Exchange City

AudreyB

I have no cleavage with my implants. Right side - PS could not separate skin from muscle on sternum so implant couldn't be placed any closer than it is. Left - set a little more to the left, I guess for symmetry to match the placement of the right. If I squeeze them together, I get a crooked, too far to the right type of cleavage, with the right side scrunching up because of the attached muscle. Then, of course, are my scars which come right into my cleavage area.

In two weeks I am going to Nordstrom for a bra fitting. I am hoping to find a bra that can lift and separate (even though they are separated now, I want to keep them separated in a bra too). Trying for the illusion of cleavage by creating more upper pole fullness in a bra. I hope I meet a magical bra fitter who can perform a miracle on me. Funny how a bra fitting is my last hope.

marketingmama

Thanks Audrey. I see your surgery was on the 19th. Mine was the 24th. Do you think you've finished "dropping and fluffing"? I assume I haven't so sticking with sports bras. Actually the most comfortable bra I have is the one I left my exchange surgery in (though it's a bit high so v-necks aren't possible). Not pretty to look at but does the job! My incisions are under the fold (and I also have lollipop scars from a prior reduction/lift (which is how I was diagnosed). They get better. Really takes time and patience though. I'm planning to head to Nordstroms as well for a fitting but I can't wear underwires for 3 months because of my scar placement so it'll be a while. On a side note, do you know if it's true that some insurance companies cover bras bought at Nordstroms if you've had reconstruction? Feel like I read that on a Forum at some point. Or maybe it's just wishful hoping!!

Have you considered any sort of revision for the concerns you have or does the separation of skin issue make that a nonstarter.

AudreyB

Marketingmama, my PS told me about the complication with skin and muscle as soon as I woke up in the recovery room. He said there was nothing he could do as the skin would have been too thin and not viable. I was upset at first, but when I look at my foobs in the mirror they look perfect, symmetrical, perfectly placed. I really can't complain. And I really don't want any more surgery either, unless he wants to do a scar revision in his office, then I would go for that. Its the cleavage thing that bothers me but I am just accepting it. Its muscular and skeletal, so I don't think another PS could do anything different. Not sure about the dropping and fluffing thing, they look the same today as they did the night of surgery. I can wear non-underwire bras, or no bra at all, my choice. I can wear underwire bras in two weeks. My scars are across each breast, not in the fold.

Regarding Nordstrom, yes, they do work with insurance companies so I would check with yours. I'm not going to worry about reimbursement. I'll get fitted and buy a few bras every few months and work up my new collection that way. I am currently in 38D but that's just me picking bras in Kohls and trying them on. I'll be interested to see what the fitter says. I know there's a statistic out there, not sure of the numbers, but many women wear the wrong size bra, so I'm excited to do this for myself. PS said underwire bras have to fit perfectly to be comfortable.

marketingmama

Audrey, It's great that you're settled with your foobs and are comfortable with the outcome---even if it's not absolutley perfect. I hear you on the cleavage thing!

Cool about Nordstroms. I'm definitely going to call my insurance company and find out if they're covered. Good bras are expensive and I'm looking forward to wearing ones that fit, flatter and feel comfy!!!

MinusTwo

Audrey - Don't forget that there will continue to be changes for 3 to 6 months. I made the mistake of buying too many bras after a month and they weren't what I needed or wanted after a couple of months.

mysunshine48

I had my pre op today. I asked about what some of you have mentioned about Breats being too far apart. He said, unlike regular augmentation, the muscles dictate where the implants can go. With regular implants, there is tissue to fill in the middle, but with us, the muscle is how it is.....cannot move the muscles closer together. My expsnders seem OK, so will have to wait and see. I am expanded to 590 cc's and he is going to take Inspira 650 and 700 into surgery. He does not like to overfill so pockets are not too big. He said 590 is plenty. Two weeks from Friday. I am ready to get these expanders out, but am scared. I am not a fan of surgery!

AudreyB

yay mysunshine!!!!!! You'll do great. And thank you for the info your PS provided about the muscles. Makes perfect sense and matches my experience.

Minus two, I'm aiming for two bras for now. A dark and a light. I will just be wearing underwire bras for dressing up to go out and for weekends. No underwire for work. I went braless today and it's such a great feeling. Also cool if you wear something slinky, don't have to worry about back lumps and bumps.

Moonflwr912

Mysunshine, yes, reconstruction is not like augmentation. But usually results are livable. But give yourself time. They do settle in and 6 months is about right to see the realty.

Also, for all you new exchange people, remember : Just because you can, doesn't mean you should! Please take it eady, even if the surgery went well and you feel good, you are still healing. Don't rip out interior stitches!.

Much love.

AZ85048

Hello, All! Drop and fluff works something like this:

The swelling lingers much longer than you'd expect - usually for a minimum of several weeks - but can take as much as two to six months to completely resolve.

A couple of things. When going to Nordstrom's I'd suggest that you call ahead and make an appointment specifically requesting a surgical bra fitter. I waited almost four months before I felt that I was ready to make that call; and in the end, that was probably to my advantage. The fitter with whom I spoke asked me what insurance company I had, and then explained that I would need to bring a prescription for mastectomy bras from my plastic surgeon. From there, I just picked out what I liked and more importantly what fit and felt good! Nordstrom filled out all of the paperwork and submitted it to my insurance company. (As with everything else, it's all about the medical coding...)

And don't let the verbiage throw you. Any bra is considered a mastectomy bra as long as it's comfortable and supportive. And Nordstrom will sew a pocket (or pockets) into any of their bras free of charge, to make them ready for prothesis, I was allowed to pick out any color, any fabric, any brand, but stuck mostly with the Chantelles, Natoris, Freyas, and a couple of Wacoals. Once you start trying them on, it's really hard to beat those three part bras for sheer comfort and support! You girlls are in for an adventure!

Suze72

Hi Badgergirl,

Thankyou. I'm both glad and relieved that your new additions look and feel somewhat natural. I've heard some negative feedback about the gummies so it's nice to hear otherwise. I've just had my final fill and am using Palmer's Cocoa Butter twice daily. So far so good.

I'm sorry to hear that your FG didn't take. Do you plan to try again? My PS says she'll be doing FG at my exchange. Any idea why yours didn't stick around? I've been reading about angiogenic foods to encourage the fat to stay. There's so much info on the internet though, one has a hard time soughting out the wheat from the chaff ;-)

hummingbirdlover

AZ, thanks for posting that graphic, it explains a lot. I'm two weeks out from ex today and feel really good. I'm having to seriously force myself not to do too much. I go back to work on Monday where the real test of taking it easy begins. I'm still in post surgery bra 24/7 so I haven't spent much time looking at my implants. I do know the right side seems lower but maybe that will change. PS said we'd wait and see and talk about revisions but I'm OVER surgeries at the moment and not really interested in revisions. I'm opting out of nipple reconstruction but am doing tattoos. I'm tired. It has been a long year. I don't mean to whine, I'm grateful to be where I'm at.

Good luck to those facing surgery. It's scary every time!

Elizabethaw

Hi Suze72! I'm scheduled for FG on Sept. 30th (previously Sept 11th, but they had to reschedule). I've been driving myself absolutely crazy trying to find the magic solution to prevent fat absorption! So far everyone agrees that no one knows. My PS said it's just completely unpredictable. I have not seen a single published study about how patient lifestyle/choices/post-op behavior affects fat retention. I wonder if lying totally still and eating nothing but saturated fat would help--or would it just stimulate a new cancer!

There is a fat grafting thread here:

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

Good luck at your exchange!

Suze72

Hi Elizabethaw,

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed!

Wishing you all the best on the 40th!

Suzette 👍😆xo

Lkscolo

Been reading all the recent posts. Please add me to the exchange list- sept 24 is the day! Getting nervous and anxious again. Had a hard time sleeping last night due to uncomfortable expanders and realized in 13 days they will be gone and maybe sleep will be more successful! You're all my heroes!

Badgergirl

Hi Suze!

No idea why the FG didn't take, but I will say that there was hardly any fat for the PS to use in the first place. He really had to struggle to find any, which, mind you, is not the worst problem for me to have ;-)

And no...I'm done with surgery. They work great for this 40 year old - I don't need perfect, I just need cancer free!

ThinkingPositive

it's been four months since exchange and reconstruction and they still feel weird. I feel them all the time. Wish I did not do the lift and reduction on the good side. The implant is postioned on the side and is hard and ps says there is scar tissue as well. Do they ever feel somewhat normal.

mysunshine48

Question about expsnders before exchange. I have 13 days until exchange surgery and have had these in for 5 months. Did your expsnders bother you? Mine are pushing so hard on my rib cage it has caused inflamation (shown on a chest CT scan). They hurt where they are attached (I guess) under my arm. My back hurts. Is this normal? When I had my pre op appointment with PS, he said all sorts of things happen.i sure hope exchage will bring relief.

trailrose

mysunshine48- I, too had back pain from the TE's which went away after the exchange surgery. You should experience relief from it.

AZ85048

ThinkingPositive - It honestly took about a year before I got to the place where I realized that I (finally) wasn't aware of them every minute of every day. You'll get there, too - it just takes some time.

Nocalmom

sunshine: The rock on my chest wall pain was constant and bad enough that I never got completely off narcotic pain meds the 2 1/2 months between my mx and ex. Cant imagine 5 months of it. The implant is so much more comfortable; the relief is pretty immediate. I didn't have back pain, but can believe it's not unusual. TEs are a bear!

mysunshine48

Thanks for replying. I am sooooo uncomfortable. I don't like surgery, but sure want these out!

Scottiemom11

mysunshine. . .I went almost 8 months between BMx and EX. The TEs, while positioned totally in front, felt like an iron bra most of the time. Sometimes I had to just distract myself from that feeling. My implants are so much better most of the time. I'm having twice weekly PT because my pecks are sooo tight that I still have nerve pain. I'm also now doing daily self massage to avoid scar tissue forming. It takes time after exchange for the implants and your muscles to settle in. I still have swelling at almost 7 weeks post EX. Everyone if different though. Some feel instant relief after exchange and I certainly felt the iron bra gone.

Scottie

mysunshine48

How was the surgery? Up and around the day after? Is physical therapy covered by insurance?

Scottiemom11

mysunshine. . .EX was day surgery, although PS left it open for admission if needed. Surgery was at 7:30 and I went home around 3pm. I was mostly in bed rest with my tablet for first two weeks. Everyone is different. I've had excess nerve pain from tight pecks and maybe from the lipo she did each side. My leave was supposed to be 3 weeks and was extended to 4 b/c of nerve pain. I know some are out and about at two weeks post EX.

I was restricted to no lifting for 6 weeks. I'm almost 7 now and will start back with 2 lb weights at gym tomorrow. PT is wonderful. I have exercises for home in between, he's doing massage and muscle stim (that's for L4/L5 lower back issue from old injury, got referrals from both PS and ortho). My PT is focusing on ROM as that along with tight pecks are my problems. Ironically, since I met OOP in April do to onco treatments, both surgery and all my PT for rest of the year is/was free. Insurance covers but before OOP I would have paid $25 co-pay per visit so $50 each week. It all adds up. I'm going as much as possible through December.

Get a good referral. I specifically asked my Chiro for someone with experience in both BMX/EX recovery and lower back disk issue. My PT is great and fun to work with. Also local and I can go after work.

Scottie

Eee3

hi everyone. I had my exchange last week and I am having some rippling on one side already. Any chance this will go away on its own?

Moderators

Hi All, and thanks to those who have already posted!

We would really like to put together a slide show showing all your faces to show the amazing diversity of our community, reaching around the world. Please share with us here https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/135/topic..., or PM us. We may also present this at our annual fundraiser in October.

Photo (best quality possible)

Where you live

Diagnosis

Your Age

Quote about how the community/BCO has helped you.

Thanks for being a part of our community!

Rebecca54

Question to the group re: fat grafting. I will have some done when the do the exchange surgery on 10/7. I was thinking about having the fat taken from my love handles but now am thinking that I will then have no comfortable side to lie on, my front will hurt from exchange and back/sides from fat grafting. So now I'm thinking to have them take from stomach. (so many places to choose from!). Am I thinking about this correctly?

Mysunshine....good luck! I wish I was on your schedule! Hate these TEs too!

Peace!

mysunshine48

Anyone's back hurt with TE's? I have had them in for 5 months, but my back has really started hurting the past few weeks. If I lay down for an hour, it goes away.......until next time. Ugggg I SURE hope this pain and agony goes away after exchange

Lkscolo

Yes! My back hurts a lot too. It was bad before mastectomy too but sleeping all crazy I think has made it worse. Going to see my orthopedic doc this week. Hoping for some relief. Hate taking all the pain meds before my exchange next week!

Nocalmom

E3: I'm sorry to say my ripples haven't changed much since my EX on 8/24. I'm waiting until my 6 week f/u with PS to address it. I am not happy with this result, but am so done with surgery and recovery.

I'll share this too because I'm curious if other women who had to have MX because of DCIS feel the same. UMX was my only viable option as I was small breasted and the DCIS was everywhere. The one and ONLY bright spot throughout this experience was that I was going to end up with good looking boobs. Didn't happen. That's what drives me. I'm disappointed and feel misled.

Please let me know what your PS says and I"ll do the same. There's some good info on the sizing 101 thread about this too.