Exchange City
Comments
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Runnermom, so sorry to hear you are having a hard time. It's terrible that in addition to all that we have to endure, we also have to put up with incompetence and lack of care in the hospital systems. This happens way too much! I hope you get some answers today.
You are in my prayers for a full recovery. Hugs, Tracey0 -
Runnermom: My prayers are also with you for the care you need. Good grief, you'd think with your recent history you'd be at the front of the line!
Goldie: I was up-front with my PS from the start about my need for projection. Actually it wasn't right from the start, it was about a month and a half after BMX when I found this sight and started realizing I needed to communicate my expectations more firmly and specifically. I googled the TEs he placed and they were only moderate projection rather than high. And, as communicated here before, I wasn't happy with the size/projection when I got to the TE capacity of 600cc so we over-expanded to 750cc. Whippetmom's recommendation of Allergan style 20 high profile 750cc implants is what we went with. I did not have any hamburger bun effect at all after exchange. They had nice shape and roundness right outa the chute. Did lose some projection from the TEs because the implants are a more relaxed fit, but that's OK because that means they look more natural and no longer look like coconut shells glued to my chest
Conjecture only, but I suppose it's possible that exchange results could be related to level of pectoral conditioning/strength? Thickness of skin? Condition of skin? Native pectoral position/size? (Some gals' pecs just don't allow for very close positioning of the implants for cleavage purposes). Just thinking......
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RunnerMom,
Thinking of you... Trust your gut you know something's wrong.
Violet0 -
Thanks, Sweet
That is a lot of information. And, thank you so much for all of it. Whipptetmom did answer me in a PM and believes I am on the right track to get a good result. Keeping my fingers crossed. If the iron bra doesnt' go away after exchange, then I will have another fight on my hands. But, we have time till I have to cross that bridge. I know iron bra is not a necessary evil of breast recon, because there are many women I have talked to that have noo problem at all. I really believe it is how they put the alloderm in, and I will bring that up.
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I have an unusual question and wasn't sure WHERE to post it, but here goes:
On my PATHOLOGY REPORT it states my TE info., so far so good, and notes their removal...okay...
BUT, it says BOTH TE's had (I've already had my EXCHANGE) small slit "DEFECTS"!!!!
Um, WHAT IN THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN!?
Has ANYONE ever heard of this before? Should I call/ ask about this?
I also recently realized I did NOT HAVE ALL of my Complete Path Reports...AND there were some amendments to my reports! So please, Ladies, call and make sure you have Everything up to date!
Maybe whippetmom would know about the defect part??
So odd...and this concerns me...since I wouldn't have KNOWN this info. had I not called about missing one report I knew I didn't have!! OY!
Violet0 -
violet - My immediate thought would be that the TEs were nicked or sliced when you were being opened for exchange surgery??? Or perhaps your PS empties the saline from the TEs after removal by making slits in them?
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Had 2-week post op this afternoon. PS snipped the exterior suture loops and that was pretty much it. Spent an hour waiting for a 5-minute visit. The desk nurse didn't let my PS nurse know I had arrived at 4:10 for a 4:15 visit. I typically wait in the onc waiting room (habit, even though I'm not there for an oncology visit). In the future I'll wait in the other, larger, more VISIBLE waiting room where all the other patients for my PS were getting called before me! Laurie (PS nurse) was horrified and very apologetic when I went out to see how many more were ahead of me, poor thing. Fortunately for me I had remembered to throw my Kindle in my purse today
.Oh, and good news. As I've said before, I'm very pleased with my results. The one exception is the existence of small 'mud flaps'. They're not really too bad, and the only real complaint I have, so I told PS that I'm just vain enough to want to nip-tuck that area so I could feel like a real masterpiece. He said no problem, just need to let things settle for 3-4 months. He would typically do it along with nip reconstruction but if I decide against nips he'll do the nip-tuck only. YAY!!! So...I got new boobs for my birthday and 3-4 months post exchange would put me at mud-flap removal for either a Thanksgiving or Christmas present to myself
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Runnermom, I'm so sorry to hear you ended up with a high fever! It's so frustrating when you feel your medical team is passing the buck. I hope you start feeling better soon.
As to projection, I don't have a lot. I have a Natrelle 20 325 in my left side, and a 350 on my rads side. They're still round without a lot of projection. The left side seems to have dropped, and is very soft, but it would have been nice to stand out more, so to speak. Rads side is still high and tight. The upper pole is still pretty full, and I really hope it decides drop and fluff is the way to go, cause I'm not too excited with how it looks now.
My incision lines are very sensitive. After wearing a bra for a few hours, I want to take it off, cause the incisions feel so irritated. Has anyone else experienced this? I took off my bra as soon as I got home, and am wearing a Jockey cami now. There's no support, but the smoothness of the cami feels much better than the bra.
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Tina,
Makes sense! Hadn't thought of that! Maybe that's it...
Thanks
I know I owe u pics! Try tonight...leaving soon0 -
Post op visit today and both the drains are now out!!!! I feel so much better now that they are gone. My incisions look great! I had necrosis on the right and an small open area on the left after the mastectomies. He excised the scare on the left and both incisions look great. Going back to work Monday.
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Violet,
I asked for my TE when they were removed and the OR nurse said they were a bio hazard so I could not have them but she would take a pick for me....which she did....
I also ask how they get them out, and she said doctor make a small slit and then suctions out the saline, for easy removal......
my picture of my deflated tissue expanders are on page 690 towards the bottom of the page.
Di
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Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support. I'm sorry I haven't been on lately. I just started back to work Monday and it was so hectic and difficult getting used to after being off for so long.
This AI I'm on is taking it's toll on me. My joints are in so much pain and I have no energy whatsoever. I'm calling my Onc tomorrow to see what can or can not be done about it.
My exchange is next week and I sure want to be as good and healthy as I can be when I go through it.
I am sorry some of you are having problems/disappointments with your exchanges. My PS said just give it a good 3 to 6 months before making any revision decisions. I hope everything will start improving for everyone.0 -
Hi Everyone! I too had my post-exchange appt today... we had a run on those today! PS is very pleased with results so far, as am I. On the way out of the room, he called back "Good Job!" So I called to him "You Too!"
They're not perfect, but close enough ...and I'm over the moon happy and hope they continue to behave! I do have a bit of a 'flat' area on my left bottom cleavage area, which the PS saw and says very well may still drop into place (that's an area he had to open-up in this surgery). I also have some bunchy skin on both sides (is that what you have too Sweet and Special?). He says it's actually not so much skin comparatively speaking, and it looks worse because of the drain scar which kind of makes the loose skin there bunch up around it. So he said to start my scar creams now, twice a day, and to be sure to work on the drain sites to loosen them up. He also said to start my foob message... up and in only (no down and out).
I asked if I could stop obsessing about support and wear something a bit more comfortable overnight than my surgical bra, and he said NO. He explained that actually this part of the healing (3weeks out) the internal sutures are actually at greater risk for breaking through than they were earlier. So he said it's best to keep as much support as possible for another 3 weeks. I asked if he wanted compression or support or both, and he said support.He said we are trying to cheat gravity here, so keep those girls up and in! So I guess it's back to the surgical bra overnight for a while longer. But during the day I can wear any bra I want, again, as long it has decent support. Which I seem to know right away by whether or not my right IMF area is aching or not.
I have a couple of bra notes too, but think I'll go over to the bra thread for that.
Glad my exchange buddies have mostly goodness happening too!
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TLR and Rose63: Congrats on the post-op visits. I know you're glad to get rid of the drains, TLR. Those are really the worst part of the exchange.
Rose: I think what you describe is what I have. I'll be posting pix to the picture forum as soon as I take the time to figure it out. Whippetmom said it's very common and easily fixed. I realize it's actually nothing more than flab from BMX but it blended in or followed the saggy line of the native breasts apparently. With the implants being so perky and defined, this stuff now looks foreign and not attractive.
runnermom: hope all is getting better and better for you. ((((((hugs))))))
Chinney: hope you get some relief also and hope you're excited for the exchange in spite of the painful issues you have
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Sweet, sorry for my ignorane, but what do you mean by mud flaps. Where are they?
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Good morning everyone: I hope you all have a terrific day. I am feeling much better this morning. I skipped my AI last night.
Rose and Sweet, I am so glad you both are happy with your exchange results. That gives me some hope that mine will do well too.
My PS told me that he doesn't think I will have any drains, but he couldn't say definitely. I sure hope I don't have to have them.
Goldie, if it's what I call mud flaps. Its a flap of skin. Some have them on the upper arms (bat wings). I have them under the arms down by the foob. My PS said he would get rid of that at my exchange. YAY!! I hate those things.0 -
Goldie - good question! I'm not sure what 'mud flaps' mean exactly either. What I have is some excess, loose skin from where my TE's pushed into my armpits, and now the implants are not using that space because they are NOT in my armpits. The skin is on my torso, just behind my foob and under the armpit. When I pointed to it and asked my PS about it yesterday, I actually said to him, 'I have this thing... not sure if it's what they call a mud-flap....' and he said, 'No, just a small bit of extra skin'. So I guess technically what I have is not a mudflap. As mentioned above, my PS does think mine is going to resolve on it's own over a couple of months.
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Chinney - glad you're feeling better this am! No drains would be great. Remind me, when is your exchange?
Not having drains would be a wonderful thing. I had mine for 4 days and honestly that was the worst part of the entire exchange for me. BUT, if it turns out they are necessary, just remember they are doing an important job and keeping you and your new ladies healthy... so just grit down and get through. Which we are all getting pretty darn good at!
Hope your Onc appt goes well today!
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Goldie, Chinney and Rose: Yes, the mud flaps I refer to are what I originally called the extra 'fluff' to the outside of the TEs and under the arms. It's basically extra skin and tissue that probably used to blend in quite well with the droop and sag of the original breasts, but now that we've got a device in there that has definition to it, this skin (let's face it, mine is just plain old FLAB!) do longer does anything to flatter the line of our new bosoms. I'm trying to think of an analagy but having any luck. Anyway, if you have it, you now what I mean, right? I'm really glad my PS didn't blink an eye when I said I was vain enough to want to be a masterpiece naked as well as fully clothed
!Luv to all.....I'm off with a bunch of friends to a dirty girl 5K mud run in Grand Rapids MI tomorrow morning. Can't participte because of exchange to weeks ago but I'll be there and have a blast anyway! Our team name is 'Bodacious Babes!'
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Goldie--I know just what you mean about the rope around your chest. My massage therapist told me to try something...step into a doorway, put your arms up at right angles against the door jam and step forward. It will help with stretching both pec muscles, sometimes the pec major will be ok but the pec minor will tighten up. My PT had suggested same thing but she said do 10 reps once a day. My massage therapist said do it whenever you go thru a door if possible. She said the constant stretching will help the pec to remember to stay stretched. It's the one exercise that helps that tight rope feeling every time. And I feel it has brought me almost back to normal. But she did say it could be something I'd need to do for a long time.
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lala1 - my PT therapist gave me the same at home exercise. Told me I would probably need to do it forever. But it does help and provides relief. Works if you stand in a corner and lean in as well. Standing a different distance away or changing the height changes the stretch for what I need each day.
Hang in there ladies who are still healing. It gets better. I still have medical tape across my incisions, but have permission to remove it next week. Stinks wearing it, but it is supposed to help with less scar formation, too, according to PS.0 -
I'd recommend the door stretch for EVERYONE, whether you're having pec problems or not. Stretching and maintaining strength in all our muscle groups as we age is absolutely crucial to maintaining the flexibility and strength needed to avoid many unnecessary injuries that can happen with trips, slips, etc, even falls. Staying strong and flexible is one of my primary aging goals. Do what you can while you can, ladies, k?
Beautiful weather here in West Michigan today......everyone have a great weekend!
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I just experienced something wonderful today....it was a HYDROMASSAGE....no one touching or oiling me like a stuffed pig, and I didn't get wet!.....it really helped my aching back.....(massage or acupuncture were both out, due to needing to be on my tummy for treatment)
For the ladies that do the pec stretches, do your foobs scrunch up each stretch?....That is my problem,PS tried to fix last time, with skin redraping and now will be addressed again in Oct.....I don't think the stretches would help me right now.....remember, I was the crazy one doing 100 modified push up daily 1 week post BMX.....but then I did not have TE for a month, and that is when all stretches stopped.
Di
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Hi everyone...I went for my last expansion yesterday, but my skin looks like it's got red veins running from one point of the scar and PS would not do the injection...Has anyone had any problems with the tissue being so thin after expansion, it looks like there is a small scab where the skin is peeling....I'm a little scared....PS said lets wait and see....I don't go back for 4 weeks....help!
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Thank you all for the explanation of mud flaps and the suggestions for my tightness in chest. I must say I don't do that doorwAy thing enough.
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Deb, I have two words for you, Bio Oil. It will help your skin so much
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Sweet: yep I know just what you are talking about. I got a nasty mud flap under each arm down by the TEs. My PS said he would take care of them at exchange. Yippee!!! I feel like I got two toilet paper rolls taped under my arms.
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Rose: My surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday. It's getting close. I will definitely be okay if I have to have drains. After what we've already been through, this is just a thing. As much as I hope not to have to have drains, I will deal with it if I do.
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Well, I went from every two week fill to every week fill starting yesterday, and reducing the amount put in hoping for less discomfort, and I think it worked. Somebody, on here recommended it, and I don't remember who, but thank you so much. I think it is helping.
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Chinneymae: wow, toiletpaper rolls under the arms would be VERY annoying. Mine aren't nearly that bad but I still want them cleaned up. If I ever get around to posting my pix on the picture forum you'll see. No one but me notices them when I'm clothed and my husband cares not when when I'm naked, he loves my new boobs no matter what.
And GOOD LUCK with surgery on Wednesday! That's my 3-week post-exchange mark and I can imagine you're getting just a bit excited!
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