Exchange City
Comments
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RedHeadMomof3girls and Odie16: Good luck on your surgeries today! Can't wait to hear how everything goes.
Phyllis
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Fluff- My dr did not say to massage for 30 minutes; she just said to do it several times a day. She also did not give me these specific ones yet. She just told me to press the implants together and create cleavage. So glad the video helped!
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Good luck to RedHeadMomof3girls and Odie16!0
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Just thought I would share on the massage topic. Why they call it that i don't know, seems far from a massage. My PS gave me only two exercises to do so far. My surgery was oct 25th. Right now I am pushing down on one side cause it's too high, and I am also doing the pushing them together thing that creates cleavage. He said hold for 5 seconds and do it at least 5 times a day. I remember by doing it in the morning and night and then every time i go to the bathroom lol.
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Oh yeah i forgot what i wanted to post is that it's been 31/2 weeks since my excahnge.
It was almost 2 weeks after the surgery when I had my last appointment with my PS. I was feeling great so decided to go on a rad trip to NY to visit friends and family.
So i week after i got there I got a sore throat. So three weeks after surgery. When i had the TEs put it i got a sore throat a week after i got home from hospital.
Not sure what is causing this. In both cases my throat was a little scratchy from the anesthesia for a few days immediately after but then it went away. So not sure if that was the cause.
I could have caught a bug, either in the hospital or out in public. I suppose my immunity could be low after surgery. I did have chemo but it's almost a year since my last infusion.
I am also wondering if it GURD or acid reflux that irritated my throat perhaps brought on from the antibiotics.
I am so bummed i thought i was doing so well than whammy. This is worse than the pain from the surgery. I have been doing the netty pot and taking sudafed. Tomorrow I am going to my gp.
anyone expereince this? or have any thoughts?
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Carrol -- immediately after surgery the throat hurts from being intubated (they stick a tube down your throat once you're under). Three weeks later it's probably just a bug you caught; it's too far from the hospital stay for it to be related to that.
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Lilah I am leaning to think that as well but it's odd that I got a sore throat after both surgeries. I am prone to sore throats always have been, if i get sick that is what i get. When I had chemo i did not get a sore throat until after my fourth treatment and it only lasted a week. My last surgery i got the sore throat a week after but it lasted 3 weeks. This time it was 2 weeks after surgery and has now lasted 6 days. going to gp at 3:30 I'll let you know what he says.0
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OK -- hope you feel better soon Carrol!
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Carroll- hope your throat situation clears up soon. I had to laugh at your comment about when you massage. I found myself doing it when I go to the bathroom too! Seemed like a good way to spread them out and I've got nothing better to do, right?
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hello ladies,
i had my surgery yesterday, it was rough! they started 2 hours later than planned so we were in the waiting room for 3 1/2 hours which was killer. i was in the hospital from 9:30 am to 7 pm. i had awful nausea upon waking and am still slightly nauseated, plus sore throat and a fat lip on top on one side from being intubated! i am afraid to look but the boobs don't feel that bad; what does hurt is my arm!! my right arm hurts from shoulder blade to elbow. i called the PS and she said that my arm was falling out of the velcro wraps that they use to hold arms in place so that's probably why. i shudder to think what went on while i was under. throwing me around like a rag doll! they should've given me a black eye while they were at it! now i have some nice hydrocodone and have a heating pad on the arm. she said there was a lot of scar tissue on one side so they gave me 2 different size implants, 500 and 550 ccs.
did this arm pain happen to anyone else? the doctor said heating pad and the physical therapist said ice. i was just worried the PS knocked a nerve out of place or something but they claim it's jus temporary and i can wear a sling and get PT again if i need it. the PS had led me to believe that this surgery was no big deal, but it was.
I hope Odie16 is doing OK!
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Redheadmomof3girls:
Sorry to hear you had troubles during your exchange surgery. I too sometimes wonder what "aerobics" they have you doing wihile in surgery. We are just putty in their hands! Hopefully, the soreness will go away soon and you can focus on your results!
[[[[Carrol]]]] Hope you are feeling better soon.
Phyllis
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I'm checking in to update after my ps appointment. PS says I need a revision to that one problem side....still higher, fat under armpit & has major scar tissue pulling the muscle. He was suppose to fix all of that during my exchange. It's so frustrating! He says it is from the hematoma I had after BMX....but during my post op checkups he said it was just swelling. That side is a lot bigger then the other one so, Redheadmomof3girls, it's good your PS used 2 different sizes. I'm going to mention that to him.
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Hello ladies..
I am about 24 hours out from the exchange and doing well. I arrived at the hospital at noon, was taken to surgery at 1:15 and discharged around 5 p.m. I am so sorry to see Redheadmomof3girls had such a rough day. I always have issues with nauseau due to general anesthesia so I make sure to request all the anti-nauseau meds I can get as surgery is hard enough without getting sick as well. Funny you mention the arm issue as I have had cramps in my calf muscles the day after surgery after both the BMX & exchange surgery which I suspect is due to the positioning. As for the foobs, I am so happy to say the implants are much softer than those awful TE's. WIll not miss those. Have two drains, some swelling and muscle spasms. Generally sore but not in any real pain and just fatigued post anesthesia. Planning on a nice quiet relaxing weekend.
Gentle hugs to all and Redheadmomof3girls, I really hope your arm feels better soon. Take care.
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Redheadmomof3girls, I too had arm pain. It was more like an ache than real pain, it felt heavy and was swollen a little, it went all the way down my arm. Since this was the same side I had a few nodes removed, I was worried. I have three different docs check me out and they even gave me an EKG to rule out any heart problems before they released me. One doc wanted to keep me overnight, but I was really fighting that I was more worried about infection then the arm pain. It went away totally and the swelling went down the the next morning. Congrats on your exchange and happy healing
Odie16, Congrats on making it to the other side. Glad everything turned out well. Rest and best wishes for continued healing.
Liz
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Hi Ladies,
Well, e-day finally came for me! Had my exchange yesterday. It was a double-whammy because I was having some GYN problems, and ended up having one of my ovaries removed too. I am more sore from the GYN surgery than the exchange.
My PS used glue on my incisions, so no stitches,a nd no drains (yay!!!) and he also said no bra whatsoever, but if I really want to wear one, a sports bra after 48 hrs. I found the no-bra recommendation odd, as we had talked about it earlier and he said they'd give me one in the hospital. He never mentioned no bra. He doesn't want anything rubbing against the incisions. So far, I am very happy with what he did, tho i have not been able to look in the mirror yet. I know i have to wait for the drop and fluff. I am kind of relieved not to have to wear a medieval torture device or have bandages, just find it strange from everything I have heard. Anyone else get this no -bra recommendation? I also had fat grafting on one side. He took the fat from my hips. I am completely numb there. Everything feels soft, smooth and squishy! But I know that I will lose some of that with the swelling and fat. He had to use different sized implants, told my husband after the surgery that he tried various combinations. My TE's were also unevenly filled, apparently my chest wall is uneven.
I am so glad to be out of those awful TE's. I was sure yesterday that I could not bear them for one more day! Sorry for the rambling, I'll blame it on the Percocet.0 -
Ok, I peeked in the mirror. Radiated side is still higher than the other side! And will probably only get worse with time...I hope I get lucky and drop more on that side...
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Pain from lipo pretty much gone (1 week out). I don't like my nipples, though, he made them too big :-(
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Pinkbutterfly -- if your exchange incision was in the IMF then no bra is a MUST... because any bra would rub on that area.
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Yes, Lilah, it is in the IMF. Thanks for the reassurance.
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Drat, and I forgot to ask for my implant cards. Is this something the hospital would still have?
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Pink
Congrats on the exchange best wishes for continued healing.
I didnt get my card until I went back for my post surgery PS visit. They keep the cards at the office instead of hospital. So yours maybe waiting for you at you post op appointment.0 -
Pink -- yes just call them up and request that they get mailed to you. They should be in your file and you need to have the cards for future reference (I also carry my card with me when, for example, going through an airport... helps to convey the truth of the claim "I have an implant"
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Pinkbutterfly:
Sorry, I didn't see your Exchange date on the list! Sorry to hear you had GYN problems. I assume this was known before you went in so they could have your surgeon there. I am still waiting for test results from my papsmear I had on October 15. I have called them 3 times, but all the nurse will say is "The Dr. will talk with you about your results." Of course, my mind is spinning because I had a previous one in February that showed abnormal tissue and I had a biopsy that still showed abnormal cells, but not cancer.
I came out of one of my surgeries with glue on the incision too and made a remark to my Dr. how cool that was and he said that there was dissolving stitches underneath the top layer, that ony the top layer had glue. You might want to check, because he said if it was all glue, that I would have to be very, very careful about not opening up anything. I haven't had exchange yet, though, so I don't know what will happen with that.
Congrats on being on the other side of this! I am patiently waiting (well, maybe not so patiently) for my exchange in January. I have been busying myself trying to lose weight and have lost 13 lbs since October 24th. My goal is to lose between 25 and 30 by exchange on January 25th.
Phyllis
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Thanks, Faulk and Lilah. Actually, my DH just told me that they gave him the cards. Its still unsettling to me that I know the least about what is happening to me while I am asleep, not hearing it first hand, but I guess that's how it goes. Since I did not spend the night at the hospital, did not get to see my Drs post-op.
Momoftwo, sorry to hear about your troubles. It's more than a month since your results and your Dr has not called you yet? I would be screaming on one end of the phone to speak to the Dr. You are a very patient lady. Yes, everything is frightening after what we've been through. I had recurrent cysts on my ovary, and I also wanted a tubal, and I didn't want to go under twice, so coordinated my GYN surgery wih exchange. We agreed that she would only remove the ovary if it looked abnormal, and she came out of surgery and told my husband that I had multiple cysts and it looked abnormal, so she took it out. So I grilled him because, of course, abnormal is a very scary word for someone who has had cancer. He said there was no mention of anything but cysts, and he's not sure when I'm supposed to go back, so I have to epwait to Monday when the office is open to find out more.0 -
Ok was not finished typing but it jumped to post...anyway, I am not sure about stitches underneath, another one of those things I didn't hear first hand. I see him in two weeks. I was sure that I could not wait one more day with those TE's (had them for almost 7 mos) and am glad it's over. I think it's it not going to be perfect, one is slightly higher than the other, they seem a bit too far apart, and I still see a little a little rippling on one side, even tho he tried to fix it. He told my husband he couldnt do everything we talked about because he ran out of fat. I find this amusing because at one time I Carried 180 lbs on my 5'2" frame. I wish I could have banked that fat! C'est la vie. It is going to have to be good enough because I can't go through this again. My ps told me if I wasn't happy we could always go back in and change it. Easy for you to say, I said. I am tired of all of this. Congrats on your weight loss! I know waiting is the hardest part, hang in there!
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Thanks everyone for the words of support. i just took a shower and it was scary, i call them Frankenboobs 2.0 (the TEs were the original Frankenboobs). it's funny that the side that has the bigger implant looks smaller! the whole thing looks weird and discolored but i'm trying to remind myself that it will change a lot. i wish they were closer together. my arm pain is getting better slowly with lots of ice but my fat lip remains. my PS said to wear a surgical or other tight bra day and night at least until i see her on monday, maybe so they don't migrate out of place? i am still having trouble accepting all of this; i was only diagnosed at the end of august and this seems like a nightmare i can't wake up from. : (
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Redheadmomof3girls - Sorry to hear that you were having so much trouble. I hope you have a quick recovery.
Pink butterfly - I also received different sized implants due to chest wall differences. And I forgot my implant cards too. My PS office said that they'll give them to me when I come in next. They also said the implants are registered to our social security numbers, so they'll always be trackable.0 -
Mine incision was stitches under and glue on top. I had lipo on the sides under my armpit, so i have to wear either a surgical bra or sports bra with good compression on the sides for a month. He has been completely laid back on everything up to this point, so I am just going with the flow.
So far, so good....nice slope and cleavage. He will fat graft arou d a couple of areas later. I had an infection and had to have the te's removed, so I have an area with really thi. Skin that he wants to fat graft around.0 -
HELP< Has anyone who had their exchange done had to have a mastoplexy (uplift) on the other side , I will have to have this done to match the reconstructed side , I just wondered how it turned out and what kind of scars do you have after and do you think it was worth it, Im terrified I wont like it and may regret it but if I dont get it done I will have lopsidded boobs forever , thxs
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Hello ladies,
This is my first post here.....great reading. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I am set for exchange in December and can not wait to get these rocks out of my chest.
Does anyone know how long it will take before I can resume exercising? I love to swim, cycle and ski. I missed most of the swimming season over this stupid disease.
Too all of you, have a great Sunday!
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