Exchange City

Angtee - I wear a sports bra to bed to avoid any possibility of creasing the tissues. You might still be experiencing swelling & that could cause the depth of the crease you mention. If the crease is only on the left side & you only sleep on the left then that's your answer. Consider continuing to wear a supportive bra to bed awhile longer & see if the crease lessens with the extra support You might want to check with you doc too. Maybe some of the other EX ladies can chime in about creasing & possible rippling?

Saw my PS the other day and says I am doing fine since implants latter September. Need some filling and a bit of lipo in a few months to improve appearance. I asked if I should be wearing a bra and he said I could wear anything I want or nothing at all. Staying with my tank tops and camisoles. Don't wear any undergarments at night. Starting to sleep on my side for short periods.

Robinblessed54, how is having the nipple tattoo done? I still have not decided.

Scheduled for EX 12/28...and my mom had a stoke this weekend.  Besides being devastated, I am torn as to proceeding or postponing. 

I will be her primary care taker when she comes home, she will come home to my home vs her's. I can't imagine not finding myself having to "catch" her at some point in the time I am not supposed to carry more than 5 or 10 pounds.

My PS is REALLY ready for me to have my EX...so much so that I think it is more a paycheck for him than my treatment plan (in my small town he is more elective PS than serious injury/BC PS) ...the TE is there, but not a problem, I could push out even several months if necessary...while I am 3 months since last fill, I don't have any issues with the TE, so if it is there for a few more months -- no big deal...right?

I guess I am writing to find the pro/con arguments (and discussion points for the PS)...I fear if I postpone I may be one year with the TE, I am already at 6 months  but it seems like many have a TE for a year.

I don't want to hurt me or hurt her by not being capable...

Thanks Mominator. You are great, mom like. For me this was just as bad if not a bit worse than bmx with te's in. It was a 3 hour sx for me. I have 2 drains. Pain was bad, was dizzy, headache at times very bad. But the goal of outpt sx center is to get you out the door. I had original sx in the hospital. I wound up staying there for 2 nights cuz of pain and all. The IV meds and fluids I know helped me come home and be ok. They had a tough time waking me up. When I did, the pain hit despite all the meds. I got out of sx at 3 and it wasn't until 7:30 pm that I was trying to walk but really couldn't and bro trying to get me in my suv. There is no way I could go up my steep concrete long steps to get to my apt so bro called Anna, my bff who lives a few miles from me. Of course we can go to her place. She's in a large house with spare rooms with just her bro and pets in there. It was pouring rain of course. She has this huge comfy chair with ottoman so with a few pillows, I was comfy. It was a task though. I was in terrible pain. Couldn't see straight. Bro had to lift me up out of the chair by my waist and take me to the can cuz I could barely walk. At 2 am I called my ps saying can't take this. Since I had a big infection fiasco last year he didn't want to admit me so he said to take 3 advils on top of the 2 oxycodones every 4 hours.

Was at friends through today when I went for po and he took the dressings off and sx bra. Asked why the left looks angrier and is more swollen, discoloured and painful. Said cuz it's my radiated breast. Way too much fluid in drains so will check again a week from Wed.

So SO thankful for my bro who took care of car stuff and got my house organised, some things stocked. He did a lot of work. He drove up from LA, an 8 hour drive no traffic, on Thurs night and really didn't sit down until his drive back down today. Anna too for helping and giving me a place to stay. No need to come out the door until next week's appt which is great cuz rain is on it's way!

Hope everyone is recovering well.

TrmTab, you probably shouldn't be doing real heavy lifting with the TE's in. They can move and could cause trouble. Is there any way your mom could go to a rehab facility temporarily until she recovers more? I had my TE total of 8 months, 6 full months after the final fill...and it was torture. Unable to sleep at all for that long was rough. I could not wait until my exchange.

Thanks for the comments that have come in...

My mother's current plan is to leave the stoke unit of the hospital and go to an actute rehab hospital for 14-21 days...the goal of the acute rehab is to get her home vs a skilled nursing faciltiy.

Only yesterday did I find out that "home" doesn't just mean a family home (my home vs her home and alone) but that someone would be home 24/7 until the outpatient Physical Therapy folks say it is okay for her to be alone -- not sure how to pull that off as I wasn't planning on not teaching in the spring semester, but that is a different issue.

So, while I have told them they will need to get mom sufficiently strong to get herself up with at most the slightest of a steadying hand (and I have been gentle with myself given the TEs), I can't imagine having mom come into my home within a day or two of the EX.

I guess I will send the nurse practitioner for the PS an email and raise the question of postponing vs risks of moving forward...  

Thanks Molly

I am really favoring pushing out my exchange to the spring/early summer...which would be one year with the TE.

Right now I am too distracted to focus on my own health issue...that is not pressing...and needing to advocate for my mother. Definitely not in a peaceful spot to prepare for a surgery on me right now.

TrmTab - I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's stroke & hope she will have a full recovery. You'll need your strength to advocate for her & provide support as needed. Your PS will just have to wait for you to be ready for EX so don't let him push you into it! You've said you are comfortable with the expanders & there's no pressing reason why it must be done now. Although EX is easier than MX, it's still surgery & creates stress on the body. Whatever you decide, I wish you & your Mom all the best in moving forward in your healing journeys.

TrmTab - I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom's stroke. It sounds like she is making progress so far. How is her prognosis?

I'm sorry you have to delay your EX. But yes, you'll need your strength to take care of her.

Chiming in on leaving TEs in for a year or two: The receptionist at my eye doctor has had her TE in for 13 years. It doesn't bother her at all. Her daughter is the eye doctor and has been trying to convince her mom to do the EX for 12 years now!

My left TE migrated into my arm pit and made it difficult to play my flute (I'm a professional flutist). Even still, I would have left it in if I had to take care of my mom as well. But since your TE isn't bothering you by now, I think you'll be good for several more months if needed.

Best wishes to you and your mom on your recoveries. HUGS, Madelyn

trmtab - sounds like you have chosen the path with the fewest potential regrets. To me, caring for your mom now and leaving the exchange for a later date when she is stronger and recovered is the wise and caring choice, and I think you will be glad in the long run. I had TE for 16 months - at least the right one, left was there off and on during that time period, lol! I am certainly hoping that your mom's recovery is uncomplicated and that she makes good progress - my mom had several smaller strokes at about 80, with a complicating degenerative neuromuscular disease, and did have an amazing rebound.

i finally had my exchange!! it was originally scheduled for 11/22, but it got pushed 1128. i am now just a little over two weeks post op. i had bmx with te back in july. i never did find out what brand of te they were. i believe they were naterelle. i think my suregeon preferes this brand. They were inflated to 500. I ended up on exhange getting naterelle inspira round cohesive gel high profile 560. I am 5'3, 130lbs. i was before surgsery 34c. Due to swelling, it really is hard to say what i am now, but my medium sports bras that i owned before all of this started fit. (Havent tried any other type of bra on yet). He did have to move my nipples as they were no longer centered. They were way over by my axilla. So now they are in a more normal spot. My original surgery was skin sparing. It left me with a ton of excess skin so he trimmed that up on the sides. My breasts looked like a sharpei, so he was able to fix alot of that. He did fat grafting around the upper pole areas to smooth out divets. My two week check up was wednesday, He took off the tape and everything looked good, but when i showered the next day i noticed a stitch is coming throught on my left breast, so back i go today to have it looked at. I also went for the abdominoplasty. He had used whatever fat i had from my hips and flanks for the fat grafting, and took the excess skin off my belly. I had lost 60lbs three years ago, so while there was not alot of fat or tissue in my belly, there was a lot of useless skin. Same reason he had to do a lot of trimming of skin on my breasts. Alot of skin, with little breast tissue (before bmx). I did not want large implants, 560 is big on me, thus the need to trim.

My surgeon moved me into sports bras. i believe he was looking for both support and some compression. I only feel a little pain (more of an irritation where the stitch is rubbing) and some discomfort when i raise my arms above my head to put dishes away, or slide the shower curtain back. All in all not bad.

Bigbluefish, congratulations on your progress.

SpecialK, Whippetmom and everyone.

NSM 8/22; I had my exchange yesterday. PS did some creative stuff to address my concerns, had recovery issues post op 5 hours. I'm sore and achy now but slept with drugs.

I can't wait to see, only peeking down inside my ugly bra. Looks great. I've got about a square foot of Duoderm strategically placed like a jigsaw puzzle. Don't know volume yet, implant card not filled in.

Having breakfast in bed, have soft warm breasts. Very happy.

Best wishes for everyone getting soft boobs for Christmas!

Bigblue - Congrats. on EX! Sounds like your PS really helped with several issues you needed addressed. It's great that you have minimal pain but don't overdo! Best wishes for happy healing!

Keiki -Congrats to you too on your EX! Glad all went well & you are having minimal pain as well. Breakfast in bed with soft, warm new boobs definitely makes for a very Happy Christmas!

I had "revision" surgery on Thursday for implants placed in September. My ps did fat grafting from my butt and inner thighs. She told my dh that she didn't get as much fat as she hoped. I asked for more on my right to match my left. I have lots of bruising and it hurts to sit.

I'm hoping the fat she did graft will stay. I very much like the anatomicals - just not the fact one ended up lower than the other.

But no matter how this turns out, I am done. My ps said they look, "good". They are a little wide for my frame but I wasn't perfect before so .... I need to go with this. All good!