Expander implant swap

Hi Ania.... you are way ahead of me have had expander in since April so I suppose 4 months now still have few more top ups to go..... I am sure the final "product" has to be better than what we have now - my boob is nearly in my mouth!!!

I did not go the expander route but do have a lump of plastic where I once had a boob thanks to lat dorsi plus implant. It's there three years now and I have got used to it. Clothes sit properly and I have cleavage BUT it does not feel like my own did however it is way better than being a uniboober!!!

For me the recon brought me to a place of acceptance and a new normal.

Am still nippleless! But on a waiting list (i hope) to get it done sometime this year. It was delayed as I had a reduction on other side which I also admit to being delighted with. Went from a DD to about a C same as my foob (aka fake boob!). Had life last Dec and there wait for at least three months for it to settle before putting nip on other side.

Hi Ania
Just wondering if you went ahead with your reconstruction and if so how did it go? I'm going in on Tuesday for mine....can't wait as I absolutely hate my half boob - which is far too high on my chest and looks so odd beside my saggy other boob. The good news is that my consultant is going to give my other boob a lift....
Anyway just wondering how you got on...according to my surgeon the whole thing is a piece of cake compared to the mastectomy but Im not so convinced.....
Liz

HI Ania

Please let us now how you get on dying to hear other peoples accounts of what happens.

Amaryliss good luck tomorrow I am getting mine early December, mine like yours the half boob I am nearly wearing as an earring at the moment and its literally like a lump of coal I cant wait to get it out and get the implant in.

I too am getting the other one lifted so happy to have a perky pair by Christmas. Lets hope your surgeon is right. I am told I will be a day case what did they say to you?

Thanks
Dee

Hi Deefed
They said I should be out within a day - but it can vary....just have to wait & see....
Ill let you know how it goes tomorrow.....im trying not to think about the surgery and just staying focussed on the outcome - a lovely new pair of boobs hopefully - & like yourself - just in time for Christmas!
Liz

Hi Ania,

I had an expander exchange at the end of May this year. It is an improvement comfort wise on the expander, I found mine very uncomfortable at times and could just about make it to lunch time without having to open my bra. With the implant five months in it does still feel tight, particularly under the breast but I can just about get through a whole day wearing a bra without noticing any great discomfort. Its only at night when I sit down for the evening that I find I need to open it and let it all out, I'm only a 34 AA. I went for a bra fitting to Murray's Pharmacy at the bottom of Talbot street and the lady/nurse there Marybeth was very helpful and knowledgeable. She advised me to do stretching exercises and this has helped the healing and eased the tightness. Also their bras are very good and go some way to give you some comfort while the healing takes place. I've been told it can take up to a year before it settles down, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Good Luck Mimi

Hi ladies,
So I went in for my op on the 1st of October. The operation was nothing like the mastectomy!! No pain because all the nerves were severed the year previous so I have barely any feeling left in the chest area anyway. Because of my bad reactions to drugs, I tried to stay away from as many of the bad ones as possible and was only on paracetamol drip for day 1 and then paracetamol tabs for a few days after. I went in on tues morning and was out by thursday. I had great movement in both my arms, and was back driving after a week.

In my case in terms of aesthetics, the radiation has damaged the left side, so even though I have had a double reconstruction the look and behave differently.the left one is harder and higher (slightly) and the right one is a better more natural shape. Because they are gel and not saline I have noticed that they are always a few degrees colder than the rest of me, which is a bit odd.

To be honest, they don't look much better than the expanders, I thought the final surgery would make them look great, but they are not miracle workers they are only plastic surgeons.

I don't find any improvement in my comfort level, i found the expanders uncomfortable and these are no different. I still have to sleep on my back, most comfortable thing for me to wear is a soft sports bra to stop and movement (even at night).

But look they fit in clothes, they will pass, and maybe during my 30's I will come to accept them, but they are just the best of a bad lot for me. I won't go for nipple reconstruction, my surgeon advised against it anyway and maybe in another year I might opt for nipple tattooing to hide the scars. In the mean time I was going to look out for prosthetic nipples, anyone any experience with this??

So to sum up, surgery was a breeze, even for me, but don't get your hopes up and you won't be disappointed. Expanders vs implants not much difference for me.

Hi again
sorry I thought I had posted on this yesterday but I mustnt have submitted my post correctly..
Anyway I had my expander implant swap last Tuesday and Im delighted with the results. My new right boob is now lower down and nicely pert and soft; my old saggy boob has now been lifted to look symmetrical with the other side....and the best thing is that my surgeon took some lipo fat from my stomach to inject into the right boob to make the skin softer/more flexible after the radiation...
so basically I now have a relatively normal looking bosom whereas after the mastectomy and withthe tissue expander it looked so odd and uneven...

I ended up in hospital until Saturday but was kept in as had tummy troubles (constipation; diarroea and vomiting) after anestehtic and with all the meds...but my chest is healing really well and is not too painful....like Ania can hardly feel any pain on the right side as that area is pretty numb since I had the lymph nodes removed.

Still on paracetamol and antibiotic but Im amazed how well I feel already only one week on....and best thing is that the outcome looks so good....
Liz