TEs. A Beginner's Primer

Moderators

STLSurvivor, we want to send you a big warm welcome to the BCO Community discussion boards. We're sorry you are in pain, but glad you reached out here! We're sure some of our ever-helpful members will weigh in shortly to share their advice and own experiences with tissue expanders. In the mean time you mat want to take a look or post also in some of the other threads that Moonflwr912 mentions in the very first post of this topic, such as TE Trouble: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/771702?page=281#idx_8418

We hope this helps! Please, come back to let us know how you're doing!

Best,

The Mods

MinusTwo

STL - sounds like they are filling too much & too fast. I only had 50 ccs during surgery and never had more than 50 with each succeeding fill - and those were several weeks apart. Yes, it took longer, but stretching is not fun. I can't remember ever having anything more uncomfortable in my entire life. Note - your doc can take out some of the fill in the interim to reduce some of the pain and then proceed more slowly.

SpecialK

STL - Agree 100% with minus - sounds like too much, too fast. It can be hard to determine what the discomfort comes from immediately post-surgery - the surgery itself, or the fill amount in the expander - because this is all a new experience. The surgical fill is usually dependent on the expander size, and skin/pectoral laxity depending on whether the expander is placed sub-pectoral or pre-pectoral. The reason this is important is both a comfort issue since you are recovering from surgery, and to encourage the formation of a new blood supply to the skin, which can be compromised is the expander is too tight due to fill. A 100cc fill a week post-surgically after surgical fill that is more than half the total expander size is not the norm, and every time I see that, which is not often, the person is uncomfortable just as you are. In your shoes I would request that some fill be removed and then slow down the fills to smaller amounts, at intervals. Is there a reason for the accelerated timetable? Do you need radiation on a schedule?

Moderators

BUMP -- can anyone weigh in on STLSurvivor's experience?

Thanks!

STLSurvivor

no radiation or chemo. By the time I was scheduled for the 2nd fill I cancelled it but I felt better whe. The drains came out. At that time they did the second drain removal I was feeling better so had the third and final fill.

The TEs are rated for 350ml and I am now at 390. They tell me that they will leave it this way for 12 weeks from original surgery - 1.26 - so final surgery will be towards end of April.

The pain has now improved to discomfort. They still feel like they're nailed into my chest but no more muscle spasms.

My new problem is a surprising mental breakdown. I have been well-controlled with venlafaxine 150mg qd for over a decade and it has either not been working or something has changed.

Have any of you had to get psychiatric help through this? And if so, how did you find a psych who could level out the chemicals again?

---

STLSurvivor

Thank you. They kind of make you feel like. PiTA every time you email with questions and act like it is the first time they gotten the questions.

I think I have made peace with the size of the TE. Now have to figure out how to deal with them for the next 8 to 12 weeks!

STLSurvivor

mine was prepectoral 350cc size. Hoping to be about the same as before surgery. They filled to 240 during initial surgery then 100 mg 1 week after on each side. Then last fill was 50ml each side. That is tight and uncomfortable but doesn't make me suicidal.

STLSurvivor

Hi! Thank you for reaching out! I did not know to check back periodically. I thought I would receive an email if someone responded.

But thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

I will check regularly going forward.

STLSurvivor

one quick question....how do you get the med hx under the signature line?

MinusTwo

STL - good luck with the stupid TEs. They are the most uncomfortable things - like rock hard turtle shells.

BTW - no need to answer each with a separate post. And yes, you can select to receive notification of a new post. (see below)

To add your diagnosis & treatment, go to My Profile. After you've entered, you need to make it "public" for us to see it.

MinusTwo

And Moonflower still occasionally checks in, so thanks again for starting this thread Moon.

STLSurvivor

Thank you, Minus Two. I think I have figured out at lease part of it! Now I just have to get my mental state back to baseline!

Moonflwr912

Hello all! Thanks Minus Two and SpecialK for helping out. I had a hard time checking in here during the renovations on the site!

STL, im glad you are feeling better! Those TEs are not fun. But squishies will come, and you wont believe how much better they feel, even if you dont project out like the TEs.

I dont check in here as often as I used to. Im 10 years out from dx, and 7 from squishies! Time does fly.

All my love

Monica

Moonflwr912

I just double checked, the links are still working on this board after the renovation, so the information above in the introduction is accurate. Yay!

Moonflwr912

Bump

Moonflwr912

Bumping this again. Hope it helps someone!