Fat Grafting, pros and cons
Comments
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I followed my surgeons recommendations to the T and did nothing for 8 weeks. I understand how that can seem like a long time and as a 17 year Pilates instructor & 8 yr Zumba instructor, I understand the urge to get back to some exercise. But my PS warned me that anything more than walking was a bad idea and I should do nothing that caused my body to bounce, even a little. I had a quart of fat grafted. Although he had not recommended bras (unless it was a soft sports bra) for my previous surgeries, he wanted me in soft surgical bras 24/7. After about 6 weeks I got some Genie camisoles which were very generous so there was literally no compression of my chest or side area. (I had fat put in under my left arm to correct post-infection damage.) At the two month mark, he said I was looking very good and didn't even have to wear a bra unless I wanted to. Yay! Freedom! I'm 66 and haven't worn a bra in 2015. I don't think there is any fat loss on my chest and there is no change to the implant positions because, as he said, they were well anchored and didn't need to rely on a bra to keep them up. I am well pleased and wouldn't want to do fat grafting again (it really hurt for about 2 weeks!) so for me, it was worth follow the PS directions exactly.
I have lost some fat on my side under my arm, but that was to be expected since that area used to be composed of muscle too, but I lost all that with the infection. We tried to "plump" up the skin and bone look on my side using only fat. It looks much better than it did, but even my magic PS couldn't make it look good. Too much scar tissue.
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back a few hours ago from my fat grafting. Feel much less sore than I expected, tho my stomach is sore and very bruised. He did tumescent method. I have steri strips only on the 2 small incisions he took from. Large chestwide and all gauze bandage on the uppers. I see him Tues for bandage removal. I dont think he will say much of anything about needing to wear a specific thing after that. He has been super mild and liberal the whole journey about what I want/need to wear. Which is nothing.
This surgeon has gone from doesnt do fat grafting to now doing it alot, over 2 years. He is more satisfied with methodology and his success rate is extremely high.
The worst thing right now is the piece of tape holding the gauze to my upper stomach. MIght try to peel it off later and replace with more paper strip.
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"Body heaven" by warners has been a very comfortable bra for me. I wore it today for about 8 hours. 1st time I wore a bra since my FG 2 weeks ago. My skin and wherever I have feeling, feels like skin does after a bad sunburn. FG is a lot of "poking around". Easy recovery in regards to incisions...tough recovery in regards to pain involving the whole front of my body. Breasts feel "stingy" and abs hurt especially when bending over. Back to work Monday. Hope I survive!
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Me too. Incisions feel fine, its all up and down my stomach that is bruised and painful. But definiely bearable. Took Motrins this morning, no Norco.
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i had my exchange surgery oct 21 with some FG. I recently noticed an indentation that runs horizontal from around my nipple right where the fat was injected and is about an inch long. Does anyone know what this is or what it means? Should i call my ps or wait for my next postop in 2.5 weeks?
The fat harvesting hurts but not the exchange Or fat grafting!
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Sunkissed, my PS has told me to email her pictures (I live hours away from her) if I am unsure about something. I bet it's all fine but I might at least do that so they can advise you! Hugs!
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hi free123
I called my ps and they want me to change bras just to rule out that that could be causing the indent. (I dont think it is)
They said it could wait til my next post op visit in 2 weeks. If its a fat grafting problem they wont do st grafting again for about 3 months anyway....
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Anyone have digestive problems from wearing the compression garment? My stomach aches--especially in the morning--and I have lots of unladylike problems (like lots of burping!). I've made it this far--5 weeks--and I'll keep wearing it, but I just hope I'm not doing my digestive tract any permanent harm!
Also, I noticed yesterday that I may have lost a bit of my fat! Up until now, I couldn't even feel the rippling under my skin. Now I can just barely feel the ripples. Oh no! I sure hope I'm not going to lose a lot more. I've done the best I could as far as not doing too much, so I guess whatever will be will be.
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elizabethaw - oh no! I am guessing that your digestive system just doesn't like being squeezed but I don't think you will do any harm. I think part of noticing any change in the grafted area is also swelling dissipating - how does it look versus how does it feel?
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Thanks, SpecialK! I did a little googling about shapewear in general and found that it does always compress your digestive tract, which slows it down and can cause the sorts of discomforts I'm feeling. It's tolerable if it improves results--I just don't want to cause myself permanent harm. (I can just imagine discovering that now I need some sort of digestive surgery to fix a problem caused by compression, and then that surgery will result in a problem...etc.)
I'm still afraid to look in the mirror for fear I'll like the results and be sad to watch them fade away! Silly, right? Of course I can't help looking down, and things still look fine--no visible ripples or bumps or anything. You're right that it could just be a loss of swelling. I feel more comfortable and less tight. I worry that anything I'm doing could be causing problems--things like chopping vegetables or driving--but sadly I can't just sit on my princess throne for 8 weeks! : )
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Hi. I just had my exchange surgery on Monday. PS told us she would be taking 100cc of fat from my belly for the top of the implants. I wore the compression garment from the hospital for 2.5 days and then nothing since last night. She said nothing about putting the compression garment back on. Have others been told no need for compression? I have been trying to read through the thread. Thank you.
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Katy, 100 cc's is a small amount (6 tablespoons) so I doubt that compression would be needed.
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Thank you!
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I will be 6 weeks post-fat grafting tomorrow. My PS suggested I start wearing underwire bras. I discovered that all of my old bras are super tight across my rib cage. I had been wearing them on the smallest (tightest) hooks, and I can tolerate them on the very loosest hooks, but they are still tight across the sides of my ribs! Either I've gained weight--in my rib cage area--or I'm still swollen from the lipo! Weird. I had imagined only being swollen in areas where fat was taken, but nothing happened on my sides around the bra band area. Maybe I've gained that much weight in 6 weeks?
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Elizabeth, why did your PS suggest underwire? I gained about 5 pounds of fluid weight after my FG 3 weeks ago, but I lost most of it (but not all). I think Lipo might fluid overload a little because I did gain about 5 pounds. I am almost back to normal weight now though.
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Kingster--no idea!
I've gained about 5 pounds too, but they're still here at 6 weeks post-FG, so I'm afraid they may not be fluid! No exercise plus eating lots of fat...
How are you doing? Is your fat staying put? Are you feeling ok now?
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Feeling better. I have a firm area above umbilical site that feels like edema. Trying to work it out. Not sure if I lost fat or swelling. Ripples still are covered well, but my left incision still pulls in, and I'm still right bottom flatter. So it seemed to fix 1 out of 3 of my major issues. Also, my ps was filling in left upper, but that has gone back down quite a bit. I don't think I can afford much more of this. Just got all bills from ps, anesthesia, and hospital that insurance didn't cover. Geez.
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I'm sorry, Kingster! Insurance hassles are really not fair on top of everything else. I've been lucky to have really good coverage, but sadly that changes for 2016--much higher maximum out-of-pocket expenses, etc.
Maybe things are still settling and changing for you? Have you seen your PS yet?
Also, I should have said that I believe my PS recommended an underwire bra because we had been discussing (via email) support vs. compression. You do want support and immobilization for the grafted area, but compression is bad. I'm happy with the underwire bra--it seems to fit both criteria--but it's weird how much tighter it is. Did I really gain 5 pounds in 5 weeks? I'm still hoping it's swelling.
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My plastic surgeon said after fat grafting I didn't have to wear the soft surgical bra after the first few weeks because the implants are anchored and don't depend on artificial support, but if I wanted to, it could not be an underwire. Obviously there's no right way - just doctors with different opinions, just like with our cancer treatment.
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Elizabeth, don't worry too much about the 5 pounds. I'm sure that will come off after you can get back to doing more. My bras seem tighter too, but he did add 165 ml per side. I see ps in 3 months. Saw him one week post FG, but there were just a lot of bruises to see at that time. Take care, and here's wishing our fat stays where it's needed most:)
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had fat grafting a week ago Thursday, almost a year to the day of my bilateral mastectomy. Dr. Took from my stomach and said that the discomfort is like doing a hard work out but I really did not have much discomfort other than when first getting up and sitting down and did not need to take any pain meds. I must wear the compression garment for a couple of weeks along with a surgical bra. I had some dips at the side of my breasts that he said he could fix. My stomach feels flatter but it doesn't look it and the dips are more noticeable! I go back to work Momday---he said a week off would be ok and I see him Tuesday. My question is, does it take awhile to see results? I feel like a big blob in my middle section and I am just eating normally and doing some walking for exercise. I feel depressed and vain. Has anyone else felt like this? I am very fortunate because I did not need chemo or radiation just must take anastrozole for a few years but that is it
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Queensuzi, I had FG 4 weeks ago. I think it takes quite a while for the swelling and the fluid injected for the Lipo to all dissipate. I think it must take time to see results too. My ripples are well disguised with the fat, but my incision ( although softer) still pulls in. My ps says that it may take a few rounds ( not sure that I can afford it though). I took 2 weeks off work ( but 1 was vacation). My ps said that it takes 6 months to see the final results. I feel depressed too, because I have had 4 surgeries to date, and feel as if things could be better. I don't feel ready to endure more surgeries to get there. Hope you heal well.
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thank you kingster for your reply, the ps told me that he might have to do it again to get the results that I want. He has been well pleased with what has occurred so far, so I guess I just have to be patient. My insurance has covered everything so far so that is good but I did not think that it would be this long of a process. I did have to have a knee surgery in between the masectomy and implants so that no doubt has made things drag out. I feel better now. Thank you so much
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Hi Queen! I'll be 7 weeks out tomorrow, and I still look at my belly and wonder if things will continue to change. I do feel silly and vain, but I'd like it to be flat! One thing I can tell you for sure is that you're still swollen. Everything I've read says that it takes at least a month and often 2-3 for all of the swelling to subside. The handout on liposuction the hospital gave me said that wait 2 months to see the results.
My PS said that he would need to take as much fat as he could from my belly and inner and outer thighs, so I had the equivalent of a cosmetic liposuction. I can definitely see a change in my outer thighs (I had the most fat there to begin with), but I'm not seeing much in the belly and inner thighs. I've been obsessively googling "liposuction how long before you see results," even though the point of the surgery was to fix the ripples! PS also said that my belly was more skin than fat (two babies) and that liposuction can improve that, but perhaps my excess skin won't really retract so that I have a supermodel-flat belly? Perhaps I should quit thinking about it and focus on moving on (4 surgeries in less than 2 years for me too), but it's hard not to hope, right?
So far my ripples are remaining covered and my PS feels everything is going just fine. I do worry a lot about losing any more fat--at about 5 weeks after surgery I started to be able to feel the ripples under my skin, but I still can't see them. If I don't lose any more, I'll look ripple free, and I'll be satisfied.
Best wishes to you and Kingster for the results you want!!
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So, I have a question...my exchange surgery is scheduled for Dec. 10, along with fat grafting. I am assuming it will be my last surgery. Is it typical that I may have more later if the FG doesn't stay? I mean, how often is another FG needed?
I'd really like to go ahead and try to schedule with Vinnie Meyers, but he says it must be 5 months from your last surgery. My P S said Vinnie is currently booking 8 months out. How long will it be after surgery before I know
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lharry - it is often the case that more than one fat graft is needed, but not always. That is a question for your PS - partly dependent on whether they try to layer in more than is really needed with an eye toward having some reabsorption. This is one reason that some PS don't do grafting with exchange - they want to see how things look and then decide if it is needed, or how much may be needed. I had my first graft a year after exchange. It can take up to six months to determine how much of the fat will stay and whether or not you will need more, but if the fat doesn't stay you would have to weigh whether it is worth it to try again - there is no guarantee that subsequent grafting will stay either.
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Well, that is a little discouraging to me. I really was hoping this would be the last surgery, and I could start to put all of this behind me. And, I understand that it still could be, but the chances of needing yet another FG sounds highly likely. I will talk to my PS on Tuesday and ask him.
I know we are all different, in our cancers and our procedures, and our reconstruction processes, etc. but wouldn't it be nice if someone (who has been there and knows) would give the rest of us a specific list of questions to ask?
I've been going to my PS now for months, just getting my fills regularly. We never talked about what kind of tissue expanders he uses before he put them in, because I didn't know that was a question I should ask. I never asked him how many cc's and how often he would do fills, because I didn't know to ask that. I never asked him how many cc's would be enough (before all of this) because I didn't know to ask that. I recently asked him about what type of implants he uses, and he said he has all types and that we would discuss the pros and cons of each when the time was right (I'm assuming that will be at my Tuesday appointment). He has said all along that he would do FG, but I haven't asked any questions about that, because I just don't know what questions to ask.
So, are these the questions I should ask him, as far as FG'ing goes?
- where will you pull the fat from?
- where will you be placing the fat (around the implate - outter; inner; under; over)?
- In your experience, how often is FG needed again after the original surgery?
- If FG is needed again, how soon do you do it from the last surgery?
Are these legitimate questions? Are there more I need to be asking? I feel slightly lost when it comes to this.Linda0 -
lharry: I can sympathize with the discouragement. I was depressed about my results after EX. My expectations were probably not realistic but no one tells you what "could" happen. So, now I'm a couple weeks from my second FG.The first was during EX. Your questions might include how much fat the PS anticipates needing and for what purpose in addition to where. The FG for me was to help with contour and that did work pretty well. My issue is not that the FG didn't take as much as it just wasn't enough fat to cover the ripples that showed themselves pretty much immediately. I can live with some of the rippling but I have a big one in my cleavage that I can't deal with.Going in for another procedure is about the last thing I want to be thinking about since I really need to get on with life too, but I need to get this done before the end of the year since out of pocket starts all over in 2016. My PS has been very agreeable about timing. He's pretty confident this will work. Regardless of result, I think this will be it for me. Good luck to you.
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Hey, SpecialK, do I have to wait 6 months before I can breathe a sigh of relief? I'm now at 7 weeks post-FG, and I still can't see ripples. I can feel them some, but they aren't visible. My PS felt that the grafted fat should be pretty stable by now, and he's optimistic that the ripples will stay hidden. He's encouraging me to get back to my normal exercise routine now. I thought my newly placed fat would be all set by 3 months; what do you think?
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Are ripples common
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