Tissue expanders

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taiga
taiga Member Posts: 75 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
I had my first expander fill on Tuesday. This morning I noticed the right breast had a lot of bruising color, a yellowish-green,and it is a little tender around the area where the injection was done. When I had my fill, she put 4 ounces in the left breast and 2 ounces in the right. No redness or fever. I'll have a fill every 2 weeks - but I really wonder how uncomfortable this is going to get down the road.

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  • Faith1122
    Faith1122 Member Posts: 46
    #2
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    Hi!
    I didn't have any bruising with my fills & the first fill was fine but the second one I started getting muscle spasms that woke me up in the middle of the night. Waking up was the most painful but it got better when I got up & walked around. Call your dr. & ask about the bruising. They can take some of the fluid out if it is too much for you. I just got my silicone implants on Tues. & they are soooooo much better then the expanders!
  • salls41
    salls41 Member Posts: 340
    #3
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    My expanders
    have been painful since about the the third fill. I took ibuprofen before and after each appt. I had my last fill two weeks ago and will exchange in Sept. I am so looking forward to that! The left side hurts worse than the right side. I had my cancer on the right and it was filled less. It wakes me up at night as I try to roll over and periodically through out the day without warning..phantom nipple pain! I know that this is all part of the process.Talk to your PS to be sure your pain is "normal" and then know that the end result is not far off!
    We can do this!!
    {{{Hugs}}}
    Sandy
  • peanutcat
    peanutcat Member Posts: 104
    #4
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    salls41 said:

    My expanders
    have been painful since about the the third fill. I took ibuprofen before and after each appt. I had my last fill two weeks ago and will exchange in Sept. I am so looking forward to that! The left side hurts worse than the right side. I had my cancer on the right and it was filled less. It wakes me up at night as I try to roll over and periodically through out the day without warning..phantom nipple pain! I know that this is all part of the process.Talk to your PS to be sure your pain is "normal" and then know that the end result is not far off!
    We can do this!!
    {{{Hugs}}}
    Sandy

    expanders
    When I was getting my fills the Dr. told me they will feel hard and un confortable, but once you get the inplants they will be soft. that is why you are getting pain. I went through the same thing. But still talk to the surgeon you don't want anything else going on.

    Good Luck
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #5
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    Mine were sore.
    Especially the right one (mastectomy side). It did get more painful as they were filled. It seemed like it took forever at the end as they put less in each time because of how sore they were. But it all worked out in the end. Took a few tries with the implants but finally got them close enough in size. If I were to do it over again, I would go with the silicone. I did the saline and they are not as soft or natural feeling!

    Best of luck to you!
  • Mitzi333
    Mitzi333 Member Posts: 511 Member
    #6
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    camul said:

    Mine were sore.
    Especially the right one (mastectomy side). It did get more painful as they were filled. It seemed like it took forever at the end as they put less in each time because of how sore they were. But it all worked out in the end. Took a few tries with the implants but finally got them close enough in size. If I were to do it over again, I would go with the silicone. I did the saline and they are not as soft or natural feeling!

    Best of luck to you!

    My fills went well...
    Think I had about 3 fills on each side. It was like blowing up a balloon. The day they were filled didn't hurt, just tight and pressure from the expansion. The actual filling didn't hurt at all. The area around the valves where they put the filling was numb so I couldn't feel it. Just seeing the neddle was the hard part for me. After the fillings were complete, I got used to the expanders. They were hard, esp the side of the radiation. But, now that I've had the exchange surgery, both sides are soft. I'm very pleased with the reconstruction. The doc told me to massage them regularly to avoid them, esp the radiation side from getting hard. So far, so good. It's been close to 3 months since the reconstruction. My nip sugary and tattoos are next. I'm looking forward to completing the process.

    I, like the others recommend you contact the doc about the soreness and bruises. No need to suffer, if you don't have to. There's meds for everything. =)

    Wishing YOU all the Best on the next phase of the process.

    {{{Hugs}}}
    Mitzi =)

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