Exchange City

I had my exchange surgery 7/22. Definitely in pain, have swelling, bruising, and now some sort of snot looking stuff at the incision site. Took pics, put them up on a website, called the dr office told the nurse to look and now have an emergency appt tomorrow morning. Looks like infection. I sure hope not.

to my knowledge it was just an exchange as he told hubby and me we would have another surgery to do revisions and fill ins if needed. I had an infection after double mastectomy in left breast and this time round its in the right breast. i'm hoping we've caught it early enough so he wont have to cut any addtional skin or do any scraping like the last time.

I'll update tomorrow night when we get home.

Hi Everyone: My exchange is tomorrow morning at 8 AM Chicago time. Thanks again for sharing all your personal stories. I plan to "pay it forward" and share all the details.Women are wonderful! Looking forward to being able to sleep on my side!    

toni and Giselle- Good luck with your exchanges this week.  Hope all goes smooth and you are quickly back home in your own jammies!  

brunette- Sorry to hear yours was postponed.  I can imagine how disappointed you must be.  I can't believe they can't get you in sooner than 2 months!!!  So sorry!

TSmith- Hope your appointment goes well tomorrow and they can take care of everything with antibiotics only.

lee45- All the reasons you listed for hating your new foobs is everything I have felt and am feeling after my exchange.  When I looked in the mirror I just cried.  I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't what I saw.  But I want to tell you it does get better. Mine are starting to settle and look more natural.  Everyone tells me it will take at least 3 months before they truly look and feel right so hang in there.  The hardest part right now is they don't feel like me but the TE didn't at first, either.  Towards the end I really wasn't even aware of the TE so I know, in time, my implants will feel a little better too.  

One thing that may help is to find a bra that fits you right as you settle.  There is a great thread on here with recommendations for post exchange bras called "Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate".  It's really important to wear the right bra as your new implants are settling so they do end up in the right place.  I have also heard that Nordstrom's is amazing for finding the right bra for women who are post MX.  Do you have one of those near you?  

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I can definitely empathize with how you are feeling and let you know it gets better.  Vent anytime or PM me and vent!  I'm a good listener! 

I hope all you wonderful ladies will have some answers to a couple of questions I have, re exchange surgery. I am due to have my exchange on Aug 27th. How long should I expect to be off work afterwards? A week?...Also, should I get the recliner set up again, or will I be able to sleep in bed. I prefer to sleep in bed, I am a side sleeper, but will take sleep wherever I can get it ! Thanks so much!

IrishColeen- I had my exchange on 6/29 and found this surgery to be much easier.  I was off pain meds within a few days.  I'm not working right now but I think I would have been able to go back after a week but probably would have been a little tired, but not sore.  I slept normally except the first week but that was because I had drains again.  So I propped myself up with pillows and put one under each arm and I was fine.  

Thank you Kate. My PS tells me that I wont have drains again, but I dont know about that, he might be trying to keep me happy by telling me that ! I think I will get the recliner set up, nearer the time, its served me well in the past, and strangely, can be quite comfortable once you get used to it. Thanks again !

GISELLA......... GOOD LUCK TOMORROW !!!! HAPPY soft boobies!!! WAHOOOOOOOOO!

I did not sleep in my recliner after exchange. For me, it was SO EASY! I had a lot of pocket work also... BOTH exchanges! It was just not a big deal for me..... I was back at work ( Stylist ) one week after exchange. I DID sleep in my recliner after my mast and Te. That was a little tougher... but no pain for me.. just could not sit up alone.. You will do great!

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!

xxxooo

You can't sleep on your back after exchange?  For how long does anybody know?  I am so looking forward to side/stomach sleeping.  PS says it is fine to do now with TEs - yeah if only that worked.  My DH actually thought he was getting bruised from the TEs the other night - I guess they can be used as weapons.

I could sleep on my back the night OF my exchange... I never had an issue with this.

IrishColleen- We are all so different.  My exchange was 7/22 like a few others.  I felt REALLY good almost immediately.  I only took 2 pain pills and they made me vomit so i stopped.  I even forgot to take Motrin the next day and still felt great.  I was just tired and sluggish but felt darn good.  What a difference from the BMX! I also had no drains.  PS fixed the puffiness on my back scars at the same time so I had 4 diff. incisions.  My PS does not wrap me up and I was free as a bird the same day.  Slept like a baby on my side that nite.

I am not in love with my new foobs either but am really trying to be patient. I liked the upper pole fullness I had with the TEs.  Now I feel a little limp in the foobs! LOL

 Kate's kind words really helped me stay positive.  I will let you know when I look better but I am here and all things considered imperfect foobs will not get me down!  We are so much more than the sum of our foobs! Hugs to all ♥

Trytostaypositive- After the exchange surgery they say it can take up to 3 months for your implants to look like they're supposed to.  At first they are kind of high and over time they "settle" or "drop and fluff".  Some women think theirs are too big at first but this could just be swelling.  Some think they aren't big enough but this could be because they haven't "fluffed" yet.  So it takes several months before you truly see how they are going to look, or so they tell me!  

Jennifer:  I think you had the exact same "mysterious" rash that I had.  I can still see traces of my rash, but 2 doctors have declared that it was harmless, and that I can go ahead with my planned exchange.  Your exchange is one day before mine!

On Thursday I am leaving for Nova Scotia to see my Rocktober sisters.  They are ladies that I met right here on BCO, and the thing that we all had in common was we all started chemo in October of 2005.  We have been meeting every year since.  Most of us are from the U.S., but a handful are from other parts of the world.  This is my first trip to Canada, and I am very excited!

Good luck to all the ladies having surgeries this week!!!

Brenda 

Donna.,

I has my exchange October, 09.

I HAD 420 cc in my TE. And the radiated side did rise higher during radiation. My skin did very well... so I did not have to wait the 6-12 months for exchange. It really does not matter how long you wait. If you skin is good at three months... it will be ok in six months. If your skin is NOT good at 4 months.. it is not going to make it in 12 months.

This is why I never got the whole... lets wait a LONg time to help the skin heal. I know WAY to maky ladies here,on BCO, that waited the whole year for the skin to "do better" and they ALL STILL had to get a flap surgery.

My skin was good from the beginning... my PS told me it was fine to do exchange at the 4 month time frame when I saw him.. so... two weeks later... I have exchange. He was right, my skin was fine.

I think you will know how your skin is doing. If you want to send me a picture of you "foobs" I will be more than happy to tell you what I think of your skin condition.

KITTY<----------------------- Iwill be there the end of August...... 22-28

I wanted to add to what Laura said about radiated skin:

Sometimes your skin looks fine, but the tissue underneath is a little less flexible, hence the rounder appearance and firmer consistency.  So even if your skin does look and feel fine, your muscle and tissue underneath could have the consistency of hard rubber.

I am still hoping that I won't need a flap, but I don't know anyone who had prior radiation, i.e. years before BMX, and did not have to have the flap.  

I am also hoping that women who did have successful outcomes with TE's only after radiation are just not posting, and this is why I have not heard about them.

Oh, correction, I have had PM's from a few women who, like me, had radiation years before BMX, have had TE-only reconstructions, are done with nipples/areolae and are doing fine.  These same women, for some reason, have taken a leave from posting. 

I also know 2 happy women that my PS has reconstructed, who had the exact same history as I had.  Still, I am disappointed that there are so few successful rads-bmx-te cases.

Brenda