TEs. A Beginner's Primer

I guess I'm brave :-)

My hubby said to tell juliecc THANK YOU for the very cool experiment!  Bizarre for sure but super cool!  

now I am a little bit disappointed that I have already had my exchange. Rats!

I bought my bofriend one of these little flashlights, too, so I got to try both out last night.  Those are scar strips.  It's weird how the ports seem to be in different places.  I bet this would work well with implants, too, since we don't have breast tissue left ant it's would still be hollow in there.  I boobs loog ginormous but they ae only 450cc 

I'll remove the above picture by tomorrow so it doesn't live on this site!  One day I'll post them on the picture forum.

About the flashlight- No, but now I am totally going to do this tonight!

Dang Julie- I have about 350 cc's at the moment, and it barely is a bump on the chest.  I am tall though (6'2'') and maybe you are tiny height wise.  I have been feeling like I am going to need a whhooooooole lot of CCs to get me up to a C cup

Happyteacher, sorry your TEs are hurting you.  Each week my TEs feel better for me.  I hope they readjust.  I do notice if I pick up heavy things, they will tighten for a few minutes.  It's a weird sensation that reminded me of when I was in labor 20 years ago and and my abdomen would tighten.

I desperately wanted direct-to-implant recon! I was 5'5, over 200 pounds, and wore a size 40DDD bra with my drooping-to-my-waist Original Girls crammed into the cups.

I had so much skin, and such lax muscles, I thought I'd be a perfect candidate, but like Sandra said, there is a huge issue with compromising the integrity of the remaining breast tissue.

My PS just flat out doesn't do that surgery. So I got TEs. What's really funny is that now I can wear some of the same bras I used to with the Original Girls, but with the New Girls, I just look PERKY!!!! (Also, after losing weight, I can wear a 34DDD, a 36DD, or a 38D, depending on the brand and style.) With the slow stretching of the pectoral muscles, and the very good blood supply to the breast skin, I now have a lot of sensation in my new breasts.

OH - about the flashlight trick? DH and I can both swear to the fact that it works on permanent saline implants.

I got 100cc during the surgery. Then 50cc a fill after that, til we were done. I would try to strongly express your wish before surgery to start out small, and not have 350 or some huge amount during surgery. It seems that many who have trouble with te start out huge from the surgery.  Or have 100 cc or more during a fill.

I had lx with reduction initially, so there wasnt enough skin/room left to do direct to implant during bmx.

Am 3 days out from BMX with the TEs. Very sore & at times it's tough to breath. Feel like bride of Frankenstein. I have the axillapillas and pain meds but still tough to get comfortable. Also, have taken 3 stool softness and eaten prunes 3 times in 3 days....still waiting for that train. WTH? Any advise besides patience & prayer?

Janet, 

I had direct-to-implant. I was a good candidate as my nipple-sparing MX left large & healthy enough tissue flaps to work with. They had good blood flow right after the MX portion. Alloderm was also used to form the pocket along the bottom which creates more space, it also protects & supports the implant like an internal bra.

I was a 32DD before surgery, and wanted to be a bit smaller (which was another reason I could go straight to implant, I did not want to be bigger & preferred to be smaller). I should end up as a 32D or thereabouts from what I can tell so far, though firmer & perkier than I was before. My PS brought in different size implants based on my pre-op measurements and desired goal, and ended up putting in 435cc high profile Allergan's after trying sizers in the OR and getting nurse input.

The first PS I saw wanted to do TEs....because that is what he was experienced with and therefore felt more confident with, not because I was not a good candidate. So oftentimes that is a factor as well.

Jil, as soon as you get off of narcotics, your constipation will most likely go away. They are the common cause.

Miralax and prunes...just be patient. The sooner you get off the hard drugs the sooner itll finally happen. But dont be a martyr and not help your pain, especially in the beginning.