Exchange City

my friend Michele got her Alloderm put in when they did the BMx and put the expanders in. They stitch it to the muscle at the bottom of the breast/rib and to the pec muscle.

Do they normally put it in at time of exchange then? Hers are looking great now.She's due exchange about September.

Anniealso, you asked about positive guidelines for weight-lifting and other exercise post surgery. The study referred to in the weight-lifting article that Laura posted is one that was published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine. The lead researcher, Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, has been surprised (and horrified) at the wide-spread misinterpretations of her study (as in that article, which implies that the study showed that weight-lifting could help prevent lymphedema -- in fact, the study was of women who already had lymphedema, and it showed that most of them could lift weights without causing flares as long as they wore well-fitting compression garments, proceeded VERY slowly, and were supervised throughout by specially-trained lymphedema therapists and trainers.)

BUT! Exercise is good for the lymph system because it promotes lymph flow. The key is in proceeding carefully, slowly and consistently, stopping before your arm is achy or tired. Dr Schmitz has published an article, to clear up the misconceptions about that study, at the National Lymphedeme Network, along with the text of her study AND the exercise protocol used in her study. As I say, it's about women who already have lymphedema, but even so you might find it interesting and empowering:
http://www.lymphnet.org/lymphedemaFAQs/weightliftingLE.htm

Yes!
Binney

Well, poo. Hope you feel better after the Calgon, kittycat.

Hi Everyone, I had my exchange surgery andport/cath removal yesterday. It was supposed to be outpatient, but I got very ill with excessive pain and nausea, and they kept me overnight. 24 hours ago, I felt like I was dying, now I feel 100% better. I look like I was beat with a nail-filled baseball bat, but my surgeon says that I will like my breasts when the bruising and swelling goes down. she lipoed 1.5 liters of fat from my sides, chest, underarms, etc,so you can imagine, I'm pretty sore, but in goods spirits. Thanks for all your support and good wishes

Um....Kittycat.....you are far too young to know about Calgon!

mslrg:  I am happy you are feeling better!  But 1.5 liters!  That would be 1,500 ccs of fat!  Holy cow!  LOL!  I think probably you mean 150 ccs?

Have returned, new and improved, (but not so happy) to tell the tale of my BEARS!

Last Wednesday, went to NYC with my family. Had my pre-op visit where I said to my PS, “remember last time when I said I wanted to be very small…smaller than before this visit, no… smaller than before last fill, no….smaller than TWO fills ago?? Well…I changed my mind! Please put in the biggest implant that will fit!!! I’m sure he was thinking,..what else is new…but not even an eyeball roll and he was well prepared for my change of heart with the 410 MX’s in 410g, 445g and 520g, as well as the FX 450g and 495g.

My surgery was Thursday. I was in that no-turning-back state of calmness as I waited in my pre-op cubicle. While entertaining myself on my iphone, I had the sudden urge to download and listen to the original West Side Story.  I have no particular attachment to this score, but a week or so ago, my husband and I were goofing around in the kitchen after dinner. We were doing some very dramatic renditions of the bits and pieces we recalled from that musical and embarrassing our teenage daughters who had no familiarity with this show.  As I lay there listening, waiting to be called for surgery, I had the sudden terror that the last thing on my mind before anesthesia might surface as they sat me up to try out the various implants. I was picturing myself, sitting there, propped up on the operating table belting out “Maria” or “Tonight”, but was relieved when I remembered I’d have a breathing tube down my throat!  The surgery, about 1+1/2 hours, went fine.  The PS was able to use the 520MX. I’m glad for that as I do not look very big (but strangely do fit exactly into my old D bras). I woke up easily, but in a lot of pain. After a few different IV narcotics and much itchiness, we hit payday and the pain was relieved. I was then able to leave the hospital after 3 or 4 hours. We spent the next 3 days at a relative  who lives close by.  I felt well loved and cared for by my family and BFF’s, with good company, flowers, gifts and amazing food and treats. I had significant pain – more than after my BMX when I’d switched off from narcotics almost right away. I was counting the minutes to my every 4 hour Vicodin dose for all three days. On the 4^th day the pain mysteriously, but completely disappeared. On the day following surgery I also developed a fever. I was pretty sure it was an inflammatory response and not a post op infection so I didn’t call in even though I was over the cut-off of 101 and maxed out on Tylenol,(which is in Vicodin). Very miserable 24 hours.  And I hate sleeping on my back!  I’d allowed a viewing of my new little breasts by my girlfriends, sister-in-law and daughters and had been reassured by all (and husband), that they looked pretty sweet. 

By Sunday I felt ok enough for our 5 hour drive home.  Once home, preparing for my first shower I finally had a good bra-less inspection of my new body parts and was quite distressed over my findings. My reaction; do NOT look sweet to me! I know that once un-compressed, there will be some fluffing, but I was shocked by the crushed, smooshed and bruised doughiness  of my new breasts. Something about the this-is-it-ness really hit me hard. I think that the difficulties of the past 8 months kind of came crashing down on me.  I really loved my old breasts, and these just are not them! On the GOOD SIDE, for those contemplating or planning on the Allergan 410 Gummy Bears: these are soft – as soft as normal breast tissue. The projection is ok, the profile contour very natural.  The upper pole does not have the round, full silhouette of a round implant, but rather the slope of a natural breast – just as had been described. My PS was able to fully eliminate the step-off that I had developed with my TE’s. The symmetry and placement on my chest is just right.  So, theoretically, all is as it should be. But I look in the mirror and for now see gummy globs sitting on my chest. I think that mourning this loss is just something I am going to need to do for a while. And then I’ll get with the program!

Jerusha -- I think it's a little of that post-partum type depression I had as well right after surgery (not to mention, anesthesia can make you depressed and I wouldn't be surprised if 4 days of narcotics do that as well)... anyway, I think you will get past this feeling and come to really like your gummies!  Glad you agree about the softness and the nice, natural slope.  How cool that you still fit in your old D bras!  I was surprised when I found that I was still a D as they do look smaller.  Anyway: here's hoping that your relationship with your new foobs improves

MsLrg -- ouch!  Sounds like a LOT of sculpting there.  Even so, I'm betting you'll feel better when you get to day four.  I hope so.  I bet you are going to look gorgeous!

Re: Alloderm... when I asked my PS if she used she wrinkled her nose and said "no" -- so I guess she doesn't like it.  That said, I did have a drain on exchange side after exchange surgery... and she told me before surgery that I would; so she errs on the side of caution and just always uses a drain.  I did heal beautifully on that side.  Heh -- maybe if I'd had a drain on the reduction side I wouldn't have had all that swelling and bruising!

I didn't have pulling stretching or burning but my PS made me wait 3 months after my last fill. At first he said 2 months but that put us into December and then it was 3 months...

Hope4future: I had the pulling/stretching/burning of my muscles from my last two fills. I think it lasted about 2 weeks or so. PS said it was normal its just the muscle pulling and stretching from the back. I guess if you still feel it in a couple weeks maybe you should call your PS, I completed my fills February and get my exchange September. I can't wait...I think. This TE is miserable.

Jerusha: I'm sorry you're not happy right now, I am sure like every other crappy thing we've all been through in time those feelings will pass. Tonight I was looking at old pics of me, you know with my perky boobs, full head of hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and a genuine smile. I've been crying ever since. I miss the old me too! I sit sometimes and wonder why all this has happened to me. At some times it all seems so incredibly overwhelming. This summer is especially hard as alllllllll of my single friends are off to their beach houses every weekend and I am left behind. I am thankful that I found BCO and am able to communicate with women that have been through the same things and share the same feelings.

 So thanks Ladies....also this may be a VERY stupid question but what exactily is FLUFFING??

Di

Thank you DiDel, It really is a source of comfort and support to connect with other women who know how crappy this all feels. We'll get past it; sometimes feeling the losses helps with moving on. OK, FLUFFING. My understanding, though perhaps not accurate, is that over the first several months an implant kind of poofs out, gets less compacted or compressed. With traditional silicone implants there is also a DROPPING ("drop and fluff) where the implant settles into it's pocket and consequently lowers and changes shape, a bit. With my implant, the cohesive silicone gel = gummy bear, there will hopefully be some fluff, but not drop. The implant, by it's nature is form-stable and is already in a "dropped" shape, an "anatomical" shape.  It is positioned very snugly in the pocket and is supposed to adhere to the tissue and not budge. That said, mine already looks a little dropped since 5 days ago --- so go figure. Maybe just swelling beginning to subside.

Re:Alloderm.....

Before my BMx i asked my PS if they would be using Alloderm and she sain no. But she also said they would LIKE to use it but the government budgets won't pay for it as it is VERY expensive. I cant remember if she said it was £1,000 or £2,000 for 1 packet,and i would need 2 packets as i was having both sides done. So i'm not suprised some insurance companies won't use it.

It doesn't gross me out though really.At the end of the day,if you needed a donated organ you wouldn't turn it down for the fact that it grosses you out! LOL Not quite the same but still...

Brenda~ mantle radiation was the radiation used to treat Hodgkins lymphoma (along with chemo,depeing on your stage) a number of year ago. I believe they no longer use this form of rad's for it. They basically used to blast you from your jaw down to your upper abdomen.They made lung plates up out of lead which were MEANT to protect your lungs,and blasted the rest.

Then after much research,in 2003,they notified all women who had mantle rads to treat HL in the last 30 years(who were under the age of 30 when treated)that they were at a high risk at developing BC from it. The risk is the same as a woman who's mum,sisters,aunts,grandma's all had BC. ITS VERY HIGH. They also discovered those rads put me at an increased risk of thyroid cancer,skin cancer and lung cancer,along with soft tissue sarcoma's and bone cancer. But BC was the highest risk.

Jerusha~ glad your exchange went ok.Sorry you're not too thrilled with your results just yet.I'm sure things will settle. I suppose if they were bound up real tight,they might just still be mishaped a bit.They will bounce back i'm sure.Sounds like you got a good size in there!

Jersh:

My original recon was one step, and I remember looking in the mirror and crying, and telling my then fiance that I felt mutilated, and I did. My breasts were squished and discolored and not at all like mine. 14 months later, my left breast looks wonderful, you would not realize it was a reconstruction. It looked so great back in December, that when they were evaluating the infection in the right breast the Dr (not my PS) asked if I had anything done to the left side (I also had NS and an IMF incision) and he was shocked when I told him. It takes time for everything to heal and not everyone heals or responds the same way to exchanges and surgeries. Some people look like nothing happened almost right away and some take a little time. Our bodies are all different,

When I first had BC back in 2002, I was a divorced 37 year-old mom, I really could not deal with the emotional side of it, once I finished all of my treatments, I finally cried about it, but while it was going on, I just could not put the energy into dealing with my emotions, I needed it to make big choices.

Being done, brings a lot of emotion, and sometimes it signals that it is ok for us to sit down and finally and completely mourn the losses that we have endured. There is a lot that goes on and I think that the only reason we are able to get through all the tough stuff is that we put some of the sadness up on a shelf for a little bit, until it is safe to take it down and deal with it.

I hope that each day brings you closer to the result you wish for and that you fee more like you soon. {{{{ Hugs}}}}}

Whippetmom--nope, my PS definitely said 1. 5 liters. All those fat cells gone forever!  I'll double check with her again when I go for my post on on Friday.

Jerusha--my feelings exactly. Everything you described about how your foobs look are my description to a T. My PS said it could be as much as 6 months before all the swelling goes down and they take on their final shape. I don't like how they look at all, but I will trust that they will look better each day as I heal. My pain levels are quite tolerable. I'm still taking Norco every 6 hours, but it's working, and I can't complain. I am glad that they now feel soft, not like hard, upsidedown pith helmets that I had in there before! I have been cleared to take a shower, just 2 days post-op, which I'm very happy about. I hope you continue to heal and feel better. I do understand how you feel though, I'm disapponted with how mine look too, but I will hold onto hope and trust they'll look better soon.

Kay -- wow that is so depressing -- that the cure can now kill you.  I am so sorry.  But good for you for being proactive and moving forward.  And you are always so upbeat!  I admire your strength.