Exchange City
Comments
-
Sciencegal I had my exchange in January. I'm very happy. I just had a revision last week.
Thursday I don't know when your radiation ended but it would seem to me that you need to heal before any more surgery is done. Your mil should shut up, she doesn't know what she is talking about. There are plenty of surgeons that care about what they do and their patients. I would not go see the nurse. I would start getting referrals and interviewing new surgeons ASAP.0 -
Stewbie2......one of my Dec 2012 "Surgery Sisters"!!!!
Yeah for your "nips"....the fat grafting sounds painful....ouchy ouch! How long is the healing period on the nips?....my surgeon told me I would have to wear the shields for 2 weeks when I have that surgery.
Did the grafting help with the "problems" which necessitated the grafting?
I can't wait until I am at that stage, you are Done or almost DONE, are you getting tats for the "ta tas"?
I have my revision surgery to get rid of the excess skin, fat grafting my dents, groves, & folds, and possibly redraping my skin on July 8 and then I am sure PS will make me wait again for the nips.....
My Harvard grad PS has to have "perfection" and begs me for for my patience....something I am not great at
......I wanted this all to be done long ago.Di
0 -
Sciencegal... Thank you so much for all your helpful info! I will be sure to pass it along to my DD! You're so awesome to share!
It's amazing how much help and support BCO provides for us! Feel so blessed to have you all!0 -
That is a big ditto about feeling blessed to have all the BC sisters on this site.
There is no one in my day-to-day life who is going through this right now, who I can ask these questions, and it is so great to have all you gals who have similar problems and concerns- and small triumphs to share!
Happy long weekend everyone.0 -
Di2012,
I'm going for my revision on july 9th...0 -
Sherry67, how is your radiated side doing? I see my PS next month to discuss my exchange and I'm so worried about complications. The TE on my radiated side has contracture and is not very comfortable. I just want these things out!
0 -
Andrea623,
I had a tough time with the expanders very painful for me...my radiated side is ok I'm just not happy with it being smaller than the left side...I still have some pain to the right side..the implants have turned alittle due to the underwire bra I was told to wear..I don't think he's very happy about doing the revision but I'm not happy..they both have ripples and the radiated side has a sm indent on the bottom due to the bra...I had to wait along time for my exchange I would like them to be close in size..the only thing I like is they are soft...my PS bedside manner isent the greatest....0 -
Sherry, I'm sorry to hear you're not happy with how your implants turned out. We've been through too much to end up with less than pleasing results, and I hope your PS gets on the ball and corrects the issues you're having. I had my TEs placed at the time of my bmx, so I hope the radiated side will be okay. My PS wants to use the Natrelle 410s in me. I've heard they're pretty firm, but don't ripple as much as the regular implants. What kind did you get? I like my PS, but sometimes I think he sugarcoats everything, so I hope he's right and I'll be happy with the results.
0 -
Sherry67-----> PM Mykidsmom (at top of the page) and she will add your revision date to the list.
I will be thinking you, prior my surgery on July 8, as I don't know if I will be computer "able" on your day.
BMX & Exchange were both so easy for me, and this surgery coming up sounds like it will HURT.....just like the surgery I had to have my TE put in....that surgery knocked me on my butt! I had stabbing pain every time I MOVED for 3 weeks, relief came with each fill until the last overfill and it wasn't painful but a full suffocating feeling of large bowls on my chest up to my collar bone.
Di
0 -
Andrea623,
I have the Seintra oval 550 HP...the expanders were the worse ...had pain all the time ..the only reason I stay with this PS is he is really good and well known where I live but I am going for second opinion ...will see what happens...thanks for responding0 -
Good luck, Sherry! Keep us updated!
0 -
sherry - You have ripples with Sientra implants? The ovals are considered anatomicals, correct? My PS threw Sientras out there when we were discussing options to deal with ripples, but he hadn't used them yet and I loved the softness of my Natrelles. Didn't want to go with a firmer implant.
0 -
Leahv, Barbaheffernan, Melmcbee-------->
I am sending GREAT thoughts, and hugs as you ladies prepare and go through your surgeries this coming week.....moving to the comfortable SQUISHY SIDE of your journey.
Di
0 -
TinaT,
Yes I have ripples but they are soft like a real breast will be seeing him on June 24th for pre op for revision ...will see what he says ...I have the largest size for HP oval..but would like both sides to match in sz as much as possible..hoping for something ...his bedside manner isent the greatest...0 -
I have allergen 45s, 750 and I get a tiny ripple when I move my arm a certain way. You can feel it more than see it.
I am really happy with how they look now that she raised lefty up.
I will say it kind of freaked me out when the nurse asked about the implants in the OR. My ps said...I have no intentions of touching the implants, those are just in case.
It hadn't occurred to me that slicing one could happen. Now I'm glad she was prepared!
I'm so close to done, I can taste it!0 -
Yah CindyLooWoo.......:)
0 -
CindyLouWho
yahoo! yahoo! yahoo!
lucky lucky YOU!
I want to be YOU!
(DONE)
Hugs,
Di
0 -
CindyLoo...
Could you tell me about your revision? General anesthesia or twilight? Did she have to open the original incision back up? Mine would be perfect (or pretty stinkin close!) if lefty was just up and in a tad. I have some slight rippling in my cleavage line that disappears when i push lefty into place.
But I don't know what would be involved in making that move. I see my PS for my 3 month checkup and nipple discussion on Wednesday and will ask him, but I'd love to hear how yours went. Recovery?
Thanks!!0 -
Dulci...back in November they took a small bit of skin under righty to get a better margin. Because of that she sits higher.
No way to get her lower, so we had to raise lefty.
Basically she took skin from IMF and tightened it up, which pushed lefty up. She also took some fat from abdomen and used it to match upper pole on righty. She did not touch original incision.
The shape of lefty is perfect now.
I won't lie it hurt more than I was expecting. I had it on Thursday and felt great, they used propofol, Friday I was hurting but that was the last day on the pain meds. Just naproxen now. I see her tomorrow, then I'm working.
It took about an hour and I'm so glad I did it.0 -
Thanks, Cindy! I'm no dr but to me it looks like mine could be one in a similar manner. A little extra skin on the outside of lefty and actually near a biopsy scar (negative at that location). I'm hoping he could just tighten it up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset....
;-)
Guess I'll find out on Wednesday! If it IS possible it would also make my upper poles match with just that small bit of lift. Right now I make them match by tightening my left bra strap more than the right.
So glad you are healing and VERY glad you are happy!!!! Yay for our 45s!!!! Lol.0 -
I'm doing tatoos. I have had 4 surgeries since October, I just can't do any more. My ps is getting her 3-d certification. They told her to bring a patient and she asked me to go! The person doing the certifying has been doing it for 40 years. So July 23 is the day.
I hope your ps says its doable for you. I know you rock those 45's!0 -
Hi ladies. My exchange is 6-6, three months and one day post DMX. Looking forward to getting thru this whole process as well. A bit anxious as well, although I am thinking that this will be much easier than what I have been thru so far.
Is there a seperate thread on the tatoos and nipples? I was told that sometimes they try to make a nipple out of your skin?
Agree with all that these boards are great. I feel like I have learned so much over the years, about this unfortunate situation we are in now.
Hugs.
0 -
We went to some friends house for a Memorial Day picnic yesterday. A bunch of folks I haven't seen for a while kept going on about how wonderful I looked. Enough that I asked DH if I've been looking like crap or something. He said I've looked stressed and in pain and I look more comfortable now.
I had no idea. Here's to exchange surgery!
0 -
Hi ladies,
2ndtimearound, I am also a worry wort and drive myself nuts!!
Sherry67 and Andrea623 how are your radiated sides doing? I think it was CindyLoo that was wondering when my rads was done - i had rads on left side in 2007-2008. So I don't know if over time my skin got worse as opposed to I'm assuming you both just recently finished rads. I really shouldn't complaint, b/c shounds like you both had it worse than me. Anyway, my rads side is still turning colors so will have to wait and see what its doing.
We can wear underwire bras with implants? I had to laugh when the nurse told me to wear either one of my old bras or a sports bra if the one from the hospital was too tight. I just thought one of my old ones, yeah right, don't fit into it.
CindyLoo yes my mil should shut up!!
I have to admit that each day the implants seem to look a little nicer and they feel much better than the TEs. Revisions - sounds like all revisions to creases/folds, indentations, whether one is lower or higher, etc should be done before nipples?
Nipples and fat grafting? Do these go hand and hand? How long do you have to be off work for that?
hugs and prayers!
0 -
Thursday,
My PS will not talk nipples until the breast are settled, revised and with fat grafting to get the wrinkles, creases, dips, folds and other irregularities gone(in my case too much skin sparring during my BMX....(but better too much than NOT enough skin). Then everything needs to be settled & healed.....nipples are a one shot deal....I don't want one up and the other down and not at all even.....after the revision I will wait until my "Doctor Doogie Howser" PS say it is a go for the nips, after all he teaches other docs the art of plastic surgery.
Di
0 -
http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/784146?page=33#idx_989
Hi Not-me- that is the link to the thread for nipples ad tattoos, if you had not already found it. Lots of great advice there, as with all of these conversations.0 -
I had tissue expander placed on Thursday. I am all bandaged up for two weeks but feel really swollen underneath the bandages especially on my side. Most of the pain that I had at first is gone. I am trying not to do too much. I am just wondering if this is normal? My PS didn't mention swelling. Thanks.
0 -
Dulcigirl---You gave me a good laugh today with the comment " I'm hoping he could just tighten it up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset...."!! That's exactly how I keep feeling through all this. When I told my PS before my exchange surgery to just keep repeating "Perky and symmetrical" to himself, he told me that I've had awfully high expectations every step in this process. I told him that since he was the "master artist" here that I SHOULD have high expectations! But once I got my implant along with my lift and augmentation to the native side, I think I was expecting to be magically perfect. It's been 2 months and my boob and foob seem different every day. But next time I see my PS, who has ZERO sense of humor, I'm going to ask him if he'd do a quick "tighten up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset" just to see him sputter and act all insulted. He already hates that I refer his job as "hacking" off boobs and the reconstruction as "building new ones and refurbishing" the old ones!
0 -
Ha, lala!!
My PS is hilarious!! Maybe I'll give him my Sunset Orders tomorrow. ;-)
Seriously wish mine were a size smaller, but not enough to mess with anesthesia again OR risk the chance of them not turning out as good. They really would be perfect with about a quarter inch move to the northwest. (See? West. Where the sun sets.)
So, that's my request list:
Nudge lefty up & in.
Slap on some nipples...just big enough to find in the dark...no bigger!
Then send me to Vinnie.
Done!
Lol.0 -
Thursday I had rads in 2011 6 1/2wks...right is still alittle tight no color changes.. Not happy sz is smaller than left.. And the underwire bra I was told to wear made the implant turn some ..
0
