Exchange City

MBJ,  oh boy now im really scared i took them off my native reconstructed ta ta what should i do? should i go buy some and put them on? 

ok i will go to cvs tomorrow and get some do u think they sell them there?

Yeah never pull steri strips off -- let them come off naturally (mine took WEEKS on the reduction/lift side where they surrounded the areola).

I also agree with MBJ: don't put anything on your incisions until you get the OK from your PS.  (Jennifer being an old pro can do what she wants   Rubbing stuff on open wounds -- even if antibiotic ointment -- can put you at risk for infection.  You do NOT want infections!

Laura -- will do!

Aw Beacher he probably figures whatever skin gets pulled off with the strips will heal.  I just would rather not add to the issue.  Did removing them tear your skin?

Laura, here's how I missed the video...in 08-09, all my searching on here was related to chemo, rads, and lat d surgery.  All issues I was dealing with then so I was hyper-focused on those areas.  I remember looking and looking at Linda's pix as I consider the lat d surgery.  Implants and recon didn't come up for me until 2010!  Still, you would think somewhere along the line I would have tuned in to the video.  Better late than never!!!!!!!!!  So nice to see you back on here.  hugs, deekaay 

Hah!  That's great stuff! 

Has anyone had the problem of one breast being way higher then than the other.If anyone has this problem or has had I would like to know. Had the silicone implants put in on May 17.I am messaging twice a day as the PS 's Nurse suggests. PS says it will drop, but I know it has a lot of dropping to do! Please help if you can with some advice.

Alberta:  It took my MX side about 4 months to finally drop into place.  It's very early yet.  My augmented side dropped in 2 weeks!  Give it time for the muscle to relax.  If your PS didn't line them up properly then this is a different thing.  My MX side doesn't have the same amount of droop that my other side has and probably never will but they are very close.

pinkbutterfly-my PS said  to use Biodermis strips, he is Chief of PS and seems to think these work best--they can only be purchased online...I used the strips-you cut them in half and they can be washed and re-used for weeks (they are expensive...$50 for 2 long strips)....they are pretty amazing in flattening and reducing the scars (I think product was originally developed for burn patients).

 http://www.biodermis.com/scar_products/epi-derm/epi-derm-silicone-gel-strip/

Thank you MBJ. I needed some encouragement concerning this. it really looks ridiculous,however, I am thankful for getting this far. Whether he lined them up correctly I don't know. I did have a large hematoma on the right side, but that is all gone for quite a while & he said that has nothing to do with it. Thanks again. I appreciate your quick response. I hope you are doing well.

I made a mistake I am taking femara not tomoxifen.  My thumb has what some people call a trigger thumb.  It hurts to bend it and when I can bend it, it is jerky.   I went to an Occupational therapist for it and some other issues.  She told me to use it even if it hurts so it would not freeze up.  I have heard and read that some of the side effects of the hormone blockers often go away after a year of use and your body gets use to it.   I will have been on Femara for a year in September.  We, my OT and I, want to make sure that the problem is caused by the femara and not something else. I do not want to have to have this problem for 5 years and find out it was not caused by the femara. I never had this problem before taking femara.

Regarding steri strips:  I have a bad reaction to some types of clear tape so I need to use paper tape.  So, I might be using a different type of steri strip than other people.   

 Regarding neosporin:  My PS had me use it after my MX and I had problems with it (skin turned pink) so now I use an antibiotic ointment with out it.  I have talked to several medical people and they say that the neomycin can bother some people.   

Jkz -- I know you are careful!  I think my post was for others who were talking about using stuff on their scars within a few days of surgery. 

For what it's worth Ladies -- I tried those strips that Jennifer is using after I was about 2 months post-exchange but they bugged me so I stopped.  My scars are very faded now after a year... so I think, really, that nature should run its course for most of us (and we will heal and fade with time).  How you heal does depend on your skin type and how YOU heal... so maybe the strips are helpful for those whose scars are more raised or more red?  I would not use the strips till the incisions are fully healed, though, as Jennifer did (and always check with your PS first) -- that's all I'm saying!

ok so im past the steri strip fiasco , now what about my mx side ta ta is  so hard not soft at all,and my native side that i had a lift and smaller implant put in for symmetary is getting soft and even jiggles a tiny bit. Im thinking cause i had radiation the mx will always be hard anyone got this one?

thanks Terri,i have silicone too. Is there anything i can do to make it get soft eventually? does anyone know i do massage it but actually it feels just like the t/e.