TEs. A Beginner's Primer
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MinuteATAtime my PS did say they can shift and move..that is normal
I feel like my right one (cancer side) is out more...does that make sense? lol like i feel like I have more of a bump on that side..and the left side is closer to flat....
I see hiim tomorrow, I have lots of questions lol
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Minute, my right TE moves all the time. My PS used the suture tabs but they didn't hold. My ports started out at the top of both of my TEs. Now my left port is near my armpit and my right port is at the bottom. My right TE did a complete flip. My PS says it happens sometimes as the suture tabs aren't that big/strong. My pockets aren't what my PS wanted due to the flipping but he'll do the best he can with extra stitches during my exchange. Both my TEs are in my armpits and my implants may end up there if the extra stitches don't hold. I'll have to be extra vigilant about my movements to make sure I don't rip them lose as well. I told my PS not to worry as long as my implants are softer than my TEs I'll be thrilled. I'm used to them being where they are so it won't be a big deal to me if my implants end up there too.
BG46TN, I can see and feel my TEs edges. The lower edges actually cut into my ribs if I move just the wrong way.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback on the TE moving. I also called the nurse yesterday and she said he did use sutures. She also said it could just be the swelling of different muscles that make it look/feel like the TE is moving. I just hope they are not moving too much, if they are.
The other weird thing, and I'm wondering about others' experience, is that I feel like the TE is so much higher than my remaining (at least until Monday--I have a 2nd masectomy on Monday on the right) breast. Does that mean my implants/foobs are going to be higher? I hope not.
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Minute, I asked my PS about that the last time I saw him. He just told me my implants will sit differently in my pockets that my TEs do now. He said he'll make sure that I look normal when he's done. I trust him and I believe him and I've put everything about my foobs in his hands. We both cracked up laughing at my comment as it came out a lot differently than I thought it would lol
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Question about expanders....how big are yours...like how many cc's do they hold? and how much did you fill them? or do you plan to fill them?
I had my first fill yesterday....I asked my PS how much was put in during surgery and he said 300cc's....I had 100ccs put in each breast yesterday, I heard his nurse say I had 700cc expanders....so that puts me at 400 now...and I will go for the next 2 weeks for fills before I have to stop for radiation...which puts me at 600 (we will fill more after radiation)
anyway...I feel like my boobs don't look like they have anything much in them, maybe a tiny bump...another friend of mine who went through different drs is done expanding and said she only had 450ccs TOTAL in hers. and she has "obvious" boobs..about a B cup..
What could make mine look so small/flat with 400ccs and hers look like big nicer boobs at 450ccs? Is the size of the expander different? are some a smaller circle then others? I am going to ask my PS next week when I go back but i was just curious what some of you have...
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Becky, my TEs are 800ccs filled to 840ccs. I'll be exchanging my TEs for Mentor 800cc ultra high profile implants so I'll have some projection but I was told not to get overly confident that they will give me the projection I'm hoping for. We'll have to see. Our body build has a lot to do with how our TEs look. If you have broad shoulders the same size TE won't look the same on you as it would someone with more slender shoulders. Your TEs may be wider than your friends and therefore won't look as full/high. Does she have moderate, high or ultra high profile TEs?
Someone with more knowledge than what little I have can probably answer your questions better 😊
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I have the same issue with Becky. My TE are 500ccs and I'm at 400 with 3 fills plus what the BS put in during mastectomy. So, one fill away from having them completely full and they still look so small and flat that's disheartening. I've seen many photos from women with TE of the same ccs as mine, and they do look like real breasts.
Mine still sit high, although not as high as soon after the surgery, and form no inframmamary fold at all. You could never guess they have 400ccs in them. With clothes things are just worse. Almost completely flat, with a barely noticeable projection (or none at all, depending what I'm wearing). I had more "breasts" when I was 12 years old, when they start forming.
Plus I have two big divots/hollows not above, as many girls seem to have, but bellow my foobs, where the inframmamary fold should be, just above my ribs. My PS said the BS had to "dig in deeper" during the snb, to remove more lymph nodes since he thought they looked suspicious (he was wrong).
My mastectomy was not skin sparring, although this is what we had agreed upon during pre-op meeting. My skin is almost paper thin at places and tight as a drum roll. The BS did not save any skin at all. He chopped everything off. He told me he saw a tumor that looked bad so he took this decision. This time he was right, as another malignant tumor was discovered in the pathology report. Although i AM grateful he chose to be safe than sorry, the result aesthetically speaking, is bad.
Becky, what did your PS told you? Anyone else had any similar experience with TE look way too small although almost fully full?
I know it might sound vain, but we've been through hell, don't we deserve at least some good outcome? Even if it might only be foobs.
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BG - tissue expanders can range from 200-800ccs, and the expander chosen is based on patient dimensions and which implant type is planned for exchange. Your friend may have had 450cc expanders, based on what was right for her body type, so she is closer to being finished than you are at a half-full status. Expanders can be overfilled also, so your expanders can be filled beyond 700ccs depending on how you do with rads, and/or how much can be added to the expander prior to rads. I had 550cc expanders, overfilled on the right side to 600, stopped at 550 for the left side (my sides needed differing amounts to look even), and this gave me a visual C cup, but needed a 34DD underwire bra to get all the way around the implant. I am fairly petite, wore a size 4 jacket/shirt. This same size expander on someone with a broader chest, or a different weight or height could look completely different. It is useless to compare expander sizes between patients for these reasons, but for informational purposes ask your PS why that size expander was chosen and ask how he/she expects you to look when you are fully filled.
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Hi All
I had my second fill yesterday (just 50ccs each time). I gotta say, I had dreaded the first one because I expected it to be painful, but didn't even feel it.
Also, today now that the TEs are fuller I am actually in much less pain and discomfort than before. I am thinking that having them filled a bit more has "softened" out the rough edges because I dont feel that feeling I had before that the edges (especially at the bottom edgej are just digging into me like they were (it had almost felt like a metal or wire underwire with no padding in there).
Has anyone had this experience?
Thanks!
Jennifer
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minute - often it is a combo of acclimation, continued healing, and the fills helping to lift the TE off the rib cage a bit. Often the next few fills are relatively comfortable but you may notice that as you approach the TE capacity, or overfill, you may feel some tightness in the chest and sometimes upper back This usually goes away with exchange to implants.
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HI all I am glad i found this forum. I am one week postop after unilateral mastectomywith a tissue expander. I was expecting pressure as a side effect and I am dealign with that. I also expect that i will have discomfort when i have fills.
But , I also am experiencing the TE edges closer to the breastbone just sharply digging into me --worse with certain positions . Have other ladies experienced this type of pain where the TE edge just digs into you? Not sure how i can survive three months of this, if you did have this ,what helped you ? Will be grateful for any tips . Thank you so much
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Not everyone has discomfort with fills. They filled me with 120 ccs each time, and I never had a problem.
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MinuteAtATime - I had that. My TE's poked out on the sides before they were full. Those edges hurt more than the expansion. As i went through fills, the fills hurt for a couple days but then actually began to feel better each time between fills. To the point where at the end, I asked my PS to put in just a little more because the sides were still poking on one of them. That last fill made the side stop sticking out and made the TEs more comfortable. I had to have one deflated for radiation and then filled again- it was much better full. They still aren't fun, but feel better full.
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Tara, my TEs still cut into my lower rib cage and it's been almost a year now. I won't be having my exchange until Sept/Oct. so I just push upwards on the bottom of my TEs to relieve the pain they cause. You've got this you are halfway there. Sending gentle hugs!
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My TE was causing pain and muscle spasms until fills brought relief. We are all so different.
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meg2016, wenchlori and molly50 --thank you all for your replies. Am hoping that a fill will bring relief too. Talked to my BS who said to push on the edges and try to relieve the pain---exactly as wenchlori advised! Wenchlori --amazing that you have learnt to put up wth this for a year now --its an inspiration to me. I shall wait a fill and in the meantime , push on the edges . Thank you so much ladies !
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Tara, you are very welcome! Molly is my hero, she's put up with TEs twice as long as I have. Praying your TEs will start to behave themselves soon!
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Tara17 My PS actually recommended I massage around the edges of my TE's daily, so I've been doing that and it does help with the pain. I also found it depends a LOT on the bras I wear. I have been through dozens of bras that feel ok at first, then realize they are pushing on the side or bottom of the TE. So if you find they are hurting after a few hours in a bra, massage then swap bras and sometimes that helps.
WenchLori- you and I are on a similar schedule. I was supposed to have my exchange in July, but am moving it to Oct I think. I think our surgeries were at a similar time (I will have had mine about a year at that point.)
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Hello, new here:)
I thought I had a year before I would get my TE's but after getting a second PS's opinion he said we could do the TE placement in between chemo and radiation. I just finished chemo and the pre op appt will be next week with the surgery on July 10. I should have had the TE's placed at my BMX in December but my PS at the time didn't place them because a node was found to be involved and she doesn't place TE's if radiation might have to be done. Waking up from surgery without them wasn't a great feeling.The new PS and my RO are fine with doing radiation after TE's. My concern as I read through this board, it seems like they can be very uncomfortable and I'll have them for a year before exchange because of radiation. Are there "more comfortable" TE's? Are there options as far as comfort goes? I also had skin and nipple sparing, does that help at all?
Thanks so much!
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I am 4 weeks out from DMX and I am glad to hear that others have pain along their ribcage from the bottom of the te poking them. I am filled to 480cc and need to get to 600 so I can start radiation in two weeks. Ugh
Dizzygirl
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TWills63763 - I don't know answers to most of your questions, but for me the worst part with TE's is the beginning: expansion and getting through radiation. A few months after radiation things got easier and easier. Its amazing what you can adjust to when it becomes the new normal. I had the choice this summer- family vacation or exchange surgery, I chose to put off my exchange surgery a few months in order to make some summer memories with my kids. So even though the TE's are not fun, I am not that miserable and I am six months out. I highly recommend doing PT during radiation and beyond, it helped so much with my range of motion and stiffness in the TE in that area and just learning stretches that could help me day to day with tightness. the longer-term.
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Thank you meg2016, that really gives me perspective. I know it won't be easy but it's good to hear that its more than doable and not necessarily terrible.
Thanks so much!
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TWills, in 2 more weeks it will be one year with TEs for me. I agree with Meg, the first few months are the worst. I'm filled to 840ccs will be exchanged to 800cc, smooth round, ultra high profile Mentor implants. I made it through radiation with no problems at all and I didn't need to have any saline removed from my TE as my RO was able to direct the radiation beam under my TE. I can have my exchange surgery next month at my 1 year TEversary but I'm waiting until fall as I have to many things I want to do this summer. I don't even notice my TEs as they've become such a part of my body now. A year ago I didn't think I would make it through TE fills, chemo and then radiation but here I am... tada! You can do this if you have any questions feel free to pm me, I'll help if I can 😊
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WenchLori, thank you, another great perspective and happy early TEversary!
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TWills:
Sorta same here. I've had TEs since 2/27--and doing Exchange in Sept. Delayed a bit due to infection I had post-op. I didn't love them at first when I feel I was recovering from the BMX, but that got better. Some discomfort (totally manageable) around fills. I'm filled very small, btw. But my PS is going on maternity leave and I decided to wait and not try to squeeze Exchange in before she left. Safer and honestly, I'm so used to these things now. I almost forget them sometimes. Minor pings here and there -- but they are doable in my mind. The beginning and perhaps couple of days around fills about it.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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Thank you EastcoastTS, I definitely decided to move ahead with the July 10 surgery. I talked with my RO yesterday and he and the PS are communicating and are on the same page, the RO actually said he was excited for me. Radiation will only be delayed by 3-4 weeks or so which is better than I thought, RO's not worried about that at all and even said he would do another mapping during radiation if I needed/wanted another fill during rads
Thanks everyone!
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TWills, my PS recommended I wait at least 2 to 3 months after my DBMX to have rads treatments as the incisions have a tendency to break open during rads. My RO and MO told me the same thing. I'm curious, has anyone else heard of waiting a few months to allow incisions to heal? Things that make me go hhhhmmmm lol
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Does anyone else have sharp pains in one or both TE's? One side has been steadily more intense over the past two weeks. I'm sure it's just nerves settling back, but it can be un nerving at times.
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Bevmomduck, yes, I still get pain from my TEs and I've had them for almost a year now. Mine are quite surprising when the pain shoots through but it only last a few seconds for me. I put a little pressure on my TE and it seems to help relieve the pain pretty quickly. Are your TEs above or below the muscles? I still get phantom nipple sensations and I get itches that are in the center of my TEs where there is no breast tissue to itch. My hubby thinks it's hilarious when I'm trying to warm my nipples up when I don't have any. Silly man! 😊
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I know what you mean about the itches, and there's no tissue OR feeling. WenchLori, you're a year out and still have itching? Does anyone know if it eventually goes away?
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