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Old 01-31-2014, 05:38 PM   #1
IrvineFriend
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Location: Irvine, CA (Southern CA)
Posts: 414
Implant recovery time?

I'm having my expanders changed out for my implants in about 5-weeks and only took off Friday for my surgery. My PS opted to try doing the implants w/o using my back muscle so it should be straight forward as long as it works.

My PS thinks I may feel up to being back in the office on Monday. Worst case I could work from home on Monday but I'm seeing on Google that doctors are recommending a week off for implants for cosmetic purposes only. This seems a little more complicated?

Am I being really naive??? If this really isn't just a weekend recovery thing, I may have to postpone because of work until after mid-April. This is not any kind of tram procedure.

Not many people go straight to implants after radiation, but I don't have the tummy and I really don't want to go into my back.
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Julie
Live in Orange County, CA

Diagnosed with DCIS Oct. 2012

Bilateral Dec. 19, 2012
IDC, ER/PR-, Her2+++, Grade 3
Stage IIIa
15.6 cm
4/14 nodes + macrometastases
First thing each morning, I try on my bathing suit. Then, nothing worse can happen the rest of the day.
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Old 01-31-2014, 07:13 PM   #2
jaykay
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Re: Implant recovery time?

It's still surgery, Julie. You will have stitches.

I went back to work but I work from home. I did drive after a couple of days, though.

I went to implants after radiation but it was 5 months after due to business travel and other conflicts.

Best,

Janis
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March, 2000: 48, Post menopausal (5 yrs HRT) Left breast, IDC 3mm/DCIS 1.6cm, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, mod differentiated, MIB low, lumpectomy, node neg via SNB, rads=33 Stage 1a
June, 2000: Tamox 4.5 years,Femara for 5 years (end in Jan. 2010)
Sept, 2012: 61, Via mamm, ultrasound, biopsy, right breast, 2.3cm tumor, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, poorly diff, KI67 60-70%
BRCA 1 and 2 negative
October, 2012: Bi Mast with tissue expanders, port placement
Final Path: IDC 2.8cm, DCIS, 1/4 sentinal nodes positive (@#$%). Stage IIB
Nov 29, 2012: Begin TCH/6x/every 3 wks, H for 1 year/every 3 weeks.
March 14, 2013: Finished chemo
April 9, 2013: Begin radiation 28x
May 22, 2013: Finished rads
June 1st, 2013: Started Aromasin for 5 yrs.
July 15, 2013: Switched to Letrozole (Femara). Probably for the rest of my life
October 16, 2013: Exchange surgery
October 31, 2013: Finished Herceptin
December 5, 2013: Port removed
Glad this year is over!
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Old 02-01-2014, 11:54 AM   #3
chekmark
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Location: Doylestown, ohio
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Re: Implant recovery time?

I had my expander removed and implant placed on a Thursday and was at work on Monday. Really easy procedure, what a relief to get expander out and I have not missed a day of work since except holidays or vacations. I did not have radiation. The biggest concern is infection and the implant failing. I had no issues and it will be a year in April. Good luck to you. U r your best advocate, u will know what to do after the procedure and how u r feeling. I felt good, some swelling but pain free. You will have some stitches and small bandages that will need changed for a few days. My own personal experience, very easy, after everything else we have gone this is a piece of cake, again speaking for myself. Keep us posted.

Darlene
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DX Sept 30 2010 at the age of 49. Oh crap! 1.5 cm idc, stage 1 grade 3 er/pr+, her2+ no lymph nodes, mastectomy Oct/10. Started 6 rounds of TCH Dec/10 and will continue herceptin until Nov /11 and just started femara.
Stray kitten found my lump while I was playing with it. It is now my pet and my dog is not real happy about that.
Mammo good
last herceptin 11/21/11 YAY
reconstruction 12/09/11
Chapter closed 12/10/11, hopefully, fingers crossed
Bone scan, chest xray, clear
04/27/12 Expander removed, implant put in, ahh sigh of relief, much more comfortable
Sept 30, 2014, 4 years NED
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Old 02-02-2014, 05:08 AM   #4
KsGal
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Re: Implant recovery time?

I had my expanders exchanged about nine months ago, I think? I had no problems whatsoever. Of course, there was some pain because of the stitches. My doctor gave me Percocet, and I was pretty much good to go. I don't work anymore, but I was up doing housework a couple days later. My doctor did suggest keeping a bra on 24-7, even if it is just a sports bra, and absolutely no underwire bras. I had more stitches than some because I had stitches underneath the breast to create the little fold there. My doctor had said ahead of time we could make them look better with a little bit more pain, or we could go the easy route but they wouldn't look as good. I told him to go ahead and make them look as good as he could. When I went back for my two week checkup, he said it was all basically healed and we were ready to talk about nipple reconstruction, which I elected not to do. Like Darlene said, I think the main thing is watch out for infection, and I agree with her. piece of cake.
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Diagnosed in October 2011 Stage IV with metastasis to liver.
January 2012 after double mastectomy, started taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.
Clear.
December 2012 was diagnosed with five brain mets, and had whole brain radiation.
Around July 2014 two mets in brain, one a residual spot and one new one growing in size. Received Cyberknife on both areas
Clear/NED
April 2015 remain NED
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Old 02-02-2014, 07:39 AM   #5
JillaryJill
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Re: Implant recovery time?

Piece of cake for me too. Had the surgery around 3:00pm was back home around 9:00pm. Had the stitches out on a Thursday morning and took off on a one week road trip out west. As you can see from my signature I waited 5 months after my radiation. What a wonderful feeling to get those expanders out.
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DX November 2010
Brain MRI, CT of lung, liver, bone, all clear
Double Mastectomy w/expanders December 1, 2010
ER- PR- Her2+++, grade 3, 12 positive nodes out of 15
Stage IIIc
Started TCH/Chemo December 31, 2010
6 rounds TCH
Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year
33 rounds of TomoTube radiation, to chest wall, neck, skin and lymph area
September, 2011, MRI to lower spine, hips, DX bulging disk, L4 & L5, pain not from cancer
Expanders removed, implants in Dec 1, 2011
Finished Herceptin, December 21, 2011
August 2012, CT of chest and abdomen, all ok
Enrolled in MC1136 Phase I Peptide Vaccine Trial at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
March 2013, First Vaccine
April 2013, 2nd Vaccine
May 2013, 3rd Vaccine
June 2013, 4th Vaccine
July 2013, 5th Vaccine
August 2013, 6th Vaccine Done!
September 2013, Mayo visit, Echo results 68, vaccine did not effect my heart! Blood work normal.
January 31, 2013, Mayo visit, Echo normal
February 23, 2014, Numb lips on right side, Brain MRI, normal!
June, 2015, Finished the trial at Mayo Clinic. Feels good!
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Old 02-02-2014, 03:02 PM   #6
jaykay
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Posts: 645
Re: Implant recovery time?

I did forget to mention that I had to wear a bra- like piece of underwear for 5 days. Only took it off to shower. It was supposed to provide support so the implants would settle in. Pretty lightweight and comfortable. Every PS has their own preference on what to do after exchange surgery.

I didn't mean to imply that the exchange surgery was difficult. I was under the same weight restrictions as with the bmx - nothing greater than 5 lbs until the stitches were out and no exercise for 2 weeks. And I only took Aleve for a couple of days, no narcotics needed.

Both the bmx and exchange surgeries were way more tolerable than chemo, as Darlene implied above.
__________________
March, 2000: 48, Post menopausal (5 yrs HRT) Left breast, IDC 3mm/DCIS 1.6cm, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, mod differentiated, MIB low, lumpectomy, node neg via SNB, rads=33 Stage 1a
June, 2000: Tamox 4.5 years,Femara for 5 years (end in Jan. 2010)
Sept, 2012: 61, Via mamm, ultrasound, biopsy, right breast, 2.3cm tumor, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, poorly diff, KI67 60-70%
BRCA 1 and 2 negative
October, 2012: Bi Mast with tissue expanders, port placement
Final Path: IDC 2.8cm, DCIS, 1/4 sentinal nodes positive (@#$%). Stage IIB
Nov 29, 2012: Begin TCH/6x/every 3 wks, H for 1 year/every 3 weeks.
March 14, 2013: Finished chemo
April 9, 2013: Begin radiation 28x
May 22, 2013: Finished rads
June 1st, 2013: Started Aromasin for 5 yrs.
July 15, 2013: Switched to Letrozole (Femara). Probably for the rest of my life
October 16, 2013: Exchange surgery
October 31, 2013: Finished Herceptin
December 5, 2013: Port removed
Glad this year is over!
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