Sensation of movement of implant
I am almost 4 weeks post bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstruction, skin sparing. In the last 2 weeks I can feel slight flickers when I move my right arm overhead, lean forward, lie side to side and now I feel the weird sensation of movement of the right implant, which is awkward and annoying. I notice it when I’m moving around and the above movements. I just had my drains removed two days ago but this sensation has been going on like I said about 2 weeks. I did notice that the right side does seem more “atrophied” than the left side (which seems to have held more volume) but nothing significantly asymmetrical. Is it normal that you can feel the implant move as if it’s your natural breast tissue when your body and arms move?
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Hi @jgirl4858. This is a great question! Nothing feels normal and I remember wondering similar things in the beginning!! Any difference in size you notice right now might have to do with swelling. It takes a while for that to all settle down. I didn’t have my implant immediately (I had a tissue expander first, which was very well secured and didn’t really move at all!) but the implant definitely has some movement. The breast implant lifts as I raise my arm the way my other natural breast lifts. It sags a little to the right or left if I’m on my side. I’m not sure how much movement is “normal” … that’s probably a good question for your plastic surgeon.
But it was all super alien feeling at first! I was fairly numb all over for many months while I had the tissue expander and even now, 2 years later, I still have distorted sensation around and behind the implant and numbness in the skin over the implant. I’m assuming I’ll always have that and I’ve kind of gotten used to it. It’s amazing what we can adjust to! Did you have lymph nodes removed on the right side? That might explain a difference also. Take care of yourself and keep healing!
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thank you so much for your comment. To me it feels like idk either and air or fluid pocket that moves as the implant moves with my movement. The left side does appear a little more “full” on the top so I’m assuming it’s probably still swollen 4 weeks out and that’s the right side may have dropped. The volume feels a little less on the right on top and on the outside. If I took a pictures you would have a hard time to see the left one is a little bit bigger in volume on top/out to the side/and sticking outward. But the best way to describe is either like a fluid or air moving over or under or around the implant as i move and it’s freaking me out to feel that. Plastics said this was “normal” but I don’t know if I can see myself having to keep feeling that!
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I’m sorry, that sounds uncomfortable @jgirl4858. I know it’s very different when you have the direct implant after mastectomy vs a tissue expander first so my experience isn’t really a helpful comparison.
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it’s still helpful to hear even if it’s different procedure than mine
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