Exchange City

Hi Pat- I am glad you were listening to your body and cut your schedule back a bit for this first week. My PS said sports bra or surgical bra till I see her again in 2 weeks. I am not wearing work clothes so it is not that big a deal for me. I would rather wear the sports bra instead of the surgical bra. But I hope it is not for 3 to 6 months!

LMichele, Just read your post & went immediately to the mirror(which I've been avoiding, as to not obsess) and took everything off to inspect.....that one side may have dropped a little, but still seems fuller up top....the IMF's look almost even, but a little different, like shape wise. Actually, both of my entire breasts look a little different from each other. I think that bad side still has swelling because it's harder & actually bigger then the other side. Your funny, I know what you mean about after 2 minutes of exercises & checking to see a difference.:) I really am trying not to obsess, but I am a bit with the exercises, pushing down, massage & that band, don't get me started on that...is it tight enough? Too tight? In the right place? Is it messing up my good side? So I tighten that bra strap & loosen the other. Ok, I guess I am obsessing! I just can't help myself. I went 8 months with rock hard, completely uneven TE's I just want soft, even boobs! I am grateful as to where I am now & even if they stay like this I'll be ok with them, but I'm going to try to do what I can to help the girls out!

Hello all....

I am scheduled for my exchange on 11/17 and can't wait to get rid of these TE's.. One of them has constantly pinched me since day 1. My PS intends to do some limited pocket work at the time of the exchange but assures me that this will be a piece of cake comparatively. I have a desk job so I am planning to return to work the Monday after my Thursday surgery.... It is the  week of Thanksgiving so I will only be working two days that week so as to ease back into my rountine.

I am so glad to see the results of you ladies going along the path ahead of me as it makes it less scary for those of us following. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

Happy healing thoughts to all....

jbennett, I think the return to work is very much dependent on what you do.  I pretty much sit at a desk or in meetings all day so I'm not doing any lifting, pushing or anything like that.  I can tell you that when I do, I still feel it ( I'm almost 2 weeks post exchange).  My PS asked me what I did for work and when I told him he said a week would probably be long enough, but I'm sure if I said I thought I needed two weeks he would have given it to me.  I took 8 after my BMX-and it was about two too many for me-just started going a little stir crazy, so I thought one was okay for this-and it's been fine, but again, I'm not lifting etc.  I think that makes a difference.  Pat

Hi everyone, I'm new to this thread and thought it was time for me to focus on my next step, which will be my exchange surgery in January. All I can remember is that when my PS told me in July that my exchange wouldn't be until January I thought I would never make it that long with these darn TEs. Anyway, it's coming up soon and all of your concerns are my concerns so I think this is the place I need to be.

Oh, by the way, not sure if I'll do the nipple thing or a tattoo or nothing, but will get to that decision down the road.

Congrats on all the recent exchanges!

Jan

Hi Jan. Yes this is really a great place to be to learn all different things. Everyone here is so helpful & informative. It is good to just read all the different experiences as to see what could, but may not, happen. I've learned so much through these ladies. There is also another great thread "Breast implant sizing 101" that was very helpful, especially if your unsure between all the implant sizes & styles.

tlc, Thanks!  very helpful.  I will call my PS in the next few days-my stitches are not all gone yet and see what he says, but I'm also happy to know there's a video that may show you how to do this.  Pat

jbennett38- I do think returning to work is different for each of us. Probably depending on how depleted we were prior to exchange. i have a very active job teaching young children with special needs and I am not going to work for several weeks. I had a rough time with the expanders and did not sleep for months due to muscle spasms and need to recover/recharge before getting back to work. Listen to your own body when making your decision and take the time you need to avoid any setbacks.

Ginger48, thanks for your encouraging words.  It seemed that I stayed out longer after my BMX than most people but with my job, I knew I wouldn't be able to be 100%.  I really don't think it's fair to my co-workers for me to be there if I can't pull my load.  I will do the same after the exchange surgery.  Luckily, my PS will leave it to me to say how I feel before he releases me.   

Been offline for a few days! I had a flare up of a carpal tunnel issue from about 5 years ago. It happened after my mastectomy too! Anyways, I started back at work again today (I'm only on a part time schedule for the moment), but it requires a lot of computer work, so the carpal tunnel isn't getting better, but I had no issues as far as the surgery goes returning back to work. I can even lie on my side without discomfort! So for me, the recovery time from work was about 4 days post exchange. But I returned also knew I'd be going back to part time again, so I felt I could handle it energy wise.

HeftyLefty - We are leaving on December 10th, but won't ski until December 12th. I am a pretty cautious skiier and will stick to easy slopes so I hope it will be okay. My PS said to wait 5-6 weeks, and it will have been 5 1/2. I will see how I feel. I'll check with him to see if I'm on schedule for skiing when I have my follow-up next Tuesday. The good thing is that if I have to scrap the skiing, there are plenty of other activities in Whistler that I can partake in!

Fluffqueen - I have very sensitive skin myself and I also broke out in hives after my surgery Friday. Anything wrapped too tightly causes them and some of the materials they use are horrible! I know I had a pretty bad reaction to Keflex and another drug before and it caused all over itching. They gave me Atarax since Benadryl wasn't cutting it. Hope the itching ends soon for you!

All this talk about underwire bras and my PS never said anything about it to me! I was still wearing mine since I only have underwire up until my exchange. Stuck in a sports bra (Z-bra) now, so I will double check with my PS at my follow-up.

Ok, I wrote a few posts back about my uneven foobies after exchange. On that post & that day the IMF's looked almost even & the tops more noticeably uneven, But today, in the dreaded mirror, it's the opposite....the bottoms look more uneven then the top. I took pictures today & have been taking some along the way but I haven't even looked at them yet! I hate doing anything on the computer but reading....even typing takes me forever. But I'm going to suck it up & just figure how to post them on the picture forum so those following can see what's going on. I know the pictures really helped me see what everyone was talking about, (except LMichele) I still find it hard to see her unevenness

tlc mine are a little uneven too and my ps is expecting the higher one to drop down eventually. I am wearing a strap across the top and that pushes them down and i have to push it down into the pokcet really hard 5x a day.

Ginger, Thanks for the massage site.  I will wait to talk with my PS before starting anything.  I too have a new "wrinkle".  I found a hard spot (it feels almost like a lump, so I have to keep myself from panicking) on my right side.  It's not in the breast, it's almost under my arm-again, thoughts of a node jumped into my mind.  I called the PS's office today (I noticed it about 2 days ago).  The nurse said she didn't think I needed to come in, it could be from the liposuction-and advised warm compresses over the weekend and then if it's still there, probably go see the PS.  She said it might be some of the "fat" settling from the liposuction (not really a pleasant thing to hear).  Anyone else experienced this?  I've been so very lucky in terms of my BMX and then exchange...I'm of course now worried that something has gone wrong.  I fully expected to stop feeling like the "other shoe would drop" after the BMX, but I can't seem to shake the feeling. 

Pat- It does seem never-ending at times! Try not to worry too much this weekend(if possible) and do the warm compresses but if you do not notice a change then I would definitely go see the dr.

Listening to everyone's stories has made me aware that I have not been doing a good job inspecting myself at all.I am living in the compression bra 24/7 because I have been kind of sore lately. I need to take a good look at these foobs and feel around and make sure everything is ok.

Thanks Ginger and tlc.  I've been doing warm compresses tonight-and noticed how close to the edge of the bra the spot is...So I'm going to risk sleeping for just tonight without the bra and see what happens.  I can't imagine one night without the bra will make that much difference in the outcome, and if it tones down the discomfort from this spot-it's well worth it to me.  I'll keep you all posted.  Pat