Help! Struggling with size decisions

Spiritedcharm

I could use some advise from those of you who have gone through the reconstruction process, particularly those who wanted to end up smaller than before.

I've struggled with boob size most of my life. I was a DDD right before my mastectomy and I always hated my boobs with a passion. I hated the way they made me feel big and sloppy. I hated how hard it was to find sizes to fit. I hated that I had to special order swim suits to fit them. I hated that I couldn't wear cute little camisoles and tank tops. I hated that I couldn't run without pain unless they were strapped into a tight fitting sports bra. And I really hated all the ogling, particularly the conversations with men who couldn't make eye contact when talking to me.

The only thing I liked about them was that I was proportionate. I was a curvy girl, so the boobs didn't "look" bad as long as I was wearing a bra and not wearing something too skimpy.

Now that I have the "opportunity" to decide how big my boobs are, I don't want to make a mistake. I told my plastic surgeon during my first visit that I didn't want to be more than a C cup. I don't even really know what that means since I've always been much larger. I showed him a picture of the size I had in mind, but I don't know what size she really was. He must have been listening because I recently learned he implanted a 600 cc tissue expander (I didn't realize there were different sizes before my surgery).

I thought I read somewhere on here that every 200 cc is a cup size. Is that true? I posted in the sizing 101 thread and at the time I was pretty sure I wanted to be between a C & D cup, so she recommended that I go with a 700 cc implant. Is that even an option with a 600 cc TE?

I'm currently filled to 300 cc and I'm honestly kind of liking the small little mounds and feeling like I'm almost there, but I also remember reading that the implant won't project as much as the TE and that's leaving me even more confused. Is that true? I have pre-pectoral TEs, so that may make a difference?

Adding to my confusion is my body size is now much smaller than it was for the past 20 years. In the year leading up to my cancer diagnosis I lost 60 pounds. I'm now 8-15 pounds from my goal weight. I still have some belly fat to lose, but everywhere else is shaping up and I intend to maintain this smaller body for the rest of my life. This makes me think that a B cup might be more proportionate for me now.

I know it's my decision, but I don't want to make a mistake of going too big or too small and regretting it later. My surgeon is not helping much, he just says we stop filling when I feel they are the right size. I have the air TEs, so I can fill them gradually (10 cc/per day right now). They don't look like boobs, so how do I know when I'm at the right size?I'm having nightmares about going too big! Please help me decide!

sbelizabeth

Spiritedcharm, have you considered a DIEP procedure instead of an implant? It's quite a lot more surgery but it would use belly fat to create soft, natural-feeling "breasts" using the space the expanders created.

As for size, I had reduction surgery long before breast cancer came along and I very much preferred smaller breasts. I had a DIEP and my surgeon created breasts that matched my body.

hapa

You can always change out the implants if you want them bigger or smaller. Plastic surgeons usually err on the side of too big because most patients prefer bigger rather than smaller. I believe it is easier to go bigger than smaller if you change out your implants, and if it isn't too big of a change, its a very short outpatient surgery and the recovery time is minimal. If you're happy with the size you have, just tell your PS that. He/she will most likely put in slightly bigger implants unless you specifically ask for something different.

I'm currently looking into getting my implants changed to flatter, wider ones.