All About Gummies

Claire82 · October 2010

OHH Sharon

Let us know how it goes!

Lilah · October 2010

Thinking of you today Sharon -- hoping for fab results for you!

sweetie2040 · October 2010

Sharon-thoughts and prayers. Hope all goes well.

Girls-saw my foobs today. They look really natural, almost like a shape between a round and gummy. They feel really soft too. They are not very big. He explained my pockets were tight and he didn't want to force a bigger size and it wouldn' thave looked any better. They seem to suit my body fine, maybe a B. I still need to heal and give it time though. I will take pics soon, right now they look a little banged up.

Lilah · October 2010

Sweetie -- they may yet look and BE bigger in a few months. Smooth rounds will "drop and fluff" as gravity works on the silicone. Can't wait to see the pics!

Yay on the new girls!

Mantra · October 2010

In 8 hours I will officially be a gummy girl Smile

All my months of studying and reading this thread and trying to absorb as much information as possible, is all going to be put the test tomorrow. I now know exactly what I want . . . and don't want and hopefully I will wake up, albeit groggy and cranky, tomorrow thrilled with my results. Wish me luck!!

sweetie2040 · October 2010

Lilah-thanks for the encouragement. I took pics but I don' t like how they look, they have marks all over them from the compression bra. I hope they don' t drop too much, fluff I don't mind.

Manta-Wishing you all the best!

Lilah · October 2010

Those marks will go away... I had them too. I don't think that DROP means drop lower than where they are so much as an overall reshaping that is caused by gravity. Be patient

sweetie2040 · October 2010

Lilah-phew...thanks Lilah, what would I do without you, you help me so much!!

girls I posted my pics on the pic forum. They are 450cc round HP but to me from the side they look very tear drop shaped. They don't look as round as I thought and I actually feel like I lost a lot of upper pole fullness that I had with the TE. Hoping to see positive changes as the weeks go on because I'm not sure how I feel about them right now.

Sharon2010 · October 2010

My surgery went well on Monday. I'm still pretty sore. My scars are a lot longer now, as they had to remove skin from the side to pull it in. I knew they'd be longer, so am ok with that. I feel like when you already have a 4-5 inch scar, what's an extra couple of inches in the end? My stomach hurts more than my chest, as that's where they harvested the fat from for the fat grafting. It feels like someone used my belly as a punching bag. It is manageable with Advil though. There is swelling, but the ridges and bubble appear to be totally gone! I am very happy! They don't appear as bottom heavy anymore and have a nice lift. Can't wait to see how they look when the swelling goes down and the stitches come out. So far I'm happy...just sore. I'll post pictures soon.

Mantra- I hope your surgery went well. I've been thinking about you. Sweetie, your pictures are great! Remember, many of us had a "let down" bummed out feeling after our exchanges, so feeling that is not unusual. You look fabulous. Very natural!

Lilah · October 2010

Sharon -- terrific! Heal up I can't remember -- did you go for a smaller implant as well? I seem to recall you said the size you had was giving you back pain.

Sharon2010 · October 2010

My surgery went well on Monday. I'm still pretty sore. My scars are a lot longer now, as they had to remove skin from the side to pull it in. I knew they'd be longer, so am ok with that. I feel like when you already have a 4-5 inch scar, what's an extra couple of inches in the end? My stomach hurts more than my chest, as that's where they harvested the fat from for the fat grafting. It feels like someone used my belly as a punching bag. It is manageable with Advil though. There is swelling, but the ridges and bubble appear to be totally gone! I am very happy! They don't appear as bottom heavy anymore and have a nice lift. Can't wait to see how they look when the swelling goes down and the stitches come out. So far I'm happy...just sore. I'll post pictures soon.

Mantra- I hope your surgery went well. I've been thinking about you. Sweetie, your pictures are great! Remember, many of us had a "let down" bummed out feeling after our exchanges, so feeling that is not unusual. You look fabulous. Very natural!

Sharon2010 · October 2010

No, I didn't go smaller. In order to go small enough to reduce the weight significantly, I would have lost a lot of size and projection. He seemed to think raising the height to be more centered, rather than bottom heavy would alleviate the back pain. It makes sense, when they were bottom heavy, they were at the lower part of my shoulder blades. Now they sit higher they don't pull my shoulders down as much. Time will tell with the pain. If it doesn't work, or I'm otherwise unhappy, I'll get them swapped out for traditional implants. I will wait a full year to make that decision. I'm committed to giving the gummies a chance.

Lilah · October 2010

Did your PS say that gummies are heavier than regular silicone?

Sharon2010 · October 2010

Yes, they are heavier. Also, as they don't move in a bra, I couldn't just put one on to hoist them up. I'll see if I can take some pictures tonight. They are swollen and icky looking, but I can see what they'll be like. As an added bonus, he took out enough fat in my stomach for the graft, that it looks a litte flatter! Woohoo!

sweetie2040 · October 2010

Sharon- so good to hear from you. Glad everything went well and your having postive results so far. I think they are going to be beautiful. Sometimes it takes a couple of trys to get it right. I hope you rest and give yourself time to recooperate. Can't wait to see your results. One of the reasons I didn't end up choosing the gummies is I think they would have looked a lot smaller on me. He only put 450cc's in the rounds in me and I think they gummy would have been even smaller to fit the pocket. I can't say the rounds are perfect either, it's like you said in a much earlier post we will find something wrong with either. I think you are right in sticking with one and giving it a chance. Nice perk with the stomach. I don't think my PS does fat grafting. Do you know if it is covered by insurance as part of reconstruction? I was thinking of looking into it for ripples.

Sharon2010 · October 2010

My surgeon sent the skin/tissue he removed out for pathology, something that is routine for someone with a BC history. He called me tonight to tell me that they found more DCIS. I thought this was over, and I can't believe it's happening again. My husband said that he'll talk to his partners tomorrow, but that I'll probably start on Tamoxifen, and need another surgery to take random samples to see if it's anywhere else. I'll meet with a Radiation Oncologist as well to see if that is merited. If it is, it would have to be the whole breast, which is not something they like to do. Has anyone here been on Tamoxifen? What should I expect in terms of side effects?

Jerusha · October 2010

Sharon2010 I just read your post and I am so sorry to hear your news. I am a gummy-girl as well -- don't post very often, but follow closely. I know you were feeling so good about the revision just behind you... Just get through the night...try not to let your worries get the best of you. Sounds like you will get some info and a plan tomorrow. A plan will help. Best wishes.

Lilah · October 2010

(((Sharon))) I am so sorry to hear this news. But perhaps a blessing that you did this revision and found this out (otherwise how would you have ever known)? Thankful that you caught this NOW and hopeful that it's still early enough to be stopped.

I do not take Tamoxifen... as I was not ER or PR + ... but I do believe there is a whole section of this site devoted to discussion of it. Try searching the word... also there are women on the thread Foobville that you could poll... come post there and see who has what info for you. If I remember right some have experienced SEs and some have not.

Jerusha -- how are you doing? Are you still unhappy with the gummies? If so, are you considering switching them out for regular silicone? (That IS always an option).

sweetie2040 · October 2010

Sharon-awww hon I'm sorry about the news, I'm confused though, was the DCIS in the skin? I thought when they removed the breasts they removed the threat.

I had IDC on my left and elected to take off my right too. I found out after the surgery the right had DCIS and LCIS. I do take Taxmofien and have been on it for three months. I have no issues with it at all. I wouldn't worry about it. If they think it is good for you take it just try it.

Your going to be in my thoughts and prayers. Big hugs.

elizzim · October 2010

Sharon,

I am so very sorry to hear that you're going through this! I can only imagine how it feels at this stage of the game. Still, I'm glad that it's DCIS, which means that if you take care of it now, you will be fine! Radiation is such a highly effective treatment, and I know a few women who've had radiation after reconstruction, and they ended up with a good result. Please let us know how things are going as you figure this out.

I am on tamoxifen, and I haven't had many problems with it. The one thing I can say is that it has affected my libido quite dramatically. But even that is hard to access, because I think sexuality is affected by no longer having your breasts, and i'ts hard to say which is really the culprit. Please feel free to IM me if you have any specific questions - I'd be glad to tell you anything you need to know.

I'll be thinking of you....

cs7777 · October 2010

I haven't posted much here lately but just saw your post Sharon and want to send big hugs your way. So sorry for this extra hurdle for you. Its just not fair!! FYI there is a really nice ongoing tamoxifen thread called "Bottle O' Tamoxifen" in the Hormonal Therapies forum and you can get lots of perspective and support about that there. I've been on it 10 months and have few side effects of note, and I'm not alone in that. You might also ask for a second pathologist to look at the path slides...2nd opinions are always good. Sometimes people make mistakes (one can always hope!) and since everything you do from here out is based on the reading of this pathology it's important that it's right. Just a thought. Again, hugs to you Sharon!!!

Have a good weekend everyone... Take care - CS

jillyG · October 2010

Sharon, I can't believe they found some DCIS, well, I guess it was a good thing that you did the revision surgery and now you can take care of it. My breast had IDC and a ton of DCIS everywhere, it was all over the place. I am so sorry you now have to deal with more of this.

I take Tamoxifen and I have been on it for 1 1/2 years. At first I had a lot of hot flashes and joint pain in my hands, but as time went on, about 2 months, the side effects gradually disappeared. The one I hate that I still have is vaginal discharge, that can be a SE and it is quite annoying!!!! Other than that, I would never know I was on anything. I got some leg cramps at night in the beginning as well but don't get those anymore. I take my pill at bedtime, it's at my bedside tableso I always remember to take it and I have heard if you take at night, side effects can be less. If you have to take it, give it a chance to settle in to your system, I think some people who do have SE's don't give it enough time and they go off it. Like I said, I wouldn't even know I'm on it. I have always had my period, through chemo and now Tamoxifen, but I think some women have their periods stop.

GG27 · October 2010

I finally had my exchange surgery today, I'm officially a "gummy girl"!

They are fabulous, warm & squishy, they feel like they are a part of me. So I just wanted to thank all of you who posted on this thread & helped me make the decision.

thank you, cheers, Dee

Lilah · October 2010

Woo hooo Dee!!!! So glad you are happy

Sharon2010 · October 2010

Congratulations Dee, I'm glad you like them! Are you on the picture site? I'm waiting to post my post revision pictures, because I forgot to take my Arnica Wednesday, and woke up covered with bruises. Hard to see the results when they look so black and blue.

Thanks for your support girls. I talked to my oncologist yesterday, who is one of my husbands partners, and he is waiting for the final pathology to see the makeup of the cells, ER/PR HER2 status, to determine what I'll go on. He said they will conference as a practice on it. My initial tumor was weekly ER+ at 30%. If it's still that low, and still HER2+++, then I'll go on Herceptin. If the ER is higher, I'll likely do a year of herceptin followed by 5 of Tamaxofin. Last time it was a 6.5 cm tumor with mostly DCIS, but a 1mm microinvasion. Hopefully they wont find any IDC. I will check out the different threads for the different therapies after they tell me for sure what I'll be on. I don't want to get myself upset about side effects until I know which ones I might actually get. I feel better knowing that both are fairly well tolerated. Sweetie, it was in the tissue lining my skin. Apparently it's hard to get everything out. There is always something left over. I'm just surprised it contained a duct. I thought that once I had the mastectomy, I wouldn't have to worry about this anymore! I can handle anything they throw at me, I just want to be healthy and never have to deal with this again. You are all so supportive. Your messages have made me feel much better.

Lilah · October 2010

It IS odd that it is being called DCIS and not IDC (which is a DCIS that has broken past the duct. Your stats say you were HER+ the first time... did you get Herceptin and chemo then? I was told, once they realized I had HER+, that I would HAVE to have chemo and Herceptin (the chemo because it makes the Herceptin work better, the Herceptin because I was HER2+). It may be though that it was also because my DCIS turned out to be invasive (IDC) on closer inspection... I am not sure. I knew I would have to have chemo/Herceptin even before they did the SNB (and found the 1 positive node).

We are here for you Sharon!

Mantra · October 2010

I'm now officially a gummy girl . . . albeit an unhappy one Frown . Last night I tried on a low cut dress that I had purchased when I had my TE. It had looked fabulous before, but now, there is zero cleavage. DH (Mr. Logical) talked it through with me.

I told him that when I had natural breasts, even though they were not saggy, I wouldn't have what I would call a fabulous natural cleavage. Instead, the cleavage was created by wearing the right bra.

I told him the TE had a fabulous natural cleavage, with or without a bra.

My gummy implants have zero cleavage and because the way they are made, I can't just throw on a bra and suddenly they will have cleavage. They are the Allergan natural shape.

So in his opinion (and I think he's right), the different is likely to do with the difference between the round shape of a TE and a tear drop shape of the gummy.

Does anyone have cleavage with their gummies? I have one 410 MX and one 410 MF (needed to different profiles and sizes to make my symmetrical). Has anyone changed to round because of this reason and did you find it gave you cleavage.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Sharon, I was surprised to hear your results but am so happy you went for a revision which allowed you to find this. It seems like cancer often throws us additional unanticipated steps. You will be in my thoughts.

Beesie · October 2010

Mantra, I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the appearance of your gummies. Are your implants placed on your chest in the same place that the TEs were? My TE was higher on my chest and in most of the pics that I see of TEs, they do tend to be placed higher than natural breasts. My implant on other hand is placed where my breast used to be. The higher placement of the TEs, if that was the case for you, would be a factor in why you would have had cleavage in a particular dress with the TEs but not with the implants.

As for whether you can have cleavage with gummies, I think that depends on the size of your implants. Smaller implants, just like smaller breasts, don't give much cleavage. Natural breasts are pliable and can be squished into a bra to create cleavage; implants and gummies in particular are less pliable. But upon reading your post, I went in front of the bathroom mirror to see how much I could manipulate my implant to create cleavage, and I actually can do that. The implant is sort of stuck where it's stuck, but there is some flexibility to the body of the implant. I have about an inch between my breasts (one is natural, the other is a gummy). I can squish my breasts together to raise them up a bit and completely eliminate any space between them. So, yes I can create cleavage if I want. Still, I don't think that this is something that you should be trying only a few days out of surgery. You need to let your implant settle into it's spot and properly adhere to the chest wall. Then you can see what you can do with it.

GG27 · October 2010

Thanks everyone.

This morning I am even happier, took off the bandages & can't believe how great it is. I do have extra scarring, PS doesn't like to open old scars to do the exchange, he says he gets a better result by doing it at the fold, then there isn't any tension across the top of the breast.

Sharon, sorry, I'm not on the picture site, I didn't have a camera when I started out, I will try to get some shots of myself now.

Mantra, I have more cleavage now than I did with TE's but still not a lot, the PS says my pecs are in the way, perhaps from too much weight training.

Jerusha · October 2010

Hi Mantra, yes I do have cleavage with my gummies (510g,MX - bilat) if I wear a bra with uplift. I am 4 months post xchnge and the implants have definitely gotten a little more shifty and looser in their pockets. HOWEVER, it is sooo uncomfortable -- such a very unpleasant feeling-- to push the implant around, such as in a bra, that I would have to be highly motivated to get that look to want to endure the discomfort. I hate my gummies...they feel bad in every bra: and also bra-less. In other words...all of the time!

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