Exchange City

I'm done with the exchange & the port is gone! It all went well yesterday.

I got there at 6 am and they were writting discharge orders by 9:20! Home at 11.  I feel so much better with the rocks gone. My PS had to do some extra work on the left side so it's really sore! I just have steri-strips on the incisions and a surgical bra. I wear it 24/7 until I see her on the 12th. I get to have a shower tomorrow!

The biggest challenge will to be not to lift more than 10 lbs for 2 weeks. I'll forget for sure.

Husker....awesome!  And double relief for the port to be out.  I think you'll remember the lifting restraint.  Even when you aren't sore you feel that muscle and it's a good reminder.  Take care!!

CMartin, did you drop and fluff yet?  I am doing good,had surg yesterday,no drains,no pain pump,did get a prescrp for antibiotics,pain and vomiting,3 bottles. Feel fine,small amt of soreness and remembering to keep arms down.  The vomiting was the worst part,guess they used a different anesthesia cause did not have that with bmx. Today is itchy. Can unwrap and shower today,no comp stockings needed either so could go back to work if PS permits.

But I am not happy with the look, I got 600cc Mentor gel and these things are as flat as pancakes!!Do they drop and fluff eventually? CMartin,did yours fluff out? Were they flat as pancakes the day after surg? These things look like my old real ones except for missing nip and line for incision,I clearly told her I wanted to be a C,my TE looked so cute.

I washed hair and showered the night before and day of I only showered cause my hair is so dry when taking the Femara. 

Congratulations to all who have crossed over to the Squishie Side!!!!

Rckinrobin - I was like you. Those last few weeks with the boulders were awful. I think I slept only an hour at a time. Now, one week out, I'm still in the recliner, but pretty much sleeping through the night.

Layla - "Drop and Fluff" can take anywhere from a few weeks to 3 - 6 months. I'll give you the same advice someone just gave me: "Step away from the mirror!!" Right now you're dealing with all sorts of healing and swollen tissues. I will tell you that I can see a difference in just a week. They're not what I expected, but I am going to try to be patient!!!

CMartin - I think waiting another 3 months to see my PS (after Post-Op visit) might make me uneasy, except he's just an email away, and I can get in to see him within a day if I needed to. On the other hand, yours may be thinking "Looks good, healing well, let's just wait for the settling in to take place." I think the steri-strips will come off when they're good and ready. I kind of look like the mummy, with peeling skin glue and gauze on my incisions. I just let the water run over them in the shower, and eventually everything will come off on its own.

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I do have to say I've been really OCD about how my new squishies look. They're not perfect. (GASP!!!!! )  But every day, they change just a little bit. I was wearing a very tight sports bra for the first week, and I was worried that the implants touched in the middle of my chest, just like the TEs did. Then I started wearing a much looser sports bra, and suddenly, there's more space in my cleavage.

I also have to remember that I've still got a lot of swelling, especially on the left. A week just simply isn't enough time for that to go away.

I only take the occasional Norco at night to help me sleep (still in the recliner), and other than that, most of the soreness has gone away. I'm still following doctors' orders to not use my arms for two weeks....even though it feels like I could.

I'm taking pics along the way to document the changes.

Thx blessings, guess I will wear the chkn cutlets til I get boobs again meaning these puppies fluff out to the high profile they are supposed to be.
Congrats to you and CMartin and all our ladies in the squishies club. Saw my cancer surgeon who dropped by during my pre surgery hookup to IV and all that junk. Was so sweet of her to stop by and then my PS came to draw on me with the purple pen. I too was mummified Blessings and those wraps were itching like crazy so was able to shower today. Still itchy. How do we do our hair if we cant lift our arms overhead? I am gonna ask my PS if I can wear Coobies or Genie bras,those bras look comfy. Wearing the sports bra 24/7 for now,drs orders. Did not have pain pump or compression stockings,glad. We are on our way to being beautiful and smart. Feel fine,hope PS let me go back to work so I can save my leave for vacay in Oct. You not seeing the PS? My PS is having appt in a week.

I had my pre-op on Wednesday, and I got phone calls from both the hospital and my surgeon today. So it looks like Tuesday is a go. I only have normal pre-op instructions: no eating after midnight and bring a list of my supplements and medications. Soon I'll be crossing to the squishy side. Yay!

Layla - I had my hair cut really short, and it's naturally curly, so I can wash it in the shower and kind of let it go. Right after my BMX, when I really couldn't raise my arms, DH tried to wash my hair in the kitchen sink and nearly drowned me.  I decided it wasn't worth it, and just waited til I could shower again. As for Genie bras, I'm wearing them now, but after I see the PS next month, I know he'll put me in an underwire bra 24/7 for a while. A vacay in October - awesome!

Dunesleeper - and the countdown begins!!!!! Can't wait to see you on the Squishy Side!!!

Dragonfly...thanks for the info.  That comforts me a bit.  I told my DH that the whole post op appt is somewhat anti-climatic after all we've been through!  That is a blessing though....means we are on our way!

Dunesleeper....best wishes.

Blessings...you ALWAYS make me smile. 

Same here...I believe you have to let the moderators know??

Honestly mine look pretty good already and surgery was a week ago. I'm actually hoping they don't fluff too much! Don't fret too much as every case is different.

Thanks Tina! I keep reading that people have posted pics and would love to see what all is posted.



Cindy, I'm glad to hear that you are happy with yours right off the bat. I keep reading that so many are not happy at first unil the drop and fluff. I am preparing myself to try and not be immediately disappointed. I just want these bricks out! Last night I was up from about 2:00 to 4:30. I have forgotten what a full nights sleep feels like!

Blessings... so sorry! I'm sure you still have a ways to go with healing. You're a few weeks out now?



Tinat...thanks. would love to see pics if you can get that.



Rknrobin...tried on some bras today. Although I'm relatively pleased they are still pretty stiff. Its funny what we're left with.....

Mine are firm and wider than my old ones. They look ok, nicely balanced but flatter...no, I guess shaped differently than I expected. I actually I've my sports bras, gave tried a few, but at least they don't have seams and contours to fit into. I am not quite 4 weeks out. My PS put 390s miderate profile Natrelle silicone implants into my 375-400 TEs. I sort of don't care, I'm still getting used to Arimediz and watching my 1/4 inch of hair grow... I assume they will be OK. My DHthinks they look wonderful! Any good questions to ask?



Oh, and I didnt do any antiseptic scrubs before surgery, had no bandages, just the plastic for 4 days and then just steri strips which I bet will come off Tues when I see PS.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the picture forum is a private website independent of BCO.  For security reasons and for the privacy of those who post there you must be a frequent poster here on BCO to gain access.  Please consider posting pictures of your own.  It is so helpful for women to see a variety of body types with different histories and different surgical approaches.  No names, faces, or locations need be used and you can use a different name from your BCO ID if you choose.  Also, if you find the picture forum helpful in any way PLEASE consider helping with website costs by making a  small (or large) donation.  You will find a PayPal link on the main page when you sign in. 

Please send a PM (private message) on BCO to EITHER Lilah or Nowheregirl to inquire about access.   

Thanks Tina! I must admit, I am scared going into this surgery! Was not scared for ANY of the others. I think b/c this time it's all about getting me to my new "normal" and I want to be happy with my outcome. I'm scared after all this time that I won't be! Just being honest. After 18 months of being in free-fall with these TE's, I just want to put this behind me. I am staying off the pic forum, it's not helping me at this point! 

Blessings: Do you think you may have LE? Take photos of yourself to monitor your progress and send them to your PS. Make him/her see you if you are concerned! ;-)