One of my regular readers asked for what amounts to a critique of The Twins from both my perspective and my husband’s. So here we go: What I think of my boobs almost one year after reconstruction.

They’re BIG. I know we’ve been over this before, but DAMN. They’re still really big. Those of you who have seen the breast reconstruction photos know I’m not even half kidding. Those are ALL me. No implants. After all the problems I had related to implants, I insisted that they not be used.

They look natural. They bounce, they sway, they’re not plastered to my chest like a pair of angry headlights. They even do that fallout thing. In other words, when I’m laying on my back naked, they migrate towards my armpits like normal boobies do.

In a push up bra I have cleavage for DAYS. AND they pass the Pencil Test with a 4.0 GPA.

I love the Twins and I’m beyond grateful to have them so please understand that the critique I am about to give is in NO WAY meant to imply that I’m not happy with what I have. These are observations on my own reconstruction that other women may or may not experience.

There are really only a couple very minor things. First, on the cleavage side of my right breast there is this one little spot where the flap was sewn in that looks just a little bit uneven. The only angle that can be seen from is the top and in this photo you have to look very hard to see it. The right breast is the top photo.

You can see a tiny bit of lumpiness where the green intersects with the breast. It is also a little flat on the front from that angle making the breast look slightly squarish.

The left breast, pictured below, is a better example of the slightly squarish look shown here. This HAS improved over the past year.

There is also a very minor indent where the scar is but that’s just what happens with any scar.

As far as the feel goes, they are pliant, yet firm. Since *I* know how they were constructed I know that firmness comes from the transplanted latissimus flap muscle. On the bottom outside edge of both breasts, if you probe, you can feel the outer edge of the muscle flap.

When you do a full on grope, it’s the muscle that makes up the firmness and the fat that makes them soft and pliant.

Many of you have asked for the perspective of my husband, Ken. I will be asking him to write guest articles on the more emotional aspects of necrosis and recovery from that in later installments. In the mean time, here are a few of his comments on the Twins one year out from surgery.

Ken: “Due to the procedure, there are some areas that are a little squarish. Considering what Dr. Elliott started with, they’re AMAZING! They also came out much bigger than both of us expected but that’s NOT a bad thing.”.

When asked about what my breasts feel like, he comments, “They feel amazing and they fit my hands well. They’re big, they’re full and they have a nice heft to them.”. He thinks that, appearance-wise, the Twins are a good size for my frame.

In general he reports that he can’t feel the flap. If he feels in detail, he can feel the scar tissue (the scar lines where the flaps were inserted) but nothing unusual.

Tomorrow I will post detailed photos of what the Twins AND my back look like exactly one year after reconstruction so stay tuned.

The 30 year old woman received 180 days in jail and three years probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution but the amount wasn’t made clear according to the article.

What does this say about our society when women are committing grand theft level crimes in order to obtain plastic surgery?  Was this a greed issue? Was it driven by extremely low self esteem issues? Is the media driving women to the point that they feel they have to commit crimes in order to have that perfect body?

What do you think?

One of my readers had some questions. So to help her and and anyone else who might want these questions answered, here we go!

Question #1) I want to know what you found that scared the hell out of you. – What scared the hell out of me is that even saline implants aren’t safe. MANY women have had symptoms similar to fibromyalgia with these implants. Some doctors think that the silicone shell is a contributing factor to these symptoms.

Here is one website that talks, in anecdotal terms, about possible complications from saline implants. \”Could Breast Implants Make You Sick?\”

Question 2) I want to hear about breast implants and failure rates:. Currently there are two types of breast implants on the market that are commonly used. One is the silicone implant. It is a textures or untextured silicone outer shell that holds silicone gel. The gel is what gives it the supposed breast-like feel. Though I have heard that while silicone implants have a better appearance, groping them is still like groping a bag full of something. They are reportedly harder than breast tissue. Though no studies have found any links to illness and the gel, there are thousands of women who blame that gel for their illnesses.

The other type of implant is the saline implant. This is the type I have personal experience with. The shell, again, this is a silicone shell, is textures and the implants are filled with sterile saline solution. These feel like having a water balloon shoved into your chest. If you poke them, you can HEAR the saline solution sloshing around.

As for failure rates, approximately 70% of all women who have a breast augmentation will have to have some form of revision surgery. This is not a one-time surgery for most women. Here is a list of possible complications: Breast Augmentation Complications
Question 3) How Can I Tell If A Plastic Surgeon Is Good? There are a few rules. First, make sure he or she is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Sadly, ANY surgeon can perform plastic surgery without ever having taken a course in that specialty.

Second, interview them. There are 11 important questions to ask them. This article talks about them 11_questions.htm

Ask for multiple references. Talk to the references about the doctor. Ask about his or her bedside manner, the pre- and post- surgical experience and how accessible the surgeon was after surgery.

Ask to look at photos of the surgeon’s work. You may not like their technique.

Plastic surgery is an art form. Your surgeon should be as much an artist as a medical practitioner.

My most important piece of advice is this: Think long and hard about this before you do it. Why do you want this surgery? Once you do it, you will NEVER be the same. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes it isn’t. Even if it goes well, there may be permanent nerve damage. You may have numb spots. Your nipples may lose sensation. And there will always be scars.

Think long and hard before you make your decision.

She IS, however, dealing with one of the major complaint that many women have after breast augmentation. Size. For lots of women, the new Twins are either too big or too small. C00kie falls into the “too small” category.

Read her story here: http://fortunatecookie74.blogspot.com/

Dr. Grant Stevens speaks out on the subject:

An excellent breast augmentation can look natural, feel real and have a natural shape. Plastic surgeon Dr. Grant Stevens, Los Angeles, makes a distinction between successful breast surgery and the obvious “boob job” where it’s easy to tell a woman has had surgery

“Part of an excellent breast augmentations the fact that the breasts look as if they could actually occur in nature,” he explains. “There should be a question in the viewer’s mind as to whether or not these are real or are surgically created.”

A good breast augmentation has a natural fullness and gentle sloping off the chest wall. There should be natural cleavage, without webbing between the breasts and a certain amount of perkiness. Dr. Stevens lists five basic considerations that make for a desirable breast augmentation:

*which incision to use

*what type of implant to use

*placement of the implant

*texture of the implant

*size of the implant

Before having surgery, you should go over photographic examples of the breasts you want with your surgeon so that you both have a clear, visual understanding of the desired result. “My job is to make the breasts look like the photographs,” says Dr. Stevens.

There are four choices regarding where to make the incision for a breast implant: underneath the arm, around the nipple, or in the inframammary fold (where the breast meets the chest wall). The fourth is the umbilical incision, but is not as preferred as the others. There are advantages to each incision.

“l allow the patient to direct me as to which incision she wishes to have,” says Dr. Stevens. “We know that each incision has a certain amount of scarring, but our goal is to have the scar so minimal it’s inconspicuous.”

Sometimes there are ethnic factors(in terms of skin type and color) that might encourage one incision over another. Dr. Stevens refuses to recommend any incision per se but notes that: “Of all the breast augmentations I have performed on nurses, physicians or even my own employees, none have ever asked me to do either the inframammary fold or armpit approach. I find it highly significant that women who have been surrounded by the plastic surgery industry and have seen the most results, have never asked for an incision other than beneath the areola.”

The type of implant used has certain limitations in terms of availability. Currently, there is a moratorium on silicone implants; the silicone gel implant has been limited to women who fit into specific inclusion criteria. “lf there were no moratorium I would be putting in far more silicone gel implants than saline implants,” says Dr. Stevens. “The silicone gel implants, in general, feel more like a breast and look more like a breast. However, we can certainly adjust the saline implants and in most cases are able to give the woman a natural-looking breast.”

The next question is where to put the implant. It can be placed either on top of or behind the muscle. “l place implants behind the muscle so the implants are partially covered,” says Dr. Stevens. “The muscle allows a nice smooth take-off from the chest wall. lf put directly on top of the muscle they can look like a half-grapefruit or rounded balloon the chest.”

The fourth criterion in an excellent breast augmentation is the choice of specific implant. Should it be smooth, textured, low profile, high profile or anatomic? It’s important that each implant is individualized to achieve the size and shape the patient desires. According to Dr. Stevens, that individualization should dictate the decision.

“It’s my feeling that if the surgeon is wedded to only one type of implant then all the breast augmentations will look the same. This is not cookie-cutter surgery. Cookie-cutter breast augmentations are, in my opinion, ‘boob jobs’.”

Finally, although there is a size range from which to choose, the breast implant must be appropriately sized for the individual.

“When a breast augmentation is extremely large compared to the woman’s body, in my mind, it falls into the category of a ‘boob job’ because any one can certainly spot it,” notes Dr. Stevens. “If you take a little woman and you give her size double-D breasts, most people would agree that this is inappropriate. For a larger woman however, that size may be reasonable.Mostlf my patients want to be In the C to D range but certainly some women want to be a large D and some women only desire to be B-cup size.”

“Boob jobs” are often hard, round balls on a woman’s chest. Beautiful breast augmentations have a natural shape and size. Allowing natural movement, the implanted breasts slope gently off the chest and feel soft to the touch

n excellent breast augmentation can look natural, feel real and have a natural shape. Plastic surgeon Dr. Grant Stevens, Los Angeles, makes a distinction between successful breast surgery and the obvious “boob job” where it’s easy to tell a woman has had surgery

“Part of an excellent breast augmentations the fact that the breasts look as if they could actually occur in nature,” he explains. “There should be a question in the viewer’s mind as to whether or not these are real or are surgically created.”

A good breast augmentation has a natural fullness and gentle sloping off the chest wall. There should be natural cleavage, without webbing between the breasts and a certain amount of perkiness. Dr. Stevens lists five basic considerations that make for a desirable breast augmentation:

• which incision to use
• what type of implant to use
• placement of the implant
• texture of the implant
• size of the implant

Before having surgery, you should go over photographic examples of the breasts you want with your surgeon so that you both have a clear, visual understanding of the desired result. “My job is to make the breasts look like the photographs,” says Dr. Stevens.

There are four choices regarding where to make the incision for a breast implant: underneath the arm, around the nipple, or in the inframammary fold (where the breast meets the chest wall). The fourth is the umbilical incision, but is not as preferred as the others. There are advantages to each incision.

“l allow the patient to direct me as to which incision she wishes to have,” says Dr. Stevens. “We know that each incision has a certain amount of scarring, but our goal is to have the scar so minimal it’s inconspicuous.”

Sometimes there are ethnic factors(in terms of skin type and color) that might encourage one incision over another. Dr. Stevens refuses to recommend any incision per se but notes that: “Of all the breast augmentations I have performed on nurses, physicians or even my own employees, none have ever asked me to do either the inframammary fold or armpit approach. I find it highly significant that women who have been surrounded by the plastic surgery industry and have seen the most results, have never asked for an incision other than beneath the areola.”

Today we’re talking about sports bras. No matter what your cup size, a good sports bra is key when working out. A well-fitting sports bra will help prevent pain and even chest ligament damage.

Many women think that if they are an A or small B cup, a regular bra will work just as well. This is simply not true. “Ordinary bras can stop the bouncing but the new study by University of Portsmouth scientist Dr Joanna Scurr shows that breasts also move side-to-side and in and out and estimates are that more than 50 percent of women experience breast pain when exercising, regardless of cup size.” according to this article bouncing_breasts_bring_on_science_challenge

Sports bras are specially engineered to reduce movement, Not only do they keep breasts from bouncing up and down too much, they also reduce the side to side movement. Breasts have very limited support that comes from the body. The Twins can hurt for three main reasons: tenderness during the menstrual cycle; permanent breast pain, and exercise-related pain due to stretching of the breast tissue.

How do I know if my sports bra fits right? This article will give you the basics for finding just the right sports bra for your activity sports_bra.php

No matter whether you’re lifting weights, doing yoga or running a marathon, having the right sports bra will make those activities so much more comfortable.

Originally written on Oct. 26, 2009

This is another one of those issues that comes with being mostly boob-less.  Clothes shopping is frustrating.  I feel more comfortable in the Men’s section than the Women’s. The women’s section, even if there is no one else there, is a constant reminder of what I don’t have.

It’s also more difficult to find clothes that fit. Anything that fits tightly across the chest shows the outline of my deformity. And lets face it, most women’s clothing is geared to fit close to the body and accentuate our breasts. Even the camisoles with foam cups give a minor indication that something isn’t quite right because  of how the cups move since they’re not filled with breast tissue.

The men’s section offers a better selection of loose-fitting clothes. So I shop at Goodwill because I know that when this is over I can take the clothes back and donate them again. Someone else will be able to get use out of them when it’s all done.

Aside from this mangled thing that once was my chest, I think that shopping in the men’s section is one more reason I just don’t feel feminine. (see other Girly Girl posts).

Now in the movie “Dogma” the character called the Muse talked about how what defines a woman falls between two things…her legs. From a biological standpoint that IS true. Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina, after all. From a societal standpoint, however, women are judged by their breasts. If I don’t have breasts, am I still really a woman?

Breast cancer patients go through the same thing WHILE fighting a disease that could kill them. That’s why I can’t begin to compare myself to a breast cancer survivor. Not in the physical sense anyway. Mentally we go through much of the same thing. We question if we’re still actually women. We feel diminished; as though we’re somehow not fully human and wonder how our partners will EVER find us attractive again.

Yes, that complicated ball of emotions comes with clothes shopping. In the men’s section.

As the title says, this is the 200th installment of BoobCast. Today I am writing about you, dear reader. Today’s installment is all about the support and the stories that people have shared with me since I first started this blog on Oct. 11, 2008.

When I first started writing this, I was also fairly active on a website called All About Plastic Surgery (http://www.allaboutplasticsurgery.com). When I posted what had happened to me it didn’t take long before I was inundated by questions about various aspects of the surgery. You can find that entry here: http://boobcast.net/2008/10/14/questions/ People expressed a great deal of concern about how well I had checked out the surgeon, what indications I might have had and what legal recourse I might have taken. During that period so many people gave their support and I am grateful for it. So my thanks goes out to the women of the All About Plastic Surgery forum. They were the ones who inspired the idea for BoobCast.

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Gee Maria, why do you call it BoobCast? Were they wrapped in plaster or something at one point?”

No, dear reader. There are reasons this site is called BoobCast.  In 2007 the podcasting community lost a precious member by the name of Joe Murphy. He died of a vicious type of cancer that took him quickly. During his medical treatments he talked in vivid detail about what was going on, the testing and all of it. His strength inspired me. I wanted to be as strong and as brave as Joe Murphy. So I planned to podcast what was going on with my breast necrosis. The name of that podcast was going to be BoobCast.

I never met Joe but his life inspired me. It just turns out that I’m not that strong or that brave. To honor that bravery I have kept the name.

I also owe thanks to a very dear friend, Tee Morris. When I was trying to find the strength to create BoobCast, He was there for me. He gave me mental and emotional support by letting me know that I *could* do it. I’m sorry I disapointed you Tee but want to thank you for being a friend when I needed one.

In the time I’ve been writing BoobCast I have had people email me directly for advice. Of course, after reading the email, my advice was always “Contact your PS (plastic surgeon) and ask for [fill-in-the-blank]. Whether it was about bruising, skin texture or pain, I advised talking to their doctor. If they couldn’t get a decent answer from that doctor, talk to another one.

The one that really broke my heart was the husband of a woman who, a few days previous the email,  had the same procedure I had. According to her husband, the pain pills her PS had given her weren’t doing much and she was in constant pain. She couldn’t eat or sleep and she was suffering. I told her husband to call her PS immediately and insist on different pain meds and not take NO for an answer. i explained that, right now it was his job to advocate for his wife since she couldn’t do it herself.

A couple days later I got an email from him saying that her PS had changed her meds and she was doing MUCH better. It’s emails like those that made BoobCast well worth the emotional pain of writing those early posts.

I also want to thank everyone who talked to me about BoobCast at DragonCon last year. Being told in person that I’m making a difference means the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

Finally, my thanks to Carol Montoya, Lolly Daskal and the Woman At Denny’s. I promise that once I’ve had nipple reconstruction and recuperate from that, I WILL write the book. The foundation is in the works already.

My thanks to you all for reading, commenting and talking to me. Here’s to another 200!

Wide Set Breasts

This is the great thing about reconstructive and plastic surgery. To some small extent you can personalize your body. Plastic surgery doesn’t allow for you to put your boobs back where they were when you were 16.  The lack of skin elasticity and human anatomy doesn’t allow for that. Nor can you have close-set breasts like the example below if you naturally have wide set breasts like the example to the right. Biology plays a large role in the limitations of surgical science.

To some extent you can request what you want in the realm of size but even that has it’s limitations. If you are an A cup, trying to go directly to a DDD cup is simply not possible because the amount of skin and tissue an A cup breast has available is much less than a DDD cup breast. There has to be enough tissue to cover the implant.

There ARE things that we *can* chose though. It just has to be within physical limits. I have decided that I do want to have nipple reconstruction. The articles I have read (I posted these in previous posts) indicate that large nipples tend to collapse in a short period of time. The truth is a reconstructed nipple will never rise and become stiff with stimulation. It is made from breast tissue and not the erectile tissue that natural nipples are made of.

I still cannot find the story and I’m not certain it’s even true. I have read that in Japan, in order to increase protrusion, surgeons implant pearls under the skin. If someone can confirm or deny this, I would really appreciate it. I have also read that nipple piercing increases protrusion. I’d also like to hear from nipple reconstruction patients that have had their nipples pierced in order to improve protrusion

This site gives examples of the various types of nipple enhancement. http://bit.ly/6jiVx8 None of them seem to include a pearl. However there IS mention of cartilage as an implant. I’m going to do more research on that and get back to you.

Close Set breasts