Exchange City
Comments
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TLR - thank you for the well wishes and prayers!
Lucky777 - I am so sorry this has been your experience. Please, please go for a second opinion elsewhere. I was able to spair one of my nipples ( other was too close to my two tumors). I am very pleased with the one, even though it will be a challenge to make a new one to match. There is hope - there are some amazing surgeons out there, even ones who specialize in correcting others mistakes. Hugs as you sort through this!0 -
BayouBabe,
I also had drains (2) for a month after mx so I wasn't too happy when my PS said I'd probably need them for exchange and lift/reduction, even though she said they'd be out in a week. That's what they said the first time
! I was really relieved to wake up without any. I did develop a seroma on the lift/reduction side that she drained when I went in to get sutures out (about 60 ml) but that hasn't returned. The recovery was a whole lot easier than with the mx. Good luck on Friday and may your drains be minimal.0 -
Tangle...I will PM a pre revision pic to you....then you will KNOW why I had a revision.
The revision surgery was much harder than I anticipated, and I was feeling okay for a few days, and then the nerve pain came, and I did not sleep for several days, and last friday I finally went to PS and saw his nurse (she wanted to make sure I was not infected) and then was prescribed neurotin....whoa....told to take it at bedtime & that knocked me out, but I slept like a baby and had no nerve pain. Some days I wake up stumbling with not much balance never have taken any narcotic or rx sleeping aid that has worked so well!! Hubby said I screamed his name the first night I took the pills, and he said what! What? but I was silent
(IF I had nipples, the pain would have felt like I was hung up by them!)
Lisa Jayne, I had to laugh, as to your description of the T Rex feeling.....I have been a T REX since my revision
....yea I have use of my arms from the elbows out, but elbows up are "glued to my sides"Di
Of my FOUR surgeries, only had 2 drains in for BMX for 10 days.
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Lucky777, I am very sorry for what you are going through. I haven't been on here in a while and just happened to catch up on reading posts today. I had a nipple-sparing BMX and am very happy with both the nipple placement/symmetry and the way the nipples look. Do NOT settle for less than being pleased with the outcome. Please get a second opinion! We have been through too much and have paid these doctors too much to not be satisfied with our results. Hang in there, and keep us posted. God bless.
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Bayoubabe and Rose63--good luck with your exchange surgery. Had my sis-in-law come back to stay with me for mine since she helped me thru UMX. She planned to stay for 10 days. I had surgery on a Tues, saw my PS to remove ace wrap on Fri and she left that afternoon to go home because I felt so good. I didn't have pocket work or drains but just wanted to let you know you'll recover faster than you think. I had my husband with me but he was out on the farm all day. He was within a cell call if I needed him but I didn't. You'll be amazed at all you can do after surviving the aftermath of MX!!
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Lala1: thanks for the encouraging words and info. Sure hope my recovery from exchange follows your pattern! At this point, I am just so ready to be on the other side! Thanks again for thinking of us.
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Well, I've been keeping myself super busy getting everything PERFECT before the surgery. Of course I know mostly it all doesn't matter, but being busy is good. But now I have my bunny-slippers on with feet up and relaxing for evening. So checked in to see what I've missed in the discussions. And I just now saw:
TLR - thank you so much for your good wishes for my surgery date friday. Yours is almost here too now, right? Two weeks out is when I started to realize it was really going to happen after all, and get a bit nervous. How are you doing?
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Rose63, I'm doing ok. Like you I am already busy making sure all the heavy duty things are done before surgery. I'm starting to give it more thought and nervous but excited to be on the softer side of things soon.
You and Bayoubabe will both be in my thoughts on Friday.0 -
Rose and Bayou: Here's wishing you each a successful exchange with minimal discomfort and speedy recovery. My thoughts and prayers will be with both of you and your respective personal and medical care teams. I'm right behind you next Wednesday and I'm really hoping to be so happy with the new girls that I can't keep my hands off myself
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Lisa Jayne, you crack me up! Might be a bit as they'll be a bit tender/sore for a while. Again, don't panic with the shape, they will improve!
BB and Rose, wishing you the best tomorrow. You'll be in my thoughts are prayers! Hugs!0 -
2nd_time: I'd love to get together and have a good gigglefest with you and all my BC sisters
! One thing that I do think will be a bit hard immediately after this surgery is going back to seeing major scars that need to heal/fade again over weeks and months. I didn't see my BMX scars until 16 days after surgery when the final drain tubes came out and a lot of healing had already taken place. Now, 9 months later, you can barely see my lefty scar and righty isn't doing too bad either. My surgeons (PS did one side and BS did the other) did a great job compared to some of the photos I've seen. I just have to be patient and hope I heal as well the 2nd time too.
Had my pre-op phone call this morning and see PS this afternoon for final question/answer session and will get 'marked up' sometime on tuesday. Starting to get little butterflies now that it's getting so close.
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2nd-time: thanks for your thoughts and good wishes for my surgery tomorrow.
Lisa Jayne: Starts to get very real doesn't it? I had a period of anxiety around 14-10 days out from surgery. Now I'm back to some nervousness, but mostly excited anticipation!
My doctor does the marking-up the morning of the surgery. You mention you will be marked up the day before yours. I know that is also a common method, but I'm curious.... my hospital instructions have me showing the night before and the morning of surgery with a special Hibiclens skin cleanser. Do you do that too? And it doesn't wash off all your markings? Just curious....
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Rose, I showered the night before and morning of my exchange with the Hibiclens too. My PS marked me up at the hospital.
Wishing you all the best tomorrow, and you too, BayouBabe!
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Rose and Andrea: I'll be asking about the marking up process at my pre-op talk with PS this afternoon. I have also in the past been required to shower with an anti-bacterial type soap so I wasn't sure about the marking-up plan. Plus his office nurse told me he's in surgery all day Tuesday so she didn't know how to schedule a mark-up session for me. Maybe he'll be doing it Wednesday after all.
I have no memory of getting marked up for my BMX....
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sweetandspecial, I was marked up the morning of my bmx. I remember cause both the PS and BS were there, plus my DH. I felt rather exposed!
It's countdown time for you too! How exciting!
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Lisa Jayne, could use a gigglefest any time! Gee, that would make a great thread! Was born without sense of humor gene.
I know it kinda sucks: just as soon as the incisions healing and scars looking, they get zapped again. "Back" to square one as mine now extend to my back and I can't even reach them.... Sigh
Ladies, exchange to implant(s) is such a relief! Wishing you all the best. Finally got to sleep on my side for a bit last night.0 -
Thank you so much for the well wishes everyone! Best wishes for those who follow behind next week as well!
I am so exhausted from cleaning, organizing, and getting my house in order, that I think I am looking forward to the heavy pain pills! What in the world was I thinking today! Every bone in my body aches. Less than 24 hours and I will be on the squishy side!!0 -
Wishing everyone no more issues with exchange !!!! I'm still will rads 14/28 ... No TE on right side hopefully my skin will heal for new TE and then exchange one day!!!! Ewww I hate it!!!
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Bayoubabe and Rose63 - wishing both of you successful exchange journey tomorrow.
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** Just wondering.... Has anyone else noticed we hit page 1000? Thank you Mykidsmom for starting and maintaining this thread!!
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Rose63 and BayouBabe----> may you have a wonderful transistion to the "squishy side" tomorrow!!!!
I hope you have a painless recovery, like I had at my EXCHANGE which was a ONE pain pill recovery, taken only to get some sleep (which did not work for me), as I was so excited I was over and done with the "coconut shells" and they were soft!!!
Revision not so easy for me
Di
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Well, goils, I had my pre-op Q&A with my PS this afternoon and here's what I found out. He'll be marking me up Wednesday morning before surgery. He doesn't expect to do much pocket work except perhaps loosening up just a touch on the inside and top-inside of righty for symmetry. He does not expect me to lose any size (going from 750 overfilled moderate profile TEs to 750cc high profile implants). Does not think I'll have much pain (of course there will be SOME, it is surgery after all and the pecs are being cut again). Range of motion should be good. I'm free to walk as much as I want to as soon as I feel like it. No running for 6 weeks. Weight restrictions for 6 weeks (so I'll lose a lot of what I've gained back the past several months
).He told me months ago that I would have two drain tubes for 5 days (one each side) so I asked him if that was his standard practice and why, because many of the ladies here did not have drain tubes. He said he didn't use them when he first started doing reconstruction work but after attending a conference and listening to a leading reconstruction surgeon (this guy I guess did more reconstructions than anyone else in the country) he started using them. The speaker's experience showed that the presence of drain tubes greatly reduces post-surgery swelling which in turn reduces discomfort which in turn aids in quicker recovery time.
I also asked if I could expect to see much drop and fluff (I didn't use the 'fluff' word, just 'drop'). He went on for a few minutes about how and why some women achieve good drop and some don't. He said in his experience, in all honesty, his patients that achieve the best drop (ptosis) are the one's who have been heavy smokers. I guess it has something to do with the fact that smoking causes premature aging of the skin. I know that many of my friends who are or have been smokers do look older than they should so I can be on board with that I guess. Anyway, when you think about an older person's skin (face, hands, arms, etc) what does it do? It sags because the elasticity and support are diminished. He feels the breast skin suffers the same effect which, in the case of breast reconstruction, could actually be a plus.
That being said, I haven't smoked since high school, so I'll be praying for a little drop and fluff!
Now, the day of surgery I have to remember to double check that he brought the right size implants as we discussed.....I forgot to confirm that today!
Six and a half days to go...whoo hoo!!!
Rose and Andrea - this time tomorrow you'll be all squishy - boy oh boy. You'll probably both be feeling yourselves up
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Lisa Jayne, can you call the office tomorrow or Monday to confirm what he's scheduled to bring instead of leaving it to memory for Wednesday? Just one thing less on your mind. Nice you asked about drains, makes sense that's his approach. Can tell you're getting anxious for exchange?
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Lisa Jayne, I think you mean Rose and BayouBabe. I had my exchange 3 weeks ago!
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Bayou and Rose-Best wishes on your exchange surgeries tomorrow. Will be anxiously waiting to hear from you!
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Sweet ans special...the pecs are not cut. The I plants go under them but no cutting.
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Thanks everyone for all your kind words and wishes. Tomorrow at this time I will be on the squishy side. Makes everything between now and then do-able!
I've had a heck of a day though. One of our cats who is 2 years into kidney disease was doing her usual weekly throwing-up-a-little-bit-of-water, when she did it again, then again, then she like collapsed onto the floor! Holy Cow! So we've been running around between vets all day. They gave her some anti-nausea drugs and some fluids and warmed her up. She's back home with us tonight because we figured better with us where we can watch her, than at a vets office with no one there!
Of all the days, right? But I will say I've hardly given tomorrow's surgery a thought. I'm almost looking forward to the peace and quiet of the surgical suite. And then the drugs!
Keep good thoughts for us tomorrow. I'll try to get back to you soon to update you on my outcome.... and the cats too.
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Hi Ladies!
I MISS this board! But sheesh!--between my 2 wedding trips to L.A. (10 days apart) and sooo much going on (+ tons of editing work I came back to!), I've barely had any time to breathe! I really want to get back on here on a regular basis
.I especially want to wish Rose & Bayou a Happy-Snappy Easy Exchange & Recovery! We ALL get anxious, but try not to worry too much. Exchange surgery is way easier than MX surgery for most people. I couldn't even move my arms after MX--exchange was totally different. I didn't have any extensive pocket work though, but I know that if you do, that will make the recovery a bit longer/harder, but still nothing like MX from what I understand...;)
My Experience (to answer some of the ?'s recently brought up here):
Exchange Date: May 21st
-I didn't have any drains. My PS said I would've only needed them IF I would've gone w/ teardrop Sientras, which would've required lots of pocket work. I had Sientra smooth rounds instead. (I had 2 drains for only 6 days after my BMX...;)
-I slept in my regular bed after Exchange w/ several pillows to prop me up--no recliner this time.
-I was sore but had some use of my arms after Exchange, unlike after my BMX! I had pain after Exchange, but NOT CRAZY PAIN like after my BMX. I went home the same day. After BMX, I was in the hospital for 4 nights! They had a hard time getting my pain under control at first.
-I had range of motion almost immediately after Exchange...;)
-I did NOT have any fat grafting or Alloderm. I didn't need either & my PS is NOT fond of Alloderm for a variety of reasons.
-I did go under general anesthesia like I did for my BMX--wouldn't have it any other way...;) But, I always remind them I need anti-nausea meds in my IV AND in pill form for when I get home.
-I'm highly allergic to adhesives, so my PS just put gauze on me & held it in place by paper tape & an ace bandage wrap. Four days later at my post-op, I just used my super loose sports/surgical cami-bra to hold the gauze in place. I think I only wore Surgi-Strips for the 1st night home, as I can't tolerate adhesives for more than 24 hrs, or my skin breaks out w/ a wicked reaction. My scars never split open nor got infected...probably my biggest WHAT IF's in the Worry Dept.
-I used Norco for the first week or so...BUT, I'm REALLY drug-tolerant, so to speak...taking a 10 mg. Norco is like taking an ibuprofen for me...they don't make me loo-loo, etc.
**I DID:
-Use my arms way too much too SOON! Simple pushing/pulling everyday arm use began to kick my butt! I FELT pretty good after 4-5 days, so I THOUGHT I was okay since I wasn't lifting anything heavy...BUT, I did way too much too soon & too often INSTEAD of resting. PLEASE HEED MY WARNING, Ladies! I hit-the-wall a few times from Exhaustion & found myself crying in a heap on the floor
. Of course, my boyfriend & my Mum kept yelling at me to REST, but I'm a Type-A-QUEEN, so there-ya-go...:) After SEVERAL crashes, I did finally LISTEN & began to rest.-I've only had some MX pain on my L boob, which has ALWAYS been my trouble boob. I feel pain only when I wear certain bras that seem to put pressure on it AND the seatbelt puts pressure on it when I'm driving. At one point a few weeks ago, I THOUGHT I might have the beginnings of capsular contraction...NOT! It was just my scars healing/tightening...and that feeling has gone away.
I'm HAPPY with MY IMPLANTS! YAY!
-My boobs dropped a bit into place at about 5 weeks. They are SOFT, even, and I have CLEAVAGE! YAY! I'm VERY happy w/ my Sientras. My PS did an excellent job. My implants don't even come NEAR my armpits (I hear so many ladies talk about this). Everyone who has seen my foobs think they look great...and I can smoosh 'em up & in like real boobs--lol! They look great in clothes AND in a bikini--I bought 2 from VS. Woot!
Also: my PS has ALWAYS said NO ICE! It impedes blood circulation. Although, I HAVE iced my L boob anyway a few times when it was throbbing from being in a bra...;) I don't have weird PEC MUSCLE movements really like lots of you talk about...maybe because my implants are not up near my armpits? Not sure.
This is LONG! Sorry! Just trying to catch you up..Hope I encouraged SOME of you...AND I'm really sorry about those of you who haven't had such an ideal exchange--thinking of you all, too! More later about to get Nips or NOT...my boyfriend loves my foobs & doesn't care AT ALL if I don't get them...;)
Bless Us All!
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Cindy, my pecs were cut during exchange. There was a horizontal cut through the mastectomy scar and then a vertical cut through my pecs in order to get the TEs out and implants in. I noticed several little bumps vertically about a month post op. PS said those were the internal stitches in my pecs and explained the procedure.
Its always interesting how different PS's do it differently.
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Cindy and MNSusan: My exchange incisions will be like MNSusan's. Horizontal through the middle portion of the existing BMX scars and vertical through the pecs. He did mention specifically yesterday that the primary cause of any pain I have will be the pec incisions. That's also the primary reason for six weeks of weight restrictions.
2nd_time: I'll be calling PS office monday to confirm implant size (they're closed on Fridays). I'm pretty sure we'll be OK because yesterday he specifically stated that I'll be exchanging from 750cc to 750cc. However, a phone call plus a last minute check before wheeling off to surgery certainly won't hurt.
violet: so glad to hear you're happy with your new girls! My PS generally doesn't care for alloderm either. The only time he'll consider using it is if the patient has a good layer of skin and fatty tissue remaining after the mastectomy. That was another thing I asked about yesterday just because I've seen it mentioned here so many times and wasn't sure of the who, what, where, why and when of it being used. Probably another one of those things that varies by PS. I was not a candidate because I don't have much fatty tissue left under my breast skin.
Not sure what time zone BayouBabe and Rose are in but if either of you are online this morning my heart is with you today!
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