Exchange City

MinusTwo

Joni - yes, they will look smaller. The TEs are hard & rigid. I'm assuming you had a BMX? So the implants will not have the same projection because there's no breast tissue left. If you read the header on the thread in the link below and post your measurements & TE specifications for Whippetmom, she will take a look & send her thoughts.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/...

kingster

Jonie, anatomicals are supposed to be larger than the final expansion size, so they do not rotate after being placed inside the pocket. Anatomicals are textured and adhere to the chest wall. They do not move, but are soft to the touch. My friend has those and looks wonderful! No ripples. I have smooth rounds:) They move and are soft. With rounds, if they rotate, they will look the same. I had the same size 700 ml exchanged out. 270 ml is quite small actually. Implants do not project out as far as te's, because they are silicone and not saline. I wasn't able to sleep very well while my te's were in, because they were so hard, rigid, painful. Much better after exchange. Take care.

robinblessed54

Joni

If you are getting anatomicals, you will get a bigger size than your fill. I had 420cc filledin TEs. My implants are 475cc. As Kingster said, to avoid flipping. They are more rigid, but still soft to the touch. I love them!! They look closer to natural breasts. Recovery was no big deal. I can PM you with a photo of my outcome if you wish. Robin

ThinkingPositive

Went for my third followup with PS yesterday.... my concern is not my MX implant but the reconstruction on the good side.  Had reduction and implant to lift and it feels like the implant is not under my boob, but on the side making the boob look wide.  He looked at it and said well, yeah part of that is the implant and part scar tissue..its not squishy but more hard than soft.  My MX side does not feel squishy either... is that normal?    I also have a lot of space in between my boobs.  Normal?    PS said he had to do more work on the non MX side to make it look like the MX side... guess that could be true..and therefore the reason why its wider with implant towards the side.   I just don't know what to believe anymore.

 

PhillyEmma

Hi Ladies,

4 days post op and finally feeling pretty good. Was able to sleep on my sides somewhat comfortable last night which helped as my lower back is not the greatest.

Saw the squishy girls several times now and they look decent. Bruised and the left is a bit pinched on the side compared to the right but not sure if that is the surgical bra being so damned tight or what. Pre-breast cancer (in my left breast only) my left breast was substantially bigger than right but after my BMX and placement of the TE's, both girls were practically symmetrical. So I'm hoping this outcome will be the same. As I said in my previous post, I know he did some minor pocket work on the sides at exchange surgery so guess time will tell how they settle.

Now I just need to get this Wednesday's Mohs surgery behind me (was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on my back two weeks ago) and hopefully I can leave cancer behind me. Fingers crossed.

Cheers to all! xoxo

robinblessed54

Hi philly, i am having my Mohs surgery Tuesday!! I have had 6 BCC removed over the last 15 years. This one is a recurrence. 😞 Did you have rounds or anatomicals? Mine are gummies!! 4 months today. Love them

PhillyEmma

Hi Robin,

I had round smooths put in. Today I was told I can take the post op super tough surgical bra off. Thank the Lord!!! It feels so much better.

This will be my first and hopefully my last Mohs surgery. Sorry to hear you are having a recurrence. Can you tell me what to expect from your experience?

MinusTwo

Phllly - I've had five Mohs surgeries for basal cell skin cancers - all on my face & neck. (so much for sun-tanning with baby oil in my youth.) I would not do it any other way, since the doctor actually tests the surrounding tissue to make sure they got it all before the incision is closed. If you don't have Mohs, you might not know until a week later if there were clear margins & I've had lots of friends who had to go back for more cutting when the results came in.

You should feel no pain during the surgery. Usually the anesthesia is a local. You will lie there while they test, maybe more than one time, to make sure the site is clear - maybe an hour or longer. Then they will suture, bandage & off you go. Bandages will need to be changed regularly. Since you said the site is on your back, you may need help with that. It's been my experience that basal cells can be quite deep but usually don't spread laterally like squamous cell skin cancers do, so it's easier to get a clean result. I'm not a medical employee so that's just my experience.

Good luck to you Philly, and to Robin with your Mohs surgeries.

MinusTwo

Philly & Robin - below is a good explanation of the procedure and the reason it's beneficial.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_surgery

robinblessed54

Philly, i had my first Mohs 2 1/2 years ago on my scalp at hairline. My previous BCC were just excised. Mohs is more in depth. You will be locally numbed. They will take a layer and send you out in waiting area while they do the pathology on it. They repeat this until clear margins are obtained. This recurrence was not done with Mohs method. That is why it came back. You should heal well if on your back. Plenty of skin there. Mine is behind the ear. Very little skin and tissue. It will be tight! Hope your outcome is good.

Eee3

robinblessed54: are you happy with the size of your Anatomicals? Where you happy with your tissue expander size and position prior to exchange? Are they the same size you started with prior to bmx or bigger?

I can barely find any information on people with Anatomicals. I currently have a moderate height, full projection expander in with current fill of 400. I am still debating between round and anatomical. I feel like my expanders are high on my chest, wide, and a little too far apart. If my implants look the same, I don't know if I will be happy. I would also like them to stick out a little further in clothes so am thinking I will do one more small fill (which would put me around my pre-bmx size) . I am sorry to bombard you with questions but I have been reading your posts and want to be as happy with my outcome as you have been with yours

Any thoughts or advise are appreciated! And good luck with your surgery on Thursday. I am sorry you are having to fight that battle as well!

MinusTwo

Eee: I LOVE my anatomicals. I got them before they were offered in the US under a research grant and they are the original Allergan 410s. There's a great thread that isn't active but has a wealth of infomation called "All About Gummies". Lots of discussion from ladies who've been there. Also I know of another anatomical thread that I followed link below - https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/...

And last but certainly not least, you should check out Breast 101. After you read the header you can post your stats and Whippetmom will add her advice. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/...

Eee3

minus two: thank you so much for the thread link. Very helpful. Many times they keep referencing timtam's picture site. Is that the same as the picture forum now. I have requested access to that one but never heard anything back. I would love to see some of the 410s before I have to make my decision

robinblessed54

Eee, your TEs are always high. But mine looked good and were even. I was at 420. They always put bigger anatomicals in than fill amount. They have to be tight. Mine ar FF projection. PM me and I can send you a pi

LoriWNY

Eee--I had 650cc TE's placed during my BMX in February 2013.  I was filled to 460 and felt I was big enough so I told the PS to stop the fills.  The PS then place 500cc Mentor Moderate Profile Plus silicone smooth round implants at my first exchange in July 2013.  These rounds were not right for me--they did not look right and my PS did not tighten the pockets so they slid into my armpits whenever I reclined and therefore, caused much discomfort in the form of constant pulling on my pec muscles.  I sought several second opinion consults with different plastic surgeons and underwent an exchange from the rounds to Allergan FF 410 anatomical 475 gram implants in February 2015 along with lots of pocket work to keep the implants out of my armpits.  I am much happier with the anatomicals, especially since my new PS has kept them from migrating laterally into my armpits.

If you gain access to the picture forum, I have a thread with the same user name as I use here with a pictorial demonstration showing the rounds and anatomicals on me.  There are plenty of women who are happy with rounds, happy with anatomicals, happy with saline, happy with silicone.

Do your research, make sure you trust and have confidence in your PS, make sure that your PS listens and understands your wishes, and I am sure the two of you will figure out what is best for you.

Eee3

LoriWNY: thank you for the info. I think my ps is very good and my expanders are in my armpits a bit which he said he will close the pocket on the sides to fix. I hope I will get access to the picture forum before I have to make too many decisions about fill size and implant choice and size. I would love to see your comparison. I don't know if I don't have enough posts or if I am doing something wrong. I didn't get any kind of response to my request. I appreciate you giving me your feedback. I feel like every little bit helps right now.

mjh1

Rak1 - so sorry you too are now experiencing the rippling.  Unfortunately, there are way too many of us that experience this complication of reconstruction.  For some of us this rollercoaster ride is longer than others but don't despair.  There are options from FG to changing the implant if the pocket is too big to placing alloderm over implant to give it more coverage.  I know you don't want to hear wait a few months, but wait you must and then you can discuss what options are best for you with your PS.  As my friends too often remind me when I'm venting, Rome was not built in a day and neither are your boobs...lol

phillyemma and patriciahurtado - welcome to the squishy side!!!  Glad all went well.  Rest and heal well.

phillyemma and robinblessed - good luck with the Mohs surgery.  I hope they get clear margins in the first attempt and you are not waiting long.

thinkingpositive - some people are born with a wide space between their breasts.  I'm not sure if you fall within this category or maybe your implants are disproportionate for your frame.  Did you post on the implants 101 thread with your dimentions before your surgery to get feedback from whippetmom??  If you are experiencing any doubt with your PS, I would seek a second opinion and possibly a third.

joni - welcome.  270 cc's seems rather small but post on the implants 101 thread to get whippetmom's feedback (a/k/a implant whisperer).

mjh1

eee3 - don't fret about not getting a response to the picture forum yet.  The mods of that forum will only reply when they have accepted you.  They have not forgotten you.  There is no set criteria but usually, access to the picture forum is not granted to those that are new to BCO as to protect the privacy of those who have posted pictures.   Some say you have to have a certain number of posts before you are granted access yet there is no specific number.

MinusTwo

Eee - as mjh says, it does take some time on the site & a fair amount of posts before you get access to the picture forum. But do check out Breast 101. Read the header and post your info. Whippetmom is a wonderful & amazing resource.

Eee3

thank you everyone. I did get sizing suggestions from whippetmom. She gave me both round and anatomical so i still need to choose between the two;)

patriciahurtado

Thank you mjh1. And all my ladies that post all different experiences. Well I been really sick with the antibiotics. I had fever one time after surgery. And my PS prescribed Bactrim and some other antibiotics. Which gave me headaches and nauseas. So I stopped taking it over the weekend. I haven't had any fever but that one time. Then I figure maybe I should just finish the 10 days. My PS said just to take Baactrim. Nope I was really sick last night woke up with a huge headache and nauseas. So no I'm not taking it any more. I see him tomorrow.

Ok my ladies here is my questions...

My surgical bra will come off tomorrow? I hope so. Will my PS remove the tape tomorrow? And I was also wondering my PS did FG my right side is so bruised. I have Stitch on my belly button? I have to wear this thick surgical garnet for 6 weeks which I so hate I can't wear any pants shorts I don't fit into I was wondering if anyone of you changed the garnet to body spandex? I can't go to work with this on it looks crazy. Maybe I'll go buy one and see if he will approve it. The FG part hurts. Not bad but it's really uncomfortable. I not sure which will work better Tylenol OC or Motrin. I haven't taken anything because I was taking Bactrim. Which works better? Regarding my implants I had not much of a choice my PS said he only worked with Gummies. So far I'm happy they look nice. I really didn't want big ones cause I was a C. He said I need a little FG to give a little more shape. I also saw the rippling only on my left implant. For now I don't want to continue anything. Just recover from the Bactrim. I'm taking probiotics because of antibiotics. I was planning to take it until I finish the 100 capsules. Does any one take any?

Well my ladies thanks for the feed back !!!

I want to squish them and feel them but I have to wait...

Lol

patriciahurtado

omg!! Chemo brain.... Sooooo I love to work out but I haven't done any just to safe my fat!!! If I start working out will my fat from my FG will I lose it???

mjh1

patricia - I haven't had FG yet but when I asked about my planned FG, I was told I could wear a binder or spanx.  if none of the other sisters has an answer for you, try posting on the fat grafting pros and cons forum.

SpecialK

I was allowed to wear Spanx or other brand of compression but it needed to be tight.  If your abdominal area was the donor site for fat harvest I recommend getting a Spanx type panty with an un-snapping or un-hooking crotch.  Dragging a tight compression garment over your skin hurts every time you need to use a bathroom!!!  I was restricted from working out, other than walking, for 8 weeks.  Yes, you risk reabsorption of the fat if you do too much exercise too soon.  I would avoid ibuprofen (Advil, etc.) because it can cause bleeding, I would use Tylenol instead.  Also topical Arnica cream can help the bruising dissipate faster.

robinblessed54

All done with Mohs surgery. Cancer is out! 10 stitches required and pressure bandage for 2 days.

patriciahurtado

robin in glad that's behind you!!!

Mjh and specialk thank you for your input.

FG hurts!!!

SpecialK

patriciahurtado - so glad you finally got to exchange - I know it was a long road for you!

Eee3

robin, so glad you are done. Hope you are not too sore!

foreverchanged

My PS made me wear the abdominal binder from the hospital for 4 weeks after fat grafting which was uncomfortable! When I asked about spanx instead, told me no because they weren't tight enough! You should be feeling better soon Patricia!

robinblessed54

Philly, hope your Mohs went well! I ended up with 10 stitches. Today it is sore but not bad. I also went tothe PS office and had consultation with PA for 3 D nipples. So excited! also had to have cortisone shot in trigger finger caused by Arimidex and Aromisi