TEs. A Beginner's Primer
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I gotta tell you all - the women who share about these FOTL front closing bras speak the truth. I got hubby to take me to Walmart today. I hate trying on bras any time but today I thought it would be my end all. It was totally worth it. I am so much more comfortable yet I still feel supported. I'm so glad to be out of that tourniquet they had me in. My 2nd drain is more than ready to come out so first thing in the morning I'll be making that call. Now to see if I can sleep a little.
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curious - how long did you "sit" between your last fill and the exchange? I think Surgeons are like bras - they are all different and quirky in their own ways. I love my PS but he his retiring and will likely not get to do my exchange but he talks to me as if he plans to
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When I exchanged the first time I had gone so slowly (fills took more than 6 months) that my PS waited one month. Now that I am doing this a second time due to implant loss in 2014 my new PS waits three months after last fill.
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Ringelle, a new bra, and drains coming out soon. You are making progress!!
My PS wants at least two weeks from last fill. With the holidays, it was almost 5 weeks after my last fill to exchange.
I had a skin-sparing, nipple-sparing prophylactic BMX. My PS kept asking if I was having any other treatments every time we were planning anything. I suspect things are much different if there are rads or chemo involved.
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MS originally told me 3 months but I'm hoping since I had skin sparing BMX with no other treatments and prayerfully no complications we won't have to wait too long. I forgot to ask how much he filled at placement. He did tell me not to worry about being lopsided right now. My left was prophylactic and right my margins were close to the skin so they took more. He did he'd fix all that at exchange. I would say my left is already more than 1/2 way to where I want it and they really aren't that different. it would just be a dream if he could get me through the exchange.
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Thank you ladies. Still battling the stones. Sounds like an infection too. Sigh. I'll let you know. Happy fills to all.
Much love.
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hi everyone, I just found this board. I'm excited to go and get my first filling this morning after having my TE replace in January. I haven't had my left TE filled since infection started in October in the right breast. Super excited to get things rolling again. Finally got my drain out after three weeks.
Wishing everyone a wonderful day!!
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My PS waits 3 months after last fill. I went 6 months because it was more convenient for work and I just wasn't mentally ready for more surgery until then.
Scottie
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Gardnergirl - how did your first fill go?
It's been a tough week for me. My left and final drain has not come out yet. Every time I thin it's ready, it fills up. I think it could have come out today but I had made some "normal" plans and didn't feel like dealing with getting an appointment. I did call today and will be seeing PS tomorrow. I'm actually hoping he will not only pull this drain but do my first fill. He said it would be at the 2 week mark and I'm already past that. I want to get my first fill done before I go back to work so I know what to expect and have some time to adjust if needed. My biggest issue right now is waking up in the morning I find I am in so much pain when I wake up that I have to take a pain pill. The rest of the day I'm fine and can easily tolerate ibuprofen and Tylenol I'm going to try and wake during the night to take more meds to hopefully avoid the morning pain.
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Ringelle, it was two weeks yesterday for me. I had my first fill on Wednesday - 50cc. I am a little sore on my left but my right is fine. My left side is still pretty sore in general (that side I had the PMX), the right is my original MX from last March. I'm taking Robaxacet which is Tylenol and a muscle relaxant, it's generally marketed for back pain but seems to do the trick for me. I buy it OTC here in Canada. Take care
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Ringelle, the filling actually went well. I was very nervous this time, I guess because of what I went through in the fall. He filled both sides 70 each. I was fine and didn't really feel anything until a little later. I was just a little uncomfortable but nothing that extra stenghth Tylenol couldn't cure. I wish you the best. Don't rush the drains they will remove them when they're ready. They have to be not putting on more than 30cc in 48 hours.
Hang in there everyone!
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Finally feel like I'm moving forward. The left drain finally got pulled and I got my first fill! 60 ccs I each. Woohoo! I'm now up to 210! I'm so thrilled with my little mounds. I think that's what keeps me going past the discomfort. PS also removed the steri strips today and I was pleasantly surprised by the incisions. All in all this visual is so much better than I expected. I think I was expecting something way more freakish! I think having the drain gone eased the discomfort I was having. Weird think I actually had a phantom drain for the rest of the afternoon. I kept forgetting it was gone. Initially I felt so much better after the full. As the days as progressed, I've gotten more tight and sore. I finally took a muscle relaxer and am going to bed. Next fill will be in a week and then I take a 2 week break.
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Glad you are making progress, Ringelle.
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Ringelle, I know that feeling!! It is so nice to finally be moving forward. I didn't have a filling today, he wanted me to take this week off. I go back next Tuesday for another filling. I'm not sure how full I am at this point. I was more tight and sore as the day went as well. Rest easy!
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Tina-how did your surgery go?
Specialk- my 2nd fill went ok. Had another 100cc in, now at 320 each side. But today my right side started hurting. Doesn't feel too tight but there is a burning feeling. Not sure if it's from the fill or if I pulled something.
Hopefully it gets better.
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After my fill on Monday, I did great until I went to sleep! Then the tightness hit me like a ton of bricks! I probably did too much all at once because I took my first shower and drove myself out to see some friends! I ended up taking pain meds and muscle relaxers just to be able to sleep. Yesterday was a bit rough but I pushed through for the most part. I even stopped in to see how things were going. Today is 3 weeks since my surgery! There's no way I would have been able to go back to work earlier. I'm still not ready. Today is so much better. The tightness has subsided ALOT. I'm a bit sore but haven't even taken Tylenol or Motrin. For the first time today, I actually feel somewhat like myself again. I even went by work again for a little over an hour and it was much better than yesterday. I'm nervous because I'm supposed to start back to work Monday. I have my next fill Monday morning so I probably won't go back until Tuesday and well, we know how yesterday went.
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Glad progress is being made! Those little mounds are so much filled with hope! LOL. Much love
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bethl - how are you feeling today?
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curious - have any of you experienced extremely red, thick dry skin areas after your expanders were put in?
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I'm not enjoying my TE's at all... well to be precise I'm not enjoying the left TE, the right hasn't really given me any problem. Last month I had the PMX on the left with TE placement, on the right it was delayed TE placement. I am still very sore on the left side although it is improving. I've had one fill of 50 cc. The pain is diminishing somewhat so things are improving but I have to say I've wondered more that once "what have I done?????"
Sorry for the whine!
Have a good weekend all.
S.
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CarsRUs - I'm sorry your left side is giving you more trouble. From your story, it sounds like you can offer others a glimpse of recovery from both immediate and delayed reconstruction. This recovery is so much more intense than my mastectomy. I was already long back at work by now then. I'm supposed to start back Monday after my appointment for my 2nd fill There's no way I could have gone back sooner hopefully you will find relief soon.
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I'm confused about my TEs and also about how I'm feeling after my skin-sparing BMX. The plan has been for me to eventually have DIEP. I have never even met the PS who did the TEs. He won't be the one who does the DIEP. The day I had my first preop visit with him before my BMX on the 29th, he had some sort of major personal emergency and since then he's done his surgeries but not done any office visits so I've only met his nurse.
When I woke up, my TEs were on top of my pectoral muscles instead of underneath and I had 200cc in each one already. When I went to my first post-op visit that was supposed to be with the PS, I only saw his nurse. I asked her "why are the TEs on top of my muscles?" and she just said "Different people have things done differently depending on their anatomy." She didn't change any dressings or anything, just said nothing looked infected and I appeared to be healing fine.
I have 4 drains and on each breast incision I have a long spongy grey thing covering the incision and over that is a clear opsite.
I have not had the major post-mastectomy arm weakness everybody is describing. I assume that's because my pectoral muscles were not cut. I'm observing the rules not to use my arms much but really the only problem I'm having is the pain from drains pulling if I reach my arms out too far. I can feel everything under my skin - i assume I'm feeling the alloderm along the bottom of the TEs. It feels thick and firm.
I've been walking a lot. The nurse told me not to, but I just don't understand why. I feel fine and sitting around makes my back hurt so I've been walking 2-3 miles per day since about 3 days after my surgery. If I sit around I think too much and get over emotional.
Has anybody else had the TEs on top of the muscles? They look cute, but the tops of my breasts look hollow because they don't fill up that far. The fluid is lower. I was a DD or DDD before and now I think I'm like an A.
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If you are planning a DIEP reconstruction there is no reason to stretch your pectoral muscle since you will not be placing an implant behind it. Placing the TE above the muscle allows for the skin flap to be occupied by a placeholder since you are doing a delayed recon.
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Thank you so much, SpecialK. So - having the expanders above the muscles is probably also why they were able to put so much in them for the first fill, too, right?
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StaceySue2U, My TEs are above the muscle as well. I will be having my exchange to implants in April. I knew beforehand that the TEs would be pre-pectoral. My PS suggested this procedure primarily because my BMX was intended to be prophylactic (due to several risk factors). He felt that this method would be much less invasive and would require less recovery time. (As it turned out they did find DCIS in one breast.)
Unlike you I did experience the typical MX arm weakness, and also chest area/rib pain. I think it was the result of all of the stitching of the alloderm to the muscle layer. It took me quite a while to be able to raise my arms, and my initial recovery took much longer than I had anticipated. There were also a couple of nodes removed on one side, which I think caused more pain and tightness. I am 3 months post MX and even now still have feelings of pulling and discomfort from those areas.
The hollowness in your upper breasts is normal. I have it too, along with some divots and dimpling. That will all be fixed at exchange. My PS expects to do some fat grafting at the same time to fill in the uneven areas and give a more natural slope in my upper chest. Of course in your case that will all be fixed when you have your DIEP, which should look really natural.
You are so fortunate to be up and moving so soon after surgery. I had some really bad side effects from anesthesia, including nausea and extreme light-headedness. It took me 9 days to get out of the anesthesia stupor, and a full 6 weeks for the dizziness to disappear.
It sounds like you are doing very well post surgery. Congrats, and best of luck on your continuing treatment!
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Thank you, Mrs GreenJeans. So your implants will also be above your pectoral muscles? My chest area is sore but it seems like a reasonable amount of soreness but where I really hurt the most is under my arms and in my upper arms and in one area on my right side over my ribs where there's a dimple and I think maybe the drains are sutured there or something. That hurts like the dickens whenever I reach my arms forward. I also have lots of divots and dimpling and it's pretty dang ugly under my arms. I hope if I delay the DIEP they can at least smooth that out a bit in the mean time. I decided to be as sedentary as possible today and tomorrow so maybe on the 8th my drain output will be low enough to have some drains removed. I walked almost 4 miles yesterday morning and it felt so awesome but when I woke up this morning I had far too much out in my drains. I did nearly faint a couple of times in the mornings right when i got up, when I was emptying my drains. Here and there i find myself getting lightheaded, and my memory is not the greatest. I forgot to take my meds this morning. I just want this to be over.
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Stacey. . .I was almost completely bedbound for the first two weeks post BMx. I did, however, get all 4 drains out 9 days post surgery. It may have been because I was not moving around much. PS did not clear me for the treadmill until 6 weeks post. Right before I retuned to work. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Hugs and good luck.
Scottie
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Stacey, what Scottiemom said! Drains should not be in too long to prevent infection. Mine were in for 5 weeks. I also lost my implant due to infection. AND I was taking it easy! I know everyone wants to get back to Normal, but it is not the time to stress your body. You are healing from basically an amputation! A part of you has been removed and your body is healing. Just because breast issue is not as necessary to life ss, say , a kidney, almost as much tissue has been removed. Allow yourself the time you need to heal. I was on pain meds for 4 weeks before I could be comfortable. Everybody heals differently and you may feel great. But your body is still healing inside. Did you ever cut yourself and put on a bandaid? And at first its all gross and wet? Well that's what going on inside. Please take it easy. I don't mean to scare you but to warn you that the More you take Care of yourself the Faster you heal.
Much love
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Thank you so much for your caring and advice. This is so much more emotionally difficult than I ever thought it would be and the walking did seem to do a lot to help with the emotional pain of it all. I stayed immobile most of the day today and the depression got so bad - but the drains didn't put out much so I guess that's good. I'm afraid to take my pain meds because I don't want to build a tolerance and I want them to work in the future if, God forbid, I end up really needing them. I hate this so bad. It's so much more awful than I thought it would be. I wish this had never happened.
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stacey. Hugs. One piece of advice. TAKE THE MEDS. That's what they are for. Pain. I'm sorry you had to go through this but it happened. To quote Winston Churchill "When you're going through hell - KEEP GOING!" That's not where you want to stay. Perhaps a shorter walk will help enough? Once again, Hugs.
Much love
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