Exchange City

kingster

Fe, when I do a push up or plank, my implants pull toward my chest wall. When this first happened, when I looked down, was pretty freaky. It pulls up and inward. That's just my pecs I guess. Also the left pulls inward at the incision line. I was hoping when the scar matures, that improves. I think this is all normal since the implants were placed under muscle and alloderm.

RAK1

Di,  Thank you for posting Pic!  I just spoke with my PS last week about the animation! I don't like how it looks or feels!

My PS said that she can inject them with Botox so that won't happen, it will only last a year though.  

Robin

kingster

Robin, wouldn't botox paralyze the pec muscle? . Then you would have no chest strength at all? Is that right? The animation happens when the pec muscles are in use. Pretty sure there is nothing that can be done about that. Implants over the muscle is really not an option for reconstruction I don't think.

RAK1

Kingster you are correct! My PS said it would paralyze the muscle. She said she has done it for other patients who did not like the animation.

The last few weeks I have been able to flex my foobs (pects) It's very uncomfortable and I don't like how it looks. it is upsetting. I should add that I have been very physical recently. 

I'm grateful, it is just trying to get use to these changes in my body. The PS said to wait until after I have the implants and see how I feel after awhile. It is an option she gave me. I am pretty sure it would only paralyze the particular area she injects it into not the whole muscle. However you make a point worth asking about.

Robin 

kingster

Robin, when are you getting your implants? Do you have tissue expanders in now? My animation has become increased after my exchange. My te were solid to my chest and did not move at all. My implants are much softer (not as soft as a natural breast though) and therefore the muscles can move them easily. I am grateful to be cancer free (as far as I know), but it has been a major adjustment. I don't feel at this point that I will ever be totally adjusted to them. They feel foreign and annoying at times. Happy to look nice in clothes:)

RAK1

Kingster
I still have my TEs in. My exchange is June16th.

I will be glad to get these hard TEs out!

RAK1

Thank you for adding me to the list.
Robin

LeanneF

Feeling really annoyed. I had exchange surgery this morning and we had agreed I could go bigger, but I'm actually smaller! I was a b cup before double mastectomy, maybe a c with expanded, now back to a perky b. At my last te fill we discussed I wanted c+ on the verge of d. PS wrote it down and dictated it. Is it possible he didn't even look at his own orders and forgot? This am he only talked about cc which means nothing to me. 540ccs on one side and 490 on the other. What does this mean? Now how long do I have to wait to get what I wanted?

cateyz2

LeanneF- Its tooo soon after exchange to be judgiing size, as strange as it sounds once the swelling goes down, then the drop n fluff stage will began which can take up to 6 months. Please don't fret as many of us have before you, as the saying goes step away from the mirror

mjh1

leanne - glad your surgery was uneventful.  It's too soon to judge just yet.  You will go through many emotions in the next couple of weeks as your "girls" settle in.  Revisions are not done until at least 3 months post op so don't stress about it now.  Should you decide after 3 months that you want to go bigger, show your PS what you would like to look like.  Cup sizes mean different things to different PS's.  Women talk in cup sizes and PS's talk in cc's.

mjh1

Has anyone heard from roadrash????

sandgar

1. My ps used the skin from my breast not a donor site. It's healing but no projection. Getting flatter each day. Happy yours turned out. Will there be a lot of scarring at the donor site?

sandgar

I had a similar experience and wished We had gone bigger. I have gotten used to them though and actually am ok with the size after the drop and fluff. Give it time to see the end result.

LeanneF

Thanks everyone. I will try to be patient, but what is "drop and fluff"?

Elizabethaw

Iwannacookie: I also have significant rippling (exchange Sept of 2014), and it's not going to change. My PS said that I could 1) live with it, 2) switch to larger implants, perhaps using Alloderm to pad the area between the skin and the implant or 3) do fat grafting.

I wanted to mention to you that my PS initially said I was too thin to do fat grafting (I'm 5'4" and about 117 pounds), but I whipped off my clothes and showed off my thighs. He said, "oh, ok." He said that he'll need to use both thighs, inside and out and any belly fat he can find. I have a scrawny upper body, so he apparently didn't realize I had a nice little fat store hidden on my thighs. I've had to prove my fat availability to him twice now, so he was definitely skeptical. Whippetmom on the "implant sizing 101" thread told me that you don't need a lot of fat to do grafting. Maybe you really are too thin, but maybe it's worth another opinion on that? My PS said rippling is really common in thinner women.

It is also true that fat grafting may not fix the rippling. My PS gave me 50/50 odds that it would be successful. I'm going to try anyway--surgery is scheduled for Sept--my PS suggested not doing it in summer. It might take more than one round of fat grafting as well.

Rippling sucks!

SpecialK

Leanne - the drop and fluff happens when the pectoral muscle relaxes a bit and the implant falls slightly lower and forward providing more projection.

kingster

Also, the drop and fluff may happen at different rates. Right now, my left is lower and appears larger than my right. I think my pec is larger on my right because I am right handed. My right is catching up some, but very very slowly. Hoping my left doesn't drop any more and my right catches up. Had ex March 6...so this really takes months! Anyone have hard bands of scar tissue forming on the foobs? Seems like I have some and becoming more noticable. I have follow up appt soon and was going to add this to my list of concerns.

No, I haven't heard from roadrash:( I sure hope she is healing. And depression doesn't take her down.

Love the saying "step away from the mirror" I never used to look at my chest so much. I guess because they are man made now, and they keep changing, I can't seem to not critique them. I always accepted how my natural self looked, because I never would have considered surgery on them. Mostly because of finance, and I never wanted to a adversely affect the results of breast cancer screening tests.

ThinkingPositive

kingster..did you ever feel tight after the surgery? I almost feel like the TE is still in the MX side...and my good side that had reconstruction feels swollen and still hurts. Saw PS today, had stitches out. Right now it still feels like there are now two things sitting on my chest. Alot of people said there is a big difference when the TE comes out. Wonder why I am not feeling that.

Fe_Princess

Hi SpecialK, my implant is flat on the underarm side and pronounced on the cleavage side. I do excersizes by pushing the implant to the outside. Does "drop and fluff" also mean that it fills out on both sides? My PS did fat grafting over the top of the implant but when I life my arm up there is a huge divet on the topside of the breast. Is this normal to healing and I am just being impatient? I am one month out from exchange. I had a lot of surgeries really close together as well. I had mx and TE's on March 31 then exchange on April 28.

willowreed84

Thinking,  I'm around 2 months out from exchange and I still have a little swelling on my cancer side.  I had radiation and feel very tight still on that side.  My ps says the radiation side will always over react to injury.

MinusTwo

Thinking - Believe me, I know none of this is funny, but the way you described it really hit me.

Well, we all DO in fact have "two things sitting on our chests"!! (or only one in some cases). It's usually better than the coconut shells of the TEs, but they will never be the same as our original equipment. I will be 4 years post exchange this fall. Most of the time I don't think about the "things" on my chest. However, although the initial strangeness & discomfort fades and we get use to our appendages, I expect we never totally dismiss the difference in the way implants move & sit & react.

Take heart my friend, it does get better.

PhillyEmma

Hey everyone!

You can add me to the list as my exchange is scheduled for July 1st.  I had my BMX 3/27 and last fill this past Thursday.  Topped at 320cc's and liking the smaller me.  Loving it.

Can't wait to get the TE's out but will miss not having to wear a bra.  lol  What can I say, it's a love/hate relationship.  haha

kingster

Thinking positive, I was extremely tight with the te's. While they were in, my ps had me push inward on them with a 10 pound weight, or have my hubby push them in. I felt great relief with the exchange. It does feel good to massage and move them around a bit. Most of my pain comes at the end of the day after a hard day's work. I use oils and lotions, massage in circles around the edges.of the implants. I feel scar tissue forming, so massaging helps. I also find stretching helps. Muscle relaxers helped initially as well. Maybe your muscles are still retaliating. Maybe your pocket is smaller too. Also my ps made me keep my te's in for a full 6 months after the final fill, which was pure torture.

Minus two, that's what I was afraid of. My 2 things are 700ml each. So I guess I better strengthen my back muscles, lol. All I can say is, they are feeling and looking a little bit better every day (not worse). Looks good in clothes and bras, no infections, no more cancer....life is good!

PhillyEmma

Hey everyone!

You can add me to the list as my exchange is scheduled for July 1st.  I had my BMX 3/27 and last fill this past Thursday.  Topped at 320cc's and liking the smaller me.  Loving it.

I've opted for smooth round silicone.  PS feels confident that it will give me a nice result and I didn't want to risk anything turning in pocket.  I know the risk was slim but just didn't want to worry about it so opted for round and feel great about the choice.  I love my PS and hoping for great results.

Can't wait to get the TE's out because they feel like boulders and majorly awkward most days even if I've gotten used to them.  I will say that I might miss not having to wear a bra because these boulders don't move - LOL.  What can I say, it's a love/hate relationship.  haha

SpecialK

Fe - you may have some scar tissue toward the side of the breast that is making your implant look flat there - ask your PS about whether massage can fix that.  It is entirely possible that as the pec relaxes a bit the implant will round out a bit and move more laterally to fill the currently flat place.  As far as the divot or hollow - is it above the implant?  If so, it is there because your BS scraped all the tissue out toward your collarbone - the result is that gravity doesn't allow the implant to occupy that space, so it can look hollow.  I had a pronounced case of this - I have a somewhat bony chest - and had fat grafting done with all of the fat going above the implant.  Best thing I ever did - it made a huge difference in the natural look of the implants.

Jumpship

My exchange is scheduled for June 30th. Excited to have the TE removed but so nervous about the surgery! I drove way too much on Wednesday and the arch between my breast and armpit hurt! Couldn't figure out if something was rubbing on the TE or if it was a muscle....PS was no help.

I asked about a bra post surgery and PS said "If you want". So....is it like always optional? I'm going from a 34H to a 36B/C (I hope!). Those who run, do you wear a sports bra? Mine will be round, but I don't want any problems. I also don't want to overcompensate. This PS is fairly laid back.

Fe_Princess

Thanks SpecialK, I am hoping that through massage and time that it will round out. I did have fat grafting as well above the implant. I have a very thin/muscular chest as lift weights. Could it have not taken? I am NOT currently lifting any weights. Thank you for your response!

SpecialK

Fe - it usually takes a while for fat to reabsorb, up to six months, so I think it is unlikely that it would already be gone.

LeanneF

Thanks Special K. I am really happy with the shape, especially on the lat flap side. My PS did a beautiful job and they're definitely round enough. I guess I'm just hoping for more projection. Hopefully, this drop and fluff will do it. He did mention doing Lipo and fat grafting next when he does the nipples, but he didn't explain what exactly that was for and I was too sleepy to bother to ask. Are there any exercises I should do or avoid to help the specs relax?

mfana

hi everyone,

I am new to this thread. Diagnosed in January and had my last chemo three days ago. I am scheduled for surgery DMX and immediate reconstruction on June 30th. I'm 5'2" and about 130 lbs so my PS really tries to push me for DIEP, but both me and my husband are not comfortable with the complicated surgey. I have been up almost all night reading your posts and it's making me more confident that TE/implant is the better option for me. I'm 31, have a full-time job and a very active 7-year-old boy and hate the look of that hip-to-hip scar.

Anyone done their recon in UCLA by any chance