TEs. A Beginner's Primer

Moonflwr912

MAT, mine are soft and squishy. They are NOT hard like TEs. At all. And mi e are 750 overfilled to 850.

pinkvictory

thank you for starting this thread. Lots of helpful information!

MinuteAtATime

Thanks Moonflower! Glad to hear. I had my exchange on Friday and other than the itchiness of all the bandages, I am feeling great!

How are you doing otherwise? I know you have had some health issues and hope they get resolved soon?!!!

Moonflwr912

Thanks for asking. My blood sugar levels finally seem fairly stable, so thats one good thing. Had another kidney stone episode, but it wasnt too bad and didnt last long, so even better. Yay.

I am glad this thread has been if use to so many. If we have to be here, its good to share and help others along.

Mat, watch the itchiness, for redness, simetimes your dkin is sensitive to adhesives. If thats the case, theres good info on the adhesive board.https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topics/767669?page=19#idx_543

Mominator

Good to see you, Moonflowr. I hope you have continued stability and no more kidney stones. Your medical biography is too long. It's time for some uneventfulness so you can work on other things, such as your artwork.

Love, Madelyn / Mominator

Mominator

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and hoping that our ladies with TEs have easy fills and a smooth sailing on their exchanges.

Perhaps no news is good news on this thread!!

EastcoastTS

Yes, Happy New Year to everyone!

This thread was very helpful during my TE experience. (Exchange in Sept.)

BringOn2017

Happy New Year to everyone. This thread was a lifeline to me in my weeks at home after my bmx and TEs. Thank you all especially to Moonflower for starting it. Hope you're better Moonflower and that the New Year is kind to you!

Moonflwr912

Happy New Years!

Thanks Mominator. Unfortunatly 2018 started out wrong. Got the flu Saturday, still running a 102 fever

Mominator

Phooey on the Flu.

Alternate Tylenol and Ibuprophen if needed to get that fever down. My PCP mentioned alternating Tylenol and Ibuprophen for pain and inflammation on a pulled intercostal muscle. I told him I remember alternating them when the kids had high fevers. He said it's the same principal, and yes, they still recommend that technique for high fevers. 

I hope you're feeling better soon!

Flynn

Hi ladies! My first fill is tomorrow. Does anybody suggest taking tyl or ibu before heading in? I have kind of a full afternoon afterwards and I’m not sure what to expect. Thanks!

grandma3X

I had shoulder pain after my first fill, so took ibuprofen before the other fills.

EastcoastTS

Flynn: Yes, I think that's a good idea to take something. I had pain after (mild) but can't hurt!

Flynn

Ok, thanks ladies! We'll see how it goes!

Moonflwr912

How'd it go Flynn? I hope it wasnt bad. Sometimes it doesnt hurt till the last couple of fills.

Flynn

It went well, thanks, Moonflwr912. The nurse put in 150cc’s since I was feeling ok after 100. She said she’ll do smaller amounts after the 1st fill. Friday’s my next appointment!

WenchLori

Happy New Year ladies! I haven’t visited in a while as I needed a break from everything BC but I’m back for a little while as I recover from my exchange surgery next Wednesday. Finally! I get rid of these hard as a rock cockeyed TEs that I have been carring around for a year and a half! I can’t wait! I’ll have to go with a smaller implant than what I want due to my right TE taking a trip sideways. I’m not happy but my PS said he’d see how it goes while he’s in there. I’ll let everyone know how it goes, keeping my fingers crossed that it’s not as bad as it looks lol

I’ve got some reading to catch up on and see how things are going with new and older sisters here.

Until next time

WenchLor

EastcoastTS

Good luck, WenchLori! YAH-HOO to losing the &^$%@#$ tissue expanders! You've more than paid your dues with those things.

Moonflwr912

yay for squishies!

Moonflwr912

yay for squishies!

Flyn, glad it went ok. Font feel you have to rush. If it hurts, you can wait an extra week in between. Its not a race.

BringOn2017

Good luck Wenchlori. I'll be thinking of you. Got my exchange on the 20th last month. Big delay on my part as my BS was happy to do it any time after July and first I didnt want to ruin a summer and then I got cold feet about it all and was considering keeping my TEs! Thank God for my DH who kept pointing out no trials on permanent TEs, my brilliant and kind surgeons and bco for all the support it offers!

The surgery was much easier this time round, though I'm still needing to take it easy for a while, and there was a constant pain my left arm pit that had disappeared when I woke from anaesthesia! Squishies starting to get softer and hopefully will droop a bit more. Let us know how you are doing.

Flynn

Hi ladies! I asked this question also in Exchange City as I’m not sure who reads where. Suggestions for handling symmetry during expansion? I had a bilateral mastectomy but we are expanding the right side first (before radiation). I’m trying to figure out how to look ok in regular shirts with a changing difference between sides. My big T-shirt’s are ok but need to wear other clothes for a social events and my exercise clothes are more form fitting. Suggestions?

BringOn2017

Hi Flynn, 

I used soft wadding (which my PS nurse gave me from the hospital) and used it to fill the bras to my desired profile! The wadding came in rolls (imagine rolls of loo paper!) and she taught me to fold it in triangles to fill the bra. I expanded both sides at once so I didn't have symmetry problems but you can probably adjust for that by using less wadding in the expanding side. 

Alternately you may want to try using a soft prosthesis on the non expanded side and make up with wadding on the other side. 

I also used a lot of scarves during the process to take hide my front! It worked and I became a bit of a scarf maniac for a while. Thank God it was winter!

Hope it goes well with you. I used Eterocoxib 120 (Arcoxia) the day of my fills and it helped. I remember feeling central chest pain with every step I took for the couple of days after the fills which was likely due to pressure on the chest wall muscles, but I used to fill almost a 100cc every week or two. 

meg2016

Flynn - I got a pair of knitted knockers. They are free due to an amazing non-profit, and you can take stuffing out as you go to stay even. Highly recommend this! You can go to the website and order a pair. I passed mine in to another bc patient after exchange.

Flynn

BringOn2017,

Thanks for your ideas! I’ll have to experiment a bit. I may go with different solutions for different solutions. Also good to know about the Eterocoxib, I have a med (forget the name right now) & it makes me so sleepy. An alternative might be good.

Meg2016, I read about knitted knockers a long time ago, need to look into that as well. Thanks!

BringOn2017

Great Flynn! Good luck and let us know how you're getting on! Re Eterocoxib discuss with your doc-  they are prescription meds!

Moonflwr912

Good luck Flynn! I used a post surgical camisol top with the pockets and envelopes that held the stuffing fluffs. On one side I was just a cavern, the other side I was half filled for 2 years. I also had 2 protheses one a size 5 the other a 10.

I just had my port removed yesterday. Everything went fine, my implants are safe so far and my only problem was the redness from the tagaderm bandage. I know I had problems with that, but i left it on a full 24 hours. Oh well!

Much love to all.

LoveCanada

Hi Moonflwr912 I just wanted to comment and say hi and thanks for this thread. My TE have been really uncomfortable and I’ve started reading this thread from the beginning because there is so much good information on it. I’m still catching up but thank you!!! There’s good advice that I’m using already and it’s giving me hope that I will feel better.

Flynn

thanks, BringOn2017!

Moonflwr912, good for you getting your port out! Must be a good feeling!!

BringOn2017

Hi Moonflower Glad your port is out and that things went fine. Hopefully the redness will go soon. I had got redness wherever the mepore was in contact with my skin after the bmx and TE insertion. Then when the mepore was removed after 8 or 10 days, my entire skin seemed to flake off. So this time when asked about allergies I mentioned white mepore (in addition to brown plaster) and they didnt use any mepore for my exchange, just glue and white tape.

How are you doing with your fills Flynn? Do you have many left?

Wenchlori how are you? Hope all went well for you. 

Hi loveCanada yes isn't this a great thread? I found so much information and so much support here on this thread, and another great thread is Exchange City

Hi Eastcoast hope you are well. We did our bmx and TE in the same week last year, and I must say, without you knowing it you were one of the people who spurned me on to get a date for my exchange! I felt oh no I can't get left behind!