Exchange City

MBJ:  DONE is a beautiful word!!!  I'm so glad for you!

Great news MBJ! 

Tina T, thanks for the update!  This puts me at ease.

Emaline--you and I are up next sista! 

Wow, lot's of stuff has happened the last couple of days.

Caroll2, how did your pre-op go yesterday?  I had my pre-op today and have been anxiously awaiting if you are getting what you wanted.  Where are you?

Lilah, THANK YOU so much for calming me down a couple of weeks ago.  Sorry about that.  I am so excited now and even though things have gone really smoothly for me and I have no reason to freak out, I did.  Boy, that was exhausting.

So, finally get my implants next Friday and my ps was so funny today.  He's like "piece of cake, your going to look fine, no problem.  Now get out of here and I'll see you next Friday."  I walked out smiling and excited.  It wasn't until I got home that I realized that I hadn't asked him any of the questions from my 5 pages of questions.  I did ask about the rubbing under my arms and he said, I'll take care of it, no problem.  I love that he uses that phrase "NO PROBLEM".

Anyway, all I can say is EXCITED.  I don't even feel bad that I forgot to ask all my questions.  He really has done a good job and I trust him.  I sure hope i don't eat those words. 

Anyway, I hope everyone that has issues get's them handled.  One thing I have learned from reading pass post is that there seems to be solutions to most any problem.  I hope everyone who is having some kind of issue get's them handled quickly and painlessly.

Vickie     

Lorrie,

I personally like the silicone gels.  My PS does both and usually swaps out to the gels after a few months.  The saline ones were more like the TE's (hard).  I certainly had support but was not able to sleep on my stomach.  I love the gels.  They really do look & feel like normal breast tissue.  Good Luck with your exchange.  It's so much more easier than the MX.

Terri

Eight days post revisional exchange with two drains.  Pain meds for three days, then nausea kicked in, so stopped pain meds except for ibprophen and antibiotics.  Drains came out yesterday. Today was the first day out and I was non-stop for five hours straight.  I could have gone on, but I know I have to cool it and take it slow for at least two weeks.  It was exhilarating to be out of bed and out of the house!

mom2one,  I have high profile round silicone implants.  I like them.  No drains after my exchange, no pain meds after 1st day.  Had surgery on Thursday and went back to work on Monday.  So much easier than bmx.

Hi sorry I have been MIA

my "preop" was more of an evaluation. I have 650cc expanders filled to 700cc and I will be getting 650cc gel round implants on October 25th. My real preop will be October 4th. So at that time my PS will take measurements and give me more specific info. I have one TE higher than the other and i like the higher one better. SO he said probably the implants will have the higher one a little bit lower and the lower one a lot higher. Plus there will be one night in the hospital.

 ok i gotta go to bed worked two jobs today and doing it again tomorrow. 

LindseyS update:

had her surgery Tuesday afternoon to clear out bilateral scar tissue and put in correctly sized TE's and filled them full.  Home before midnight with drains, medications and DH.

MBJ- I am jealous can't wait to be DONE! Congrats!!!

annie:  My DH loves my origami nipple-doesn't even care if I get the tattoo but that part is for me.  I can't feel a darn thing with it but I do like the way it looks.  I wouldn't mess with it for about 6-8 weeks.  You won't want to anyway during the healing time-you  don't want it to unravel like a corkscrew!  Mine shrunk quite a bit from where it started but it's a good match to my natural side.  Good luck!  Hugs!!!

tlc40:  Good luck!!!

annie:  Lets just say my DH doesn't let an opportunity pass where he can play with them, lol!!!  I massage them much rougher then he plays with them.  Have you seen the video where them implants are dropped from a skyscraper?  They are pretty durable-my MX side is still more tender then the augmented side, but still lots of play in them

anniealso- Hi, I think it makes us all happy here when we can sense the excitement in someone else's post.  We're truly all in this together I guess!  I can't remember if I've seen you on the nipple-sparing thread, but there is one if you're interested.

I'm still healing from my exchange, but my NSM was in February.  The nipple that came through unscathed has no feeling per se, but it still responds to temperature and touch.  It is not on "high beam" all the time.  It reacts exactly the same as it always has, I just can't "feel" it .

Good luck!

Ladies,

Just letting you know my exchange surgery went well yesterday. I am home from hospital and am reasonably comfortable. We used Natrelle saline, style 68HP, which is a round, smooth, high profile implant, 425 cc filled to 475 cc. I am surprised at how soft the saline feels, I was expecting them to feel a bit harder initially so this is a pleasant surprise. I get to remove the bandage tonight and shower so I will get to see the new girls. Yeah! I will try to update with photos on the pictures forum over the next week or two.

Take care ladies!

Hope everyone else who had surgery this week is doing well and for those who have yet to have surgery, it is as most ladies have said, much easier than mastectomy surgery!

Survivor - My PS only uses saline implants as well. Mine really feel pretty natural. They are soft and I can sleep on my stomach with no complaints and they are the largest saline implants that Mentor makes - 960cc. Had a leak problem with one and at least it was easily visible and exchanged in PS office.

Anniealso - regarding your questions - both of my nipples are made from skin from the breast, kind of origami. They shrunk quite a bit and are now around 1/4inch. At least not flat and they have not changed in size in well over a year (20mth from time they were made). They are permanent high beams, but as my DH says they show I'm a lady if they do slightly show through a bra and tight tshirt. He loves to play with the toys and as a matter of fact, when the PS noticed that the one impllant seemed to be shrinking it was my DH that was scolded for not keeping a close enough eye  or ahem... hand on it and noticing the loss of shape and difference in size. He now keeps closer eye and hand on them. I had very non-existent nips as original equip so these are great improvement. As my ductal tumors were immediately under the nipple, could not have nipple sparing.