Exchange City

robinblessed54

Congrats on the EX date! I took two weeks for EX and it was perfect. I also have a desk job. I had to wear my surgical bra and ace bandage for a week. I have anatomicals so they require that you hold them tight so they can adhere to the chest wall and skin. I was then told to wear a sports bra 24/7 for 6 weeks. I still wear one most of the time. I got my tattoos a week ago. They are healing nicely and are so cool to see nips in the mirror. I was filled to 420 and my implants are 475CC Allergan 410 FF. Let us know how you do. Robin

hummingbirdlover

Thanks, Robin and congratulations on being done!! I assume you opted out of nipple reconstruction too? I figured I really didn't want ANOTHER surgery and without nipples, I may be able to not wear a bra.

Minustwo, I read your dx paragraph. I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of our worst fears. I hope you are doing well.

loriekg

I've got my surgery date! 9/16 Yay?

Robinblessed54…yes I would love to see a pic of how yours turned out! I did not get another fill yesterday so right now I'm at 360cc's. I told PS I was most happy at 300cc and wanted to look like that with the implants. And I told him how I wanted FIRM. He suggested going with textured over smooth for more firmness.

But then he said he'd be using at least a 500cc implant, maybe higher. I clarified that I wanted my end result to look like how I was at 300cc (twice). I had consulted with Whippetmom and she said I'd do well with 400cc. I'm worried I don't want to be too big! Plus how do you tell your plastic surgeon, who's on the Top Doctor's List in Dallas, "well…this lady on my breast cancer message boards said…." You know what I mean?? I wonder how much of a difference 100cc's is anyways?

--Lorie

Scottiemom11

hummingbird. . .I had pocket work and a bit of lipo on both sides so I'm out for three weeks (half way through). To be honest, I'm still exhausted from the surgery and hoping I'll have my energy back by the 17th when I go back to work. I have a research mostly desk job; however, my PS put me on absolute restriction of no lifting anything for 6 weeks. You're conference sounds like a major challenge which you should talk to your PS about. Can you take more time if necessary?

As for the implant, going from 320 to 400 cc sounds like a stretch. Did your PS say that was possible? I was 250 cc going in and PS did not think she could get a bigger one in because I have very tight pecks. I did come out with 300 cc high profile mentors which look great; however, the muscle pain was intense from the EX surgery, partly because of the larger implants. It's getting better but only because I am on muscle relaxers as well.

Congrats on getting your date set and you will be happy to not have the coconut bra (I call it the iron bra). I will also probably do the tattoos. No more surgery for me and once I heal going braless is so liberating.

loriekg. . .at 250cc with TEs I was already bigger than pre-BMx but my sports bras still fit. With the 300cc implants, which do look good, they are all now too tight. As several mentioned, I was happy with the shape of my TEs. The implants are fuller all around, particularly on the top. My PS was originally disappointed that I did not want to expand the TEs more because I had "good skin." I had to be firm with her and let her know what I wanted. Best wishes.

Robin will have to look for the Pink brand light sports bra. Have not heard of that one. I was looking at tons on Amazon last night and have trouble figuring out sizing. I think I'm a full C.

Scottie

hummingbirdlover

Thanks, Scotttie. My skin is not great (I don't have a lot of space in there) and I had a hard time with the fills and had to back it down to 30 ccs each time. I have to be honest in that I researched and did so much reading before my BMX and when it came to the delayed reconstruction thing, I didn't ask a lot of questions and just trusted my PS. She has been awesome and I'm really happy with the way everything has turned out so far. I will be having a little bit of pocket work (she said) because the TEs are not even. I am NOT looking forward to that over-filled pain again if I do end up with bigger implants. Those days after fills were a total drag for me...thank goodness for muscle relaxers. I will just tell work that I'll be on a "we'll see" basis and I know they'll be fine with that. It makes me mad that I have to use my vacation time for this but it's better than time off without pay.

Welcome Lorie, congrats on having your date set. Doesn't it just make you feel awesome?!

Have a great afternoon everyone.

SummerAngel

I'm at 375 on the left and 340 on the right and my PS is going bigger for my exchange. I asked him about it and he said he used to go bigger on the TEs than the implants but found that he has better results the other way. I trust him, he's done a ton of these and has great results.

I have a desk job and I work from home full-time and I'm taking a week and a day (surgery is on a Friday). I feel like that will be plenty (barring complications, of course), even though my PS is doing fat grafting at the same time. Depending on how quickly a person tends to heal I think it varies a lot how much time you will need.

Scottiemom11

hummingbird. . .I hear you on the vacation time. I had a lot of sick and vacay time saved before diagnosis. We were planning a cool trip for last Christmas, then the big "C" hit. I will be 1.5 years without a real vacation by the time I'm done, but as you say it's paid leave. HUGS to you.

Scottie

robinblessed54

Loriekg, You tell him under no uncertain terms that you do not want to go over a certain size. There are a lot of ladies on this board that have gone too big because the PS told them blah, blah, blah and they ended up having a revision to a smaller size. It is your body, not his. You have to live with it. My PS said, "don't you want to go bigger?" NO!! I told him I wanted to be as close to my normal size as possible. He did a beautiful job and did as I asked. I am very happy. Don't worry about what they think, express your concerns and wishes and make him accountable to you. God bless, and best wishes for a great result. You will do fine! I will send you a PM with pics.

Robin

wildmountains

Hello ladies, so glad to be on the "squishy side "

I am about a week a few days out from EX and I am feeling good. I too got very used to my TE's since had all of my fills done within a month between BMX and chemo starting. They of course were uncomfortable rocks in my chest but I just got used to them and of course their projection.

My EX went well, PS decided not to do FG/lipo and just wait to see how things settle. My rt side does seems to sit higher but he did do extra pocket work so it could be do to the swelling not sure. Overall they look good size. Although I am 5'8 150lb my chest seems to disappear with my broad shoulders and wide chest. I was a very full 38C before I honestly do not know my size now. But PS did manage to fit 800 cc Mentor HP on each side. They do not look crazy large at all. Only did pain meds for a few days then only extra strength Tylenol since then. Been in surgical bra after 48 hours and looking forward to my 2 week post op coming and seeing how the new girls will look once settled more.

I did lots of working out, started running again and getting more fit. I am little restless or I guess grumpy too that I have to wait a good number of more weeks to be active again. Right now only light walking 1-1.5 miles a day and missing my workouts and hiking

Wishing all the ladies well with their EX and recoveries!!

cpn70

robinblessed54

cpn

Just be patient and let them heal. You will be back to normal soon. It is worth the wait. You don't want to mess anything up.

Robin

loriekg

Robin,

PS wasn't trying to talk me into going larger than I wanted. He was telling me that I would be the size I wanted to be (like where I was at 300cc's in TE—now at 360cc) with 500+ implants. I was just not expecting such a jump, plus after Whippetmom said I would be good at 400cc's, I was surprised. (Now worried.) I will have to tell him, if there's any doubt, err on the smaller side!

robinblessed54

Lorie, Whippetmom is usually right on! I don't see how you could put 500cc into 360 TEs. Just doesn't make sense!

Robin

AZ85048

robinblessed54 - It is, I can assure you, quite possible to go larger than your TE capacity during exchange. I had 450CC TEs and ended up with one 550CC implant and one 650CC implant. (Yes, two different sizes - both high profile silicone rounds - due to an uneven chest wall.} And I don't look big by any stretch of the imagination. In the end, you can only express your wishes and hope that your PS is skilled enough to give you what you wanted (sometimes by thinking ouside of the box).

robinblessed54

Very pretty. I hope Lorie gets a good outcome. 😃

Robin

Fe_Princess

Hi Trailrose, I have not seen my swiss PS yet. My US PS did have much of an answer either. The implant is slipping down so the scar appears to be moving up. The fat graph did not take either. I hope you are satisfied with the new outcome. I wear the tightest sports bra that I can tolerate and it seems to keep them in place. The implant side is a constant source of irritation and pain. Do your scars itch uncontrollably?

Badgergirl

Hummingbird -

I am a little over two weeks out, and honestly, I would feel fine going to a conference and managing the process. In my experience (and I realize that everyone is different), two weeks is fine for a recovery, so long as you don't do any lifting ;-)

Robin, I had anatomicals too, but I find it so interesting that you had an ace bandage and went to a sports bra. My PS didn't want me wearing anything except a camisole or soft bra for six weeks!

Lorie, congrats on your EX date! I wrestled to the point where I drove everyone crazy (with size, shape, etc.) before my EX...I feel your pain, and hope that as your date gets closer you find some peace in your decision.

mazy123

Hi Everyone, Have been reading your posts and have learned so much. Thank you! My exchange date is set for August 20th and I am so excited! Audrey, we are a day apart!

I had my pre op appt on Thursday. Currently filled to 550. He is planning on anatomicals, but will have inspiras in the surgery too. He is planning on doing fat grafting during surgery. He said maybe not with anatomicals, but probably with the rounds he will. I am nervous about this since my brother is getting married 3 weeks later and I don't want to be so sore and unable to move around and dance. Thoughts on that?

I am having insurance issues. I went out of network with the plastic surgeon and knew I would be paying higher deductible and would owe the plastic surgeon some money. Well, my insurance company isn't being generous. It is going to turn into a fight with the insurance company unfortunately. I am trying to keep things in perspective, but it makes me nervous. The insurance company won't pre approve exchange surgery since it is outpatient. They have a new policy not to pre approve any outpatient procedures. That seems really odd to me, but the whole insurance thing is hard for me to fully grasp.

Thanks again for posting all that you have posted. It really helps to hear your stories.

Mazy

AudreyB

Hi Mazy! Insurance is tough. I hope it gets settled for you. I stayed in network, luckily with great doctors too.

Scottiemom11

For those who are recovered from EX, can you tell me if it's normal to still have pain at not quite two weeks out?

PS did put larger implants in and did some lipo on each side to even out. Still, I thought I would be off pain meds and muscle relaxers by now and just getting my energy back. I have one more week off work.

Today a 6hr. (total round trip) in car to get 13yo from his summer vacation with cousin hurt like heck. I was just riding in car, getting out for stops and not even carrying my purse half the time. Now I'm laid up in bed paying for being up all day. I did go to the gym when we got home and walked slowly on treadmill for 40 minutes to stretch my legs and back.

Very frustrated. I see PS again on Monday and can extend leave for a 4th week but don't want to.

Scottie

trailrose

To all the Ladies that are waiting to get back to normal exercise, just be patient because you will! It's hard when we are used to being active but once you do get back to your exercise it will be all the sweeter. I am planning on getting 3 D nipple tattoos and am actually enjoying that when I finish a run or feel cold there are no hard nipples to contend with even though it feels like I have nipples!

Fe Princess- My scars don't bother me at all. I can feel the implants move around some with certain movements. I'm still massaging them every day as directed by my former PS.

AZ85048- You look great!

robinblessed54

Trailrose, you will love having the 3D nipples! And I too love no nipple projections when cold. Do you have phantom nipples when cold? I do and it is strange.

Scottiemom, it does seem like you are having a lot of pain this far out. I went back to work at Two weeks with no problems. Sorry you are having a tough time. 😞 Make sure you tell PS everything.

Robin

Scottiemom11

Robin thanks. I am going to have a very realistic talk with PS tomorrow. I have had an unusual amount of nerve pain since BMx. Luckily Gabapentin works on nerve pain and HFs. I think it's just my makeup, not a specific surgical issue, although I have a pretty high pain tolerance at least in the past. PS did say she'll be showing me how to massage the girls and I'll be doing that for life to avoid scar tissue I think.

Scottie

macb04

I had my exchange on the L on Thursday the 6th. He put in a Mentor, moderate profile 420cc anatomical implant. When I woke up I immediately felt it was too small compared to my real right breast which I have a lift planned for in 5 in a half weeks on the 17th of September. My TE was expanded to 600cc's. Every one on this site said that they would always put implants in bigger than the TE's. I tried to tell him that I worried that the 400cc range size sounded too small. He thought I had a great cushion from fat grafting, but then he told me the day after surgery that the fat had thinned down from 4cc depth at my incision to now being only 1mm because of the pressure from the TE. I know he was trying to match my native breast. I wasn't planning on getting my real right breast reduced, only lifted. I see my PS tomorrow to take out my drain. My PS had said before that I might need a revision, but I really wanted to be done. My husband is mad I am even getting my untouched right breast lifed to create some symmetry. Originally when this nightmare started I said no to touching my right side. My thoughts on this changed over time because symmetry became more and more important. My husband doesn't understand, he says just put on bra. Not good enough for me.

ca55

Exchange Surgery 8/14

ca55

macb04 - I have not posted before, but my exchange surgery is scheduled for 8/14. I am having an implant placed on the left side, and a lift and small reduction to my right side. It was my only option without having a lat flap or DIEP procedure on the left, which I was unwilling to do. I admit I've had some anxiety over doing anything to my native breast, but realize that symmetry is important to me.

Badgergirl

Scottie -

Thinking of you today and hoping your conversation with your PS brings some resolution to your pain issues. I'm two weeks out and feel great, although I've been surprisingly obedient about following my PS's orders regarding lifting and exercise. Please update us to let us know what your PS says!

Scottiemom11

Thanks Badgergirl. . .I'm also 2 weeks out and getting up with Dh and 13yo Ds today to get him to first day of school was rough. Maybe I'm still using my arms too much. I have been on a treadmill but not lifting anything. Ds even carried my purse yesterday at church. Kinda cute. Dh thinks he's too manly, but he will carry it if I insist. Will update later today. So glad you're feeling great!

Scottie

Scottiemom11

Well. . .not a happy puppy. Two more weeks out of work instead of one, but I know when to cry uncle and PS said I still have some swelling. Just nend more time. Going to have to read more kindle books or something and I will get some physical therapy in starting next week.

Scottie

Janett2014

ca55, I know your Aug. 14 surgery will go well. It's nice to finish one more thing on the long list of procedures. And I totally get why you're having the reduction on the one side. You're right -- symmetry is important. Let us know how you're doing. Is it a day surgery or will you be spending the night?

NisaVilla

Thank you to those who answered my question last weekI I was away for 4 days and now I am totally behind my reading. Busy thread, lots of posts, it is so nice to see how everyone is so supportive and generous with their time.

Scottie - adorable purse story. Take advantage and keep reading! If looking for funny and mindless movies, I saw "Prime" (1998) with Meryl Streep yesterday and my family could hear my laughter from upstairs.

Hugs to all, Nisa