Has anyone had micro fat grafting?
Comments
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Lee- Glad Dr. K can fix my "ski slope"! LOL! Can't wait to meet you, too!
Determined- August? Cool! Maybe I'll be ready for my second round of fat grafting and we can coordinate our procedures! Where are you flying in from? I can't remember where you live.
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Well I am going to a breast nurse navigator class in Atlanta so would be going from there. I live in the Chicago area. I just am still so damn torn about what to do. I can't wait to hear about your experience. I need to take pictures to send him. I am getting a second opinion by a PS here I have heard good things about have no idea if he does fat grafting though.
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Thanks to all of you.I am still in pain,I will for sure ask my surgeon on Friday about the shingles med.I have been taking elavil,I used to take it for my fibromyalgia and it is helping some.That is wonderful about the feeling in your breasts,I am so happy for all of you that are having such great results.
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Pandazankar,
So sorry to hear of the pain you've been in! Sounds like you have a good attitude and sense of humor about just using prosthesis for now and then gradually considering other options. I agree with the advice to take some time off from torture and enjoy the summer!
Kate and Lee,
Exicted for your appointment on Tuesday and hopefully getting to meet. It's so great to share this experience with others who understand!
sdstarfish,
Sorry you had a such a bad expeience. I highly recommend anyone considering doing fat grating with any of the MD's who do it, to join in on the fatgraftpatientsforum.com (hope I got that address right, can google it otherwise). There are things it is so good to know...like there is edema from the Brava swelling that goes down, but that is different from actual fat loss. With Dr. Khouri, it is not unusual to have to wait long periods of time for appointments or to go in surgery. Once you get in though, you will get full focused skilled attention (though could be a few interruptions even then
. I met Dr. Khouri in Milwaukee for my first three procedures and by the time I got to his Miami office, I knew what great personalized attention he gives (esp. immediately pre and post op) and didn't mind waiting, but if that had been my first encounter without warning about this, could have thought it was horrible to have to wait so long. Lee,
I was thinking last summer about how much I LOVED being able to swim with natural looking and feeling breasts and slenderized shape!
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Off tomorrow morning for my appointment with Dr. K on Tuesday. My DH and I decided to turn it into a mini get away so will be staying until Wednesday. Can't wait!
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Kate33 - Can't wait to meet you tomorrow! Have a safe flight and see you in sunny Key Biscayne!
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Hey ladies, I am just joining in on this thread. This is an option I am looking at as well as implants and the DIEP procedure. As a quick intro, I had a right mastectomy without any reconstruction in September. After the surgery I learned I am BRCA+ and am looking at a left mastectomy. When I have the mastectomy, I am hoping to do reconstruction at that time. Do any of you have any input for my situation? I am worried about my right side being able to stretch since I did not have a TE put in.
I am hoping you can direct to me the best website for the details of this procedure. Also, I have only skimmed through the 26 pages of this thread. In the beginning it was talking about the procedure being non-invasive but later I was reading about stitches. I was hoping there was a place that I could sit down and read the ins and outs, the pros and cons, etc.
Thank you!
Susan
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Hello-- I'm new to this site. So much has happened in recent months. I was diagnosed with DCIS last October thru a lumpectomy and had a skin sparing BI-MX on 2/28 along with a hysterectomy. I've consulted now with 2 PS-- the first one I let go after leaving his office on 3 visits in tears with the botch jobs he showed me- LD procedures. The 2nd PS is out of state (but much closer than FL) and wants to do fat grafting along with an alloderm implant and said the whole procedure is slow and could take up to 1 1/2 years. He is willing to work with the BRAVA, but thinks it's probably one of those 2 good 2 be true things and that ultimately I'll want to have an implant. My concern is that he wants to open me up again and take out what he believes to be a seroma capsule, then I have to heal again for 3 months before even starting fat grafting. And of course I'm not crazy about having an implant if I don't have to. When researching fat grafting I came upon Dr. K's website and was so impressed that I actually made an appt. and am flying across country to see him on 4/26. I've been mostly seeing favorable statements about him and his work on these posts, so that makes me feel much better. I sure do love the idea of having breasts without implants-- I only wish now I'd had a nipple sparing MX- oh well, hopefully the BRAVA will help with the scars. Any feedback on this from anyone? And I see that Dr. K endorses Lasting Impressions silicone nipples. Any experience with these from anyone? Hmmm...... I'll get back to all of you with a report of what Dr. K says about my possibilities-- questions I'll be asking him are "what about the seroma?" "What does he think can be achieved in 2011 (size, shape etc.)?" (for insurance reasons) and I'm not at all overweight, so "can he find enough fat on me and if so because of my age (53) am I going to be left with hanging skin?" YIKES! I'd love to hear back from any of you who have seen Dr.K. recently or otherwise or had experience with any of the above mentioned situations.
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SAMofFL - You live in Florida as well, so you can easily get a consultation with Dr. Khouri so he can explain your options and the wonderful possibilities of fat grafting. His office is on Key Biscayne and the surgery center is in the same building. His website is MiamiBreastCenter.com and has FAQs, photo gallery, and a wealth of information. He's also great about answering your emails, even though sometimes it takes a while for him to get back with you since he is extremely busy and travels all over the world to teach other surgeons and give lectures and such. He's so enthusiastic about what he does and very, very personable. I'd definitely recommend you schedule a consult. I just had another follow up appointment yesterday and as usual, it's hard to tell who is more excited about how great my breasts turned out, him or me! He's a true perfectionist! My before and after photos are on the photo site under my member name of Leeinfl or you can PM me anytime.
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Needmysistersback - welcome! Unfortunately I only found Dr. Khouri AFTER my implants were placed and I was unhappy with theml. They were hard and cold, rolled to the side and my cleavage was a boney, concaved space. Nothing I can do to change that, but I'm forever grateful that I DID find him. I have beautiful breasts that look and feel natural. I've regained a lot of feeling which is amazing to me. From start to finish, it took a little over 5 months. Since I had already been expanded to 600 ccs and had 500 cc implants, he exchanged the large implants for smaller ones and then did 3 rounds of fat grafting. My photos are on the photo site, just search for my member name of Leeinfl or feel free to PM me and I'll send my before and after pix.
Good luck and I'm sure you'll be impressed with your consult.
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Thanks Lee for the quick response. So glad you've had a great experience with Dr. K. It makes me feel that much better for flying across the country to see him. I went to his website but didn't see a place for logging in members names, so I'm not sure which picture is yours. All are very impressive. Perhaps you can guide me further on this?
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The photos are loaded on TimTam's photo site, but I have my whole story and many more photos on fatgraftpatients.com. Or just PM me....
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needmysisters- I just got back from my consult with Dr. K and I know you'll love him. He is the first male doctor I have had in a very long time but I felt very comfortable with him. Just to warn you the office is a little chaotic and I had to wait forever (3 hours) to see him but I have to say it was worth it. He answered all my questions and said to email him directly if I thought of more (which I did and have). Since I already have implants in he is recommending I swap them out for smaller ones and then do fat grafting over the top. Like Lee had, my implants feel hard and cold and I also have cleavage that looks boney and concaved. He said he can fix it all and give me a more natural slope. He also said if I'm still not happy with the implants after going smaller I can do the BRAVA for 4 weeks and then he'll remove the implants and do a second and possibly third round of fat grafting. Good luck with your appointment. If you have to spend the night and you need a hotel recommendation Cindy his assistant says they have a list of ones that offer a discount. My DH got a $99/night rate at the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel on hotwire. It's about 15 minutes from Dr. K's office.
For those of you considering, it can be a hassle getting to him, it can be expensive having the surgery (I was quoted $3600 after insurance) but I truly think he is our best bet to looking and feeling as normal as possible after mastectomy. I feel lucky in that I can even consider doing this. I have a lot of soul searching to do this week but I think I am definitely leaning towards having the surgery whatever it takes.
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Kate-I read your post on the other thread too, just wondering why do you have to pay so much out of pocket? Is it because of your deductibles or is it because some the procedures are not covered by insurance? It sounds like you do have a lot to think about but its no rush. Take your time and let it come to you what to do. You don't have do a thing unless you feel totally ready.
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sweetie- Not sure why it's so much. I got that number from his assistant over the phone. Definitely want to see the break down of all the costs. I'm sure part of it is he is out of network for me so I pay a higher percentage. The surgery is about 6 hours long which is how long my MX was and that was about $3000 out of pocket too. I do have a maximum out of pocket cost, though, which I need to check on. Can't remember how much it was last year, just know that I met it. So maybe the future fat grafts would be covered if I did it all this year. Not sure, though. I'll let you know what I find out.
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Thanks Kate-- Sounds like overall you had a great experience with Dr. K. I'm very excited about seeing him and just hope he can do something good for me. Isn't it just exhausting trying to make these kinds of decisions? Though I'm glad my breast cancer was caught very early and in the non-invasive stage still it's been equally daunting trying to make the right decision regarding mastectomy and reconstruction following. I am so glad, however, that I discovered Dr. K before having implants put in. At least I am looking at ALL my options. I happened upon Dr. K by doing internet research on fat grafting. Thank heaven for the internet! I truly hope you can work out the financial piece of it. I'm grateful that my insurance company accepts Dr. K and I've already met my out of pocket expenses for the year so hopefully he can finish my breasts before the end of 2011. We'll see.... more to come....
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SAMayo,
Sorry to hear all you've been through....
There are no stitches with Dr. K's approach to fat grafting (unless someone has an implant he is removing). I had a left mastectomy only and six months later had the fat grafting. It worked to pull out the skin and "grow" a new breast! (photos on miamibreastcenter.com reconstruction with augmentation). It did take four sessions for me though over 9 months time. I see you had skin sparing mastectomy and that might help. I had very good recovery witht the fat grafting. Actually only took three days off work each time (and worked full time through this whole procedure). Most people would probably take off about a week or two, but it's nothing like TE's or flap surgeries!! There is an excitement with being a part of this, that I actually kind of looked forward to each trip to Miami to have this done (can't say that about any other surgery I've ever had done!).
needmysisterback,
Dr. K. was in network for me (nice surprise since we had just gone to more local cheaper insurance!) and the hospital costs were covered well. There are costs for the Brava (though heard it is close to getting FDA approved, so might be covered under insurance soon). The nipple company that Dr. K. refers to is Naturally Impressive (naturallyimpressive.com). For someone like SAMayo, you could have an impression done of your natural nipple and then have the prosthesis after your mastectomy that will totally match your original. I have one and it looks really natural...I forget it isn't real (except it does take a little work about once a week to reapply).!
He can harvest fat even when there isn't much to spare, though I would be careful on the legs if you can avoid gathering there other than the inner thighs. It is difficult to get more than a "C" cup with this approach, though I think a few women have (for me a B/C was a big improvement!). He does beautiful shaping.
Wishing you all the best as you sort these things out. It was some time and hassle and expense, but I am thrilled with the results!
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Needmysistersback - I am SO glad that you are doing all this research BEFORE your surgery. I wish I had done so. As Kate and I discussed down in Miami, no one tells you what the implants do to your body. You look at it as a "boob job" - it's far, far from it! The way your breasts contort in awkward, unnatural ways when you do even simple things like streching, yawning, sneezing, or reaching - not to mention if you exercise such as lifting weights or swimming. I was lucky that I never had any pain - just a cold, hard feeling and constant reminder of these large implants in my chest. Of course I'm just repeating what so, so many ladies have reported here. Check out the thread "still uncomfortable with implants".....
Again, I'm so happy that you are finding out about all this NOW.
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Lee, was your recovery better after each successive grafting? I am about 90 days out, and think I could still stand some smoothing out, but really don't care to get beat up again, lol!! It's so hard on our immune systems to be under anesthesia for so long. My diagnosis is much later stage than yours, so obviously it's more of an issue than it would have been for you. I still have the bony chest thing going on over one implant, it's much better than it was though!
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Geewhiz - To me these fat graft sessions were not a big deal. The first surgery was 6 hrs and since Dr. K had to do so much pocket work was the one were I felt the most discomfort and pain. However, nothing even close to what it felt like after the DX and TE and I was walking around the neighborhood the next day. The following sessions were much easier and the lipo pain is comparable to the soreness after a super intense workout. Wearing the compression garments gets a bit old, but again...not a big deal.
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Kate-I found out that Dr. K is in network for me. There is one Dr locally who does fat grafting and I think she uses his method but she is out of network. For her I would have to get a preapproval and they may let me see her as out of network on the basis there is no one in the area who does the same procedure. It will just be so much easier when all the Dr's start doing this!! She is still over an hour away from me, but it would be worth it to meet with her and see how she does things.
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WisconsinRandi, I did not have a skin sparing mastectomy. I am totally and completely flat on my right side. I have seen photos where ladies have a little bit of puffy skin in the breast area after a mx. I don't have that. My skin is totally flat and smooth. I can feel my ribs and bones all through the mx area. With that said, and sorry if that was TMI, do you think I would still be a good candidate? I am really scared of this procedure and going the TE to implant route now just because there is nothing left on my right side. Any input for you ladies would be greatly appreciated! I am in north Florida and Miami is a long, long way away for me. I don't want to waste the money on a trip down there if I am really not a good candidate.
Thank you!
Susan
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Susan - I would definitely make the trip! My cleavage area was all boney and concaved - now it is "normal". Soft with gentle slopes towards the breast mound. At least email him your photos, but I really think you should invest the time and money to actually have a consult. Best wishes!
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SAMayoFL- If you go on the miamibreastcenter.com website there is a link where you can email Dr. Khouri with any questions you have. I would describe your current physical condition, and perhaps even email him photos, and ask him directly if he thinks he can help you. I know he will be very honest and upfront about what he can do for you and how he would do it. If you decide to move forward you would probably still need a consult but you'd feel better about traveling so far. (FYI- I've heard it can take some time to hear back from him since he is so incredibly busy but he will get back to you.)
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I forgot to ask. If you're doing just fat grafting with Dr. K (no surgery) is it still general anesthesia? Just curious.
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Thanks ladies, I am going to do that this afternoon. I appreciate your input and will keep you posted!
Susan
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Kate33 - Usually it is. All of mine were, but you can always ask. I've seen videos of lipo and I have to admit, I would rather not be "awake" for that.......(remember....cute anesthesia dr!
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SAMayo,
So sorry I didn't read more carefully...must have been someone else who had the skin sparing. It doesn't matter though. I had a completely flat start and I'm kind of bony in the rib cage area. One MD said I didn't have enough fat for some kind of flap or something, but when I asked Dr. K., he said "no problem, there's plenty here!" I think Lee's idea of sending photos to Dr. K. is a great idea. It is hard to believe, but the gentle persistent suction really does produce a mattrix of new tissue and blood vessels even with nothing but skin and bones to start with. This is a method that has been used to create more tissue for grafts and things like that for decades...nothing new about the principle...just a new application.
I encourage everyone to check out insurance and calculate costs. It actually would have been cheaper for me to go to Miami each time vs Milwaukee (which was MUCH closer) as there were some billing problems in WI...make sure they know how to code this as breast reconstruction -other vs anything that mentions lipo. In WI, even after talking with many people, they just said they didn't have a code it could fit under....compromised with us a bit, but it was still very expensive. Sometimes what you think would be cheaper, isn't. Also check on the experience of the surgeon doing it as that could have a large impact on how satisfied you are with the results. It is an art as well as a science...Am so glad many surgeons are starting to do this though so there are more choices.
lovely photo Lee!
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Thanks Randi -
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Lee- How long did you wait between the first and second round of fat grafting? I found out Dr. K is in network for my insurance so might be able to do a second round and have insurance cover it all since I will have met my maximum out of pocket costs with the first surgery. I'd just have to pay for the BRAVA I think. Was there anything you did that insurance wouldn't cover as far as swapping out the implants and doing the fat grafting?
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