Exchange City

Stewbie2......one of my Dec 2012 "Surgery Sisters"!!!!

Yeah for your "nips"....the fat grafting sounds painful....ouchy ouch!  How long is the healing period on the nips?....my surgeon told me I would have to wear the shields for 2 weeks when I have that surgery.

Did the grafting help with the "problems" which necessitated the grafting?

I can't wait until  I am at that stage, you are Done or almost DONE, are you getting tats for the "ta tas"?

I have my revision surgery to get rid of the excess skin, fat grafting my dents, groves, & folds, and possibly redraping my skin on July 8 and then I am sure PS will make me wait again for the nips.....

My Harvard grad PS has to have "perfection" and begs me for for my patience....something I am not great at ......I wanted this all to be done long ago.

Di

That is a big ditto about feeling blessed to have all the BC sisters on this site.



There is no one in my day-to-day life who is going through this right now, who I can ask these questions, and it is so great to have all you gals who have similar problems and concerns- and small triumphs to share!



Happy long weekend everyone.

Sherry67, how is your radiated side doing? I see my PS next month to discuss my exchange and I'm so worried about complications. The TE on my radiated side has contracture and is not very comfortable. I just want these things out!

Sherry, I'm sorry to hear you're not happy with how your implants turned out. We've been through too much to end up with less than pleasing results, and I hope your PS gets on the ball and corrects the issues you're having. I had my TEs placed at the time of my bmx, so I hope the radiated side will be okay. My PS wants to use the Natrelle 410s in me. I've heard they're pretty firm, but don't ripple as much as the regular implants. What kind did you get? I like my PS, but sometimes I think he sugarcoats everything, so I hope he's right and I'll be happy with the results.

Andrea623,

I have the Seintra oval 550 HP...the expanders were the worse ...had pain all the time ..the only reason I stay with this PS is he is really good and well known where I live but I am going for second opinion ...will see what happens...thanks for responding

sherry - You have ripples with Sientra implants?  The ovals are considered anatomicals, correct?  My PS threw Sientras out there when we were discussing options to deal with ripples, but he hadn't used them yet and I loved the softness of my Natrelles.  Didn't want to go with a firmer implant.

TinaT,

Yes I have ripples but they are soft like a real breast will be seeing him on June 24th for pre op for revision ...will see what he says ...I have the largest size for HP oval..but would like both sides to match in sz as much as possible..hoping for something ...his bedside manner isent the greatest...

Yah CindyLooWoo.......:)

CindyLoo...

Could you tell me about your revision? General anesthesia or twilight? Did she have to open the original incision back up? Mine would be perfect (or pretty stinkin close!) if lefty was just up and in a tad. I have some slight rippling in my cleavage line that disappears when i push lefty into place.



But I don't know what would be involved in making that move. I see my PS for my 3 month checkup and nipple discussion on Wednesday and will ask him, but I'd love to hear how yours went. Recovery?



Thanks!!

Thanks, Cindy! I'm no dr but to me it looks like mine could be one in a similar manner. A little extra skin on the outside of lefty and actually near a biopsy scar (negative at that location). I'm hoping he could just tighten it up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset....



;-)



Guess I'll find out on Wednesday! If it IS possible it would also make my upper poles match with just that small bit of lift. Right now I make them match by tightening my left bra strap more than the right.



So glad you are healing and VERY glad you are happy!!!! Yay for our 45s!!!! Lol.

Hi ladies.  My exchange is 6-6, three months and one day post DMX.  Looking forward to getting thru this whole process as well.  A bit anxious as well, although I am thinking that this will be much easier than what I have been thru so far.  

Is there a seperate thread on the tatoos and nipples?  I was told that sometimes they try to make a nipple out of your skin?  

Agree with all that these boards are great.  I feel like I have learned so much over the years, about this unfortunate situation we are in now.  

Hugs.

Hi ladies,

2ndtimearound, I am also a worry wort and drive myself nuts!! 

Sherry67 and Andrea623 how are your radiated sides doing?  I think it was CindyLoo that was wondering when my rads was done - i had rads on left side in 2007-2008.  So I don't know if over time my skin got worse as opposed to I'm assuming you both just recently finished rads.  I really shouldn't complaint, b/c shounds like you both had it worse than me.  Anyway, my rads side is still turning colors so will have to wait and see what its doing. 

We can wear underwire bras with implants? I had to laugh when the nurse told me to wear either one of my old bras or a sports bra if the one from the hospital was too tight.  I just thought one of my old ones, yeah right, don't fit into it. 

CindyLoo yes my mil should shut up!!

I have to admit that each day the implants seem to look a little nicer and they feel much better than the TEs.  Revisions - sounds like all revisions to creases/folds, indentations, whether one is lower or higher, etc should be done before nipples?

Nipples and fat grafting?  Do these go hand and hand?  How long do you have to be off work for that?

hugs and prayers!

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/784146?page=33#idx_989



Hi Not-me- that is the link to the thread for nipples ad tattoos, if you had not already found it. Lots of great advice there, as with all of these conversations.

Dulcigirl---You gave me a good laugh today with the comment " I'm hoping he could just tighten it up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset...."!! That's exactly how I keep feeling through all this. When I told my PS before my exchange surgery to just keep repeating "Perky and symmetrical" to himself, he told me that I've had awfully high expectations every step in this process. I told him that since he was the "master artist" here that I SHOULD have high expectations! But once I got my implant along with my lift and augmentation to the native side, I think I was expecting to be magically perfect. It's been 2 months and my boob and foob seem different every day. But next time I see my PS, who has ZERO sense of humor, I'm going to ask him if he'd do a quick "tighten up right there, throw on some nips and let me ride off into the sunset" just to see him sputter and act all insulted. He already hates that I refer his job as "hacking" off boobs and the reconstruction as "building new ones and refurbishing" the old ones!

Thursday I had rads in 2011 6 1/2wks...right is still alittle tight no color changes.. Not happy sz is smaller than left.. And the underwire bra I was told to wear made the implant turn some ..