Exchange City

Dizzy, glad to hear all went well! I am surprised about your ps saying to use compression on grafted areas. I hope your post op visit goes well and you get clarification.

TrmTab, my dog ear incisions are sore mainly where they intersect w/IMF. It is not terrible, just uncomfortable after a long day. Its like the skin was pulled too tight. I told my new ps that I think the 1st ps removed too much tissue from my sides. It is slightly indented. I use BioCorneum scar therapy twice a day. Sometimes I use an organic essential oil blend when the skin feels extra tight. As for flaky skin, I LOVE the lotions from Shea Moisture. They are all natural, free from parabens and very emollient. This one is my favorite. It is super rich and I always get compliments that I smell great when I wear it. I try to get it when it is BOGO 50% at Ulta or Walgreens.

Good luck at your consult Hercules!

thanks for answering my questions about fat grafting. I see it's as individual as everything else. I did not have that grafting during my Exchange unfortunately that divot occurred after everything settled down. So I will talk to my plastic surgeon about this when I see him later next month. I had 800cc implants and I know someone else on here did also and they were talking about it being larger than their native breast well I find that when you're very large breasted and you have a BMX and direct to tissue expanders and then exchange surgery it doesn't look anything like you think it will be. I asked my plastic surgeon why I don't have more projection and he talked about how the larger breasted you are the more tissue they have to remove and my scars go around almost to my back and he said there's just a very deep cavity for your pocket work and they don't make implants big enough for some of us gals although I did hear Through the Grapevine that Mentor was coming out with a silicone implant that was going to be 1200 cc's I think mine are big enough now , but it's taken months for them to take shape.

My PS says oiling can commence at 3 weeks. I have IMF incisions covered with surgical tape. They said they want the tape to stay secure until 3 weeks, when it can then be softened for removal with the oil.

Hello everyone! I am going for my exchange Nov1st from TE's to implants and my PS will use my thighs for fat grafting. I have a vac scheduled for Nov 17th to go see snow in Banff, Canada and my PS says I may be sore but should be fine to go...I am not sure I believe him lol. I wanted to hear from you all since some of you have already had your exchange! Please let me know your thoughts! I would like to snow mobile and do some sight seeing. Will i be up for it or should i reschedule for after vac? Thanks & Hugs

Hi Lynae, tomorrow I am 3 weeks post exchange and on Monday I take my first business trip and I do feel fine to do that. I would have been okay taking a trip at 2.5 weeks post exchange, but would have wanted family help for carrying luggage. I don't think I would have felt like doing activities like snow mobile, the shaking around, no. I am being released to go back to exercise classes after 4 weeks with self moderation to start rebuilding strength and flexibility. I am okay to go to my Yin Yoga class immediately, but will probably take a week or two of more basic classes before returning to a Vinyasa or pilates class...my point of reference.

I 2nd Trmtab, lynae...the trip sounds lovely but the snowmobiling might be a bit much. Maybe as a passenger behind a driver going slow. I just worry about your arms out in front of you and being a rough ride.

2Fun, you crack me up!! I happen to have long arms and hypermobile joints

LettyF,

I think that you could get many different answers, as it seems every PS had his/her own preferences. I had anatomicals placed and my PS says its fine to increase activities as tolerated, including raising arms above head. (There was no interval of not being allowed to raise them) I've read where others were restricted for several weeks or more. You will probably need to ask your PS.

Edited to say mine are textured so I don't know if that makes a difference or not. (Or maybe all anatomical are textured?)

my exchange was may17 to textured anatomicals. I had a no heavier than a gallon of milk restriction for 2 weeks. No over my head restrictions but it wouldn't have felt good.

Thank you to all you ladies. I will definitely be asking my PS but wanted to get the advice of others who had this done. My PS isn't particularly impressed to begin with that I would be climbing 26' up into a stand so I think he may put harsher restrictions on me. Thank you again and have a great weekend.

Thank you ladies for the info & advice!! I think I will probably take my chances & have the exchange & hope 17 days is enough time to be ready for vac! My family really needs it & I would like to enjoy it without having these "boulders" of expanders in lol! I will be happy to get rid of them for sure. They just feel so un natural! Thanks & Hugs

Embrace Active Scar defender (Amazon ) expensive but awesome Mfg recommends that you can keep them on for 10 days my plastic surgeon said I could keep them on longer because that's just how they make money and as long as they didn't get wet underneath or get a key looking to keep them on longer and I think I kept him on three weeks so that made him worth the money and my scars flattened out and the redness started to go away and I love how my scars look now. Exchange surgery was May 17th and I want to say I was able to start using them at 3 weeks post-op.

East coast:my steri strips didn't hurt at all when they came off.

Noodlesmom thank you so much for the info! Yes we are all different but I am hopeful my recovery will be much easier than it was with the BMX & I am so excited about my family vacation! It is definitely much needed & long overdue! If you do not mind me asking, where are the incisions in your thighs at? My PS is not very good with providing info...lol. Sometimes he forgets I do not do this on a daily basis like he does lol!

I cannot wait to get these expanders aka hard boulders out !! I just want to be able to lay on my sides again & cuddle with my hubby or my pillows lol!

Motheroftwins best of luck to you!! I know you are excited!! My surgery is Nov 1st & I cannot wait!! Are you doing the fat grafting from your thighs

just left my 4 week post-op...while still quite bruised and swollen, PS said I looked good and he was happy with my progress.

He is already talking next surgery. Given I am still bruised and swollen, I really want to heal from this before more....for those who are "done", how long was it for you to be 90% recovered from the TE exchange to implant? 3 months, 6 months, longer?

I gather minor changes will continue up to a year or more after exchange, but assume there is a point where you are nearly done and thus would have a perspective on next steps and choices for a revision. For me, the issue is that I am a DDD with current TCX 800 implant and am a D in my native breast (which he has always said he wants to lift and reduce...can't reduce now!). So next surgery is potentially to a smaller implant, but as I am still swollen, can not gauge how much smaller I need to be.

Hi! I am also 4 weeks post revision and most of my swelling and bruising is gone. I can tell that a good bit of the grafted fat did not make it either. Righty looks great but Lefty looks bigger and kind of clunky. Amazing what a difference 35 cc's makes. Not sure how we will resolve this one...

TrmTab, perhaps you don't need a smaller implant, but rather a more compact one. My new ones are more narrow but project much more. They are more cc's than the first ones, yet are "front and center" rather than globbed all over my chest.