Exchange City

Okay, I am a little nervous...  last night I started having some itching on upper inner area of my left TE... it was after we ate dinner and I felt that I had dropped a few crumbs down my front so I thought it was just irritating it.  So I tried to get them all brushed off and I put some lotion on.  Well by bed time it was still itchy and driving me nuts.  I looked at it and it looked a little red with a few little bumps so I put some Aveeno Overnight Itch Relief Lotion on it and went to bed.  This morning it still itches, I took a shower and used my anti-bacterial soap and put more of the Aveeno lotion on.  But it still itches.  I keep staring at it in the mirror trying to see if it looks infected or just a small rash or what.  I feel like I am being so paranoid because I am so afraid that it's going to turn into an infection and I have my exchange scheduled for next Friday.  I haven't had any problems at all with my TE's, no infections, nothing.  My BMX was on Jan. 8th, my incision healed wonderful...  But i just keep reading about people coming up with infections out of the blue and that scares me.  My DH thinks I'm out of my mind... and now I feel like the left TE hurts a little more then normal but not sure if I'm just being paranoid or if it really does or what!  It is really just a little pink just between my 2 TE's but I honestly can't say that it doesn't always look like that, they are pulled so taut, they're always a little pinker then the rest of my skin and kind of shiney looking.  My incisions still look fine...  I guess I'm just wondering if I should just let it go and keep an eye on it, or should I call my PS or is there something else that I should put on it besides what I am doing?  Please Help!  I am not usually this panicky or paranoid, but I am so close to the finish line and I don't want anything to screw it up! 

Paula

Paula,  I would definitely try to see the PS just to be sure it's nothing.  Wishing you a great exchange next week!  My ex. was 3/26 and was a breeze.  I did nap on the way home from the hospital and later in the day.  But I was able to take my dog for a little walk and get around well.  I only didn't want to leave the house because I had these huge, awful abdominal gauze pads taped over my foobs.  All I could wear was the old button up flannel!!  Luckily I only had to use the pads for a couple of days.  I hope you'll be able to go to your kids' games the next day.

KristenPink,  I had a few bouts of bronchitis when I was in my 40s.  One thing that seemed to help was hot tea with honey.  An old school doctor I went to said no cold drinks, he was wonderful.  Hope you feel better soon.

CS,  Great news about your PS getting re-instated.  May will be here before you know it! Hope you love your gummies!

Judy, too funny!  I almost wish I had experienced the Foob Bart!!

Hood and Deborah,  thanks for all the fat grafting info.  Less than 2 weeks post exchange and I'm seeing ripples on both sides.  They come and go and I'm hoping one day soon they go permanently!!  And I have silicone...

Best wishes to all the surgery and procedure ladies this week!!  Great results and speedy recoveries!

So glad to hear you CA families are OK!!

Cindy

So, how bad did the fat grafting hurt?  Did you need to wear anything special after the surgery?  Was it a same day surgery?  I wish they would take some from my belly but he won't, he wants to save that in case the implants fail.  He will take some from the top and bottom of my non-radiated side and from my lower back I guess.  Sounds painful to me!

Deborah - can you recommend an underwire racerback (or convertible) bra?  Freya doesn't make one and that's my fave brand.  I did order a Chantelle C-Chic one with the little hook to bring the straps together, but not sure if it's comfy enough.  I'm trying to be ready for when the really hot Texas weather hits - which could be any day the way this weird year has been. 

I have my exchange date!!!! April 26th....yipeee squishy only a few weeks away!!!!!

Best to all of you having surgeries this week and a steady healthy recovery to all

Strength and courage,

Laura 

Wow!

So the earthquake starts and our house is full of family.  I am closest to a flat screen tv so I steady it with one hand and my margarita with the other.  Whew!  Nothing fell or was spilled!!!  Quite a bit of movement and LOTS of aftershocks.  I was in a highrise downtown once when we had a quake and let's just say I don't want to do that ever again!!

Paula ~ I agree with the rest of the gang, your events are doable if you don't have problems with recovering from anesthesia.  Think back how you felt after the BMX and lighten it by about 90%.

Foob Barts ~ You are killing me!!  So does that mean we have to stop blaming the dog????

Kristinka ~ Most of my pics have my head cut off so if anyone sees them I say it isn't me.  Who's to know???

My new nips are coming along very nicely.  Got most of the stitches out yesterday and will get the rest out next week.  Will update the photos when I am stitch-free.

Word of caution ~ If you have a skin graft from your pubic line be sure to wear sweats or something comfy and stretchy for a few days.  I went to girls weekend in my jean shorts and came back with some nasty bruises.  Didn't realize that they were that snug.  All is well now.

Thanks SO much for the fat graft info.  I had been wondering about it and may have that down the road.  I'm curious, after all we have been through are we going to be addicted to our PS's and just keep going back for more???  Nip here, tuck there, graft here, lipo there, tattoo here, scar revision there . . . . . . .

xo  Colleen

Hey Paula, I concur with the other ladies - definitely call your PS with your concern if you haven't already.  Better to have him look at it and get piece of mind by knowing its nothing or, on the off chance its something, to have caught it super-early.  Call him!

Astorm, sorry you're not happy with your PS's attitude and also not completely satisfied with your salines (your comment several days ago).  I think you should express your concerns to him, but indeed you might have to find a new PS (at least for a 2nd opinion) if you think fatgrafting might help and he's recalcitrant.  I'm also from No. Cal and have learned reputations of a few PSs in the bay area, so PM me if you want to compare names (if this is the area you're in...No Cal is big!).

Hi TaTas!  I just wanted to check in and let you know I'm home from my EC surgery and so far so good.  The anesthesia was perfect!  No pain ..yet,  but that may come tomorrow.  Thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers. 

BTW - My ps trained under someone...can't remember the name but definitely likes/loves the fat grafting method.  I even complimented him on my scar and he attributes that to the FG.  He put some in the middle of my foob and attributes the fading there to the stem cells in the fat graft procedure.  

Will talk more when the anesthesia affect wears off!  A HOT 90+ degrees here today!  My AC is running!!!

It is finally here! Tomorrow is my surgery!  I am so ready to get this over with and move on to the next phase. There was an issue today where the surgery center was balking at doing the surgery because of my latex allergy but eventually it worked out and I am good to go for 9am! Yippee Squishy here I come lol!

I am so Happy that you all are becoming Yippee Squishy!

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

Lilah, I don't think it is heat rash, it's not that warm here in Michigan.  It could be stress...  My Relay for Life team is having a Euchre Tournament this weekend and since I am the only stay at home mom I usually get left in charge of everything because I have so much more time then everyone else that gets paid for their job.  And since I still have anthesia brain (yes, I'm still claiming it since my brain still isn't working 100%, I tried to claim that I stored all of my brain cells in my breast tissue and after my BMX I didn't have any left, but no one would buy that, so I'm left with anthesia brain) it takes a lot for me to get everything organized, so I've been pretty stressed lately.  Maybe if I spent more time working and less time on here, I'd get more done and be less stressed! 

Val:  My favorite racerback was the Natori Style 136002 - underwire with memory foam cups - a great tee-shirt bra.  But it has been discontinued....I kept meaning to buy it at Nordstrom's after I tried it on, but I was buying so many bras that day - I thought I would wait but I waited too long.

http://www.herroom.com/Natori-136002-Underneath-Contour-Underwire-Racerback-Bra.shtml#6

The other racerback I have been looking at is by Le Mystere...this one....and it gets good reviews..

http://www.freshpair.com/Le-Mystere-Y-Bra-Contoured-Racerback-Bra-555.html

[If you recall, the Le Mystere Dream Tisha bra was on Oprah's Favorites for several years running...]

There is also the Spanx bra...I tried on a regular version - not a racerback - and I did not like the compression of the Spanx...but if Dillards has Spanx you could try one on and see if it works for you...

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3008441?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=racerback+bra&origin=searchresults

Hello all.  Just a question, do they normally wait until after chemo is completed to perform the exchange surgery?

Thanks for sharing all of your stories!

I haven't been on here since Friday and there were things I was going to respond to, but if I don't do it as I'm going along, I just plain old forget.

 Thanks for all the well wishes!  I'm strangely nervous about nips, I thought I'd just be gung ho, but no I'm worried the nipple will be too small (cuz it'll shrink to nothing), the areola will be too big (little nipple/huge areola, that can't be good), I'm worried they'll be lopsided (I decided to trust the ps's measurements over my eyeballing it), and I'm dreading anesthesia.   

Jean, I want to tell you how much I love the "!!" after nips!  There is something so perfect about that.

Maggie, I love that!  "nipple-iciousness" that's as good as Yippy Squishy!  And the phrase is even better coming from a sex ed teacher.  :-)

 Jayne, I agree I wouldn't tell them until you have the job. 

Paula, Maybe it's stress related?  You don't have any of that, do you??

CS, It was me that talked about the stimulation.  I'll see if I can find what I already said, cuz I'm too lazy to think about it at this moment.  If not I'll write it all up for you in the next couple days.

Julie 

Thanks Judy, that is what I figured.  Just checking.  I didn't even have my bmx yet (next Friday) but just wondering.  God I really don't even know anything at this point, including treatment.  Ugh will be glad to at least be done with the bmx and to find out what I have and am in store for!!