TE/Implant OVER pectoral Can exercise, comfortable &NO RIPPLES!
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PugsMama - I had to bring my own cooler and I used mostly regular ice with a small piece of dry ice. Using all dry ice would be too cold for hands/feet and you'd risk frostbite. The last round I didn't get any dry ice and I worried because they didn't seem cold enough. Started wearing the mittens and slippers 15 min before infusion, through the entire infusion, and then for another 15 min after (found that recommendation on-line). You really only need to do that for the Taxotere , but I did it through both drugs just to be safe. Store the mittens/slippers in your freezer from the night before, then load up the cooler when it's time to go to chemo. When I was getting chemo there were clinical trails for this somewhere in the US and I was able to find out a little more searching on-line. I figured if it was a good enough hypothesis to warrant clinical trials (hypothermia/vasoconstriction to keep a lot of the chemo from reaching the nerve endings), I would try it myself. So glad I did! Oh - and eat/suck on ice chips through all of chemo too, it helps prevent/decrease mouth sores (well documented in literature).
Claireinaz - tissue expanders and implants often ripple under the skin - instead of being smooth they have waves/ripples. My TEs are wavy a bit on the sides. Supposedly this happens more with saline and regular silicone, and the shape of the implant plays a role as well. Hoping my implants won't because I'm getting anatomic cohesive gel.
- xo
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claireinaz, hi. Rippling refers to an appearance of the skin having ripples because the reconstruction doesn't completely and smoothly fill the breast mound, ie slack skin. Also, it can happen that you can have fat necrosis of fat grafted fat which can be felt as a lump under the skin. It is pretty common, that fat necrosis occurs. It is possible an experienced radiologist will be able to differentiate a fat necrosis lump from a more worrisome lump.
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PugsMama- I've been sleeping on my side with the TE for a few weeks (had my surgery at the beginning of Dec). It just got more comfortable to be able to do that as time passed and the soreness faded. I hope your chemo treatment goes a smoothly as possible.
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Amapola36 thank you for the heads up about LANA certification for lymphedema - I'm definitely looking into this!
KBeee - you may have saved a few lives by posting that we need to establish a follow up MRI routine with our doctors. My ILC was barely visible in the mamo's anyway!
Group question - I'm continuing to experience skin sensitivity - my foobs react to any fabric rubbing across them. Anyone else? The only thing that works is one of those surgical pads in my post mastectomy bra, and 1/2 a percoset. T/E over pec in December...
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gah! Dang it! Is it a rash? An infection??? Skin mets???? It's red, it's oozing, it's 6 days old around my scar and it's about the size of my thumb. MO says it's not cancer. PS says it doesn't look infected, but started me on bactrim just in case. Derm can't see me until the week after next. Could it be dermatitis? Or an injury? Have any of you lovlies experienced anything like this, and if so, what did you do?
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I'm responding because I had something similar. I had my rt TE put back on 11/11 after bad inf this summer. At day 6, I started to get an itchy red rash on incision and below it. PS wasn't too worried about it because he didn't think it was an infection. He thought I may have been allergic to the glue or a bandage that was over it. I was on two strong antib. Anyway, after being itchy and uncomfortable for over a week, he sent me to a derm friend of his Because it got worse by spreading. As soon as the derm saw me, she said you have a yeast skin infection. Probably caused by antib use and/or heat under the bandage. So I took a pill and used a cream for a week and problem solved. So maybe it could be that??!! Are you itchy??
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Yeah, that could be it, littleblueflowers,as Misty1 said, a skin infection with yeast. Its always pretty safe to presumptively treat with a yeast infection topical med, although they could culture for yeast to be sure. Using a yeast cream like Miconazole (used in Monistat), will do no harm if it isn't yeast related, but might help a lot if it is yeast.
My other thought is it could be a reaction to a retained suture. I had that happen a few times where I had to have them dug out when they didn't dissolve. I found out through unfortunate trial and error, that certain types of dissolvable sutures did not dissolve as advertised, for me.
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Thanks so much for the input, ladies! I hadn't thought of yeast, but I've been on antibiotics so much this winter it's totally likely. It is itchy. By luck, I have diflucan and monistat on hand! Oh I hope this works!!!!
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Who ever thought you could get a yeast infection on your boob? Cancer, the gift that keeps on giving lol. Littlebluflowers, hope those creams give you relief...
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That's exactly what I said to the derm!! Go figure! I took diflucan pills for a week and used clotimazole and betamethasone dipropionate cream 1% twice a day. I got relief from itch after first application. Rash totally gone in 6 days and it was over a large area. The derm was so happy to have such a simple problem, especially all I had been through last summer.
Hope this is what your problem is. I would see if you can have your PS get you into a derm ASAP. Mine called the derm personally and set me up the next day. Or, have the PS write the scripts.
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DandilionWishes, that sucks about the hypersensitivity. Did you get any help since you posted? I had hypersensitivity after a biopsy and after my mastectomy. It was excruciating because it's so distracting. Another woman I met here took gabapentin for it. I was given a prescription for it after MX, but I could tell the sensitivity was starting to fade and never filled the prescription. Eventually it stopped completely and all's been quiet ever since. Even after exchange surgery it didn't return for me.
I wish I had some home remedy to offer. All I can say is that, oddly enough, going for walks helped. It didn't bother me then. I don't know why - you'd think the extra movement would add to it. Other than that, If I was just at home I'd go back and forth between wearing something to place light pressure on my chest and going naked.
Maybe ask about gabapentin? I was surprised there wasn't more to offer for this. After my first biopsy they gave me lidocaine patches to put over the area when I complained about it. I was told later that shouldn't work because it's topical and won't get to the nerves.
Good luck and I hope that your nerves quickly settle down!
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Turns out, the rash was actually just my skin ripping from the pressure of the TE. Guess a C cup is all I'm capable of. Sigh. Oh well, at least it isn't cancer!
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Hello to all my fellow pre-pec lovelies.
After the interminable wait subsequent to my FG procedure back in October I'm now set with a new surgery date to re-insert a pre-pec TE on 3/17. It was excruciating to wait this long but there's light at the end of the tunnel. All the pain and patience have been worth it to be able to go pre-pectoral again.
I'll have a vitamin C infusion 4 days prior to and 3 days after surgery to prevent any further infection as well, plus I see the ID on 3/7 and I assume he'll put me on a pre-op antibiotic also.
Also having salpingo-oophorectomy at the same time due to genetic markers for increased risk of ovarian cancer.
I'm just thrilled to be on the calendar at this point. 10 months after my original BMX I think I see an end in sight.
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Hi Raven: I had the ovaries out with the robot. Easy surgery & recovery. So glad to hear you're back on the schedule & the end is in sight!
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Good to know, PugsMama. My ob/gyn's office said the recovery for this would be pretty simple, so just not planning to work Friday (surgery day) and the following Monday then will hopefully be good to go.
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Hi ladies
Anyone with a pre-pec implant have one of those permanent adjustable implants that saline can be added to after surgery? Or a tear drop shaped anatomical pre-pec?
I am going with over-the pec to replace direct-to-implants that were too tall for my torse and detached my pec. I want to make sure I am getting the right kind of implant.
Thanks, Renee
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Renee: I'll end up with a pre-pec teardrop implant but for right now I have air-filled TEs. Not there yet....
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@ReneeCA- I'm getting a tear drop too. I only had the right side done. I'm almost 6'0" tall if that helps and nearly a B cup- ha!
I cannot wait to have this TE removed in 10-days! I was bummed to hear that I will have to wear a compression bra when I workout and play volleyball. I never wore one after my mastectomy. My right boob looks almost exactly like the left but a tiny bit larger.
Can anyone recommend a soft compression bra that is comfortable when working out?
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Hello to all the pre-pec ladies! My PS told me before BMX that he hoped he would be able to put TE OVER the muscle, as it would save me a LOT of post-op pain. He said he would have to make the decision while I was on the table, based on quality of blood supply. He never suggested this was a newer method and as I had no prior experience w/BC I could only say to him that I am all for less pain, do it if you can!! I read this entire thread and never saw that reason mentioned so I thought it would be of interest. I didn't even know of the aesthetic benefit (no rippling). He did mention the possibility of fat grafting at or after exchange surgery. I don't have much fat, but do have areas on lats that I hope he can harvest. They have always bothered me, leftover from a 50 lb weight loss after a 50 lb weight gain from taking Lyrica for nerve pain. Turns out, I can't take Gabapentin for nerve pain either, as I discovered prior to me dx earlier this summer I tried it for spinal stenosis related nerve pain and blew up like the Michelin tire man!!
DandelionWishes, I DO have hypersensitivity to the skin from where my nipples should/would be (lost them, due to compromised blood supply and scar tissue having had them moved during prior reduction surgery) and upward. My BMX was Jan 27 and it is gradulally getting less hypersensitive. My 2 drains were removed just 6 days after surgury! I had 200 ccs of saline in R breast, 150 in L on the operating table. Have had 1 fill each week since then, so 2 total, evened them both out this last Tuesday. As for the bra issue, it seems PS recommendations are all over the place!! I had 36 double D's, and had them reduced to B cups back in 1993. After the Lyrica weight gain, they grew back, and at time of BMX I was a 36 D, even though I had lost all the weight. That being said, and having nursed 3 babies, I am paranoid about sagging, as coupled with being 52 yrs young, gravity had taken its toll. He did cover the TE with Alloderm, which I understand is like an "internal Bra", and says it is my choice to wear or not to wear a bra with the expanders. Since I had the prior reduction surgery they used my old "anchor scars" for my MX. So I have vertical from nipple area down, and IMF sutures. I feel this will help to hold the implants nicely, at least I hope so. I had to wear underwires since I was 15 due to my big heavy boobs and I am LOVING being wire -free!! I wore a compression bra for a week but couldn't stand it bc of the hypersensitivity and the ps let me switch to a soft sports bra. I suppose it might change when we do the exchange. He did recommend the textured gummies as having a better result for over the pec, but I want upper pole fullness as I lost all mine with breast feeding, hopefully the fat grafting will provide enough. I am torn on nipple reconstruction, my ps, as fabulous as he is, does not do it. He says they flatten out anyway, its more surgery, and since they are non functioning they just do the 3D tattoos with great results. So If I really want nips, I will have to find a different doc. At any rate, if you want to add my ps to the list of pre pec docs, his name is Davinder Singh, M.D., in Annapolis, Maryland. and so far, I am very pleased with his work as well as his bedside manor! http://findadoc.aahs.org/MedicalGroup/Details/1186...
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Hi Shoregirl, welcome to my Prepectoral thread. I will definitely add your PS to the list. I am glad he was so open to trying that method of reconstruction for you. Fat grafting plus a SeriSilk Mesh sling has given me good looking cleavage and upper pole fullness. I wish I had more lower pole fullness, but not too bad, just not a perfect match to my real right breast. I have an Anatomic Shaped textured Implant, high profile. I initially had a Moderate profile implant, but it looked odd, too flat like a "Man Boob" It was much more real looking for me with the High Profile.
Glad you are finally getting to go forward, raven4mi. Great you are getting the IV Vitamin C to minimize your risk of infections. I wish more doctors would get on board with such a simple, yet effective natural Bactericidal solution , in these days of rampant antibiotic resistance. How many Grams are you getting with each IV Vitamin C infusion? I usually would get 50 grams Vitamin C without any side effects before and after surgery too. The only times I got infections were when I didn't get the IV Vitamin C.
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Thank you for your reply and adding my doc macb04. I believe he did say he was going with a high profile for me. I will have some questions when I go back this Tuesday. I am concerned they are filling too much, too soon. I have gone once a week, the 1st one being 11 days post op. I am noticing what looks like the beginning of stretch marks along the lower pole. I have been massaging avocado and coconut oils into them ever since I noticed. On my last fill, last Tuesday, the PA did the fill instead of the PS. She noticed an area of redness on the lower pole of the cancer breast, told me to watch it and call if it spread or any fever. It hasn't, but it is not going away either.
As for the IV Vitamin C, my stepdad is an MD AND a holistic doc. He treats cancer patients all the time with Vit C. He wants me to start, but I hesitate as I have stage 3 chronic kidney disease from NSAID use after my 2 neck surgeries back in the 90's. I told him I read online that high dose IV Vit C can shut down a patient's kidneys if they have impaired function. He assured me he would not use as much Vit C and I would be fine. I already had the bloodwork and don't have the rare protein or whatever it is that would prohibit me from getting IV C. I am going to put it off until I speak with my Nephrologist. But my stepdad says not only does IV Vit C promote healing, but it also shrinks and kills cancer cells. I hope my Nephrologist clears me for it!! I do currently go once a week for what is called a Myers IV infusion with Glutathione. I used to get them when I was battling Lyme disease and they made me have more energy. But now after I get them they make me very drowsy. Could be due to the fact I am on muscle relaxers and pain meds. Oh, stepdad also gave me CHELATED magnesium, 500 mg taken A.M. and P.M, to help with muscle spasms.
I had wine for the 1st time since surgery last night and I don't know if it caused it but I woke up with my pain at an 8 this morning. It had gotten down to a 3 which is the best it has been post surgery. I will just refrain from wine, I have pretty much lost my taste for it anyway!!
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hi Shoregirl, thought I recognized you from the Jan. surgery board! My pug jumped on my TE the other day & I thought he was going to pop it! I'm air filled & probably as big as I'm going to be until my exchange surgery, at least a month after chemo. They're totally comfy now & look good enough so I don't mind the wait..
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Hi PugsMama,
Yep, I was over on Jan surg board. I am intrigued by the air filled TE, I wonder if they are not as bad as the saline. I feel like I am in a mideval torture device...iron bra!! I am glad you are comfy with the air since you have to wait a bit. It is hard keeping the little furbabies away from the boobies, mine is a 9 month old Jack Russel, FULL of energy!! But I can't imagine life without the little darlings (doggies). Best wishes for minimal discomfort with chemo.
I have not yet started exercising, other than some arm raises. I will ask my doc tomorrow if I am supposed to start PT now, or after the exchange surgery.
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This may be a dumb question, but with implants OVER pecs, does that eliminate "pocket work"? My ps has recommended anatomicals, with exchange expected in April. I am concerned about rotation being a problem, wonder if it is even more of a risk being over the pec.
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shoregirl: I'm assuming the alloderm will keep them in place. I'm seeing my PS next Tues, will ask him & let you know what he says...re: air filled TEs, I think your PS can drain the saline & use air. They are so light & comfy. No iron bra feeling at all....I was going to take a flight (b4 finding out I needed chemo) & my PS was going to deflate the air & put saline in the TEs bc of the cabin pressure.
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Pugsmama, I went for a fill yesterday and asked about the rotation. My PA told me the PS found out there is a slight risk of Lymphoma with the textured anatomicals, so they are moving away from them. Thank God he found out before putting them in my chest!!!! You are so lucky, NO IRON BRA!! But I am already filled to 350 and going to 500 so I think I will just tough it out rather than drain and refill with air.
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Shoregirl:good to know! Will definitely ask my PS about that when I see him...
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ReneeCA - I'm getting anatomic cohesive gel implants this Friday. Should be able to report next week!
I will also ask my PS about the IV Vit C. Maybe I can get it this time. I had an infection last time, but after drains were removed and my drain hole wouldn't close. So tired of ABX (antibiotics) - not good for the rest of me.
- xo
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andraxo: how exciting! Can't wait to hear how it goes!
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Andraxo, perhaps your PS is more forward-thinking than most, but it was my experience that most "standard" medical facilities don't do the high dose Vitamin C. I had to find a holistic medical center and was just lucky enough to find one that happened to have a cancellation, otherwise it was a several month wait just to get in for an initial consultation. Fingers crossed you have better luck. Good luck with your surgery this week!
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