Still Uncomfortable with Implants

beacher4209

 What is the difference between fat grafting and the diep if the are going into your abs for tissue/fat isnt that the same ? kinda confused on this ????arent they using the same stuff for both procedures? I know fat grafting can be done from other areas but im talking about the ab.fat grafting.

christine47

beacher, with fat grafting these just liposuction fat and add it around the current implants, to improve contour, fill deficets, etc.  With DIEP, they actually do "tummy tuck" and take that tissue, skin and fat and transfer to the breast, usually the implants are removed too.

christine47

Kate33, sounds like your are really happy with your fat grafting.  I am scheduled at the end of sept, and getting excited.  Were they able to help you with just one session, my PS suggested sometimes this needs to be repeated for optimal results?

Anyone have fat grafting in axillary area??

Anonymous

Ronna- I didn't know about Hoda.  I'll look into that.  My Mom just suggested Diane Sawyer.  When I was a flight attendant she was a passenger on one of my flights. She was very kind and approachable.

christine- There seem to be 2 kinds of fat grafting.  One where they inject the fat drop by drop like Dr. Khouri does and one where they just kind of inject it in "globs".  More fat seems to be retained (about 85-90%) with the drop by drop method.  In the other only about 50% is retained so it can take a lot more sessions to get the same result.  With one session they were able to help a lot.  I would have only done multiple sessions if I wanted to eventually get rid of the implants all together.  This was my original plan but DH is disabled now so am not able to continue.   

christine47

Kate33,  so I have not a clue what method of fat grafting my ps will do??  I don't see him again until day of surgery, I trust him, so hopefully all will go well.  Sorry to hear you husband. Thanks for posting.

J-Bug

Oprah would have done a great job with this information and given it the time it deserves. Isn't Katie Couric supposed to be starting a show? Did you say you checked into the Dr. Oz show?

beacher4209

Has anyone heard of using ultra sound to break up scar tissue from surgeries??? my plastic surgeon just recommended it,said its not my implants could be the scar tissue,? Hmmmm 

kareenie

Beacher --

What does he think capsular contracture is? It is scar tissue that forms around your implants....

Did you get my PM? The main difference is that with the flap surgery they cut a big slab of tissue and skin off; with the fat grafting they gently(?) liposuction the fat and you keep all your skin on the abdomen, butt, wherever they take the fat.  2nd big difference is with the fat grafting NO BIG SCARS donor sites or breasts either one. And of course the surgery time is much much shorter: it is an outpatient procedure. And of course the recovery time is much much shorter. With fat grafting you are back on your feet almost right away. And of course getting the sensation back in your breasts with the fat grafting.  Well I guess there are a lot of differences... LOL.

beacher4209

well they would have to take this 500cc brick out of my chest first wouldnt they? it would probably be a bit more of a surgery for me ithink getting rid of the crap i got going on in here now,but i have no problem with that ,its the distance across the country and the cost of surgery .....

beacher4209

 Ok so tell me what to think about this? went to my ps today and asked about the diep,im  going to have to have surgery again anyways cause as some of you have seen on the picure forum they are not even close to being twins or even related... He said he would NOT do the diep on me although he is qualified said he has done over 50 succesively i am not a candidate for him,he even pulled at my belly fat and said i had plenty (1 yr ago he said no i was to thin gained 10lbs guess where) But my issue is my discomfort as u all know to well,and he says he cannot promise that a diep would take care of that. HUH i got scar tissue pulling all over the place wouldnt my own tissue be better? He could cut away some scar tissue but says it would grow back would it as much if i did not have this 500cc piece of plastic in my chest??? He said he would smaller ones in but still will not promise i will have no pain Now im so confused should i continue my thought s of a s diep i have aconsult on the 2nd with a ps and its her specialty but how the heck bad does it hurt and is it worth it if im still having pinching ,pulling and pain help need your input ladies thanks

mlp730

Beacher - I had therapeutic ultra sound for scar tissue back in November of last year. While it felt great during the sessions, unfortunately, it had no lasting affects. It amazes me about the comment your PS said it's not the implants but the scar tissue! More surgeries cause more scar tissue as you know. I threw in the towel and deconstructed July 28th. I am now going through lymphedema therapy for a stage 0 truncal lymphedema and also to break up the scar tissue. I must say that this therapy is even better than the ultrasound and I feel like I'm seeing some more progress even though I've only had 3 sessions!

ronqt1

Beacher, I feel so bad for you. I agree, this is crap, with the brick, football, suction cup attached to the muscle. (These are my definitions).

Someone on another site said something about Dr. Oz.

Kate33: I am sorry to hear about your husband.

I personally believe none of us were fully informed what was in for us when we were diagnosed. All I heard was get it done. Pick what you want, as to the t/e, I watched a film in the PS's office and everyone appeared happy as can be. BS to that. It's a business for them.

However, I am terrified to deconstruct on the one side.

With hugs,

Anonymous

Ronna- Thank you.  Yep, it was quite a shock to get my DH's DX of Parkinson's 2 days before my (hopefully) last recon surgery.  But he's doing really well with the new meds.  I agree with you completely- none of us were fully informed.  There is a brand new cancer center opening up here in a few weeks and I wish they would have a suggestion box for how to treat new patients.  It should be a law they have to have full disclosure on all the what ifs and possible SE's on all recon choices!

ronqt1

Kate33: Wishing your husband well.BTW, I like your motto: Yes, they're fake, etc.

I wonder: did anyone else see that video of Happy Women with Implants.????

Oh well, no use complaining until the 22 until I go to PS.

I am a volunteer at the Breast Center at my hospital, so I went back today after just about 1 month off since last revision. At least I was able to forget about everything. As soon as I got home, I took off bra to air me out. My girlfriends came over, and I remain bra free w/out clothing on. Who cares. Not really a pretty pic, but friends are good and understand.

Hugs,

Anonymous

Ronna- I haven't seen the video.  Where is it located?

I just had my PT/LE evaluation.  After this last revision I know have massive amounts of scar tissue on my left breast into the armpit which is pulling on the implant.  My pec muscles are extremely tight causing pain.  And they think I may have early stages of truncal LE but said it could also be residual swelling from the last surgery.  So now it's PT and LE therapy for 2 hours, twice a week, for 6-8 weeks.  It feels like one step forward, two steps back.   

dancetrancer

So sorry Kate.  I know this is a tough road, and I know therapy can be tough, too - but helpful.  I sure do hope you get some relief from it!   

mahometmom62

10 days out with my new high profile silicone. And my under arm hurts bait on my native side. My native side is much bigger than mx side. Doc says swelling but I am not so sure about that. Also skins sensitive under breast by incisions and pocket work. Anyone have any advice on swelling

sas-schatzi

Bump-------------MAHOMETMOM62---can't think right now up too long., but bumping may help bring someone in with a working brainTry the breast LE thread, not that I'm suggesting you have LE, but swelling is an inflammatory response after tissue is handled in surgery. Tissue does not like that. Swelling post-op can take quite awhile to go away, but maybe some of the strategies that the LE folks have developed will help. PM me tomorrow and remind me and i'll take another look. I've been up for two days and synapses aren't firing too well

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/64/topic/764403?page=3#idx_84

breast le thread

mom3band1g

mahome- after my bmx my 'good' side hurt so much more than the cancer side.  I had more issues with that side until radiation (then they switched).  I always said she was mad that I messed with her as she hadn't done anything wrong!  My ps said there's always one 'problem' side.  I would give it a few more days and see if the swelling goes down.

sas-schatzi

Mahome--------got some sleep , but right back into no sleep it's 4:15 am. After my Bmx and 3 sx's after that in 2009, which the last was 2 years ago in july 31 2009. I still deal with swelling on the left side which was the cancer side, if I do to much use of the side. On the nonBC, side I get axillary swelling if i've worked too much. I have to be carefull not to do too much is the bottom line . But distance in TIME from that period appears to be the factor related to improvement. I almost hate to say that the pain is near zero b/c with everything, just when I make an all clear statement, then it seems like something happens. Two factors helped me this year. One use of a sports bra sometimes 24/7, then when it became uncomfortable , I would go bra-less until that became uncomfortable, then back to the bra. The other factor was one night around early May, b/c of back pain , I slept at a 30-45 degree angle with legs up too( electric bed). In the am, my left breast/axilla/ upperinner arm was less swollen. The pain was way less. I was braless. What I think happened was the weight of the foob was taken off the axilla enough that either lymph flow or venous flow improved.  I did this for several weeks. I used the bra pretty routinely, but can't say how many nights out of 7. Wish I had documented things , but I didn't. The foob massage-- I added a maneuver that slides along the side of the foob to push or set the foobs back into the pockets. I'm more comfortable now than I have been since surgery---Feb18th 2009 to sept. 2011 . That's along time.  I don't know if I had done the elevation prior to May this year what the difference would have been, and I guess the pocket reset. Sure wish I had tried it. It was only serendipity, that it occured in May b/c of back pain. Prior to that I was miserable everyday since the first day of surgery. Can't change my hx, but I would suggest head up 30-45 degrees and see what happens with swelling and pain comfort. I had the bed---just didn't think to use it in that way.

Anonymous

mlp730 -

I'm still not comfortable with my implants.  One side more so than the other.

You've been without your implants for two months now.  How are things feeling for you?  When they removed the implants, was your ribcage still flat or was it somewhat concave from the pressurre of the implants on your ribs?  I just haven't been able to find much info on deconstruction.

mlp730

SeaFoobs - I am still struggling with discomfort, particularly on my right side where I've had issues from the beginning. One of the symptoms is a very full feeling under my right arm, like I have a book or something in my armpit. Binney recommended I see a LE Therapist to rule out Lymphedema. I've been going to treatment for 6 weeks now and though my ROM is good, my pain on the right side is pretty intense. My therapist feels that this a more of a scar tissue/nerve entrapment issue and so my next step in this journey is a consult with a Pain Clinic.

My ribcage is a bit caved in since the deconstruction. The worst part of this right now is that I'm unable to wear a bra because it is so painful and dressing is a challenge but my biggest challenge is not getting discouraged and finding a doctor that is interested in helping me find some relief.

Are you having pain and if so, what are you experiencing? Mine is like a very tight exercise band tied around my chest or an underwire bra that is 2 sizes too small! This has been an issue since the TE phase.

Anonymous

I have some pain.  Sort of a warm, burning feeling and an occasional electric shock or pinch.  Mostly the left side. I also have the feeling of the exercise band across my chest.  I thought that was from the pec muscles pushing on the implants.  Are you saying that you still have that tight feeling even now that you've had your implants removed?

mlp730

Yes, unfortunately, I still have pain even with the implants out. This pain and discomfort started 2 years ago - MX was 10/7/09 and just never improved. I've tried every avenue including PT/LE PT/alternative medicine and in April I had a capsulectomy with new implants. The pain continued so I threw in the towel and deconstructed 7/28. My PS has ordered some blood tests (measuring inflammation) and so I'm having those tomorrow. He has a concern about the alloderm (sp)? that is used in the reconstruction. There has been some issues with this and he wants to rule out the possibility of my body rejecting this. I don't totally understand how this but is used but if I'm correct, it is a netting like that is made out of cadaver skin, used to help support the implant. It becomes part of your own tissue so it was not removed with the deconstruction. You are right, there isn't alot about deconstruction on BCO but there are a few that have posted and seem to be very glad that they did and feeling much better! Everyone is different and it's a tough call to know if your discomfort is implant related unless you get them out. I hope this info is helpful ...not what you want to hear but that's what has helped me so much about this forum. We really aren't given alof of info regarding the things that can go wrong.

Hindsfeet

I've been dx for the fourth time, but this time with idc so I'm finally getting rid of my breast. After each dx, I came back here reading the reconstruction thread, especially this one. Each time, after reading your experiences, I've decided on a lumpectomy only. I'm scared again reading it, but now realize I have no other choice but to do this. I am afraid of the process. I don't think I can do without breast. I need something there even if it's just a little bit. It maybe wrong or vain of me but breast make me feel a little more femine.

sas-schatzi

Dear friend EVE--------I hope you have no problems with mx and recon. I had a BMX and recon. Would do it again in a heartbeat, but learned much along the way. You now have to make a decision on what you will have , Implant, Diep or Tram. Read all the threads and I'm guessing they want to move quickly at this point. If you can't make a decision as fast as they want to move. Then a mx with no same day recon is a choice.

Personally, I did an elective on the non cancer side, but that had to do with family hx. Initially entered the process as a total elective BMX. That changed after a clean mammo, followed by a MRI that showed cancer in the left breast. My answer to the doc after the CALL was "Shit this is exactly the reason I wanted an elective, so that I would never get this call".

It's taken 1 3/4 years for me to say that I have no pain with the implants. But had I had better guidance, plus not trying to keep my Dh from falling on the floor after he died, it may have not taken me this long. The damage done to all my upper structures , arms, shoulders.chest and back, preventing his fall in Aug 2010.  He was 325LBS. Bad bad  move on my part, but I was not going to let him suffer the indignity of having to call the fire department to do a lift back into bed when he had passed ----------wasn't going to happen.      Changed everything for me though.

 Eve you are presuming you are going to have problems--------your fear is preventing you from making choices. This is an excellent place to come to and develop questions that you can ask your BS and PS about avoidance of problems. I didn't follow you here . It's on my Favorites b/c I was having problems. But after 4 lumpectomies and now you accept that the breast needs to come off-------dear one, if this is your first stop, you are dwelling in the problem zone versus getting it off.----------------Have you visited all the other sites appropriate to your situation. If not you are stuck in a fear zone.

Please anyone here of course pop in and offer your insights. Eve L&H's

leeinfl

Eveberry - There IS another reconstruction option that I wish I had known about BEFORE I decided on implants: micro fat grafting. There are several threads on the topic. Check out "has anyone had micro fat grafting" "microfat grafting and doctor recommendations" - Good luck!

Hindsfeet

Thanks sas and ieeinfl. I have visited and read the reconstruction threads after being dx 2008, and in March of this year. This is why I feared the pain of implants. The first thing I do when getting comfortable at night is to take off my bra. The idea of not being able to take off an implant that feels like a bra is scary. What else is scarry is I' have been dx with RSD after breaking a wrist several years ago. RSD is a pain symdrome that locks your hand and fingers...burning pain when stressed or overuse. I have it forever! . The docts then said to avoid surgery at all cost. I am at high risk for what I believe they call a mps ... or masstectomy pain sysdrom (not sure if thats right). I have to take strong pain meds a few days before surgery and afterwards to prevent a pain sydrome situation. The idea of being in pain for a few years does not sit right with me or the idea of taking pain drugs as when on them I'm literally out of it.

 I can't see myself without breast. I admire women who can do it. I am vain or a coward. I have to have construction right after surgery. It would be too hard emotionally not to have anything there. I hope I didn't offend anyone who chose not to do a reconstruction.  I wish I could do a simple lumpectomy...no longer a choice for me.

Hindsfeet

I read a little on the reconstruction threads about the fat grafting. I'm going to ask the surgeon about it. I lost a lot of weight about a year ago so I don't know if I have any fat on my body. I've been trying to gain all summer. I' am 5'8" and now maybe 136. I carry weight well and still look on the thin side. I would love to eat pies and ice cream to gain a little tummy fat for a fat grafting, but now that I am dx with cancer again, I am afraid to eat sweets or sugar.

Right now, I'm reading a lot on the reconstruction threads because I know little about it, and I need to make a decision very soon.

kareenie

evebarry - you do not have to gain weight to do fat grafting.  Even thin fit women have done it. You can ask your surgeon but many surgeons are not yet doing fat grafting and he may pooh-pooh it.  There is another  thread where we are trying to collect names of surgeons who do. Where are you located?