Exchange City

2nd time,



Glad your friend is relieved about her surgery. I wasted too much energy worrying about it. The funeral was today and it made for a long one. Took a pain pill before the service started just in case someone came in with an overly aggressive hug! Didn't need it. Thankfully there has been little to no pain with this surgery.



Di2012,



Yay on a revision date. I really hope you get the results you have been wanting. We've come too far in this journey to settle for sub par results. The cleavage area that had a large pucker seems to be filling out. PS said I could wear any bra I wanted and put absolutely no restrictions on how long to wear it. From my reading on these threads I've learned much so off I went to Dillard's to find a new bra. (None of my old ones fit). I spent a small fortune and purchased several different sizes. I was much more comfortable trying them on at home. Out of 9 bras, I found one that would work! My not so little pillows on my chest are wonderful! Sometimes I catch myself feeling them up because they feel that good! My DH's first response was...."we can work with that!" All the time grinning like the Cheshire Cat! Glad I could accommodate you, dear!



Welcome, hap 7,



So sorry to hear about your delay and to have come so far to actually be on the or table. My heart aches for you! I will tell you that they are definitely worth waiting for. Praying your immune system regulates so you can proceed.

Leahy---I also had uni MX and had my exchange surgery 3 weeks ago. I can tell you like everyone else says that this surgery is way easier than MX. I had TE on left and at exchange had lift and 120cc implant installed in the right. The TE side was much easier to recover from. It will depend on how your PS does your lift as to your recovery. I had the donut lift where they cut around the areola and move it all up. That incision takes more recovery time than the MX incision. Some women have numbness after this and some have hypersensitivity. I have the hypersensitivity wouldn't you know!! Sometimes it feels like a whisper of air makes my nipple feel like it's on fire! It's getting better each week and my PS said it would settle by about 6 weeks. I pad the inside of my bra with cotten to help. Also, believe it or not but rubbing lightly on the nipple will help desensitize it. I've also noticed the bottom of my breast is more sore which I assume is from the new implant weighing down that side. I took off my steri strips about 2 days ago and can tell you the areola incision is hardly noticeable! I'm sure it will be even less so with time. If you have the lollipop incision or the anchor incision then you will have more scars to deal with of course. I'm getting ready to start using silicon sheeting for the scars per my PS suggestion so we'll see how that goes. The MX scar seems barely any different with the second surgery so I think I should end up with some good results. Your ROM will be pretty much the same as before surgery within a couple of days. Just know that the lift and augment side will be the slowest to heal but give it a few weeks before you worry about sensitivity.

Yay! melmcbee! I am so excited for you! You will not believe how much softer your implants will be. Ever since my exchange I feel like I've been catching up on all the sleep I missed because of the TE's. I'm glad I listened to all the ladies on here that said not to stress too much at the initial results. I had puckers and smushed hamburger buns. They are already changing and starting to look much better. Time will fly and before you know it you will be resting soooooo much better!

I just had my exchange today and feel so much better than after the BMX. I am so glad others felt they had smashed hamburgers on their chest. My chest is currently ace-bandage wrapped and I feel flat but am sure they will get better. The unveiling is tomorrow when I get to shower!!! My surgeon gave me 650cc high profile Mentors. She tried the 700 cc but said it didn't look right. I am glad to join the"squishy" side! I keep touching the top of them because I am so happy to get rid of my hard TEs. Especially my leaking Rightside TE!!! Good luck to all!!!

You guys are really making me smile!

yay ladies..keep 'em coming!    good luck tomorrow 2nd time..thanks for all of your support!

good luck moni...!  hugs of happiness to you all!! 

Hi Monica... Good luck tomorrow, will be thinking and praying for you! You'll probably be home before me (usually have difficulty waking up, then probably 1 hour or more in rush hour traffic home).

Thanks, Mamatwinz! You're up next after us! How r u doing? PM me if you need to.

Actually, I'm amazed I'm not freaking out or nervous. Had a quick moment of panic when the friend taking me for post-op appt Monday had to cancel last minute and thought my back-up Plan B wanted to do the same (dr is 25 miles from home). DH just started new job recently, taking off tomorrow so can't ask him. DD freshman in college, missed classes & work due to sickness this semester and she can't either. Telling myself not to panic, got it worked out.

Thanks for everyone's support - couldn't do it without you!

Monica..... Somewhere (maybe on this thread) someone said they got photos of TE's. Almost seriously considered, but I'll settle for samples. Maybe you could ask your PS for photos if you really want to see them. What part of the country do you live in? Maybe when I'm starting you'll already be on the squishy side. I wrote my PS a thank you letter to give her before surgery - I'd tell her a joke going into surgery like a friend did, but I don't have the humor gene! (She's the same one who drew smiley faces on her boobs before mx surgery! Wish I'd thought of that!)



I need to shut this thing off and relax......

Best of luck tomorrow to Ginseng, 2nd time around and Monicaelise. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks! Off to the hospital in a couple minutes.

Will be thinking of you today 2nd_time_around!!!  Let us know how it went, when you are up to it.

Di

Hello ladies!! Long time no talk--which, in this situation, i suppose it's a good thing! I am now SEVEN weeks out from my exchange, and am so very happy with how 'the girls' look! As the swelling has gone down, and they've dropped a bit, I can see some 'wrinkling' (remember, i had 'sharpei boob' on my left side?). Unless they're being pushed up, i can see some 'waviness'; SO...my next revision surgery is on May 24th. At that time, we're going to do the fat grafting and i've decided to get nipples.

The PS is having to take fat from a few places to have enough, so he's doing my inner thighs--up high, and my upper hip area on both sides. NOT looking forward to that part, but so ready to be done and over with all of this stuff!

So happy to see more exchange dates happening for everyone!

Steph

Hi Stewbie2!.....you are one of my Dec 2012 sisters!.....Congrats on your revision date.

I just went to the squishy side on Monday....what a relief....my OR nurse even took an 8x10 picture of my deflated expanders after removal (I asked for her to save the expanders and she said she couldn't because they are a BIO-HAZARD so she said, "I will take a picture and give it to you when you are awake!"

My revision date is July 8 to remove extra skin from my "sharpei foob" especially in the middle and the bottom of rightie and maybe some fat grafting in my "post cancer" crease lefty foob although he said my skin is very very thin in that area.  My PS said NO nips on the next surgery....needs another "settling" before nips are "installed.  But he said nips are easy....and just have to wear  a "cup" over them  for two weeks......oh it will be nice when all this is done....

Di

Monica, Fippym, Gingeng...we did it officially crossing over to the squishy side! Please check in with your progress.



everyone, thank you for all your support, understanding, experience,and friendship. It made this progress so much easier and tolerable!



As for me, what a day! It's always so reassuring that wherever I go, other hospital staff always say how much they like working with my PS and what great work she does. The only thing negative, yesterday was she late, arrived a full hour later than my scheduled surgery time to mark me up. She had gotten caught on her hospital rounds. Gave her my list of desired outcomes as well as separate sheets of notes for the nursing staff and anesthesiologist with all info they needed as I had taken a Xanax previous night and yesterday morning. Love the purple markings all over my chest - they still haven't come off with baby wipes. As usual, the nursing staff and anesthesiologist had a very difficult time waking me from anesthesia, took several hours but as they were trying to close up the recovery room, sent me home probably a bit earlier than I was ready . I'd say that was the worst part of the experience - way out of it. (DH said they had trouble dressing me, I was too out of it) Stressed my nausea with anesthesiologist, he gave me a patch for behind my ear and other meds in my IV. I still woke with nausea but didn't get sick. and no drains! Islept the whole hour ride home, promptly fell sound asleep, woke up hours ago for some water and pain meds, back to sleep, up now for. Bit. No more metal bra pain, what I have can best be described as extreme discomfort, but so much better! Just checked it out in the mirror, I have some like gauze patches taped to each side and the front closure soft bra - no gauze wrapping my entire chest. Fully expected a mummy chest, but not there.i got what Whippetmom suggested, they look a bit small, but I know to wait. I also know that I now have to serious taking off the weight gained from DX, should make my chest look bigger. They are definitely closer together and no arm pit caves!



Sorry this is long, maybe unreadable. On pain meds, still out of it.



Yay, mamatwinz, you're next! You'll do great, not anywhere near mx and not like I thought it would be.

hey 2nd time..thsnks for checking in..so happy u crosaed over to foob land!!    yikes i bet it was scary for fam to have you home and out of it!  yes waiting an extra hour after all the waiting you have done..piece of cake right!  i remember seeing my br surgeon rushing by with his backoack as he came across medical comolex from his office to hosp..he stopped in pre op to say hi..and i said, hey no rushing! get a drink of water, coffee, whatever and relax!  geez..yer gettin ready to operate on me!    i told my ps no late night tv or social events on the 22nd, so he'd be fresh 23rd at 7:15!  anywho hope u slept well n are feeling better today...i have been reading implant sizing 101 page by page from its beginning because i am so anxious n worried about surgery on monday..up til 2am doing so..my ps doesnt match te to implant so