Exchange City

Artista, where in CA are you? I noticed you are on Femara as well. How are you doing on it? I tried Arimidex and Aromison before I was put on Femara. So much better!

Have a blessed day!

Robin

Imkopy2, So happy for you! My exchange was in March also, 2 years ago. What kind of implants are you getting?

Robin

Imkopy2- thats terrific! Did you have your TE's in when you did radiation? My BS won't do my exchange until 6 months after the end of radiation. I see her this week so I'm hoping we can discuss scheduling it, it would be great to have a date. I'm so ready to be done with these TE's. But waiting seems to be the biggest part of this journey. Good luck with your surgery! Hoping the result is amazing!

Hi Meg! Yes I had radiation with my expanders in, that's the only way my PS would do it. My surgeon made sure I was expanded to the correct size before doing radiation because your skin can shrink. As for the waiting, yes BC truly tests your patience level, something I didn't have before all this that's for sure. My suregeon wanted to give my skin and body a chance to heal after radiation. He told me to schedule an appointment with him 3 months after I finished treatment so he could check out my skin to see if it was ready for surgery. Luckily he was very happy with the way my skin looked as feels confident I will have a good result. My friend however had to wait an additional 3 months though because he wanted more healing time for her skin. Im sure your surgeon wants to ensure you have the best results possible, let me know what she says. Thank you for your well wishes, crossing my fingers that your surgeon schedules your exchange soon, these expanders are a

Robin- I'm in Fremont. I started on V-day and feel some joint issues cropping up in my hands from time to time. Head gets fuzzy/sometimes a bit of pain or sleepy or all at least once a day, occasional cramps like pms. I haven't been on it long so I'm anticipating things getting worse. I'm upping the D3 to 5000 iu since D3 is not only for bone health. Reading the bone loss forum I'll be checking with my pcp next month about adding vit K2 and how much calcium, magnesium. Seems these are the key things folks on AIs are taking. No osteoporosis that I know of in the fam but I'm clutsy and trip easy so hope to stay ahead with the bone stuff.

Glad it's working well for you. I'm having a hard time imagining 10 years on this thing! :O

Im - I know there are a couple of threads specifically about fat grafting. Whippetmom started one. You should be able to find them through "search".

imkopy2-

Key suggestions I have on fat grafting include:

1) Wear compressing garmets designed for post lyposuction procedures 24/7 until released. Spanks will work if you can't get the post surgical style recommended. The worst part of lyposuction for me has been the discomfort in the donor areas - it felt like a burning sensation for a couple of months after each procedure. Good news is that compression helps relieve the pain.

2) Grafted fat will not all survive at injected sites. Much of what your surgeon places will gradually disappear. Repeat sessions will likely be needed to achieve desired results. The problem is that transplanted fat cells need a blood supply to survive. Until your body can create the network of blood vessles needed, grafted but unsupplied cells will just not make it. This stage has been a journey for me , with many lumpy periods between procedures. I had round two on January 27th. My stomach has a ribbed appearance since my PS only took "strips" of fat out this time. He is saving some fat for the next round in about 2 months....

3) Immediately after grafting, I was also very swollen and bruised at both the donor and graft sites. I needed a sports bra that was several sizes larger than my normal chest measurement to be comfortable for the first 4 weeks after each graft. The swelling goes down, so don't worry about it, but having a larger bra available is a good idea for comfort.

4) be prepared for the skin over the donor sites to be numb for some time as well. The procedure often bruises or irritates the nerves serving the skin. I sort of freaked out after the first round as my entire stomach area had no feeling for weeks - eventually normal sensitivity returned thank goodness.

Finally, after each procedure, I find I can't sleep on my sides for at least 6 weeks. I'm just too tender. So be prepared to adjust your sleep position as needed to be comfortable. Lots of pillows have helped me find relief.

Good luck with your first graft experience. I hope your experience is good and you have minimal discomfort.

OMG LRGO2016 thank you so much! I have been searching this site for FG info and everything seems to be outdated. I have been following your journey informally for quite some time, I hope you are doing well. As you know there is nothing easy about this journey and I have relied heavily on this site to get me thru every stage. I'm looking forward to getting rid of these TE I'm tired of the turtle shell way of life. As for sleeping on my side I'm hoping ONE day in the next 20 years it'll be a possibility lol!

I will ontinue to follow your journey and hope for continued success hugs!

Michelle

Hi Ladies! Im looking for some advice, Im having my exchange on Wednesday and wondering what type of compression garment you wore for FG. My PS is planning on doing some and Ive heard its better to wear one. When I asked my PS if I needed to wear one, he said it wasn't required but he has heard some women find its helpful. He told me this website was a great resource and to see what the ladies recommend. (I had to laugh)

He will be doing abdominal FG...thanks for all of your help!

Thank you so much BB...if I may ask where are you in Illinois? I'm 35 minutes south of chicago

I had my exchange a few days ago Thursday. Surgery went well, but I'm concerned. My PS put in Natrelle MF 335 cc anatomical implants. My right side on the lower pole is about 1.5 cm lower than the lower pole of the left. I suspect he had to do some pocket work to get the implant in, but I wasn't expecting to come out looking lopsided, especially since my TE were really symmetrical. I don't want anymore surgery, but I'm feeling sad because with all that I've been through I thought I would get a better result. I know that I am only daytwo out of my surgery. Can this get better? What do I say to my surgeon when I see him Monday for a follow up? Advice?

Bleujay, Minus Two has is perfectly! I also have Natrelle 410 475cc. Today they are 2 years old!! I was bound for a week so couldn't see mine. My PS wabts them held tight so they can adhere to avoid ritation. I also wore a sports bra 24/7 for minimum of 6 weeks. I wore something for a year. And no nessage as MT said. I think it takes at least 6 months ir more for results. I felt they were "mine" at about a year. Hang in there

Robin

Pickmore- hopefully you are doing well and are recovering, Did you find a compression bra? Im having similar trouble and my surgery is Wednesday.

Cyber hugs to all of my warrior sisters out there

BleuJay, I also had significant asymmetry initially. Since my tissue expander coiled up inside, my ps lowered that side when the TE was replaced. As I healed, things have gotten much better, but not perfect. I wear a bra most all the time to keep things as even as possible. I have had my implants for 2 years now. The appearance should improve as things settle. Try not to stress too much for now. It takes many months (6-12) before considering revision. I used an ace wrap and wrapped it under the lower one and on top of the higher one. I also massaged down the higher one. But, I have smooth rounds.

thank you for the suggestions, it is very helpful