Has anyone had micro fat grafting?

MBJ

mtks:  All I know is they use a small, cylinder shaped tube like "needle" to take it out of the belly and use a similar device to put it back in.  I only have a very tiny mark from the needle on my chest and I can't see anything in my belly button area.  I know about Dr. Khouri's technique--what would the third one be? 

Anonymous

Just had my post-op with Dr Khouri and he said everything looks good. He said he doesn't need to see me unless I decide to move forward with eliminating the implants all together. Not sure I could go through this again but maybe it's like childbirth and you forget how painful it was. I hope I'm pretty swollen because I wanted to be smaller and I feel as big as I was before. He said he swapped my 375's for 225's. One thing I noticed right away is no cold breasts! They're warm again. It makes it worth it just for that

MBJ

Kate!  That is such great news!  I went down a whole cup size after the swelling when down with my standard implant recon.  I am so thrilled for you!  To have warm breasts again.  That is a huge difference in size and I am betting you are going to be really happy.  How is the pain in the recon area?

TinaT

Kate33:  Good to hear from you and glad all went well.  I think any time the body is "assaulted" there will be swelling.  I hope your final results are what you were hoping for.  Safe travels back home!

Anonymous

Kate



So thrilled for you. Wishing you safe travels home and a continued speedy recovery

Sandy105

Kate,

I am so thrilled your surgery went well! I believe the swelling will certainly go away in a short while and you will be just the perfect size! Have a safe trip home!

Hugs!  Sandy

mtks

Keep us posted Kate and again SO very HAPPY for YOU!!!!!

Anonymous

Thanks everyone.  I'm feeling better every day though I look like I've run over by a truck or something.  The bruises are starting to itch which is driving me crazy but I know it's a sign that they're healing.  The skin is still warm to the touch and my pec muscles don't seem to be contorting like they used to now that I have smaller implants.  The cleavage area looks so much better.  There is a more natural slope and it's less bony.  The only negatives so far is the back of my arms are very numb from the shoulder to the elbow.  I'm hoping that goes away with time.  I'm not sure if it's related to him doing the incisions in my arms pits instead of the original site which was under the fold of the breast.  Also, I'm still feeling pretty large but am hoping that it's just swelling.  Once that goes away, and when I probably lose some of the fat as it gets reabsorbed, I'm hoping I'll be closer to the size I told him I wanted.  I'm a little worried about how wide I look.  I guess time will tell.  Not quite ready to post photos yet but will get my DH to take some soon.  Just wanted to thank you all for your support and well wishes.  It means so much!

mtks

Kate- I have followed your journey and journal and I just want to say I admire YOU and you inspire me!! I too, have imperfections that will be improved on with fat grafting but I don't think my ps is as updated(technique) as your ps. I am hoping it takes the first time. I have such a unsightly(probably not as bad, but I feel ugly) indentation on my left cleavage area and on up the upper pole., other side it is just the shelf. But I am starting to "drop and fluff" and can see room for improvement in the cleavage area also  on the other side. I am SICKENED that we all have to go through this but at the same time I am grateful to have reconstruction. I just want my ps to want the best outcome for me!!! He feels if I look good in a bra- it's good.

YOU take care of YOU. Let your body heal. I am so proud of you and just want you to know "we all" think you are pretty amazing!!!!!  HUGS!!!

Anonymous

mtks- Your post literally brought tears to my eyes.  Thank you so much.  I think only the women on here can truly understand how hard each step of all of this is.  Just knowing there is someone out there that "gets it" makes all the difference in the world so thank you for all of your kind words.  I think all of us are just struggling to feel whole again but each step getting there takes a lot of fortitude from within.  Everyone on BCO, and you in particular, have been so wonderfully supportive and that has helped more than you could ever know.  I think my friends and family think I'm on some kind of mission for perfection.  I just feel we are all entitled to do whatever it takes to bring us as close as possible to peace within our own bodies.  And I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to look good; not look good for someone who has had a MX.   

MBJ

Kate & mtks:  I don't think it's unreasonable given the skills of surgeons today to look good in and out of a bra and also to not be in constant pain!  Kate, you are very brave and courageous and mtks, stick to your "guns" and demand the best and if your PS can't or won't give you that, there are others who do and will.  Big hugs to you both.  Thank goodness for fat grafting and these amazing new procedures--whatever it takes to feel whole again and no one can say what that is except ourselves.

sweetie2040

MTKS and MBJ- I think I look good in a bra and not as good as I like without. I agree with you MBJ that you'd think with today's advances we should be able to get both. I also feel grateful to have been able to have reconstruction. For me I think this is as good as it's going to get unless I decide to do yet another surgery. My Dr told me too look forward there may new advances in the coming years.I guess that's his way of saying this is as good as it gets for me for now.

Kate-your the brave one to have actually moved forward. I commend you because you are going to inspire so many of use dealing with our own issues. I know it wasn't easy for you to have to deal with all of this again and some new stuff, but I have no doubt that you are going to be so much happier.

Anonymous

Aaww, thanks sweetie!  It was hard but I'm glad I did it.  The funny thing is the hardest part was standing in the pre-op room while the PS drew on my body where he was going to take the fat.  I'm standing there with nothing on, there's a visiting doctor in the room (luckily a female) and Dr. K is making Sharpie marks all over me and all I could think was "how did I get to this place?"  You just lose all dignity in a situation like that.  Had to keep my eye on the prize or I would have bolted for the door.  Just sorry we all have had to endure so much and, yet, so many of us are still struggling with the aftermath of the BC storm.  I wonder if it will ever end completely.

makingway

Oh my! Kate...I can so relate to your last post...I wish you all the best! I hope to be following in your footprints soon.

mtks

Kate- I know!! You would think after having babies we would be less humiliated BUT frankly, it has all been very violating! I still cringe when it comes to pap smears.

I have not participated in the picture forum because I just can't bring myself to put pics on. Not an easy feeling. I know I am missing out on sharing and being informed but I just can't do it. I did send pics to whippetmom, her advise was to talk to another person on the board here. I am a very shy and sensitive person(wish I was more of a extrovert!!!) and it just didn't set right with me. So, I am going with the gift,the gift that every one has been given, some people call it "gut feeling, intuition" but I know it's the spirit inside us that leads us. It has been a spiritual journey for me-I've been carried thru this entire ordeal. Although you, me and many others did not want bc, it does make you stop and think about what IS IMPORTANT in LIFE and being a better person for the MANY,MANY BLESSINGS we all have and been given! With that being said, know that you are in my prayers Kate and everyone else that has or had BC.

I love reading about your progress, it gives me HOPE!! Thank-you for sharing your journey!!

hopefulhealing

Well I finally made a decision........ going to stay with my current PS that I really like. Exchange the textured for smooth and use alloderm again. Oct. 20th is the date.  Feel a burden has been lifted. Hope for the rippling to be gone.

And we do have every right to want to feel good about ourselves. It is not vain to want to look as normal as possible. With that being said we know we will never be what we were.

But maybe as we journey we will be better. Softer, kinder, more accepting. At least I think we will, thats my goal.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend.

Kate hope you continue to get stronger and less painful everyday!

MBJ

Sweetie:  I apologize for not remembering--did you go and get other opinions from different dr's and they all said the same thing or are you just unwilling to have another surgery right now?  It seemed yours was an easy to fix issue with rippling.

mtks:  I was very intimidated by even sharing my pics with Whippetmom, but like Kate said, you kind of lose all dignity after going through this whole process.  I have always been very shy about my body-never one to even change my clothes in the same room as others.  I just never had much body confidence I guess.  However, I was amazed by how private the picture forum is and also, you can choose a different name there so your privacy is doubly protected.  I was amazed by the help and support that I recieved there and I was just as amazed by my posting pictures of my breasts.  Hugs!

Kate:  My dignity went out the door when I had my first BS/PS appointment.  There were no less then 8 people squeezed into a small room while I was being examined and discussed prior to my MX:  My DH had barely ever saw my breasts and here I was half naked in a room full of people.  I cannot imagine standing there completely naked!  Such courage to go what we go through but we have to believe it's worth it in the end.  Very gentle hugs and quick healing to you!

leeinfl

MBJ - so true, we should do whatever it takes to feel AND look good.  It might be a rough journey at times, but I agree that if your current surgeon can't or won't give you the results you deserve then it's time to look for another one.  That said, I know it is hard to take that step and decide to have a revision.  So many thoughts and fears go through your head but you just have to take that leap of faith.  It's ironic, I was in such a rush to have everything done, believing that what my surgeons told me was the best thing and blindly trusting them.  Then after things didn't quite turn out, I did what I should have done and completely checked out everything about the surgeon and procedure that ended up giving me the beautiful breasts I have now. 

Kate - Yep, the "coloring" session is unbelievably humiliating yet funny if you think about it (ok, maybe not at the moment, but later!)  I remember the first time, here I was, like you feeling totally vulnerable, naked, cold and as I turn around Dr. K exclaims:  "wow - we have plenty of fat here!"  Uh, yeah - GREAT?!????  Thanks a lot - happy to oblige!  What a journey we are on - it helps to laugh is all I can say!  Seriously, though - with a week out, the worst of the pain and bruising should be past.  In another week or so, you will feel more like yourself.  Just remember that this is a gradual process - it takes time for the bruising, swelling and numbness to go away.  Some areas will heal faster and better than others.  Hugs!

GointoCarolina

I saw my local PS(Dr.Walker) today for a check up.Because of me,he attended a fat grafting workshop!!!When I first met with him,he was willing to help me with the process by placing tissue expanders(Dr.Kishinevsky that was going to do my grafting uses tissue expanders instead of the Brava)and hoped it would work for me,but was skeptical about fat grafting.After going to the workshop,he is excited,says he wants to eventually learn the process but just plain does not have the time right now.He said after learning about the Brava he understands why it works and he feels it is much better then using the tissue expanders,(which I had to have removed after only three weeks.)Dr.Kishinevsky did tell me she thought she could still do grafting for me even though I had the expanders removed.But Dr.Walker feels the Brava is important to the grafted fat surviving  because it greatly increases blood flow.He encouraged me to go to Dr.Delvecchio in Boston,who he has worked with in the past and says is very talented.I had misgivings about the Brava,but I trust Dr.Walker..wish he was ready to start doing fat grafting.So I may take the plunge this fall or early next spring.I am so grateful to all of you who have posted about your experiences.I am one who will be happy to post photos,I have never been overly modest and the last three years have turned me into an exhibitionist...if someone shows the slightest interest in seeing my denuded chest,I flash 'em.....I almost scare myself to think of what I might do if I ever once again have breasts..especially ones gained by this ground breaking method..And who would ever have thought it would be a "wow" to have plenty of fat!!!Guess I better go eat a doughnut....

sweetie2040

Kate-wow I can only imagine how you felt standing there. I know I would have felt the same. So much of what we go through with BC is so surreal anyway. Sometimes I think it still hasn't really hit me.

MBJ-I did get other opinions. One local Dr said larger implant/alloderm. My Dr said larger implant/lift. I emailed Dr K. and another Dr in my area who does FG but is out of network. Dr. K would do a similar surgery to Kate's. I just don't know if I'm ready to move forward yet. I think I would do if there was a Dr in my area who did it and was in network for me. It would be so much easier that way. The rippling really isn't so easy to fix in my case because it's so extensive. FG like Kate and Lee had may be the only way the rippling will truly be resolved.

mtks-I am also a shy person as well. If you don't feel comfortable sharing pics that's certainly ok. I appreciate your post, it really touched me. You have a great attitude. It's so great that we all have eachother to talk too and support us. It has helped me so much through all of this.

TinaT

Oh, I've had a few "how did I get to this place" moments in the past few months!  I never thought I would just pull up my shirt without blinking an eye...like "Girls Gone Wild on Spring Break"!  Or, when my PS was trying to figure out how much saline was left in my poor deflated TE last week without looking at my chart.  He just grabbed my chest and started squeezing while he tried to make a guesstimate by feel.  I just thought, "Well, this is kind of weird" and I started chuckling.  When he asked why I said, "If you had told me just a few months ago that I would be able to laugh in a situation like this I would have said you were crazy."  But, it's my new world and I try to find humor where I can I suppose... 

Sandy105

Ladies,

I admire each and every one of you for your courage and your willingness to share what has happened to you with others! I think modesty is something most of us lose somewhere along the way and I think it is just wonderful when ladies are courageous enough to show others a good result they have had.

Without this sharing, others will not know there is a great chance they may again look whole! We all know how important this knowledge is for we have experienced fear.

hrf

Does anyone know of a doctor in Ontario who is doing fat grafting?

Anonymous

Determined- Feeling like a burden has been lifted after making your decision for revision to me shows that you have made the right decision.  I really hope it all works out for you.  Sorry if you explained already but why are you waiting until October?

pandazankar- I think it's great that your PS did the workshop after you educated him about fat grafting.  I think if more doctors would truly listen to what their patients need and want it would be better for everyone.  I told my doctor here that if he learned the procedure women would be lining up in droves!

hrf- I know MBJ's PS does fat grafting.  She's in the Los Angeles area.  I'm sure you could PM her and get his name.  I do know she has been very happy with him and I've seen her results through the picture forum and she looks amazing. 

mtks

sweetie2040-I always thought if my ps would of placed slightly larger implants then it would "fill in" the area of concern, including the rippling. Just makes sense! Maybe it was the way the expander was placed and filled that caused this imperfection but that's not my fault. I just want to feel pretty again. I know that sounds vein. I am really not a vein person, just wanting the one thing that makes all of us feel like a women- pretty breast! That is their profession- to make and improve on, helping people LOOK GOOD!!!!!!!! I am a quiet person so it's hard for me to go to bat for myself. I just pray everything works out. I see my ps in 2 weeks to discuss my nipple/areola/FG. I am very excited. I need to gather info and ? for him.

Good luck on your decision. Pray about it. It will come to you.

Insurance plays a big role in decision making, unfortunately. It would be better if we could go to anyone we wanted to, instead of having to worry about in-network/out of network..uhhhhhh.

I am thinking of you! We have to keep our spirits up. Sometimes that is hard to do. We can do it!!

MBJ

mtks:  I had my PS' email address and I (with permission) sent him pictures of the results I wanted and he compliedGood luck!

MBJ

hrf: Is that Ontario Canada or California?

Anonymous

hrf- Ooops, I was thinking Ontario, California!  Guess MBJ's PS can't help with that!

MBJ

Sweetie:  I think it's very fixable and I think, when you are ready, you will take the plunge.  I think it's so important for us to feel like a whole person when BC robs so much from us!

mtks

MBJ-YOU said it! It is very important for all of us to feel whole again-well said!

Sooooo, you found a picture of what you wanted to look like and sent it to him?

Hmmmm, that is a great idea but I could see my ps saying to me- YOU aren't going to

look the same as you did before. I said this from the beginning.

Having a pic of what you wanted in an areola/nip would be good too. You sound like you have a ps that really wants the best for you. That is so valuable!!!!!!