May 2016 Surgeries

SpecialK - my caved-in looking spot is actually across my left breast, smack in the middle of the TE. Right side has none. The PS nurse stressed to me that the shape of the TE stretches skin laterally and around more than out, which is why it gives such a distorted look as opposed to natural breasts. It's pretty obvious these are way wider than normal breasts would be, and they've pulled my skin where normal breasts would never pull out. But then there's this hollow developing right on the left right under the nipple, and it's a big hollow, a few inches across. If the TE was pushing out it would fill in this hollow but it isn't. And again, the right side doesn't have one. I think from pressing around and feeling that the TE are angled slightly differently from each other and the one is more towards my breastbone and the other is more toward my armpit, so they're not even in the same place on my chest. I think it all changes how it works. I just hope it doesn't screw up the final results - imagine one overly-centered and one overly-sideways foob! God I hope it doesn't come out like that because that would mean what - more surgery? Ugh.

greykat - TE don't usually have an aesthetically pleasing appearance, their sole purpose it to create a place for the implant. Almost everyone has pocket work done internally during exchange to create the symmetry of the finished product. Don't be overly concerned with what you see right now, and as you have subsequent fills you may find that the dent dissipates and you will see more forward projection.

I'm on Day 24 with my drains....anyone else as "lucky" as me?

myToyStory2, you and I hit the jackpot with our significant others. My wonderful DH is just like yours – I can practically make him faint at the mere mention of needles, and he's been an absolute trooper through this entire thing. And don't despair on the drains! You know my sad story – 3-1/2 weeks for the left drain and a total of four different drains over 7 weeks for the right. Hang in there!

SpecialK, the leak is on the side that still has the TE (the left prophylactic side.) This leak was definitely the same fluid meant to be drained by the JPs. It had the same orange-ish color and was pretty thin and watery. No green or yellow thickness so I'm not worried about an infection – YET. I agree, though, I don't want any kind of open wound there for long, that's for sure! The leaking slowed way down as soon as I put my compression bra back on after my shower. I have an appointment with the PS at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. I'll let you all know what he says, of course.

WOW! I hope everyone having so many problems can get thru all of this! Prayers coming your way!

It's all about family Midwest, you are all so important to me! I'm here for the long run 😍😍😍

Hi Raven, no, I meant that the area on the outside edge of what used to be my breast is very painful to the touch (deep inside) and feels like it is hot/on fire all of this is underneath the skin. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be solved with lotion. It's like it was the outermost edges where the surgeon removed each breast so I am guessing that perhaps this is healing now, 6 weeks post-surgery?

I have struggled the last few weeks with my hubby's response to everything. While he means well, he just doesn't understand the emotional aspect of this illness. I am have to give him extra credit as his 1st wife passed away from cancer and I don't think he's ever dealt with his feelings about that. All through my treatment all he talks about is his first wife and how nobody understands him because he doesn't know anybody who's lost 2 wives - I then tell him to stop putting me in the coffin and that I'm still alive. He doesn't understand why I would EVER consider reconstruction because he says he loves me with or without breasts. I appreciate his perspective, but he doesn't want me to have the recon surgery. He doesn't understand why I have to put on make-up now because I struggle to feel feminine with very little hair on my head and no breasts. He sometimes gets short with me when I say I need a rest because of the fatigue and he'll say "wish I could just say I need a nap" with a lot of sarcasm. I know he's feeling overworked, but my body is working hard too! I realized that perhaps all of this is just too much for him, that he has his feelings and isn't able to help me process mine, even though he's the one I'd like to share my thoughts and feelings with. So, I've found a great social worker at the cancer centre and she's helped me work through some of my feelings. And, I would never have made it this far without all of you here, allowing me to share whatever's on my mind. Natty, thanks for the book suggestion, I'll see if that helps at all.

Here's hoping and praying that everyone had a good day today.

greykat - I am not a big person, I wear a size 2-4 blouse or jacket, and while I initially had larger implants than I do now I did not look overly large with them.One thing that is really important to remember is that if you exchange to an implant with an equal number of ccs, you will generally look up to 50% smaller than you did with the TE. So if you are happy with the way your expanders look at 300ccs, you will most likely need to fill beyond that amount to achieve the same look in an implant. The reason for this is because there is less forward projection with implants since they are universally soft.

seems fat grafting is pretty standard here about 9 months after the op. To touch up the boobs, for want of a better term. And I want to go up atleast a cup size. This wasn't mentioned to me Before my follow up with the PS this week when the PS said "ah no problem, I can just add more fat when I do the fat transfer in 9 months". LikeIt was going to happen to a certain degree anyway, to sort out lumps or bumps Or symmetry etc. but I am happy about it - get the bonus of some slimming lipo at the same time. Just hope my insurance will cover it as part of the immediate recon costs..

wench - yup, it does. I had high profile implants the first time, and have Inspira now, which provide even more projection than a smooth round high profile. This is just the physics involved with replacing something with a firm backing with something that is soft all the way around. I cringe when I see PS tell their patients that they should expand until they like the look, then they are ready for exchange. I have seen hundreds of posts over the years I have been on BCO from women who are disappointed with their size at exchange because they didn't realize how much smaller they would look.

Jacklin, oh, gotcha. I'm assuming that the soreness you are feeling is muscle soreness, but I would think that at 6 weeks post-op it would start diminishing by now. What do your surgeons say about it? And HUGS to both you and your husband. Do you think it would help to try to find a support group for him?

Tsoebbin, sorry you're going through all this, but it's good to have a plan. Sometimes just making the decision can be agonizing.

SpecialK, thanks for that tip about the implants looking smaller than the TEs. My PS is going to start on the fills again on my left side next week (assuming my leak doesn't amount to anything) and I was going to tell him that I'm pretty happy with the size already, so I'll talk it over with him and see what he says.

I would advise everyone to post an inquiry on breast implants 101 - whippet mom's thread regarding your wishes for your final look. Read the header carefully and provide the requested info, and she will respond. She is exceedingly knowledgeable and her advice is spot on for sizing and aesthetics

that's great news, Raven! I'm at 210 ccs on my left (my TE is only 275 ccs) but already bigger than I was before MX I contacted Whippetmom before my second MX and got her preliminary input. Will give her more information as I get more fills done. I'm thinking two more fills on the right and I will be even, then a couple of 50-60 ccs in both should bring me up to about 310-320 ccs. How much can they overfill? I asked the NP in the PS's office and she said they could do 50 ccs over the nominal value, but I've heard that they really can go much higher. I kind of like my new streamlined look, though (down a pant size since dx and lost most of my fat belly) and may not want to get much bigger.

Grandma - my PS nurse said they can overfill by double.

SpecialK - If I asked my PS for the manufacturing information on the TE and implants he prefers, as well as the specs to the TE I currently have, he'd probably fall off a chair. I say this because before all this began I specifically asked for the manufacturer's specs about the implants we'd be likely to use because I had questions about impact level and pressure resistance, and I was refused access.

So no, I don't think I'll be posting on Whippetmom's thread.

Momof6,

"I usually have to tell my husband, "you need to hold me NOW." He's not particularly good with subtle. In an emotional moment, it really frustrates and angers me. The rest of the time, we both laugh at his lack of understanding the needy hints. It's not that he doesn't care. It's like I'm speaking a foreign language."

That's exactly what's happening with my husband too. Thank you for the tip about the lotion. They also used dissolving stitches, it was actually a gamble, since both breasts have been radiated before and the advice is not to do it.

greykat - you should have been given a card after surgery with the info. It is also contained in the surgical report you can obtain from the hospital medical records, and bypass your PS altogether