Exchange City
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Citykitty: It's such a strange process but they will blossom and become more and more real looking and natural to your body with time. I used to love my small B's and my D's now look like a small C in clothing and I have learned to embrace my new, fuller and perkier breasts and I have to say, they look better then my originals. Hugs!
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Citykitty -- what MBJ said. I actually was actively depressed for three weeks (I had a lot of bad bruising on my lift side) but then it got better and I have to say I'm quite happy now. I think part of it is we think we're gonna look gorgeous when those wraps come off (no matter how much we tell ourselves not to expect too much the fact is we want it ALL)... but the looking gorgeous part just takes time
BTW -- I had the same insert you described (sold at the same hospital store)... it was great. Loved being able to remove the fluff and adjust as needed (in my case it was to make the TE match the larger size of my other breast).
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Jeanne, I think it is quite common to go under the breast for exchange surgery. That's what my PS did. Then the scar is hidden under the breast and you don't start over with a new scar healing front and center. I had just presumed they would use the mast. scar but now I see why putting the exchange scar in the IMF is a good option. I'm sure different surgeons have their own preferences.
Rebetata, good for you getting your nips! Rest assured if you need to you can easily get a nip reduction which can be done in the office. I had one nip that was bigger from the beginning and although they both shrunk a lot, I had them take a little off this week when I went in for fat grafting. So far it looks like a better match. I'll post soon on the pix forum. The one thing I would say is wait 6 mos. before doing additional surgery, for me, they continue to shrink incrementally for a good while.
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citykitty, what Lilah and MBJ said--lol. So glad life and your boobs are looking up this week!
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hiya everyone- back from atlanta- missed you all- gonna take some updated pics and post-
I will go take a look Ann97
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LOL Deekay
And hey Rebetata! I totally missed your post! Hope you're feeling better and that you are pleased with the results!
Welcome back Annette.
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Thank all you ladies with unimx with t/e ! all had good ideas i knew i could not have been the only one ever to go through this in the summer. I will try all your ideas see which was is most comfy. I already feel less stressed thanks again all of you !!!!!!!
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exchange went well, i am in some discomfort but not enough to take anything. my only concern is if they "drop and fluff" as everyone talks about i think they will be on my belly, i thought they'd be up higher, has anyone had this. they look ok i guess i expected different
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OK, I am coming out of the fog, but still not feeling normal yet. My DH says it is the combination of having the exchange surgery 10 days after my last infusion, plus months of chemo, then surgery. I just feel really tired and think I am anemic (sp?). The implants seem fine, although it is slightly sunken in on the inner left breast right where the original BMX scar starts. It was actually worse with the TE, but it is still a little sunken in. Anyone deal with that before? Also, is it OK to go without a sports bra for about 6 hours? I have a cami with a shelf bra that I can wear. I need to wash my sports bras and am hoping that the sun, which is finally shining, will dry them quickly.
I am amazed at how well you ladies are doing with the exchange surgery. I am jealous. I was hoping to be feeling better. Don't get me wrong, it feels great not to have the TEs, and got rid of the port too, but I thought I would be able to do more stuff by now.
Also, some of you have mentioned a place to post pictures of our reconstruction. How does one get access to it, or is just if you have an issue with reconstruction? Thanks.
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Proud Mom -- I'm surprised they let you undergo surgery only 2 weeks after finishing chemo. I had to wait a month. If you want to share photos we have a Picture Forum that is completely separate from this site (you can PM me, MBJ, Whippetmom, Firni or Estepp for further info). It takes a little time to join. If you want a quick opinion you can PM Whippetmom, who we call "the breast whisperer" because she has a lot of knowledge about implants and sizing. She has a thread called Breast Implant Sizing 101 if you want to check it out.
It's very likely you have low red blood count from the surgery, by the way (I did after my last surgery). You might want to eat some iron rich food for now and also get a blood test just to see. It took me a few weeks to recover a normal level and to not feel very tired (I actually still felt dizzy a week after surgery)!
Re: bras -- I think it best to keep the bra on as much as possible in the first weeks following exchange (my PS had me wear one 24/7 except for showers for the first 8 weeks).
I am not sure what you mean about a little sunken in, especially on the inner breast. I have a bit of an indentation under my arm where they removed lymph nodes... but don't know that I've heard of a sunken in part on the inner breast (I can't even picture it). That said, you've just finished surgery and your implants (and your body) will go through changes in these first weeks so what you are seeing now is not necessarily the final look.
Anyway be patient with yourself and heal up!
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Beacher: I'm a BMX but one tumor was 8cm and the other 3cm so even with the expanders I have a bunch of "skin sparing skin" hanging 3 " down on the left side. I too thank the other ladies for bra ideas for summer. Houston is already over 90 so I needed something lighter than a camisole under my tops. Ended up most comfortable with a Smooth Bralet by Cosbella. It's sort of a sports bra, but a tank style w/o the racer back and is made of 70% bamboo. I got one at Nordstroms & ordered a second from Zappos. Also I've been buying some wild patterned tops so the disparity isn't so obvious.
Sorry, I guess this is a bra thread issue. Since I'm new & don't know any better, do you post in both places?
My exchange surgery is scheduled for 9/13 with Allergan Inamed 410 implants. I'm worried about getting too big, but got some very helpful advice from Whippetmom. Thanks again.
Thanks for all of your posts. It makes me think I'm not totally nuts with all of my questions & issues. I'm single with one 40 yr old son who came from another state to nurse me through the surgery. He was great, but needless to say he's sick of questions. Thanks for being there.
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Thank you for the advice deekay I am going to wait like you suggest. I will be going to Guatemala in August so I hope I don't look to crazy by then. I look like I have been beaten and left by the roadside. I feel great though my only thing is I have been back to the gym and now I can't go. How long until I can go back at least to cardio stuff.
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I have read that a lot of people go considerably larger with their implants than they were with their tissue expanders. Towards the end, the fills are so painful (for me anyway). I can't imagine going up to 100cc larger all at once with the exchange surgery.
For those of you who went larger with your implant than you were with your expander, did you have a lot of pain from that added size and stretch?
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Lillian- I went up from 450 TEs to 550 implants HP- no problem- more comfortable than the TEs as they are totally different. The pain was from the surgery done inside to anchor and stabilize. Six weeks out and the TE pain is but a distant memory-thankfully
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Rebetata and meJoy,
Thanks so much for the encouragement! I am emailing my PS now, if I don't get a response I'll call the office. Thanks again!
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Annette -- cute new pic!
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Hi, I'm new here too so I am also a little confused about implants larger than the TE. Sounds like it really varies but does anyone know if you get better results with implants that are larger than the expanded TE? Does this just apply to non-gummy implants? When you are going from a TE to a gummy can you (or should you) go with a bigger size? I will be expanded to 400 but PS recommends 350. I thought overexpansion allows for the foob to settle in a more natural place. Thanks!
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Thanks Lilah- you look pretty darn cute yourownlittleself:)
Nolo- I really think it is all depends on PS and your body along with a number of other factors- I swear, after tlaking to literally dozens of women, it seems nobody had quite the same experience. Even my PS said he does not have a "standard" form of treatment for every woman- so many factors to consider. If there is one thing I have learned in the process is to follow his instructions to the letter-even if they are a pain in the butt.
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Lilah - thank you for the advise. I had to have the exchange surgery ASAP after chemo and before RADs because I had an issue with the fold of the TE on my left breast (cancer side) pushing out at the incision on my left breast. Originally the plan was to have radiation done with the TEs. PS had to stop fills and in fact deflated me, and I had to be very careful with exercises, how I slept, etc... until I could have the surgery.
I had also decided to downsize, was a saggy, flabby 36D, so it I am fine with where I ended up. PS actually had three different sets of implants and actually expanded me a bit more during surgery until he thought I was at the correct size for my body, keeping in mind that I wanted to be smaller, and then used the appropriate implant. That is how I ended with with 300cc. I don't actually know which saline implants he used, the hospital was suppose to mail me the info but have not gotten it yet, and I forgot to ask him at my first follow-up because I was so out of it. I will find out this week though when I see him again.
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Minus Two - I'm with you, I keep jumping back and forth between this thread and the bras thread!
Rebetata - My PS said 4-6 weeks before I can return to cardio. I'm not supposed to get my blood pressure up; I guess this affects the surgery. She said maybe I could do stationary bike at 4 weeks and resume running at 6 weeks. I can't wait to start running again - and hoping my problem knee will withstand fall marathon training!
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Yeah- they want us to let it all heal...it is worth it though in the long run. I figure when I finally hit the gym when released I will see rapid improvement after being such a damn slug for so long:)
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Rebetata: I finally started working out again last week, which I think is 5 or 6 weeks out. You will probably know when, by how little you hurt! It sounds like you had alot more lipo then I had, so take it easy for awhile and only do what feels comfortable.
Pegs: You can always PM Whippetmom to get her input. Did you go bigger or did he try and recreate what you had? Also, did he use Alloderm to help support them? Remember, wearing a bra 24/7 during this time is really important no matter what size you are.
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Hi Everybody,
I have not posted for awhile, just enjoying reading about everyone's progress and support.
I am six weeks out from BMX with TEs. Still some pain and discomfort and feeling tired. I'm waiting on Oncotype DX results so that makes me anxious.
I do have a question--I am scheduled to start fills the second week of May and I was wondering how you-all decided on your size at the end. I have confidence in my PS and of course, will talk to her about it, but I just don't know because I usually wore stretchy,one size fits all bras,
I know she weighed my breasts after surgery, but I wasn't too crazy about my intact, middle-aged saggy non cancer breast. I had already had a lumpectomy in the right. So I am kinda clueless about what size I was prior to surgery. did you just eyeball yourselves as you went along with your fills?
Thanks for your thoughts on this!
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rowan - Are you going to have rads? That could be a variable in your size. For me, I was stretched until I liked my size ... it was comparable to what I had pre-BMX ... and then my PS over-filled me a couple of times and when I had my exchange ... I'm right at where I was before the surgery. It's strange picking your size. After every fill I felt huge and thought, "This is it." But then a couple of days of later ... I'd say, "No, I want to go bigger." My cousin laughed at me every time. These TE's and the whole fill process is quite bizarre. Your skin integrity is an issue too (that's why rads can limit your size). My skin was really thin and I couldn't go any bigger ... it was stretched to the max. So, yes, we have some say in our size but ultimately it is our skin integrity that may well choose of size for us.
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rowan- dawne is absolutely right- a lot has to do with our bodies. The most important thing is to have a PS you trust and can discuss things with. Then you do it as a team...it seems like a lof the PS take in several sizes into the OR to see which fits best with what you have after the TEs. Keep in mind that the exact same implant looks extremely different from person to person. Which is why you need to communicate well with your doc. I wanted my curves but did not want to look like I would accept tips from passing strangers:)
I was expanded to 450 and thought I would burst- the doc put in Mentor HP 550s and through the voodoo magic of our individual bodies...it looks like i have landed up a 36 full c...much nicer than my 36 longs prior to bc:) I would have kept them, in fact, I had made the decision to not augment very shortly before being diagnosed with BC...funny how life is sometimes.
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Took the girls bra shopping today at VS. It seems 38B is a sister size to 36C. Bought a wireless 38B bra and loving it!!!!
Jan
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yeah Jan! Were the girls good for you at the mall?
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LOL, yes they were well behaved!
Love your new Avatar!!!! How are you doing?
Are you on Facebook?
Jan
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I start my personal trainer tomorrow...YIKES!!!!
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Annettek and Dawn Hope--thanks for the info. I'm not having RADs--I did the first time on my right and won't do it again there. I did have the side muscle and skin moved to compensate on the right from the previous radiation. so I know the PS is working with two different sizes--so they just bring in different ones and try them out to get them to match? I've read so much about different sizes and shapes on the same body, it does worry me some. I guess that's where the trust comes in.
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