Fat Grafting....recovery & results

Lily55

Thank you - and put your breast in the bra bit without the cup? 

kareenie

yes. the bra is not even necessary. it is a zip up vest like item it doesnt really hold the domes on the suction does. many people wear alternative like t shirt or i bought a cotton front hook soft cotton sleep bra in giant cup size which i wear. if you join fatgraft patients forum there is lots of info on the nitty gritty details like what you are asking.

Lily55

thanks i joined that forum but it doesnt seem very active

mormor1

It's quite active, Lily.  Did you post your story?  Another woman posted her story Feb 1st and has four replies.

This link might be helpful with getting started: 

http://www.fatgraftpatients.com/forums/viewtopic.p...

I used Brava on just one side at night.  During waking hours, I put the other dome on (unattached tubing) for a little sense of symmetry!  Two look pretty ridiculous, but one is over the top, in my book! 

Looking forward to interacting with you on the forum....great group of women, knowledgeable, supportive and fun!  We have some great laughs!

Lily55

Yes I made a couple of posts - I am Lily 57 on there!!!!! 

mormor1

I can't find you there, Lily!
Maybe you made some posts, but didn't actually start a new thread with your story?
The link I shared before gives guidance on how to start your story thread.

If you did start your thread, I might be able to find it if I knew who your PS is?

mormor1

BosumBlues....if I can do it, you can too!!   Like my husband says to unplug and plug in again to fix things, I'd encourage you to give it another try!  

There are hint sections and lots of Brava patient stories.  You can jump into active topics by going to "View New Posts".  You need to submit your photos to have access to the photo section, but the administrator will assist with that.  Contact site administrator if you need to.  She is busy, but will eventually get back to you.

It has become a big site.  If you want to PM me, I might be able to steer you to threads that you would relate to..

mormor1

Bosom Blues,

Now I'm the one lost on the site! 
I searched for your name....but maybe the search only is for words mentioned in posts.
Are you under one of the MDs?, That's the easiest way to find people.  Glad you've enjoyed reading the threads.  Many of them are inactive because women are done with the active part of their treatment.  The active threads do usually get responses....maybe it's hard to figure out which threads those are though?   "view new posts" is probably the best way, but they only stay up for a day....so you'd need to keep an eye on that every few days.

I wore the Brava for nine months while working full time.  Put it on at 8 pm and off 6am.  I only had to wear it 24/7 for 48 hours before surgery (MDs vary on that).  Think I just wore it once to work with a long dress that "kind of" hid how big the domes are (who am I fooling?...had to go to a MD apptmt with a client and some guy did try to "hit" on me...LOL).  Also traveled with it a few times.  Sometimes wore a poncho, other times, just sucked it up and figured I would never see these people again.  Just took 3 days off for each surgery which included travel time.  Many women would recommend a week off each time at least.  My job didn't involve heavy lifting and I felt fine.by day four post op (not everyone does though).

No doubt there is a time commitment and Brava is not a ton of fun, but I sure am happy with my results.  Can be done even with working full time.  I loved that I didn't have to take 6 weeks off for a breast recon surgery!

dancetrancer

BosumBlues...why is your doc charging you so much for Brava and the visits?  The MD visits should count towards your deductible, not be added on top of your deductible, right?  That's how my insurance works.  The Brava I think is under $1000.  And you could probably buy it MUCH cheaper used on Ebay (proceed with caution, though). 

kareenie

the brava device is not covered by insurance. everything else should be covered or applied to deductible. if doc is out of network they should help you get gap exception. who is your doc?

dancetrancer

My insurance covered everything (or it was applied to my deductible until I met it and then insurance kicked in 100%) except the Brava device.  I agree with Kareenie.  I got a GAP exception for my out of network doctor.  

kareenie

yes. you  should only have to pay for the brava device itself. all appointments should be included in the surgeries.

kareenie

i think i paid six hundred bucks for brava in two thousand eleven. this may be a special price for dr k patients but they do provide discount to fat graft patients purchasing thru doctor. even if it is now a thousand bucks it should not be three.

dancetrancer

Yes, I agree 100% with Kareenie.  You should only have to pay for the Brava device.  All apptointments with the doctor should be billed to insurance.  

I bought my Brava in 2011 and got a discount through Dr. K since I was his patient then.  I too paid just under $600 and that included shipping.  But even without a discount for being one of his patients, it should be no where near $3000.  That is ridiculous. 

A GAP exception is when you want an out-of-network doc treated like an in-network doc b/c there is no other doctor within 50 miles that can do the procedure you need.

If your doc is in-network you do not need a GAP exception.  All you should be paying for (that is not submitted to insurance) is a Brava device.  Your medical appointments should be covered by insurance by law (of course you will have to pay whatever his contracted fee is with the insurance company until you meet your deductible/max out of pocket for your insurance plan.  But you would wait and see what your insurance says you owe after he submits his bill). 

I would be very skeptical of an in-network doc telling me I had to pay $3K out of pocket for a Brava device.  Call Brava itself and see what it costs to buy it as an "augmentation" customer.  Then you will know exactly how much it costs without a physician discount.  He should not be charging you anything above that, IMO.

dancetrancer

Note if you are having liposuction you may have to pay of pocket for compression garments, too.  (mine were around $100)

dancetrancer

Bosumblues - hopefully it is all just a misunderstanding and no one trying to take advantage of you...but glad you will be investigating.  We have to be advocates for ourselves! 

BTW, don't know where you live, but if travel is possible for surgery, there are several excellent fat grafting docs out there worth investigating - Dr. Ahn (NYC) and Dr. Khouri (Miami) are the top two IMO.    

mormor1

BosomBlues,

((((HUGS))))  Oh no!!!  what devastating news!
Will be holding you up in prayer....believing somehow there will be a way for you to get through all of this....step by step.
Not sure if you are a person of faith, but I have found so much comfort and help in this verse in times of crisis (big and little).  "Trust Me in your times of trouble.  I will rescue you and you will glorify Me" Psalm 50:13.

Hope you have good supportive people in your life.  Feel free to PM me if you want to "talk".  (((HUGS)))

dancetrancer

BosumBlues, that royally sucks!  You will get through this and there will be brighter days!!!!! We can't help the bad things that happen to us in life, but we CAN control how we respond and grow personally from them.  Keep hope and faith alive - things will work out!

Lily55

I have just purchased my BRAVA equipment, should arrive within the next week......quite anxious about using it though as it seems important to get it right and there i no one to show me or talk me through what to do hto make sure I´m doing it properly here and I don´t think Darlene will be able to help someone who has not purchased from Dr K (I am in mainland europe and cannot order from the USA)

Bosom blues - I am so sorry.......a couple of months ago I was feeling hopeless after failed fat transfer that nearly killed me due to such high levels of infection...and the damage it left behind I thought there was no hope of anything.  Well I have no options other than more fat transfer as no room even for a TE and have just made the decision to try with Brava as surgeon now suggests this....I hope things improve for you soon too.....and I love your user name! x

PamelaKay

Hi all,

I'm new to this topic. I am in the process of signing up for the Brava forum, but that seems to be a bit of a process. Meanwhile, I thought I'd ask a couple of questions here.

Had a uni mx last February with immediate implant of a TE, which got infected last July and had to be removed when I was one fill away from being done. I was planning to get a gummy bear implant. Since then I've been dealing with other medical issues.I am looking for a better option now, as I was never very convinced the implant would work for me.

I'm interested in the Brava system because it sounds like my best chance for having matching breasts without surgery on the non-mx side.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Brava and a UMX? I wonder if there is any hope for matching a saggy, middle-aged breast or if this is a pipe dream? I had a lot of trouble healing from the original mx and want to minimize the amount of surgery I have to have.

Bosum, so sorry to hear what you are going through, and I hope you are able to move forward with your plans soon.

Lily55

i am just about to start using BRAVA. After UMX. I had a saggy heavy breast temaining but had breast reduction on that side when I had my first fat transfer done (without BRAVA). So I have one good natural breast that does not sag .......recovery from breast reduction was easy.  My surgeon went around the nipple and down in a T, he did not do the anchor incision cutting in to the crease........

I find BRAVA a frustrating organisation to deal with, they take ages to respond to any query, by that I mean weeks and are not clear when they do communicate, but that may be different in the USA

PamelaKay

Hi Lily,

Do you mind if I ask how much feeling you have in the breast that was reduced?  That is one of my concerns about reduction. The other is that I have type 2 diabetes and don't heal well because of that. I had a lot of healing problems after the mastectomy (even before chemo). 

When the Brava is done, do they think that they can get both sides to "match"? 

I am also wondering what happens with weight gain or loss after the Brava is complete. I guess you could always have more fat grafting if you gain weight...

Lily55

hi Pamela

I have normal feeling all over except the nipple but that is changing, it can take up to a year for full feelingto come   back and it was only eight months ago. My surgeon is confident he can get both sides to match, it was my choice to have reduction first, you can do it in reverse. I also saw loads of photos of women who looked completely normal and natural having had a new breast made from fat transfer, even the nipples looked normal, i could not tell which side was which .

My understanding is the new "breast" behaves same as a normal one with weight gain and loss

PamelaKay

Thanks, Lily, for your reply. When do you start the BRAVA process? Sounds like you are out of the US. Where are you having your reconstruction done?

Are you on the BRAVA fat grafting forum? I signed up and went through all the bells and whistles, but still can't get to any of the information. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if it just takes several days to get approval to read and post.

Lily55

i am in Spain, equipment due to arrive in a few days then I need to liaise with the PS and start, feel bit nervous about it to be honest. Yes i am on fat graft forum, Lily57, but it seems to be one with lots of very helpful info butless  interaction between members. 

EileenKaye1

Lily and Pam--having been thru the process I can say with confidence that the fatgraftpatients.com website will give you the best information and answers to your questions. Write to Alexandra. She will guide you thru the process. If you post photo's(Alexandra will do it for you)--you will be able to see photo's from many Fatgrafting patients who have gone thru the process. Hints and tips will give you a wealth of information on easier brava wear. That is my recommendation. The best, Eileen

Lily55

thank you Eileen, i think i am trying to avoid it although paying out over a thousand euris focuses my bank balance! 

PamelaKay

Thanks, Eileen. The problem with the BRAVA site is that I can't do anything, even post a message to Alexandria. All I get are messages that say, "No suitable matches were found," or "You are not authorized to read this forum." I signed up, received their e-mail, followed the directions and posted an "I accept" message in rules and guidelines; that was last Wednesday. Not sure if I did something wrong or missed a step, or if it just takes a while for the moderator to review the posts and approve new members.

To Eileen or anyone reading who had done BRAVA, I'm wondering what you thought of the process and how you feel about the results. 

One concern I have is that I am an active person and teach martial arts, and I'm worried about the down time during the fat grafting process as well as how this type of reconstruction stands up to high activity levels when completed.

Lily55

i have sent her an email Pamela hope to see you there soon...xx

EileenKaye1

Pamela-you could contact the administrator again.  Dr. Khouri in Florida also posts photo's and explanations regarding brava with aft.  I had been in pain from implants for many years.  Finally discovered brava with aft. Had my implant removed in stages, and finally have a good looking natural breast. So thrilled for the process. Took some sacrifices-but so worth it. I have posted photo's on the fatgraft website-as stated will having touch-ups this Tuesday.  As a bonus-my waist, abs, thighs look great as these were the lipo donor sites. 

Brava with aft has finally restored my life-as I had lived with continuous pain and terrible asymmetry. So thankful for this fairly new method of breast reconstruction.  Eileen