2nd fat injection while using Brava Machine

Reikigemgirl
Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
in Breast Cancer #1
Hi all,

This Friday, the 15th is my next surgery date for my second fat transfer. They are liposuctioning my stomach and then putting the fat they get from their into my breast.

I have to wear the brava machine 24 hours for the next 3 days and the doctor will take it off when I go in for surgery Friday morning. My surgery is at 7:30 a.m. Glad it's first thing in the morning, then I won't have to lay there and starve while I am waiting my turn.

I'm a little nervous but know that my pink sisters will be with me in spirit and that helps out a lot.

Love and Light,
Vicki

Comments

  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #2
    I have always been
    I have always been fascinated by this Vicki. It has been awhile since you posted. Wishing you the best of luck and adding prayers for Friday!


    Hugs, Jan
  • Reikigemgirl
    Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
    #3
    survivorbc09 said:

    I have always been
    I have always been fascinated by this Vicki. It has been awhile since you posted. Wishing you the best of luck and adding prayers for Friday!


    Hugs, Jan

    Jan....
    I haven't posted in awhile because I had to take a couple of months off to see if the hardened fat in my breast would reabsorb back into my body. Part of it did so my PS decided to go ahead with the surgery so we will see what happens this time. He said if the rest of the hardened fat doesn't go away, it will have to be taken out surgically. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki
  • HootieGirl
    HootieGirl Member Posts: 85
    #4
    Reikigemgirl said:

    Jan....
    I haven't posted in awhile because I had to take a couple of months off to see if the hardened fat in my breast would reabsorb back into my body. Part of it did so my PS decided to go ahead with the surgery so we will see what happens this time. He said if the rest of the hardened fat doesn't go away, it will have to be taken out surgically. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki

    This is the kind of
    This is the kind of reconstruction i have been talking to my plastic surgeon about. I haven't found anyone who has done it. How long does it take/how many fat transplants are you going to have? Would love to hear more about the process.

    Kat
  • grams2jc
    grams2jc Member Posts: 756
    #5
    I am with Kat
    Please keep us updated on the process. I won't be ready for at least a year because of my radiation but find this process really interesting since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and my body attacks its own joints....can't imagine what it would do with implants.

    Good luck, this sounds really encouraging,

    Jennifer
  • Reikigemgirl
    Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
    #6
    HootieGirl said:

    This is the kind of
    This is the kind of reconstruction i have been talking to my plastic surgeon about. I haven't found anyone who has done it. How long does it take/how many fat transplants are you going to have? Would love to hear more about the process.

    Kat

    Kat...
    My doctor just started using the brava machine. I am his fourth patient. He said we are learning it together.

    This is my second fat transfer and am hoping it is my last but I suspect I will have to go one more time.

    First time he took the fat from my rib cage area and now this time he is doing my belly. If he has to do it again, I want him to use my unsightly back fat that has crept up on me over the years!!

    You have to wear the machine for 3 weeks before the surgery, 10 hours a day. I wear mine at night. It took some getting used to it but now I can sleep on either side without losing any suction. Then you wear it for three days straight and the doctor takes it off at the hospital. I am on my three days straight since my surgery is Friday.

    I will keep everyone posted on how it goes.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki
  • Reikigemgirl
    Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
    #7
    grams2jc said:

    I am with Kat
    Please keep us updated on the process. I won't be ready for at least a year because of my radiation but find this process really interesting since I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and my body attacks its own joints....can't imagine what it would do with implants.

    Good luck, this sounds really encouraging,

    Jennifer

    Jennifer.....
    I also didn't want implants. Heard to many horror stories about them. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes this time. By the time you are ready it might be approved by the FDA and then the machine will be paid for. I had to pay $1000 for mine but insurance pays for the rest of the surgeries.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #8
    Reikigemgirl said:

    Jan....
    I haven't posted in awhile because I had to take a couple of months off to see if the hardened fat in my breast would reabsorb back into my body. Part of it did so my PS decided to go ahead with the surgery so we will see what happens this time. He said if the rest of the hardened fat doesn't go away, it will have to be taken out surgically. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. They are appreciated.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki

    This just is so new and
    This just is so new and really exciting. Does it hurt when they take the fat out and then put it back in you?

    I wonder if they can use this fat injection process on someone with a lumpectomy.

    The pink sisters will all be with you in spirit Friday.


    Hugs, Jan
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #9
    Reikigemgirl said:

    Jennifer.....
    I also didn't want implants. Heard to many horror stories about them. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes this time. By the time you are ready it might be approved by the FDA and then the machine will be paid for. I had to pay $1000 for mine but insurance pays for the rest of the surgeries.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki

    I think it is a fascinating
    I think it is a fascinating concept and am hoping for the very best for you. Please keep us posted as I know many newbies would be interested in hearing. Good luck!
  • HootieGirl
    HootieGirl Member Posts: 85
    #10
    CypressCynthia said:

    I think it is a fascinating
    I think it is a fascinating concept and am hoping for the very best for you. Please keep us posted as I know many newbies would be interested in hearing. Good luck!

    Praying everything goes well
    Praying everything goes well for you! I was just curious if the process is able to be used on women who have has mastectomies. I had a single mastectomy last October, but most of what I have read about the machine is the it enhances your breast tissue which I don't have any. Also do you know how long you are recommended to wait after having radiation therapy? I know I'm throwing a lot of questions at you which you might not know the answer, but I was just wondering!

    Thanks,
    Kat
  • Reikigemgirl
    Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
    #11
    HootieGirl said:

    Praying everything goes well
    Praying everything goes well for you! I was just curious if the process is able to be used on women who have has mastectomies. I had a single mastectomy last October, but most of what I have read about the machine is the it enhances your breast tissue which I don't have any. Also do you know how long you are recommended to wait after having radiation therapy? I know I'm throwing a lot of questions at you which you might not know the answer, but I was just wondering!

    Thanks,
    Kat

    I had a masectomy in 2010......
    and by wearing the machine it has stretched my skin out enough so that they can inject the fat they take from my belly and inject it into that stretched out skin to form a breast. My masectomy left me with a concave area and they had to fill that in with my first fat injection and now we are finally going to work on forming a breast.

    No idea about how long after radiation you have to wait to use this method.

    Thanks for the well wishes!

    Love and Light,
    Vicki
  • Reikigemgirl
    Reikigemgirl Member Posts: 278
    #12
    survivorbc09 said:

    This just is so new and
    This just is so new and really exciting. Does it hurt when they take the fat out and then put it back in you?

    I wonder if they can use this fat injection process on someone with a lumpectomy.

    The pink sisters will all be with you in spirit Friday.


    Hugs, Jan

    Yes Jan......
    It does hurt when they do the liposuction to get the fat. I was surprised how painful liposuction is and no one warned me. It only lasts about 3 days though and they give you pain pills.

    Yes, they can use this on someone who has had a lumpectomy too. They just fill in that spot where the tissue was taken out.

    Thanks for all your well wishes.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #13
    Reikigemgirl said:

    I had a masectomy in 2010......
    and by wearing the machine it has stretched my skin out enough so that they can inject the fat they take from my belly and inject it into that stretched out skin to form a breast. My masectomy left me with a concave area and they had to fill that in with my first fat injection and now we are finally going to work on forming a breast.

    No idea about how long after radiation you have to wait to use this method.

    Thanks for the well wishes!

    Love and Light,
    Vicki

    This is so interesting
    This is so interesting Vicki. Thanks for always sharing with us how you are doing.


    Sue :)
  • sunny_girl
    sunny_girl Member Posts: 33
    #14
    fat transplant and microcalcifications
    Hi Vicki,
    I asked a breast cancer plastic surgeon about doing fat transplants a couple of years ago to fill in the dimple from my lumpectomy. He told me that it is technically do-able, but that many of the fat cells would die (far more than normal because of the rads), and this would show up as new microcalcifications on mammograms, so he recommended against the procedure. He told me that it would subject me to unneccessary biopsies and/or make it hard to spot any new cancer. Have you discussed this with your surgeon, and is it a problem? Techniques may have changed over the past couple of years... I'd like to do it if it is safe.
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #15
    Reikigemgirl said:

    Yes Jan......
    It does hurt when they do the liposuction to get the fat. I was surprised how painful liposuction is and no one warned me. It only lasts about 3 days though and they give you pain pills.

    Yes, they can use this on someone who has had a lumpectomy too. They just fill in that spot where the tissue was taken out.

    Thanks for all your well wishes.

    Love and Light,
    Vicki

    I thought it would be
    I thought it would be painful. I am sorry that it is Vicki. But, if you get the results you want, I guess it is worth it?

    Having this done after a lumpectomy where a lot of breast tissue was taken would be great I would think.

    Thanks Vicki and keep us updated!


    Jan
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #16
    CypressCynthia said:

    I think it is a fascinating
    I think it is a fascinating concept and am hoping for the very best for you. Please keep us posted as I know many newbies would be interested in hearing. Good luck!

    I am with Cypress Cynthia as
    I am with Cypress Cynthia as to this being fascinating. I pray that it will be your answer! Keep posting to update us as to how you are doing.


    Good luck,


    Megan
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #17
    sunny_girl said:

    fat transplant and microcalcifications
    Hi Vicki,
    I asked a breast cancer plastic surgeon about doing fat transplants a couple of years ago to fill in the dimple from my lumpectomy. He told me that it is technically do-able, but that many of the fat cells would die (far more than normal because of the rads), and this would show up as new microcalcifications on mammograms, so he recommended against the procedure. He told me that it would subject me to unneccessary biopsies and/or make it hard to spot any new cancer. Have you discussed this with your surgeon, and is it a problem? Techniques may have changed over the past couple of years... I'd like to do it if it is safe.

    I am wishing you the best of
    I am wishing you the best of luck Vicki! Sunny_girl, I didn't realize that. Thanks for bringing it up.


    Leeza
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #18
    sunny_girl said:

    fat transplant and microcalcifications
    Hi Vicki,
    I asked a breast cancer plastic surgeon about doing fat transplants a couple of years ago to fill in the dimple from my lumpectomy. He told me that it is technically do-able, but that many of the fat cells would die (far more than normal because of the rads), and this would show up as new microcalcifications on mammograms, so he recommended against the procedure. He told me that it would subject me to unneccessary biopsies and/or make it hard to spot any new cancer. Have you discussed this with your surgeon, and is it a problem? Techniques may have changed over the past couple of years... I'd like to do it if it is safe.

    Checking in on you Vicki.
    Checking in on you Vicki. How are you doing? Wouldn't a tech be able to tell the difference between what fat injections are?

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