11.02.09
Seven Month Checkup
Today I’m going to see Dr. Elliott for my seven month check up. Normally it would be six months but he cut me a little slack because life has been a bit insane lately with Ken’s new job, me taking over our business, school and general family issues.
I’m sure he’s going to say everything is okay. There are some things I want to cover with him though. First, a wide swath of my back still feels like it is covered in plastic wrap. I wish I had some other way to explain it. It just feels like a big square of my back has had a cracky plastic coating painted over the top. Or maybe like someone laid down wide strips of packing tape. I really hope he understands this analogy.
I also still have numb spots in places. The other night my right armpit itched abominably but I have no sensation in that area. You wanna talk weird? Try itching someplace that’s numb. THAT’LL throw your brain for a loop.
I also want to get his opinion on the small area of keloid scarring. Please see the entry on 9/30/09 for more about this topic. It’s not much but I think he ought to know.
I also need to tell him that we won’t be able to afford my nipple reconstruction surgery until around this time next year. Then I want to ask him what he thinks about the Japanese practice of inserting pearls under the skin for nipple protrusion. Unfortunately I cannot find a reference to that at the moment. As experienced as Dr. Elliott is though I’m sure he’s heard of it IF it’s something that is actually done.
Until recently about 2/3 of all nipple reconstructions failed. Dr. Elliott has gone to incredible lengths to reassure me that with current techniques that won’t happen. It IS normal for there to be some shrinkage though.
I’ll report more on this later.
08.13.09
Gimme Credit & Implant Fitting
In the business office we talked about various ways to pay for the surgery. Of course, as I mentioned the surgical fees were on barter. The fees for the surgical facility, The Bougainvillea Clinique, as well as the implants themselves, were to be fully paid for two weeks prior to surgery. That’s where Care Credit came in.
Care Credit does financing for a wide range of cosmetic surgical procedures. I got them to finance me for the full amount over a three year span of payments. If I remember right, the payments were under $200 a month. The interest rate was pretty rough though. It was somewhere around 9% if memory serves. Of course I didn’t care. I was headed full boar into this.
With the financing in place and confirmed, we set a date for October 6th. All that was left was to figure out what size implants I wanted. Now THIS is a process in and of itself.
I was told to get some knee high stockings and raw rice because rice is the most accurate type of filler as far as weight goes. One cup of raw rice equals approximately 236 ccs. The following table gives more conversions.
1 cup = 236cc
½ cup = 118cc
¾ cup = 177cc
¼ cup = 59cc
1/3 cup = 78cc
2/3 cup = 156cc
1/8 cup = 30cc
So you start by filling two knee highs with one cup of rice, lightly tie it off so that you can untie it again later and stuff them into a properly fitting sports bra. I did four different sets so that I could compare the various volumes. 425cc is an approximate full D cup so play with the volumes and see what looks best. I ended up with about 625 ccs which is about a DD.
Once I had the implant size figured out, I called in the volume that I had settled on. NOW I think I should have been fitted in the doctor’s office, but they had their own routine. I figured these people knew what they were doing so I just went along with it.
Two weeks before the surgical date I received a box in the mail. In it was vitamins to fortify my system, antibiotics as a preemptive strike against infection and Arnica for bruising. I was given instructions for what to take at what point. So at two weeks out I started the regiment.
Tomorrow I’ll talk about the surgery itself.
08.12.09
You Get What You Pay For
As I said yesterday, I found a plastic surgeon on barter. So I called to make an appointment for a consultation. Before long both hubby an I were headed for the office on Dr. Phillips Drive.
I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that I still blame myself for this. BUT, part of being a literal cautionary tale is that you fess up. This is my confession. You would think the fact that the office is in a strip mall, called The Market Place, might have been some kind of indication. Here in Florida you’ll find some really nice restaurants in strip malls though. So I shrugged it off. I did more than shrug it off, I stomped flat that obnoxious little voice in the back of my mind.
Legally, because of the settlement that came later, I cannot reveal the name of the surgeon. Nor can any of my relatives, friends or even people I am acquainted with. Maybe one day I’ll auction off the name the way Carly Simon auctioned off revealing who “You’re So Vain” was about.
We arrived a little late to a well appointed office. There were cosmetic products in a glass case and up to date fashion magazines in the waiting room. I was nervous but excited. We were called back to a comfortable examination room and I was asked to strip from the waist up so that the doc could see what we were dealing with and I was given a thick comfy robe to cover up with.
The doctor came in and took a look. During the exam he actually pinched, hefted and squeezed (albeit briefly) my breasts to get an idea of volume and elasticity. He explained the anchor procedure to me and asked if I had any questions. I told him that I wanted my boobs put back where they were when I was 17. He told me it was not possible and that was an unrealistic expectation. He said that he could make them look perkier and fuller but they would never be like that again.
He also explained that I had wide-set breasts so it was not possible for me to have the kind of breasts that I brought in photos of. Yes, some plastic surgeons ask you to bring photos of breasts you like so that they have a visual reference of what you want.
He also asked me if I understood that I would have scaring. These people want to make good and certain that you understand that with the anchor lift, it’s not all sunshine and roses right out of the box.
Once all my questions were answered that’s when I dressed and we went into the business office to discuss the financial aspect. The surgeon’s fees were on barter but the anesthesiologist, the implants themselves and the facility fees were cash. I was given a brochure for a company called Care Credit that finances cosmetic procedures and the breakdown of costs and we went on our merry way.
Tomorrow I’ll talk about financing and the build up to my first surgery.
07.08.09
The Check Up
This afternoon I’ve got an appointment with Dr. Guy, the local Uber plastic surgeon. She’ll be checking on the progress of the tissue overgrowth on my back in that one spot. According to Hubby, who can actually SEE what’s going on back there, it’s closing up FINALLY. I’m still going to hold off on wearing bras for a few more weeks though. Just to give that spot time to FULLY heal.
I’ve also found a way to make these shelf bra camis more supportive. There’s a bra-maker supply shop here (http://www.bramakerssupply.com) that has everything I need to replace these flimsy straps with wider ones. The elastic under the breasts is pretty wide already so i won’t have to replace that. All I have to do is hand dye the new shoulder straps to match and sew them in. VOILA! New, supportive cami shelf bras. Since I live in Florida, wearing two tops in the middle of summer is just too hot. So this solves both the problem of support and the heat issue. I’ll post pics when they’re done.
The *other* checking up thing I have to do is call Patti at Dr. Elliott’s office. She was supposed to call me about where I could get silicone prosthetic nipples locally. Since I don’t have an existing nipple to be cast and copied I may not have to see someone to be fitted. But then as large as the new Twins are, I may. I have NO idea ho that works really.
That’s one more thing I’ll have to report back on one I know something. I REALLY want to have the prosthetics in time for DragonCon. I’m still REALLY not in a head space for another surgery yet. Even if I COULD afford it right now, the last thing I’m looking forward to is being cut on more even if it IS just minor, in-patient surgery.
I’m afraid I can’t find any photos of the star flap nipple reconstruction. I did put up a link in an earlier post though. I’ll dig around and see what I can find and edit this post if I can find an appropriate image.
07.02.09
Nipples Or Not
For my regular readers, do you remember when I was vacillating about surgeons or even whether or not to HAVE another surgery? Well it’s that time again. This time I’m starting to research and contemplate nipple reconstruction.
I read some older articles that indicated that up to 40% of all nipple reconstructions fail. Most flatten out within 6 to 18 months. There is also a higher incident of infection and necrosis according to those older statistics.
THEN I talked to Dr. Elliott. He explained that those complications are not as frequent anymore. In the last two years or so surgical techniques have been greatly improved. He reassured me that usually those complications are due to poor blood supply. My tissue is healthy, according to him. He also went to lengths to reassure me that recovery time is going to be greatly reduced since this is an out patient procedure only dealing with topical tissue.
He also suggested that I research the Star Flap Nipple Reconstruction. The link shows the basic steps starting at Media 7 http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1274411-media – star flap That’s the nipple flap reconstruction he wants to ue for me. He believes that specific type of flap reconstruction will work the best.
I really don’t want to have ANOTHER surgery so soon. I’d rather wait until this winter. So in the interrim, I’m going to get prosthetic nipples. Dr. Elliott is having his PA, Patti Bergley, look into it and see what she can find out for me. I’m expecting her to call today.
Talking to Dr. Elliott made me feel more comfortable about my outcome. I’m still tempted to get a second opinion when I go back to see Dr. Guy’s people in another week about the tissue growth isue on my back. I’d like to see what she has to say too.
The problem is now really the cost. Nipple reconstruction and any tweaking that needs to be done for aesthetics will cost us an additional $7000 on top of the $18000 we have already paid AND the $6000+ we still owe the hospital and the anesthesiologist. Nipple prosthetics on the other hand are only around $200 per pair for the really good silicone ones.
Really, I don’t think that it’s so much a matter of “if”. It is now a matter of “when”.
10.14.08
Questions
I posted about this blog on the ORIGINAL Implant Forum and within hours I had questions. So I thought I’d take the time to address them here.
1) Did I have any hints that the surgeon might be negligent: I checked with HealthGrades.com and bought the full report. According to the side there were no disciplinary actions either in the past or pending. The surgeon had been in good standing for over 15 years.
2) Did I pursue legal action: I spoke to a malpractice lawyer who told me that plastic surgeons in Florida are only required to carry $100,000 in malpractice insurance. The burden of proof also falls to the plaintiff’s lawyer. So by the time the law office did all the research and found a way to prove malpractice, most of the 100K would be eaten up by legal fees, leaving me with nothing for the reconstruction surgeries I’ll have to have.
Instead of a law suit, I did the next best thing. I threatened legal action unless the surgeon gave me back all my surgical fees. It was agreed with the provision that neither my family nor myself give the name of the surgeon or the name of the center…in Orlando, Fl….on Dr. Phillips Dr.
I just wanted to be done with the surgeon for good. Another odd thing is that while I was under the care of that surgeon, no other plastic surgeon would see me for a consultation. At all.
3) How can I tell if my surgeon is like that? : One of the most valuable lessons I learned is that when it comes to surgery, do NOT go cheap! If you think it’s a good deal, there’s every chance that person is probably a hack. ANY doctor can call himself a plastic surgeon even if he hasn’t studied the specialty. Always make SURE your surgeon is board certified.
You know what they call a doctor that graduates in the bottom 10% of the medical class, right?
Doctor.
4) So what’s next?: Because of the way my chest healed, I’ve got to have reconstructive surgery along the same vein as cancer survivors. I’m seeing THE best cosmetic surgeon in the southeast for the official consultation on Oct. 24th. In the initial one though Dr. Elliott said that he wanted to use a procedure called the Latissimus Dorsai Flap procedure. Information can be found here: http://www.breastreconstruction.ca/living_latflap.htm
I’ll be posting more about my consultation when we get back from Atlanta.
If you have any questions, you can post them here. You can also email me at boobcast@gmail.com or Follow me on Twitter under Boobcast.
