Exchange City

Mamatwinz - you should know that they can back out the last fill if that's what is going to make you happy.  My PS' nurse told me I had two weeks to decide before it would be "troublesome".

Mamatwinz I am 5'8, 162, size 10/12...curvy but lean.



My TEs were filled to 600 and my implants are Allergan 45, 700 cc.



I only waited 5 weeks. I did not need chemo or radiation and had an AWFUL time with TEs so my ps made me wait the minimum time.

Hi ladies, I just need to vent to someone who understands. Feeling so envious of you who have had your exchanges or are scheduled for your surgeries. Had my 2nd mx Oct 31st and I am so tired of of the TE pain, not being comfortable to sleep, just so tired. Seems like the winter cold makes it worse. At 670 cc (TE's are 700 cc), so still expanding - hoping next week is the last expansion. Would love a surgery schedule date (PS waits 2 months after last fill) which means there's tangible progress. My family doesn't understand why I don't have energy or motivation to clean, cook, do laundry... Thanks for letting me vent.

thanks guys!  I did not need rad or chemo either.  My PS stated 2 mos minimum wait for exchange..he is scheduling about 2-3 mos out now, so they are getting ins approval now and scheduling now.  See i do think i may be a bit too big. I am 5'3, about 116..short thick legs, longer torso..so i was looking for a full C because my previous small b was small for my bottom half and never filled out anything.  I just am worried that I will be too big on top..like short girl with a huge rack..!  My TEs are at 500cc now..i think i look huge.  For those who did exchange do you feel how your TEs looked in a tshirt is similar to what they look like in a tshirt now?  smaller? bigger?  i am not worried about side profile..just front.  Ps nurse said i should be fine..but not sure if i should go ahead and remove like 30-50cc..but then i would probably worry about being too small...so trying to walk the line of a full c, not d, not b.  can you tell i over think everything.  I am tired of life altering decisions, ya know?? 

cindyloo..what size would you say you are now? 

thanks for the measurements, it helps!

2nd time..sorry!  i am soo tired of mine too.  I am a stomach/side sleeper so i have had NO sleep since mastectomy in December.  If I roll on my side, my TE pain wakes me up.  As the fills have gone on, the pain has been a little better, or I have gotten used to the pain.  early on i was using hydrocodone after my fills..chest hurt, back hurt, neck hurt..ugghh! one of my fills was 100cc and i literally was in tears for about a week..so i only do 50cc.  I also have no energy for anything and am tired.  I went back to work end of january and i have a hard time getting stuff done, staying focused.  i think with so many decisions to be made, so much to digest mentally and physically, I really don't have enough left over for work..i'm trying though...plus since I have felt better and back at work, i am back getting the twins up for school, breakfast, making lunches, dinner, homework..etc.  and it is HARD for me.. how long did you take off from work with exchange..yes constant pain sucks everything out of you;  which sucks!!  hang in there ladies..i have been told over and over how strong i am..and i think..if you only knew..    even though we are going through a lot, i am soo grateful to have a place to go to where someone truly UNDERSTANDS.  Thank U!!!

thanks cindy!  ..ha ha ha..laughed out loud with .."stop short of stripper"!  your post is making me look forward to the exchange...there is a light at the end of the tunnel in this TE world!!     Not having TEs poke at my arms, etc..will be amazing! 

2nd time:  I did find a way to sleep other than completely on my back.  I put pillows under my ribs so I am up from the bed a little..it allows me to turn a little on my side where my TEs do not touch or push on the bed.  sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn't.  I fell into the position one night trying to shape my body around my parents huge dog who was sleeping in the bed while i was visiting.  she had all these decorator pillows on the bed and i realized I was lying in some sort of side lying odd position..it was my best night of sleep since surgery.  i was never able to duplicate it, but it helps sometimes... my bed is on the firm side..so i am on the couch a lot.. hope tomorrow is a better day..

'night ladies..and thank you!!

Here is the trick to side sleeping...it saved me.



Airplane pillows. Not the u shaped one. The tootsie roll one with the beads in it. I would lay on soft feather pillow...Marriott to be exact. Then put tootsie under my top arm. That's what hurt most, my arm resting on it.



I slept with that pillow for 3 months.

I am soooo thrilled for all of you who have crossed over to the Squishy Side and are now enjoying your New Girls!!!

Those of you still waiting: hang in there!!! The TEs and their awful pain and discomfort are only temporary!!!

(I voluntarily kept mine in for NINE MONTHS while I lost weight...after I yelled and screamed and cried every day after I came home from my BMX, telling DH to just take me back to the hospital and have those terrorists yanked out of my body. There was NO WAY I could keep them in for another day, much less months. But I did!!!)

BTW, the LE treatment, Manual Lymph Drainage, Myofascial Release therapy, and Kinesio Taping has been SO helpful.... my post-exchange swelling - huge and obvious since August - has pretty much disappeared in only a few visits to the new massage therapist. 

I showed her pictures taken every month since exchange and today for the first time I saw actual symmetry!!! I was sooo happy!

And today she did a ton of Myofascial Release work.... hurt like hell, but REALLY helped loosen up not only the Iron Bra feeling, but my muscles all over my body!!!

We are finally on the right track - YAY!!!

Hang in there, Ladies. Your exchange dates will be here before you know it.

And if you still have questions about the proper size of implant, PLEASE go visit whippetmom's thread "Breast Implant Sizing 101"... you'll be very glad you did!!! 

2nd time:

omg 160cc!!!! that is a HUGE amount..no wonder you are miserable.  After they did my 100cc, I immediately started to hurt in the car,,neck and upper back and thought my ribs were going to crack!  i didn't go back for 2 weeks and was still tight at that appt!  They only did 35cc that time partly because I was still tight and partly because I was planning to fly home for my dad's 65th and to see my family and they said they wanted me to "enjoy" my time and not worry about pain..   If you are still hurting at your next fill..tell them..either they will wait longer or put just a little in.  My ps said I could do whatever I wanted..and after 100cc..I said NEVER 100cc again!  Sorry about the job..but I try to focus on the thought that everything happens for a reason..maybe this is your opportunity to find a job that works better for you?   work from home?? I know it is hard to think that way.. have you filed for unemployment?  how long will you have insurance?  maybe talk with social worker or someone with health and human services and see what you can do until you can return to work? 

For you guys that have done exchanges..how long were you out of work and/or how long do you wish you would have taken off of work?? 

how did you feel with RTW on 2/1..did you feel ready?  was it enough time? I was thinking 1-2 weeks?

My ps was great with my mastectomy..his nurse asked me and I said ?4 weeks? she said ?4-6? i think their office told STD 6wks..and STD gave me 8wks and I was so happy I had the time..I had mast 12/3 and RTW 1/29.  I originally thought I would go back early on 1/2..but glad i didn't.  My ps had said a few weeks for mastectomy and his nurse then asked me what I wanted to do/what the plan was and he signed it..

I vaguely remember my oncologist telling me that whatever I wanted to do, she would be my advocate and take care of it for me with ins company (this was when I was unsure about contralateral side ins coverage, etc).  I was like OKAY! :O

I have to tell you that when I was in waiting room of ps office Monday for fill..a lady in there was talking with her friend about getting in for a consult for her earlobes..YES earlobes!!  U know I was doing everything I could to not turn around and check them out!!!  ))))  hahahahaha!

Omg Steph... My fills were 100 each time, when I got to 500 I thought I would die. I sat in the car after and texted my husband...I can't breathe. I made her do 50 and 50 for the last two. I couldnt do another 100.



Mamatwinz I went back to work 1 week post exchange. It was fine. I'm still really tired, but honestly I was fine. I was approved on STD until 2/14, but you have to be at work on the first of the month to accrue vacation days. Also I was dropping to the 65% of pay scale, from 80%. I figured I would go back and resume my active status. Then I could always take a sick day if I needed to. But I'm a project manager and I work at home.

Anyone hear from Annemarie ...

Congrats Stewbie! I had my last fill on Jan 24 but my PS waits 3-4 months for exchange .  I'm at 600cc each side and fortunately do not have much discomfort any longer.  I was also a full C/small D prior to BMX but at 600cc I'm still not close to filling out my old VS bras.  About 90% of the online bra-sizing calculators I've tried have put me at a 38 full B, which is NOT acceptable.  One or two of them put me at at 38G or 38H which is too laughable for words!

Had a nice long chat with my breast surgeon at a follow-up visit today about my size concerns because my PS says he typically uses slightly smaller implants than the TEs.  That's totally contrary to most of what I read here and also contrary to Whippemom's recommendation for me.  BS told me it's my body and I have to live with it for the rest of my life and I need to feel totally validated in challenging my PS if necessary to get the size/projection I want.  She said that after all, when they do breast enlargements they don't go through the whole TE thing to create a pocket, they just 'jam' the implant in under the muscle and sew you up (i know it's a bit more fine-tuned than that, but you get the general idea).  So PS should be able to put a larger implant in than what my TEs are. 

I see my PS Feb 21 and will get to the bottom of his vision/perception vs mine.  I'm willing to overfill if I need to for him to be more comfortable using a larger implant.  I think I may also need some minor pocket work because Thelma (lefty) is riding just a tad higher than Louise (righty) right now.  I also cannot, and I mean CANNOT, wait to get rid of the ugly fluff in my armpits.  It doesn't look bad when I'm clothed, but when I'm in my skivvies and reach across myself with my arms to pull off my stretchy bra, OMG! I don't even know what to compare it to, except maybe something from Jabba the Hutt's body (Star Wars analogy)!

Regardless, I'll be taking the TEs with me to St Maarten in five and a half weeks, can't wait!  The trip was booked just before I was diagnosed to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and I was initially afraid that we'd have to cancel. However, I was fortunate in not needing chemo or rads so ST Maarten here we come

I'll hold on to hope that I can get my exchange date on the 21st, but even if I don't overfill that day I think it's way too soon for my conservative PS to commit to a date yet.

Blessings to all you lovely ladies!

Lisa

yeah I had 700cc in my TEs but ended up with 600cc implants. MY PS said he likes to make the pocket a little bigger than the implants so he has room to work. He filled me as large as he flet my skin could handle, you could tell at the last fill they suddenly looked shiny.

That said I never had any real pain with my fills only mild dicomfort for the last 2 of 6 fills of 100 cc each time. I started with 100 at surgery.

No word from Annemarie. I hope she's okay!

CindyLoowho: Thanks, again. I know many of the ladies here have larger implants than TEs and some, like Carrol2, have smaller. Forgive me for repeating myself somewhat when I post sometimes.  I just don't post very often and don't want new followers to be confused.

I so appreciate this site and these threads. They have been a huge help and I feel the information I've learned here empowers me to be more in charge of my reconstruction choices.

Love to all.