Exchange City
Comments
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Sweetbean how are you? Waiting to hear how everything went for you.
Denise
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Has your insurance company actually turned you down? My PS talked about the need for these tests down the road (I just had my TE exchange last week). His office staff have indicated that tests related to breast cancer and subsequent reconstruction are rarely denied. I've found how easily things get approved often have more to do with the office staff completeting the paper work than what is asked for to be covered. For example, my BS and PS office take care of all approvals without me ever checking on anything. On the other hand, my MO's office seems to expect me to do a lot of the work or I need to check and double check to be sure they have completed the requests correctly.In one case, I actually went to a different facility for a test as they would take care of the authorization request while the MOs office didn't want to do it (even the order was from the MO). In fact, hearing the MO talk about the forms for my short term disability insurance paperwork, we opted not to have his office fill out any paperwork as we were confident it would be turned down. Finding out which doctor has the best staff and good track records for getting approval seems to be part of what we have to figure out. The award goes to my BS, there was some test that needed preauthorization from my insurance company. They had the faxed authorization back from my insurance company before I even had gotten dressed after my appointment!
I am interested in hearing about other's experiences on this topic.
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Sweetbean: I hope everything was ok today, tomorrow you will be better, take it easy and relax..
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I am under the impression from both my BSs and PS that MRIs every two years to check for implant leads are standard procedure so I assumed there would be no insurance issues. However, I'm not there yet so ???????
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Golden,
I'm sorry but I can't figure out what MO stands for? I agree with you that office staff competence is extremely important. Definitely take your concerns to the MD. Telll him that he needs to assist his staff with the authorizations. I haven't had one thing denied by my insurance company and I am experiencing my 2nd breast cancer in 8 years. They have always paid. I will inquire if my MRI's will be covered as I have silicone implants now too. I always ask for copies of everything that they submit for my shor term disability as well.
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Hello everybody,
I haven't been on this board for several months but am happy to say that I feel I am recovering well. Still a little shellshocked over the whole thing, but moving along.
I had a question. I am thinking about getting nips and want to try some fake ones to see if I really want them. I thought I remembered that there was a web site to order pasties to put on our new ta tas. Anybody have infor?
Love, Rowan
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Summer - I take 4000iu daily which is the amount I have found keeps me feeling good. My Dr put me on 6000iu daily when I was first diagnosed with the deficiency. It takes but about a month to start feeling better when you are really defecient and about 3 months to fully feel better . This is the amount that works for me. If you are just wanting to up your D3 I have seen 2000iu recommended frequently. (Dr Oz is one resource.)
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Jaysmommy, MO is my medical oncologist. I probably need to find a new one but only go every three months to follow up on taking Tamoxifen so am putting that off for now. Frosting on the cake was when the MO's office assistant told me this week that it would be "easier" for her if I called my internist regarding getting some blood work done.The MO comes highly recommended by health care professionals and patients alike and I do believe he is a good doctor. I think the disorganization and lack of customer service interfere with his ability to provide the best patient care. It is a solo practice and my sense is that he doesn't delegate much to his staff so they are probably in a tough spot - trying to help patients but really not able to provide much info on anything. Finding a new MO is on my to-do list but a little bit down the road.
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Thanks Rubalou,
I've been feeling really good lately
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Summer2recover: Glad you are feeling well I'm feeling well too! I did the treadmill today for the first time in months!!!! Started some supplements about 1 week ago after my exchange, I think they're working. Looking forward to moving on with life. 0
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Good for you tenaj!
It is nice to move on. I am having an ultrasound & some other testing next week to check out the ovary/uterus situation....I may be having some of those parts removed depending on the results. Yikes, I'm afraid to have any of my parts looked at closer now!
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It went so well! I got 400cc's (thank you, whippetmom!) and they already look good. Of course, they need to drop and fluff, but I think they look awesome for one day out. the PS said that my skin was in great shape and easy to work with - I had radiation to the right side, so I was nervous about that. I have a PMF machine, which is a new machine to prevent capsular contracture - two wires that go around my breasts with a little flashy thing that sits on my stomach. Every four hours, it emits waves or something. I have to wear it for two weeks or until the battery runs out.
I had a nipple sparing with inframmary incision, so it really looks natural. So happy!
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sweet: Do you have more info on this PMF machine? Can't find it on the WEB. Sounds like you got great results! Take it easy...when you feel good it's easy to overdo!
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Welcome to the squishee club Sweetbean!!! Rubalou is right about pacing yourself. Don't over do.
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rubalou, i will ask my PS for more info. I think it is really new.
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OK, I have some questions. My right side (the radiated side) is oozing slightly. It's not red, doesn't smell, and I don't have a fever, so I don't think it's an infection. I'm just worried that it isn't closing - any suggestions?
Also, (and maybe this is a result of the "draining,") but the radiated side looks a bit smaller than the other side. They seem to be different shapes. I'm still in the surgical bra and am going to go get a good bra tomorrow. Has anyone experenced either of these two things? Did it resolve? Did you do anything to help it resolve? (I'm eating a lot of protein already.)
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I'm new to the board and just wanted to say hello. I am so grateful for this board and thread. I was feeling so down about how my TEs felt (hard, uncomfortable) was worried it would never improve. Found this board and thread and learned about the turtle shells and yippee squishes and feel much better now. I imagine I'll still be sleeping on the couch for a while (the bed is too dang uncomfortable), but know now that things will look up once I get my exchange (not sure when that will be, still waiting to hear about chemo).
One question: is it typical do to the exchange before chemo or do I have to wait until that's over?I'll ask my doc next week, but wanted to find out what the norm is, if there is one. I only have 2 fills left, would like to do the exchange ASAP.
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It's normal to do the exchange after chemo, because otherwise you will have to wait until you are healed from the exchange to start chemo.
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Kadia: I ended up not doing chemo but my PS said he would do the TE exchange surgery three weeks after I finished chemo. So glad you mentioned sleeping on the sofa! That's where I still am as I can get more comfortable there than in the bed. I thought I was the only one!
Sweetbean: I think oozing is always something to check with the PS about. I had a "spot" on the right after my BMX that looked like a little blister and just didn't heal, turned out it was "knot" from the stiches that hadn't dissolved like it should have done. The PS clipped it off (the knot, that is!) and spot healed right up. Like you, I never had a fever or other signs of infection.
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I am scheduled for my exchange 2/17 getting nervous but can't wait to be comfortable.Will a weekend and 2 days be enough time off before going back to work. My PS said I should be really ok after the exchange. Would love to hear from others about this.Have appt. to sign permits this week with PS. Any questions I should ask which would be helpful?
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sweetbean - I would call your PS and let him know about the oozing. It's not uncommon at all for the radiated side to have some healing issues and also to be different in size. Radiated skin is notorious for doing that ... it can also impede the dropping and fluffing that goes on after your exchange. Often the radiated side doesn't drop so it stays a bit higher and is a bit smaller than the non-radiated side. Keep an eye on the oozing to make sure you don't get an infection and do let your PS know. Keep us posted.
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nehson: I would say it depends on what kind of work you do and how much "pocket work" your PS has to do. At least 1 full week would be better. I had my exchange on 1/17. At my 1 week follow up I was doing well but still had a bit of muscle spasms and not my full energy was back. It is not painful at that point but you still need to take it easy and no lifting and such. But I will say they are so much more comfortable, by day 4 I was sleeping in the bed and not the recliner. I think after my BMX I slept in the recliner for 2 months and even then those pesky TE's were not that comfortable to sleep with. Good Luck!!
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I asked her about the oozing and she said it was normal. It seemed normal to me, too, to be honest. Definitely did not look infected.
My friend, who is a nurse, said that the difference in size was probably because radiated tissue doesn't swell the way healthy tissue does, so the healthy breast is a big bigger because of that. In addition, the healthy breast isn't doing any oozing, so there is probably some fluid build up that will go away. Between those two things, she thought that is why one breast is a big bigger.
I hope that we can get both sides equal - I really, REALLY don't want uneven breasts. (I realize that everyone has uneven breasts, but I had that before BC for free. After going through all this and having all these medical resources at my disposal, I want to be even. Period.)
For anyone whose radiated side didn't drop, did you do anything to encourage the drop?
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I've searched the this board for recommendations on what to use for scar prevention. Can't seem to find it. My PS doesn't really have an opinion. I had my exchange on 1/17 & I'm healed. I've been using Jergens ultra healing like I did after my BMX, but want to try bio oil or mederma. So, ladies that have reaced this point I'd like to know your opinion. Please help. Thanks
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tenaj,
I have a propensity to scar well to begin with, but I have used both Scar Fade and Kelo Cote. Both are normally found only in a PS office. I liked the Scar Fade that was recommended to me after a mini-tummy tuck. But my breast reconstruction PS recommended Kelo Cote, so I tried that recently and am actually observing more rapid and better results so far.
You can order straight from the manufacturer or get it from www.makemeheal.com which is where I got mine. I was warned by my PS to avoid the spray because it gets all over the place. So I ordered it in the tubes and find it easy and not messy to use. Same with Scar Fade, but I think the Kelo Cote is working better.
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tenaj - below is a link for a BCO thread about scars. Hope this helps. Cut & paste if the link doesn't work.
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tenaj - Sorry but I have a new Firefox system haven't figured out how to allow copy/paste.
There is a BCO thread called Skin S.O.S. - Scar Remedies It has some good ideas.
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tenaj - here is the link minustwo is talking about
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/756050?page=11#idx_3200 -
Thanks Dawne-Hope. My son has send me 3 alternate ways to 'cut & past'e but I can't make any of them work. Probably would do better in the morning instead of when I'm tired or after a glass of wine.
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MinusTwo - I just switched from pc to Mac...I've had a few meltdowns but I think I've figured out the most important things. I totally get it!
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