Exchange City

AZ85048

Msmath - The implant decision is/was overwhelming for almost everyone, so please go to the BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101 thread run by our beloved whippetmom. Read the header and eiither post your information on her thread or send her a PM. She's really good about get back to you soon. Deborah has helped hundreds of us decide about implants...

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

Good luck to you!

robinblessed54

Msmath, i know what you mean about the choices. I waffled between rounds and gummies up until 2 weeks before EX. I too had to decide so my PS could order them. I too was worried about the possibility of the gummies flipping. But went with them. You do have to have a very experienced surgeon. I love them!! There is no way I can imagine them flipping. They are very solidly held in the pockets. They look very natural. I am 5 1/2 mos post EX. I didn't use Whippetmom but many ladies here have.

Robin

Scottiemom11

msmath. . .I am almost 3 weeks post EX. I have Mentor high profile round silicone and I love the shape and positioning.

Scottie

mazy123

msmath,

We are in a similar dilemma. I have my exchange surgery on Thursday. The doctor will have anatomicals and inspiras in the operating room and he will decide what looks best.

It helps to hear from both robin and Scottie that theyare happy.

It seems like each implant type has its own pros. I have read some places that it depends on body type which one works best, but I don't quite know what that means. Height, weight, length of torso???

My surgeon is doing fat grafting on Thursday which makes me more nervous than the actual exchange.

My brother is getting married on September 12th and my surgeon promises me I will be in good enough shape to be a bridesmaid. Fingers crossed.

Good luck!

Mazy

mysunshine48

Msmath, I agree, send information to Whippetmom. And, check out the new Inspira implants. My exchange will be September 25, and am pretty sure that is what I am leaning toward. Good luck! It is scary because I only want one surgery

Angie4

Hi! I'm new here and I hope I'm in the right place for some advice. Forgive me if this a tired question as I am having trouble navigating the boards as yet. I had my exchange August 8 after only a month with expanders. My PS put in Allergen silicones, 500cc's. I'm 5'8" and 126 lbs. My question is are they suppose to be this flat and wide? I hate how I look and I'm really upset.

robinblessed54

Angie, you are. Only a week out. It takes a minimum if 3 months for them to settle. Allergan anatomicals ir rounds? Mine are Allergan 410 FF 475cc anatomicals. I didn't even see mine for a week! Wrapped very tight, then sports t24/7 for 6 weeks. It did the trick! They are perfect and have a natural look and feel. I am 5 1/2 months post EX.

Robin

mjh1

angie4 - you are only a week out from your exchange, so you have a lot of drop n fluff to do (meaning, the "girls" need to settle in).  You will see a lot of changes in the next few weeks so you can't judge just yet.  The best person to ask whether the implants are the right size for you is to ask whippetmom.  She is our implant whisperer and runs the thread breast implant sizing 101.  Post your question with all the information whippetmom asks for in the header and she will be able to tell you whether the implants you have are a good fit for you. 

halee

Hi everyone!! I've missed so much.

I had my exchange on August 4. My PS tried out 650 and 600 implants and said they didn't look natural so I ended up with Mentor 550cc high profile round silicone plus 70cc of FG on the upper poles. So far I look nice but a little smaller than expected -- which appears to be a common complaint. I'll give it time. I think I'm already dropping a little. I also had a tummy tuck. All in all this recovery has been a zillion times better than the BMX. My chest felt better when I woke up from surgery than when they put me to sleep!

I have had some pec muscle soreness the last couple of days. Maybe doing too much? And I developed a nasty UTI with fever but got a shot and oral antibiotics yesterday.

As far as shows to watch, I've been watching Downton Abby. Love it!! And DH would never watch it with me so this is a good time to do that.

Msmath

Thanks for the replies. I am doing some additional research and trying to give myself a deadline of Tuesday to make the decision. I really want my surgery to be the week of September 14th so that I can heal and be ready to return to work in mid to late October. This time of year is so hard for me because I am not returning to my classroom when the students start back to school. I'm trying to focus on this upcoming surgery instead.

Mazy I hope all goes smoothly with the FG surgery and that you are ready for the wedding.

Scottiemom11

Angie. . .definitely post to whippetmom mom. I got so much info from her board that I was able to tell my PS exactly what I wanted. I had to stop fills at only 250 b/c of nerve pain and extremely tight pects. At pre-op I told her to put in the largest round high or ultra-high profile that would fit even if they were smaller in diameter and look fake. I just wanted projection. I seem to be in the minority but she got larger 300 high profile rounds in. So far no drop and fluff at 3 weeks and hope they won't. I'm quite pleased.

Scottie

Angie4

Scottie, I pm'ed her. Thanks! I'm glad you have had such good results. I'm going to try and be patient for a couple of weeks, but I just think they look terrible. Patience when I'm this emotional is not my strong suit

kingster

Angie4, try not to judge too soon. You have to give it a minimum of 4-6 months. Esp since your expanders were only in for 1 month. My ps required a full 6 months after the final fill, so mine were in for 8 months total. I

Angie4

I know. My PS was recommended by my surgical oncologist, who is considered one of the best. I should have questioned him more. Have you heard of anyone having TE's for only one month?

kingster

Angie4, try not to judge too soon. You have to give it a minimum of 4-6 months. Esp since your expanders were only in for 1 month. My ps required a full 6 months after the final fill, so mine were in for 8 months total. It takes time for the tissues to relax. Breast reconstruction is a long process and should not be rushed. I have a mastectomy boutique that I went to that helped me tremendously during my flatter days during my fills and right after exchange. I was very high and tight at first. Some ladies even look square initially. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the mirror. Try to focus on other things. I know this is so crappy having to go through this. I miss my natural self more than I ever thought that I would, but I don't miss having cancer! We are all in this together and you will fight and get through this...we have no other choice. Hang in there sister:) Just pick a ps that you can trust and let him work his/her magic.

Angie4

Thanks, kingster. I'm definitely my own worst enemy.

kingster

There is such a difference between plastic surgeons that I don't know. If the implant was able to fit, and your skin is healing well, then maybe one month was enough for you. My ps could not fill my TE at all during my bmx surgery. I had absolutely no room in my chest. My pecs were too big. I did lift weights a lot. Remember, sometimes in rare cases they can go direct to implant and skip the whole expander phase. Not in my case though. I have mentor memory gels 700 ml round high profile, 5'3" and 175-180 lbs. I believe that is the softest implant available. I am scheduled for fat grafting in 2 months, and I am 5 months post ex. My incision pulls inward on one side, and I am still a bit flatter on bottom on the other side. I have had slow steady improvement over time though. Everyone is different, and remember reconstruction is not augmentation. Breasts are being rebuilt from only skin flaps and pec muscle. It will get better!

Scottiemom11

Angie, like Kingster, I have very tight pecks so limited fills at BMx and PS required at least 3 months between final fills and EX. I postponed EX until late July due to work and family schedules. This also gave me more time in between to get back into shape. I'm now banned from weight lifting for at least another 3 weeks and guessing that will get extended b/c of my nerve pain. I start seeing a PT this week and hope that will help. Give it time, my PS told me she could not promise twins, only sisters but they are fairly close.

Scottie

Lkscolo

Hi ladies,

I have been a quiet observer for the most part. Met with my PS today to discuss exchange surgery. I honestly feel overwhelmed in all the choices and kind of just trust him to do what is best. I do worry that I will wake up not pleased but then I remember the miracle that reconstruction truly is! My last expansion was June 24 and he requires a wait of 3 months so I scheduled today for Sept 24! Can't wait to get rid of this iron coconut bra. He made the surgery sound like a piece of cake. I hope that is true! Thanks for all the advice and sharing. I love it!

trailrose

Hello Lkscolo, Welcome! Congrats on having your surgery date. And yes the exchange surgery is easier.

Badgergirl

Angie -

I'm sorry I'm so late in joining the party - but just so you know, my expanders were only in for one month. And I will say that I have the utmost confidence in my PS and surgical oncologist, so truly, I do not think that what you are feeling is because your TE's were only in for one month. Every woman has a different set of circumstances and not one solution fits all when it comes to reconstruction. I know the worst thing is waiting, but the only thing to be gained by moving too quickly is the risk of more pain and revision surgery. Let things heal, and if at the end of the 6-8 month period you are still unhappy, then go ahead and move forward...but definitely give yourself time to heal...while avoiding mirrors ;-) I do think they will drop and fluff as Mj said - but I would encourage you to chat with Deborah (Whippetmom) as she is totally awesome.

I'm so sorry the journey has been rough...I will be thinking about you!

Angie4

Badgergirl, thank you for sharing. I was feeling like the Lone Ranger. I will definitely take your advice

Badgergirl

You're definitely not the Lone Ranger...I'm right there with you ;-)

mysunshine48

Audrey, Hope all goes well tomorrow!

mazy123

Good luck today Audrey! Thinking of you and hope that everything goes smoothly and that you have an easy recovery.

Mazy

Scottiemom11

Headed to my first PT session. Let's see if I can finally see get on the road to conquering the nerve pain and get my range of motion back. I want to start lifting weights again.

Scottie

mazy123

Hope PT helps you Scottie. So sorry you have been having nerve pain and range of motion issues. I started PT about three weeks ago and it has really helped loosen up my left side which seems to always be tight. My range of motion has really improved. Good luck!

Mazy

Scottiemom11

Thanks mazy. . .New PT was awesome. I'm dealing with a lower back degenerated disk on top of BMx/ EX recovery. He says he can get me walking 10 miles by Oct 4 when Dh and I are doing local cancer walk. More importantly, he can get me back to previous weight lifting. YEAH!

As a bonus, no copay for anything for the rest of the year (met OOP months ago) so all the PT I want for rest of the year for free.

Scottie

kingster

Scottiemom, PT helped me so much. I had cording issues going over my ribs and abdomen after my TE were full. I had cold laser treatments, lymphatic massage, and lots of stretching. I still continue to stretch every day. I am back to my regular exercise classes, but really unable to do a high quality push up:) Glad to hear it's also covered! I had 2 lovely lymphedema physical therapists working with me.

ca55

Janett2014 - Thank you for the encouragement. My exchange surgery went well, and the PS did not have to do a reduction on the native breast after all - just the lift! It was going to be a small reduction anyway, but she was able to achieve the symmetry without it. The drain came out today at my follow up visit, so I'm happy about that. My surgery was outpatient. I'm glad I did this, because there was a time after my mastectomy that I thought I would never do reconstruction.