Exchange City
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Today is my 1 week anniversary of getting squishies. They get better every day. I know it's easy to say now, but for all of you with upcoming surgery try to relax. I worried for nothing. PS said he was lifting the skin on the cancer side and I'd have a lot of bruising. He said I'd have a drain on that side. He said I would need a revision and get lipo. Also said the surgery could take up to 4 1/2 hrs. So I'm thinking I'm going to be black and blue and very sore. I was awake in 3 hours and felt pretty good. And no drain.
Yesterday he told me he did all those things and I probably didn't need a revision. I didn't think he much because I felt so good. He will do any needed adjustments in 9-12 months. He wants everything to settle first and for me to lose more weight. I don't have nipples yet,but they can wait. I have exercises to move them around. Yes, they move! I can't believe they feel so good after just a week. My ribs are sore,but that's minor compared to the rocks.
Lori,so glad to hear you made it to the other side with ease. But take it easy. PS said too much activity can result in bleeding and you will get the dreaded drain back in. My adrenelaine was rampant for several days until I crashed and then slept for 2.
Please PM me with any questions. I'm finding it very difficult to post after the changes to this site. Message gets submitted before hitting submit and prompt is jumping all over the page. Only happening on this site too.
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To all the ladies who have crossed over to the Squishie Side -
I have two questions:
1) If you had a long exchange surgery (several hours under general anesthesia) did you spend the night in the hospital, or was it still outpatient surgery where you were discharged the same day?
2) How long was your recover period in comparison to, say, a BMX?
I'm thinking that my PS is going to have plenty to do at the time of my exchange.....pocket revision for implants that are smaller than my TEs, lipo, etc, after weight loss, and removal of any scar tissue. My TEs will have been in for over 9 months.
I'm just wondering about how to get the house prepared....will I need the same kind of assistance I did post-BMX? Also, we are scheduling vacations, etc, and wondering if we should go before or after exchange. We're retired, so have plenty of flexibility.
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Blessings,
I can't speak for everyone but for me, my exchange was three weeks ago. The PS had to do extra work to lower the pocket because the TEs were too high. I went home the same day with no drains. I never took any pain meds although I probably could have used a Tylenol or Motrin but it wasn't horrible. SOOO much easier than the BMX! I had the exchange on a Wednesday and went back to work on Monday. I probably could have worked Friday since I have a desk job but I did take the extra few days to make sure I didn't overdo it. I was actually outside weeding that weekend which after that, I did feel like I had a slightly pulled muscle on one side but, again, nothing horrible at all. My TEs had been in since the end of August 2011. The only extra help I had around the house was my husband did dinner for two nights and then did any lifting or pulling that needed to be done. I was extremely pleased with how "easy" it was compared to the BMX!! As far as vacation, I think that depends on how active of a vacation it would be. Personally I don't think I would have gone anywhere for the first week...especially until you at least have your first postop check. Good luck - I think will be very happy with how much easier the exchange is!
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Hi, everyone:
I have my exchange on June 6, like a few others here. Reading your experiences has been a real help. My TEs also feel like rocks now, and have been very uncomfortable since my last fill almost a month ago. Who knew I would so look foward to a surgery, but I can't wait until Wednesday!
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My PS had me stay overnight in the surgical center, perhaps because I've had low blood pressure after anethesia or perhaps because as his office staff said "most women do stay over". Either way, it was great care with beautiful single rooms and a delicious breakfast before I headed home! Eaten at a little round table by the window and as many refills on my coffee as I wanted. I felt pampered and that night was much easier with pain medicine whenever I asked without having to remember when I'd had it the last time. I'd definately stay over again it made the next day a lot easier for me. The hospital's outpatient surgical center has a second floor with eleven rooms or so for people to stay, I think there were just a half dozen patients or so the night I stayed. Great nursing care.
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I have a question. I had my exchange on May 17th. My PS used the same incisions from my 1st sugery in 2008. I have stitches on both breasts. Did everyone else have stitches? Are they to hold the implants in? I really didn't expect stitches. How is the healing process...scars. I get them out on June 5.
Thanks for helping me in this. I don't have anyone here to talk to.
Beth
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bethu77 I had my exchange May 11 and only had dissolving stitches in my scar-line ( same incision as my mx)
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JulieLynn - Wow - your TEs were in as long as mine will be...and you had pocket work done as well....thanks for sharing your experience - sounds like it was a good one!
Golden01 - Oh, my gosh....I want to go to YOUR surgical center! Sounds wonderful!
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Beth: My exchange (5/14) was done through the same incisions as my BMx. I'm guessing the stitches are dissolving ones as my PS has not said anything about removing them. The stitches you see on the outside are not the only ones holding the implants in. There are stitches underneath the skin holding the alloderm and muscles together to form the pocket too.
The healing has been going okay. I finally found the silicone strips at the local pharmacy, so I'm using those for awhile. I was using Palmer's cocoa butter with vitamin E and then covering the scars with paper tape. But that was really sticky. So I'm hoping the silicone strips will help flatten everything out in a couple months. Then I'll switch to the Palmer's cream and oil without using the paper tape.
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i had my excgange on May 23 feels pretty good except the other side with the reduction is painful and looks much bigger then my implant i dont like it i hope it is becouse it is swollen i would li ke them to match
wishing everyone a good day
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Blessings-Like JulieLynn I also had additional work. Everything she said was pretty much the same for me.Left side had a corner piece of skin removed where I now have a new 3 inch incision,skin lifted from my stomach and lipo. Right side had pocket lifted and sewn to my ribs. I was under for about 3 hours. Went home a couple of hours later. I could have gone home sooner,but had high blood pressure because they told me not to take my medication that morning. My surgery was at 7:30am.
The recovery is nothing like BMX. No pain pills after a few days and I probably didn't need them that long. Just anticipation of pain. I haven't had a single spasm. I'm not doing any housework for now. I figure I'll work the surgery angle a little while longer and let DH do everything.
I think you might find that you feel better after the surgery than you did towards the end with the TE's.
Oh Golden1 you surely must be
I was barely in the hospital for 24 hours with my BMX. Sounds like you went to the spa for your exchange. Lucky girl!P.S. I felt so good when I came home my DH said maybe we could ride bikes this week since I was off work. Laughing hurt more than surgery!
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bethu77 - My PS uses dissolving stiches and the same incisions from before. He "re-does" the incisions each time and they keep looking better. He sends some tissue from the incisions to pathology. He also uses some kind of adhesive stuff (I can't see it) on the outside of the incision which keeps the steri-strips on a really long time (4-6 weeks as I recall). I did have one "knot" from a stich that didn't dissolve and caused a little problem that resolved quickly once he snipped it off.
MLP - I am lucky, they took very good care of me! I was in a different hospital for the BMX and would have been out in 24 hours like you except for some pain issues. Once they added a muscle relaxant, I was out the door in under 48.
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Blessings,thx for asking that question, I was wondering also about it all. I have had contacts about the 3D nipples which I wanted to know how they worked and if I had to go somewhere special to get them out of state. I have not even had the implants yet because I am only going once a mth to get fills because my fills are painful to me.
Of course the office staff says the implants will be easier,but I wanted to hear it from the real patients. You ladies are the real patients and if the office staff has not had the same surg we had they cant tell us everything we want to know. Hope this 2nd surg will be easier. My PS says she does a 3rd surg if I want nips. Not outpatient in the office. I hate surg and needles and drains and stitches so not thrilled but only way to go now that I got the TE. Gotta get them out.
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A question for those who have had their exchanges - I remember a big part of preparing for my bmx was making sure I had button-up pjs and shirts. Is it the same deal? I may need to find one or two more shirts that are for summer. I picked up a neat pj top today at least, but it's hard to find anything button-up for this season, at least where I was looking.
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Rachel...I got 2 sleeveless button down shirts from Walmart...just 2 cheap ones to get me through. PS told me today that if I wanted to take the dressing off, I could, and then just wear a lycra tank top/camisole type thing. So...definitely try and pick up one or two shirts for the day of surgery. It was super hard to find some cute button up shirts but it was so hot, I had to find something. OH..yeah...don't forget about zip up stuff, either. I would maybe check a sporting goods store for a cute zip up vest type thing, too.
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Hailey12 I have not heard of them hurting when they move. Mine pretty much don't move at all. I have to squeeze pretty hard to get them to move around at all. I sleep on my side a little, if I sleep on two pillows so I am elevated a bit, but I tend to end up on my back eventually. 10 weeks is not that long for you to decide how they look though. Mine have changed a lot over time.
blessings
1. I stayed overnight in the hospital but ostely jsut for pain maangement which I did not ahve much of at all.
2. I also had a lot of pocket work done because I had scar tissue that was pretty tight on my TE. I went on vacation 2 weeks after my exchange and I was fine. I felt better after a week. I was told no lifting arms over head for two weeks and not lifting anything over 5 pounds first week and 10 pounds the second. Then all restrictions were lifted after a month and got to ok to go back to the gym. The only things I needed to do was take things off the top shelves in the kitchen, put my gallon size bottle of milk in small bottles, put the cat littler in small conatiners, and I cooked a bunch fo stuff and froze it so my husband could jsut heat stuff up for me.
Rachel I got some tanks at target that were oversized so i could step inot them and some zip up light weight hoodies.
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Thanks for the advice. I forgot the tanks I got after my bmx (ancient history!), so I might only have to buy one or two things.
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I will be 2 weeks post exchange tomorrow. I did not stay overnight...discharged after being awake for an hour. I was under for 2 hours and had some pocket work and lipo under both arms, my incisions were extended almost to my back. There is no comparison between the exchange surgery and the BMX. I took my pain medicine on schedule for 24 hours but doubt I needed it. I slept all day on Tuesday (surgery on Monday), and then I worked a 9 hour day from home on Wednesday and again on Thursday. I slept in my recliner for the first week just to be safe and I've even been sleeping on my side for several nights now. I wore the button up PJs for a couple of days and then it was back to the pullover shirts without a problem. The extended incisions are a little sore if I bump them and I don't push or pull anything too heavy yet. I did hold my grandson this weekend and it was wonderful. I think you'll do GREAT!!!
P.S. I would go on vacation tomorrow and enjoy every minute of it!! :-)
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I will be 2 weeks post exchange tomorrow. I did not stay overnight...discharged after being awake for an hour. I was under for 2 hours and had some pocket work and lipo under both arms, my incisions were extended almost to my back. There is no comparison between the exchange surgery and the BMX. I took my pain medicine on schedule for 24 hours but doubt I needed it. I slept all day on Tuesday (surgery on Monday), and then I worked a 9 hour day from home on Wednesday and again on Thursday. I slept in my recliner for the first week just to be safe and I've even been sleeping on my side for several nights now. I wore the button up PJs for a couple of days and then it was back to the pullover shirts without a problem. The extended incisions are a little sore if I bump them and I don't push or pull anything too heavy yet. I did hold my grandson this weekend and it was wonderful. I think you'll do GREAT!!!
P.S. I would go on vacation tomorrow and enjoy every minute of it!! :-)
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Final surgery is June 28th. Going to cut excess skin from back of implant. Implant in good side with lift. Lipo to fill in the new boob. Tatoo. Good grief I will be SO glad to get this over with!
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thank you all for sharing your experience. I should be having my exchange in August. DH said last night that he would be glad for me to get my implants and hopes they are not hard like the TE's. I told him others have said they are soft and squishy but I think he has his doubts. I will be getting silicone.
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Does anyone have discomfort with their implants? I had a terrible time with my TEs and now still having problems with implant discomfort. Also, am 2 years out from Initial diagnosis and now NEW OC is telling me we don't need to do routine blood tests, that they don't really show anything ... totally different approach and information than my first OC. Should I be concerned or is this normal. Had Double Mastectomy so now also says only need to have X-rays every 6 months now and can only tell reocurrance by symptoms. WHAT SYMPTOMS am I suppose to be looking for!!! I am really confused and upset right now ... anyone have any advice??
Thanks ... Vicki
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Vicki my MO does do regular blood test but he relies more on me telling him if I have specific aches and pains that need to be checked for metastatic cancer otherwise it is self breast exams along with clinical breast exams. No mammo's or MRI's since I had BMX. If I or the MO found a lump in my breast he would send me for an US or MRI.
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Hi Coral i have the same problem implant discomford and no bloodtest still on femera every day my pain is more under my arm
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MLP - Wow - you had a lot done. I'm thinking I'll be under about the same amount of time, with new incisions as well. Thanks for sharing your experiences, and yes - work that surgery angle a little longer with your DH!
Carrol2 - I'm thinking I may have scar tissue on the TEs as well. Sounds like you healed quite well, with not many restrictions! And glad you got to go on vacation so soon after!!!
Thank you, ladies, for sharing your answers!
Rachelvk - How are you feeling today? What did your doc say? Is your surgery still on for the 7th of this month?
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Dixiemine30 - Thanks for relating your experience. I'm feeling much better now. I'm stressing at work trying to figure out how much to get done ahead of time, and what I need to ask others to do.
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Blessings - The cough is much better, though it's still lingering. I'll see my PCP tomorrow, but I think I'll be cleared. Phew! I played in a concert yesterday, and made it through with coughing only once during the hour.
Vicki - Each doctor does have their own approach. Mine won't do blood tests because she said for the most part, the tests check on proteins that can fluctuate for a lot of different reasons, so you wind up with a lot of false positives. It does annoy me that we basically have to wait for symptoms, and those symptoms can be almost anything. I was freaking out last week with my persistent cough - OMG, did it spread to my lungs already??? That type of thing. I've also been told that PET scans won't show anything until you're already symptomatic, which is why I was told my insurance won't cover unless you're already diagnosed as Stage III or IV. I would take a list of questions the next time you see your doctor and ask specifically what type of things to watch for. It's a lousy place to be, when we want to think we're cured. Hang in there.
If it helps, I also had a bmx, and my BS told me that every month I should stand in front of a mirror, raise my hands up, and look for anything unusual - red spots, dimples, bumps, etc.
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I am so glad the topic of screening came up like this. I always feel like we are hardly doing anything. My MO does jsut a blood test and then talks to me a while to see how I am feeling. I guess not much else we can do at this point as was mentioned unless something comes up. I too worry about every ache and pain.
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My MO said to tell him about symptons "persistent and consistent." I too freaked out when he said "see you in 4 months," and I realized that I would get no scan to tell me I was "cancer free." Best wishes to Rachel and others joining me in getting exhanges this week. This time tomorrow I'll have squishies!
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