To Women Who Have Tissue Expander Implants...
Hi ladies who are suffering from what I liked to call "rock boob syndrome". I wanted to post this as someone who had tissue expanders in for 8 months, gone through exchange, and seen the other side of it all.
1. I know tissue expanders suck. They are severely uncomfortable and you feel like a weight is on your chest constantly. Sleeping on your side is uncomfortable and sleeping on your stomach is impossible.
2. I had my expanders in for about 8 months as I had to do chemotherapy right after… read more
@A MyBCTeam Member, don't be surprised by the size. I was able to take my exchange surgery bandages off at home after a few days and I was SHOCKED to see how small my D cups were!!! I cried and called the surgeon. He promised me I would get used to them and reminded me that I had expectations that might have been unreasonable. (I had been looking at lots of augmentation pics) A friend told me to relax, that they needed to "fluff". She was absolutely right. They were flat-ish for about 2 weeks, but seemed to "grow" like memory foam!!
Good luck!
@A MyBCTeam Member, your story could be mine except I had my expanders for 5 months. They were hard, vibrated and it was SOO nice to have them out! I got 100cc each side every 2 weeks and it was tight. It hurt more the day after than the day of.
I wore a Coobie (they are awesome!) at night for the additional support. I am also sleeping on my side (exchange surgery was 2 years ago next month), but no belly. For me, that's ok, because they say sleeping on your face makes premature wrinkles!
So, add me to the list of women glad to be done and wanting those of you out there still carrying your burdens, it is worth it in the end!
This is just like me. Expanders were uncomfortable and would vibrate because of what felt like a fluid rush in my chest. After the expanders came out and implants in I definitely had an easier recovery. A few days after surgery I didn't even need pain meds anymore. I was out and about five days after. I'm sleeping on my side and enjoying it. The implants are so soft that I catch myself poking at it, lol...
@A MyBCTeam Member, good luck with your surgery and recovery time. I'm one week out from mine and I'm ready for the drains to be removed and yes, they are bothersome, get in the way and keep you from sleeping on your sides. If you are a tummy sleeper, you won't be for long. One piece of furniture you should own is a recliner or sectional (without recliners or tables in the corner). You will be sleeping there a lot as the bed isn't all that comfortable and if you slide down too far at night, your chest will tell you so. These are just a couple things I've experienced in the past week. When I went for my PS visit, he shortened the drains for me. Before my surgery, I purchased a camisole with inside pockets for the drain bulbs to sit. It was expensive IMHO but after using it so much, it paid for itself. You can probably add pockets to the inside of your oxford blouse or other baggy shirts. This makes it so much easier to go out in pubic as you will want to go somewhere or just get out. Be prepared to have them in for two weeks. Mine will be coming out on the 19th. My fills will be 50cc each time until I am at 500cc. I am currently at 300cc.
@A MyBCTeam Member I hope that you heal quickly! Even with smaller implants you still will have a bit of recovery time. My recovery time with my new implants (meaning before I can run or anything really physical) is 6-8 weeks according to my plastic surgeon. Recovery from a bilateral takes a little bit longer...so make sure to not do too much too fast.
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