Exchange City

Betty, you might want to check your spam folder - perhpas your email is filtering messages from the website.

Kimberly, I think you have the right approach when talking to your friends about fipples.  People just don't know that most of us have lost our nipples due to the cancer risk.  I'll try to get over my discomfort about discussing fipples (part of me wishes I didn't have to do another surgery...)

Best wishes for a great surgery next week, Luna.  I get so nervous before each surgery.  A little valium went a long way for me the day before surgery!  It really helped to calm my nerves - that and hours of completely ridiulous TV watching.  (I normally don't watch much TV, but now I'm hooked on a BUNCH of sit-coms: Modern Family,Community, 30 Rock, Better off Ted) 

Bare Necessities is having a 20%-25% off sale on a lot of bras, including Freya.  Cool!  I just saved by spending some more money...

Kristinka:   I absolutely love Modern Family. I dvr it and when I need a good laugh I watch it. I haven't gone back to work after my exchange so I'm not sure how I will handle explaining my next surgery(areola/nipple) to my coworkers. I'm not sure if my friends "get it" or not, but they are supportive of whatever I feel I need to do. After missing so much work since all this started last June, I'm not sure what my coworkers will think---but I've decided that I need to follow through/not delay. I'm on the home stretch!!

Happy Friday everyone!!

TCK

Kristinka: Ta Tas or Fa Fas? I think in this case, it really is "Only your hairdresser knows for sure!"

Hi everybody, Hope everyone has a great weekend and for those having surgery next week I am sending positive thoughts for uneventful procedures.

I have to share an amusing bra story. Yesterday my DH went to our family physician who is also my breast surgeon and told everyone in the office how well I was doing an how great everything was looking. He then went on to tell the receptionist (the nurse's daughter) that I was doing great except for bras and proceeded to tell her how I could not get a comfortable one since the foobs don't squish into the shape a natural breast does and therefore I couldn't find anything to fit. She proceeded to give him the name of the mastectomy store who could fit me. He has not been feeling well and forgot I just had purchased several from that store the day before. Before all of this happened he would not have been caught dead discussing my foobs or bras, even with the surgeon. The PS also practices out of the office, but I guess he did not see him or he would have shared his thoughts on bras with him as well. I just had to laugh when he told me about his discussions.

Luna, I hope your procedure goes well on Monday and they get the IV on the first shot. I know how painful it is for them to try and try. I had IV Vancomycin which really can "eat" the veins and had to have a new site each time for about 5 doses. So good luck.

Delilahbear, AKA Nancy 

Julie ~ "Colleen, No idea about the band??  Maybe somebody else knows."  Did my chemo brain miss something???  I went to my 11am meeting this morning (outside the office) at 10am ~ then got back to the office at 1pm to discover that I missed my 9am meeting somewhere else. Remind me what "band" I need to know about and we will take it from there.  Ha!!

Luna ~ PRAYERS!!!

Next week is "icing on the cupcakes" can't wait.  Then I will get to deal with headlight issues . . . never a dull moment that is for sure.

Colleen

Luna: healing thoughts and prayers are with you! heres to one stick, girl!

Cindy/surgery sister! a week from today! wow!!!!

Navy: I sooo miss working out, I am totally with you.

Betty: Im a prophy. bmx too: these wonderful ladies always made me feel welcome, I am humbled at their support and generosity. Jean (mykidsmom) is a highschool friend of mine (life coincidences are amazing0 and she told me about this and enouraged me to come here when I sought her advice in Jan. So I had some comfort in joining that I know I wouldnt have otherwise had, just like you. But you have been welcomed and I just wanted to say hi as we have things in common. Had my ovaries removed 10 yrs ago, Im 55: never had the brca test, but family history, hyperplasia , dense tissue, etc etc was enough for me.

TGIF everyone  

Luna - My prayers and best wishes for you. Hope your procedure goes well and as Kimberly would say "Yippee Squishy". Also,I agree with Maggie - let them know about your veins and get the most proficient "sticker" for your IV. You've been thru enough and don't need a  search party for the veins.

Navy - Working out - hmmph! I'm on "modified" restriction. My PS and I go round and round on this. Unfortunately, he seems to win out most of the time.

Have a good one ladies. Chris

Has anybody used these nipple guards?  I'm thinking they would work well to smooth you out under clothes while protecting as the nipple heals but it's also a lot of tape.

http://www.asteame.com/Products.html

Julie 

Maggie:  I definitely agree about drinking a lot of fluid a few days before surgery!  You want to be very well hydrated!  I also learned that since I haven't finished menopause (they consider one whole year w/o a period and of course I had one the day after my mx!) that I have to make sure I don't go to the bathroom too soon before surgery either since they always make me do a urine sample pregnancy test before surgery.  I blew it the first time around and then I wasn't able to drink water because of surgery and we had to wait and wait, and wait, and wait.  They started an IV to help get some fluid in me so I could eventually give them what they needed.  Of course I had to do sentinal lymph node mapping and all that fun drama beforehand, so the IV had time to work at least.  Lesson learned though.  After the last one I just held it after I got up in the morning and went to the bathroom until surgery at 3:30....no liquid allowed though inbetween.  But it at least worked.  Water, water, water.  It helps with swelling issues afterwards they told me too.

Navymom and everyone on "movement restriction" you need to listen to your doctor, even if it is frustratiing and you are anxious to get back to being active again.  You've gotten this far and the last thing you want to do is risk a set-back.  My PS didn't let me do any physical therapy at all until after my fills were done at all, and the only exercize I could do is walking.  Be safe and heal well!

Nedeza:  That's great that you can get braces for free!  I did them as an adult too (almost 10 years ago I guess).  The clear ones weren't an option when I did them but I had fun with the rubber band colors and did "theme colors" each month.....St. Patrick's Day was green, pastels for Easter, red/white/blue for July, etc. They did give me  headache though, just FYI.  I just learned to take a couple of Tylenol before my appointment when they tightened them.  Good luck!

Karen - when I had rippling it was back when I had cosmetic implants.  I have not been able to find a hard and fast explanation, like you said, we're all skin and muscle and implant.  It was '94 and I had underfilled salines because my PS was following the common practice (at that time) of underfilling to achieve more softness with salines.  That may have caused more visible rippling in general, but they were only visible on me when I was thin.  I don't think that practice is common anymore and implant technology is better now too.

Betty

You are definitely "Prophy Wives" but oh so much more!  :-)

NAE, so I wasn't clear are you wanting to get the nipple or not sure?  Good to see you, btw.

Julie 

Julie~

I go in next week to see if I am happy with the "gilrs" & if so I am assuming I can schedule for the lift surgery.  My PS said she would do both the lift & the nipple at the same time.  What I am concerned about is what if the lifted healthy augmented side drops alittle & the nipple on my MX side is not even with the healthy nipple....does this make sense of what I am trying to say??  I am going to ask my PS if I can do the lift on the healthy & wait to do the nipple on the MX side later just in case things change.  Then there is the other issue...do I even want to have a nipple placed??  I do not know any more!!

NAE