Exchange City
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Slinky Like i said im right there with u too, and i had all my fills done in january!!! like i said the pain is getting worse. i cannot wait to get this thing out i swear im about to do it myself ....6 months is way too long
hope you feel better too,yesterday i had sime muscle spasm med for my back that i took when my t/e was unbearable it seemed to work plus put me too sleep.Maybe u could get some? Also the more i do no not move the better ....0 -
I had my exchange done 3 weeks ago. I didn't have to wear any special bra and also had no drains. They look absolutely beautiful! Had both breasts removed last year and went through chemo for 6 months and then radiation on the left breast. Had TE's filled during chemo. Waited 6 months after rads to do exchange. Only left breast had cancer but had both removed anyway. Now I have BEAUTIFUL, new, perky, twenty-year old boobs that look better than the originals ever did. I'm a happy 40-ish girl! Getting my nip tattoos in a couple months. I have Natrelle Silicone 45 implants filled with 460 cc which makes me a full C cup. I love these babies! I have a great plastic surgeon but hey, I'm from California-lots of experience here!
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Yeshua4Me, im so happy for you. I too am from California. But u waited 6 months after radiation! You had t/e's for 6 months i cannot do that i am in pain much of the time i have had them t/e's for 6months but finished radiation only 2 months ago and thinking of 4 more months like this, painwise and emotionally i do not think i would be able to,how did you get through it ? so all together how long were your t/e's in? Did they hurt you at all?
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Had my TE's inserted on Feb.11, 2010. Had them for a little over 13 months. They didn't bother me. Sometimes they felt very tight in my chest but then I'd just pop a muscle relaxer into my mouth and wham! Instant relief!
Fills didn't bother me at all. I started getting feeling back about 3 months before my exchange but I'm now numb again. I guess those cut nerves are going to have to heal again. The TE's felt as hard as rocks but I knew they were only temps and just grit my teeth and got thru it. All worth it!
Oh, I wasn't suppose to have radiation so I was going to have my exchange after chemo ended in August of 2010 but then, oncologist thought rads might be a good idea. That delayed the exchange and also, PS likes to wait about 6 months after rads to make sure healing inside has taken place. He said I had a bit of scar tissue he had to break up during the exchange (caused by rads) but was able to make a pretty good pocket without too much stitching. All in all, these babies are the best thing to come out of breast cancer.
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thanks yeshua4me, ya i would not have had my t/e's put in if i had known i was going to need radiation, i would have waited till after. I see my ps this Monday May 2nd i have been counting the minutes and hoping and praying he says im good for exchange mid to late May. Ya the muscle relaxers work but make me so tired. I hope to do as well as you .Thanks again you do not have to say but what part of Cali do u live i'm southern take care
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MeJoy -- I LOVE my reduction. I wish I had had reduction surgery years ago. Love having smaller, perkier breasts. As for jet skiing 8 weeks after surgery, you really should ask your PS.
As for me, I would say that 8 weeks after surgery I was feeling much better but not 100% normal. I wore a bra 24/7 for 8 weeks. I am pretty sure I was able to reach over head after a few weeks. As for swelling, the reduction side had a LOT of swelling due to a small bleed I had post-surgery; the whole bottom half of my boob was dark purple (from blood collecting) -- in fact I had a bruise all down that side of my body from the blood. My PS said she thought I burst a blood vessel overnight my first night home. I had no drain on that side. So my swelling was more than is usual because there was a hematoma (fancy word for bruise) that had to be reabsorbed. Even with that I was fine in 8 weeks... and while most of the worst swelling was gone by then there was still a few months of healing to go on that side. I'm totally normal now (8+ months post-op)... and I expect you will NOT have this happen to you as I gather it is unusual. Even so, it was really nothing (except ugly LOL) for several weeks. I am very pleased with my results. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.
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I had fat grafting today and all went well except I had to have gen. anethesia afterall. We discussed the twilight sedation, but my PS said I would jump whenever they stuck me even though I would not be aware with the twilight. I didn't want that so I ok'd the general. The anethesiologist said they'd try to keep it light. But even with that, I've been cat napping my way through the afternoon/evening. Not much pain in chest area, some pain where the took the fat around my sides. Boobage looks good, can't see my smaller nip for 48 hrs.
But guess where my PS didn't want to take fat from??? My belly!!!! He said, even though I should never need it, IF I ever had to have another flap surgery down the road, I would need my belly since I used my back already with the Lat D. So my belly remains as my little insurance policy for my boobs. Who woulda thought?
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Yeshua4me thanks for sharing how happy you are makes me feel better about enduring all of this. I do not have pain just discomfort, tightness. I had my TEs placed 4 weeks ago and my first fill was a week ago. I started with 150cc got an 80cc fill so I am at 230cc now my next fill is in a week. I think the surgeon said he will do 100cc next time. I did not have any pain from the fill. I hope the next one goes as well my inlaws are coming a few days after and I need to be up to entertain them.
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Deekay -- what a bummer about the pooch! Heal up and rest up.... you will hopefully feel better in the morning (grogginess) and stay ahead of soreness with Tylenol!
Can't wait to hear about the results
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Carrol2, Hi glad you are doing so well with your fills, BUT no you do not need to entertain your inlaws, they need to take care of you ,there daughter in law:)
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beacher4209 well they are visiting KC from NYC so i dont intend to cook but do want to take them out to see the sights and stuff.0
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Carrol2,yes i know, but remember u come first... u sound alot like me and u have to take care of your self first. I myself am overloaded with other sick friends and friends and family with problems and they depend on me alot BUT i had to put them second cause if i do not get well i will never be able to help them, just a thought,its not easy love my people
i just want this exchange sooooo bad and to run smooth gotta stay string and so do you do not pretend you feel ok when you do not,take a break,they should understand ,but enjoy ....0 -
Hey ladies, Has anyone had there exchange less than 3 months after rads?? PLEASE say YES!!!
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Rebetata: This is what I bought and I cut the tip in half. I taped it on over my bandaging to allow (if any) my new nipple to poke through. This allowed me to use less padding with bandages though it requires wearing a bra with some foam padding to disguise it under tighter clothes. I bought it at Wallgreens but you can probably get it in the baby department for nursing mothers at any drugstore:
Share your own related imagesMedela Contact Nipple Shield - Standard Size (24mm)
by Medela
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Deekay: Sorry they couldn't take your belly but at least you have insurance--I don't have that option at all!
For those of you having pain during the espansion process, go slow, do smaller fills, have them take out some if it hurts and the pain doesn't go away. Also, get some physical therapy. This helped me tremednously during this period of time. It seems I was holding on to so much pain from my MX and it provided some much needed relief!
Peg: Best of luck to you and please, contact your work and take some time off! This is major surgery.
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Mejoy: There is no way I could have water skiied so soon after surgery. You are talking major pain from all of that movement. You can't run either. Not for quite awile.
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Determined: Yes, they do the fat grafting above and around the top of the implants to get rid of the unnatural step off and providing a more natural slope to the top of the breast area. It is to fill in where they removed the breast tissue below the collarbone and above the breast mound.
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MBJ thank you for the pic and the recommendation. What is it made for nursing mother? I am just wondering is that latex free? I am allergic. I just want to make sure.
Pegs best wishes for you today.
Rebecca
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Rebetata: They are made out of silicone and I tink they are for women with inverted nipples and they also prevent gas while breast feeding. I found out about it from another woman on the picture forum. They work great! In the beginning they may not touch your skin-just tape over your bandage.
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beacher4209 thanks i know what you mean. I am not working just taking care of house and husband, no kids, and 3 cats. So i am able to take the time to take care of myself and I do. I really am not in any kind of real pain. I had a post nasal drip, sore throat and then a cough after my surgery but much better now. I just am a little uncomfortable kind of tight. I am going to ask my PS to refer me to a PT next week. Just started to do stretching exercises this week and feels a lot better from that, loosens up a lot of the pulling.0
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Thank you again Mary.
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Actually during the filling process it relieved back problems. It helped with that slumped over feeling from not having breast. Like stated go slow and pain should be very low if any at all.
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Ok LADIES I'LL try asking it this way.... For those of you that had RADIATION,How long did you have to wait after radiation to have exchange ??? Can anyone answer that?? PLease
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I have my first post rads appt with my ps next week. I'll let you know.
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Thanks Adey,Would love to hear from you. How are you feeling when did u finish rads?? you had chemo too if i remember so you have had the t/e's even longer than me ....
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Well....you know my answer....but I will repost it here for any rads girl to see. I was a RARE case where rads did not hurt my skin much. I had exchange three months after radiation. I am rare though. I always hope others will have the outcome I had. Keep your chin up...and use massive amounts of Aquaphor daily.
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Soo, it's been a month after exchange now and my next appointment with my PS isn't until the end of June. From the beginning I had no illusions that my mastectomy side would look or feel like my natural side, but I am getting more and more upset with the outcome. It seems that the more my implants drop and settle, the higher my nipple becomes on my mastectomy side. The assymetry is ridiculous to me, the nipple is so high now it almost reaches the top of my bra line. I don't care that it doesn't look like my other nipple, I had nipple/skin saving mastecomy, but the assymetry is so frustrating! During this whole process I've been completely strong, but I feel like I'm about to lose it. Seriously, I'm gonna cry. Okay, I'm done venting!
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dawn84 I think you should make a sooner appointment with your PS and discuss your options. There is no reason after all we go through that you should end up this unhappy with your results.
Hey but it sure feels good to vent doesn't it?
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In the last 24 hours I have noticed a "ridge" on my left side appear. I am only 5 days out of my exchange. Is this a normal part of the settling in and will it eventually disappear? I only ask because I had the same ridge appear with my TE and PS told me it would go away after exchange. I don't see PS again for 2 months..is it worth a call or should more time be given??
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Beacher, my PS required 9 months wait between end of rads and Lat D surgery which was when TEs were inserted.
Expansion with TEs took almost 4 months, Then I had 3 more months to wait before exchange. So from the end of rads to exchange for me was 16 months. It is a long haul. Somewhere in this process I realized what someone had said on one of these boards, "Reconstruction is a commitment." I don't think I really got that until I was in it. Now that I am at the end, I can say it was worth it, but it is a long road.
Wishing you the best, deekaay.
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