Any Michigan Ladies?

Stix, sorry you are having to deal with this.  Agree with Ally and the rest to get a second opinion. Wish I could offer more suggestions but I will be living with these TEs for another 7 months so I don't have any direct experience.  Rads will start in about a week and my RO does not want to deal with the implants.  My PS prefers to do the exchange first and says his revisions are usually on the non radiated side but treatment planning trumps cosmetics.  

I might win the booby prize (pun intended) for having expanders in the longest.  It will be about 1.5 years before these iron maidens are removed!

 At the time, I didn't expect to have chemo or rads.  I wanted the "easy" recon.  Now all I hear is that it has the most complications with rads.  Don't look back.....only forward, sigh.....

thanks, Bayoubabe !

Stix, I can't remember if you ever had a consult with my doc. I just got back from Vinnie's for my FINAL step in recon. Vinnie asked who did my surgeries and said they had both done a great job.

Breast surgeon: Dr. Deborah Ruark (Troy Beaumont)

Plastic surgeon: Dr. Michael Meininger (Troy)

They are wonderful! Pretty fresh still with a little redness,, but wonderful! I have very fair, sensitive skin, but they are looking great already. So realistic! 

Yes, my PS' office does them. I believe one of the nurses does them. I went to Vinnie for a couple of reasons:

1) This is what Vinnie does. He's the expert. I want them to look good and last as long as possible. I did not want pink circles. I wanted realistic aereolas. If I had not been able to go to Vinnie or another artist who is experienced in this I would have waited til I could or gone without. I am not a tattoo kind of girl. I wanted to do it once and get it right. I worked hard to save up for it and will submit to insurance now and hope they reimburse! 

2) My sis and I turned the event into a Sister Celebration. It's the first time EVER that we've taken a trip together, just the two of us. We've gone through a lot of difficult things together over the past 40+ years and this was a time to give a nod to the past crap,  do some antiquing and sightseeing, have some laughs, and move on with living life. 

Thanks. I'm sure there are many gifted artists out there! This happened to work out for me thanks to my sister, and I'm grateful to have this step finished. It's nice to catch a glimpse in the mirror after a shower and realize how much they help cover some of the scars. 

Vinnie seems to have made quite a name for himself in this service and I'm hoping that raises awareness for the need and increases the availability of it locally. 

Hope you all enjoy this lovely fall MI day. My favorite season!! 

And...GO LIONS!! Even if they're in London. ????????

hi All. 

 How is everyone doing?  Having the second revision done in Jan. by Daniel sherbert. The alloderm didn't hold on one side - studdinger did my last revision for the same side.  She doesn't use strattice that often and I think she was leaning toward tissue transfer which I only want as a last resort. Therefore, I decided to go with Sherbert. If he solves my problems... I swear I will write an article about him.

Have not posted a picture yet. I started a second job and have been very busy.

Happy Holidays. I hope 15' is the ending of this nightmare.

Stix.

Horsemom - Hi, I'm with Kulick and Beekman also. I love Dr. Kulick. Beekman is okay. I used Dr. Izenberg instead of Sherick. They're both in the same practice though. So glad to hear you don't need chemo or rads. I ended up doing the genetic testing also and found I was BRCA2+. I'm a big believer in being tested now. Wishing you all the best!

Six - I'm so sorry you're still dealing with the bottoming out. I hope you're able to find a surgeon to fix it for good!

I'm 4 weeks out from my BSO/hyst and feeling good. My exchange is in 2 weeks and I CANNOT wait to get rid of these expanders!!!

Hi gals, i haven't posted in a while but I read frequently.  I wanted to drop in to say "hi" and also to get your input.  At this point in my BC journey I am thining about tattoooing.  I saw my PS today and he said that I can do tatttooing at any time but the longer I wait the better...so I am in no rush.  I am well aware of Vinnie and his amazing work but not sure I want to travel.  Any insight or recommendations for Michigan 3D tattoo artists that you have gone to, heard about etc?  Any info is appreciated.  Much love....

I too am curious about tattoos. I've heard The Lucky Monkey in Ann Arbor does it. I'll probably be checking them out when my time comes.

One day post op- revison with strattice. Dr. Daniel sherbert. Will keep you posted on the progress. Looks promising

I have heard of lucky monkeys and checked out their website. There is a woman in Midland who does cosmetic tattooing who I heard does nipple and areola tats, too. I have seen her work on eyes, brows, lips but not nipples. Lasting Impressions is the name of her business. If I get more info I will let you know.

Thinking of you, Stix

not a good sign bayoubabe. But, I had a hard time just recently with Vinnie and Richie. I sent Richie pictures- and he promised he would get back with me and I never heard from him.  Please keep us posted on this. 

Thinking of you, Stix! Hope you have a smooth recovery and this is the last surgery for you!

Girlstrong

Bummer about lucky monkey...it's in my neighborhood. Lasting Lines(the second website) looks good. I don't have a nipple so I need the full 3d tattoo. Their work pretty good. My brother-in-law lives in Midland so I guess visit is in order

I live in Midland and the owner of Lasting Lines is well known for her work. I am just not sure of areola tattooing but I will find out and let you all know.

Allydp, how exciting! Good luck with your exchange. I see my ps on Thursday and am hopeful we can discuss dates again