April Exchange Surgery Group

Hi. I'm having my exchange on April 23rd. I couldn't be more excited! Such a long 15 months with these Barbie boobs, or my wrecking balls, as my kids like to call them. I have TEs In now filled to 500 ml. I've had two rounds of fat grafting over the last 6 months to try to get some of the radiated tissue to heal and get ready for the implants. My PS wanted to do a latissimus flap, but I said no. No more muscles for foobs. Having the expanders under my pec muscles has been bad enough. I think I've decided on 450 cc implants. I am going with silicone rounds smooth. These TEs have been so hard and uncomfortable, I'm going with the softest boobs I can. I am so excited

Hello, I'm so happy to find this group! I have my exchange surgery scheduled for April 25th. I'm currently filled to 315cc's and will get the gummy bear tear drop implants. He never said the size but will try to make them as big as I am now with the TE's. I'm so excited to get this all over with but not excited to go back to a recovery state. Even though these TE's are hard as rocks, I'm finally to the point where I can do anything again, move however I want, pick up my 3 year old, etc. I'm a little nervous because my PS told me I'd only need to take 1 week off of work so that's what I requested. After reading some things though, that doesn't sound like it will be enough. I work as a surgery nurse so I do a fair amount of lifting and carrying. He also mentioned the dreaded drains again but said probably only for a week. I guess, I'll just see how it goes. Good luck to everyone on here. Sending prayers for quick recoveries and no infections.

DebAL,

I'm worried a week won't be enough. I work in a small hospital so do some pre-op/circulating/scrub and outpatient stuff. The good thing is my co-workers have been great to me so if I need help or more time off they'll be there. Good luck with the last of your chemo treatments. Have you been able to work while going through those? It's tough to be on the other side of healthcare, but I do think it makes you a better nurse. I'm so ready to be done with all this. The beginning of 2018 was so scary and depressing but things seem almost back to normal again.

I am about 2 weeks post exchange. With the exception of a terrible stomach bug, I had an easy recovery. I was out a week and a half (mostly due to being so sick). I feel good. My boobs feel great. (They feel like my old boobs, which is pretty amazing to me)

Hang in there. Take it easy for a bit. It does get better! I go back in 5 weeks to talk about nip tattoos.

SuiteLisa. I also had cancer on just one side. My genetic markers were negative, but with a mother and maternal grandmother with post menopausal breast cancer, and getting multifocal tumors on my left side, I just couldn't imagine trusting my right breast to behave. Do I wish I had one normal breast? yes. I have no sensation across my entire chest. My nipples are gone, so theres one sexy part of me missing (oh, and chemo and menopause are also not very sexy). I think the plastic surgeons could do a pretty good job evening things up in the end with lifts, small implants to the normal side. I'm sure there are many women on BC.org who could/have commented on having a single side reconstruction done. I wouldn't do what I did with BMX for symmetry purposes. I miss my boobs, and if it was safe, I would have kept one, but I'm only 42 now, and I hope to live a long time yet and don't want to go through this again. Good luck. Don't feel rushed making your choice. If you can't decide, just keep the normal breast and decide later. You can't put it back.

JammieGirl, At the time of my left exchange, I had a lift on the right. My PS decided not to put in a right implant at the time of the right lift because he was concerned about the health of my tissue (age related, I think). He did want to put in a saline implant 6 months later for the exact reason you described—exact matching. I was also very surprised. He did say he’d put in silicone if I wanted. I was in the process of deciding when DCIS turned up in the right so I had another MX. Now waiting for the right exchange. Good luck with your decision and surgery.

t the hospital. Prophylactic mastectomy and exchange today.

Thanks, Sweet-pea!

Will provide a report as soon as I am able!

Good luck to my surgery sisters!

I’m two weeks out from my exchange now. I’m TRYING to behave and not overdo it, but I feel good! I guess that’s a good problem to have.

I went to Nordstrom’s over the weekend to inquire about bra sizing (they have post mastectomy and reconstruction specialists there. If you have one near you, check it out). They said to wait 6 to 8 weeks minimum for setting the appointment so that swelling is down and healing is mostly done. I’m looking forward to it as now I need to start looking for a bathing suit for the summer and it will help me to be able to figure out what style will work best with my new boobs.

PS. I’m also excited to say that the healing is going well and we are already working on scar management!

Sweetpea, no I asked the ps to place the implant on the right regardless so he’s done before radiation. The reason we did the exchange surgery nowis so that he would not need to operate on radiated skin. So there’s an implant now on the right (cancer) side and TE on the prophylactic side. He said he’d ask the radiation ONC about when to start fills but he said many prefer the other side to be flat to be able to aim the rays so that the lungs are less likely to be affected. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.

Surgery was today, and so far, so good!

It was outpatient, as anticipated, with no drains. Besides feeling a bit queasy from the anaesthesia (and which dissipated significantly within about 6 hours), I have felt no pain, just a little discomfort at the incision areas. I took a dose of Percocet at the hospital, and took extra strength Tylenol this evening, with no discernable difference.

Walked half a mile this evening, bought a couple of light groceries while on my walk, and had a normal dinner.

I took a peek, and was happy to see that I look pretty good, like 90-95% of my old self. There is a little minor rippling in one breast--I know things might settle--but truthfully, if it stayed like this, I think I would be fine. And yes, the silicone is soft!

Am waiting to see if I wind up turning black and blue and swell--so far, normal color and almost identical size to my TE inflated (and pre-surgery) self.

Hope others have a similarly positive experience!

@nursepatient35--thanks. Hope your procedure goes smoothly, too. I work a desk job, and plan to be back on Tues. I am pre-pec, which means things have likely been easier for me than for others.

Thanks.

Yes, pre-pec means above the muscle.