Exchange City

pinkribbongirl

Hannahbearsmom

I know what ou mean...I'm trying to peek under all of the gauze and ace wraps, but not having much luck seeing anything!!!  They do feel nice and squishy:)  for some reason after surgery my one side of my jaw hurts...I can barely open my mouth to chew.  This pain is far worse than the exchange surgery!!!  Thanks again for all of the prayers and well wishes, you all are incredible gals!!!

Katey

Ouch Pinkribbongirl!  You must have been clenching down with your jaw.  I came out with a wicked sore throat, still have bit of phlebitis in foot from september surgery, anyone else with odd outcomes?

Hannahsbear and pink ribbon, hoping you will be sooo happy when you remove the bandages!

Navymom, almost there, I'm sure you're busy getting ready, do you feel a rush of adrenaline today?

and bobbi, hoping and praying for you!

musiclovermom

Hi Ladies!

Did your PS mention that they would be sitting you up during the exchange?

I was informed that I would have a breathing tube for a secure air way as they would be sitting me up to see how the implants were placed.

I had a sore throat for a few days, but not jaw pain. I didn't have any bandages to hide the new girls... Everyone is so different!

musiclovermom

NAVYMOM - Tomorrow it's your turn! Yippee Squishy!

Speedy recovery wishes for you.

Kimberly

pbebow

Whippetmom,

Hi, my name is Paula.  I had my BMX with TE's on Jan 8th and am currently going through my expansion process...  I am 5'5" and weigh 133 lbs, my rib cage is 30" (which shocked me thought it was bigger!).  My TE's are Mentor Medium Height Contoured Profile Style 6200, 450 cc's.  I was filled at time of surgery to 250 cc's, first fill after was 150 cc's (ouch!) and then second fill was 100 cc's (ouch again).  I am scheduled for 3rd fill next week, so I am currently at 500 cc's and love the size I am right now.  My PS wants to overfill me to 600-700 cc's and I think he is thinking about 450 cc implant (silicone but I don't know anything else about that yet).  I was a small, not very full B before surgery and I would like to end up a very full, large C.  When I was there last time for my fill I told him that I liked where I was but wanted to be bigger for final outcome and he told me not to get greedy and chuckled.  Not sure if he was joking or not, but I just thought I'd come to you and see what you think as far as where I need to be for a large C implant.  He always overfills for this process, he said to get the natural fold under the breast, which I think is fine, but I don't want too much of a sag and I told him that I don't want the final outcome to look like a natural sagging boob, I want it to look like I had a boob job, I want nice perky new girls!  So, if you can help me that would be great.  I have to say that I am probably one of the few that actually like the looks of my TE's, for the most part, and love how they look in clothes.  thank you so much for anything you can help with!

Paula

Lynbob

Hi Paula :waves:  Good to see you here

whippetmom

Wbuggie:  Oh my....I remember you posting that request a few pages back.  I meant to start working on it and got distracted.  A piece of lint can distract me for days!  LOL  MENOTAMOX brain.  Tampa Bay PS.....I'm on it right now!    I'll PM you!

Coolbreeze....I will answer some of your questions in a little bit...

wbuggie

Whippetmom.... thank you soooo much!!! I don't have Menotamox to blame and lint can distract me as well these day 8-}

pbebow

Hi Lyn,  fancy meeting you here!  I have been lurking here for a while now, I'm reading still back on page 349, not sure I'll ever get caught up, i think I just picked a spot in the middle somewhere but it's taking forever... I have to limit myself to one page at a time or I'd sit here all day reading!  I might just skip a few pages and move closer to the end to get caught up...  but just thought I'd throw my info out there and see where I'm at, starting to get excited and nervous about exchange!

Paula

Kristinka

Good morning, ladies. I finally found a good sleep bra by Anita!  I remembered that there is a bra shop that specializes in MX patients not 1/2 mile from my house.  I went to get fitted, and she found two Anita post-surgery/sport bras that fit perfectly and are so comfortable.  I also showed her two bras I had bought at Nordstrom, and she told me that one didn't fit me at all and that I should return it.  So, if you are still searching for that perfect bra, you might check a specialty bra shop like this.  They also know how to charge your bras to your health insurance company.  Many of us are probably covered for a few bras each year. 

About bra sizing - although I'm a 34D at dept stores, with Anita I'm a 34A or 34B - so it's important to be professionally fitted!  I realized I didn't have a clue about how to find the right bra when I was in her store yesterday... and these Anita bras were cheaper than my Nordstrom bras....

best of luck to you tomorrow, Navymom!  thanks for your words about the importance of patience, NAE.

Kristen (bra obesser)

whippetmom

Coolbreeze: You are a petite little gal - 5'3" tall...102 lbs [or do I have it reversed?] and a 28 inch ribcage and so 375 ccs or 400 ccs would work for you.  Let's not talk cup sizes...you might end up a "D" cup with 400 ccs...go look at Breast Implant Sizing 101 again...cup sizing is a misnomer and will only get you in trouble.  If you tell your PS you want to be a "C" you will likely end up a "B".  Wait until you have about 300 ccs in those expanders and let's see how things are shaping up..

NOTE: Those of us who have D plus cup sizes do not look like the D cup you would see with breast augmentation.  I cannot describe why this is, but lack of fat and breast tissue might have very much to do with the phenomenon.  I am a DD cup "bra-size" but I look like a C cup.   This is why I feel in most cases, we want to err on the larger side of the implant spectrum.

Lilah

Paula -- welcome   I tried to read all when I first started and gave up somewhere in the middle lol... I think stuff that gets said gets said over and over, so you won't miss a lot if you want to just start up at the end of the thread. 

Lilah

whippetmom

Paula:  I would say at least 500 ccs - Mentor Smooth Round High Profile.  Push for at least 500 ccs.  This would be a nice size for you.  I would not want to expand any further than 600 ccs though.  You should be getting fills every two to three weeks -  not weekly - especially if your PS is overfilling the TEs that much.

musiclovermom

Kristen - OMG - that is quite the difference in sizes! See why I hate having sales clerks help me? I have researched and researched bra fitting and want to pull the tape out of the clerks hands and teach them how to properly measure and fit a bra!

Every clerk wants to put me in a 40D or something like that because they are stuck on adding 4 inches to the measurement under the breasts. I measure 35 and wear a 36DD - there is plenty of give in the band and I do not feel a larger size in in order... I love my new Olga under-wire bras I fitted myself!

OKAY - now that I vented... So glad you got a good bra - now maybe the nightmares will stop?

pbebow

Whippetmom:  I am having fills every 3 weeks, otherwise there is no way that I could've handled a 150 cc and then 100 cc fill.  As it was I was in a lot of pain.  Thank you so much for your input, I'll write it all down and I plan on asking him a few questions when I go back on Tuesday, so I'll see what he has in mind and hope that they are the same as what you recommend.  If he only over-expands to 600 and if I could tolerate another 100 cc fill I could be done with the expansions, but not sure I can do that... might just go with 2 more at 50 cc's each.  That sounds much more doable.  I know that everyone keeps saying that it's not a race, but patience has never been one of my virtues and I really want to be able to enjoy this summer and be done with surgeries.  He assured me when we started all of this that I would be done and complete other than maybe the tattoos by my sons wedding in July, so I'm holding him to that!  He is planning on doing the nipples at the time of the exchange.  anyway, I'm babbling, thank you again!

And Lilah, thanks for the tip!

Paula

CoolBreeze

I have been filled either 3 or 4 times @ 80 cc each time, so I'm in the 300 range.  I sure wish I could remember how many fills I had but chemo-brain got me.  If I'd known how bad it would be I'd have written stuff down!

IAm I supposed to know what cup size I am/will be by expander size?  My expander looks so foreign to me that I can't relate it to cup size at all. I'm wearing a Spanx all-hosiery bra right now because that gives me the best padding options for my remaining girl.  She needs a lot of help right now to get the view her new sister does.

I suppose it doesn't matter. Yes, I am very tiny and was a full C/D cup previously.  I was always the skinny girl with the big boobs and for years people gossiped about me having a boob job.    Now I will, maybe I should go down to a B cup so that I don't have to hear it anymore .   

 My main concern is symmetry not size but having noticable breasts all my life - they certainly are a part of me and it would take a big mental adjustment to be the small boobed girl and I'd completely have to change the way I dress. 

Hood1980

Please add me to the list!  After nearly two years, I am scheduled to get my new nipple/aerola on April 6th!!!  My ps does it under local & does the tattoo first then stiches the nipple.  Sounds painful!!! 

Lilah

Coolbreeze -- just ask your PS (or the nurse) next time you visit and they will tell you how many CCs you have.  That's what medical records are for

I know what you mean about adjusting from being the big-boobed girl.  I am getting a reduction in size overall by the time I am done and while a part of me is thrilled to be smaller another part of me is a little freaked out at NOT being that girl anymore (after so long). 

Lilah

Estepp

(((((((((((((JOYCE))))))))))))) WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PAULA... I am going to "take Deborah's 500cc and raise her 50 to 100cc's"

With your stats and height... girl... 450 is gonna give you about a large B.

I am short with rib cage of about 30-32 at the time ( do not remember) and it took 500cc to get me a large C.

I would let the doctor expanded you too the 600 or so.. and put the MENTOR HP SMOOTH ROUND ( like Deb said) 500-550cc. I HATE seeing 70% of us going back to bigger... at least the number seems this high.

Peace!

pbebow

Estepp:  Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!  I would definitely rather be a little bit bigger then a little bit smaller.  I'm looking forward to seeing him next week to get an idea of what he's thinking, so that I'll know if I'm going to have to fight for bigger...  I hope not, I'm really tired of fighting, but I will if I have to.  A lot of people can't understand why I don't just stop where I am and go smaller rather than going through more pain, but I feel it's worth it and I only get one shot at this and I want to make it right!  Thanks again for your input!

Paula

FACECRAFTER

wbuggie, I am in the Tampa Bay area- Sarasota.  I'm going to Moffitt for my Treatment and would be happy to talk with you about docs..JUDY

KEW

Deborah---Haha....I've been calling it Hystamopause!!! 

Hugs--Karen 

Anonymous

Here's my scoop on Sports bras  - I've tried a bunch of them to find one that met my ps's requirements of absolutely no bounce while holding the girls in and up.  I finally found one and tried it out before my revision.  Works beautifully - no flattening of the upper pole (in fact, it's cut low enough that some cleavage shows - cooler to work out in, too), encapsulates the implants, can hook x-back or regular style, and no bouncing (with high impact aerobics) - even of the DDs....  It's the "Max Out High-Impact Underwire Sports Bra" by Bendon.  http://www.barenecessities.com/Bendon-Max-Out-High-Impact-Underwire-Sports-Bra_product_BendonSport73408_,search,.htm

Laura - believe it or not, there are underwires that don't support.  A lot of it is how the cup is structured - cups with seams tend to be more supportive  - as well as if there are support"wings" on the lateral aspects of the cups.  Does it sound like I should apply to work as a bra fitter? 

Oh....I've been wondering why some docs do nips with local or conscious sedation, so I asked my ps why he uses general for nips......he said since he drapes your face, many people get pretty claustrophic.....since that's definitely me, I say bring on the general.....

whippetmom

Laura.....You are too funny!  I'll raise you 50!  Yes...I just don't want to push the envelope for her with her tenuous, thin skin flaps and with a PS who significantly over-expands to use smaller implants.  If he would do what your PS did....implants larger than volume in the expanders - that would be a different story. 

Coolbreeze:  You have to sort of forget everything I said because I did not realize you are a unilateral.  The implant will be chosen based on achieving symmetry with the contralateral healthy breast.  It all depends on whether you are going to have a lift on the healthy breast....and so the implant will be chosen with all of these factors in mind.  It might require a larger implant....and your PS will be taking several sizes into the OR....

deekaay

Wbuggie, I also go to Moffitt Cancer Center and have had an LD flap and reconstruction.  Currently I have my TEs, lovely as they are.  I'll PM you with details.  deekaay

juliempw

I read an article about the possibility of using radiesse in the nipples to keep them projected.  Has anybody heard of this?

Paula welcome!  I am 5'5" 130 lbs and rib cage 29.  My implants are hp 475.  I've gone back and forth with weather this was a good size for me.  In the end I'm pretty happy here.  I am wearing a 32D consistently.  If I had it to do over, I might have considered going up to 525 but no more.  My TEs were filled to 600.  My pictures are posted on timtams site but they've changed a bit and I haven't been able to get the latest up so if you want the latest (I'm 7 weeks post exchange), send me a pm with your email address and I'll email pictures to you.

Val, good info.  I thought the jump test was the only way to know if it's a good fit.  :-)  My PS does general as well and I was a little heart broken when his nurse said we had to schedule with the hospital, silly me I was thinking I got to do the nipples in his office.  The thought of another hospital visit, ugh!

Julie 

Firni

Julie, my PS said he will use Radiesse to plump my nipples if they get too flat.  I thought I had mentioned that in this thread, but maybe not.  He said the Radiesse should last for years and years if we need to use it.

juliempw

Firni, Ah so he doesn't use it till they start to flatten?  I wasn't sure how that works.  You may have mentioned it before but I can't remember everything I see here nor do I always register everything I see here so thanks for repeating.

How long does it take before they decide the nipples are the projection they will most likely stay.  Are we talking weeks, months, years? Does tattooing wait until you're pretty sure they won't lose any more projection?  Judy?  I've developed this new crazy fear of having "nubbins" (Remember Chandler on Friends and his 3rd nipple). So I can see that protecting them from getting squished will be important but for how long or will they always need to be a protected commodity?  I've seen some nipples that are gorgeous after flattening out but nice nipples that you can actually um latch onto, for lack of a better description, are the one thing my DH really wants and I'll be so sad if I can't get it.

Julie 

whippetmom

Julie....You crack me up....a nipple you can latch onto?  Uh...that would be my left one.  Heck, I might need a nipple REDUCTION!

Anonymous

Good luck and best wishes to NavyMom!  Have fun in yippee squishy land!