Exchange City

Any ladies have stitches that didn't desolve? I'm 6 weeks out now and had stitches on my left that finally fell out a couple days ago. But since then I'm having pain and pulling on that side. Also had some bad chest pains last night. Assuming it's normal and part of the course. Just wondering if anyone has had anything similar?

Hikinglady thanks for the response! I know it's a long road to healing just weird that I'm getting these sensations after the stitches falling out. If the pain continues I will call the office. Hopefully PT helps me today

Anyone have good results with organic coconut oil for incisions? I'm currently using Vit E oil. I've used silicone strips on other scars which works great but it's hard and just about impossible to use on my incisions (inframam).

Hi everyone,

Just gone through my TE on the 25th and doing great. I see my PS on Wednesday. My question is and I’m sure it’s been addressed but there are so many posts to read through., but I was wondering how long recovery is for most people. I am a nurse so I do a lot of heavy lifting. I’ve read 2 weeks but with weight restrictions of less than 10 lbs for 4 weeks?

Islander,

I just had my exchange surgery last week, and my PS instructed me not to lift over 5 pounds or make repetitive motions for 2 weeks. I had the same restrictions when I had my mastectomy with tissue expanders in November.

For my exchange I was advised not to lift anything more than 5 lbs for 6 weeks.

Scoop, WOW!! I had 60cc each fill nice and slow. I bet you are sore! I don’t get that? After last fill, which took 2 1/2 months, you let them sit for 3 months so pocket can form around TE for the exchange. Hope you get comfortable soon.

Robin

Scoop - pain and discomfort got better quite quickly after each fill--fine within 2-3 days. I had Rx cyclobenzaprine (Flexoril) which helped a lot---I took it at night, and some Tylenol as well the first day after each "fill." For me, the tightness of the pec and its spasming was what was causing my pain and discomfort. Good advice above my post: ask for smaller fills than that in the future, and you can have them take some out right now if you're uncomfortable. I had plenty of time (8 months, due to chemo and another health issue) between BMX/TE's and exchange, and I took my time and went slowly on the fills.

Thank you for the info! I didn't know 60cc was the norm. Not sure why she did more, maybe because I'm not planning on adding anymore? Still uncomfortable today, but slightly better. It is actually better to move than to lie still, so sleep was hard.

I do feel like I have two turtle shells (someone else here used this term) glued to opposite sides of my chest. They feel so far apart, and hard! Does this get better with the TEs over time, or just live with it until exchange?

thanks everyone for your response. I went to my PS yesterday and I’m still on restricted lifting for 3 weeks. So a total of 4 weeks of no heavy lifting. He especially wanted me to be careful because he had to put an extra stitch on my left breast to hold my implant in place to keep me symmetrical. Also a sports bra for at least a month

HopeBry My PS's office was really good about discussing on the phone whether I should be seen, and I could even send a photo along the way when I had a concern, but that never happened to me on a weekend.

If I were you, and worried, I'd go ahead and phone up your PS's office, and of course, on a weekend, an on-call PS will phone you back to discuss.

Is it warm to the touch, does it itch or hurt, are you running a fever....be prepared to answer those questions. It could be a dermatitis reaction to ointments or surgical dressings and drapes, or it could be a sign of something inside, and the on-call doc will ask you a lot of details to figure out what's next.

Take a picture of it now, so you can compare whether it's better or worse in a few hours.

Scoop, my PS liked to put in 100 at a time even when I asked for less. Mine hurt a LOT for some of the later fills. My skin did not want to stretch at all, and the TE's actually dug down into my chest muscles since my skin wouldn't stretch. They also migrated towards my armpits due to the pressure. My TE's started with about 1 figure width between them and ended with 4 fingers between them.

The PS didn't say what was going on at the time, but we've spoken about it afterwards and it became clear that I needed to be filled much slower. He did indicate that the migration is caused by tight skin.

The good news is that the pain really went away after a while. I had TE's for 6 months and they really didn't bother me after the filling stopped. I was able to ignore them most of the time, but if I stopped to think about it, they always felt like someone squeezing them very hard. Now I'm 4 months after my exchange and they still feel like they are being gripped if I concentrate on them, but not nearly as much. I have a feeling that the discomfort will keep getting better over time.

scoop YES! I remember living with WEIRD and NOT THAT COMFORTABLE until final implants. My permanent implants feel better, still not like the original breasts, but better than TE's.

HI PandP

I had MX in June and then EX Sept of the following year...I was supposed to have the EX in Dec, 3 months after last fill, but then my mother had a stroke 3 weeks before my surgery and was released to home recovery (at my home) the day of my surgery. I couldn't take her in and myself be on the disabled list of recovery, so had to postpone. My EX was great when it happened. If you are otherwise healthy and stay active/fit in these crazy times I am sure you will be fine. TT

I did not have radiation but I had pre pec expanders and now implants and I get random sharp/weird pains especially after doing too much.

Hello!

I had bilateral mastectomy 3/20/20 (R/cancer, L/prophylatic). I started immediate-delayed reconstruction with tissue expanders. I was going to do delayed reconstruction because I didn't like the wait/time frame for having to wait to start immediate reconstruction, but literally, at the very last minute before going into to the OR, I consented to an immediate reconstruction since the PS schedule had opened up due to the COVID-19 cancellation of his non-essential procedures. So I did not have the pre-op appointment that I would have had if I had known I was going to do it all at once--maybe things would have been discussed more then/I would have given options, I don't know. Anyway, at my initial consultation with the PS, he said he wasn't going to talk cup size yet, we would just have to see what my skin would allow--he said likely it was going to end up looking like a had a lift. We only discussed saline vs silicone - he recommends silicone (no gummies since they can can move, I guess?). I'm 5'2" and 158 lbs, but I was trying to lose weight before my diagnosis and my goal weight is 125-130. I was a generally a 36B before surgery. I had my first in-office fill on 4/7 and my second fill today 4/14. I am going to have 8 rounds/5 months of chemo. Was planning to start chemo at the end of this month but now it's going to be early May (due to exchange for implants). I initially didn't think I was going to need radiation, but now that is a consideration due to my close surgical margin...my surgical margin was clear, but only by 0.5 mm at the superior margin and so now I may need radiation after chemo after all. (that's another thread's question).

So, originally I thought I was going to have the TEs in place for months with fills over that time period. I've read about people waiting for the exchange of TEs for implants for several months after the "final" fill. Well, last week (ie., 1st in office fill), the PS talked about doing my exchange before I start chemo. I thought, well what was the point of doing immediate reconstruction if the TEs are in place for only a few weeks? Anyway, I saw him again today. I questioned about the short time frame. He assured me it would be okay. He said I could leave the TEs in until after chemo but I would have to wait a month after chemo ended, so I would be looking at having the TEs for 6 more months. He discussed how the TEs are more uncomfortable than the implants and a lot of women feel better going ahead and having the implants in place before chemo. So now I will see him again next week for maybe another partial fill/final fill which should be full (I found out today they are 500 cc expanders). And surgery for exchange is now scheduled for 4/29.

So, all that info to get to my question - has anyone else had their process occur that fast? It just is a lot faster than I expected and from what I have read about other people's experiences online. I don't have any reason to not trust him. And will 550 cc give me a nice size? ( It would be great to be a little larger than pre-op but definitely not smaller ). Everything seems to be going okay so far. When I asked around before surgery, generally everyone loves him, one person said you just have to make sure to be your own advocate without elaborating. So I guess I'm just wondering if I need to be advocating something for myself here...Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my long story and for any comments!