Exchange City
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I am 5 days post exchange surgery, I heard the implants have to settle is that true? you say they look better now than right after surgery? I think mine look good but what will they look like in two months?
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Hailey12, I am scheduled for 4/10. PS says I will feel great after 2-3 days. Really? Did you have issues sleeping after this surgery? Following BMX I was on an incline pillow on my back for2 weeks, and had drain tubes. What was your experience?
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Minnshark after my first surgery I slept sitting propped up for almost four months and had drain tubes for 8 weeks It hurt to lay down with the expanders. The second day after the exchange surgery I could sleep laying down flat in bed, the pain is still enough I take pain meds but nothing like the first surgery. The second surgery is much easier no drain tubes, bandages came off next day just steri strips left, PS did a little lipo under armpits, lots of bruising and really sore but overall I am really happy he did a perfect job on the cleavage hoping it doesn't settle and change.
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Hailey, There is a photo furum which is a private site for bc patients that you must get permission to gain access. If you send a private message to Lilah here on breast cancer.org, she can help you get set up. In order to get permission, you need to have an ample number of posts here to indicate that you are a legitimate bc patient as it is a private site. Good luck!
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Hi everyone, I had exchange today. How long does it take to get a real idea of how they are going to look once healed? Now, they are all smashed in the surgical bra and its hard for me to tell how big they are. I hope they are big enough after all this! Thanks!
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Hello, Ladies!
So glad to hear so many of you have "crossed over to the squishie side" to quote Urban_Mom
Congratulations!!!I've postponed my exchange until late Summer/early Fall, as I've just started the Optifast weight loss program.
I had a BMX and recon in December, and was filled to 620ccs in five fills. NO PROBLEM! Being completely out of shape certainly lessens the strain on skin and muscles.
But if the PS were to put in implants to fit the body I have now, and I were to lose weight later, I'd look like I had stripper boobs. SO not what I want!
So thanks to whippetmom, and the info she provided on "Implant Sizing 101", I met with my PS, whipped out my Allergan catalog, and made him discuss with me his plans for implants. He is happy that I am planning to lose weight (40-50 lbs) and that I am o.k. with leaving the TEs in until I am back on regular meals.
The only problem is that with 620cc fills, as I gradually lose weight, my TEs are looking bigger and bigger, and feeling harder and harder, and making it impossible to sleep on my side, which I've been doing for months.
The PS will be doing some pocket work (as well as some fat removal and lipo) at exchange, and will have several sizes of implants in the OR to see what looks best.
I will be getting Allergan High Profile Smooth Saline implants....and here's something I didn't know...these implants can be underfilled or overfilled at time of implantation!
Best wishes to all those who have upcoming surgery dates, and big hugs to those who are facing challenges.
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evaberry i had trou9ble with the antibiotics too. Every time after surgery i get the antibiotics and about a week or two later a bad sore throat. Then I get pennicillan and diflucan and within a few days it goes away. Still not sure if it was yeast or thrush, but it is very painful. I also got very nauseas from them if I did not eat first.
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My PS says she wants to at least one more fill which will bring me to 420cc. Is that enough to project a C cup on a 5'4" small frame? I was always small think...Nicole Kidman type boobs and I am wanting more of a Scarlett Johannson look.
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Question for you ladies - I had exchange surgery about 7 weeks ago. Lately, I've had the most intense itching on the sides of my foobs - it's strange and annoying because I can feel the itch, but when I scratch I can't feel anything so it's as if the itch is never satisfied. Has anyone else gone through this?
Shore1, it takes weeks and weeks for them to settle in. I am still experiencing the settling...so give it some time! Glad you're on the squishie side!
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I exchange the TE for the implant last week. I ask for a size B and what I got is larger than my other breast which is a B+ or small C. It is also up pretty high and still has a boxy look. Does not look right. I feel as if it is too tight. It needs to drop. How long does it take to soften up and drop? I have a good plastic surgeon, who seems to do a good job on others. I am probably prematurely over reacting. My last appointment is Monday morning as I had the drain out today. After that I'm done. He won't do more unless I remove the other breast. After feeling the one I just got done, I' don't want to do it again. I hate the way the implant feels (heavy and hard). I'm considering getting it removed and going to someone who will do fat grafting and get my two breast to somewhat match. For now, I just need to heal.
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Hi Eve! Whoa Nellie!!! Your body and your implant have only had a week to get to get to know each other. There are subtle changes that continue to happen for awhile. I suppose that is one of the reasons they wait several months to do the nips. Go easy on yourself for a bit.
MTNester - I have had occassional phantom itches and "feelings", too, which I chalk up to nerve endings. But surgery is very drying for the skin - so maybe the skin adjacent to the foob is trying to tell you something? I just think we are going to be subject to odd sensations for a while. Once, my left foob suddenly had this bizarre shudder! I am guessing it was a spasm of the pec muscle. Mostly, they are just fine; I don't even think about them much. Blessings20 might just be on to something when she said "being completely out of shape lessens the strain on skin and muscles."
I think I was a beneficiary!Congratulations Shore1! Rest and be well.
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Urbanmom, thanks - did yours look higher, lower, or the same from immediately after exchange to a few weeks out? I know its only been a day for me & they will change, but im so curious how they will turn out.
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The first day or two after the PS took off the tight ace-bandage type thing I got in surgery, my right one was so flat that I thought he'd forgotten to put an implant in that side! In fact, the first words out of my mouth when they cut the bandage off were "You forgot to put one in there!" Everything is rounding out nicely although I've had to wear a "band" to move the right one around a bit. At my last PS visit, I got instructions on more massage (3 exercises, 3 times a day) and the right one has gotten much softer and has "filled in". My exchange surgery was 1/23.
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Shore- I exchanged 5 months ago and they have dropped and settled quite a bit. Definitely look different from the day after exchange.
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Golden & Ginger - that's good to hear. I will try to be patient, but between waiting for implants to look good and waiting for my hair to grow back, it's hard. I know you all understand. Im also surprised by how much pain I have now. Don't know what I was expecting, but its pretty bad. How long until the soreness goes away?
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Shore1- it has been 3 1/2 weeks for me since exchange. My implants are silicone. The right side which is my "good" side has already settled into a very nice "droop"..still very perky but all in all comfortable if not weird feeling. My left side which is the cancer side is still very numb..I feel like someone punched me in the side under my arm and my pec is still very tight..sometimes it feel ok..others it feels like I have on a bra 2 sizes too small..I have been told by many that it will be at least 6 months before they feel "normal"..hang in there..I'm anxiously awaiting hair also..it fell out so much faster than it is growing in!!!
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It's good to know that some of you feel the tightness as well and it takes time for the implant to feel somewhat normal, drop and etc. I do feel like it's too large, and it feels heavy compared to the normal left breast. I hope I can be patient enough for normal to happen.
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Regarding dropping, fluffing and the time it takes to feel "normal"... it probably helps to keep perspective in mind. Unless at a mirror, my foobs view is from the top down. They appear to project FAR less than the TEs did, which had become my 'new norm'. The reality is, their size is similar (allowing for some overfill for pocketwork). The implants are far more pliable, and, in a well-fitting bra, give a similar projection. Unlike the TEs, which stood at attention all the time, the implants rest on my chest like real breasts would.
So, my initial reaction was "so NOW I know what breasts should look like" (AKA "the day I discovered I had cleavage and ptosis"). After the swelling from surgery subsided, I noticed bumps and ridges under the skin that, for the most part, have evened out by 5 weeks post. And my perspective has shifted a bit as well. I have grown quite fond of my squishies. They may not be real breasts, but I no longer worry that they harbor cancer.
Now that the major work of reconstruction is more than a month behind me; I can turn my mind toward other things - like learning how to dance better or getting the rest of my body summer ready. I thought it strange that my PS (who says I am "healing nicely") always had a view of me that extended from my neck to the bottom of my rib cage. HELLO!!!! I am much more than that. The mindset is part of getting back to "normal", too, and that will take some time as well.
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Lol urbanmom -- you're right about the limited view the PS focuses on. Its good to hear they change over the weeks following surgery. Mine don't seem close enough together or projected enough. But they are mentor HP round 600 cc, so I would think they will eventually look bigger. My PS is so great, I have total confidence in him and expect a nice looking rack by summer!
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What to use on scars when all healed from exchange? My PS mentioned mederma, but said we would talk about it when its pk yo use it. But I've also been reading about bio oil. Some of the ingredients in that don't look too good tho - like soybean oil and lavender oil. Have any of you been told what is safe by your PS or MO, and when to start using it?
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Urban_Mom very well put. This is all quite a journey. I was very upset with my squishies for about 2 months and then . . boom. . . they dropped and became more round looking. I work at a store that sells bras. yesterday i let a little cleavage show. My customer asked me "what bra do you wear because you have nice cleavage and support." I almost felt bad telling her they were implants. When I did tell her, she was shocked and remarked how natural they looked. Of course this was in my clothes and with a bra on. I have to lose 30 pounds now. My PS said it will take time to get an appointment to do the nipples which will include fat grafting and lipo. So I am now working on the rest of my body as you put it, but I am feeling good about the way things are looking now.0
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My doctor suggested Medera once the incisions were well healed. It's pricey so I had him write a prescription even though it is over-the-counter so I can be reimbursed through our medical flexible spending account. The rules changed and the insurance company is much stricter about having to have a written prescription for most everything I submit.
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Carrol2, what do you mean about nipples including fat grafting and lipo? My PS hasn't mentioned either to me, but it seems pretty common based on what I see on the boards. Are fat grafting and lipo done for everyone, do you have to ask for it?
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Hey shore1, re what to use on scars - my PS had a very strong opinion on bio oil, he thinks it's completely synthetic, and I quote 'made up by a group of marketing people sitting round a table'! Lol! He's not usually that opinionated, but I use Clarins lotions and my scars (16 months out from lump, mx and an extra surgery) look pretty good. I'll definitely be using it again once I've had my exchange next month.
Happy healing xxx0 -
Does it make sense to start to use oil on the mastectomy scar BEFORE the T/E exchange? I believe my PS will be opening up the same incisions so I am wondering whether it would be a waste of time and money to try to fade the scars when he's just going to open them up again?
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JoanQuilts -
I think the short answer is "depends...."
I asked my PS the same question, feeling kind of stupid when I realized that he would just be opening up those same incisions during exchange. He told me not to worry about doing anything until he was completely finished.
The one issue is the fact that I will have saline implants, which can be inserted through much smaller incisions, since they can be partially deflated when inserted, then completely filled with saline to the point of looking good once they are in place. This could potentially be a much smaller incision than the original MX incision.
If that were the case, then it might make sense to start using some sort of scar treatment on the outer edges of your scars. However, if you are having silicone implants, I have no idea how big the incision must be as they are inserted whole.
Also, in my case, the PS will be doing quite a bit of pocket work, since I am in the process of losing a significant amount of weight (40-50 pounds) before exchange. He will also be doing extra procedures such as loose skin removal and possibly lipo before he is done, and my original scars may be even BIGGER after exchange.
So there you go....my answer that doesn't answer your question at all!
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Ladies -
At what point do you go bra shopping after your exchange?
Even though I am several months out from exchange (on Optifast until mid-summer, then must be on Transition meals for at least three weeks), my PS has said he wants me in a "very supportive bra" after my exchange.
To me that translates to Underwire, and how can you be properly fitted for an underwire if 1) you still have TEs (I don't think they make square underwires
) and 2) there is significant swelling immediately after exchange surgery?How long did you wait after your exchange to go out and get fitted for those supportive bras - especially the ones you were supposed to wear 24/7?
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Has anyone else had other surgery done on the same day as their exchange surgery? I am having the exchange surgery on April 18th. I am also having a hysterectomy done via DaVinci robotic surgery and a rectocele repair (if you don't know what it is, don't bother-has to do with bathroom matters!) I think surgery will be about 4-5 hours and I will be spending the night.
I am just wondering about how I am going to be feeling and recouperation. Thanks!
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