TEs. A Beginner's Primer
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My expanders are still in with no fills. The PS feels that the skin on the right side is too thin to withstand any fills so I will have at least one fatgrafting and then some healing before any fills. My TEs are still very uncomfortable but I guess I will just need to deal with it.
To all have a Happy New Year.
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Update: after 7 days on antibiotic the infection seems gone, the tissue okay. Fingers crossed! I see my surgeon on January 6th. I think we are done will fills, if not, then probably just one more. He initially stated March for exchange. I use colloidal silver and Egyptian Magic daily. and moisturize like crazy.
J ~
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jaybird....im sorry thats happened to you. I sent for my medical records and found where the surgeon said could have a te with implant after radiation 10yrs ago. But ever si ce then all plastic surgeons have said no...not evenl7ft with implant.
Minustwo- i finally found a sugeon who is willing to try grafting. I have 2nd consult with another dr on the 6th who does grafting after Brava system. I pray that one approves me.
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Fingers crossed bluewillows. I didn't have fat grafting but I know that Whippetmom has posted about it.
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fingers crossed blue! Prayers too.
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I just came home from the PS. He aspirated 130cc of fluid from the right side which had swelled and was turning red. There is still more fluid in there that has to be aspirated under ultrasound guidance. The fluid is being sent out to be cultured so right now I am on oral antibiotics and hoping that they work otherwise I will have to be admitted for IV antibiotics. Hoping that this doesn’t create a bigger problem and delay the fat grafting that I need on that side
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So apparently i was given wrong info on line as Dr.Butz didnt seem to know much of anything about the Brava use especially for after radiation:/ he also refused to schedule ANY surgery until i drop another 45lbs!! He does breast grafts every 6months. The Madison dr planned on doing them every 3months even while im working on losing weight for Abdominoplasty. Dr Butz says its pointless to do grafts b4 im goal weight because i will lose the tissue with losing more weight.
Anyone have any evidence that either plan is better than the other?
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bluewillow - I did not have rads, but do have exceeding thin skin and abnormally thin pectoral muscles, and had very through mastectomies. This left me with a situation similar to radiated skin. My cancer side did not have issues, but the non-cancer side had many. Started with skin and nipple sparing BMX with immediate sub-pectoral TE. Lost the left TE within a few weeks due to a rupture through the skin NOT on the incision from tissue necrosis. Had two more surgeries prior to chemo to do skin repairs. Proceeded through chemo with one flat side and the TE with surgical fill only on the other. After chemo had the missing TE replaced, filled very slowly and exchanged for silicone implants successfully. Two years later the alloderm slings that assist support for the TE started to perforate, which is very unusual. In the surgery to replace them with a different material the areas on my left side that had previously been compromised shredded and I lost the implant there for 18 months. I had several fat grafts to that side in the meantime to try to provide vascularity and some skin integrity. It was a difference maker for me! After three grafts, spaced a minimum of three months apart, I was able to have yet another expander, slow fills, and successful exchange to a smaller implant. My right side was exchanged to a smaller matching implant. In that process both nipples were removed so while I ended up with a very different situation than I started with, I am happy to have what I do. You need at least 3 months between grafts to see how much fat survives and remains and to assess how much benefit has been provided to the skin. If you are in the process of losing weight I agree that it may not be wise to graft now because you may well lose that grafted fat in your weight loss process. It kind of depends what the fat grafting purpose is - if you are seeking to graft for help with your radiated skin the fat amounts are somewhat negligible - and may not even make the area look appreciably different from a volume perspective. If you are looking for grafted fat for aesthetics the fat volume grafted is considerably larger, I would wait until you are at a goal weight so your grafted fat is not lost as you continue to lose toward goal. FWIW, I have seen Brava discussed on this site - it you use the search function you will see posts, but I don't know that there are very many satisfied members who used it. I am not sure I would subject radiated skin to that machine for fear of damaging it further?
If you put the word Brava into the search function here is the page of results:
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Hi. My mastectomy and TE placement was nine days ago. There's so much info here and I'm so thankful for it. I've been reading so much. I have a question I haven't come across yet. When can I hug someone? Should it just be a side hug? I feel so nervous about bumping into someone or something right now, but wonder if I can be intentional about contact.Going through this during a pandemic is tough.
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Jan - I had my mastectomy and TE placement in September 2020. I just had the TE replaced with implant February 1.
I had my TE filled to 700 ccs and I never had a problem with hugging someone. I didn't hug that much because of COVID, but I did hug my husband and it was fine. I never slept on my stomach but after a few weeks I slept on my side all the time
I would just ask my PS next time you see them but I don't think it can rupture that easy. Do you have any fills yet?
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Thank you. I haven’t had fills yet. My PS said probably the week after next. I’m still getting used to having this thing inside me. I’m so thankful for the moments when I don’t feel aware of it. I hate to think about how long I might have it.
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Joan - you get used to it. I didn't like it the first few weeks and then I got used to it. It feels better once you get some fills in it.
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Thanks again. I wouldn’t have expected that so it’s good to hear.
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Joan, Marie is right! After a fill or two it does get better. BUT, not for a day or two after the fill! It usually feels a bit tight after a fill, ask your doc if you can take a pain reliever, like acetaminophen, if it bothers you. I never felt much if anything until my last two fills. Then, whamo. It was then I hit every freaking door when I went through it. Stripper boobs get in the way!.
You usually can hug, if it doesn't hurt you. If it hurts, be careful. I had a cat that liked to jump and walk on me when I was laying down, and it never hurt the implants. Usually scared me though! LOL!
A note, you will be filled bigger, and stick out way more, than you will be after your "squishies" are in. Its the nature of the TE. A hard back so it stretches the skin out. When they switch them out, the soft implants fill in all the interior spaces first, before they project out. So you will never be as big as during the TE phase. Some are disappointed, me, I was happy not to hit the doorways!.
This is the tenth year since my dx (11-11-11) and surgery (12-8-11) I hope and pray all of you will see at least as many, and many many more! Im glad this thread is helping people still!
Much love to all
Monica
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Had my BMX on 11/19/2020. Still haven't had my 1st fill. My reconstruction was supposed to be DIEP flap but they failed during surgery so I ended up with expanders. I have had some healing issues and my PS wants to do a round of fat grafting before he starts to fill them. I also had a seroma that developed on one side that needed multiple aspirations. This is going to be a very slow process for me.
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Thank you so much Monica, for the information and reassurance. Congratulations on ten years! I look forward to celebrating anniversaries.
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Thanks Joan. I hope you are on the express train.
Janet, I see you are taking the "Scenic" route! I was on that for 3 years of reconstruction. But made it through in the end. Its not a race, but seeing the end result is always a happy time. For some of us, it just takes longer. And a few more surgeries! LOL
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Hoping everyone is doing well. Much love!
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Still taking the scenic route. Just had my first fill last week.
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My only luck seems to be bad. I had my 3rd fill on Tuesday and my plastic surgeon is concerned that I have scar tissue that has formed on the right side. I now have 250cc on both sides, the left side is soft but the right side feels much harder.. We are putting off my next fill for 2 weeks and will re-evaluate and see if there is any change. If there is no change he may have to go in and remove the scar tissue and most likely the expander as well so I will have to start all over.
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I had surgery May 10. Tissue expanders placed above the muscle. I have pectus exavactum. The tissue expanders are placed above the muscle because of the pectus exavactum.
13 years ago I had an excisional biopsy on the same breast that ended up with the cancer. My left breast (cancer side) has always been smaller.
Left side is smaller and higher than right. I’m so distressed. I know this is just the beginning. I saw the PA yesterday and I see the plastic surgeon next week. But please tell me this will be ok. The PA said it will be fine. I guess I have a hard time believing it.
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monarch - don't make any judgements yet. You are only 9 days out from surgery and there are a number of factors that will abate and change as time goes. Also, it is important to note that the purpose of tissue expanders is to create a pocket and your PS has the ability to add more fill to the smaller side to even things out. The artistry comes in at the time of exchange with adjustment of the pocket and the ability to use different sized implants to create symmetry. I would encourage you to speak to the PS at your appt and ask these questions so you can receive reassurance that what you see right now is not how things will look going forward.
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thank you Special K, I was so focused on the cancer part of this. I just wanted the cancer out. My sister is fighting stage 4 ovarian cancer diagnosed 6 months before my cancer. And i was so scared about my cancer being like hers I feel like I overlooked this aspect of my cancer- reconstruction. I haven’t asked the plastic surgeon many questions, trusting her. I do like her a lot. But I guess I’m scared I haven’t done enough research and advocated for myself. I was just so overwhelmed at my own diagnosis after my sister’s. Your words feel very reassuring to me. Thank you agao
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monarch - I totally get it, I was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months after losing my only sibling to a rare cancer. When I saw him for the last time two weeks before he passed away I incidentally discovered a 3cm lump in my right calf. There was valid concern that this was a sarcoma with a very bad prognosis based on the MRI, but turned out to be a benign tumor that never occurs in that location. I tend to be a medical Murphy's Law unicorn, lol! I was so relieved that I didn't have sarcoma that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was taken aback despite extremely dense tissue and a litany of previous issues. I am hopeful that your PS can explain how your final result will look, but it might be good if you can see some before and after photos, particularly for patients with your spewcifics.
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SpecialK, I’m so sorry you lost your only sibling. Cancer is so devastating. Sending you warms hugs.
I will definitely ask my plastic surgeon. I think I’m realizing the reconstruction process is a long journey. While I want to be done with it now, that’s not the way it works. I guess I have to find a way to get comfortable with this process. Someday I’ll be a year out from this surgery. This moment in time isn’t forever.
Thank you for your kind words. It meant so much to me.
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Yes, indeed, reconstruction is a process for most of us. It can be hard to keep the long term goal in sight when your short term look is not what you may have been expecting, but know that expander to implant or DIEP is an evolution and what you see right now is not the final product. It can be a challenge to be a patient patient, right? Hang in there.
Hugs right back to you, I am sure it is hard to be dealing with your own situation as well as your sister's. I had the same fears you described. Thank you for your caring words about the loss of my brother. It was hard to lose him to a cancer that is so devastating - no screening exists, and no treatment is available because of the rarity, as there are no dollars in any research. I have some survivor's guilt, it is hard to understand why I was lucky and he was not.
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bump
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Going to bump this again. Hope someone benefits!
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Moon - thanks for bumping. This thread was VERY helpful to me.
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I just had nipple sparing BMX on 01.26 with immediate reconstruction. I have Natrelle TEs 350cc which were filled to 240 at time of surgery and then first fill 1 week out of 100cc on each side. I am having sensations of the TEs being vacuum suctioned onto my ribcage and getting tighter with movement. There is all over pain including between my breasts as well as burning under the TEs and above and below my nipples. And maybe muscle spasms? I can't even describe exactly what is happening.
I am taking 500mg of ASA alternating with 400mg ibuprofen and oxymoron 5mg for breakthrough. But there is minimal relief.
No other complications.
I was supposed to have another fill 50cc tomorrow which was supposed to be the final one but I cancelled it bc the thought of more pain or tightness makes me want to cry.
The only time it doesn't hurt is when I am laying still but how will I get through 8 weeks of this?
Looking for thoughts or advice....
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