continued Tissue expander pain!!

I had my last fill today!!!  My rad breast has 340cc and my other has 320cc so I expect to be a small C which is what I wanted.  I have not had any pain with my fills.  Just tightness for a few days.  I go back to my PS in 4 weeks to see how my rad breast is stretching.  It is just lagging behind.  Still don't know weather to go with saline or silicone.  Hopefully exchange will be in Aug or Sept.  Kerry, hope you are thrilled with your new foobs!

Linda

Hi Ladies,

The great unveiling was today. And I have to tell you all that I am pleased with the results. The most uncomfortable thing was to wear that piece of foam across the top of my chest to keep the implants from creeping up. Even the PS was pleased and said that the foam must have worked. I never thought that they would feel this way. They feel GREAT!! Hang in there all you brave souls because I never thought that I would see this day back in FEB 08. Keep taking the pain pills and go slow and easy with the fills. You will get there and it is ALL worth it in the end. So go for the size that you want. I had anatomical silicone (gummy bears) implants inserted and they feel like boobs. I am amazed!!!! The PS wants to see me in 1 month and she wants me to massage them and wear steri-strips on the incisions for a month. I asked when I could get fitted for a new bra and she said to give it a month for things to loosen up, drop and fluff. No underwire bras for a month as she does not want the wire to push in to the foobs and she thought that I would not be able to feel that. I can't stop looking at them!!!! And I still have the cleavage!! I have a lot more skin sensation than I thought I would and my surgery was only on June 6/08 for the exchange. I am thrilled. This is well worth all the expando pain. Hang in there ladies, it is well worth it. And let me know how the rest of you do. Any questions, just ask. And they are perky.So much more comfortable than the expanders.

Take Care,

Kerry

Sandy,

I had my bilateral mastectomy with tissue expanders on Jan 25/08. I was off of work until May 13/08. Then I went back to work for 4 weeks and now I have taken 2 weeks off of work for the exchange surgery. My PS told me that the exchange surgery was "a piece of cake" and I was very hesitant about another surgery. It was very straightforward and I was only in the O.R. for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Take all the time off that you can. I find that it takes time for the mind to catch up to the body in the healing process. There is hope and the implants are soooo much softer and feel way better than the expanders. I am amazed.

Take Care,

Kerry

Kerry,

You are a huge encouragement to me.  I have had 7 fills so far and the last two have been just about unbearable.  I had my last one learly Friday morning and was in terrible pain Friday, all weekend, eased up somewhat on Monday, and was noticeably better yesterday.  I have called two nurses to ask if waiting longer in between fills would help and both nurses said it would make no difference.  I guess I want to get this over with, so will go ahead and repeat every Friday until I'm done.  I can hardly wait to get this awful expander out!  It is so uncomfortable.  It is so, so, SO encouraging to hear that the final implant is so real looking and feeling.  Are you going to do the nipple thing too?

Kerry, I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy for you!!! Welcome to soft foob land!!!  LOL  Now try to keep your hands off of them (at least in public!!!!).  I think I spent more time 'feeling' mine than my DH spent TOTAL in all of the years we've been married.  I just couldn't keep my hands off of them.....ROFL!  ENJOY

Valerie,

Thanks for the alloderm amt.  My hosp. bill is under review per my request, and I had to practically beg my ins. co. to look into it!  They've already paid their portion, but $31,000 vs. $8 to 12 grand is a BIG difference.  I finally will be able to speak w/my clinical nurse tomorrow (she's been on vacation).

Teresa 

Hi Ladies,

Christianne,   If you wait longer between fills it should make a difference and give your muscles more time to loosen up. I do not agree with those 2 nurses that you asked. I am going to have the nipples done and the tatoos also. My PS told me that she does the nipples in the clinic. I have not asked about them too much. Wanted to let the implants settle and get nice and comfy.

Ruby,  I cannot stop looking at my implants. Always pulling my top up and looking in the mirror.LOL!!!

Take Care,

Kerry

Teresa,

It will feel so much different that you will not believe it. August is not that far off. I have to go and look at my new foobs again!!! I keep looking at them, can't believe it!!!

Kerry

What exactly is alloderm?

What exactly is alloderm?

Janelle,

Best wishes with your exchange surgery.  It will be so much nicer for you.  I never post on this thread as I was lucky to have very little discomfort with the process.  However...when I had my exchange 5/29....what a difference.  So soft and squishy.  And I slept on my right side and stomach for the first time since Nov 07.  Wow!  I had a unilateral mast with silicon gel implant.  We are still working on getting a match...it's close and I didn't need a lift on the good side (I'm small..nearly B, but had Natrelle 575 mod-profile implant) It's not perfect...and I'm still a bit sore, but my PS says to give it 1-2 months to settle.  I've also decided that I will get the nipples...as I think it will make them more "real" to me.  Good luck to all of you.  The exchange is so much easier than the mast. Phyllis

Hi Ladies,

Billsgirl,  When you have the bandages off you need to give it sometime to settle and fluff. Things will look different as my implants are not the same size and shape of my natural breasts. Much more perky. I am looking at them a lot right now and I am pleased with the results and I do have a cleavage that I have never had before. This is exciting. I will give it time and if they do not settle and fluff as to what I want then I will ask the PS for an implant swap as I feel that I have been through sooo much as I want to have the best results possible for foobs that I can get. Does that make sense?  But give that whole process time. My foobs are loose on the top, but they are still tight at and aroune the incision lines. Your PS probably knows what you wanted. This is a nervous time right now, not knowing what you will end up with and will I be happy with the results? I hope that things work out and post after the exchange.

Take Care,

Kerry

Good Luck with your Exchange Janelle!

Billsgirl Nice to hear you are doing good.

I have been off my pain pills for 1 full week!

Still in pain but its doable usually.

I do wonder about the swellign on my sides though.  Been there from the beginning & that is where alot of my pain is.   It is right where the side of a bra would sit...And goes almost to my back- but not quite.  The left side is worse.  Id say it sticks out almost 1/2" from my side.  I asked my PS about the swelling at week 1 or 2. (its 4wks + now)  And he said it could be from the surgery still.  Or that I always had it there!!  Its like I cant even carry my purse because it catches on the swelled skin area!  No- I did not have that there before.

In the morning when I wake up the swelling is worse & the pain is greater.

Thee other day I really felt around there & I can feel the expanders under the swelling.  They go about 1/2 way into the side. 

I am thinking this will give me problems (both in pain & where the saline sits) all during the expansion & even after my Exchange.  It has me bummed out.  What will my sides look like after my exchange?

Are expanders only 1 size?  Or did my PS use too big of expanders?

Anyone else have swelling/expanders on your sides like this?

Pam

How do you find out what size you have ? Ask PC? I will not see mine for 30 days if no problems?  My e expanders  are new from surgery o 6/3. I am feeling lots of tightness and sometimes pain mostly in the am and will take a pain pill.  I will not get fills for a month or longer due to may need further treatment. But the expanders  feel very big or wide for my chest. I know he measured a circle of my breast before surgery - so it should be the same diameter  of my old breast? I feel like my body is trying to reject them.  I told me friends I feel like I have tupperware lids under my skin! So I call them my tupperare. Anyway just reading your comments helps me feel a little better.  I am making this question too complex?  

Pam,

So glad to hear you're feeling better.  No pain meds for a week is a wonderful milestone!  I have expanders, too, and for a couple of weeks (in the middle of my fills) on my non-cancer side the expander was going under my arm.  As I continued to get fills, it eventually all moved back to front & center.  I looked lopsided for a few weeks, bc the cancer side was front & center and the other side, halfway under my armpit.  My PS said that can happen, but as you're continually expanded things can shift.  I'm finished w/my fills, and I am almost perfectly symmetrical, phew.  I didn't have the swelling that you are experiencing, but hope this helps, or at least generates conversation w/your PS.

Good luck,

Teresa