continued Tissue expander pain!!

bashiakp - There is absolutely no rush in getting the fills. Allow your body to catch up with your mind's expection by giving it lots of rest and not rushing in to fills that are too much or too quickly. This whole BC experience is a journey not a race. One more month or a few in the long run is not worth the and possible set backs that may come from rushing through this to get it over. I know from experience and as a working single mom, I had big expectations of how this whole process was going to roll for me. I wanted to back in full swing by week 2 post BMX, tried, got an infection, and ended up for two days in the hospital w/IV antibiotics. Simply, our body speaks to us differently than our brain. Listen to your body. The pain is telling you something, slow down and give it a chance to heal. All this is said in love and I genuinely wish you the best in your recovery. I went back to work after a month, have slowed down tremendously and am growing in the process. Strange and wonderful outcomes from such a crummy circumstance. Blessings!

dbaylor....welcome to the club, but sorry you had to join. Like you I had BMX with immediate TEs and about 250 inserted. It was very (very) uncomfortable for a while and I too searched for a thread to read about "was this normal". Seems it is.  As for the fills, well, I like you was dreading these, but after the first one it was plain sailing and really there is no extra discomfort and in fact it gets easier with time, even though the TEs are getting bigger. I am now at about 530cc and facing my DIEP surgery on 24th Jan. I'm ready to be done with these hard TEs and have something more natural in place. Good luck to you on this journey and as time passes, it really does get easier. Honest. Best wishes for a healthy 2011.

dbtaylor you describe how i feel exactly

i am just praying the discomfort eases the longer i have the expander in.

how are you doin?

Hi Ladies,

i'm inspired by all the posts, and everyone sounds so brave. I had a left masectomy in Dec and the TE was hurting to badly I was not able to go for the fills. Then I had to have a left axcillary dissection, so on Feb 1st I had that done and they filled the TE 80cc's because I've been so afraid to have any more fills. I'm scheduled to start chemo in 3 weeks, which will last for 4 months,  but after finding out that they can't remove the TE until 4 weeks after chemo is done, I know I can't live with this another 5 months. has anyone had their TE removed? I'm crying all the time and so uncomfortable. I should have researched the TE process before starting. Any advice welcome 

Maxim

I had pain the whole time I had the expander in (10 months). I think it was rubbing on nerves. I didn't have any fills as the PS in his wisdom decided to fill it to match the other side at the time of the initial surgery - I think he forgot the port was there for a purpose! I did have some fluid removed after months and that really helped. My best suggestion is to get yourself on decent pain meds and keep going back to your doctor until you are happy. It is a difficult process and if you are having pain you deserve the best pain meds available. I also had a lot of problems with ongoing pec muscle contractions and pain from that.  There are muscle relaxants available too but make sure you research your options as some may be stronger than you want. Sleep and exercise are also important for coping. The good news is that my final implant feels much better. Not soft, and I'm still conscious of it, but much better. All the rubbing pain is gone.

All the best. Unless you speak up and demand better pain management you are unlikely to get it.

Hi All,

I had a BMX a year ago. (2-12-10)  The tissue expanders were very uncomfortable.  I call them Tupperware lids, that's what they look liked to me.  I will tell you that it did get better for me once they were filled. As it got bigger, it took the burning pain off of my ribs. 

Unfortunately, I lost my left TE in June due to an infection.  I just had it put back in and was dreading it.  But it hasn't been as bad as the first time.  the pain on my rib is back, and where she stitched my inside is bothersome as well. 

What I have found that has been a life saver for me, is a pillow sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I believe they are called "squishy pillows".  They come in different colors and shapes and are filled with little tiny foam beads.  My children had them and I still sleep with one.  I am a side sleeper and it enabled me to somewhat sleep on my side again.  I put it under my filled foob on the side I am sleeping on.  Mine is shaped like a tootsie roll.  It is so soft and conforming.  i think they are only $10, I strongly suggest trying it.  It has been a God send for me. 

So far i have had one fill in my new TE.  Was sore for a couple of days, pain in back and shoulder.  My PS strongly encourages pain meds.  She feels there is no need to suffer.

Hope you all feel better,

Michelle

abbie,

I have had 4 fills for far, they are not painful, just pressure and some pain in back after.  Ask your PS what you can take when you get home.  I do not have my final implants, but no sag with the TEs, and I have not worn a bra since my bmx, they are so high and tight.  Good luck.

Did anyone try using a "heating pad" to get relief from TE pain?  The fill I got yesterday did me in.  OMG undoubtedly the worst pain I have experienced so far and I had a BMX and was cut from underarm to underarm.  Thankfully one side is finished and now just has to sit, but the otherside needs one more fill.  I want to cry just thinking about having another fill even if it is just one side.  

Hi Ladies,



I had my mx and reconstruction surgery several months ago, but wanted to write because this forum was SOOO helpful to me when I was in the middle of everything and had so many questions.



I had a R mx last July and had a tissue expander placed with 180 cc of saline. After 3 or four weeks I had my first fill of 60 cc and then went once a week for several weeks for a 60 cc fill. It always felt tight and uncomfortable for the first day, but the never painful until my last fill. My doctor never filled me over 60cc at a time, I'm glad about that because I'm pretty certain that more than that would have hurt.



After about my third fill, my back started going out when I'd lie down for bed, which made sleeping difficult. I think my back would feel better thru the course of the day, but then would go out again as soon as I lay down. Quite accidentally I discovered taking calcium helped me more than anything. I had been taking calcium with magnesium, but I forgot or ran out of the magnesium for a couple of days and realized on the second night my back hadn't gone out! I continued with the calcium and less magnesium and continued to do much better. I had to ale some magnesium because I noticed some leg cramping without it, but I either took less of it or took it in the morning.



The other problem I had was nerve pain. It was really uncomfortable. I found that a snug jog bra helped, as any kind of fabric rubbing on my skin felt awful. I also read that I should stimulate the area with different textures to "educate" the regenerating nerves that not every sensation equaled pain. So I did massage, and rubbed the area with different kinds of fabric. It was really uncomfortable to do so at first, but I just grit my teeth and did it, and I think it may have helped. The other thing that really helped was acupuncture. I saw a practitioner who did Japanese style acupuncture and used polarity magnets on me and they really helped! I had also read that St. Johns wort helped with nerve pain, so I bought both an herbal tincture as well as a homeopathic form of it. Both the tincture as well as the homeopathic definitely helped with the nerve pain, but the St. john's wort also made me feel weepy and anxious. Those feelings went away when the effects of the St. Johns wort wore off. I later read that anxious feelings can be a side effectof St Johns wort, and that it also can have a lot of interactions with different drugs, so if you decide to try it be sure to do your research on it first.



I had my implant exchange in Nov 2012, and have silicone implants now, and am comfortable once again, hurray! (since i had a single mastectomy, i had a breast lift with augmentation in order match the right side as closely as possible.) I am able to sleep on my stomach again, which I definitely couldn't do with the expander. The nerve pain went away gradually after about four to eight weeks after it started. The sensations are still odd when I touch the area, but they are no longer painful. There are other areas of the "breast" that feel no sensation at all, and still other areas where I think I feel some sensation where I didn't before.



Anyway, if this is helpful to anyone, I am glad. This site was so helpful to me. As much as you can, seek out lots of support. Many people are happy to help with things like food, shopping, dishes and laundry. And find things that keep your spirits uplifted - books, music, friends, this forum, whatever works for you. By the way, Belleruth Naparstek has some very good guided meditation CDs. I listened to her "Successful Surgery" CD before my surgeries and it helped meget into a positiveframe of mind. Lots of love and courage to you ladies!