Exchange City

Chinneymae - my DH loves mine too, and probably will even more once I have a nip-tuck to remove the mud-flaps so that extra side flab doesn't spoil the look . 

Sandra - I'm with you. It's a terrible and amazing experience and for all that what I've gone through wasn't what anyone could call easy, I do realize I've had a much smoother journey than many.  My hat is off to those (Tina, etc) with chemo or rads or necrosis or infections and still have the strength to keep going and be positive. God bless you ladies .

Jesslyn - My wait was four months and surgery was a piece of cake. No real pain, great mobility, 2 weeks off work with no driving and no targeted upper body work for another 4 weeks, no side effects except some melancholy (Work stress got to me, plus it's actually pretty common to feel the blues after exchange surgery for some reason) but my friend Ativan helps me through those unexpected weepy moments.

AnnaCanada - try not to be so anxious (easier said than done, I know), this surgery truly is nothing like the BMX ordeal.  And don't be afraid to ask for a little pharmaceutical help for the blues.  I've always kind of pooh-poohed the need for anxiety meds but now that I've had the need I will never again hesitate to call my doctor.  Ativan is a wonder.  Even my kids, who are well-adjusted young adults, have anxiety issues and have for years.  So much pressure on young people today with student debt, relationship issues, job hunts....it seems so much harder than when I was their age.   Less than a week and you'll be on the squishy side saying OMG that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!

Sweet: my mudflaps were removed during my exchange and it looks so much better!! Now all I have left is the "tittoos" after they settle. Maybe a nip or two if it needs it. I'm glad you are happy.



I hope everyone has very happy end results. Like sweet, I feel very blessed that I didn't have to have Chemo and rads and I am inspired by all of you ladies that have endured those treatments. You are very strong women and an encouragement to many. Hugs to you all.

I don't want to bring anybody down, but I had my bilateral TE exchange to gummy bear implants on 9/5/13. Because the TE were put in too low and too far apart, I needed a breast lift on both sides and "extensive pocket work" on the noncancerous side. This surgery hurt way more than my mastectomy and I am not a pansy. It was an out patient procedure too. The nurse gave me a warning about the pain on my last phone call. The results look great so far. I have also been very lucky in so many ways.

It still sucks, but when I get feeling sorry for myself I just start listing all the luck that has come my way. Loving Husband, two insurance co, haven't had to pay a dime, lots of sick leave, support from coworkers, my sons are grown so I don't have to take care of anyone but me, NO Chemo, NO Rads, Oncotype Score of 9, Best friends in all the world. Extra screening because of high family risk, this saved me.

I feel guilty about saying anything about pain when I have had so little in comparison.I do admire all of you who have much harder times than I have. I guess that I wanted people to know that the Exchange surgery can sometimes be very painful. I would ask the PS before surgery. When I found out it would be painful I asked to get my prescriptions for pain and antibiotic ahead of time. My surgery had been scheduled for later in the day and I didn't want to be without pain meds overnight.

Lucky777 - So sorry for the pain you have with the exchange.  Mine was a simple swap with just a tiny bit of pocket work.  PS freed up just a little more muscle beneath lefty so she'd be even with righty.  The only 'pain' I had was feeling like I had a little internal bruising or something similar.  I hope your pain resolves quickly....way to think ahead on the pain meds!

Lucky777- I hope you are feeling better today. My exchange was on 9/3 and I have a little pain but I think it's due to the drains or bruising. Sweetandspecial is right about feeling down sometimes; I find this stage to be the hardest part for myself. I too, am so blessed and feel awful posting because of all the amazing women that are on this board that have and are going through so much more. They are often the ones who respond first and offer valuable information and kind words. I admire you all and hope I will be able to do the same for others on some level.



AnnaCanada- wishing you all the best with your upcoming surgery. I took a Xanax the night before and the morning of my surgery.



Jess- I am very lucky; I had my exchange 4 weeks after my last fill ( 550cc's) which was on 9/3. I had to stay overnight due to bleeding (had a hematoma during MX) and they wanted to keep on eye on me. I did have pocket work but I am not in nearly as much pain compared to the MX. My PS said I would be out of work for 2 weeks and six weeks of limited upper body movement. Just waiting to get these drains out and bandages off so I can see my new self:)



Have a great night ladies.

Karoline

Hello, everyone! I will be having revision surgery with fat grafting on September 23rd. The PS said that he is basically starting over. He will replace the alloderm with strattice and will make the pockets smaller. I really like the size I am (could even be smaller and would be fine with it!), but my implants fall into my armpits when I lay down and they really pull at my pec muscles. It has been a long year and I hope I am facing my last major surgery for my foobs. Two weeks to go!!!! Really ready to get this over with! I will say, however, that the squishies are soooooo much better than those torture devices called tissue expanders! They feel like me except when I flex my pecs. That sensation takes some getting used to.😳

@ Peanutgal it sounds like we are having the same procedure, mine is on the 20th. On the pec flexing I don't think you ever get used to it. After 19 years I still notice it when I flex and especially when I do weights and push ups. I asked my PS if she could do anything about it this time and she said no. Oh well....... Good luck let me know how you do.

Kat

Hi PeanutsGal!!!!

You are the one with 2 bostons....right?   We had our implants placed on the same day.

I am the one with 6 bostons....I had one revision surgery in July and will have fat grafting, nips, and maybe more revision but not until Oct....need to see my PS one more time and then a date will be set.

Di

Katlbbie,

You'll have to let me know how you do! Dr said it would take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours for this surgery. My exchange was 45 mins tops. This will be my 4th major surgery this year. I'll have to have one other non-breast related surgery before the year is done. My insurance company is about ready to boot me off their rolls! And, yes, you are right, I don't think I'll ever get used to how it feels when I flex my pecs.



Di2012,

Hey to you! Yes I have the two Boston's. As if I'm not stressed enough, my male is 12 1/2 years old and is having trouble walking. Had to take him to the vet today and was told that if the steroids and tramadol didn't help, that we might need to consider putting him down. He hurt his back a few years ago chasing a goose and in typical boston clown fashion, he tumbled down the hill into a tree and has had a bulging disc since then. Breaks my heart to see him suffer, though!



Sherry67,
When I saw my BS last month, he looked at me and said, "well, you can always go with a bigger implant!" I feel huge as it is with my 450cc implants. I Had to get rid of a few shirts and dresses that no longer fit after my exchange. Don't think my husband would be too keen on purchasing a new wardrobe. Haha. I just hope all my new bras still fit after revision.

Sandra,

I haven't had a fill in 6 weeks. They are really watching the skin. I'm with you - small is fine after all this. Glad you are out of hospital.



Glad everyone is doing ok. It's amazing how many of us will have had four or more surgeries to get to the end of this road.

Questions guys.  Is strattice better than alloderm?  Right now I have alloderm with my expanders.

Peanut, have you talked about fat grafting? From what my PS has told me, he will pretty much cover most of my implant with fat.

sandra4611 - First, let me say I'm so sorry you had to find this site and second, you've come to the right place!

The 'pocket' is the space that's created by the tissue expander (TE) that will be the eventual home of your implant(s).  'Pocket work' refers to anything your PS has to do to alter that pocket in some way to accomodate your implant(s) for the best results.  For example, I had very minimal pocket work with my exchange.  My PS released just a bit more pec muscle at the bottom of my left pocket because the left TE was riding slightly higher than the right TE.  By releasing just that little bit of muscle it allowed the left implant to be more symmetrical with the right. 

Some folks have a lot of trouble and pain with TEs and some don't.  I had initial pain and discomfort but my TEs got more comfortable the fuller they got.  Some ladies here have serious pain the entire time they have the TEs. TEs are MUCH firmer than the final implant(s) and that firmness can be uncomfortable.  You'll see references to the 'iron bra' feeling.  It feels kind of like you have an underwire bra on underneath your skin.  In my case I got pretty well used to it and it didn't bother me after the first few months.  That's not always the case.

Keep in mind that many, many women don't have problems, at least not serious enough that they come looking for help and find these discussion boards.  They're out there living life. 

My implants are 750cc which if I remember right is the equivalent of a little more than 3 cups of liquid.  50cc = 1.7 ounces.

The above is just my perspective. Other BC sisters will chime in with their perspectives too.

pTXunique - While the exchange is typically easier than MX it is still surgery.  You can't predict how sore you're going to be, how you'll feel after anesthesia or whatever drugs you'll receive, and you will have restrictions regarding driving, lifting, etc.  Each PS is different so please contact your PS office and ask what your aftercare instructions are going to be so you can plan accordingly.  I would say definitely YES, you should arrange for help, especially with two children to care for and your husband unavailable!  If your mother doesn't drive then perhaps you should arrange with a friend or neighbor to stand by with additional help if driving is involved.

Best wishes! 

pTXunique - my PS required 2 weeks off work (desk job) and also 2 weeks no driving (I didn't follow that one quite to the letter).  Weight restrictions because the pectorals were cut again and need to heal before you do much with them, so my mom did my housework and hubby did the lawn mowing.  My arrival time was 8am with surgery at about 9:30 or so, and my surgery was about 3 hours. Got home about 3:30pm.  That surprised me because I didn't have much pocket work done, I figured it would be a quick swap.  I assume it took that long because my PS is such a perfectionist and is very deliberate in his approach to everything.

TinaT was absolutely correct when she said everyone is different, both us patients and our PSs, and you can't predict just how you're going to feel after surgery.  Some of us come home and sleep the rest of the day.  I was still wide awake at midnight that night - go figure!   Do call your PS office as Tina T advised.  That's your best bet to know what you PS expectations and instructions are.

And yay for you!  Only a week to go!  The 19th is my 6-week post-op visit day.....I'm five weeks past exchange yesterday and I realized the other day that I think my implants have softened up quite a bit in five weeks.  They're still firmer than my aging, somewhat pendulous natural breasts were, but they're MUCH, MUCH softer than the TEs.  Best of luck for a successful surgery and relatively pain-free recovery .