Exchange City

I seriously need to stop reading this thread as I drink my morning tea.  Either that or get a special keyboard just for BCO.  This thread is my guilty little pleasure that starts my day with a smile, especially from Laura and Annie!  

happymom- OMG, I'm picturing you waking up with your boobs on your back.  Not a pretty look, but if anyone could pull it off.....   So everyone told me not to freak the first time I looked at my boobs post exchange so what did I do?  I looked.  I freaked.  So I want you to take a big piece of paper and write "Do Not Freak" and tape it to your mirror.  Either that or cover all the mirrors in the house, but then everyone will think someone died so maybe not.  Anyway, wishing you a complicated free happy happy Yippee Squishee Day.  Hope the Boob Fairy is very kind to you indeed. 

Tammy:  I really don't know too much about the fat grafting!  I needed it on my MX side to reduce the "step off" at the top of the implant so it worked.  It looks as if they put a needle in my belly button and sucked from underneath which is the only place I carry any "fat" on the body.  It's still more sore then any other area since the exchange.  He will do more when he does my nipple.  It's nice to hear that someone isn't taking advantage of someone in the industry, which is way too common.  I started doing music late, because I was too shy to get in front of people.  But I had been playing and writing music since I was 10.

I'm a little behind here but when I had the stereotactic Bx, I was able to lay flat on my stomach but had to have my left arm out in front of me.  Not a comfortable position for me.  It is somewhat humiliating, (at least back then) to have all those people running around under the table with my hoot down the hole.  That all wasn't so bad until the aide put her hand on my back and said I'd feel the table shake.  That is when they harpooned the deli slicer into my breast.  I too didn't have a second site Bx because the first site bled for 45 min.  The whole thing was reason enough to go Bilat MX.  Never will have to do it again.

When I have the MRIs I get nice head phones with the music of my choice.  If they need to talk to me, it over rides the music.  I really don't mind it.   

Hi, I've been reading along for months and finally 'joined' so I could ask a question.  BTW, you guys are a hoot!!! 

Anyway, I had dbl mx 6/8 w/expanders and they drove me nuts!  Quit chemo, and had silicone 650's inserted on 8/12. (I asked for a full B cup, b I said, BBB!!) I was only expanded to 550 3 days prior. I feel like I have 2 large rocks under my skin.  I've had re-insertion of drain, removal of necrotic tissue and restitched and a yeast infection, all in troublesome foob.  The 'good' foob was a little softer, but now is hardening up...is this CC???  waaaaa  I have more pain today than 2 weeks ago...and I feel like the skin between the 2 is going to split!  agghhhh  I see my ps tomorrow, and I will absolutely die if he has to do surgery again.   If its CC, would you suggest just getting rid of the buggers?   Everyone else seems to be having such a better time with the implants.  Help!

 PS  sorry for the dramatic name...I had a hard time picking one that wasn't already taken.

AStorm..... You are brave and strong. Posting our photos... WAY HARD for some. I had a very hard time... I was sooooooooooooooo worried about privacy.. as I have WAY too many people who want into my life.. and my BUSINESS.. So... I believe.. for those who struggle to post photos... need an extra pat on the back... someday.. somewhere... someone you will probably never meet... will see your photos... and thank you in their hearts. GOOD JOB!

Shelly and tnbc... welcome!

TNBC... I wish I knew more about CC... if they want you to have another surgery... at this point with you.. I would get another opinion. Your PS does not even have to know about it. This is my advice...

KATE.... LOVE your beautiful new picture !!!!!!!!!!!

ANNIE... thank you.

AStorm:  I will go look after I sign off here!  Yay for you!  It took quite a leap of faith for me to post but I am so grateful that I did and for all of the help I received here.

TNBC:  Welcome to Ex. City!  I don't know much about CC either.  I am sure someone here will help you out though, so be patients.  I agree get another opinion or two if they suggest another surgery.  that sounds painful.

Shelley:  Welcome to the board.  Yes, gym class except mine never grew until now LOL!

Thanks everyone for your kind words! The picture forum was so helpful to me in my journey and I wanted to be able to contribute. I was just so mortified by the previous results (before the revision) that I didn't want to discourage someone else. Even though I am happy with the ultimate results it was hard for me to post that awful photo of the "before"... but it makes a statement -- not to give up in the before stage. Hey, my divot is gone too! I forgot about it already (until I saw the before pic).

Welcome Shelley and Ruth!

Off to Picture Forum now Astorm   Will post there...

Ruth -- I sure hope you don't have CC!!  It seems a little soon, but the PS will be able to tell you.  I have CC for the second time now, and am in the process of figuring out what to do about it.  I see my PS again next Tuesday.  Having the first contracted implant removed/replaced was truly not a big deal -- exactly like exchange.  I had it done on December 2nd '09 and was back to Christmas shopping within just a couple of days.  PM me if you want to "talk".  -bonnie

tnbc...I am still floored by the fact that your PS took you on the high speed ride from MX to exchange! What was the big rush?  It sounds like it could be CC, but that last fill of 550 ccs probably did next to nothing to expand your skin - it could not sustain the expansion, thus leaving you with some pretty tight implants and threatened skin coverage over the implants.

You can PM me if you want to email me photos and perhaps I can see what is going on...

I would get a second opinion before submitting to surgery though...

Deborah

Hi girls- I'm due for my exchange next week. Has anyone had cold feet before their exchange?!  All of the sudden I'm questioning everything about the exchange, the size, the type of implant ,how I think I look.  I feel like I look big now and am worried I am going to be too big. I think it's just the feeling that this is the final stage and deep down I'm worried about whether or not it is going to turn out alright.

First, thank you everyone for flocking over to support Beija.....you guys bring tears to my eyes.  You are all angels.  Just warms my heart...............thank you for being so wonderful to her.

Sweetie, this is part of it.  We ALL felt that way the night before exchange.  I even was about to chicken out of it.  If you are really worried, call your PS and talk to him first.  You can always reschedule.  But we do all feel this way.

tnbcRuth: Thank God it wasn't CC!!!! Hooray!!!  Call your PSs office and ask for their reccomendation for someone to do deep tissue who will have experience with bc patients and their needs.  They should have a listing or a name for you.

no snort jokes for you today, but I can give you a giggle.  I took my photo off, but I am 54 and after chemo I let my hair grooooooooowwwwwwwwwww....and it's really thick.  I figured it'd be good for it to reforest itself.  So picture if you can, a 54 year old with stripper boobs, and this wild, Victoria Secret hair.  It's halfway down my back and grey striped with auburn.  I look like Dolly Parton on steroids.

Now, if that isn't inappropriate, I don't know what is.  Enjoy the hoots, dress them up and take them out to meet people.  Take them to the grocery store, introduce them to the bag boys, the waiters in restaurants, people at work....You'll find no one talks to your face anymore.............

OMG Deekay.... that is too funny.  These people probably think we are perverts.  Yeah, whenever my girls 13 and 15 see me with the pictures of myself, they run the other way.  Haha. 

Dawn-Hope - Thanks for sharing the story of your mom, you two are strong women!  You saw first-hand what this nasty disease does.... can't imagine.  My dad died of alzheimer's and I know all about that disease but so far it is only me on both sides of my family now with two kinds of cancer -- thyroid cancer and now breast -- even with 7 women on my mother's side of the family!!  Well, I can certainly understand why you would be pro-active with your treatment. 

TaminMo - I had fat grafting too.  They pulled the fat out of my stomach.  They distill the fat and then inject it into the area above the breast.  For me, it was 40 cc of fat injected. The area on the breast is bruised for about a week or so; my stomach hurt for about 3 weeks (not sure if this is normal).  It didn't help my rippling as I think the PS put an implant in about 100 cc too small.

MBJ - I have a friend who plays in a band once a month at the local riverfront restaurant. The core has been together for almost 30 years since they started out in high school. He does it for the love of it... they have fun.  He has a fan base (the groupies) that all come out to watch. They should have made it big too but they just love doing what they do.  If you ever come to Florida.... you can come sing with them! 

My 17 yo DD caught me deleting photos from the digital camera. She was mortified! Didn't tell I posted them on the Internet!

sweetie- Your feeling are very very normal.  I was a basket case before exchange.  Was I going to big?  Was I going too small?  Had they expanded me enough?  There is just so much riding on this surgery and we just want everything to be so perfect.  It's hard to think about going through another surgery, too, when a lot of us just start feeling healthy again. This surgery is so much easier, though, than the MX and once you get your Y.S.'s you will be so happy.