Exchange City

DeeRatz

32 more sleeps until I am free from these things. That is my Christmas. I will becounting down like my kids used to for Christmas.

Leslienva

PCH, I'm also post-exchange and my underarms are a little better than when I had the TEs but not by much. I've heard this complaint from other women as well.

Mominator

Moonflwr/Monica: I'm sorry about your side boobage. I have some extra skin under the breasts. I think PS left it because he thought I would want to go bigger. He may tweak that skin now, or wait and see how things are after this surgery. I really don't want to have another surgery after this.

Mysunshine: thanks

MinusTwo: I will also have Allergan 410 anatomicals.

DeeRatz: yes, it hurts when I have the shivers. Only 8 more sleeps for me.

Leslienva: the underarms are a big concern for me. I am a flutist. I told PS that I want the implants not to stick into my armpits like the TEs, and I need full ROM when done.

bikefam

DeeRatz, I too am annoyed when I shiver. Glad I'm not the only one. This was true when I had the TE and even now, 5 weeks post exchange. Now it feels like my implants are moving around when I shiver. Hopefully that will go away.

robinblessed54

Mominator, I don't shiver much in So Cal but sometimes when I get cold, I feel a phantom sensation like when your nipples stand up when you are cold. So weird! I never had the arm pit problem with TE's or my implants. My implants, Allergan 410 anatomicals, are in the same place my TE's were. They don't move much either.

Robin

pch

Thanks everyone. Tried playing pool the other night (for the first time in years) and could barely hit a shot the TEs were so far into my armpits. Try explaining that when you sink the cue ball. Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I get my (hopefully) last fill tomorrow and exchange a month from today. Looking forward to the squishy side and sleeping on my side and the brighter side in general. (And yes, I get the weird cold phantom nipple thing too. Glad to know I'm not alone. But really?)

Leslienva

For anyone looking for bra recommendations, I just tried the Jockey brand crop top bra. It's cotton, has removable padding and it's very comfortable. The regular type bras aren't comfortable for me now.

kingster

Leslienva, where did you get that bra?

katykids

kingster I have seen them at Target. And I also tried them on at the Jockey outlet. Great price there. Amazon too, if you do that. They were a little tight for me right now to get into. (I am still regaining ROM.) I like Yummie bras the Audrey day bra and Mallory racerback. She usually runs good specials. There was a groupon but I missed it.

mysunshine48

I love Cobbie bras and they are having an online sale. Buy 2, get 2, and they are not expensive. Great colors and even polka dots! Goggle Cobbie Bras.

LoriWNY

On the subject of bras, I found the No Boundaries Seamless Cami Bra sold at Walmart to be very comfortable and inexpensive (under $5!). They have removable foam pads and they worked very for me when I had my TE's and even now that I have exchanged to implants! See this link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/No-Boundaries-Seamless-Cami-Bra/39212538.

BethL

Lori-I already one of these and bought 2 more today. Love them! My fills are just starting next week and I think they'll be perfect during the process, and at $5...can't go wrong!

Leslienva

Kingster, I bought it at Macy's.

Mominator

Looks like I'm first up this month for exchange. Only 4 more sleeps until my exchange on Monday, January 18.

I am sooooooooooo looking forward to getting rid of these TE's. Every morning I am "greeted" by muscle spasms, especially on the left side. The spasms were painful enough to take my breath away for two weeks after the fill.

Funny how I'm not really preparing that much for this surgery. Considering that I already had a neurosurgery in March and the BMx/TErecon/BSO in November (and a debridement), this same-day "procedure" should be a piece of cake, right?

Everyone at the PS's office kept referring to the exchange surgery as a "procedure." Will that make it less scary than a surgery? It still involves anesthesia, which constitutes surgery in my book.

PNY

Mominator; I hope its a piece of cake!!!!

I go in for my exchange the next week. 01/26. I am not in pain just find these hard rocks uncomfortable. Hard to sleep at night. Every time I want to turn to the other side its a production. The worst is trying to get up after bending down to get something. I feel like I am hauling a ton of brincks!!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! Hope the "procedure" and recovery go smoothly.

bikefam

I posted on Dec 13 that I was unhappy because after my exchange on Dec 8, my two sides were different heights, so much so that it was obvious in clothes.I had a 350 cc Mentor smooth round high profile implant in my mastectomy size and 100 cc Mentor smooth round moderate plus profile implant in my non-mastectomy size to lift it up to the other side.When I looked at myself just a few days after surgery, I could see that the mastectomy side was a lot higher than the other.I realize they have to drop and fluff, but I was concerned because mine had to drop a long ways and until then, I would have to keep my top covered up.

Yesterday, I saw the surgeon for my 5 week checkup.He was shocked that the two sides looked so different and he said he would not have let me out of the OR looking like that.At first he couldn't figure out what had happened, but after closer examination, figured out that the non-cancer side, with the 100 cc implant, dropped right away and the mastectomy side, with the 350 cc implant has not dropped at all.He says he's never seen that before.He wants me to wait 6 months to see if the other side drops as well.If not, he'll go into the non-cancer side and lift it up again.I had been so discouraged because I couldn't believe everyone came out of the exchange looking like me.At least I know now that it's not normal and I won't have to live with it the rest of my life.

Has anyone experienced anything like this, or am I the only one?How long does it usually take for an implant to start dropping?Does it drop all at once or a little at a time?Evidently, my good side dropped all at once before I even had a chance to see it.

The good news is that all my restrictions are lifted and I can go back to running, swimming, snowshoeing after five months off! Yea!

Angela2015

Hi

I had a doble mastectomy and they put TE. I'll have my surgery on January 22, 2016. I need help trying to decide what's best for me: smooth or textured silicone implants. My right breast encapsulated with the TE, so I would like to get some opinions/advise.

Thanks

Mominator

Welcome Angela,

This is a great place to ask questions. Some PS prefer textured silicone because it adheres to the chest wall. For anatomical implants, textured helps prevent rotation of the implant, which is important because anatomicals are not symmetrical.

I see that you were also over at Breast Implant Sizing 101. Be sure to check out the introductory post on that Forum, lots of information there.

robinblessed54

Angela, I have the textured Allergan annatomicals gummies. I didn't want to be bigger than I was and wanted a natural look. I am very happy with them. You need a very experienced PS for these. They are more firm and don't move as much as smooth rounds. But I think they have a natural feel.

Robin

MsVeryDenseBreasts

Angela, what is your PS recommending? If you are having the exchange on 1/22 I'm guessing you already had your pre-op appointment which is when the PS rechecks your measurements and does the order sheet for the implants. Is he/she going to try more than one size or type on you? I struggled with being able to envision the end result and worried about it. As it happens, both my BS & PS immediately had (the same) opinion as to what would look best on me when they saw my torso shape etc. I went with their recommendation since I figured they see a lot more of this than I do I'm very happy. I went with textured anatomicals and I think they look so much more natural on me than the TEs did, I did some searching on RealSelf for pics of people with a similar build to mine to get an idea of what it would look like. That was helpful. Good luck.

Leslienva

Has anyone had laser done on their mastectomy scar? My right side scar still looks bad, even after using silicone scar treatment.

Mominator

I finally did some preparation for Monday's exchange surgery: I stocked up on non-perishables, especially heavy items, and I have been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing and paperwork. For the BMx, I knew that I'd be in the hospital for 2 nights and unable to drive for 2 weeks, so I had to arrange for transportation and meals for the children during that time. At least this time I don't have to arrange for transportation and meals for the children since it's same-day surgery, on a holiday from school! Plus, hubby now works from home, so there's less pressure about transportation.

I got two pre-op calls from the surgery center today. The first was from the anesthesiologist to re-check medical, especially surgical, history. The second was from the nurse to re-check all my medical history (yep again), pre-op instructions, medication check, and so on.

I think they forgot about me, as there is a list of meds that should have been e-scripted already: hibiclens, Zofran, scopolamine patch, and Keflex. At least we caught that in time, and the scripts have been sent to the pharmacy. I have all weekend to pick them up.

Yes, I will repeat: I am sooooooooooo looking forward to getting rid of these TE's.

Tina1969

Good luck to you Mominator. I'm envious. My exchange surgery has not been scheduled yet. I'm having my last fill on Tuesday. Keep us

mysunshine48

Mominator, I bet you won't even need those meds! I never even took a Tylenol after my exchange! Sometimes meds make you feel worse and the Zofran causes constipation. You will do fine!

PMR53

Mominator-so happy for you! Hope everything goes well. It sounds like you are ready!  I wait until April to get these darn TEs that go under my arm pit out. Let us know how everything goes. 🙏

Patty

Suzanne50

Hello ladies - I am counting down the days till I get my surgery date. I got back to my PS on 1/28. My radiation site looks great so I am sure he will say we can move forward. I can't wait to get rid of my TE - it is like a brick.

From what I read, I can expect to miss a few days of work? No drains, right? I hope not. They were a drag.

Leslienva

Suzanne50, I had a drain on my radiated side. I took over a week off work.

Mominator

I'll be heading to the surgery center in 10 hours. I am ready. I made a double batch of vegetarian chili and also some roasted veggies.

robinblessed: I think my TEs are too big.

PNY: thanks

Tina1969: congrats on the last fill!! My PS schedules exchanges 2 weeks to a month out from last fill.

mysunshine: thanks. I'm hoping to use as little medication as possible

PMR: thanks. April will come soon.

Suzanne50, most PS's don't use drains on the exchange. However, my PS uses drains on anatomicals. He said any fluid buildup could to lead to rotation. I suspect this time my drains won't be in as long as they were for the BMx (13 days for me). My exchange is tomorrow, I'll keep you posted on the drains.

robinblessed54

Tina1969,

My PS waitrd 3 months after last fill to make sure the skin and pocket are stretched to take the implant. I was filled to 420cc and he used a 475cc gummy. They are perfect! I know how hard and annoying the TEs are, but don't rush the process. You don't want to have a revision if st all possible.

PMR53

Mominator- good luck and know we are in your pocket!! So happy for you!! My PS waits 3 months from last fill. He uses drains for same reason. Too much fluid can cause rotation. Please let us know how it goes!

Patty