What to expect from first TE fill

Topperfan5

Hello, I am 3 weeks post bilateral mastectomy with all lymph nodes removed under right arm. I had drains removed the second week. My TEs are under my muscle. I will have a tram flap reconstruction after all the chemo and radiation, about Thanksgiving time. I have my first fill on Thursday, what can I expect? How are they going to fill? My PS is awesome!!!!!!!!! I didn't think to ask him how it will be done when I got the drains out. I know he will explain everything when we go, I just kinda want to know what to expect before I get there. I am handling all this very well, but my sweet hubby is another story, he hates to see me hurt.

SpecialK

My experience is not necessarily universal, but I have had two different TEs with two different PS - and the experience was slightly different with each. The first TE was filled after the doc located the fill port with a little magnet and marked the location on my skin. He filled a large syringe, with a pretty significant needle, with saline and injected it into the fill port. I had smaller fills because I had some compromised skin, so I did not feel much in the way of pressure - but some docs use what you are feeling as their guide on fill volume. With the second TE the process was basically the same but a butterfly needle was used instead of the syringe directly - the butterfly is hooked up to the syringe. In both situations I did not feel pain as the needle went in or during the fill - some docs will give you EMLA lidocaine cream that you can apply prior to the fill if you are nervous about that though. I never needed pain meds or muscle relaxers, but I also think this is because I had smaller fills. I do recommend going this route as it is more gentle on the skin, and less painful, but some people are a bit impatient to make more rapid progress. Talk this over with your PS but remember that you are the one who should control the volume and speed of fills. I went to these appointments alone, did not need anyone to drive, and had no issues with range of motion, etc. There are some videos on youtube that you can watch if you are curious about the process. Good luck!

Topperfan5

Thank You, SpecialK. I feel a lot better. Like I said my PS is awesome and he tries to eliminate as much pain as possible when I go see him.