Exchange City
Comments
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It looks like many of us are moving towards the 3D tattoos. As I find sites that show results of the tattoos I will post them on the 3D - Nipple thread. If you guys see anything you like could you do the same? Maybe we can have a nip party and get them done it the same time. : )
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Good morning-
I had my exchane surgery and port removal yesterday. I have one on each side. I was home by 1:00. I expected much more pain but this isn't too bad. I tried to lean forward to find something and quickly learned that is a very uncomfortable move. My surgeon said he put the nipple bumps on at same time so I guess that is one less surgery! I'm not allowed to look until late tomorrow. They seem smaller than I expected but as long as they are shaped nice then I guess I don't care.
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Yay Sunny!
I agree with Laura and others re: nips on radiated foobs -- why take the chance when 3-D nipples look awesome?
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Sunny: Congratultions! I was told they won't take off my bandages for a week after and that I will probably go home in a surgical, velcro bra.
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Sunny - One less surgery is awesome. Be patient. I am just over 2 weeks from exchange and today was the first day I looked in the mirror and thought...Alright, I like what I see!
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Sunny- Glad everything went so well and you were home so quickly. Hope your recovery goes just as well! (((hugs)))
Just wondering for those that have had the fat grafting after exchange- what exactly do they do? Is it a 1 step process? Are you awake? Do you see results right away? Just curious.
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Kate: That's a good question. I had the fat grafting during exchange. I can't imagine fat grafting done while you're awake, even with pain meds.
Giselle: You like what you see!!! I think that is awesome!
Sunny: How much smaller are you than before? I like how my mounds feel, but I miss the size of my Frankenboobs. I think I'm even smaller than I was before BC. I will get the info. on make/model of my implants on Tuesday.
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I put together a slideshow of our Nova Scotia trip. The link is in the Moving Beyond thread. Here's the page:
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/7/topic/756624?page=1#idx_3
Brenda S. First Dx in July, 2005. IDC <1 CM, lumpectomy, A/C and 33 rads. 2nd Dx July, 2009, 2 tumors in same breast, different paths., BMx with TE, T/C0 -
Re nipples: I don't think I've read anyone else doing this, but my PS never even discussed putting on nipples. He said they'lll take my skin, twist it up and make a nipple. Then the auerola is tattooed on. And I have a little nipple already with my TEs that looks fine. I don't really care about nipples because I always had to buy bras with concealers since my nipples got hard and poked out.
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Re nipples: I don't think I've read anyone else doing this, but my PS never even discussed putting on nipples. He said they'lll take my skin, twist it up and make a nipple. Then the auerola is tattooed on. And I have a little nipple already with my TEs that looks fine. I don't really care about nipples because I always had to buy bras with concealers since my nipples got hard and poked out.
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Yeah LadyinBama I call that the origami method
It sounds like origami to me (lots of twisting and folding). I think there actually a few methods like this: C flap, V flap, and Modified C Flap are the ones I've heard of -- personally I think origami is a better description lol. My PS told me that was what she was going to do but since my skin is still rather taut over the implant she is now thinking of doing a graft of skin (from another part of my body, I know not where) transplanted to the breast (and creating nipple and areola from the graft, I guess). I didn't go into it in detail with her because we're waiting till after my next visit, which isn't until early November.0 -
MBJ -I was told I would have the velcro bra too but when I woke up, all I had was bandages.
In my earlier post I wrote that I had one on each side. What my drugged brain was trying to say is that I have 1 drain in each side.
Brenda - my TEs were not even. One was small and one was huge. So I guess these are in between those sizes. My natural breast were about this size.
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Hello sisters - Hugs to everyone healing from surgery. These days I am not on this thread often enough to catch all the surgery dates, but I am happy to add your name to the list. Please PM me if you want to be added. The PM notices go to my email and I am on my PC for my work almost daily. Take care! - Jean
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Brenda, loved the slide show. My mother was from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia so grew up on that music. I even know the words to the little Irish ditty played towards the end. I drove the length of the Cabot Trail once and I think it was the most beautiful drive I ever taken. Even more so than Big Sur and that's saying a lot. Hope you had a fabulous time. deekaay0
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Brenda, loved the slide show. My mother was from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia so grew up on that music. I even know the words to the little Irish ditty played towards the end. I drove the length of the Cabot Trail once and I think it was the most beautiful drive I ever taken. Even more so than Big Sur and that's saying a lot. Hope you had a fabulous time. deekaay0
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deekay: I grew up in a big city, not used to all that natural beauty with hardly any tourists. The Cabot Trail should be one of the wonders of the world, in my opinion. When I was there with my friends, even the weather was fabulous, nothing lower than 75 degrees F.
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Here are some examples of what you can expect with nipples:
www.facecrafter.com (my site)
www.ashevillepmc.com (Earleen Bennett)
www.permanentmkup.com (Melany Whitney)
If you want someone close to you, PM me for the names. JUDY
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Brenda -- great video you made! Looks so gorgeous there and I agree -- LOVE the music! You look adorable with your short hair
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Facecrafter - Thanks so much for the web links. Best wishes to you for your upcoming surgery.
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thank you!! JUDY
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I haven't been on here for a really really long time. I have had pain from day one after my BL exchange. I few months ago I had the last step of my reconstruction the nipple tatoooing. I have lots of feeling so the second time she did the touch up tatooing I had my PS numb me up. I know I'm lucky to have feeling. I have been told by my PS that the pain I have been having since my exchange would go away just give it time. He said it can take up to a year. I'm coming up on a year in a few weeks. It really bothers me at night and I have trouble sleeping. The right implant has hurt since day one and is the implant I have the most pain with. It hurts most all the time. I still get muscle spasms too. A few weeks before my exchange I was worried that the implants he was planning on using were going to be to big. Him and his nurse both said they would be just fine. The tatoo artist agreed that they are very big. I have talked to him about having them re-moved and having smaller ones place. But he wants me to give it more time. The right implant is lower and it feels bigger too. Not sure why. I know the Breast surgeons notes say she removed less(weight) tissue on the right side. I have been waiting and hoping for this pain to cease and I'm really sick of the pain. I take sleeping pills most of the time to just try and get some rest. But almost a year later. The implants are better than the expanders but only by a little. My PS said I will need to go down two sizes for it to make a difference. Can this pain be caused by the weight of them. I wear good bra's. I have spent a fortune on finding ones that are comfortable. The pain is under my arm and across the pect. And under my breast. At one time my PS thought I had shingles. But my family doc said it was just muscular. Sorry for rambling on here. But I'm almost ready to just call it quits and have them both removed and have no implants. Had I know this I think I would have choose to do just that. Not sure if another exchange is the answer. Should I give it more time. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
Thanks for any help, Di
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Di!!! OMG go see another PS! It's that simple. You are uncomfortable and you should not be THAT uncomfortable. Get another opinion.
Also - if you had lymph nodes removed (your sig doesn't say) -- consult with a lymphedema specialist in case the pain is due to trunkal LE.
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Di: I agree with Lilah. You need a second opinion. Talk to Firni - she has a very good PS in Denver. I am pretty sure I have his name on my list, but it is on another computer which I cannot get to at the moment...
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ilovehorses - Are you seeing a PT? That might help with the pain.
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Judy thanks for the posts. That was amazing!!! Gives me something to be excited about!! NIp Nip Hurraaaaayyyy!
I need to pass this along to a friend of mine who didnt do nipples cause she thought it would look so fake, but those looked so good.
thanks again!
Diane
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ilovehorses- I definitely think you should be evaluated for lymphedema but I wanted to also make you aware of something called "Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome" or phantom pain. It can cause symptoms of itching, pins and needles, pressure and throbbing. The following article says it can occur in about a third of all MX patients whether or not they have had reconstruction.
Phantom Breast Pain Studies have shown that many women experience phantom breast sensations after mastectomy. In a recent study conducted at Johns Hopkins Hospital, more than one third of 279 mastectomy patients experienced phantom breast pain after mastectomy. The incidence of phantom breast pain was similar, regardless of whether or not the women had breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. Symptoms of phantom breast pain may include: Unpleasant itchingPins and needlesPressureThrobbing Physicians believe that phantom breast pain occurs after mastectomy for the same reasons as phantom pains occur after limb amputations. According to Srinivasa Raja, MD of Johns Hopkins, during mastectomy, small nerves are cut between the breast tissue and skin area. This causes the neural connections in the brain to undergo neural plasticity (reorganization). This process, as well as the spontaneous firing of electrical signals from the ends of cut or injured nerves, causes phantom sensations, said Dr. Raja. Women who experience breast pain prior to mastectomy are most likely to have sensations of pain in the breast area after surgery.Physicians recommend that patients who experience phantom sensations in the breast area after surgery report their symptoms to their physicians immediately so that the pain can be properly managed. In some cases, exercise or breast massage may help alleviate phantom breast pain, although patients should first discuss these options with their physicians. In more severe cases, medications may be prescribed to reduce phantom breast pain. Phantom breast pain does not indicate that cancer cells are still present in the breast area or that cancer may return.Here is another article on it from the Mayo Clinic-Coping with pain after breast surgeryIs it normal to have pain after breast surgery. I had a mastectomy two years ago. How can I cope?Answerfrom Timothy Moynihan, M.D.You're not alone in having pain after breast surgery. One study of women who had a variety of breast cancer operations found that nearly half of the women reported some level of pain after breast surgery two to three years later.Breast cancer surgery can be complicated and nerve damage may occur. This can lead to chest pain, including phantom breast pain and supersensitivity to pain (hyperalgesia). Normally painless stimuli may now be perceived as painful (allodynia). Neuromas — abnormal nerve growths in an area where scar tissue and nerves grow together — can give rise to allodynia. Sensations of burning and constricting or lancing-type pain also may occur, as can a loss of feeling in the area of the surgery.Treatment for breast pain after surgery depends on the type of pain you're experiencing. Nerve-related pain may be treated with over-the-counter or prescription pain medications, including painkillers or medications used to treat seizures. Inflammation of the skin may be treated with topical pain medications, such as capsaicin, which has been effective in treating jabbing pain. Muscle spasms have been effectively treated with injections of onabotulinumtoxinA, the same substance used to reduce wrinkles. Local anesthetics may help relieve pain due to nerve damage.Alternative therapies including acupuncture, acupressure, transcutaneous nerve stimulation, relaxation training, biofeedback, hypnosis and yoga also may be of benefit in reducing pain. Talk with your doctor about what may offer you the most relief.I was having a lot of nerve pain and my GP put me on Gabapentin which does seem to be helping. I would definitely discuss this with your BS and your PS. Good luck!0 -
Hi Robyn,
Sorry to hear your DX. I had the same in April, and was told I could have nipple sparing, but my BS did a bi-lat. lumpectomy to test the tissue beneath the nipps and didn't get a clean margin, so she took the nipps in surgery - a skin-sparing BMX. I was upset. but wanted to be safe. She, my BS wouldn't have it any other way. They often test the tissue beneath the nipps during MX surgery, but mine wanted to know beforehand, plus have a more comprehensive path done in the lab, not the frozen section in the OR which can make mistakes. I'm three weeks out from surgery and accept it now, am fine, and 100% clean path, safe, no more treatment except breast recon. Good luck in your journey.
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Adnerb, Really enjoyed your Nova Scotia video. My husband and I went to NS in June. We covered 2800+ km and also went to Cape Breton. Did not leave many places unexplored and then ended it with a family wedding at OceanStone in Indian Harbor near Peggy's Cove. Such beautiful country and many happy memories.
Deekay - When in Cape Breton in June we went to Glace Bay to the Miner's Musuem and it was one of many highlights of our trip.
Kate33 - Thanks for the info on Phantom Pain. This is what my PS told me I have in my right breast which is the one that is giving me constant discomfort. Nothing in the left one at all. PS is going to do a reconstruction with Alloderm in 2 weeks to alleviate the implant on the rib feeling and some skin issues. Hope it also helps with the phantom pain. I did tell him if he messes with my nipple/areola complex which he did a fab job on, he was in "deep do-do".
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Estepp,
So nips are not a good idea for a radiated breast. Has your PS advised not to get it since the risk is too high?
Where could i read more about this?
Thank you,
Donna
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Donna, I strongly believe that the nipple surgery (origami method) led to my losing my implant on the radiated side. The skin never did heal correctly. My PS tells me that the more you manipulate radiated skin with surgeries and procedures, the higher the odds of some sort of failure.
That said, I really am glad that I tried because I would have always wondered if my skin would have held up okay. I plan to do the origami method again now that I've had the LD flap because the end result was so realistic.
The prophy side is completed and I can honestly say that the nipple looks very similar to my natural one.
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