Still Uncomfortable with Implants

robo47 - I hated my TEs too!  Take heart though - you found out about Dr. Khouri BEFORE going through with implants!  I had the same procedure as Kate.  It's about 10 months that Dr. Khouri exchanged my large implants with smaller ones and did the fat grafting.  Despite the wait, you will be in a better position to have him do his magic.  Hang in there.  I'm eager to hear what his plans are for you.  Every situation really is different and he will do whatever it takes to give you the best possible results.  Keep us posted!

Just so happy i found this thread! i am only 7 week out from exchange and have cc in my mx breast.The other augumented seems ok just TOOOOO BIG. im seeing a ortho finally,and he has ordered a mri for my rom and soft tissue issues my arm pit is so tight i have been doing pt for 7 months and at a stand still. If this is how my foob are going to be i too want them out! cc will always be a challenge im told and my other one is just not me.....thanks for being so honest all of you ladies,everyone on the exchange thread are so happy about there results i thought i was a freak,now i see a light at the end of this deep dark tunnel. i will wait till fall in the mean time get 2nd opinions and if i have to fly out to miama to see dr. k.

I took the big step and also had deconstruction 7/28. I am feeling better each day and anxiously waiting to get the drains out - hopefully by Friday. So far, this other side is alot greener! It has been a long 22 months of never feeling well. It has been very frustrating to wake up each day and feel no different from the day before! Reading these forums has been so inspiring and I don't feel like I'm crazy. My PS is forever telling me that he has never had a patient with these issues??? I'm beginning to believe that the ones who did have issues went elsewhere for opinions!! I still have some discomfort under my right armpit, numbness and pain. I had this before and I'm not sure if it is nerve damage or if it will get better with time, especially without the weight of an implant in there. After experiencing this myself, reading these amazing posts from strong and courageous women, I feel like I want to be an advocate for women who get that very scarey dx and don't know where to turn - the decision to reconstruct or go breast free. I heard nothing other than info about reconstruction and never was informed about what can go wrong or what you may experience. I fault myself for not doing more research before I made the decision to reconstruct but I think when we get that dx, we tend to surround ourselves around people that have had positive outcomes. If I would have known about this website and read more about complications with implants, I would have taken the other road. Thanks to all of you who contribute your personal experiences on here. Thank God I found you!!

beacher4209 - glad you found the thread.  Like so, so many - my PS (or ANY doctor I saw after my DX) never told me about possible problems and definitely didn't tell me how the pectoral muscles are compromised with implants.  Although I still have implants, (Kate33 and I had the same revision) I'm very happy.  Dr. Khouri replaced the implants with much smaller ones and did fat grafting all around the breast to give it the natural slope and feel of a real breast.  Like Kate, the fact that my breasts are now warm and soft along with looking normal is so incredible.  It's taken a bit of a detour, but I'm very happy with my revision.  Both Kate33 and my photos are on the photo site and our stories (& more photos) are also on the fatgraftpatients.com website.

leeinfl - Can you tell me how to view thes photos on the photo site? I know I read about how to do it somewhere along the way but can't seem to locate it!

Thanks for the info Kate! I will definitely check those out if I can.

I'm hoping for Friday!! The output was less than 30 cc's today so if I can do that tomorrow, I'll be good! My chest already feels better, still a little tightness, but nothing like it was with implants. I'll keep you posted!

During my recovery this past week, I've been watching more daytime TV and thought how this would be a GREAT topic for Dr. Oz!! I often wonder if women who have implants for augmentation reasons have any issues?? A question for you - what exactly is a myofascial PT and did it help in any way?

Based on what we are all sharing on here PS's should consider a 3 or 6 month follow up call or letter after exchange.  Maybe they think no one has issues because they never contact us again.  After my post op appointment after exchange, where I verabalized some concerns, I never heard from my PS ever again.  Just wonder how many out there are suffering in silence.  I just heard from a member who has been dealing with pain since 2003 and who's PS told her it was all in her head.  I think the Dr. Oz idea is great.  You can go on his site and recommend ideas for future shows.  Maybe if enough of us did that they would consider it.  I just recently did that with a suggestion about reconstructing using fat grafting.  If more doctors would get trained in this I think there'd be less recon issues since there's no additional incisions, no foreign objects in your body, no heavy implants and no distortion to the pec muscles necessary.  Who knows?  Maybe some PS's out there would see the show and start to realize that post MX implant pain is very real.

If you google Dr Oz show suggestions it should be the first hit.  Click on that and a form will come up.  

I just found this topic and thought I'd add my own experience. I had an expander put in during my mastectomy in January 09. I hated the way it felt from the get-go and found the whole expansion process very painful. In August 09 I had the expander swapped for the implant. Two weeks later, I developed capsular contracture. After two months of intensive PT massage (which helped, but not enough) I decided I wanted the implant OUT. I had my deconstructive surgery in January 2010, and have not regretted it for one minute. 

I thought I'd get immediate relief after the implant came out, but I ended up getting a whole lot more PT and massage therapy to soften up all the scar tissue. I also did (and continue to) a lot of stretching of the pectoral area, swimming, etc, all of which has really helped.

I was not able to wear my prosthesis without pain for several months after the deconstructive surgery. Now, a year and a half later, I am FINALLY pain free and the area still feels a little tight, but pretty close to normal. I am used to wearing a prosthesis or loose clothing, and am just sorry that I didn't consider all the risks of having the reconstructive surgery before having it-but as they say, "hindsight is wonderful"...and there are obviously a good number of women who are very happy with their implants, so there was no way of knowing how it would go.

 I wish all of you who are struggling with your implants a good outcome, whatever you decide!

dgmlmax,

with any surgical procedure there is risk and that risk increases when you put something artifical in you body.

Having had a DM in March and still adjusting, I am thankful I decided to go smaller than my natural breasts with the implants.  Implants are just no way like your own breast tissue.  The pec muscle which supports the implant was never meant to have something shoved under it. My breasts were 300cc and my implants 200cc and I fit into the same bras snugly.  I actually have better cleavage and they sure don't droop.  Think smaller as it's less of a stretch on the pec muscle and outer tissue.

Yes, the implants can be removed but go into this surgery being positive.  Take your antibiotics after surgery, keep your incisions clean and dry.  Be on the look-out for signs of infection and remain pro-active with your PS.

My breast don't feel real now, but they sure look good and I know I will even be happier when I get nipples made and the tattooing done so I don't look like a Barbie Doll.

As a nurse, I thought physical therapy would be beneficial and started 6 weeks post surgery.  It has been a lifesaver.  I'm not hunched over, I have 100% of my range of motion back and am well on my way to regaining my level of strength.  No more do I ache after spending a day in the garden (or ache any more than I did before the DM).

Remember, small and perky is good!  Good luck..........

justagirl- Great advice there!  I really think a lot of issues could be avoided if women were aware how heavy implants are.  I was shocked when I tried to research the difference between implants and breast tissue.  Almost every PS said they were the same.  Yet almost every patient said the implants were significantly heavier!  I couldn't believe the discrepancy!  I think you summarized it perfectly!

bher- I just had my revision with Dr. K and am so happy with the FG as I was developing CC as well.   I'm glad he was able to help you as well!

robo47- Dr. K did have to do some pocket work since I dropped from 375 implants to 225.  UHC did cover the initial exchange and then Dr. K's procedure.  I'm not sure what the parameters are for coverage (i.e. do you have to have pain issues, CC, etc.)  I would definitely email Dr. K and tell him where you are in the whole TE process and see what he recommends.  Personally, if I were you and you are able to have the procedure done in Miami I would go for it.  The reason I say this is the more fills you do the more your pectoral muscles are going to be stretched.  I really think this distortion of my pecs is where the majority of my discomfort lies.  Since you don't want to go very big it wouldn't take very many fat graftings to get to where you want to be.  (Not sure but you may even get there with one procedure.)  The other upsides are you won't have implants that need to be replaced down the road (so another surgery at some point) and majority of women who have the FG, instead of TE/implants retain or regain sensation.  Just a thought and it doesn't hurt to email him and get his thoughts.  He will be quite honest about what he can and cannot do and what he recommends for you.

mlp730- So glad you got rid of those #%**%#$# drains!  Hope each day finds you feeling better and better!!!! 

mlp-
Congratulations on having your drains out!  whahoo!  I have areas of numbness still. And sometimes I'll feel my nipples ache even though I don't have them anymore.  Phantom pain. 

The Warner bras I purchased are called "Warners Freedom Back Lift.  Wire-free lift  Product noumber: 02019".  They have a soft pad along the bottom inside--about a fingers width- that helps to hold the puffs in place.  But I had to wait for my PS to give me the OK to wear a bra first.  Until then I went flat for a couple weeks and then did the camisole for a week.  But this bra has very soft sides and back.  It holds its shape so you don't see the shape of the puff inside.  I forget I have it on!!

All the best to you as you heal. After 3-4 weeks you should be able to start massaging the scar.  I've just started that this week.  It's suppose to help break up scar tissue under the skin and cause the scar to heal with a softer feel to it. I'm not good at explaining it, can't think of the right words right now. But it's suppose to be a good thing.  *smile*