Exchange City

Urban_mom- congratulations!! Welcome to the squishees club. Glad to hear things went well. Rest comfortably & keep us posted on how you're doing.

UrbanMom, great to read your news! Thank you for posting. I have my exchange coming up end of March and am nervous, so your post is encouraging. Please let us know how things go as you heal over the next few weeks.

It's been awhile since I've been online. Overall, happy with implants but need minor revisions.

My nipple reconstruction surgery is scheduled for mid April (using excess abdomen skin) and wanted to hear from anyone that has been thru this already, even if you used skin from a different part of your body.

Hope everyone is doing well.

I'm a month out (TE exchange surgery 1/23) and I'd say it's just in the past week that I'm not having as many aches and pains. I ended up taking three weeks off form work instead of the two that I had planned. What made the most difference for me was following the advice from this forum on sleeping in a better bra at night. Staff from my PS's office also recommended a "stronger" zip-up the front bra. Once I started wearing that, I had fewer aches and pains. After my last PS's visit, I am also wearing a breast band (compression type) to help keep the implants from moving to the side. The PS wants me to wear it especially at night and he left it up to me in the daytime. I find, especially if I'm doing much walking, it is more comfortable with that band on than without even though it is a bit tight. I put the "zip up" bra over the compression band, guess it's a layered look.

I got my zip-up bra at Penney's, not pretty (first ones were gray because that's all they had in my size!) but really made me feel more comfortable:

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/XGN.aspx?SearchString=front+zip+sports+bra&JSEnabled=false&mscssid=&cmResetCat=true&hdnOnGo=true

Goloden01,

I really LOVE that JCPenney zip front bra.  It runs true to size, supports without smashing.,  Lots of us have worn that one post exchage.  I wore it for 10 months or more through chemo and TE troubles.  I still sleep in this one now.

I've got a question: does anyone here experience an extreme amount of pain after they get fills? The fills themselves(needle stick) isn't bad but the days following are horrible! PS says it is like getting braces tightened: not! Way worse. First two fills (60cc each about two weeks apart) wassnt too bad but the third one put me down for a good 4 days: hurt to breathe, sneeze, cough, sniff, move etc. so I tried a fill of just 25cc on Thursday and it wasn't as bad as when I had 60cc but I still lost a day of work and won't be doing much this weekend. I was hoping my exchange would be mid to the end of March but I don't know how much of this I can handle so will probably be spacing out the remaining fills. To get back to where I was the goal was to put in 500cc (overfilled to 550). I am now at 450cc. One other question: It is my understanding that the exchange surgery isn't as bad as the MX ( in was hoping to do it on a Wednesday and be back at work by Monday): do you come out of this surgery with drains? I will ask my PS but was just reading on here that some come out of the surgery with drains?

Flintviolet - My fills haven't been painful either...it's those days following. My first two fills (100cc) were fine and I was mostly just uncomfortable for a day or so. Fill number 3(100cc) was really rough - again, not the actual fill - but for 4 days following I had a lot of pain. PS cut back on the 4th fill (75cc) because of that and I still was uncomfortable but didn't hurt like the previous one. I just had fill #5 (75cc) which puts me at 500cc. Again I was in pain with this one and the pain pills weren't really helping. My PS called in some muscle relaxers and those really help. The only downside is not being able to drive while on those medications. I was wondering the same thing about drains. I'll have to ask my PS about that next time I go back.

Thanx Tina, Tenaj, Shore and all... it feels good to have crossed over to the squishee side.  I slept through the last 2 nights fairly comfortably, with my new foobies swaddled in gauze and pads in an MX bra.  There has been no need for drains.  Compared to the BMX back in July, the exchange was a walk in the park.

That being said, I am taking it easy.  The PS nurse said to keep them in a good bra 24/7 to allow the internal sutures to heal.  And although I can move my arms, I can not lift much.  If I feel that I am pushing the limit (i.e. making the bed and stretching the fitted sheet ), my body lets me know pretty quickly.  Flint, going back to work the week after might be doable, but you will be tired. Perhaps you can go in for a few hours and stay if you feel up to it. I had plenty of energy the next day, but today I needed to nap.  Odd little things are a nuisance, like cutting pizza and opening medicine container lids (because you are applying downward pressure).  But, we manage and get through what we need to do. 

Someone had asked about wearing a hairpiece during the exchange.  No jewelry or loose dental devices, but my hair was covered in a net during the operation, so as long as there is no metal - it should be allowed. Some small measure of dignity in this process.

UrbanMom, do you mean you wore a hat or wig and they put a net over it? I will have to wear something on my head during the exchange. What is usually worn in this situation? I can't even believe the stuff im worrying about these days.

Shore - my own hair was placed in a net (the same kind the drs wore) and it would be the same for a wig. So, you can wear what you are comfortable in during the exchange.

This whole process has us thinking and worrying about stuff that other folks never have to consider. 

You are welcome! I thought my right one bounced all the way to the park and back before I went and got mine! Very uncomfortable. I never thought I'd like wearing a bra 24/7 but am much more comfortable, just like others on this and the "Bras 101" thread have said.

JulieLynn,

 No, they don't tell you.  They don't know.  Don't buy anything until after.  In fact wait a week or two.  I bought my first bra 5 days after exchange and it no longer fits because post-op swelling went down. 

Nehson, did you have radiation?  I'm intrigued that the implants will "soften and move like natural breast tissue."  Who is your PS?  You can PM me, if you want.

Sending good thoughts your way. Maybe when you change out of your bra, it the spot will go away. I hope so! You might want to take your temperature. My PS wants to know if mine is above 101 right away (not wait until morning). If you need to call your PS tonight so you feel less nervous, you've got support from me!

tenaj - when it's cold certain areas on my skin get red/ruddy looking.  This is in the area where the BS really excised the breast tissue close so the skin is extra thin there.  It tends to look red at times.  Is yours blotchy or a defined area or ????