Exchange City

kerry32

Just before going into my TE surgery as my PS marked me up he said for fat grafting how about i take a little from your stomach - you know the muffin top area?  I thought I was going to kiss him - he was cracking up at how excited i was.  Of course it's not a tummy tuck but hey a little less will help - anyone have that and notice a difference when all the swelling was done?

Anonymous

I secretly hoped for a little fat grafting :-) ...my PS never mentioned it and I am thinking because my results are "so far so good", it's a no-go...although I am grateful for loving my result from exchange,  these foobs sure would look great without the 'baby pooch'!   ...back to the darn south beach diet I go...

hopefulhealing

beacher yes I had vicodin. It is manageable because you know it is not forever. Kind of like all this mess with reconstruction right......... sooner or later we will be done with it.  I really don't regret it at all. It makes a huge difference. Look on line at pictures at different PS web sites.  I am glad I did it. You do have a scar from hip to hip but it does fade some and it is low so can't see it in underwear. Keep us posted as to your decision

MBJ

Kerry:  My stomach was really weirdly swollen after lipo--like I had two empty pouches.  I wore spanks to keep it flat and it is fairly flat, though my PS needs to take a bit more as I seem to have a lumpy are on one side.  When you look at me from the left my tummy looks flat but from the right it looks the same as before lipo.  Be sure to wear a girdle, spanks, tummy control something.  Mine is lumpy but from not enough being taken, but you can also get lumps from where things settle.

MBJ

Warrier:  I love my new breasts!  Before BC, I appreciated my small, petite size but it was hell finding clothes to fit on top because of my wide rib cage.  Now I am more proportioned and everything fits better.  Also, I used to like how I looked naked but now I love how I look!  I am lucky my scars are fading quickly, too.

joan888

When my PS came in to mark me up just prior to exchange surgery, he mentioned again that he may have to take some fat from my belly for contour.  I was so hoping that it would be necessary.  When I started to come out of anesthesia, the first place I reached for was my belly.  Darn it!  Was so disappointed to find all that fat still there!  Is it wrong to hope that I may need a little revision and relocate some fat yet?  BTW, are the revision surgeries done under general anesthesia in OR again?  Or more of an office procedure?  I see my PS on Monday for my first follow-up so I am lining up my questions. 

MBJ

Joan:  All of my first fat grafting dissappeared, so it is actually better to wait to see if there is a step off a few months down the road, then they can actually use it.  It usually takes a couple of tries.

As for your question about general anesthesia:  If it is on the surface of the skin only, not anything interior, you do not need to go under general.  I had something called "twilight" anesthesia, something similar to what they use when you have your wisdom teeth pulled out.  It was great:  no groggyness or nausea afterwards.  No brain dead side effects.  I did, however, have to ask for this as they were planning to put me under general!

Lilah

MBJ -- you had twilight for which surgery? 

MBJ

Lilah:  For my nipple/areola and lipo/fat grafting surgery.

Lilah

Thanks   That is what I want... and glad to know that even with a graft you can get it! 

MBJ

Lilah:  I had to fight for no general and they were standing by just in case, but I really didn't want to deal with it!

joan888

so, this  was in OR or doctor's clinic?  I really don't like the idea of another OR procedure, but whatever.  I don't even know if I have to do any revisions yet and probably won't for a while.

MBJ

Joan:  This was done in the OR at the smaller division of the hospital.  They only do major surgeries (like my MX and exchange) at the main hospital.  My PS doesn't have an office or his own clinic.  Everytime I see him he is borrowing someone elses office.

soccermomofthree

Hello ladies does anyone have any tips on getting the mx and exchange scar to fade a bit faster?

Any creams etc that actually work?

MBJ

soccermomofthree: There is a scar thread here that's great.  I used 2% Lugols Iodine after everything was completely healed and no longer sore which really flattened them and also NewGel silicone strips that are re-useable.  If you look at my pics on line my scars are now barely visable. 

soccermomofthree

MBJ thank you so much!  I will try to find that thread.  Is either of your recommendations prescriptions or over the counter?

deekaay

News on my end--I think I am going to go ahead and keep my appt. in two weeks for fat grafting.  I was going to cancel, but talked to PS's nurse who said I can have twilight anethesia which iis a big plus, like MBJ said.  I was hesitant to do another round of fat grafting since I have a lump that formed from previous fat grafting-kind of unnerving.  However, the nurse said the PS would just suck that out and replace it with new fat.  Hmmm...

I am still pondering it but I think I am going to go ahead since I would like the fat grafting to take care of ripples, hopefully.  Also, they can trim one of my nips which is a little bigger than its mate.  Finally, I'm going to call next week and see if I need a scar revision to take care of this ongoing soreness/redness.  Don't know what they'll say about that and whether it could be done under twilight.

soccermomofthree

MBJ...I can't find the scar thread.  I wish there was a search engine lol.

MBJ

soccermom:  Skin S.O.S. - Scar Remedies should be under reconstruction threads.  I purchased both of these on line and no prescription needed!  Good luck.

Deekaay:  I am betting they can do everything without doing general.  They were standing by in case I needed general, but I didn't.  I really had to push for it the day of surgery.  I am so excited for you!

MarieK

Beacher I looked into a tummy tuck but it was just too much money!  My PS quoted me $16, 000 and that was at the time of the reconstruction.

Lilah

soccermom -- there IS a search engine ... top right hand corner of this (or any) page... and you can search by keyword, by member's user name, or both.

Deekay -- I say go for it!  Sorry the scar is still sore... there ought to be something that can be done after so many months.

annettek

HI all- doc appt went great yesterday- he was really happy with how everything is taking shape and starting to soften and drop- he had me buy the silicone sheets for the scars- they have them at Walgreens for 19.00 - 2 moth supply and you can trim them down to fit the scar. I asked about massage and he said no way- just has me do that little excercise a few times a day- put my arms out in front of me and then slowly lift them over my head- it is so odd- I finally did it right and it completely loosens the pec-anyway I actually feel good.

I was surprised that he said forget the mederma ( a great scare healer-my oldest son was in a horrific boke accident a few years ago with a compound fracture on his leg that involved muscle and skin grafts- after the surgery it looked like a pile of hamburger on his leg- the mederma was applied religously and I swear to god- it just looks like a faint burn now. BUT the PS said while that is a great product- these silicone sheets have given him the best results as they also flatten out the scars as well- the only thing is the incision must be completely healed before using them.

I am curious as to how they will work since I have olive skin and scar easily- since I have pictorial journal it will be easy to monitor if they work.

P.s. he loved the danskin sports bra and is going to recoomend it to patients- could not believe it was 10 bucks- said it molded the breasts perfectly in shape.

Have a good one

kerry32

Joan888 - I felt like saying to the PS when he marked me and said he'd just need a little fat for grafting - - then just dump the rest in a bucket and pitch it!!  I mean isn't that a good idea?

kdhawk

I had my pre-exchange PS vist yesterday and he is going to use style 45 800cc implants on me. Up until then I was fully expecting the style 20's but he thinks I will be disappointed in the projection. He made the comment that I came in with a "proud" chest and he wants me to end up with a "proud" chest. I guess I know what he means..LOL!  May 5th can't come soon enough for me...I can't wait!

Kelly

annettek

so excited for you Kelly!!!!!! you're getting some nice easter EGGS:)

MBJ

Kerry:  I finally convinced my PS to take much more then last time--I told him he could put some in my face but take it out of my belly, please!

ProudMom_Wife

Hi can I join?  

I will be having my last chemo this Wed., 4/13, then my exchange surgery on 4/25.  Soon after that I will start radiation of my supraclavical and axilla lymph nodes, no chest wall.  

I feel like stuff is moving fast.  Originally the exchange was going to be 6 months after rads, but my the fold of one of my TEs started to push out of the incision.  So my PS had to deflate me a little and basically said he needed to remove them ASAP, but said if nothing changed he would wait until I was done with chemo.  That was over a month ago.  So it looks like the April 25th exchange date will be it.

Both the PS and RO said that the radiation should not effect the new saline implants since I am not radiating my chest wall, but I would like some feed back from this knowledgeable group.  Do you think the implant will be OK?  Are there certain percautions I should take?

Thank you. 

MBJ

ProudMom:  You have come to a great place to get information and though I am not the expert (Whippetmom is), I have a couple of things I think it's important to know.  Most of us end up getting silicone implants rather then saline as they have better looking results then saline (less ripples from thin skin, especially with radiated tissue).  The newer silicone implants are not like the ones from the past--the outer shell is much thicker to prevent leakage and it seems when it comes to recon, many who have had exchanges to saline end up having to go back in and use silicone.  This is just an observation.  Also, there seems to be great success with using fat grafting in combination with implants to avoid capsular contraction (excessive build up of scar tissue and rejection of the implant).  I would also check out the Breast Implant Sizing 101 thread.  Whippetmom is the expert here and her many, many years of research has provided so much help for those of us getting implants.  Best of luck, PM mykidsmom with your surgery date and again, welcome to the group!

joan888

kerry32.... Yeah....great idea.  In the seriousness of the moment, I wish I'd thought of that.  I will be seeing my PS on Monday and suppose it is too early to know if I will a second chance!

beacher4209

   Mariek,Crazy!        oh wow thats way too much!