Exchange City

I go in for my exchange on Monday and I will be keeping this in mind. My skin is super sensitive and I woke up from BMX with no wrapping. I’ll know if I start to get itchy it could be from the wrapping! Thank you for sharing

ReadyAbout

Only tape I have is steri-strips. But I have this thing called a breast wrap. It looks like a strap and I have to wear it for a month nonstop. It goes under my armpits and above my foobs. It’s fabric and stretchy with Velcro.

I was reading the nerve blocker could cause this and some anticeptics they use to clean the area pre-op, someone mentioned. Hmmmm

I just hope it’s not that phantom itch people talk about. That can carry on for a long tine. Please no phantom itch 🙏!

Yay Gramto4 glad to hear it’s going well for you.

Good luck SLL101984 wishing you an easeful exchange!

Am I the only one wearing this incredibly annoying breast wrap/strap??

Hi Lanne

No I don’t feel sandpaper sensation. But it is localized to above the breasts and in the cleavage.

What do you do for phantom itch? I imagine that would be enough to drive you insane for that long!!

Thanks!

TrmTab:

My PS sees us the next day, and then 3 days later, and then 10 or 14 days later, both for the placement of the TE and the exchange.

My PS uses drains on all anatomical implants.

I would be nervous about the 2-week window. I had an infection develop at 10 days post exchange.

Obviously you can call with questions.

Good luck 🍀

Mominator

Thanks Mom and Simone...4 weeks, wow...I was "concerned" about 2!

TrmTab,

If there was any hint of anything amiss, there were covering PS docs who would have seen me. After exchange, assuming no complications, they are really just doing a quick check. Reminded me of when I saw the Breast Surgeon one month after mastectomy. Just checking his handiwork

Good luck! Fingers crossed for you!

Met with PS today; ohmigosh, his office is run so much more efficiently and professionally than the PS I recently left! Anyway, I am currently flat on one side due to recurrent cellulitis, so next month PS is going to put in new TE on the flat side and then do the exchange surgery on the good side because I am TIRED of having the TE in. The surgery is on a Monday and I typically bounce back from surgeries quickly, so I'm thinking I could possibly go back to work on Thursday? (I'm a teacher.) I have requested Mon-Thurs off for the surgery and I know my administrator will be approve it, but it's easier to be at school than write sub plans so I try not to miss. Those of you who have gone through exchange surgery or new TE after failed TE, what do you think?

Hi Ladies! I'm an "oldbie" here...spent my life on these boards 10 years ago during my surgeries and thankful for all the ladies and advice on here! Yep...10 years ago...but now I'm considering fat grafting, which I didn't do before. I had a bilateral and both have divets and bumps (really from the beginning actually, I just didn't want anymore surgery). But now I feel like I should get it.

If anyone can tell me if you had the fat graft, I'll have fat taken from abdomen. What was your experience and do you feel it really made a difference in the shape and appearance? Any insight is helpful! My husband is like it's not worth it you look great, but it bothers me. I know you all can understand how I feel. Thank you in advance!

TrmTab- Here’s something I did for my last exchange which at the time sounded crazy but came in completely helpful. I bought one of those small magnifying mirrors (10 or 20 Xs) with the little auction cos on the back. Any and every time I changed my clothes or showered I slowly examined my incisions with the mirror. If anything looked funky I called (better safe than sorry) The one time I had spit a stitch and there was a pin hole. I made the hour drive and saw the nurse. She pulled a couple of others that were getting ready to come out and she had me cover them. She said any of this early little holes can harbor bacteria and was amazed I was checking my incisions so carefully. She loved the idea and now recommends it.

3girlz FG isn’t that bad...they like to take fat from abdomen if you have it. I did it with exchange but am having it again in March. The donor site is what is sore but compression garments help.

Shoregirl- yay sooo happy for you! I’ll keep sending positive vibes your way

I'm scheduled for my left exchange surgery in a couple weeks. My TE is leaking and so we're doing it earlier than I had planned.

Has anyone else's TE leaked?

Hi!! New to the group andI'm trying to figure out about what size I will be after my exchange on Nov 6..

I am 5' 4.5", 117lbs, rib cage 29.5inches. I was a small 34B prior and I want to go bigger

I have Allergen 300cc 133 MV-12 expanders. They are currently expanded to 570cc and will be having a slightly smaller implant placed. I believe they are naturelle and he is placing an S style (I assume the S stands for slim) so I will have more projection.. The expanders look pretty big on me but I am nervous I stopped too soon to end up at least a C..

Pippi - Below is a link to post your specs for WhippetMom on the implant sizing thread. Be sure to read the header and provide all the info requested. She is a true gem.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics...

SLL101984 congrats on your exchange! I am surprised you didn't have some idea of what the ps would use as it is my understanding the projection is a bit less for an implant vs the TE. Larger implants are heavy, especially pre-pec. I am downsizing from 440s to somewhere in the 300 range in the hopes of more of a B cup. Maybe after you are healed you could get a bit of fat grafting to plump things up a bit? Sending good vibes and wishing you a speedy recovery!

Well I now have a date, Dec 17th.  Plan is to exchange current TCX800 for SRX 700-800 depending on symmetry with native right...which is what I actually expected the first time out except the PS wanted to try out the new TCX on me!  If I had been a double MX it might have worked out, but the highly cohesive has never settled and I can't get my 57 y.o. native breast to be that round on top!

Excited, nervous, hoping for a smooth surgery and then I can enjoy Christmas and have the winter recess from school to recover. TT

I'm 4 weeks out from my exchange and am worried I'm bottoming out on my right side. My right side is a little lower than the left and I can feel pulling in my right armpit and along my collar bone. I did some research online and this seems to be the only con in choosing pre prectoral implant. Larger implants can cause bottoming out too and mine are bigger than I wanted. I've been wearing a supportive bra 25/7 since surgery and am supposed to for another 2 months. I hope it will heal in place and won't be a worry for ever. My scars under my breasts is about 1 inch above the crease and I'm worrying they are both bottoming out. I started exercising this last week. 4 days of cardio leg work and one day of light free weights 3-5 lbs. I decided the weights were too soon oops. I hope I didn't screw things up. I have an appointment for tattoos on Friday so I can talk to my PS about this then.