Exchange City

babs6287

Amy-that's great news!  One surgery avoided!!!!!

Yes!!!!!

Babs

Moonflwr912

yay! I'm happy for you Amy! That must be be a relief. Now - Stay closed. Stay closed. Stay closed. And Heal Heal Heal!!!

Elsiecow

Congratulations Amy!! That is great news!

4sewwhat

So Happy for you Amy!!!  Sending healing thoughts!!!

AZ85048

WOO HOO!  YAY, Amy!  What great news and what a relief!  Now repeat after me - 'Heal, says a me, heal says a me, heal says a me.....'

mnmbeck

What a relief!!!  There's no better news than that!!!  I will be spending time praying for healing for you tonight, Amy.  So many prayers already answered! 

TinaT

Amy - Wow, bet that was a shocker and brought a tear to your eye

myers421

There is of course a chance of it opening again or maybe it won't, but for now surgery avoided = ) !  Prayers were definitely answered!

4sewwhat

Hi Ladies,

Quick question!  I lost my implant on 2/15to a staph. Haemolyticus infection. They gave me 600cc clyndamiacin IV during the surgery and then I took oral 1200mg a day for 2 weeks.  I'm nervous it wasn't long enough.  I sure don't want to lose the other implant and I also have screws and a plate in my ankle I don't want anything to travel to!

Any of you that had an infection, how long we're you on the antiB's afterwards?

Thanks for the input!

shorfi

Great news Amy...so happy for you

2ns_Jenn

So happy for you Amy!!!!  I will be sending good thoughts your way that it heals & you are done with surgery.   

myers421

4sewwhat I was at risk for infection and I am still on my clyndamicin going on 3 weeks not and I will most likely continue for another 2 or 3 1200 mg a day.  I say it won't hurt to take it. 

4sewwhat

Thanks Amy,

Absolutely what I was thinking!  I started taking them anyways just in case and I am going to see PS today and tell him and get another script.  I have to go have my booblette drained again.  It is so depressing to watch it deflate time and time again.  It is small but looks good now.  This afternoon it won't  I am planning to ask him to run a culture on the fluid he drains so we can see where things are at.  I just don't want this to delay my fat grafting on May 2nd.

sandra4611

4sew, I was on IV antibiotics for a month after my infection - two weeks before the surgery #2 to remove necrotic tissue and the implant & put in TE , and two weeks after. I would have continued another week but had a reaction to the IV Vancomycin. For surgery #3 (the exchange three months later) I was put on IV Vancomycin in the OR as a preventative. I stayed on it two weeks at home. No reaction this time.

Moonflwr912

4sew, I was on IV antibiotics for 3 weeks and oral for 3 more every time I lost my TE. I did not get abx after my exchange but had a sx 3 weeks later to stitch up a lymph vessel that was leaking so my drains put out over 100 cc a day at 3 weeks. They cultured my fluid removed at the sx after exchange and there was a slight infection so they put me on oral at the time. I knew almost to the minute when the infections set in. My breasts were  splotchy red, hot and I ran a fever with chills. I knew what it was. Some P'S will try to save the TE. Mine will not. It comes right out. They are all so different. 

Much love to all. 

4sewwhat

Thanks ladies!  Talked with PS today. He had to deflate me again :0(.  Fluid just keeps on. I am doing at least one more week and we are running a culture on what he drained today to see where things stand.  

Right before my removal when I was waiting for the ice to melt and get to the hospital, my skin started turning pink and I had some chills but no fever or anything so it is hard for me to tell the status.

On the plus side my PS is researching the heck out of the fat grafting and says he thinks we are moving in a really good direction!  So I am still scheduled for an AFT on May 2nd?

JFBCADVOCATE

Dear Friends,

I was honored to be asked to participate in an Australian project
entitled, “Survivor Secrets” by fellow survivor Gai Comans. It’s a guide
for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and contains interviews from
21 survivors around the world. Please share this with anyone you know
facing this disease. It’s a free e-guide and Gai did a fabulous job
putting it all together.

http://gaicomans.com/empower/

Judy Medeiros Fitzgerald

Founder: Sisters4Prevention

hjpz

Hello ladies!  I had a double mastectomy in Nov. and meet with my PS early next month to see if I am ready for my exchange.   I have not really worried or researched the actual exchange surgery yet so I thought it would be a good idea to start.   My PS said my exchange surgery would take about and hour to an hour and a half and it is an outpatient surgery. I think I will aslo need some fat grafting on my left side from the radiation in 2001.  Based on this info I was assuming I would only have to take around a week off of work.  I rebound quickly and was up and about within 24 hours of my 7 hour mastectomy surgery.  I am hoping my calculations for recovery are correct.  How long would you say your recovery took for the implant switch??  Also, I am seeing posts about drains?? I thought I was done with those. What??? Thanks for your help!! 

4sewwhat

I had mini drains with my exchange. It can cut down complications and swelling. They did not collect much after first 36 hours or so but  they didn't pull them until a week. I actually found them more annoying than the larger drains. Collection bulb was stiff and fidly and the location was more annoying. They came out on the breast near the end of the incision instead of over more to the sides.

Plus side today! My culture came back negative for any infection!  Hopefully I am back on my way to getting my boob back!

Anonymous

4sew! What wonderful news!!! Happy weekend!

4sewwhat

Thanks!  It's a relief. Those infections can hang on and I sure didn't want it to visit the"girl" I have left!

Happy weekend to you and the rest of the ladies too!

Moonflwr912

4sew so happy for you. That's good d news. 

Hjpz, each  person is fifferent. I flew through my exchange the first time I ever had an op that went well. No drains. Other people sailed through everything else and had problems on exchange or drains. You never know. Hope for the best. You will get through whatever it is in the same way you handle everything else- one day at a time. Much love

hjpz

Thanks 4sew! Congrats on your good news. 

julieped

hjpz,

I had my exchange on February 10th.  I did not have drains. I took two weeks off of work but was getting antsy by the end.  I still have to be careful not to lift or carry anything too heavy with my left arm (tumor side).  Otherwise I have had no problems.  It was good to get it done.  In May I will be having some fat grafting.

Let me know how things go.   Julie 

 

Smaarty

my exchange was a month ago. Drains for 1 week. Things are settling in. I see PS next week. I'm curious to see if he's going to recommend fat graphing. large divots on the side of each breast. Otherwise, everything seems to be going smoothly.  They are finally feeling like part of me instead of things planted on my chest!

hjpz

Thanks Julieped! I guess I will plan on possibly needed two weeks then just to mentally prepare myself (I like to plan ahead).  I am not good at sitting at home so we shall see. The night before my double mastectomy my mother in law was rushed to the ER and for two weeks following she was in Intensive Care so I spent nearly all of my "recovery time" in and out of the hospital with my hubby.  Maybe after this surgery I will have time to read the books and watch the shows I wanted to the first time  That would be a plus. I am still not excited about these drains.  Also - they don't do the fat grafting with the exchange??? I was hoping they did. It is obvious I will need it on my left radiated side for sure. 

julieped

hjpz

My PS prefers to do the fat grafting later after the implants are settled and the swelling has gone down.  I was glad not to have drains, hopefully you won't have to either!

Julie

 

4sewwhat

Hey ladies, just wanted to chime in!  I did not have fat grafting at the time is my exchange.  My PS and I also had talked about doing it later after things settled.

Now that I lost an implant to infection after my radiated incision popped open after 6 weeks I have been doing a ton of research on fat grafting because it looks like my only option to get an implant back in there.

While researching with some help from Whippetmom and others, I found an article I passed on to my PS. It was about fat transfer minimum 6 weeks after rads end with a TE in place and then a 3 month wait to the exchange.  The wait stinks but apparently they are having really good results on the radiated tissue this way. Fewer implant failures and less capsular contraction and need for revision.

It is not fat grafting for contour and appearance although it does some of that too.  The fat application is because the stem cells are softening and helping reverse some of the rad damage.  The fat cells also establish their own blood supply and some people are getting some sensation back.

Lots of ladies have the fat transfer anyhow, maybe they will start changing up the order they do things in for better results?  If I can find the link again I will post it!

hjpz

Good to know about the fat grating ladies! Thanks ladies! I am crossing my fingers about the drains julieped!  

sweetandspecial

hipz - My PS required 2 weeks off work (desk job) after exchange and always does one drain tube per side (so I had two, but only for three days). Be cautious after exchange, though.  I felt really great after my exchange so I had to watch myself to not overdo things.  Even though everything looks and feels good there is still healing going on internally and externally that requires rest and relaxation to occur in a biologically correct way to avoid possible scar tissue complications.  If you haven't been following this thread for long enough to have seen it already, here's our mantra for post-exchange......'Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD!'. 

4sew - YAY!! So happy for you.  Not happy about losing one implant but happy that the infection has been arrested !