Exchange City

Rennasus - I was thinking the same thing! After my exchange, my fingers were so swollen, my wedding ring barely fit, yet my watch nearly fell off, it was so loose. My arms look the same, kind of bony and wrinkly after weight loss...

The swelling is on my cancer side, where I "only" had an SNB (according to the medical staff who blew me off when I expressed concern about future LE). AND - it's only above my left breast, starting from where the top of the implant should be, to my collarbone.

Does LE appear in distinct, separate body areas? I've heard the term "truncal LE" mentioned.

I've taken pics all along to document my progress. On Wednesday, the PS will get my "Two Week Post Exchange Questions" email with some pics attached. If I don't feel that he's taking it very seriously, I have the cell phone number of the LE specialist at the hospital.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

So your exchange is on Wednesday? How exciting! I can understand your trepidation, though, and your reluctance to get your hopes up....

But truthfully, there really isn't a reason why this won't be the one that takes...the surgery that gives you the outcome you hoped for so long ago. I don't know why things happen in our lives. But I admire anyone who overcomes their fears, and celebrates the triumph of hope over experience.

Renn, you are in my prayers for a successful exchange on Wednesday, a pain-free recovery, a great outcome, and complete healing in the days to come.

p.s. Just read your blog - (for the first time, duh) and what do I see? A recipe for zucchini bread!!! I think I found the dish I will take to a baby shower on Friday!!! It looks yummy!!!!

Tina, Blessings, Ginger: Thanks much for your comments and thoughts. I hope you are right! And Blessings, I agree with Ginger, maybe get a LE consult now/ I do not have LE but everyone says the earlier you treat it the better you will be. And if it turns out to just be normal post-surgery swelling, that will feel good to hear. Good on you for taking pics all along! That has been a saving grace to me on many an occasion with my healing. Enjoy the zucchini bread! 

Good luck to all going into exchange this week! 

Is there anyone here so far unhappy with their exchange? I had my exchange 8/23 and I'm still experiencing burning pains in the lower part and incision areas on both breasts. I have an area on one breasted that looks like the implant wants to poke through....visuallly and can also feel it. On my other breast on the upper portion I have wavy ripples all the way across, which if my arm is raised looks horrid! I thought silicone had less of a chance of doing that? Thinking maybe I'm ungrateful or vanity has gotten the best of me....all I know is that this exchange was suppose to be paving the way to some sort of normality and instead it looks like I still have a long way to go. Atleast my te's gave me some hope of well maybe this isn't going to turn out too bad......

I never thought this was going to be a walk in the park, and wasn't expecting miracles....

Blessings, You always make us laugh.  I followed you about a wk later on the exchange and yep true to form my cancer side is about an inch or half inch lower this morn and the other side looks like it is still swollen so I have these little pink squares from the biopsy that I wiped off with antibacterial wipes and kept in the freezer for spot treatments and also was given 2 baby sized pillows that are ice packs after my exchange but they plump up and dont conform to the body so will be using frozen veggies if I should still ice,will ask the PS 2moro.

Blessg are you still pancake shaped? I am despite the slight drop. Guess fluff takes a few mths. impatiently waiting on that.

I have been flat all my life and worn padded push up underwires and have worn those bras out and never had an underwire break on me ever! But I dunno that those would be comfortable on the implants and might coerce them into an odd shape. Cant waitto see the PS and ask questions but am sure she will poo poo it all and give me the  Blessings mantra "Step away from the mirror".

Layla - Righty is behaving nicely...swelling is going down, and it appears that she's dropping into place. Lefty, however, is being stubborn...still very high and very swollen.  I emailed my PS today to see if he was concerned about this, and his reply was that it was probably soft tissue swelling and fluid, and could take 2 - 3 months to resolve.

SAY WHAT????

He does not think it is Lymphedema. Unfortunately, he also extended my restrictions for another two weeks, just to be on the safe side. Fortunately, I see my MO tomorrow morning and will ask her opinion, since she always does an exam.

wow that looks awesome. I guess it's like canned air. I wish they had implants in that shape.

I'm not sure if they have saline expanders in an anatomical shape - at least I haven't seen pictures of any - but they do have short height TEs that are kind of crescent shaped. These expand the lower pole more than the upper pole. This is what I had and do they ever make you look weird! I didn't find out until just before my exchange that I had 350 cc expanders filled to 630 cc - I am so glad I didn't know, or I would have walked around in constant fear that they would explode. But even though my lower pole was expanded significantly more than my upper pole, I'm still having to wait for the whole drop and fluff thing to happen with these round silicone implants.

I wasn't permitted to go raise my arms at all the first week.  The second he let me stretch them out shoulder height.  It was three weeks before I could raise them to my head.  I paid $10 for my stylist to wash and style my hair.  TOTALLY worth it.  lol  I grew up washing my hair in the sink.  My sisters would have known how to do it.  My husband has not a clue.  lol  But the sister who lives near me is about 8 inches shorter than me.  And it's important to have someone TALLER than you wash your hair in a sink or they will smash you trying to reach the top of your head.  BTDT.

My mom or sister came over everyday to wash my hair in the sink for a week.  I'm am so grateful for my supportive family.  I think my DH would have drown me.

Two weeks post exchange and today I had the stitches removed. I am happy with the size of my foob. My final size was 500cc. It fits perfectly in a C cup bra. My next Appt is 10/17 at which time we will decide what size implant to use in the right breast. That surgery is scheduled for 11/13. Until then I am walking around lopsided, because my right breast currently has a 420cc implant and with my breast tissue is a DD. I can't wait to be done with this process.

Blessing lets hope for no LE.

Layla I have not heard of the brown tape.  I had the same internal dissolvable stiches again.  Last week at my post op they removed the part of the stiches on the ends.  Everything had already closed except the ends and the PS said when those closed I could swim or soak in the tub.  One side is closed the other maybe a day or two.  My exchange was 2 weeks ago Tuesday and I can't wait to take a bubble bath and soak in the tub with a glass of wine.  So I would think a month out you will be fine to swim as long as everything is closed.

As for the hair washing.  I stood in the shower and had DH wash my hair.  I just stayed in the house and did not worry with fixing my hair.  For exchange even though I had the don't lift over your head restriction my range of motion felt fine and I was able to fix my hair.

Sherryc,not taking any chances,just using my brown tape which I did not have after the bmx which didnt matter cause whats the point of making the scar better when its only gonna be cut again? Just following all the instructions so went to get the shampoo and cut today and feels so much better. I tried it once myself with shampooing but dont think I got my hair really clean or got all the shampoo out.

Yep I hear you cause I told my fiance to watch out for the crazy woman once the PS releases me from restriction on alcohol! Two wks b4 and 2 wks after,thats a mth with no wine to go with my spaghetti-Os or my steak (if I choose to eat one,dunno when the last time was that I ate one,think was last yr took my son's girlfd to Longhorn Steak the night b4 she left,He left to go back to univ in Paris,she wanted to stay with me but I am not in any shape to be her maid,cook,personal stylist,never had daughters but nevertheless they said she had a hard life,dont think spoiling her rotten is gonna help her with that! Then she kept begging me for a puppy and she doesnt even put her own plate away after dinner! sorry guess I tend to rant and rave)

Yay, RckinRobin! Congratulations on crossing over to the Squishie Side!!!!

I am new to this board.  I had my last fill last week and am going for exchange in October.  I am very sick of these TE's, mine seem to stick so far out to my sides that my clothes look weird and I feel like I can't put my arms down.  I know they are sewn in place but I worry the implants will do the same thing.  For those of you who have already had the exchange, do they really feel more like real boobs? 

Hiker gal, just saw your post. I just had my exchange today, but can already tell a huge difference! They are not sticking out any under my arms, and when I push on them, they actually give instead of feeling like steel. It is much better immediately, so hang in there!