectomy picture page.0 -
saw the PS today, shields were removed. My goodness they are enormous...yes I know they will shrink. Overall, I am pleased so far (it's only been 5 days).
Lala1- I know you had your unveiling today as well and I am hoping you are pleased and progressing with your recovery.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!!0 -
Mine shrunk to nothing by around 7 months
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sorry to hear that, stix!
Keep hope all of you doing this. I know the flattening can happen, not sure what percentage. Imagine it's discouraging....where to go from there?
Naturally Impressive (www.naturallyimpressive.com) might be worth considering? Just a thought.
Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Can I share a poem....we've all been through less than pleasant circumstances, but appreciate how much positivity there is here.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~0 -
Well, I had my unveiling yesterday and I just posted my pictures on the picture forum. My new nip doesn't look too bad all considering..... It's got all these black sutures sticking out (don't know why he couldn't have used clear! or pink even!) so I've decides it looks like a tiny, hairy cocktail weenie! But it does look healthy and isn't too big. He put Vaseline on it with a large gauze pad lightly covering it and said see ya in 3 weeks! He told me to change the bandage every night after I shower and to wear my soft bra for another 3 weeks, then whatever. Didn't seem real concerned with keeping it protected. I've taken it upon myself to take some of the thin powder pads, cut holes in them and stack them around the nipple.
One thing I was forewarned about was that the CV flap procedure tended to take some of the roundness off the front of the breast. That is true. When looking down, I have a slight curve inward around the nipple. He says it's due to the sutures from the donor site pulling tight and that as the sutures dissolve and the skin relaxes, I'll regain the natural curve. So he says....we shall see... But I have to say, he's done a damn fine job so far and I do trust him.
My 2 things I find fault with is one, that my native breast and the foob are about a half inch off as far as being level and two, that the upper pole fullness of the foob is much greater than the native breast. In a bra and clothes, you can't tell, but naked it's pretty obvious and with photos it's a huge difference! ( I have no idea why photos make them look so much more even than looking in a mirror!) I know I could do fat grafting or something, but what I really need to do is change my attitude. Any tips on how to do that?!0 -
Planetbananas, I also want nips and have found our local support groups in my town very anti nip. They didn't have my PS. I want them and my PS is doing them. Its my right under the Womens Health law ofi1998. Apparently, you get the cones or foam and put Vaseline on them. I am sure they will stick a bunch of papers in my hand to tell me that after surgery and I will go home and forget where the papers are ,then get panicky. Ah...thank God for the phone so I can always call the PS office and ask the stupid questions which they gave me the answers for already. Well...cellphone companies need to make money too! Also getting lipo and fat grafting to improve symmetry.0 -
I have a question about scarring from recon from thigh skin. As things are, I can hide all my scars under a one-piece swimsuit but if I get nips, they'll do them from grafts from my upper thighs (which they tattoo several weeks before) and I don't have any idea how bad the scarring on my thighs would be. The PS just says "it'll close quickly" but she won't go into any detail about what it will look like afterwards. Does anyone here have any experience to share? I need to make a decision and it's driving me nuts. It's not something I want to come back to later because I want to be able to put this all behind me so it's pretty much start the process in January or never.0 -
I would ask for pictures and how long have they been doing nips/tattoos with this surgical approach.
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lala1 thank you for responding! Sounds like it was fairly easy? Glad it was quick to! How are you doing now, did it come out as expected? Can you shower right away? I plan to go to work the next day, does anything show?0 -
B123--It was a very easy surgery. About like getting my teeth cleaned except I could talk during it!! Barely felt the initial lidocaine shot. My nip is doing well. Still about the same size but I'm not sure when to expect it to start shrinking. I'm still doing the Vaseline with gauze pad part, and have to til Wed, but I've also added the thin cosmetic pads (2 of them with holes cut out) and will continue to do that until I decide not to. My PS says to do what he says and anything extra I want to do is fine since I seem to have researched this so much!! I couldn't take a shower till after my followup visit (5 days) but I could take a bath and I got my DH to wash my hair in the sink. As to what shows, it depends on what your PS puts on there. I went out the next day but it was cold enough to wear a jacket so you couldn't see anything. I think if you wore a tshirt or somthing like that you could tell. I tried to wear prints or thicker tops. If nothing else, a scarf works wonders!! You should be fine going to work the next day. My procedure took about 45 min total and then we stopped off for lunch on the way home. That night as the lidocaine wore off, it felt a bit sore so I took a couple of Tylenol. But that was all I took. By the next morning, all felt normal. Just had to be sure I didn't bump the nipple or accidentally sleep on it!!0 -
Nipples are Easy Peasy! I had mine done during my stage 2b. The PS cut a circle out of a foam with a hole in the middle & covered that with waterproof gauze. I could shower but just made sure not to get the boob as wet. After my follow-up I was able to shower with the nipple uncovered, but dried it gently & covered it with my invention of the round cotton makeup pads with a hole cut in the middle. I stacked about 3-4 of them to make sure the nipple was surrounded & attached that with paper tape. I changed it every day. I was able to wear a bra the entire time & it didn't show in my clothing. There was absolutely no pain - I had a DIEP & the boob has no feeling. The nipple did some shrinking & matches my natural nipple! I will be 71 next week & cannot imagine going without a nipple - ha! I get it tattooed the end of this month & & then I'm ready for Playboy Granny! LOL!0 -
Sharon - and you would be a gorgeous Playboy Granny! Love your avatar.0 -
lala, I didn't think about the showering part!! Why the cosmetic pads? What does that do? Sorry for the clueless questions.
Sharon, you would be a gorgeous granny playboy! Lol
You did the cosmetic pads too? Why? And how is it you were allowed to shower? I hope mine do shrink quick!
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My PS had me use nursing shields (hard plastic shells and soft backs) to protect the niplets. I had a padded bra and they didn't show, although I didn't wear tight t-shirts. He did a double opposing tab method. The nice thing is if they don't shrink enough, he can modify easily. I'm waiting for the tattoos.0 -
B123--Every PS is different in their instructions. Maybe some are more protective of their work than others!! I got a stack of the powder pads (not the sponge kind but the old fashioned, not-to-thick cottony ones) from Target. They were like a couple of bucks for a long stack. I take 2, cut a hole in the middle and put it over the nipple. Then I tape a guaze pad over that. This is after I coat the nip in Vaseline. My PS didn't suggest the pads; it's what I added on my own. I can't wear a normal underwire bra still so I wear the Bali 3488 which is like a pretty sports bra. It's has some pretty good compression and I didn't want the nip to flatten too quickly. I'll probably continue with the pads even after my PS says to stop covering it just because I think it needs a bit protection.
As to showers, mine said no showers or exercising at all till followup. He said he didn't want the nip to get wet whether from the bath or sweat. I could shower after followup but still no gym till 2 weeks after nip recon. I went to the gym yesterday though. Shhhhh....don't tell my PS. I was bored to death! And all I did was walk slowly on the treadmill and do some stretching. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.....
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Julianna, were the plastic covers shielding water so you could shower? Are yours small (if you don't mind me asking)
Lala1, sounds pretty simple, although if I can't shower for a week nor run for weeks I will go crazy.. I don't understand, when I had the exchange done, I was back to work and showering within days. This small procedure can't be more intense? Argh!!
I don't know, maybe I will cancel it? Glad you got on the treadmill and did your thing!! Must feel better!!0 -
B123,
The plastic shields were to protect the nips from getting smashed down and the stitches catching on my bra/clothing. I was able to shower 72 hours after surgery. Both nipples are small in diameter and project about 1/4 inch on the left and 3/8 inch on the right. I had to have some debridement done on the left side. I am thinking about having the right one shortened to match the left. I'll be having tattoos done in February.
I had debated about having the nipples done. I must say they really have made a difference-mental health-wise.0 -
this is an older article (2007) and maybe most have seen it but thought it was worth posting the link here. It is graphic so be warned. It shows the surgical techniques used for nipple reconstruction. Very informative.
http://www.mauricenahabedian.com/resources/articles/82007Nipple Reconstruction - ClLINICS.pdf0 -
ok I think that article makes it look a bit scarier than it is . The nipples don't look too pretty immediately after the surgery but a month later is a huge difference. Mine got very flat to tiny buttons but that's how my old nipples were so I'm very happy. The tatoos made all the difference though. My only complaint really in the whole recon result is the sides , still got like side boob even after lipo I may do it again. And my scar on one side is kind of indented so it shows in anything super sheer. But in a bra it all looks great0 -
TLR - great article. Thanks!0 -
Julianna, thanks for the reassurance! I feel better and now know what size to ask for! 1/4", smaller the better!!
TLR, thanks for the link, I'm to afraid to watch it right now!! Yikes! Lol...0 -
B123---Nip recon wasn't too different from EX as far as showering. I had it done on a Fri and went back on Wed and showered that night. In the meantime, I could take a bath. I just couldn't let the nip get wet, not even from sweat....Hence the no exercise. He originally said no gym for 2 weeks then no restrictions. Then he said I could go AFTER my followup on Wed but couldn't do anything strenuous. He said I could lift weights if I lifted little ones but what's the point of that?! So I have been going and just walking fast enough to get my heartrate up a bit but not enough to really sweat. And I've been doing some resistance band work. As of this Fri, I can go back to normal.
I wonder if the running/speed walking restrictions would be that the nipple might bounce in the bra and get moved around before it actually takes hold....0 -
lala, I think you are correct about the running/ speed walking restrictions. The nipple does need to "set.0
