Exchange City

almagetty- I'm a little late but thought I'd chime in- I, too, had the squashed hamburger bun look after exchange.  Mine took about a month to start looking more normal.  Even though everyone says don't freak out when you first see them I still freaked out.  Maybe if our PS's warned us about the squashed look we would be more prepared?  Anyway, you will definitely see changes every day.

cleo- Good luck at your PS's office today.  Hope he can give you some relief from your rash. 

Tomorrow I'll have my 5th surgery since dx and for some reason I am really emotional about it -- more so than the bmx or initial exchange. I worked late and commuted an hour home in the dark, crying the whole way. Has anyone experienced this?

Oh Laura....you guys..... Could not do it without all of your support - especially all of the veterans of this thread who have stuck around to help all of the newbies....so thank YOU!!

Thanks, Kate. Yeah, I'm experiencing some abandonment   My kids are heading back to school and DH never was into this whole "project". By round 5 I'm afraid he's going to drive by the hospital and push me out the door without stopping! I didn't have any complications (other than not liking the results) from other surgeries so I really shouldn't be whining. At this point in the process I have more perspective and I know that there is a possibility I may be disappointed. I'm reminding myself that I WANTED this... well, the "fix" not the bc.

Well sigh Laura -- frustrating not to have an answer but glad they are ruling things out and making progress toward a solution.

Estepp:  Thank you for letting us know what is going on with your son.  so frustrating the whole medical process.

AStorm:  No one really even called after my exchange, no flowers, though a couple of girlfriends took me out to dinner the week prior to my surgery.  My husband is so done with it all and needs a break.  The last thing he wants to do is take care of me and do all of the housework.  But getting it right, getting things fixed so that we are happy, if I am not thrilled in 6 months time, I will go back under the knife, no problem.  Funny thing is, I am happy with my new breasts, but I haved aged so much in the last year and my hair looks like hell from chemo and that is what I get depressed about--oh and having to wear this surgical compression bra for three weeks so that I can't even enjoy the being done!

Ripples:  My PS showed me a before and after picture of a woman with ripples today and larger implants didn't work but the fat grafting did (both were tried). 

Katel:  My dr. tried to warn me before surgery to give them time to shape up--I said, I know, the drop and fluff and I might have a hamburger bun for a time, and he just smiled and shook his head and I wasn't too worried about it.   

Went to my dr. today and I can have my nipples sometime in October but I won't know for sure until my next appointment.

cleo:  LOL!  What a picture that put into my mind!  I had a big red splotch from blood pooling from my MX and I was hoping that that was all it was!  Good for you!

AStorm, yeah, my surgery is Friday and your saying you are emotional before your surgery, my dh annoucing he'll be going to a work happy hour Thursday evening (Mr. Sensitivity), and my cat's unknown itching disease, just sent me to the bedroom to boo hoo for a few minutes.  Now I'm back feeling overwhelmed with the whole thing.  This is surgery six for me in two years and I think I am sick of worrying about the next step because it's never nice, is it?  It's chemo or rads or surgery or TEs or weird foobs or scars or meds or nausea or keeping a good face on and on and on.  I am sick or worrying about the outcome of this surgery, will fat grafts work or not, if I get nips now and need a revision later, will the nips then point at 2:00 and 6:00 o'clock, will I ever be done? 

Ugh.  I am done with worrying this week.  I have used up my worry allocation, my credit line on over analyzing is maxed out.  What will be, will be.  As long as it's not bc returning, I am letting it go for now.  Waaah, I feel like I shouldn't even hit send on this whiny email. I am glad you guys are there.  You are right, no one else gets this.  And I have a lot of supportive friends and my dh really is a dh most of the time.  Still...deekaay

My exchange was yesterday, and I'm feeling so much better than I expected!  Still some pain, but not nearly as much as the MX.

Question for those who have had their exchange...how much swelling is normal?  I'm in a compression vest, but am having swelling both below and  above the vest. 

Thanks for all the support, and good luck for ladies who have surgery coming up!

deekaay- (((HUGS))) from me too because, girl, we've all been there!  Kind of feel like my DH has been AWOL and my friends have been MIA since exchange so I've been doing a little whining, too, although I like to call it emotional purging!  So glad I have this site or otherwise it would so not be pretty around my house.  (You know what they say- when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!!)  I like Laura's idea- let's go out and get our drink on!  (sigh) If only we all lived in the same city, in the same neighborhood, on the same street- just think of the trouble we could get into! 

Laura- Sorry they have to figure out what's wrong with your son by process of elimination- so frustrating!  Hope you get some answers soon!

MBJ- Thanks for the good news about the fat grafting.  I think I'm going to try that if the ripples persist, but with a different PS.   

Wow, you guys are really funny tonight. 

Gail has a DH who wants to kick her out of the car on his way by the hospital.

Cleo whose doc used his heel to shove in the new 45's..... lo and behold a red blotch ... hahaha

Well, I had a very good visit with my "new" PS today.  We agreed on most things. He determines what implant to use based on the size of the TE..... your kinda guy Deborah -- yeah!  He supports post op bras, bras at night and I can wear underwire, especially because they are helping me and causing my pain to go away. Interestingly, he said it is very hard for the independant PS to do fat grafting from the liability aspect.  Whereas large Universities are a little more difficult to sue..... interesting thought.  I personally had 40 cc of fat grafted and that is the same place where I'm having trouble with the pain so I'm not interested in any more.

So, we will give it two months to see how everything settles out and then go from there.  I honestly like the looks of my breasts more now that I have the undewire bras.... I suspect because they bring them into the proper position. 

Getty ... Look at it this way.... gravity is on your side!  There's only one way to go! 

MBJ - thanks for the vote of confidence......

Hi all!  Just popping in to say hi and wish everyone well!  I've been awol for awhile with a wicked case of lyme disease, think I'm finally turning the corner!  Deekay and Astorm, big hugs to you both, and keep coming here!  Cleo, I've got the 45's too and am thrilled with them!

Be patient, it takes quite awhile for the foobs to unswell and settle!  I had my exchange in Feb, saw my daughter in the end of April and we joked about how much larger I looked, it took till this summer for me to look "normal", she saw me again last week and said the change was very noticeable from our last visit! 

hello everyone.  well, this is my first post...very exciting!  i had a nipple/skin sparing BMX with immediate reconstruction on july 29, 2010.  so far so good!  i'm writing first to say thank you all for letting me be an eavesdropper as i prepared for surgery, and now that i'm on the other side, for helping me know what to expect going forward.  i'm also writing in the hopes of a good physical/occupational therapist recommendation on the west side of los angeles.  i imagine this may not be the right forum for this question, but i am going for safety in numbers since there are so many of you on this forum!!  thank you so much for your help already, and i look forward to learning more from all of you as i get further along in this expansion and exchange process.  

Welcome 42 squared! I can't help you with a PT/OT since I'm way across the country from you.

MBJ: It looks like you and I will be getting our nipples around the same time.

Pam: I'm glad you like your new PS. Very interesting about the fat grafting issue. I asked my PS' nurse about it and she said my PS doesn't do it. It's not an issue for me (yet?), but I asked just for possible future reference.

Kate: It sure would be wonderful if we all lived on the same street! Think of the support and friendship! But then think of the huge government study and the news headlines that would ensue since ALL the women in our neighborhood would have battled BC. lol

funsizejen: It's good to hear that you're done with your exchange and are home and comfortable. I don't have hardly any swelling at all.

cleo: I'm still laughing at the image of your PS forcing that implant in with his foot. Heh heh ...

Update: I just got back from my PS for my 1 week post-exchange appointment. He didn't bat an eye at the location/shape of my implant. He feels sure that it will drop and reshape itself in the next three to four weeks. He says that, if it hasn't to my satisfaction, to come back in in about a month and he'll take another look. Unless I initiate another visit, I'll see him again right before my nipple reconstruction, which can happen anytime after the 25th of October.  I need to wear a bra (any bra of my liking, including underwire which he doesn't think will be very comfortable for me at this point) 24/7 for another week, and then during waking hours for four weeks past that. Then I can wear or not wear a bra, whatever I choose.

For the nipple, he cuts a circle on the breast mound, leaving it attached at the middle, and then makes two bunny ears from the top half circle and the bottom half circle and wraps them around each other to form the nipple. He will graft skin from my bikini area for the areola. Is this what is called the skate flap method? The origami method? He does the procedure on an outpatient basis at the hospital and it takes approximately an hour and a half. 

whippetmom:  thank you so much!!  i checked them out online and they seem like a great operation. i had my surgery done a bit of a distance from my home, so it will be great to find PT/OT nearby.  thank you again!