Exchange City

Thirdgeneration.....oh I am so sorry this happened to you......I KNOW the feeling....as On Dec. 17, 2012 I was admitted to the hospital for my BMX and then the anesthesiologist and my breast surgeon came in and told me I had an irregular EKG (it was done at the hospital the prior week)....so they were canceling my surgery......I was so ready to have my CANCER gone.....they said I would need to see a cardiologist before they could proceed....after leaving the preop area, husband bought me breakfast at the hospital and we waited for my my primary doc's office to open...(ready to go in with my hospital gown on) if she had been there earlier....with much investigation and appointment, made with the cardiologist for a stress test, by my doctor, and then both docs  realized the 2012 EKG and my 2007 EKG by doc was exactly the same, they contacted my breast surgeon and then she wanted it in WRITING to clear me for surgery so my primary gave the okay....had my surgery on Friday 12-21 instead of Monday.....

For you own safety it is better to find out that your ticker is ok and then proceed.....so sorry for you

HUGS,

Di

My Ps has no bedside manners either..afraid to tell him I'm not happy..don't get me wrong they look great in a bra but there is alittle rippling on the left and the right which had the rad is alittle smaller...

I credit my PS and his whole staff in great part for how well I've done with all of this.  I feel so so so lucky to have been sent his way.  At one visit he said that if a patient is unhappy and doesn't feel comfortable raising a concern then something is wrong and the PS has not done his/her job properly.  It makes me sad to read of so many who can't get their questions answered  

I saw my PS to day for my first post op (exchange).....he is the BEST!  He said he could tell I was doing well by the smile on my face.   (I had the look after my TE surgery which was 1 month after my BMX)

He warned me, that even though I have NO PAIN, not to lift or stretch as the incision can open up if I over do. YIKES!!!!.....I will be taking it easy for at least another week and a half!  (less than 24 hour after surgery I was cooking meals, and making a homemade soup (favorites or red letil or broccoli)  so hub and I could have it for lunch.

My upper poles indicated I haven't dropped yet which his says will give me a nice teardrop effect, "natural looking"...Then he address "sharpei" (he used that term too) and showed me what he would be doing, I said GOOD, I don't want that barking dog on my chest! He  then addressed "muppet mouth" my term for my cancer breast as it looked like a screaming muppet, from the side (profile) as it had a top and a bottom (skin sparing) but nothing in the middle.  (since expanders and now my gels, things have fill mostly....now it is a grimace on my muppet...I was given a band to to start wearing next week that is made to push the "muppet and the dog" down.  Muppet also is missing fat tissue on the cleavage side, but he said it may resolve when they drop...if not he will fix it.    I also talked to him about some remedial tummy tuck issues I had 11 years ago by a general surgeon, (My PS recognized his "work" when he saw my staple scars, ( & like a belly button that is at my xiphoid prossess...the thing attached to the sterum) so I may be doing that the day of revision, although that part is on my dime....still considering...but not a done deal

I am so comfortable with having conscious sedation, in his own surgical suite, rather than being in the hospital and being intubated (my PS is NOT a fan of that).

Enough...have my 7 yo grandson for the next 4 day...for a few hour today and then a few TH and FRI & then all day on Sat...and he thinks POP POP and NANA are boring!

Hey ladies... After a few emotional days, this morning I picked myself up and contacted my insurance company to get going in right direction... And they said that the new Dr I want to see will be covered!!! I have an appointment on Tuesday for my consult :-) I'm going today to get copies of all of my medical records/Dr notes/operating notes/ anything else that may be pertinent. Even if the new Dr tells me he wants to start reconstruction from scratch, I will be ok with it. As I am right now due to one side being higher than the other as well as one side smaller than the other and being told to just 'stuff my bra' by the PS, ANYTHING it takes to get things going in the right direction is OK by me. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS/THOUGHTS AND ADVICE!!! You are wonderful women :-)

YAY JD! Good News!

I just copied this from the Medicare website:

Indications and Limitations of Coverage 

Reconstruction of the affected and the contralateral unaffected breast following a medically necessary mastectomy is considered a relatively safe and effective noncosmetic procedure. Accordingly, program payment may be made for breast reconstruction surgery following removal of a breast for any medical reason.

Shellshine,

I am aware of the law....unless this is some "belt tightening" of the government....which I have not been informed

MNsusan:  A great big YAY for you!!!!!  I got a big smile on my face and almost teared up over your obvious excitement!  And it's SO SOON - only 3 weeks away, I'm so excited for you!

I gotta think about that whole naming thing....I've been calling mine Thelma and Louise but I never thought about the tragic end aspect .  Since beginning to over-expand several weeks ago, though, I've just called them the rocks on my chest because they're soooo firm right now.  They seriously feel like one of those foam stress balls that you squeeze in your hand!  Not painful or any more uncomfortable than usual, just really firm.

Enjoy the happy, happy, joy, joy time! 

jdevonm - That is great news, so happy for you!  I would expect that even the new PS is going to want to wait awhile before subjecting your body to more surgery.  Try to take it one day at a time.  Yay!

Di2012 -

jdevonm: Good for you!!!! Wishing you luck!

MNSusan.....you made me laugh!.....yep northern MN accent....

As a newlywed, my husband took me back to his home which is about 90 mile from Grand Forks, ND.....everyone had such an accent....it was winter and I was NOT impressed with -40 degrees!   (that was almost 45 years ago)

Anyone elses plastic surgeon give you a breast wrap to help with stabilzation and positioning for your implants?

Am I the only one?  I start wearing it 2 weeks post op (next Monday)

it is on this website: www.designVeronique.com    (model # 5103)

Di2012 - it's so frustrating to get a notice like that when it is required by federal law. It really, really bothers me that our tax dollars are paying for this incompetence. I just know  you will be successful, but it is wrong to put you through this.

MNSusan - so wonderful you have a date - it's a wonderful feeling. Congratulations!

I remember Cheryl_e  wrote such a cute poem the night before her exchange. I should get started on one now..........

violet - I'm not at a weight where I'd feel comfortable in a bikini right now, but I did find a couple of really cute tankini tops that I took on a tropical vacation.  I wore each of them with either a black bikini bottom or black skirty type bottom.  They were slightly different from each other.  One had an underwire bra-like top that had foam pads inside.  Even though it was underwire it just happened to fit nicely and was comfortable and even better really figure flattering. The other was not underwire and did not have 'cups'.  It had more of a shelf-bra type liner at the top but did have fairly hefty foam pads.  It was also very figure flattering and I was really happy to find both of them.  I took the foam pads out of both about half-way through the week because they kept folding up inside the pockets every time I took the tops on or off.  Oh, and neither of them were figure hugging in the torso, they had just enough float to camoflage my currently soft, muffin-toppish tummy.

Good luck shopping!!