Exchange City

Dora you will just notice that all of sudden things are better. Example, I could not stretch to get the pasta bowls off top shelf, then last week I reached up without a problem. And just this morning I grabbed the mop for a spill and in the past just turning the wringer thing tweaked my pecs so bad I couldn't do it, today no problem. I actually smiled.



It will come. Just follow orders. I'm 4 weeks post exchange tomorrow.

Depends on the amount of pocket work the ps has to do. Most of us have not had drains.

Hey ladies I am 4 weeks post exchange today and something new has happened and I wanted to compare notes. Monday I went to the store and bought groceries, I was very careful lifting the bags. Well that night my chest started feeling funny. I didn't sleep well, I was rather uncomfortable. When I woke up Tuesday I had swelling on my implant side. I don't really have pain just a really tight feeling. My bra is fitting snug and I can feel the swelling on the side of my rib cage under my arm. I hope I didn't overdo, or worse yet I hope it isn't LE.

A "simple" exchange like the one I had involves making the incision, replacing the tissue expanders with the implants, and closing the incision.  Blessings and others have mentioned that drains might be placed during exchange surgery if the PS has to adjust the implant pocket or make other internal revisions.  My PS recently mentioned that the use of Alloderm is another reason for drains.  The body apparently creates extra fluid as a reaction to Alloderm and drains help to prevent formation of seromas (pockets of trapped excess fluid).  So....sounds like it might be standard procedure for some PSs to use drains if for some reason Alloderm is used at exchange even if the pockets aren't altered.

My exchange was 2/13 and I do have drains. PS used Alloderm to fill in some large hollow spots in upper pole from the BMX. I won't get the drains out until Friday, 10 days after surgery. Man, do they itch, but they aren't as miserable as before. There is very little fluid in them at this point. Maybe it's just easier the second time around. This surgery was a walk in the park compared to the BMX!

Mama, I had a fairly simple exchange. I was very sore and medicated the first few days. Each day gets better. I drove yesterday and it was doable, but hurt. Backing out of parking was most difficult so I quickly learned to park where I could pull through. Lifting, pushing, pulling restrictions for two full weeks with a gradual increase after that. At home I have not done anything useful. (In my opinion.) Today was my one week post-op appointment.

Cindy, you crack me up. We are obsessing twins. BUT I want righty to settle a little more and my PS said the same thing without me asking! Lol. And he did say they are still very swollen. Especially righty. Whew. Cuz if they're gonna stay this size I'm gonna have to hire someone to help me haul them around! He told me to stop the 24/7 compression bra because he wants them to move a little. So I got a big girl bra on my way home. I would type the size, but you would all assume my keyboard is sticking on the D's. ;-P



My greatest pain is underneath them where he created the inframamary folds. Can't wait for that to go away!

cindy..i think i remember you telling me that before...sorry!  I work from home but travel across half the state..no more than 2.5 hrs one way..but i am in the "field" so will have to drive/carry files, etc.  I hope mine is smooth too!  I told my family I probably would not need them to help..they are all out of state.  My sister came in for a week, mom for a week and a half and then other sis for a week..they all tag teamed to help me; which i needed with taking care of the twins, etc...  Just wanted to have an idea so I didn't put too much on my hubby..

okay and sorry if i missed this..how did you know what size bra to get post exchange?  did u get before or have to wait until after surgery or did ps tell you what to get..i.e. post surgery bra?  or did you have to figure it out? 

Stewbie2 - Your last fill was on FEb 12 and you get to exchange already on March 1?  That's gotta be some kind of record - lucky you!  My last fill was on Jan 24 but I think I'm going to ask for more at my appt tomorrow. I'm just not pleased with the size and projection of the TEs.  All the online bra size calculators put me at a B cup right now when I was a C/D before.  If I get another fill or two I think the clock will reset and I'll start the 3-month wait that my PS requires for exchange all over again, so would be looking at late May instead of late April

Hi Ladies,



I've been following this thread as I'm getting near the last fill - hopefully tomorrow (yay!) so please forgive me if this has been discussed here or elsewhere. I'm not the brave type (meaning i have a low pain threshold & don't do needles or IV's easily) so I usually take a Xanax and muscle-relaxers prior to fill apps, which means someone drives me to PS appt. Also, have topical so fills have been a breeze. Have decided to put on my big girl panties & face my fear & go tomorrow without pre-appt meds (this decision works out because DH & friends not available to drive me tomorrow). Now, getting a bit uneasy about my decision. So, I'm curious, have you done pre-appt meds or without? Thanks! Appreciate all your insights, knowledge and support!!

Thanks Cindy! More afraid of the needle (I never watch the procedure) than fullness

2nd time I never used meds  before fills and did just fine.

mama i took 2 weeks off for both my exchange and my revision. My exchange I slept alot so I needed the two weeks.  For my revision which required extensive stitching I took two weeks off but really could have gone back to work in 1 week even though the initial pain was much worse than exchange.

Shabby - I found my therapist because she was recommended by several friends who went to her after their BC surgeries. You can ask your doctor, your local breast center, any BC support groups in your area...you want a licensed massage therapist who is TRAINED and CERTIFIED in Myofascial Release Therapy and Scar Mobilization, and who is EXPERIENCED in working with breast cancer patients. I lucked out..mine is also a trained, licensed, and certified Lymphedema Therapist.

Doragirl34 - Congratulations on crossing over to the Squishy Side!!! I was never what you call "strong" but man, last week I got out the electric hedge trimmer (which felt like it weighed as much as a Volkswagen at times) and I whacked on every tree and shrub in my yard. Now THAT took strength - at least for me!!! I am 14 months out from BMX, and 5 months out from Exchange.

Sisters worried about drains - Yes, they're a PIA, but trust me on this: you do NOT want fluid build-up post Exchange. Looking back, I should have gotten at least one drain after my surgery. I had extensive pocket work and have just now gotten rid of a huge buildup of fluid. The drains are temporary. Seriously.

mrenee68 - I always err on the side of caution. At least let your PS know about the swelling.

Stewbie - are you shaving with a razor blade or an electric shaver? All my docs told me my razor blade days were over when it came to my armpits. They said it was because the blades - even brand new ones -  left tiny microscopic nicks, and this was not good, especially on the side where they took the lymph nodes. So I got an electric shaver. Not that I use it much.... after menopause, I was left with I think two armpit hairs on the left side, and one on the right.  Wow - you ARE on the fast track to Exchange- lucky you!!!!!

mamatwinz - It's so hard to predict what size bra to get...I had a gazillion Genie bras and JCPenney zip-front sports bras left over from my post BMX/TE days, and that's all my PS would allow me to wear for over a month. Finally he cleared me to get an underwire bra, which he recommended. (I have 700cc saline implants.)

You can try to go be TE size, but mine were such weird shapes (SpongeBob Square Foob and a diagonal loaf of French bread) that no bra other than the ones I mentioned would have fit.

AND - the shape of your New Girls may be changing a lot the farther away from Exchange you get. The best thing to do is go to a certified mastectomy bra fitter, and be fitted properly. The fitter can show you exactly how a bra should fit, and if it is an underwire, exactly how it should surround your implant and not impinge on it. She can also tell you how the bra should fit in your cleavage area.

You don't have to buy an expensive bra, you just need to know that the bra you do buy is supporting the New Girls properly.

2nd_time_around - I never pre-medicated, because the fills never hurt me. I did feel the needle sting one time, but that was over in seconds. The only reason DH was there was to take pictures!  (I never watched the PS insert the needle, either...if I didn't see it, it couldn't hurt, right?) You should be just fine.

Hopex3, just went thru this: one side (my delayed side) fairly red, not warm, no other SE's. My PS wanted to be on the safe side so she put me on 10 days of anti-biotics just in case and delayed fill for those 2 weeks. Didn't make it go away, still gets slightly red at times but not as much



Blessings, thanks for the comment and the laughs!

Hopex- I went through this my entire time with TE's. I had my TE's placed on 09-11-12 and on 10-11-12 was getting dressed and noticed it was ready, I assumed it was because it was hot outside while watching my sons crosscountry run. I had my hubby look at it and he assumed the same thing. I had a scheduled appt that monday with my PS and he was quiet shocked at it, as he had not had a patient with that. Mine was very red, hot and itched. My PS said it was a reaction my breast was having to the stretching and the alloderm (your body is fighting off foreign objects that aren't supposed to be there). I was on two rounds of Levaquin and Bactrim from the PS, a round of Levaquin and Bactrim for my PCP (for sinus infection) and another round of Bactrim and Augmentin, then after exchange another round of Augmentin and Bactrim. It has finally (somewhat) gone away since I had my exchange surgery. If you look up Red Breast Syndrome it tells you about it. I always called it the Red Boob from HELL.  Good luck and hope it passes quickly for you.

Speaking of snow storm, the last time we heard from AnneMarieh was February 5, the day before her scheduled exchange.  She was concerned that there was a bad storm in New York City where she was traveling to Weill Cornell hospital.  I wish I knew someone who worked there or something???  She was on here so often right before her last post, I feel certain she would be back posting if she was able, but that is only my assumption.  Let's all pray for her, that she is okay and will get back to us soon.

Cheryl