Exchange City
Comments
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Pat (Artsy) --- yay!!! So glad it was quick and painless. I refuse to consider it is anything but benign, whatever it is. Maybe scar tissue from the recon?
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Ferretmom and DuckyJan: OK, here we go!!! Ferretmom and I are up tomorrow, then looks like DuckyJan is on for Thursday. I have to check in at 6am with surgery at 7:30 so we're driving today and spending the night in a hotel. Oddly, I don't feel nervous, my mind is not racing with questions - I hope that means that I'm really ready!
Good luck ladies!!!
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Good luck tomorrow!
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Good luck to everyone having surgery this week. Sending big hugs and well wishes to you.
Just got my surgery date, 9/22. Seems like forever from now, but I know it will be here before I know it.
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Good luck Tina and Ferretmom and DuckyJan!! Whew who!
I just got a date for my TE on my right side (to replace the one I had removed 7/6): December 1. Guess a new TE is what Santa is bringing me this year!
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Ok finally!! implants on sept 1..... had mastectomy on right side have 685 in that expander and a double AA on the good side...hoping to stay as big as I am on my expander side..... How painful is this surgery? Anyone? The expander one was pretty painful and i tolerate pain pretty good. I am ready to be done with this.... having mentor high profile smooth implants round put in...mmmm I am not sure what that means..I am new on this thread, just came from the expander thread this is a great web site and great women... anyone from Champaign Il area on here?
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Good Luck Tomorrow
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Great News! I had my exchange 11 days ago and it was a total piece of cake, especially compared to bmx. I know I have read that the exchange surgery is so much easier than bmx, but I was still so apprehensive. I just want to reassure those of you with upcoming surgeries that it is so much better. They are soft and squishy and feel soooo much more comfortable than the expanders.
One scary moment with my PS today was when she told me she got the path report back from the lump she removed. I had NO idea she removed a 'lump'. My husband failed to mention to me that she removed a lump, and I never saw her after my surgery. Anyway, the lump was all dead fat...I'm actually glad he didn't mention it :-)
Good luck to all with upcoming exchanges!
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Good luck to all that are up for surgery this week. I do pre-op this Thursday and my surgery is next Tuesday. I will be getting silicone implants and a port removal. Yea!!!
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Ohhh and the other big news for me is that I am getting my first "hair cut" tomorrow morning. I will be trying to minimize the mullet look...lol
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Tina T, Good luck tomorrow. I made it through with a few bumps along the way but I seem to be back on track.I'm very pleased with my new smaller size.I have some issue with my nipples but hopefully when I see my PS in 10 days I'll get some sort of explaination. Off all pain meds since Sunday morning( ice works much better, no brain fog) and when I get rid of this drain I know I'll feel much better.I have a shower in Philly to go to on Sunday and Monday I have tickets for the US Open in Flushing Meadow so I' have a lot to get me motivated!!
Barbara
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Forgot to add good thoughts for Ferretmom and DuckyJan for their surgeries too!
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Forgot to add good thoughts for Ferretmom and DuckyJan for their surgeries too!
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Best to all you ladies getting exchanges this week! Here's to Yippee Squishies!!!!! Wishing you softness and healing, deekaay.
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Wishing everyone with exchanges a speedy recovering and horray! for squishes
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Okay I haven't been here for a while but finally have my exchange surgery scheduled for 9/9 at 5:45am...blah. That is what I get for having a latex allergy. They want me in first. I'm also have a reduction/lift done on the good side.
I've heard the exchane is fairly simple but that the reduction lift is not fun. Anyone have any experience with this? What can I expect?
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Happy to say my MRI showed nothing....Dr. said probably result of surgery for augmentation...something looked different from previous years and just needed to make sure....glad that is the case but it freaked me out until I got the news.
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Congrats Artsy. Good for us all to hear the good with the bad stuff. Thanks for sharing.
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Congrats artsy on the good results.
Best wishes for all with upcoming surgeries this week!
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Artsy
Yeah! Now you can get a good night sleep with no worries.
Liz0 -
Just found out my BF has to leave for a work related meeting in Texas the day of my surgery. I am so upset and so is he. He is going to do everything he can to postpone his departure, but not sure if it will work out. I told him that I will be fine, have loads of family and friends, and that he had to put his responsiblity to his job first. Very high paying job, worked there for 7 years.
Know I will be fine, but just needed to complain a little and figured you guys would undertand.
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Survivor11 I will be thinking of you. I feel bad DH has to be away, I hope he will be able to focus on his meeting. Good luck to everyone having exchange surgery!!!
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I have a pre op appt in the morning for a Sept 6 surgery. My new PS plans to swap out the current expanders which are too tall, reposition my nipples and clear out some scar tissue.
I thought I had this surgery and the exchange/FG in Nov ahead of me. Learned today that the FG would be a third surgery next March with full lipo of the belly.
PS does not take insurance and wants $10K tomorrow for next two surgeries. Ugh. But it was disappointing to learn that the FG surgery would be an additional $8,000. We can't afford this and before I head into surgery in two weeks and start something we can't afford to finish I have a question for you all.
Has anyone had TEs that were exchanged for implants and did NOT need FG? I don't know if this is possible, but if it is, I want to ask the PS to do it this way. He might not want to, but then I might need to cancel the surgery and look for another guy that is in network.
Please if anyone can give me some suggestions or what you did, I would love to have some alternatives to take into him tomorrow morning. Thanks! Lindsey
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Lindsey,
I noticed no one has answered you. I had permanent implants put in right after my DMX as I decided to go with smaller implants than I actually was so there was room.
From what I have seen here on the discussion sites, not very many women have had fat grafting as it still is a relatively new thing. Some women have it done to fill in the area above where the implant sits on the chest.
My one implant is perfect and the other one has settled downward due to the muscle mass of the latissimus dorsi muscle used in the base of that breast to support the implant as it's the side I had radiation on. So, my ps is just going to go back in and tighten things up. No fat grafting and it will fix the dent I now have above that implant.
I have heard and seen women here who have had TE's exchanged for permanents and no fat grafting.
I guess I am also a little leery of fat grafting as I can't quite get my mind (I'm a RN) around sucking fat from one part of me and putting it somewhere else and expecting it to stay right there and be smooth, without lumps or bumps.
I understand now in the US some PS want to be paid upfront and here too, but I don't get why you have to pay him for the next two surgeries and not just the one you will have on Sept 6?
Unfortunately all of this does cost and I know with medicare and our private insurance here that I have paid at least $18,000 all up for my 4 surgeries. Tits aren't cheap!
Go in with your questions written down and maybe is someone else can go in with you it would be good for two sets of ears to be listening to what he says so you get all of it.
The best to you....
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Lindsey -- I think more women don't have fat grafting than do... rather than assume you will have/need it you should wait and see how you heal from the exchange... and remember that exchange is not "instant" perfection but can take 3 - 6 months to settle in. Sorry your PS isn't in your insurance plan. That is expensive!
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LindseyS , I'm not sure I understand what's happening with you. You need to have your expanders removed and permanent implants put in, correct? How do you know that you'll need fat grafting? I just had my TEs taken out last FRiday and permanent silicon implants put in. So far no one has mentioned the words fat grafting.They look pretty good but I know its still very early. One of them seems to be sliding all over the place and if anything may need to be tightened up a bit. I see my PS next week so I' hope I have some answers.So I guess I'm asking , why is your PS talking about Fatgrafting before you actually have your implants in?
Barbara
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Best wishes to the two exchange ladies this week!
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LindseyS - I want to throw in my strong concern also about how you, or rather, how the PS knows that you need fat grafting at this point. It is usually used after reconstruction is thought to be complete for any defects or in patients who have had radiation.
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LindseyS-
I would have to agree with other ladies. Fat grafting is suggested if there are imperfections after reconstruction. I had mine done 6 months later for a "dimple" on my upper pole of my MX side.
NAE
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I am eagerly awaiting feed back from the ladies who had their exchanges today. I am really looking forward to hearing squishy news. I know there is another exchange tomorrow.
I am finally really excited about this. I will be having my exchange in Sept. and this month was awful and I wanted to stop everything (as if that were possable) but I have been seeing and hearing such good results that I think my fear is gone and I am just so-o-o excited to hear what happens,for everyone.
I know that there is a few months where you just don't know, so I hope I am not putting any pressure on any one. Really, the progress seems to just keep going for awhile but still such an exciting mile-stone in the whole "adventure" (uh-h I know not the right word).
Anyway I really hope everything turns out perfect for everyone.
Vickie
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