Calling all ladies in their 20's

Sparklekat

Aww I sorry!  They're supposed to fade over time though right? Have you been to asos.com?  There are LOTS of bathing suit choices.  I know it's not always great to buy a bathing suit online but honestly I never find anything I like in stores that isn't horrendously expensive! Which I guess is true for just about everything....  ~ 

luckykitkat09

yeah they will take a long time to fade..
I actually don't have any tattoos but now i want one to cover the scars (my mother will kill me though haha) but then we have to redo our implants in 8-10yrs so...i'm debating. But the scars have to turn white to tattoo over them.

I have heard of the site but have not shopped on it before
true...i feel the same way about shopping in stores too haha

Sparklekat

8-10? I heard 10-15 years.  Okay good to know.  Note to self: start complaining about back pain at year 8!  Hahahaha!  I hope revision surgery is covered too! 

luckykitkat09

Errrr my surgeon said 8-10 yrs. On average I would say 10yrs.

HAHAH! Well I don't know about that. I don't think revision surgery is covered. But I'm probably going bigger when I redo them. Hahahahahah!!! Not by much though..maybe 70cc more? Hmmm but then 70cc's might be a lot. 

I kinda miss the projection I had with the TEs (Is that weird? xD)
But i'm not complaining. Still so weird wearing a bra though. I had the TEs in for 4-6mths (I think 4mths) so throughout those months I didn't wear a bra. But after my reconstruction it felt so weird wearing a bra again. xD

Sparklekat

Did you feel that you needed to wear a bra with your implants or just cause you are trying to keep them perky? 

luckykitkat09

I didn't wear a bra right away after surgery.
I waited maybe 3 wks I think. But I was told I could wear any any type of bra I wanted (some surgeons are picky, some don't let you wear underwire type bras, etc).

I wore them to keep the firmness I guess. Eventually our implants will "Sag" HAHAH!
When we get older our skin will lose elasticity and all that so it makes sense. Just because the implant is under our muscles it doesn't mean that it won't ever sag. (I doubt I will have this problem for a very very veryyyy long time I'm only 23.)

Also depends on what profile implants you have. I have high profile implants but I still have that "drop" curve of the boobs (no idea if that will make sense to anyone but...)

I know some will wear a push up bra to enhance the effect more (but i would wait until 6mth-1yr so the implants have settled in). My implants took a year to settle in. Even at 6mths my implants were getting bigger (because the pectoral muscles have to relax and expand for the implant to settle. It can take up to 6mths for some ladies or to 1 yr and no more than 1 yrr).

Have you had your reconstruction yet sparklekat?

Sparklekat

No not yet.  My surgery is scheduled for Feb 11.  I did chemo first.  But I am super amp'd about it.  I've been huge forever so myboobs are totally saggy and I am soooo glad to be rid of them.  People keep telling me "Oh but what about all that feeling!?"  And I am like "Uhhh they don't have a lot of feeling in them now so I am not sure what you people think I am going to be missing!"  Plus hello!  Stuff I am going to wear, that I've NEVER been able to wear!  Not even when I was in high school and working out 15 hours a week.  I swear my priorities are in order.

luckykitkat09

Oh I see. Good luck! Have a lot of tank tops in handy!
Beauty part is the reconstruction is not as bad as recovering from the bmx.

After my mastecomy it took me a whole month to regain all the movements back in my arms and drive. =[ (So horrible)

I had my reconstruction 3 days before the start of school and I wasn't in that much pain. Only sore for 3 days. HAHA!

I miss the feelings in my boobs (Okay it's been a year..I lived without it haha but my close friends take advantage to poke me w/o me feeling it haha awkward~~)

Wearing a backless dress and a tube top feels so good now though!!

Sparklekat

Hahahaha have lots of tank tops ready.  If there is anything i am not short of, it's tank tops.  In fact this morning I was just thinking i should take some to the goodwill!

I'm soooooooo excited about wearing a backless dress.  I can hardly stand it!  It's like the silliest thing and it's the BIGGEST DEAL in the world to me!  

Yeah I heard that it takes a long time to get back to driving.  I am taking three weeks off of work and I have a friend who is going to drive me to work for the week (or weeks) after that.  But I am really going to try and get back to driving as soon as possible.  I drive like crazy now so I am hoping that those muscles are just strong and will power through it okay.  Who knows!  

luckykitkat09

ahaha! so you haven't had the mastectomy yet either?

are you doing bilateral or no? will you be having your nipples removed? if not i suggest getting the silicon nipple covers or your nipples will poke through your shirts haha

Sparklekat

Yeah I haven't had any surgery yet.  I was diagnosed in October and I went in to see my breast surgeon first with both my parents and my Dad had a near melt down about me having a bilateral mastectomy (which I had already researched and decided on).  So my breast surgeon was like "Okay we will do chemo first and see if you can shrink it enough to have a lumpectomy" and I said, "Im still going to want a bilateral mastectomy!"  But I think she insisted on this route so my Dad would feel better.  Now I can't even feel the lump anymore, but I AM still having a bilateral mastectomy!  I am having them take my nipples too.  I think the deal was if I kept my nipples I would have to have radiation.  This way i get to skip radiation. I keep wondering if I should buy the swim suit I want and then have my plastic surgeon fill to a point where when exchanged with implants it would look right.  

luckykitkat09

I say don't buy the swimsuit yet.

After the bmx you will have tissue expanders (TEs) most likely, and NOT implants (at least not right away).
The projection you get with the implants and the TEs are very very VERY different (a lot of emphasis of VERY).
The TEs are made of hard silicone shell which is placed under the pectoral muscle to expand the skin and muscle to fit the implants later and give it a pocket to sit in basically.

My surgeon gave me 90cc in the TEs after the bmx and I waited after I had all the JP drains (I like to call them the bloody grenades xD) out so he could expand and fill the TEs again. The surgeon will slowly expand the TEs (maybe 60cc-90ccs at a time or more, this depends on your frame and pain tolerance) once a week every week (or whatever depending on them) till the size you want. Then when you are done and happy with the size, you will wait 3mths (then do the implants). I had them in for 6mths since I had to work the surgery appointments around my college schedule.

The projection you get from the TEs will be VERY different from the implants because the TEs are really hard (forget about sleeping on your sides for a while especially if you had a bilateral mastectomy).

Trust me at the end of the TEs expansion you will look really ridiculous. My friend called me "melons" because they were big and hard as melons. =| But then after my implants my projection was different. Because the TEs don't feel soft and don't droop really. Think pam anderson (but not that huge haha!) and also the spacing between the boobs is going to be apparent during the TE expansion.

I wished I had pics to show...but yeah.

That's good, you went with family. My dad was in the waiting room and I was in the patient room alone. My surgeon suggested the bmx and I was like "ok". I didn't even think about it. I kinda do wish I had my nipples removed though. I guessed I wanted at least something to remind me that it is still "my boobs". I'm going back to see my surgeon again next month before vday.

Sparklekat

Yeah but I have to buy some kind of swimsuit for April because I am going to a friends bachelorette in Vegas.  So I really just want to look good for that weekend and then I couldn't careless!  I don't usually run around in bikini anyway because I played water polo in high school so I never had to go lay out like everyone else on the weekend and I am not a huge fan of the beach.  And I just found the most fabulous spray tan place!  Woo hoo!

luckykitkat09

Ah okay. I didn't think you knew everything about the bmx and TEs yet. When is your surgery?

It was sort of fast paced for me. I was on my own haha when it came to talking to my surgeons and doing research.
I had my mom who finished radiation, surgery and chem (colon cancer) then I had my bmx and my dad had a mini stroke right after. So it was hectic and on top of that I had school.

Sparklekat

Surgery is Feb 11, so two weeks away.  I will be staying at my moms so hopefully I won't go bonkers.  I am kind of diff in that regard where I'm more than happy to do research and meet with my surgeons without the "assistance" of my parents.  I am glad to have them help me with getting to/from work and taking care of me the days after chemo and surgery but I really am totally fine making medical decisions for myself without their input. Fortunately my mom is on my team when it comes to having a bmx. My dad is still super upset about it.  He just freaks out about medical stuff.  

luckykitkat09

Ah well my parents aren't knowledgeable and don't really know what to do or expect.
My mom was against breast implants but then when I told her I was going to do a bmx she was all for it (how ironic).
They are of course worried and took care of me.
I actually hated having them help me so much during that 1month. It makes you feel extremely helpless but when I was able to drive again it made me appropriate doing errands more haha.

Movies, video games, lots and lots of fatty snacks!!
I lost about 7 lbs after my bmx because my appetite went really whack. I've gained about 5 lbs back & working to gain back my other lost 2 lbs I think in the one month I went through 5 movies, 20 different asian dramas...and replayed tetris on the nintendo a lo and studied a lot. Luckily I had my bmx during summer so I didn't have school. I had my reconstruction 3 days before school but wasn't in much pain, only soreness for 3 days.

cellardoor

Hiya ladies ❤

I was just browsing this thread (I used to belong but am now 30 -- oi, how time flies!) and I glanced a discussion on implant renewals and "sagging"! I wanted to give you lovelies a heads up~ A little forewarning though, this definitely doesn't happen everyday... but I should have been informed of the possibility. Had I known, I would have been more mentally and financially prepared for it. 

I was originally told by my PS that I'd have to replace my set every 10 years or so. I was okay with this as surgery once a decade didn't seem too bad. To my surprise, just 3 years after my implants were placed, there was sagging on one side of my chest! No one had told me this could even happen and naturally I was concerned. Turns out my pocket had dropped! There are a number of reasons that could cause the issue, for me it was a poorly supported implant that took years to make itself known. Unfortunately, my new insurance and new PS didn't use or want to use the same implants that I had and they wanted to make sure I had better support this time around, so I had to have complete deconstruction (yay, tubes and expanders again!) and then reconstruction.

So while, yes, you won't have to replace your implants for a long time... always be prepared just in case!

luckykitkat09

cellardoor:

Yes, I don't our PS will mention that. He didn't for me. Maybe it's because we're so young that they don't think of that will happen till we're in our late 30s/early 40s? Whatever the case, yes there is always that possibility.
Have you had your deconstruction yet? The drains aren't there for long though..but it is a pain in the rear end.

cellardoor

k-fierce:

I was definitely not in my late 30/40's when it occurred, d'oh. In fact, at the time I was still in my 20's. I'm just sharing my experience so that everyone might be more financially and mentally prepared (for anything and everything) than I was. Especially while you're still in your 20's! Building a career, financially finding your footing, living life to its fullest is hard enough that sometimes we forget to set a little aside for emergencies. 

I did indeed complete deconstruction and reconstruction. It basically felt like having a BMx all over again. Yes, the drains aren't in for long, especially since 1 out of 4 popped itself out within 2 weeks, haha. 

Sparklekat

@ cellardoor: Yeah I am soooooo not that kid.  I have insane insurance, a pension, and tons of equity in my condo.  I just know I can't save so I get out ahead of myself and make sure I'm always covered in such an event.  Everyone keeps telling me I could make so much more money if I just started my own business, and it's true, I probably could.  However, I like to remind them that I could also easily spend every little penny I make. So I think I will just stay right where I am at where I have great benefits and someone to lord over me with regards to my retirement! 

@Kfeirce, I am not feeling too guilty about having my mom help me out.  She fell off her horse last year and broke her femur so I was around to take care of her for a lot of that so I am thinking she owes me!  Haha! Also, I could stand to lose 7 lbs.  I could stand to lose about 30 lbs.  So I am hoping that I have your problem.  But I didn't lose my appetite with chemo so things are not looking great in that regard!  

luckykitkat09

cellardoor:
I might you wouldn't expect it in someone in their 20s. Sorry if that confused you.
Oh wow I never had one that popped out on it's own. That's pretty cool haha. I still get the chills thinking of the feeling when it gets pulled out though. xD As for the financially part, yes I agree. Although it's sad my insurance will not cover me when I have to redo my implants in 10yrs b/c it's a cosmetic thing and not a medical reason. So gotta save up for that.

sparklekat:
Well chemo is different for everyone, the dose and side effects. When my mom went through chemo she was too tired to get out of bed. Well I want to gain not to lose weight haha. My mom lost a lot of weight with chemo, about 20-25lbs.
I wouldn't mind my parents helping me but I felt horrible since when I had my bmx, my mom was still going through chemo. So it was horrible for my dad mostly.

Sparklekat

Awww poor guy! But guys like to be needed to maybe he was really okay with it? 

cellardoor

Tbh I'm not surprised they wouldn't cover the 10 year implant redo. Insurance barely covered the dropped implant, ugh! When it was all said and done, $20k still came out of pocket that year to cover what insurance wouldn't. Not fun!

luckykitkat09

sparklekat:
I guess so. I think he felt bad but he helped a lot

cellardoor:
 Yeah I don't think most or if any insurance will cover the redo implants.
OUCH 20k?!

sysc87

yes i did and told my chemo nurse and was put back on steroids.  That help alot.

NeedingHelp

I just wanted to say after seeing the comments about antidepressants... It is something i would never ever recommend to anyone.

My life has been completely destroyed by these filthy poisons and i read it increases your risk of breast cancer as it interferes with hormones. Please, before making a decision, look at these websites i urge everyone:

www.survivingantidepressants.org and paxilprogress.org

Many peoples lives have been destroyed. This medication is very very hard to come off and recovery from discontinuation cant last for years! I have been damaged by paxil. I was on this drug for 4 years and decided to stop. My life has been a nightmare for 2 years now. Plus im dead scared i have BC!! 

I am 25 years old with symptoms. 2cm lump in breast with severe pain off and on, lump went hard when they tried FNA. FNA was messed up (Dropped plate etc) US sees no masses, doesnt see even a speckle. So i am so so worried!!!!!!!

I just felt i needed to warn others about Antidepressants as they have destroyed my mind, body and soul. Its been 2 years since discontinuation and i am in hell every second of each day. I was placed on antidepresants because of FATIGUE! Seriously...

luckykitkat09

antidepressants for fatigue?!

Sparklekat

I thought antidepressants caused fatigue? I've never been in a situation where I couldn't pull myself out of sadness.  Mostly because I'm just too pragmatic.  But my mom/dad/sis are all them at the moment and there's just no talking them out of it.  People who have literal depression just don't seem to be able to resolve their conflict the way "normal" people do.  IDK, it seems to be working for them! 

Sparklekat

k-Fierce, see here:

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/8...

It seems like it might be covered if it's medically necessary?

luckykitkat09

Ah well depends what they deem is medically necessary..but for revisions I was told it will be a cosmetic surgery and insurance will not cover it. I wasn't diagnosed with cancer (even though they treat in my medical file they treat me as one). I had a bmx for prophylactic preventative measures. Although I had tumors I didn't do an initial biopsy before my bmx and it was after my bmx that my pathology results said it was benign tumors and some in the starting process of turning malignant (again).
My PS told me that it won't cover any revisions or future implants, unless something happens to my implants (like the pockets or capsule rupture, etc). So I'm not so lucky.