Exchange City

Hi ladies...I am one of the few who is having neoadjuvant chemo.  Two more and done WHEW!  I have spoken with my onc about my tx plan and met with my PS....so, it looks like the plan (as of today) for the foobs is after radiation, bilateral mastectomy, dorsi flap on the right breast, no nipple sparing, "anchor" scar (the girls are pretty big right now), TEs and then exchange.  I'm freaking out a bit b/c of Google (like when you have anything wrong and you look at WebMD lol).  I'm wondering if there are any good sites with real before and after photos....I'm either happy with what I see or FREAK OUT.  Help!  Thanks!

Thanks tlc40! I appreciate it!  The discussion boards have been so helpful...especially during the hard days!

Lele, These boards have been so helpful with just reading everything. The picture site has also helped, especially easing my fears by seeing so many great reconstructions. I forgot to mention the pic site is not affiliated with bc.org.

yeah i am reserving my opinion until I am done cooking. My PS said it will be a few months. For now I feel fine and life goes on. Day 17 post exchange.

Hi All:

I had my exchange on Tuesday and I know I will be repeating what almost everybody says, but it is SOOOOO MUCH better with the implants!!!! A lot more comfy and the surgery itself is a lot easier too.

And funny thing...my husband was away, so my son came with me. When I was in the Recovery Room and ready to go, they ask me if I wanted them to call my ride to go home and I said yes. They called my son and told him that his 'wife' was ready...LOL. Made my day, althought certainly not his...hehe.

Has anyone had reconstruction with allergan 410.  The clinical trail implant?  Please anyone tell me your experience size shape etc...Thanks all

identtwins:  I had bilateral exchange 9/13 with Allergan 410 - 455LX.  My first post op will be 8 weeks on Monday.  I like the size & the shape.  I'm not wild about the width, but that seems to be common with any kind of implant.  Since I had very dense breasts, I don't feel like the 410's are much harder than the original.  I still have some swelling on the left side & am anxious to find out if the PS did extra pocket work, etc. that is resulting in delayed healing.  There is a thread "All About Gummies" that was very helpful to me, as was Lilah & some others.

Hey all, so the exchange bandages and drains came out on Friday. The foobs seem pretty even but they definitely need to "drop and fluff" so that my nipples are a little more centered. I'm rather thin on top, so I'm already noticing some rippling. In my head, I was hoping I'd be different and could somehow escape fat grafting, but who was I kidding?



My PS is very talented and did something I've never read about on here. Due to the curvature of my rib, he used a 400cc silicone implant on my left side, but a 375cc on my right. It had to do with evening out the projection and nipple position. Has anyone heard of this being done before? The 400 side seems to have a bit more rippling. I know I'm only 6 days out of surgery so the swelling, etc will change and the foobs will look different soon enough.



Any words of advice? I see the PS on Monday for a follow-up.

Hi ladies - Congrats to those of you who had their exchanges last week and good luck to those with upcoming surgeries this week!

I'm 9 days post exchange and the turning point for me was on day 4. That was probably the first day that I didn't need any meds for pain. I do still have a sharp pain in my side when sitting or turning in certain positions which I need to check into, but otherwise I'm doing pretty well. I have my follow-up visit with my PS on Tuesday, so will be asking him about massage since enough of you seem to have been told to do it. 

Fearless,  I had the most pain from the lipo as well-luckily my PS warned me of it so I wasn't surprised.   I'm two weeks and 3 days post exchange and stopped taking any pain medication last Friday.  I was really surprised at how quickly the bruising came-but also how quickly it resolved.  Still not sure-over all-it ws worth it, but I'm still a bit swollen, so I'm not going to make that decision yet.  Hang in there, it gets easier!  Pat

Had my post exchange checkup. i can graduate to a sports bra as long as it has wide snug sides for the lipo area. Gotta wear it round the clock for a month. He said I have one area that is really thin skinned on the bottom from the infection and he wants to fat graft around it when he does tattoes or nipples. Also said that my capsule tissue was really thick which he also thinks is due to the infection. He cut it way down but said it could be a sign that I could get capsular contracture. He has already figured out how to fix it though if I do.



He was very impressed with how it looked and made a point to show me all the reports that said there was no infection in the cultures.



I have to massage from the bottom up thoug, which seems differemt from others on here. I also have to take vitamin e to help ward off possible comtracture. Going to make sure that is ok with the oncologist.

Did someone post a link to a youtube video showing how to do the massage? If so, can you repost? I cant find it.

Hi all, my turning point was the same as KK1. No more painkillers after about 4 days.



Saw my PS yesterday and got the okay to start wearing a wireless bra. Amazing to think how much has improved in a mere week! Every day I'm feeling stronger. I feel a little guilty they I've taken this week and next off work. Although I am working from home next Tues/Wed.



Interesting to note that my boobs look the same size, but one has 25ccs more than the other. My ribs kick out one implant more than the other. I initially thought the smaller implant was rippling a little more than the other, but it's actually the larger one. I suppose 25ccs really doesn't make much of a difference, it's only a couple of tablespoons.



Also wish everyone else a quick recovery, especially Lindsay S, who has the same PS as me!

Redheadedmom -- go to the thread called Breast Implant Sizing 101 and give Whippetmom your details (as per the instructions in the header of that thread) and she will advise you.  PM her the info if you want to be sure she sees / responds as quickly as possible.

Thank you Lilah and Tina!  I will write to Whippetmom right now.  The PS did ask me at the last fill if I wanted to go bigger or smaller than the TEs and I had no idea!  I asked if I could tell her just before surgery and she said fine.  I kind of liked how flat I looked at the very beginning of the reconstruction process, but It's so not me, having always been a C cup and liking how boobs look in clothes.  I am very confused; this is not a decision I ever expected to have to make!

 I was oncotype DX = 19!  no chemo either, though that was a hard decision being right on the cusp.  i am doing tamoxifen and lupron shots instead.  i had 8 cm of DCIS and 1 cm of invasive right in the middle.