TEs. A Beginner's Primer
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Thanks previvor. I think may need 3 more fills then wait 3 months for exchange. I hope to have my exchange in early to mid July so come August I'll be strong and healed to return to my teaching job. I've been out 8 weeks now since BMx and still don't feel ready to return physically or emotionally but I know financially I need to.
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I love this thread. You ladies make me smile. I like the honesty and positive attitudes. I know things don't always go as expected and that sometimes plans change, but it's good to hear other experiences and expectations.
Blessings2011, I did find some relief after my first fill. I think due to the extra skin being expanded. I'm sure towards the end of the TE process I'll be singing a different tune but that's just part of the process.
My next fill is scheduled for 4/7. I'll be back at my desk job by then and plan on getting the fill on my way home. My hubby was a bit disappointed to miss out on see the inflatable girl expand. ;-)
Take care ladies.
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I started after 4 weeks, filled 100cc at surgery, 50cc a week for about 5 weeks. 8 weeks wait then til my exchange was in January. Now it will be about 4 months til my revision surgery, in May. Go low and slow on your fills! I never took any meds for pain. They didnt hurt, just an odd sensation, tho of course its a needle prick when they insert the syringe needle into the fill port hole. They find it each time with a little magnet, as it moves a bit as you fill up and the shape of the te changes. I was terrified before having them in but quickly found I was freaked out for no reason. I think generally they are much better than you expect before surgery.
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Moonflwr,
Thank you so much for starting this thread!
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So, I'm currently on day 6 of having T.E. surgery and I have to admit the other "TE trouble" thread had me scared to death before my surgery. However, so far so good. Went off my pain meds yesterday and am now just taking OTC Ibuprofen to help with some of the achiness.
I'm a bit of a unique situation because I chose to do delayed reconstruction and because of radiation to my BC side (had prophylactic on left side) my PS did 2 sessions of fat grafting before the T.E.s were even placed. So, if anything can go wrong, I certainly am at higher risk.
Saw my PS today and he's cautiously optimistic. Stated that as we start the fill process, well know whether or not issues develop. He did put some saline in each expander during surgery, but not a significant amount. My left side (none cancer) so far is performing like a rock star. He said he may end up filling it all the way more quickly than the radiated side, then slowly let the radiated side catch up. We're pretty much making up the rules as we go here. So, this will be an interesting journey, however, at this point my T.E.s are the least of my concern.
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Hello...I just wanted to say hello to everyone. I am feeling so much better. I actually went grocery shopping for the first time since Feb 5...it took me a while lol. Sure did make me feel more normal. Anyways I have a question..I have been reading some other posts about a picture forum...what do I need to do to access that? I was curious in seeing how other womans journeys went and I would love to upload some pics as well. Thanks in advance!
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Mindy,
To request access to the picture forum, you need to send a PM to nowheregirl or lilah. It's not part of BCO. Here's the thread that discusses it:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/805466?post_id=3930642
Glad you are starting to feel better
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Oh wow thank you! That was fast! Ill send a message now thanks!!!
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Hi, I know many of you from other threads, Glad to see so much participation on this thread, Moon.
This whole breast cancer journey is a new scary experience with so many variables you can feel like you are drowning in equally unacceptable options one minute and walking the plank with no options at all the next minute. We struggle to find our footing, gather information and make our choices, all the while hoping we are doing "the right thing" because the consequences of doing it "wrong" are terrifying. On top of that, we often don't have the luxury of being like Scarlett O'Hara and deciding to "think about it tomorrow." A path has to be chosen and we have to live with the consequences. If you're like me, you came to BCO to hear everyone else's experiences, hoping to find a short cut out of this maze and into an overall plan of action that will be the least painful...both literally and figuratively. To do that, I need to hear both sides, the positive and negative of every situation. Personally, I don't mind the threads that tell me how people overcame bad hurdles. Maybe I get a little scared when I read the details, but that fear pushes me to learn what to do to avoid it if I can and live with it if I can't.
The TE experience is one of weird sensations that can be uncomfortable and even painful at times, but I found it to be just plain fascinating. How often do you get to watch boobs grow before your very eyes? Keeping my eye on the "fooby prize" made the getting there easier. (So did Lidocaine patches
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We'll have to gave a fooby prize fir the person who has the least trouble on this board! LOL. Thanks Sandy I love that term..
Raelan I'm rooting for you! Hoping for smooth sailing for you.
Stfne glad you like it!
Much love to all.
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I'm having a heck of a time getting comfortable to sleep at night. PS said I can sleep on my side. We've been trying to strategically place pillows here and there for comfort but haven't quite figured out the best position yet. I'll get there. Just keep trying! I do have a question though. Sometimes when I TRY to lay on my side I get the freakiest sensation in my foobs. I've only had one fill since surgery and am wondering if the weird sensations and discomfort is from the solution in the TE (alien invaders) moving around? My next appointment is 4/7 but I thought I'd throw this out there for any thoughts or comments.
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Could be from the fluid. The edges of the TEs are pretty hard. As they fill they get in the way more and more. I ran into doors because I was so big and not used to it. LOL doesn't happen since my exchange. LOL.
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I found that tucking part of a pillow or something soft between the te when I was on my side or trying to go on my side helped alot...kind of cushions the 'top' one from moving on to the 'bottom' one...
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I used a bolster during TEs and now use a small rectangler pillow, about 12x8 for the implants. One of these days I'll get to stop using pillows.
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I found that a pillow kind of wedged behind my back kept me from rolling all the way over onto my side... but it gave me the "illusion" of side sleeping!
I also had a pillow in front of me, with one arm underneath, and one arm on top, to keep from compressing the TEs as I slept.
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Blessing...I do the same thing....its the best position I can sleep in.
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Moonflwr912, I'll warn the hubby of the possible doorway expansion project! LOL
Smaarty, what is a bolster?
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Blessings2011, tthanks for the tip! I will try that ton
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I still sleep with the pillows under my arms, or clutched to me on my side. I had shoulder surgery years ago and found how tucking a pillow under your arm or between arm and side keeps the arm from 'dragging' down a bit, relieving some tension on the shoulder. Applies even now, with it being more comfortable having the arms/elbows elevated.
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I am one week away from my exchange surgery. I am looking forward to it, my experience with my TE's has been very easy. I had no recon done when I had my BMX as I was happy to be flat.. Sadly flat turned out to be very concaved and I spent two years trying to work out what I wanted and finally settled on TE's and implants.. I had no pain after my fills, we did 50cc each week until my last three fills where we did 75cc. I am now filled to 875cc and my PS is planning to use 800cc high profile rounds. As I am a plus size lady my TE's don't look that big and I am slowly loosing some weight so my belly does not look like I am 8 months pregnant.. I am also having the mud flaps removed from under my arms and I understand this will extend my scars around to the back but I can live with a scar. The hanging skin and fat under my arms is bigger than my new boobs so it has to go.. I am hoping this coming week will pass quickly and I will be done..
Kathy
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A bolster
I think it's been mentioned earlier but you should get one or two small pillows, about 6x9 or so for under the armpits for the first couple weeks after sx. Helps a lot.
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iwannaseryou- i have been having all kinds of freaky sensations. Once in a while It feels like someone is poked me with their finger. That's the freakiest for me. My pec muscles seem to be coming to life now too. I can make them move and jump with almost no effort.
I sleep best when my husband tucks pillows all in and around me and then leaves the room.
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Rosebuds, when you say mud flaps....You mean the pudgy stuff under the arm pits? I have this too! I was really hoping my PS would remove this. I too am getting 800cc ultra high profile implants...but saline so my ps can slightly overfill them soI look more proportionate. I am a plus sz woman as well. I am glad youre getting the extra stuff removed. Are you paying out of pocket or does the reconstruction surgery cover it?
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yes, some call them dog ears, to me they look like mini boobs. My PS says that lipo would not remove the excess skin just the fat so he is going to extend my scars and remove the extra skin. I am not having to pay out of pocket as he is doing it as part of the reconstruction.. I don't mind if I am not as large in the cup as I was before BMX as long as I don't look the way I did before the TE's. I have before and after photos on the photo forum.
Kathy
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Just kind of curious: I had the mudflaps (rolls of extra skin) on both sides. Also had a funny crease at the end of the incision (like a little fold). I thought that was a dog ear (as it's the same shape). Both were removed at revision sx when excess scar tissue removed.
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The mudflaps or dog ears are at the end of the incision under your arm if you have the usual horizontal scar. If you've ever made a dress, you know that when you put in a dart, the result is a pucker at the end. If you've never made a dress and that makes no sense to you, think of it this way. You have a rectangular piece of paper. At the top right corner, cut a diagonal line to the middle of the rectangle. At the bottom right corner, cut another diagonal line up to the middle of the rectangle. Now bring your two cut lines together and tape them so they stay. The middle point of the rectangle sticks up now. That's the mudflap or dog ear. You cannot cut breast tissue out and then bring the skin edges together without a pucker or cone shape or flap of skin at the end of the incision. Often one or more of your drains were attached there too, making the area even more puckered.
Some of them aren't too pronounced, like the one on my right side. Some of them, like mine on the left where I've had several operations and lots of drains, look like a mini-boob. Depending on how much of a flap you have, the PS may be able to use liposuction to take the fat out. Then as the tissue underneath heals, the scar contracts and lays smooth. No more mudflap. If you have a larger mudflap or a mini-boob, lipo won't be enough and the PS will have to cut it away, thereby extending the scar but tapering it so that the scar contraction during healing makes it lay flat.
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I'm not sure where to ask the question, but is this itching normal????
It is driving me CRAZY!!!!!
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Can be from healing and skin stretching.
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Where is the itching? Itching on a healing incision line is normal.
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Mindy -
Aviva - I learned that pillow trick after a shoulder reconstruction, too!!!
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about hubby leaving the room... and pecs moving? Shoot, I was thinking that instead of 3D nipples, I'd have hula girls tattooed on my New Girls, just so I could watch them dance around.2TA and Sandra ... I think totally misunderstood the meaning of "mudflaps". So what DO you call that blob of fat that slops over the sides of your bra, under your armpits? (Not anywhere near my incisions....) The PS said he could remove it with a longer incision, but it would have a better outcome if he did it in a separate procedure. He also said he could lipo the area, but since I was in the process of losing weight, he wanted me to keep my weight off for a year before attempting any "resculpting" procedures.
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