Exchange City

OH BOY!! I'M sitting here reading about you all going in this week and getting nervous for you!! Hope all goes well. Eat you protiens to help in your healing! Post as soon as you can, yet take it easy! Are your surgs same day? My PS says mine is going to be...Good Luck Ladies!!   Heres to smooth sailing

Annemarie

I am so very excited, just talked to the PS office again as I wanted to see what my restrictions were going to be after exchange...basically the same as LD, TE and MX surgery were in November.  No lifting of over 5lbs for 2 weeks and no elevated heart rate...ie..no exercising.  My exchange is on Friday so after the weekend I should be able to drive and no drains this time around.

SherryC, I'm so glad to hear you haven't had any problems! My PS says I have to wait a minimum of 6 months before exchange. I finished rads on December 11, and hope to have my exchange the end of July or middle of August. After rads, the skin under my SNB incision and under the breast looked dark red, almost purple, but everything has healed now. My breast just has a very light tan in the radiation field. Things have tightened up, but I hope I'll be lucky and end up with two lovely new breasts and no problems. Stories like your's are very reassuring!

I am five and a half weeks post exchange and my foob is starting to feel like part of me. I was lucky not to have much pain with the TE expansions. I had a skin sparing MX R with lat flap and immediate nipple fabrication; an 8 hr surgery. So now my foob has back and breast skin on top, lat muscle next, then a Mentor 340 moderate profile implant, then my pec muscle. The foob is still a bit swollen so it is wider than the other, I'm hoping that will resolve. My PS did a great job placing the nipple and they match pretty well. I also have myofacsial release done by my OT and it has helped me immensely! My exchange also involved scar revision and fat graft. The liposuction hurt more than anything else but is more comfortable now; only need the occasional Allieve. For people with upcoming exchange surgery it is a bit like a "graduation". Now the worst is really behind you!

Thanks , Blessings for your kind words and thoughts. And for the wonderful words of wisdom. I read them to my DH.....just in case he thinks I'm up for vacuuming any time soon:)

Hello all! I've been 'lurking' and reading various threads on this site for several weeks now. I think I've only posted once or twice but now feel so excited to relate that I'm scheduled for my final TE fill on January 24, hallelujah! 

I had a bi-lateral mastectomy (left prophylactic) on 11-5-12 with immediate TE placement and 100cc initial fill during surgery. I had quite a lot of pain with subsequent fills at 2, 3 and 4 weeks until my BS changed my pain med from Norco 5/325 to Neurontin 300mg (for nerve pain). 

For anyone out there with TE fill pain I would highly recommend asking your BS or PS about Neurontin.  Since I've been on that I have not had any pain or discomfort at all with my last three fills.  I don't think you can get away from the usual discomfort because the 'aliens within me' are always 'there' if you know what I mean. But it's nothing unbearable and I never thought I'd say this, but I actually forget they're there many times lately. 

My hubby and I, along with another couple, will be spending a week in St Maarten in March to celebrate our 30th wedding anniverary, and I'm feeling MUCH better about having to bring the TEs with me since I won't have my squishies yet.  The TEs don't project as much as the implants will, and I do have a little fluff in my armpits (PS will fix that during exchange), but after my final fill I'll be at 600cc and definitely will have some shape and something to put in a swimsuit and cute summer tops and even my little black dress!

My PS waits three to four months after final fill to do the exchange, so as of early evening on the 24th I'll be an exchange sister in waiting adn should have my implants by early June at the latest.

Hats off to all the lovely ladies here who, by sharing and caring, provide an immeasurable level of comfort and validation to so many others.  The initial thread I found for 'continued tissue expander pain' really saved my sanity; it soooo validated my pain and worries but also helped me understand and believe I was not alone and that there was light at the end of the tunnel caused by this horrid disease called breast cancer.

Congratulations to all the sisters exchanging this week!  I hope and pray each and every one of you has a successful and relatively pain-free procedure and recovery.  Try to keep your hands off yourselves.....I've heard it can be difficult sometimes to keep your hands off the new soft squishies after months of turtle shells

Lisa

Hi Sweet and welcome.  So glad to hear you are excited.  Just to clarify one point, your TE's will project more then your squishes due to the fact the the TE's have a hard back and they squishes don't.  

My DH and I love St Martin. Have a wonderful time and happy anniversary!

JamieB86 - I'll have to ask about the projection issue because I believe (from what I've read here and on the breast implant sizing 101 thread) that final projection is more related to the implant choice rather than TE (low/moderate/high profile, etc). I understand the TEs have a rigid back so they don't expand into your ribs (that would be a nasty ouch!) but instead expand the muscle and tissue outward.  My PS understands that my goal is to have a look (minus the child-bearing, age-related sag) as similar to pre-mastectomy as possible, including projection.  I've already got Whippetmom's implant recommendation based on my height, weight, etc, including my desire for more projection than the flat, firm TE's provide.  I'll be bringing that to my PS when we have the 'pick out the new girls' talk.

Have a great day!!

Lisa

I think it depends on the i mplant.



My TEs are oval shaped, hard and flat.



My ps is using a high profile implant and told me the flat oval shape will lessen and they will project more, and won't sit as high as the TEs.

Sweetandspecial my TEs are 600. Completely filled, my exchange is the 24th. My ps said because the shape of the TE is different than the implant, it creates a bigger pocket to compensate for projection. Therefore, she is able to use an implant anywhere from 600-750. She will bring a couple of sizes. She seems to think 650 or 700 will be what works best.

Hi everyone!!! Back from exchange and a 5 hour nap!  This was ***so*** much easier than the BMX.  Cindy, NO DRAINS! : )  I even went and grabbed  a quick lunch with the hub afterwards.  Will post more later, but just wanted everyone to know the twins are home and doing well.  

Great to hear good reports today!

Oh, hello! I've been sort of lurking, sort of in denial, but my exchange is tomorrow. (I had BMX, 20weeks of chemo and rads.)  I have been terrified -- I hate the anesthesia and being reminded of the challenges of last time. I am SO happy to hear that it went okay for two ladies on the board today.  Thank you!!

Oh wow so happy neither of you got drains!



Grier probably too soon to ask about the tightness but let me know as the week goes on.

Hi ladies. Just found this thread. Have my exchange scheduled for march. Had BMX in may 2012, chemo started June and ended in nov! I am still getting fills as I am still not the size I want to be. I was a D before BMX and really want to just be a full C which was me before I had kids! My PS said to go bigger than you really want to be with the TEs since the implants are usually smaller. Anyway. I am getting nervous about the exchange but today I asked my PS if I would have drains and she said no! Yay!! She also said this surgery is much easier than the BMX and since I actually had a pretty good recovery from that she said I would do great. Hope she is right!

Melissa