Exchange City

Cindy -- It stinks, doesn't it?! I finished chemo end of March, ran through that as much as I could, and had exchange surgery 4 weeks later. Just as I'm feeling almost normal (as far as chemo SEs) and ready to run, I'm not allowed! But I knew it well ahead of time so I was able to plan.



For me, no lifting more than 5 lbs for 6 weeks. That rules out even my purse, LOL! I had to pare it to the bare essentials!

Joan -- the point of wearing any bra post exchange is to keep your reconstructed breasts as still as possible while they heal from surgery.  As for the nipple, give it time.  It may change position once you've healed and any post-surgical swelling abates.  Your implants will go through changes in the next few months and you won't know till then if it is a problem.

This my first time on "Exchange City". I had my exchange for saline implants on Friday. Today I was able to take off the bandages (no special bras from the PS) and my right breast is pretty swollen compare to the left and red - I had surgery on both breasts. Is it normal to be so swollen under the armpit? Is it because I am not wearing a surgical bras? Did I do to much today? Otherwise pain wise I am doing good. You might have answer this kind of question previously. Thanks in advance for your help... I am worried

during my exchange he had to make me smaller than what the expanders were because of the radiated side.  i am bigger than i was initially.  i didn't get to see the doctor after my surgery he spoke to my husband, boy that iritates me , come see me i am the one you operated on.  i think all doctors should do that.  i had him lift my right side and i guess thats why that side was more sore than the left.  i think they will be fine if the don't drop.  the next step is the nipple , not sure how involved that part is.  i am having a hard time finding a sports bra  that is comfortable, i buy some and have to take them back.  any suggestions on that?  i slept sitting up for the first few days,is that still necessary?  i know my ps does good work , i've seen it but his bed side manner really sucks, he was more interested in talking to my husband about their motorcyles.  oh so i got that off my chest.  i just needed to vent

  lilah,

yeah, i thought that was funny too, sick sense of humor i guess.  thanks for the info

Rowan,

Yes, I'm constatnly eyeing myself.  I read somoene on here yesterday who said that if they're gone from the room any length of time her husband says, stop looking at yourself in the mirror and that he's usually right.  I had to laugh and tell my husband about that.  Yes, it seems I'm constatnly looking at myself.

It was very odd for me to determine the size (I'm still questioning things about size of implants and possible DIEP, but I do at least know what size I want).  People tend to think, well, you get whatever size you want.  It's not that easy.  God chose my size the first time around--I didn't have to worry about it.  This is different.

I was filled with 200cc after surgery, had itty bitty mounds, but thought I actually looked great.  With each fill I was scared I was getting too big,  Now I'm at 475 and feel just right.  When I hit 450, I said that's it, that's right. (I'm considering a larger implant because I don't want to lose size with the exchange).  I was very thankful to have had the moment of "just knowing" when was enough.  I don't know if other people have had that feeling or not.

If you pray, I would say include it in your prayers.  It may sound silly to pray about boob size, but wisdom and peace are what He likes to give us.

Beacher...I know how you feel about having the other side bigger than the other.  My TE is  a small C, and my unaffected side is DD.  In the beginning, in front of friends, I wore a cami. If I go to a special evening out, or with people who dont know, I also wear those inserts. My daughter found some in Walmart. In the beginning, I had to use some padding between my TE and the insert.  My scar was too sensitive to place something on it, so  thin padding, did the trick. I also felt that my friends didnt care how lop sided I am. And I also made jokes about how fast my TE was growing.

Now ( 4 weeks after my final fill) I'm more comfortable wearing a sports bra for support, and usually walk around the house braless. 

Welcome Nolo....There's a lot of info and great gals here who are very supportive!

Yes dog ears are common and while I too was told a small one that I have could be fixed at nipple stage, since I haven't done a nipple yet I don't actually know what it entails.  I think if it's small enough it's a matter of pulling the skin tighter from that angle when they pull skin up to form a nipple; if larger maybe they do a more superficial cut and tuck?  I am curious to find out myself   Hopefully others will enlighten us almostdone!  I am glad you have figured out what the ridge is and glad it can be fixed with nip surgery as well.

almostdone:  I had a slight "dog ear" at the end of my incision line and when I had my nip/areola surgery it looks as if he trimmed and stitched this to lay flat and I think it's fading rapidly.  It stuck out quite a bit prior to him fixing it and wasn't a big deal.

my PS loves the terms I tell him from BCO- he said he had never dreamed of saying anything to a woman in regards to her body that had the word dog in it! hahaha

Rowan,

I haven't had my exchange yet, but I will be getting silicone implants (more than likely). 

What I mean is that I like the size I am now, like the way I look now, at 475cc.  But I have heard, and I think is true based on what I've read from people here, that if I get a 475 implant, I will look smaller than I do with the 475 tissue expander. 

So I'll be going with a larger implant--I just don't know how much larger.  While I don't want to be smaller, I don't want to end up a lot larger either...  I know it doesn't matter that much--I just need to stop staring in the mirror! 

Pegs - I have an even better post surgery doc story.  My 40 year old son was the one in the waiting room.  BS came out after her 4 hours.  PS didn't come out at all after his 2 hours.  Luckily my son had looked up the doc's picture on line.  Four hours after seeing the BS, son approached the PS when he came out to talk to the family of the lady after me.   Glad son didn't tell me that story until a month later when I was bemoaning the PS general bedside manner or I might have gone ballastic.  Thanks for letting join the venting.

I do agree with CityKitty about recovery.  Even though I was in there more than 3 hours, I still don't remember anything for the rest of the day or that night.  Anesthesia really wipes me out.  Good idea - we do need to give whoever is waiting for as a list of questions.

vmudrow--so do you look the same with the 450 implants as you did with the 400 tissue expanders?  Was that extra 50 enough?

thank you Lilah- I like making people crack up:)

as far as talking to PS after BMX surgery- I apparently had quite the conversation with him...I remember none of it...zip...I thought he was lying that he had talked to me and thanks to my little paranoid mind, believed my husband was lying when he told me I had talked to him (albeit, a little slurry but determined to be heard!)....complete blank in my memory. It was different after the exchange, that was done in surgery center rather than hospital and the anesthesiologist had a lighter touch with the joy juice...I woke up earlier than expected and scared the hell out of the recovery nurse. I remember that conversation with the PS perfectly...did ya gimme good ones did you gimme good ones huh? huh> are they good? do they look good? He practically paid my husband to get me out of there ... Then he teased the heck out of me the next afternoon when I went to his office. But you know, the exchange is so much different then the BMX obviously, I knew that on one level but since that was the only surgery I had to compare it to, I was scared and excited all mixed up. It is the polar opposite. I did not go under wondering if they would find my body riddled with cancer like I feared before the BMX...that was such a sad time, for all of us who went through that. Then we wake up, alive thankfully, with two rocks implanted in our chests and it gets really confusing....But the exchange made me feel like I was on the way to this new normal-sure it might sound petty in light of BC but not to me. I am thinking once you hear the words you have BC, you are allowed a few "pettys" here and there. Come to think of it, I am petting these puppies a LOT!

Cute picture Kate -- is that your daughter (do you have kids?) or maybe you as a kid? 

Did you call your insurance company yourself?  If the PS can say the pain is due to the size of the implants it seems to me the insurance ought to cover that. 

So sorry you are having pain issues.  IS the pain from the weight of the implants? 

I seem to recall you had some issues with riippling.  Won't a smaller size implant make the rippling worse?