Basic exhange questions

juliaanna

Sherry67 and taylormd,

So happy to hear everything went well with your exchange surgery.  Glad your recovery is going so smoothly. Have a good weekend.

MNSusan

Thanks for starting this thread, ShaneOak.  I've had the same questions.  Its interesting how different plastic surgeons have different requirements.  Mine said as long as my skin looks good, I can have the exchange surgery six months after BMX, so I've got early May in mind....  can't wait!

How long do you have restrictions after exchange?

sherry67

I just had my exchange on Friday and the implants were placed under the muscle ...PS did not use same incision he used the crease under the breast without drains...the only problem I have now is some pain in the underarms due to pocket work ...and I'm itchy..PS did some fat grafting to the upper pole as well..

taylormd

 Hi, Everyone!  I had my exchange surgery on Valentine's Day,and my drain came out yesterday!  I feel almost as good as new except my energy isn't 100% yet.  My new boobie was unveiled, and I can't believe what a great job my PS did matching my unoperated side.  I'm having only a very minor discomfort where the TE was slipped out (in the crease under the breast).  I dreaded this surgery much more than it deserved.  Compared to the MX, the exchange surgery was a "walk in the park".

Something kind of funny:  The nurse took off all the bandages before the PS came in.  He looked at his work and said, "Hmmmm, looks like you've developed a little "papillum" here.  It was his attempt at a joke, but I had no clue that "papillum" is another word for nipple.  I thought he was saying that I'd developed a fungus or an infection or something.  I said, "Oh, no, what's that?"  PS and DH thought that was pretty funny.  Here I am with my husband, a dr. I've only known for a few months and a nurse...and we're laughing about my breast nipple!!!  I used to be Miss Modesty!  Crazy how a little breast cancer changes us, isn't it! 

Hope everyone's having a nice evening! 

Jaegergirl

I am waiting for my exchange (hopefully in the next 2 weeks). My PS told me she would use the same incisions and no drains. I hope this is the case when it happens. Although I'm a little sad because my incisions look "so good" (9 weeks post BMX) and I got "used" to seeing them as they are now and in a couple of weeks I feel like I will be starting over in a way. However, I would rather have those scars and not additional ones and getting these dang TEs out will mean one more step to getting back to "normal." An added bonus. My PS said if she does the surgery on a Thursday I should be back to work by the following Monday. Keeping my fingers crossed for that one too.

ShaneOak

I feel like I'm armed with a lot more information and have many more questions for the PS.  I definatley don't think my final TE size (520cc)will be quite large enough. I think I'm going to ask about being just a little bit fuller. 

MNSusan, hello and I hope things are going well for you with this crappy journey! It sounds like our exchange will be about the same time.  I can't wait for the concrete boulders to go bye-bye!

JLH64

I'm sorry if this question has been asked and answered...so here goes -



I had a BMX on January 10th, with TE. Two weeks after surgery I had my first 'fill-up' and each week after that, with my last expansion this week. I see my PS in three weeks.



The PS said it was totally up to me when I have the final exchange.



How long do you all recommend I wait between the last expansion and the final exchange? I DON'T need chemo or radiation. Will waiting some period of time affect the aesthetic outcome of the of the final exchange? I mean, will the skin lay differently, if there's more skin to work with?



Thanks for any info -

MNSusan

JLH64, it seems that each PS has a different outlook on how long after final fill.  My PS waits six months after bmx, but she doesn't care if the final fill was the week before as long as the skin looks good.  Other PS's have their patients wait for x weeks or months following the last fill.

I have a neighbor who had surgery a little before mine.  She's had her final fill and needs to now wait 3 months.  My fills are going more slowly than hers but we'll have our exchanges at about the same time, ~ 6 months after initial surgery.  

I think most PS want to make sure you're well healed from the bmx and the skin is holding up well enough to handle the implants.  

I'm not doing radiation or chemo either.  Good luck to you!

SpecialK

My PS only waited a few weeks from the last fill until exchange but that was mostly because I had very small and frequent fills (25cc weekly) so the skin stretched very gradually.  Some PS do much larger fills and wait for a longer period until exchange.  Factored into any waiting period should be the condition of the skin, and whether or not the patient is still having muscle discomfort, which might indicate that the pec is still being stretched.  By the time I had exchange it was 9 months after the end of chemo, 16 months from the right TE placement, and 7 months from the left TE re-placement!

JLH64

Thank you for your responses. Beside the asethtic appearance of the skin, I wasn't sure if waiting or not waiting long enough would put me at higher risk of capsular contracture. (I think that's the correct term.)



I have a couple more questions -



Has anyone's TE's moved? My left TE shifted. It kind of freaked me out a bit but my PS told me that was normal and not to be concerned.



I'm not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds. My PS told me that I won't be able to lift more than 10 pounds for some period of time after my final implant surgery. I forgot to ask her how long I'd have this restriction. Does anyone know this? I'm hoping I'll be able to play golf this summer :-)

juliaanna

JLH64,

On the lifting restrictions, each PS has their own timeline.  I was on a 10 pound restriction for 6 weeks post exchange.

I waited for an extra 2 months to have my exchange. PS said I could have it done in September, but it worked better with my schedule to wait until November.  I haven't had any issues post-exchange.  

Best wishes.

raynaj

Hi everyone:

I just had my implant exchange yesterday and am wondering of those of you that have done this already, what was your pain level.  I went into this surgery expecting little to no pain and I think I really underestimated this. I think I'm in more pain than the BMX (or my memory is fading). It feels like someone took a baseball bad to my sides.  I know she had to do some fixing inside because my TE's had moved under my armpits, would this be the reason for all the pain?  Any info would help, I'm crying constantly and feel like a huge baby, I guess some of it is emotional, i guess i figured at this point I would be over most of this shit.

Thanks, Rayna

Amelia123

Rayna, hang in there. I have my exchange today and will let you know how it goes.  I had additional nodes removed, and that surgery took me longer to recover from than the BMX (although the BMX was a much harder recovery, it seemed shorter in comparison). I feel like my left TE also may have moved, but it's hard to tell because my left armpit is still rather numb from the node removal. I hope you feel better today!

muska

If the exchange does not include any corrections or adjustments it is usually a very easy surgery. I did not use any painkillers in addition to what I was given during surgery. I think corrections might change the picture quite a bit.