Hi everyone
Would welcome any experiences on coping with Expanders post op. briefly, had mx plus immed recon 30th jan plus emergency op following day to reduce massive haematoma. Had the largest Becker permanent expander put in as big boobed girl. Last few days it has been getting very tight and uncomfortable, particularly early evening. Still have last drain in ( long story…) so wonder if some of it relates to that though it is preventing any seroma so can’t out the discomfort down to that. Surrounding flesh seems normal and not hard but at this stage I really don’t know if I will ever be able to cope with having it expanded and wonder if I did the right thing having the implant. Hopefully this will all pass, especially once the drain is finally removed, but would love to hear how others have felt and how soon they started getting pumped up and how they managed the tightness during the process.
Many thanks
L x
hi lelly,
I had expanders in last august,had them pumped up 3 times,they felt so tight they were gonna burst but that feeling doesnt last long.havent had any more pumped in since december now cos they have reached my original size.at the moment it feels as tho i have a couple of cricket balls strapped to my chest!! they are very very hard but ive been told that when they are taken out and replaced the actual implants are softer.I still get the tightness around my back and chest whenever i do anything physical so now i just take my time with housework and stop when it gets uncomfortable,such things dont seem so important now but its discomfort rather than actual pain.hope things go well for you,i know when my drains came out that cetainly feels great,
all the best,
Di.xx
hi all,
Awhile back on this website i recall someone asking if the expanders would set off the scanners at airports but i didnt see what the response was.I am going on holiday soon and wondered if anyone has experienced any problems with this.thanx
Di.x
Hi Lelly
I had Becker expanders at the end of November. Double Mx with immediate recon, no chemo or RT. (I know, lucky me!). They were OK although uncomfortable (not painful) to start with, had two fill-ups (one 50ml and one 100ml).
A fortnight after the second fill-up I had to go in and have some fluid removed (about 30ml I think). It was OK for a week, and then got really painful so I just couldn’t stand it. They’re pretty much settled down now though most of the time although if I overdo it, I can really feel the muscles ache.
I don’t know whether your surgeon plans to remove the Beckers and replace them or not - mine doesn’t although I’m still in two minds. I can feel the tube that goes to the port at the front of the left one at the moment, so am definitely having the ports removed in due course. But I am prepared to wait until I’m completely decided about the size and whether I am going to have the whole lot replaced either with a silicone implant or a DIEP flap.
as to the airport scanners, I know some ports have a magnet so you can find them, but I don’t know about the Beckers. I’ll ask when I go next time, but they’ve never used a magnet on me yet, so assuming not! How embarrassing though …
Oh I just wanted to add - expanders take a good 10 weeks to start to get used to so don’t expect to feel good about them just yet …
Thank you so much for the replies. I am very impatient but also scared. Anyway, just seen my surgeon and finally had my last drain removed. Although fully strapped up while it settle, I am already feeling a bit better and I did ask when he intends to start filling and he said no hurry, I have been through a lot and need everything to settle.
I have also been to,d it will be my choice as to whether I have the Becker replaced or not once I am happy with final result so will see how things have gone.
Appreciate the honesty on allowing time for everything to settle.
L x
Hi, I had expander implants put in last year on 22 nd November, they felt very tight and uncomfortable for the first few weeks but slightly better each day. They felt vey rigid and it was hard to get comfortable in bed as I sleep on my front normally. I didn’t have any drains fortunately but did have them when I had the mx 12 months previoussound hated thesound know what a relief it is when they come out. By Christmas I was able to lie on my tummy for a short time and now I sleep on my tummy again. I haven’t had them expanded at all as I am happy with the size, I am only small anyway, but it is great to have them as I had to wear prosthesis for a year before I had the implants so I feel much much more like me again. I live in Spain and have had all my treatment there but I flew to England for Christmas and didn’t even think about setting off any alarms at the airport and I didn’t so I hope that helps. I am due to see my surgeon next week and hope for a date for the expanders to be changed for permanent implants and I will get nipples too at a later date.
hi there i am a little confused about types of implants.
could i ask if you just have implants, no back muscle or anything moved, is the implant they use a temporary one or permanent or does it depend.
my surgeon has offered immed recon with implant. she showed me implant and it was one that gradually was inflated with saline i think. there was a little port which sat under skin. she said this could be snipped off at later time if i wanted. she didnt mention about changing it to another implant though at a later date. i assumed this one was the permanent one.
lelly - is your type a permanent one then, why would you have it replaced??
TTM xxx
Hi TTM, I was told that mine is a permanent expander in that once it has been expanded to the right size with saline, it can be left in place, with or without the port. However, I can choose to get it changed to a silicone implant if I prefer. There is no risk from the saline but if there was to be a leak then the shape could become distorted. I will wait and see how it all feels nearer the time and try to live with it first as I couldn’t face another op unless necessary at the moment as I had complications though the scale of operation to replace an implant should be very different.
It sounds like the same thing you have been offered and I think they prefer you to keep the expander though nice to have an option. May be worth checking with your BCN or Surgeon ?
When are you looking to have this done ?
Good luck
L x
Onlyme, meant to say thanks for your post. That is a great help and nice to hear that things do improve over time. I think it is fantastic you are happy as you are. I am a big boobed girl but was delighted to come out of hospital with some sort of cleavage.
L x
hi lelly,
thanks for that. yours sounds same as the one i was shown and given info about. she never mentioned about changing it to a silicone one. she did say could be little ops in future if there were any issues, tweaks etc.
i havent decided yet what to do to be honest. i am down for it doing next week.
what helped you to decide whether to have it done or not. are you glad you did?
what complications did you have, with the drain do you mean?
i would be same as you, i dont want to be having other little ops, tweaks or owt, so would be happy to stay with this implant if it was ok.
are doing better now?
lots of hugs to you. xxx
Hi TTM
I didn’t have a choice to be honest if I wanted a recon. I am a curvy lady and my surgeon was concerned about the impact on me of any longer surgery , ie DIEP or LD flaps as there was more chance of infection and problems.
My surgeon also prefers the Becker implants which is why I went with them.
The complication was a massive haematoma whilst in the recovery room leading to me having to go back in to surgery for another 2 hours the following morning. This meant an extra drain and my haemaglobin level plummeted and I was very close to a needing a blood transfusion. I was just unlucky and this is certainly not normal. The drain area became very sore. Finally lost it today but still sore but there is an open wound that needs to heal.
Anyway, I tell myself t is still early days as I only had the surgery 2 weeks ago today and the problems did set me back a bit. I am also very trussed up with dressings at the moment due to the drain issues so that makes everything tighter and I am sure it is referring the soreness across the whole area
The good news is that I came out with some type of cleavage before it is expanded and I can feel my own flesh around the implant and the scarring should be minimal. Apart from obviously being a lot smaller at this stage, it does look normal if I look down and I am pleased I have something there already.
It does feel tight at times but not in a really painful way and I am sure the tight dressings around it are not helping. As you will see in other posts, it does take time and I certainly feel better each day. As someone else has also reminded me, these help stretch muscle and that takes time and will ache sometimes but will improve.
Apologies for rambling but hope this helps.
I have learnt across this whole process that every one of us is different and our journey in beating this gremlin will be different. Our bodies also cope very differently but it certainly helps to hear different sides from those who have already gone through this. I have also been very lucky in having such an attentive Surgeon who has insisted on seeing me every couple of days to ensure I am healing properly. He is a stickler for infection which is why he kept the last drain in so long and he has done all the re-dressing of the wound himself.
Keep me posted on the date for your op and I will let you know how things progress at my end.
Lots of gentle hugs to you
L x
hi lelly,
thanks for that.
glad your starting to have some improvement. you must have had a tough couple of weeks.
do you need rads then yet still?
ttm xxx
Hi TTM, glad my rambling has helped a bit.
I had DCIS and they found no invasive cells so no need for rads or chemo and know I am very lucky. Although it seems a drastic op for the diagnosis, it was widespread and in different areas and WLE was never an option given my larger boob size.
Will be thinking of you and more than happy to share anything else that may help.
Only other thing I forgot to mention last night is the nerve endings. The top of my boob is very sensitive at the moment to any weight, even my hair… I am assured this will improve and have heard people recommend a gentle massage. I mentioned this to my Surgeon yesterday and he was in two minds as to whether this would help at this stage as it is still early days. It’s not painful, just very aware if it. I need to remember that i have had major surgery, a lot of nerves and muscles have been affected as well as a foreign body inserted so it will take time to sort itself out.
I have never been a patient person but learning it is a very important trait to have.
Keep me posted on the date for your op
Best regards
L xx