TEs. A Beginner's Primer
Comments
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izzy - I could not make your link work so I am reposting it, hoping this is the right pillow, let me know if it is not!
I made a flannel cover for this pillow for a friend who recently had a BMX, the pillow itself is available at Bed, Bath & Beyond, but I thought making a flannel sham that could be removed for washing would be better. It is 20x15, and moldable/shapeable.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/sobakawa-buck-pillow/1017217151?categoryId=12013
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I have a small neck pillow I purchased at Walgreens a year ago with the micro beads. I got it fir $5.00 on sale. I love it i can put it anywhere. I toss it in the wash it does fine. Ives seen some lately for 9$ or so at the grocery. They seem to be one of those specialty items that pop up now and then in any type of store.
The buck hull pillows work the same way BUT they are noisy! They make that noise with every breath! LOL
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Yes SpecialK that's the right pillow! The from beads are smaller than the buckwheat hulls but those would work too. I have a neck pillow from buckwheat but I stopped traveling with it due to the noise others mentioned. Never thought to try it on my foob.
Love the flashlight idea you all have posted too - must give that a try. Inquiring minds want to know
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Hi--I'm 6 weeks from my surgery w Expanders, and it feels like the expander moved --the port seems to be in a different place--nothing hurts but it looks a little funny...is it a problem?
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Mine moved too...I think they "settle" a bit after the fills.
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Do those of you with (or those of you who had) TEs wear a bra 24/7? I have been because I like the feel of the support/protection, but I was wondering if that was the norm.
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Sometimes the TES do move. And that's the reason they use the magnet every time to find the fill port! So since they have a tool for it, it must be very normal! LOL
As for wearing s bra, if your PS is ok with it and you feel good in it there is no problem.
I will be out of reach for a few days. Having my long delayed knee sx.
Much love.
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I did wear a bra 24/7 at first because it just felt better, but I don't wear one at night anymore. I guess it took me a few weeks to kind of get used to everything feeling so different. My size went from DDD cup to a large B or small C cup.
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Good luck with your knee surgery! Wishing you a successful surgery and sp
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Yes Moonflwr912, I'm glad you will finally get to have your knee surgery. Let us know how you're doing.
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Praying for a successful knee surgery, and a quick and complete healing, Moonflwr!!! xoxo
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My PS plans on teardrop cohesive implants and said the TE's would be high, but they are expanding more up than down, I guess, so it looks like I have boobs coming out of my collar bones! PS said they are like water balloons, and if I press on them the saline will push down to expand more toward the bottom. I also get a massive spasm in my left each night (I'm a leftie and use my hand writing at work all day). Flexeril doesn't seem to help relax it, but fortunately red wine does!
I'm pushing them every day but I'm not sure if it's doing anything (except hurting!)0 -
Vfay, I did not have to wear a bra at all so I didn't.
Elaine, ask him what exactly he is going to use. There are several kinds of cohesive silicone gel implants but you said he was going to use saline. ???? Muscle spasms are painful. I used Valium & it worked right away. TE's do expand in weird places. Some people say they are in their armpits. My TE gave me more trouble in the top like yours. I ended up putting Lidocaine patches below the collar bone all across to the sternum.
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ElaineE - like Sandra, Valium worked well for me. So did nice hot showers on my back at night (many of the muscles that were cut originate around the back) as well as having DH massage my back muscles before bedtime.
So sorry you are having pain, be sure to tell your MO.
As for pushing down on your TEs, just make sure you're not displacing the pocket boundaries at the IMF.
Hang in there!
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My exchange surgery is July 17 th. My expanders seem the same size but I have a lot of saggy skin on bottom of them. Does anyone else have this? I called my PS and he is going to look at them on Monday. Thanks
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okay, i am officially joining this part of the forum now. i did not have medicaid approved yet at the time i had the mastectomy in march, and they would only allow for the cancerous breast to be removed. also, the reconstruction had to be delayed. my TE and alloderm are scheduled for next week, with fills every few weeks, then after the final exchange, they will reduce the left breast to match. i am nervous about this whole thing, but i will just bite the bullet and get it over with. it's very hard having one concave side of the chest and the other breast a size G-H thanks to prolactinoma (my cup size prior to the prolactinoma was only about a C, even during the times I was overweight). my endocrinologist will be putting me on medication to stop the gargantuan type weight gain issue that occurs even now that i am eating right and exercising. i think one of the things that has me most upset is that i can't exercise for a while after the TE surgery. i am wondering if I can still walk or go on the exercise bike to at least do something, while i can't use the arms. also, since i have a dog-ear in front (almost between the breasts) and flap under arm, can these be used as part of the skin to be stretched?
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It's not nearly so bad as a mastectomy. It usually is so much easier! You should be able to walk almost right away. Just check with your ps. They all have different rules. Mine were pretty much 2 weeks no driving, then only 10 lbs for 3 weeks. Then whatever felt ok. So just be sure to check.
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thank you so much moon. also, i do water aerobics iin the pool. is there anything about not going swimming?0 -
Just not til all the stitches are healed. But ask your PS. They ALL have different ideas.
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My right one is still flopping around....my little bra-lette keeps it in one place...i started sleeping in it too since the thing is poking all over the place. The left one feels perfectly fine for the most part. Doc says it's perfectly normal for them to move around sometimes and that the left one has been lower since day one--he'll fix it all at the exchange surgery....I still get the weird pain in my back/shoulder on occasion but it's mostly gone away. Leaning on a tennis ball against the wall and rolling it around seems to help...and wine :-)
Moonflower--I hope your knee surgery goes well...I had ankle surgery last year....not fun.
Have a great day, folks!
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My initial surgery was lx with reduction on both sides. Not too bad at all...I was walking to the corner and back the next day and then increased, just walking slowly. Just had to do something to move. The same after my bmx w/te, tho that took longer to get going, and my exchange in Jan.. They get you walking in the hospital right away, so how can it be bad. But ask about arm excercises and restrictions.
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scary, my ps wouldn't let me in a pool for 3 months after each surgery, so do check. Like they say, every ps is different just like us.
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I slept in a tight front zipping sports bra for two months after my prophylactic MX and TE placement. My PS requested that I do that the first month and I kept it up until I felt things were feeling OK. Then after fills, I wore the same bra 24 hours a day for a couple of days each time. Both of my surgeries were outpatient and I was walking around the block the next day each time.
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OK am I crazy? Today is my birthday and we are going out to dinner....the first time since mastectomy that I have gotten "dressed up" to go out. My surgeon has told me no bra thus far. I have been having issues with muscle spasms and tightness even til tonight when I put this halter dress on which has a little padding. Instantly my muscle spasms stopped! Should I be wearing a bra to control these spasms? It is probably to soon to tell....I will wait and see how I feel in a few hours.
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darn, i hope i can go in the pool when the incisions heal. 3 months, and the summer will be over, and i worked so hard to get the pool ready. maybe i can sit on the raft and just get the bottom half of my body wet.
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scary - I LOVED my water aerobics at the local rehab hospital, but my PS told me there weren't enough chemicals in the world to completely kill all the bacteria in the water, so no pool for me!
I thought my incisions had healed at 3 months, but then I got TWO spitting sutures, which caused significant holes in my incision lines.
Any openings to the newly cut and sutured tissues are direct access points for bacteria to enter. You REALLY don't want to deal with infected TEs. But as always, check with your PS.
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what you say makes total sense Blessings. maybe i can just dangle my legs in the pool, and if i get hot, cool off the rest of me with the garden hose, avoiding the surgical site, of course, since i'm only getting one side done, until the other breast is reduced.
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Do TEs fill from the top down? I have 100 ml in and get my first fill tomorrow I think. Seems like most of the saline now is up top with none down by the scars.
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Scary, you could just do the side stroke.
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Beth Q . With TES they pretty fill any old way until the are filled completely. So just check with your PS. He'll probably say that this is in the realm of normal. LOL
I wanted to say thank you for the well wishes. I am doing quite well. Better when I get pain pills.... LOL
Much love to all
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