Pre-BA and totally clueless!!

by jensk 4th October 2013, 12:08 pm

Hi Everyone,

I know I don't post much on here but I am always reading posts and everything is so helpful. My op day (November 6th) is fast approaching and I am starting to feel out of my depth. So I was hoping some of you lovely ladies would be able to clear a couple of things up for me.

1. What are rice boobs? I keep seeing people mention them and have absolutely no idea what these are.

2. what is a V pillow? Do I need to get one? pros/cons?

3. What's a Macom? Is this a bra I need to take to the hospital with me? are other post op bras not ok?

4. Is waking up with a drain in your boob normal?

5. I am a day case, is this a stupid decision and should I really be staying overnight? if so, why?

thats mainly it i think. I do have my pre-op appointment at Transform Birmingham in a couple of weeks but I got the feeling they were only going ot do medical assesments there and not actually go through this stuff with me.

I'm probably getting pre op jitters a month early, i havent quite lost all the weight i wanted to. Ive lost some and i will lose some more i suppose after but its all feeling so real now and with certain people close to me looking down on my decision to do this, I want to make sure im really prepared.

Thank you in advance for any advice, sorry for being so clueless, i have researched some things but theres so much to read, my brain gets a bit scambled!! xxxx

by jenniferrf1 4th October 2013, 12:15 pm

1- rice boobs are used to get a rough idea of your implant size... Whatever size you are having eg 300cc, you weigh 300 grams of uncooked rice, pop it in the bottom of some tights and cut them to fit in your bra :) it's only a rough idea though as they tend to come up bigger

2- a v pillow is a pillow in the shape of a V! You can buy them from places like Argos, it's just a way to get comfy but you don't need it

3- a Macom is a bra that is recommended highly for after a BA because we never know what size you will be after and with the Macom you only need to know your back size which is great! It's not essential but they are worth it because even after the weeks are up of wearing it 24/7 you may still wear it to bed so worth the money (just type it into google) and yes you will want to take it to hospital with you or whichever sports bra you choose

4-drains are normal, not ever surgeon uses them so it's surgeons preference, if your unsure if you will have them you can ring your clinic or just ask on the day

5- no it's not stupid to be a day case at all! Many prefer to go home whereas other ladies would rather stay overnight, IF you are not well after you will get kept in overnight anyway so don't worry

At your pre op you will be able to ask the questions if you like ... Pre op jitters are very normal and we all have them so dont worry :) questioning yourself is a big part if that process!!
Xx

by Bigange1 4th October 2013, 12:23 pm

jensk wrote:Hi! I haven't had mine done yet so I'm prob not gonna be the best help, but I'll help as much as I can till someone more experienced pops up chick.

1. What are rice boobs? I keep seeing people mention them and have absolutely no idea what these are.

There's a section on here somewhere that explains rice boobs. Think you weigh out the grams of rice in correspondence to ur cc e.g 400cc = 4oog per side & then pop it in a tied buttie bag & pop it in ur bra to get an idea of size & weight.

2. what is a V pillow? Do I need to get one? pros/cons?

I personally would get a v pillow as it helps you to prop up better in bed when you've first had the op & then your boob can go in the gap when you start sleepin on ur side.

3. What's a Macom? Is this a bra I need to take to the hospital with me? are other post op bras not ok?

I've heard a lot of people mention the macoms, these are a post surery bra & I'm guessin they must be one of the faves/best.

4. Is waking up with a drain in your boob normal?

From what I can gather every surgeon is different regarding this so you would have to ask your surgeon if they use them or not.

5. I am a day case, is this a stupid decision and should I really be staying overnight? if so, why?

Think if your straight forward ba then daycase is fine.

Hope I've managed to help you a bit, if not I'm sure cookie or one of the other girls will be along shortly xx

by Bigange1 4th October 2013, 12:26 pm

Sorry jen, didn't know you'd posted, it normally tells me if anythings been added while I'm writin! Haha :doh:

xx

by jensk 4th October 2013, 12:26 pm

That's so helpful thank you!

To be honest being a day case is a money saving thing. with Transform a day case cost me £400 less than overnight, I didnt want to spend £400 for a room for a night so I just said I'll go home.

I suppose i can always call them and my mum is a nurse so she's quite handly to have around in general x

by **Charlii** 4th October 2013, 12:30 pm

Hi Jensk

1 - Rice boobs. You take the foot of a pair of tights, fill it with the same grams of rice as the cc of implant you'll have, and presto, rice boob! Its like a try before you buy, in that you can mould them, and its a similar weight. They tend to come up a little bigger, but its good for a try on. If you know the diameter also, you can put a little cardboard disk in to mould it arround.

2 - V pillow is a pillow in a V shape! Its marketed mainly at breastfeeding, but a lot of the girls like it for when they have to sleep propped up as it gives you more support. Also, when you then turn to your side, you can use it to put a side between your boobs to support them. John lewis, Argos have them.

3 - Macom is a front fastening full crop top-esque bra that you only buy by band size, so will support post op boobs regardless of the size. A lot of gals like it for this reason. I sleep in one. You can get them from the Macom website, and put in 'mybreast' at the checkout for 15% discount.

4 - Drains are surgeon/girl dependant, but they should tell you beforehand if theyre using them.

5 - Again, overnights is entirely surgeon/girl dependant. Some prefer it, others prefer day case. But know that they will not release you on a day case if they dont thing you're medically stable, so thats fine.

Jitters this far ahead is fine, please dont worry about it! Everytime you think of a new question, jot it down and take it with you to your pre-op appointment, so the clinic can help to answer. And dont apologies for being clueless! We all were at one point, thats why we're all here to help share and support each other :)

by **COOKIE** 4th October 2013, 3:35 pm

jensk". wrote:

1. What are rice boobs? I keep seeing people mention them and have absolutely no idea what these are.

Have a look at this thread [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

2. what is a V pillow? Do I need to get one? pros/cons?

A V-Pillow looks like this:

Pre-BA and totally clueless!! F9558057097c1e8950fd45ea2e666f4d_zpsfc3ba5c6

You don't 'need' one but you will want one yes

they're good for helping to keep you propped up after surgery and also for the transition from back sleeping to side sleeping because of its shape, its great for positioning so you don't put your body weight on your boobs.

3. What's a Macom? Is this a bra I need to take to the hospital with me? are other post op bras not ok?

You find find a Macom bra HERE. A lot of ladies like these bras because they have no need for a specific cup size. Once you have your back size its a one size fits all.

The other most popular bras ladies use on here are: The Tiumph Triaction Extreme, Shock Absorbers, M&S front zipped bras and M&S high impact bras in a pack of two (M&S budget bras for £25)

4. Is waking up with a drain in your boob normal?

It depends.... Its surgeons preference. Some surgeons feel they're of benefit to healing, other surgeons don't. If you do have them, they're nothing at all to be concerned about and guy don't hurt at all.

5. I am a day case, is this a stupid decision and should I really be staying overnight? if so, why?

Day cases are fine. If your surgeon feels you need to stay overnight for any reason this would be at no additional cost to you.

thats mainly it i think. I do have my pre-op appointment at Transform Birmingham in a couple of weeks but I got the feeling they were only going ot do medical assesments there and not actually go through this stuff with me.

At your pre-op you'll go through all of your medical history have your pre-op pics taken and have the opportunity to go through all of the above to talk with the clinic nurse about the procedure. You'll also be given details about your the procedure and what you need to do on the run up to your BA to take home with you.

I'm probably getting pre op jitters a month early, i havent quite lost all the weight i wanted to. Ive lost some and i will lose some more i suppose after but its all feeling so real now and with certain people close to me looking down on my decision to do this, I want to make sure im really prepared.

You'll be fine... I wouldn't worry what other people think babe. This is all about you and no-one else's business but your own. The pre-op jitters are very normal hun.... Reading some of the stories that our lovely ladies have left to be read here are amazing to help lift your spirits babe and if you if you need to talk it through further about anything specific you might be afraid of then we're here for you babe. Xx

by LJR 4th October 2013, 3:38 pm

Hello, I think all your questions have been thoroughly answered! But I just wanted to say I didn't stay in overnight, I did have the option because my op was at 2pm, but I felt well enough to go home x

by **mrsball** 4th October 2013, 5:42 pm

I still sleep with my v pillow it's fantastic and so comfy.

I was a day case, most Bas now are day cases as the need to stay overnight unless a high risk patient with medical history is Not needed.
I prefered being in my own bed, in my own surroundings.

And don't let anyone bring you down or look down on you for doing this , this is your body your decision and nothing to feel ashamed or bad about hunny, enjoy your boobie day and trust me it's the best thing ever! Xxxx

by tinkerbell24 4th October 2013, 8:15 pm

aw ur BA day is my youngests daughters 3rd bday so I will remember

congratulations you must be so excited

I fell in love with my V pillow and Peter my husband got jealous lol lol I love it and still use it and will def be using it every night after my up and coming reop in Nov

Also dont worry what others think I did to begin with and then I thought to myself whats the point its my body my decistion!!

I was an overnight case first time and I will be an overnight case again for my reop and im glad of this cause Im going to travel to Manchester for my reop so if anything does go wrong then i dont want to be on the way back to scotland lol xx

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Pre-BA and totally clueless!!

Pre-BA and totally clueless!!

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