Exchange City

My exchange and lift/reduction are Tuesday.  I'm nervous, but excited.  I'm going to cut and scar my one remaining good breast.  Is this crazy?  But, I guess I have no choice since I am so sick of being lopsided! 

lisagwa - I assume that your PS has ordered a number of different implant sets since surgery is in 2 days and you are still undecided?  Whippetmom has a good handle on all of this and all I can relate is my own personal experience.  I am 5'8", 142#, with 31" ribcage.  I have a prominent sternum and ribcage - I didn't have cleavage prior to BC and I still don't without a bra.  I was happy with myself before MX so my goal was to look pretty much the same, just a bit fuller.  I was not in the "make them as big as you can" camp.  I am on the picture forum if you're a member over there.

My PS uses Allergan Natrelle silicone smooth round implants.  He brought 5 or 6 different sizes and profiles into surgery and decided that Style 15 (moderate plus) in 533cc looked the best and came closest to what I wanted.  I think he made the perfect choice, very natural looking. 

Here's a link to an interesting website that shows how chest configuration plays into the final look of implants (cleavage in particular).  It's geared to augmentation, not reconstruction, but still makes sense.  http://www.advanced-art.com/Breast-Aug-Cleavage.htm  Helped me to understand that for me to have cleavage I would have either had huge implants or major pocket renovation to bring things more to the center, which isn't the way I was put together originally and would have looked odd and out of proportion to the rest of my frame. 

I wish you all the best with your exchange! 

Dear Mamalou and others who are getting exchange in one breast and reduction in the other. 

  I had my surgery about 2 months ago and I have just gotten my first real bra in a year and half last week,  since having the matectomy on one breast in Jan 2011.  I was so tired of being lopsided,  and having a TE in for almost year and half was not fun.  But happy to report how great it is not to be lopsided and that the scarring on the native breast which got the reduction and lift was minimal.  It is amazing to me that I do not have bad scarring since I scar and tend to form keloids easily.  Glue is amazing!!  I have wanted a breast reduction for a very long time but in the past my insurance company denied it.  In a way it was good to wait since they did not use glue years ago and I would have had suture track marks.  I went from about a 38H to now a 36D., it makes a big difference.  I can wear nightgowns that actually fit and don't feel like I need to wear even when I went to bed. Things are starting to settle down (literally) but I look a whole lot better  Good luck to all those whose exchanges are coming up.    I do feel my slicone implant sometimes but not nearly like the TE. 

janice415..

I see PS again on July 4th I will bring up the size with him then. Would like some fat grafting to fill a bit more as they are quite far apart now, does not look natural, my fooob have started to wrinkle as well, the funky folds that the tissue expander left is softening so I am hopeful they will straighten out.. But like my PS said.. there is nothing that can't be fixed. My B.C. medical insurance will cover any recon, tweaks etc. until I am happy with the final result.

di1947 congrats on the exchange. Glad to hear you say they feel squishy. This is probably a stupid question but do the actual implants  move at all or just sit all stiff in the same spot like the expanders. Are they any more natural; for example if you bend over  or move do they make cleavage or are they just "stuck" there. lol

2friedeggs - you'd have to push the together to get cleavage. They don't move at all, but there not hard like the TEs. Kind of in between real boobs and TEs. Best of both worlds?!?

Hi,

Regarding numbness under the arm, I too have had that but not really pain.  I had the mastectomy and axillary node disection  in Jan 2011 and the reconstuction TE exchange finally 2 months ago.  My underarm still has numbness but the numbness on underarm  and tingling has been decreasing.  I think it just takes time.  Nerve damage can sometimes be difficult and there doesn't seem to be much we can do about it.  Have people tried acupuncture?  I have numbness in my neck from the thyroidectomy I had last year and numbness on bottom of my feet from the chemo and numbness in my arm from axillary node dissection.  The foob with the new silicone implant is numb as well. 

  I am curious if others can feel their silicone implant. I went swimming for the first tme since the TE exchange today and I could really feel it.  Sometmes even just sitting, I feel this tightness  and it feels uncomfortable, like it is rubbing internally.  I imagine that will get better but how long have others experienced that.  Also are underwire bras uncomfortable for people?  I am wearing one and it feels rather uncomfortable on the side with the implant but not the side that had the breast reduction. 

One other question, to prevent drooping do people wear a comfortable soft bra when sleeping.  Does that make a difference?  Thanks for info.  

2FriedEggs  It was painful!!! I could not handle the pain with the first fill so I stopped. My PS said my only other option besides 

Serenitywisdom- I have that numbness too. I had 23 nodes take out and the numbness will not go away. I know it takes time but how long is the question.  I am seeing a PT Friday to see what she has to say. I want to see her after I recover from my exchange.  Will post what she says

Reading everyone's post I am really getting excited about my exchange.  I have one more fill this coming Friday and then we will schedule the exchange.  DH said he is really for soft squishes. although I have to say my TE's are really not all that hard.  The area where the port's are located are hard and they are front above my areola but the sides and bottom are kinda soft but they don't move very well.  it is hard to push them together.

Sherryc wow 1 more fill how exciting! My husband jokes with me when we hug "don't hurt me " because they're hard.lol Did you notice or is it my imagination, that the more fills you get, the less of a "pressing band you got?" I guess I could be getting used to it but today was my 3rd fill and I thought I would really feel  that pressure feeling as they got bigger but it actually feels better today. The PS said today that it was time for me to start thinking about whether I want saline or silicone. The silone sound nice but I am so mri'd out I don't know.

Lezza13 oh I'm sorry it hurt so much.the 1st fill I got the needle going in actually hurt alot (ps said my muscle twitched) but when she got to the other side it didn't hurt at all. But the next couple days I felt alot of pressure but took advil and it wasnt too bad. The 2nd fill didn't hurt when I got it, but was pretty tight for a couple days but today I'm so glad because I'm not feeling the tightness at all and they are finally resembling breasts.

I guess I was lucky with my fills because they really didn't hurt - just a bit of strain and stretching. But I only got about 4 or 5 fills, and 50-60 ccs each time. You can ask for a smaller fill, which might alleviate some of the pain each time.

I'm also growing happier with my exchange. I still feel a band-like feeling, or rather, like having two suction cups sticking to my front, but that feeling is getting less and less. And the size is okay - or rather, the projection is a little less than I'd like, but their circumferance on the bottom is bigger - the hamburger bun syndrome, which I hope changes a little. But I'm feeling much better. First follow up is this Friday. PT on Thursday. 

i am still lopsided  one excange and one reduction i dont like it i hope it is the swelling on the reduction side anybody else had that problem

Lauren - for now, I'm sticking with the Fruit of the Loom front-close sports bra (38). It's what I wore after my bmx. I read that some PS insist on keeping them 'restrained' somehow, and I just figured since I've been pretty active, the less room they had to shift around, the better. The one I wore last week was my old, pre-bmx bra, and it was way too tight, and was sort of like putting a bra on a beach ball... I just wanted a black bra to wear under the black shirt I planned to wear (and then switched anyway...)

I am feeling much better today. Right side is still a little less comfortable than the left, and I do keep banging the arm into it when I put my arm at my side - I see some potential revision on that side. And I feel better about the size, too. 

Lori I guess I have been lucky as none of my fills have hurt,  My PS did give me flexeril in case I needed it.  I took it after surgery while I was healing but not with the fills.  I had 100cc put in at surgery and I have had 2 fills at 100cc each.  I will have another fill this Friday at 100cc and I think that will be it.  I am very petite and was very flat chested before.  DH thinks I look really good right now.  He is afraid if I go much bigger I will look awkward.

So happy to hear people are getting their exchange done I was told I have to wait for the implants called sientra...not very happy it's will be 1 year July 28..these expanders are awful fell like suction cups..I had 400cc at surgery ..now filled to 580cc..can't wait I have a high tolerance for pain but now I have had enough and usually have patience but wearing thin now..congrats for your exchange..