Exchange City
Comments
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Not-Me, my PS says 3-4 months (I'm only at 7 weeks post exchange), so different now than right after exchange. Can hardly wait for 4-month mark!
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Di2012~ Hey, sister!
LOVE my nips--they look, dare I say it...REAL??? Much smaller than my original ones, but they look great. It's weird to look at them, though, since they're regular skin-color. I have to wear the shields for 3 weeks. Doc said, in his words, "You don't have to wear them ALL the time, but MOST of the time." Like, if i'm in the pool, i don't have to wear them with my suit. I DO have to wear them when i'm sleeping. And yes, i'm getting tats--my appt is in August. 
THe liposuction was AWFUL. All this for less than 1/2 lb of fat!! UGH. BUT...it made a pretty big difference. He put it all in my cleavage and mid-upper poles, and it filled out nicely. Now, i still have a ripple on the upper-outside of my left breast, and if I lean forward, you can see ripples on my outsides, but i'm completely happy with the outcome! My main concern was that I had a dent on my left cleavage, and you could see the rounding of the implant in my upper poles. Both issues were taken care of. I've seen many of you comment on the boobies not being the same--ie, one being lower. Righty is a tad lower on me. That one, orginally, when i had the TEs was higher, so when i had the implants put in, a revision was done to lower it. Now it sits lower than lefty. Go figure. Not anything that anyone but me would notice. I pointed it out to my PS and he said, "Yep, I see it's a LITTLE bit lower, but I promise you, these are more symmetrical than your original breasts." Point taken. He is VERY right. I think I get all 'they have to be perfect' with these boobies, when these are WAY MORE 'perfect' than my real boobs ever were! (Does that make sense???) With my real boobs, my left one was visibly smaller, my nipples were nowhere NEAR aligned, and the boobies were large, but flat and just 'skinbags.' My new boobies are beautifully rounded, near perfect in symmetry, UP on my chest (which, let's be honest, I totally forgot how awesome THAT is), and pretty damn awesome. I need to quit being so picky about them.
Steph
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Stewbie2: what a GREAT attitude you have! I think we all forget that our original breasts were far, far from symmetrical (at least for many of us). I think we tend to obsess more about them now and so we see every little difference between the two, whether we had uni- or bi-ateral mastectomies. So glad you're happy with your new nips
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Has anyone had problems with the Seintra implants.....
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Stewbie2, I loved your post! I'm going to try to remember that after I have my exchange! Your attitude is inspiring!
Sherry67, are you having problems with your Sientras?
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Stewbie2 what a great post and reminder to us all! I keep telling myself the same thing. Your real boobies were no where near perfect. Your new ones though are pretty darn great! Thanks for the words of encouragement for all of us that have recently crossed over to the squishy side!
Jen0 -
Hi ladies. I hope everyone is doing well. Im feeling great except I still have some shooting pain on my right side when I cough. Weird. Anyway I had a great gift today. My oldest brotqher is into geocaching, not sure wha try it is but i think its like treasure hunting. Anyway he designed a token for me,his son, who has brain cancer, and my dad who has rectal and colon. Im trying to post a pjcture of it if I can figure outq how anyway itq hss a pink ribbon on it and TEAM BULLDAWG BULLDAWGand his an his wifes name and Never give up the fight. It was just realspecialto me.
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Andrea623,
I think so ..left is moving left and the right has turned alittle and lefty makes Oscar the grouch face crinkled..rippling like the implant isent big enough for my skin..I'm going to see what the allergan 410s feel and look like when I see him on the 24th..I have Seintra 550 oval but projection is only 5.8 was thinking I might was to be alittle bigger with more projection the Allergan has a variety of sz but would like to see if there is a difference..so we will see0 -
Great attitude Steph!
Hi to all, I havent checked in here in awhile since right after my exchange. The side with the implant has indeed dropped (not sure about fluffing) and is actually pretty level with my natural breast. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he was really happy with the results and so am I.
SO much goes through your mind when first diagnosed. mastectomy sounds like the worst thing in the world to happen, right at that point. But it isnt. It is sure different for us than when it happened to our grandmas or even moms. I remember their huge scars and no implants or reconstruction. Thank gosh for modern surgery.
Also, in case anyone else has the same decisions to make that I did- we opted for my exchange to be done prior to starting rads, rather than irradiating the tissue expander. There was a recent review stating lower risk of implant failure when radiation was done that way. My docs said as long as I started radiation within four months posy-chemo, there would not be a significantly greater risk of relapse.
So we did the exchange first, the scar has healed up pretty well, and I start radiation next week.
Just sharing!
Good luck to all0 -
Sherry67, I'm sorry to hear the Sientras aren't working out. After all we've been through, more surgery isn't something we really want. I felt the 410s when I saw my PS. They are definitely firmer than regular silicone, but he didn't have Sientras, so I don't know how much firmer they'd be. I decided to go with the Allergan Natrelle 20s, since my PS hasn't used the 410s yet. I didn't want to be the guinea pig!
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Andrea623,
I hear you about being a Guinea pig.. He was very adiment about the seintras not that they are bad but it's like they are not big enough for my skin ... They are real soft though.. And the movement of them not flattering... Fun y thing BA says they look great compared to others she has seen.. Let her her breasts crunch up and go ther own way0 -
On the topic of "who knew"...
I found a chart online that helps you calculate the weight of your implants.
My Allergan 45s at 700 cc weigh....3.64 lbs. that's total, not each.0 -
Sherry after how long he made you wait for those sientras I would be out of my mind right now if I were you.
Grrrrrr0 -
CindyLooWho: I love details like that......what's the link? I'd like to know how much my implants will weigh. Thanks!
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Cindy, I LOVE that! I've been complaining that I gained 4-5 lbs since surgery. Yeah, that weight is my implants!! (Nevermind that the TEs plus saline probably weighed the same or more. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)
Oh Sherry, I'm so bummed that you're unhappy. You waited longer than anyone else here - you deserve perfection!
I saw my MO this morning, first time since exchange. She said everything looked good and that I would be followed by her every six months with bloodwork, no radiological scans. She said I'm at the very lowest risk for recurrence (BMX and Mammaprint results) and U/S, MRI, etc isn't justified. Okaaaay, but how about a new primary? She said that if anything shows up in bloodwork or manual exam, then I'll get those tests. This time around was my second and third primary. I hope the "waiting for the shoe to drop again" feeling goes away soon.
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Thanks MNSusan and CindyLooWoo..will see what he says on the 24th..BS says they look great ...but they are not on her I know they will never be perfect but could be a little better..
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sherry..i know u r countin down the days.. hang in there..
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Here's the web site with the instructions to calc weight...
http://www.justbreastimplants.com/size/breast_implant_weight.htm.0 -
My PS tole me they r not really going to fluff out
Im disappointed because my 750 cc look like size B
I know its body type but my real boobs went out
my friend just had heres same height as me just skinner here 450cc look huge
just ranting im so disappointed ill talk o her the 18th this is week one
I hate them cant even imangine nipples and areloes on these
venting
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orange- unless your friend had a BMX, her's would project more than yours. If she still has her "original" girls she has her breast tissue, unlike most of us who opted for a BMX or UMX. My sister also has the same type of implants as me and hers are 350 and 400 and her's are astronomical compared to mine. But like you said about our differing body types. I'm taller than my sister but heavier. When I got fitted for my bra I measured 40D but I wear a 40B, because of lack of projection. If you go to a Nordstroms and get fitted with some of their bras, you would be surprised at what "Letter" you would be. I believe Dulci is a 40G (correct me if I'm wrong Dulci). I think you will be quiet surprised in the upcoming months just how much your implants will settle. Don't get discouraged, and remember if you don't like what you see you can alway ask for a revision. Some PS's require you to wait 3 mos others up to 6mos, so ask your PS what their requirements are. Stay positive and vent away. hugs!
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orange I was feeling kind of small too. I was a 34DD now I am a 36D but they look more like C. I don't have much upper pole but I do have nice cleavage. I am working on losing weight to try to balance things but I ahve not had much success with weight loss. But as Scarlet says tomorrow is another day.
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Thanks great advice!
I'm trying to loose weight to
I am a 38 whatever not sure ye just had exchange its been 1 week I know! I just needed to cent
It's been a long road for me this process has been a year
So I should just b happy
Still need the nips and areole that's a whole other thing to attack and research
And everything is fixable!0 -
I'm new to this thread. I just met with my PS, and am scheduled for the exchange surgery next month. The question I was asked is, "Silicone or saline?" I asked her (the surgeon's) opinion, and she seemed to prefer the silicone, but not strongly. Do any of you have informed opinions about this? What was your experience?
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okay..so what strips did you guys mention are good to use after exchange to help with incision line healing? Mine are doing fine, I think, but am interested in doing whatever to promote lessening of incision line/healing in the end, etc. Thanks guys!
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Mamatwinz-
I don't scar well and my ps recommended Scar Away silicone strips. I got them on amazon and used them after mx. I plan to use them again after exchange wounds heal completely. I didn't notice a major difference but I only used them for a couple weeks. I think the longer you use them the better they work, and they have good reviews0 -
Ablydec,
How exciting that you are getting closer to exchange!
I'm no expert so I'm just giving my personal opinion. I went with silicone. Ask you PS if you can feel both kinds. I liked how the silicone felt a bit more. I had heard that there might be less rippling with silicone. I do have some rippling if I bend over, or if I lift my left arm just right, but so far none when I'm sitting/standing normally.
You have to decide what you are most comfortable with. In the off chance that there is ever a leak the saline would just be absorbed by your body and you would know you had a problem because you would deflate. With silicone it would be trickier to discover an issue. An MRI would most likely be needed. (Somebody correct me if that is wrong!) The current silicone implants are not like the ones in years past. The silicone is not a runny liquid.
Hopefully many others will answer you. I'm sure there are other threads on this issue as well.0 -
Ablydec: my PS prefers silicone because he thinks they feel more natural and also saline is not as firm as silicone so it's more like a 'water balloon'......his opinion only. My exchange is in August and I've never given a thought to saline, I decided on silicone very early on.
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Ablydec,
If you go to the "search" feature and type in "silicone vs saline" you'll get a lot of info.0 -
Ablydec, My PS prefers silicone, and really won't do saline unless someone has some kind of weird allergy. The silicone feels more natural, and like Dulci said, has less rippling. Granted, I DO have rippling if i lean over (and, hey ladies, doesn't that feel weird when you lean over????), or 'flex' my boobs. You should see these things when I do pushups. hahaha! Odd, for sure.
And thanks for all your kind comments on my positive attitude. I guess I could either be pissy about the entire situation, or just take it as it is. Easier for me to not be pissy about it. All-in-all, mine has been a smooth experience compared to many, and I feel lucky in that aspect.
My only complaint right now, is that these 'cones of shame' i have to wear around my nipples are annoying. I only have 1 bra that will conceal them under clothes. I have ONE MORE WEEK of these things then i may have some sort of ceremony to celebrate throwing them away.
...I was wondering how much my implants weighed, too. I'll have to check out that link. After the liposuction, i was hoping that i would have lost weight. Then remembered that they just sucked it out of my thighs and put it in my boobs. I think i was hoping that my scale would say, "Your thighs are thinner, and your boobs look great." Stupid scale--$89 bucks and it doesn't say crap.
Steph
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Steph, would love to have a scale that gave out compliments! Hey, wouldn't that be a money-maker? Step on it each morning and get told something nice instead of a big old number! I guess that since I was missing a boob before exchange, that doesn't actually count as weight gain?
So, had my 6-month follow up with BS today (can it really be that long?), she was really pleased with the "girls". But of course, I'd really expect nothing else since they've worked together for years and make a great team (really, would she ever say they didn't look good?). But her big old smile was quite revealing. Realizing that now, 8 weeks out, the hamburger bun is GONE! There's hope for all you gals just completing exchange. Patience.....
Wondering: when does the pain go away? I still feel more pain than I'd like to only on the recent mx side; oddly enough the delayed recon is relatively pain free when I compare the two. Pain is under the chest muscle and in arm pit area and ranges from very mild to moderately painful. Haven't been doing anything to cause the pain, just normal, easy stuff, no repetitive movements, etc. Not sure if mentioned it on this thread, I was supposed to go to PT, but my PS had me try a new PT faciiity closer to home and I was treated so disrespectfully I not only won't return but I reported them to PS and insurance. (Like: even though I was scheduled for a female, I declined when the male owner wanted to work with me, wasn't asked if a student could be present but was told, PT wanted to "see my scars" but didn't provide a gown - yes, he wanted me to lift up my blouse, met with me for 10 minutes out of a 30-minute session because HE was running 20 minutes late and still wanted to charge full copay even though he didn't do anything and everything we discussed was already discussed at my intake eval, was questioning why I thought I had LE - was diagnosed many years ago, put down my last PT who was actually doing an awesome job, kept boasting how great he is....) So, my PS agrees I need a new PT but the authorization is taking so long this time (probably because I refused treatment from this new idiot, just want to go back to the hospital PT/LE clinic.....) Thanks so much for letting me vent!
Also, what kind of routine checks will you all be having in the future? BS said I needed nothing since I don't have boobs any more. Are MRi's done just to check for leaks for silicone implants? If so, how often? Lastly, suggestions for threads to read for After the after exchange.....? Thanks so much!
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