Exchange City

Lezza - I am on vacation now.  We got here June 30th which was 17 days after my exchange surgery.  Our sliding glass door is hard to open so I am getting my daughter or my husband to open and close it for me.  I find that pulling or tugging causes a pulling sensation in my chest.  I feel so good that I forget and do things that I shouldn't.  I carried in some lighter things when we unloaded.  I did a big no no Sunday and that was lying on my stomach.  I thought I would get some sun on my back.  Had only been there about 30 minutes and realized that I wasn't supposed to.  I noticed that evening that the crease under my left breast was partially gone, so I called PS next morning and talked to his nurse.  She said the pressure against the implant probably caused it to go downward a little.  I brought two swimsuits so I have been wearing the one with the tightest fit under my breast and of course wearing my bra as much as possible and the crease is almost there again.   Made me nauseated when I looked in the mirrow and saw the crease was partially gone.  I could kick myself.  My incisions were all healed a week ago, but PS said not to get in pool or ocean water for at least 6 weeks postop.  I had to have PT after mastectomy and LD flap, but not this surgery.  I started arm exercises immediately so didn't lose any range of motion.  Good luck with your surgery and have fun on vacation!

Amy - Good luck with your surgery also! 

If you are flying, wear your sleeve on the airplane. Have fun!

rachelvk, I got my referral from my MO. My cancer center even had vouchers so there was no cost to me. Wouldn't hurt to ask.

My dr had to send a prescription to the home health store and my insurance covered them.

Layla, I just took a sports bra that I wore after mx but didn't need it. I was wrapped after surgery. I didn't have any drains, and not a whole lot of swelling. It's so much easier than the mx. Good luck!

Nurseronda10:   I am so sorry what happened to you on your trip. I will be careful about not laying on my stomach.  I hope it gets better.  Thanks for the luck with the exc hange next week

rachelvk-  My BS ordered my sleeve. I suppose a PS can as well. I ordered one online too. It was 20-30 compression.  I had my arm measured in three places at a store. There is a whole thread on types of sleeve.  I have a Juzo soft and am ordering a Jobst opaque just to see if it is more comfortable. IF  you can afford it you don't need a prescription if you need it soon. Lots of websites out there too and they cost around $60. Mine with insurance was  $30.  Hope this helps. Hope you have an awesome trip.  I am flying  the same time

husker123.  Welcome! that is great news.

Hi ladies...those of you that have been through exchange surgery what is the recovery like compared to BMX? I have my exchange surgery July 12th and would like to do a weekend trip on the 20th but thinking that's too soon even if someone helps me with luggage, etc. Also, did your PS advise against driving like with the BMX?

Megs - You'll be fine. But you might want to find a way to adjust your seat belt. Mine always feels like it's pressing my right foob toward the side. But as lauren said, watch the lifting! That's the big no-no.

Thanks for all the input on sleeves. If I don't hear from my PT, I'll ask my MO for a referral.

nurseronda - I'm not quite sure what you mean by crease? My PS gave me the okay to sleep on my stomach, and, aside from adjusting the pillow to take some of the pressure off, it's been heaven. 

Layla - My PS said underwire was okay, but to wait a few more weeks. Hopefully I have one that might still fit. 

Good Morning ladies,

It is less than 24 hours since my surgery of yesterday.   I had an implant exchange on the  Left side, and a lift to the Right native side (not affected by cancer).   I did incur more pain with the lift than the implant side, but nothing like coming home from the MX surgery with the drains,etc. 

PS says I should be happy with the results.  I am not sure if I am going to be, he seems to do what he thinks best and not really listen to my feelings. I was  wearing a 38 C before and told him I wanted to stay the same size, or even add a small implant to the native side to go a bit bigger.  He always told me they were big enough.  The expander used should have accomodated atleast 600 cc (as Whippetmom suggested with my measurements, and expander size), however he only put 450 cc in.  I am 5'7" and 160 lbs, with a long torso so I just wanted to be more porportionate.

 I know it is just a day after the exchange but it certainly doesn't look as big as it did with the expander.  So many of you seem like you get bigger implants from you surgerons, so I was kind of hoping that he would lean that way but didn't.  

I think it is much harder to get what you want when you have had a uni MX.  Anyone out there dealing with a uni MX and exchange?    Please give me your thoughts. 

janice.. I had a unimx. I agree with you that us "uni's" have a harder time matching.. I was a 38D and am now a c on my native and a B/C on my implant side.. I was filled to 530cc and thought that was big enough (I wanted to go a bit smaller like a C ) Was never told the implant is smaller than the expander.. So I went by the expander profile size.. Did see PS earlier in the week for a (almost) two month checkup.. I asked if he could make it a little bigger.. He said if it is really important to you we can try, but it will mean taking out the implant, put back expander and consider the Rad damage he thought my skin would not stretch .. He is going to do some fat-grafting .. Hope that will give me a nicer look. Right now I have a "indent" under my arm as well as indents around top of my foob. He is going to fill these areas..

Any ladies who had fat-grafting... Where did the PS take the fat from? My PS said he was taking my back-fat... I asked if he could use my stomach fat and was told no he uses back/underarm fat.. Any thoughts??

Janice - I was going to have a lift on the good side initially, but PS said I would better results by letting him remove the right breast at the time he did the LD flap on the left.   He used to do mastectomies at Johns Hopkins before becoming a PS.  My right breast doesn't even look like anything was ever done to it.  He made a small incision under breast (in the crease) and took out the breast tissue that way.  I was able to keep my nipple.  He said I would probably be a little smaller than before, but as of right now I look about the same as before which was a  large C/small D cup.  I know I still have some swelling.  He was afraid he would not be able to stretch out mastectomy side even with the LD flap to match the size of my right breast.

how long would it take for the swelling to go down after reduction that side is still much bigger then the implant side i had excange June 23th

if it stays looking like that i am not happy 

2FriedEggs yes he is going to do pocket work.  He said he was moving them closer together.  He said my fold was good and he was not going to touch it.

I have a question.  did you all get fat grafting at exchange or will you get it later or not at all.  Just wandering what the norm is?