Exchange City

Denise - almost forgot - so glad you went to Nordstroms and had a good experience.  They really are the best!  And you're a perfect illustration of the fact that so many of us are in the wrong size - usually too big a band, btw - bra!  40G.......talk about foobalicious!

Hi All..

Very important late breaking news!  Today at my appointment I was telling the PS about my red circles under my incision lines.  It turns out that when I laid out for 20 minutes (20 minutes!) I put myself at a huge risk.  The red circles are sun burns and he has known women who have burned complete holes through their skin flaps and their implants!   OMG!  I had no idea.  I've been tanning all my life...always laid out in the sun.  I guess one little bikini top to separate your precious new foobs is not enough!  He said whenever I am out in the sun I need to wear multiple layers over the foobs...and never black!  What a deal.  How is this going to work if you ever want to go to a pool?  He said he knows of a gal that went to the Talladega (sp) and was there all day in just a tank top (no bra) Since she was numb (like all of us) she didn't even know this was happening!  Burned a complete hole through her skin and her implant needed to be replaced.  Her skin was worse than a radiation burn and needed grafting.  I'm just sick...but also grateful that I only was out for 20 minutes and didn't do permanent damage.  Be careful out there mowing Paula!  E-gads.   He also said that gals who have DIEPs are even more at risk...why I don't know but just be careful out there!

The appointment otherwise went well.  My right side is longer than my left now but he does agree I should start wearing a bra.  I can also start massaging in a circular motion: 
In-up-out-down and repeat.  He didn't say what to do about the longer side except respect the process and wait it out.  I see him again in a month and we'll talk nipples then.  He said I don't have to be put under (unless I want fat grafts which I don't) so YaY to no more anesthesia!  

The scar treatment he recommends is Kelo-cote.  https://www.kelo-cote.com/  He said it was almost pure silicone and of course paraben free.  I'm going to order some online tonight.  I still have steri-strips on but I'll let those come off naturally. 

Deborah, I just looked and your tattoos and they're perfect!  I am feeling your pain with the rednessness around them.  You're pretty funny though so thanks for the laugh!  You're gorgeous and I'm excited to see how they do over time.  What a huge relief it must be to be at the end of the reconstruction process!  Congratulations!

Laura, your flower is beautiful....I would love a green thumb like that...not to mention the therapeutic relaxation it must bring.  Way to go!
Val, congrats on your graduate and I'll let you know when my bra pictures are up for review. <sigh>

Have a great evening ladies!
Kat

Hmmm, that is kind of sad about the burning, Kat...  I don't get it... how can it burn under clothes?  I have been very diligent about putting sunscreen on my chest area (where there is no fat, just skin and bones) but I figured I was fine where the clothes were covering it.  I'll be honest, when I first starting reading and you said it was sunburn, I thought maybe you'd laid out topless!  haha!!! LOL!!!  Sorry, ya just never know.  Guess those days are gone (not that I ever laid out topless, too modest for that), but I just don't think I can bring myself to wear 2 bathing suits, way too hot for that!  Anyway, thanks for the depressing info... this is yet another thing they don't mention before the first surgery!

Paula

Deborah - thanks for that link to the cheaper nips.  Also, you mentioned a few posts back about Judy "triangulating" on packer's nips.  Can you or Judy explain &/or show what was done?  I looked for pics of packergirl but didn't find nip pics. 

MBJ:  I am in town.  Send away! 

From one of my breast surgery archives:

"Aesthetic placement of the nipples is at the lower angles of an equilateral or a short isosceles triangle on the chest with its apex at the sternal angle. This triangle can be thought of as two right-angled triangles with their Y-axis on the median plane. The base and vertical limb are measured, and the hypotenuse is calculated. The location of the lower angle is marked on the anterior surface of the breast and represents the new position of the nipple."

Deborah:  You put the areolas where you wanted them and they are fine. really.
and YOU KNEW about Penn's Triangle-- I had posted about it long ago.  Here it is again, for anyone interested:

Penn's Triangle- or how to place nipples.
Basically, there is a bony notch at the base of the neck- the sternal notch.  Mark it lightly with a sharpie.  (I use sharpies because they wash off easily and cna be moved)  You use it to measure where the nipple is supposed to be, the same distance down from that notch.  Then You measure the distance between the two nipples.  The end result should be an equilateral triangle.. If it is not, readjust until it is..Use a sharpie to mark the area.  Only make little dots until you adjust it right. Then make a large dot for the nipple about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch..  Then do the same with the areola.  There is no right size for an areola.  Make dots around the nipple to represent it. Try it at 1/2 inch away, and keep going larger until you feel the areola is the right size FOR YOU. 

Some go with the size they had before (if they remember) and can be vey small, to very large.  I have seen people choose areola sizes that were outrageously large..So what?  That is what they liked and wanted, so that is what they got.

If they leave it to me to design, I generally design one that is harmonious with the size of the breast. So that the nipple and the outer edge of the areola are about between 1/2 and 3/4 or so inches away from the nipple.  It is about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 in overall size.  It may seem as if
 1/4 inch is a small amount- it isn't.

As far as color, I like a soft,light-red, and light-brown color, but that is my preference.  When a woman is a unilateral- only the Penn's Triangle measurement is used. And then it may be adjusted for droop, etc.   Hope this helps.  JUDY

Deborah and Judy:   Thanks for the info about areola size and positioning. I'll be getting my nips in June--guess I better start figuring out placement. There are so, so many steps in this process. And Deborah, I got some good laughs from your earlier posts.

Kat:   I had no idea that sunburning could occur through swimsuits!! Thanks so much for sharing that info.

Val61:  Getting ready to head over and read your bra thread--don't know if there will be any recommendations for me because my PS prefers wirefree.I'm sure it will be very helpful to many women here though so thanks for all the work you put into it.

TCK

I will PM you.  JUDY

BIGAPPLE..I hope you are resting and healing! Let us know..

KAT.. I have been instructed by my ocno and my PC to let 60% of my body get the sun 20 min. a day... and when I cannot... to get.. " light therapy" for 5-7 min. a day..( I own tanning beds.. so they told me this will work..) and then also take 5000IU Vit D. ............. NOT one of them told me to cover the breasts in just 20 min. outdoors. Well, I tan super well... maybe this is why..

You see...my D. levels were 4... yes.... 4. ... this could be WHY I got cancer...anyway.. I GET my sun now... and will never ever again... block the sun all day.. JUST MY FACE.. ( vanity..lol)

KITTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and a little....WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO some more!!!!

JUDY.. I soooooooooooo remember you talking about what Deborah was taking about... TY!

Ladies....XXXOOO

Deborah & Judy - thanks for the triangulation info - really cool!  I have to mostly match my existing nipple placement but I'm going to measure just to see how "correctly" its placed to start with.   

Hope, I don't think you can judge divots from your TEs.  Your implants will almost certainly look different. But, definitely express your concerns to your PS so he knows what you're looking for in the final situation.

Lilah, I agree with you that my 410 has nice squish to it too.  Absolutely WAY softer than the TE (not that that would take much).  As you also said, doesn't jiggle.

Hi cs7777, Sorry that I still haven't gotten back to you. Have been reading your posts with interest.

So reassuring to hear from you and Lilah about the nice squish. Do you suppose that "no jiggle" means no bra is needed? With all the info I've been reading about bras tonight, I'd be so pleased to hear that bra-less is OK with the gummies. (Had been my consolation hope all this time...) Keeping in mind that all PS's have their own protocols, I'm wondering what you were advised in this regard?

Thx 

WWOOAAHHH!! You guys must all come and post on here while i'm in bed! LOL

WHERE DO I START.....!

CS~~the implant i hald said 'McGhan MM 360grams' on it. It felt rubbery on the outside like it had a coating on it.I could squish it in my hand but it was definatly a gel inside. Felt ok to me.Didnt feel REALLY firm but i may be imagining it to feel like a rock after what ladies have put on here about it . Prob will feel firmer once there is muscle laying over the top of it though.

My PS def said there are 3 types of firmness and she uses the middle one.Not exactly sure which firmness the implant was that i held,as i only saw the nurse,not my PS,and she didn't know much about the implants themselves. But i always had dense,'none-jiggly' breasts anyway so maye thats why it didnt feel overly firm to me.

LUNA5~~Glad you liked my video! Yes its true-the respect of kids when they see you mid fight is cool! ha ha. they're like "woah! my teacher can kick ass"!! Yes forms and patterns mean the same thing.I wanted to take my 4th degree black belt in 3 years so i can become an International instrucor and teach anywhere in the world,but as i cant fight anymore(and that is part of the grading syllabus) i cant take any more gradings =( I will still compete though but only in patterns and breaking.

KAT~~ glad you said about the sun! I go on holiday soon and although i dont generally sunbathe anyway,i will be extra careful to cover up my top half and stay under the umbrella. This is an area on me that often gets a bit burnt as im in the pool alot and the reflection off the watrer tends to get my chest very red. Big,oversize t-shirts for me then! And no playing water polo this time =(

LAURA~~ ah i didnt realise i have to upload a photo to Flickr etc first.I always wondered how you got a URL for a pic! If i upload to there tho,does this put the picture online for all to see????

Kay

Hi to my "uni sister" Nae:

I got to experience my first after-augmentation mammo a few weeks ago, and it was very "different".  Instead of two views, they take four: two in the normal way, and two with the implant "pushed back", as the tech put it, which is both weird and uncomfortable. (My augmentation implant is over the muscle.) After the tech was done, I asked to see what the mammo looked like.  The side view looks like my breast has a big white balloon in it, with breast tissue on the outside edge. Just be sure the tech knows you have the implant, and is experienced taking mammos of breasts with implants. My tech told me that a mammogram can rupture the implant, if the tech taking it doesn't know what they're doing, so be careful!  But it didn't really hurt more than a normal mammo. Hope this helps!

Diane

p.s. I hope this isn't more than you really wanted to know, LOL....

Katey,

Thanks for your post.  I also don't want anyone to be alarmed.  Being an avid golfer, I am always in the sun.  I usually tan and never burn, but that first time in the sun is crucial.  I am currently on a little mini vacation, staying at my daughter-in-law's with DH in upstate NY and the weather here has been unseasonably gorgeous....hot and very sunny.  They have an inground pool and yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day at the pool.  Last night I noticed that those thighs (that are usually covered) and the upper chest (also covered in a golf shirt) were pink! 

If I put enough lotion on them, it will turn to a lovely brown, but reading Kat's post sure shook me up.  I joked last night about having fried or boiled implants...certainly too much sun is not good for anyone and sunburns are never good, but I also don't think avoiding the sun (the great source of Vit D) is a good idea either.  Hopefully what Kat's PS told her was the rare occurrence and probably had other circumstances as well.  Moderation is the key....I might want to research this one with implant manufacturer's as I don't remember reading anything about it specifically.

Marianne

Marianne

I swear this thread moves too fast for me! I am on page 475 but have to post before more reading!

Lilah - I have the mentor smooth round cohesive gels. I LOVE THEM! I have started to feel the swaying movement when walking across a parking lot and feel them bounce a little when I run a few steps!

Rebecca - I have wanted to call you so many times and have gotten side tracked - I have not forgotten you! 

now to finish reading... OH NO NEVER MISS A DAY - YOU WILL NEVER CATCH UP