Exchange City

Thanks for reply ...

Well my Surgeon told me that 6 weeks recovery after Implants will be sufficient .... however he does not have any "experience" with this matter (wearing a Bulletproof Vest) ... therefore he will NOT sign any longer recovery for my agency ... I am just trying to find some more info  

1acme- I hope that you can find someone with firsthand knowledge.  This is a good place to look.  Hopefully you will have a very uncomplicated exchange and will make out okay if you have to do the certification after 6 weeks.  But five days of being tossed around on mats.......  yikes!

Thanks ladies for responding so quickly. I know for sure I will do both procedures at exchange. You helped me get over the fear factor about having surgery again. God bless you all good night I will sleep well tonite. Love to all

Thanks everyone for the well wishes

Here's an update I posted on my triple pos thread..

Got the TE out and implant in!!  WOO HOO.  This has been by far the best experience I've had.  Now I don't mean the way it looks, because I haven't seen it yet..hah.  But the people at the medical center were so friendly and awesome.  I didn't meet a single person who wasn't an "up" personality.

An old man, volunteer, kept coming up while in pre-op telling me jokes.  Everyone.  Even administration was nice.  My anesthesiologist was from Russia and her name was Tyetonya...my name in Russian!!  lol

So I'm sore, of course.

I am wearing a support bra and a BAND.  Because my TE was in so long (almost 2 years), the pocket it formed was way up high on my chest, far from where my other side droops.  So my PS cleaned out the scar tissue at the bottom and lowered the "fold" to match and inserted the implant.  This band (kinda like an ace but industrial strength) has to be tight against the upper chest. 

The implants natural tendency will be to go and fill that original TE space up high.  The band stops it.  It chaffs and I have to wear it at least 2 months.  But so what.

Oh!  I asked specifically about the exercise.  My PS doesn't want my heart rate up because it causes:

1.  bruising

2.  Hematomas (sp)

One more thing.  He said since the pecs pull the implant up and out...that I should refrain from pec work for a little while.  He mentioned a year.  And I thought he would go under the breast for the implant, close to the crease, but he used my original nipple scar from the skin sparing MX! 

I'm sore especially when I open a door or reach for something before I remember. OUCH.

Oh well, at least I no longer have the rock!

IDC, 2cm, Stage IIIa, Grade 2, 4/4 nodes, ER+/PR+/HER2+, Skin Sparing uni-MX with TE, TCH, Rads

dipad - glad everything went well. Very strong lady with no pain killers. I knew I was a wimp.  I agree even after my BMX  I do feel better than before the BC.  Good luck to you.

tonlee-  glad it went well even with the band

Good luck to those having exchanges soon!

I am post day 7 and feel really good. No pain just an annoying bra I have gotten used to being stuck with! Thanks for the info about pecs. I have lots  of questions to ask my PS in two weeks

BTW I am proud of any lady who had fills. You all are very strong

lisa2012-  I am 5 weeks post chemo  Yes, they were about the same place as my bmx. I do have small one under each breast and will have to ask why.  The only thing that would stop you would be the lifting restriction  I would think,  Otherwise the riecovery seems pretty easier so far.  Good luck with everything

My PS went right back in through my old scar where the nipple used to be.  He had to make the incision longer though because the implants don't "give" enough to be inserted through a small incision.....  But a tattoo nipple will cover most if not all of it or the scar.

lisa, yep my PS says she will use the same incision/scar to take out TE and put in implants..talked to her today & was excited today when I found I will get high profile,600cc. My "cut" is down low where the fold would be... if I had one but; dont have one cause its a square bottom TE there. My surgeons are awesome. They might not have been able to do it except for the fact that I had a small IDC spot behind the nipple on the right side. So cut,go in laproscopically (the breast surgeon has that as her specialty) and take out the cancer,do the non cancer side to match(86% patients have cancer come back on other side & I didnt want to be one of them,esp with 2 aunts dying of BC)   Got 2 tiny women surgeons with small hands so the cut can be smaller and then the lapro specialist surgeon,they operate usually thru a hole,anyone know much about it? Am I telling this correctly from what I understand, I do  trust law so dunno much on surg.

bummed out tho,i kept having a low grade fever and dental issues,when the dentists & board cert endodonist got finished with the xrays,bad news,a root canal which means to my PS whom we consulted,I gotta reschedule a mth out from that to get my exchange so my Aug 2nd is cancelled! Arrrgh! Well, at least they got to the root of the problem..lol

Ddeal14...hope you're back to normal soon. I'm fearing no instant relief



Tonlee...great news. Did you skip nipple recon?



Great news from all. Five weeks to go.

Thanks. I had made that decision and reconsidered. Not sure???

CMartin

I did not have nipple reconstruction yet, as my PS waits a bit , and then does it in office.  However, I am not yet certain that I am going to have it done.  Have read comments that lean me towards not having it done.  Even the nipple tattoo is questionable.  They do offer it at the clinic but I don't know how great the work is.  I have read about 3D tattoo which I think would be fun, or even changing it up a bit by being more creative perhaps with a vine to cover the incision scar, and something fun like a shamrock or rose.   I live in central rural Wisconsin and am unsure of any other tattoo artists doing nipple tattoo. 

What are you thoughts for yourself?

Graciousgal,I too am wondering what to do about the nipples,I have some stick ons which suprised me,they look very real and I thought they would look totally fake. I am thinking of ordering the semi perm rub on tatoo nips tho cause then if I have nip surg or nip perm tatoo I can show the operator/artist/surgeon where I think the nip should go. My PS has mostly gone with what makes me happy up to a point. She does have the line in the sand on pain pills and such and insists on sports bra except at the end of the TE fill which is right now. Off to happily(sarcasm there) get my root canal this morng.

3D was explained to me this way....it looks like a natural nipple with a little shadowing.

My only concern is the shelf life (for lack of better term) is about 10 years for implants.  My PS said they will need to be swapped even if there isn't a problem because of the warranty?  He also said he doesn't want to wait for one to bust (which is more likely 10+ years out)...so if I get a nipple tattoo, or graft, I will never be able to go bigger or smaller in the future without it looking goofy.

And if I have to do this again, I wanna be able to play with size.

 Also, my PS said ONLY a PS should do nipples, not a tattoo artist, especially if you had rads.  Again, that's what he said TO ME....because of the strain on the skin.

txmomof2  I am in TX too. I was told six weeks but I see my PS next week to see if I can move it up to 4 so I Can go a vacation.

rachekvk. Glad you had a nice vacation to the beach. Hope all is well and you were so right about this easier healing process.

joanquilts and tonlee- Glad your exchanges went well.  Hope you have a fast recovery.

husker123  That is great news.  This exchange is so much easier than any BMX I am 8 days post op and the only pain I feel is from this stupid 24/7 bra. It will be off next Wed!

About nipples. I am getting mine tatooed on in six monthsl   My PS said she does them. She said only PSs should do them. They fake ones do look pretty real.

Sending healing thoughts to all who have had exchanges and those about to have them soon.

Cindy-I had the nipples and areola's grafted so send me a PM and I'd be happy to try and answer your questions.

Sonia