Exchange City
Comments
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Thanks for the heads~up, MBJ! I'll check with Whippetmom
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I was just over at the photo site and it all just made my eyes tear. How lucky we all were to find this site and to be able to get all this great advise! My heart goes out to those who haven't found us and are having issues with their reconstruction. It seems that some PSs just want to tell you that this is a normal condition instead of admitting that something went wrong and fixing it. Maybe it's because they don't have the skill to fix it and are too embarrassed to admit it. Instead they seem to try to make the woman who is questioning them look crazy or obsessive.I'm sure even the best PSs have had to re-do occassionally.
I didn't find this site until 2 weeks after my exchange and thank the Lord I did. It freaks me out to think of where I would be today without you wonderful women!
Actually I know where I would be. In the nut house! There is no way I could have lived a normal life with my implant up near my chin.
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Claire: Amen to that! I am so grateful that I found this site before going through anything! I was in chemo when I started asking questions and it determined what kind of surgery, care, doctors just about everything I did was because I came here first. Thank you everyone!!!
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I might be jumping the gun here but today I called a local tatoo place (recommended by Judy) to enquire about the 3 D nipple tatts.
I was very encouraged to learn that the wait time is only 3 months (I have to wait at least 6 months after surgery anyway), they do it in 2 appts (easier to add colour than to take away), and they will use my natural nipple as a stencil for the recon side.
Also I was pleasantly surprised at the cost - $125 for one side.
Thought I'd share that in case others are thinking of doing this too.
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Marie -- thanks for the info! Good to know
Claire -- you are such a sweetie! So how are you doing? Are you done with fills now with this TE round? And when will you do your exchange?
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one more fill monday
april 12 is the exchange - i needed a break from surgery and i actually love my TE.
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Nice Claire! That will be a good break then
I'm so glad you love your TE! Mine was expanded so much (over expanded, really, from a capacity of 600 cc's to 850 cc's) that I had shoulder pain (the stress on the pectoral muscle I guess). So I was happy to get rid of it. I think you are going to love your final implant too
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Claire: I think the very same thing every time I come to visit the women of breastcancer.org. Approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Such a small percentage find a website like this one. I honestly do not think there is a website like bc.org. We are blessed indeed to have all of the resources and camaraderie we find here every single day.
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Hello friends,
Wow! I had LOTS of posts to read because I have been absent for awhile. I had to laugh about the ToysRus cuz my husband has referred to my new boobs as "toys". I'm always checking on them. Ha! Like they are going somewhere?? Anyway I haven't been online because I have been trying not to obsess too much about my new implants. I am not sure I like the new girls : ( . They do look MUCH better than 7 days ago, I had alot of swelling, but very little pain.
My one week post exchange visit was today. The PS says my 700cc implants are too high, but she thinks that they will drop. I return in 2 weeks. If they haven't dropped... they may bind?? me to push the implants down. But she says it is too early for that now. Just Like Whippetmom said. Not sure what they will do if the implants don't come down?? Exchange for a smaller size?? I kinda feel like that might be a good thing because I feel STUFFED with these implants. They are very firm. Not quite as soft and squishy as I had expected from others descriptions. I KNOW. It's still early. Bring on the drop and fluff! Oh yeah.. I am supposed to cup my "toys" underneath and gently squeeze them every day and no exercising for 5 more weeks.
Deb in KS
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Deb....You can always shoot a photo off to me so that I can see what is going on...or post on the pictures forum....
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Hi all!!!!!
I Had a bialt Mastectomy with expanders, and silicone memmory gel implants....I was a DD before surgery so i went with bigger high profile implants, and they are hug n hard, but no projection at all!!!! I dont knwo what to do...Can i have a revisiion?? my breasts look horribe n are very uncomfortable?? Please help! Thanks ladies!!
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nurse_79...
What style and size implants do you have? What is your height, weight, ribcage circumference, measuring around the ribcage under the implants? You can also go to Breast Implant Sizing 101 and I can help you figure out what went wrong and what to do next! Revisions? Absolutely! Many of us have had revisions!
Deborah
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Awe Claire... GREAT POST!............. AGREED!
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HI ladies. Trying to read through this thread from time to time. I guess that when I decided to go with this whole breast reconstruction thing, I didn't realize how complicated it could get. I had a BMX last April, completed chemo in August and radiation in mid-November. I had a follow-up appt with my breast surgeon earlier this week and she is pushing me to start planning for the exchange surgery sooner rather than later. My TE's have not been all that uncomfortable and I am starting to dred the exchange surgery. So today, I have an appt with my PS to start discussing the exchange. All of sudden I am starting to feel clueless, a bit like catbill, maybe. Sitting here this morning trying to come up with a list of questions for my PS. If you have any recommendations, please let know.
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Oh, ladies -- the depression has finally set in along with the reality of my new one breasted body. Yesterday I told my husband I wanted to have the other breast lopped off and he looked at me like he had no idea what to do or say. I hate this new body -- hope these feelings go away soon.
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BonnieK I'm so sorry that you are feeling down. Is this now a permanent situation for you or is it just a wait and try again later?
I had a really hard time initially with the uni and underwent reconstruction only because I could not get my other breast removed (I'm in Canada and for some reason none of the surgeons I spoke to would remove my non- BC breast prophy).
What saved me was a really good prosthetic. I was very sorry when I first started my TE phase - it felt to me like I was going backwards - becuase the "foob" was very realistic and confortable and much better looking (and feeling) than the TE. It even jiggled when I did!
It was kind of expensive $375 for one but well worth it to me. I did get some of that covered by my extended health ins.
Have you looked into getting a proper prosthetic? Here is one that is similiar to the one I got:
I went into a Mastectomy shop and was properly measured and tried on different ones.
I know this may be something your don't want to hear but I really do believe that there is a lot of truth to the saying "look good feel better".
I hope you feel better soon...
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(((((Bonnie)))): It is very natural to be depressed after what you and many of us have been through. Know that this is temporary and that it can be fixed in the long term. Right now the most important thing is to heal your body from the shock of so many surgeries and procedures. I agree that anything you can do to make yourself look and feel better will help. I purchased camisoles that could have inserts and bras that could have inserts and that really helped during the interim before having my reconstructive surgery. I am very self conscious about the way I look and unfortunately how I feel has always been tied into how I look. I think this is true for most women. I would also consider getting a referral to get some one on one counseling to get you through this time. I know many women go on antidepressants to help them during this period of adjustment. (((Hugs))))0
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Bonnie - you have really had a time with it! I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything ok. I would suggest you go into denial until you are ready to cope with being a uni. You need to put the many infections, etc behind you. Is there anything good you can focus on in the meantime? and then get back to uni reality later? I know this is not the 'you go girl' advice, but we all have our limits, and they need respecting
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Claire: If you love your TE you should really love your new implant. It's so much softer and more comfortable though maybe not as high, hard and round!
Joan: If you haven't gone to Breast Implant Sizing 101 then go there now! Any questions, issues, problems or concerns can be addressed by Whippetmom, our breast guru!!! Seriously, she knows more then the dr's doing the surgeries.
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Ooooh...MBJ....you are going to get me in TROUBLE!!
I honestly do not know more than the surgeons...not NEARLY! It is that I just might have better communication skills than some of them....
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LOL!!! Well, you my not have the sill of a PS but you do have more knowledge then many on how to do it right! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
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MBJ:
I'm cool with it!Hey....has anyone experienced problems getting onto the pictures forum today?
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Bonnie: Big hugs to you dearest! I love everything MBJ had to say to you...And Bonnie, have you ever been told you look like Susan Sarandon?
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whippetmom - No, I haven't had trouble getting on the picture forum but I have had issues with the internet ... so incredibly slow today.
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whippetmom - Regarding the picture forum ... I was able to get on earlier, but tried again just now and it says there is an internal server error. I cannot get on now. Could get on earlier. Weird.
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I'm sure Fumi is aware....
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Just went to the picture forum and I can't get on? Has anything changed?
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I too am getting a message saying that I do not have any credentials to be on this forum. Hope everyone is doing well. So cold here in Kansas!
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There must be something wrong with the Picture Forum server... I just logged in and was given a page that said I did not have the credentials to view the forum! I even logged out and back in and still got the same message... definitely not right.
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I'm getting the same message, Anna_M about the pic forum.
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