16-08-2010, 08:30
"Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting"
April 30 2010 at 9:35 AM Alexandra (Login alexandra-aaa-2)
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On April 16, I had this procedure done by Dr. Roger Khouri, inventor of BRAVA. Short version is that normally the domes are worn for 12 hrs/night for 3 weeks, then 24/7 for the last week prior to surgery (which is liposuction followed by that fat being transferred to the BRAVA enlarged breasts). The breasts are highly vascularized and enlarged, allowing for a greater amount of fat to be transferred.
The domes are then worn for 12 hrs/night for 12 weeks following surgery, to provide the newly transferred fat with a rich, nourishing blood supply. Dr. Khouri's patients average a 90% retention rate over a 5 year period. I began a 36AAA/FLAT and am currently measuring a 34B/C at night (after the domes have been off for 12 hours). Most likely, if I'm lucky, my permanent size will be a 34B. That would be more than 3 cup sizes for someone starting out as flat as me.
(Has anyone else done this?)
Author Reply
Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:29 AM
Hi Alexandra! I was so excited to read your post as you are the first person I have found online on any message boards that has had the fat grafting procedure. I had it done back in September by a well-known surgeon in New York, and a re-do operation on one breast on April 15th. So it looks like we are both going through this post-op period right now.
Looking at your pictures, I can tell you are going to have an amazing result!! Especially if you wear Brava a lot. I started out as a 32AA/AAA and should end up a good solid 32B/small C. I had a very unfortunate experience as I got a nasty post-op infection in one breast following the September augmentation. It killed nearly all the grafted fat, which drained out and left me basically back with what I started with in that breast (flat flat flat!!!). That was heartbreaking to lose all that fat and start over again with that breast. But the side that didn't get infected turned out nicely, and almost overflows a 32B cupsize. I think wearing the Brava is the key to success in this procedure, and I did wear it for 9 weeks before the September surgery and then nearly 4 months after. And I wore for long hours, much longer than 12 per day on most days. This time around, I wore it on the one side for 4 weeks pre-op, and I'm going to try for at least 12 weeks post-op. It's brutal, but I think it's worth it in the end because the breasts you have are "natural" and permanent.
I'm just amazed at how great your photos look so far, and compared to mine, you look quite a bit bigger than I did at that point post-op. I was wondering, how many cc's did Dr. Khouri place in each breast? I had 260cc's in the breast that turned out well but yours looks like even more than that.
I really think that you will be thrilled with your results, just based off of your photos now. Best wishes for your recovery, I know it is pretty miserable but actually having boobs in the end makes it worth it all.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:37 AM
I had another question in addition to asking how many cc's you have. Did Dr. Khouri put you on antibiotics post-op? My surgeon didn't the first time, and that is a major regret for me, but the infection risk was supposed to be very low so I guess it was just my luck to get infected...
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:42 AM
Hi Kari,
Can I ask, is your surgeon Syndey Coleman?
Also, I'm curious how you saw my pics?? I haven't had any new members join in the last few days. Are you already a member?
And yes, I was on Keflex. I think (not sure) that he may have begun the antibiotic pre-surgery (in my IV).
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 1:20 AM
Yep, that's the surgeon. And yes, I've been a member at your forum for probably 3 years or so but hadn't visited in quite some time... so I checked in over there when I saw your post.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 1:52 AM
That's funny! I had a consult scheduled with him in January. He's actually how I found out about BRAVA being used prior to fat grafting in the first place. I had been following a company called Cytori and their product Celution (used for stem-cell concentration after lipo/prior to the transfer) for a couple of years. In an article I read it mentioned Dr. Coleman as a paid advisor to Cytori. When I scheduled the consult, I asked the woman if she knew if he'd be one of the first to receive Celution once it's FDA approved. She informed me that he already had it.
Then she asked me if I was going to be part of the BRAVA study. I reflexively said no, simply because I hadn't heard about the study (tho had known of BRAVA for years (you probably could find me saying some negative things on my forum about it - shhhh, it was years ago, and I was ignorant of how it really worked!!)). After I hung up, I went to clinicaltrials.gov, saw the study and that it was Dr. Khouri's. I scheduled a consult with him for a couple of weeks after Dr. Coleman.
The morning of my appt w/Dr. Coleman, my fuel line froze (I live in NJ and was going to drive into the city). I couldn't reschedule for a while because right after my appt w/Dr. Khouri, one of my sons was having major foot surgery and I didn't know when I'd be able to go again. I am glad for the way it all turned out tho. Especially since Dr. Khouri designed BRAVA and developed the whole pre-expansion process. (Not to mention, Dr. Coleman's fee is more than triple Dr. Khouri's, including airfare and hotel!!)
(Also, I realized I didn't answer your question about how much fat Dr. Khouri transferred. He said 400cc's per breast. I just uploaded pics from this week. I'm not sure whether the decrease I'm seeing is the BRAVA swelling and post-surgical swelling going down, or a decrease in fat (I'd imagine 400cc's looking a whole lot bigger, but I also started out with nothing). I just emailed my weekly pics to Dr. Khouri, and asked his opinion. I hope everything holds steady where they are now!)
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 3:16 AM
WOW is all I can say about your pictures... Looks like Dr. Khouri gave you a very natural, beautiful shape. I bet it's all swelling that you are losing, not fat. Dr. Coleman told me that by using Brava, one can expect to keep all the fat, and in my case he said I actually grew in addition to what he put in because of so much Brava wearing. That is awesome you got 400cc's in one transfer! And all without complications, I wish I were you, lol.
And the price... gosh, I realllyyyyyy didn't do my homework on that. I went with Coleman because I thought he was the #1 fat grafting doc, and I liked his before and after pics. But triple the price of Dr. Khouri??? Ughh that makes me sick. If I could only turn back the clock and do this over.
I'll look forward to following your progress and seeing your final results. With that large a transfer plus Brava, you are going to look great!!
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 4:08 AM
Dr. Khouri had also said that he thought I had a bit of growth from BRAVA alone. I had worn it for 11 weeks and for 14-16 hours per night (obsessive much??). I wonder why the post surgery wearing of it, also 12 hrs/night for 12+ weeks, wouldn't cause additional growth. Part of me thinks it should since there's more "breast" to expand and more cells to grow, but the other part thinks the fat cells are sort of fighting to thrive, and may not grow/multiply/expand under "stress"??
Maybe a few months after stopping BRAVA post-surgically, I wonder if another round of 12 weeks or so could bump you up a cup size or so? I would honestly have to take a few months off after the post-surgical use if I did that. For one, wearing the domes in the hot weather is challenging. The least bit of sweating and the seal gets broken (how do you like the sound of the "dome farts"?? my family thinks I'm out of my mind!). And while I've only slept on my back since getting pregnant with my first son 25 years ago!!, I so badly want just one night to sleep on my side or stomach.
Right after New Years sounds good. Finish up next April....OK, I can't even believe I'm talking about this at this point, LOL!
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littlebear
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 6:04 AM
hii! I was just wondering what the approximate cost of the procedure is? Or your cost in total because you also had to purchase the brava set? It sounds amazing that you were able to have such an increase in breast size congrats !!
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 2:59 PM
From Dr. Khouri's website (http://www.miamibreastcenter.com/faq/fre...tions.html):
"What is the approximate cost of the procedure?
There is a wide price range- total costs, all inclusive varies from 3000 USD to 9000 USD. This will depend upon many factors. If you are a breast reconstruction patient by law insurance covers your procedure"
I was "fortunate?" that a portion of mine was covered by my insurance. I had a lumpectomy (and 2 biopsies) 18 years ago, that left me with a 1/3 of my left breast missing and a nasty indentation (picture an ice cream scoop) on the outer side of my left breast that nearly went down to the bone. I don't have the EOB's back from the insurance company yet to know what the charges were, but I do know Dr. Khouri had to spend a bit of time "untethering" and scoring the scar tissue, especially on the left breast. So I'm sure that factored into the cost.
However, for being the inventor of this entire procedure, his cost is 1/2 to 1/3 of what some of the surgeons who learned the procedure from him are charging.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 3:02 PM
His FAQ's state that his cost is "all inclusive", but to answer your question specifically, this did include the initial price of the BRAVA system (additional larger domes as needed were extra tho). It also included the pre and post required MRI's, the surgical center fee, the anesthesiologist, Dr. Khouri's fees.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 3:08 AM
It was my understanding that wearing BRAVA post-op does cause additional growth. I would think the original breast tissue would grow during the 12 weeks post-op as it would if one were doing a normal BRAVA cycle. But from what Dr. Coleman told me, it seems the stem cells themselves grow, too. He told me he would “seed” my cleavage area so it would benefit from BRAVA post-op (he wasn’t putting enough fat there to actually fill the area noticeably, so that indicates to me that he wanted a few stem cells there that would grow from the post-op Brava wearing). So I think if one wears BRAVA faithfully post-op, you can not only keep all the fat, but also grow even more. It’s definitely a big incentive to wear it a lot. Since my surgery a little over two weeks ago, I’m averaging about 19 hours a day…this thing is consuming my life at the moment!!! But hey, I’m desperate here, lol.
I had the same question about the benefit of starting a new BRAVA cycle at some point after the surgery. Dr. Coleman mentioned to me that wearing BRAVA on my good side at this point wouldn’t help “much”, but who knows what that means. He probably doesn’t consider ½ cup size to be much, but every little bit helps so it might be worth a try. I started wearing BRAVA just about a week ago again on my one breast that was done back in September, after being off of it for over 3 months. This is because I’m having to wear BRAVA on the other breast that just got re-done, and the swelling is so huge that during the day it is impossible to make both breasts appear even, so I figured it would be easier if they were both swollen nearly the same. I’m going to try for 12 weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see if I get additional growth in the previously grafted breast. I know what you mean about the sweat breaking the seal. Not sure if you use the smartbox or airlock, but I airlock which really helps keep a seal even with all the sweat.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 4:16 AM
I tried using the smartbox during my "up" hours post surgically, but it's too annoying to wear the bra. But without it, there's nowhere for the smartbox to go! So I've been using the hand bulb pump, but it's hard to gauge the correct pressure. Dr. Khouri and Darlene (my BRAVA coach) were both adamant about not using increased pressure unless you're preparing for surgery.
They explained that prior to surgery, you want maximum expansion. But that swelling/expansion is not the same as the smaller amount of swelling that will become growth when using only BRAVA with the smartbox for growth (w/o surgery). That the increased pressure would of course cause increased swelling, but it would end up causing the tissue to stretch without true growth, resulting in sagging when the swelling subsided.
Did Dr. Coleman have you do "max pressure" prior to surgery too? And did he have you wear them 24/7 the last week before?
I was thinking a lot about you getting that infection. Of course the antibiotic would probably have prevented it, but I was wondering if you experienced what I did wearing the domes right after surgery. I was told to start wearing it the next day, after my shower (attempting 24/7 for the first week). All of the "holes" on each breast were uncovered so they could drain. They would drain right into the domes, the tubes and the smartbox, shutting it off. I got really paranoid because the fluid, which also pooled in the domes when the tubes filled up, was (not to be gross) an orange-y color, with a film of "oil"/fat floating on the top. Not quite, but a little like what you see floating on the top of a can of chicken broth!! All I could envision was all of the fat being sucked right back out! (However, Dr. Khouri did say this was normal, and that if it was coming out, it needed to come out.)
Anyway, I was thinking that wearing the domes like that, with the open incisions being exposed to the insides of the domes, which get sweaty on a good day, probably increases the likelihood of infection.
I also was upset with myself because that first week I could get nowhere near 24/7 use. I think I got anywhere from 6-18 hours, depending on the day. After the first week it's supposed to be 12 hours/night, but it took me another full week to get to a consistent 12 hours. That second week I lasted anywhere from 6-12 hours. They were just so sore after whatever local anesthetic wore off that once I woke up, even if it was only after sleeping a few hours, there was no way to go back to sleep or leave them on. The post-surgical soreness plus the BRAVA swelling was just too painful. I was really paranoid tho that I missed a crucial time of BRAVA keeping a good blood supply to the transferred fat.
Dr. Khouri assured me tho, that this was all very normal the first week or so, that I just needed to get to 12 hours/night as soon as I could.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 4:23 AM
I keep forgetting to ask you a few other things (if it's OK!)...
Can I ask how old you are, and if you've had kids? Also, where did Dr. Coleman lipo the fat from.
Did Dr. Coleman send you for an MRI prior to starting BRAVA? I had to have one the day of my consult, and another 6 months after surgery (to follow-up on how much fat is retained). Six months for me is October, but Dr. Khouri mentioned maybe coming in November instead when he has a fat graft workshop (http://www.fatgraftcourse.com/miami/2010...graft.html). I'm guessing it might be dependent on how much fat I end up keeping by then tho. It looks like Dr. Coleman will be there too - he's mentioned with several of the lectures/panels.
I'm kind of hoping it does end up being November. I think it would be fascinating to hear all of these surgeons.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 10:54 PM
Sure, you can ask me anything you’d like. I’m 21, no kids. So I think it was extra difficult to get the pre-surgery expansion for a large graft because of that. The lipo in September was extensive. I’m 5’6, was about 125 lbs back in September, so I’m definitely not skinny but I carried a very disproportionate amount of weight in my upper legs/thighs. Extremely pear-shaped. So he took fat from my saddlebags, inner thighs, the front of my legs, and around my knees. My legs were incredibly sore after that!!! And the bruising…oh my! He also took fat from my flanks and a little from around my upper hips…none from my abdomen because my tummy is quite flat already. My shape is sooooo much better now, it’s amazing. Problem is that he has used up all my fat, my reserves are now gone and the re-do breast now has only 160cc’s while he estimates that the good side is about 300cc’s. I’m having a hard time dealing with this reality that I’m not even going to end up with two nice, matching breasts after all this. So I’m wearing Brava obsessively while I’m home for the next couple of months studying online. Just hoping I can get some additional growth somehow.
That’s interesting about not increasing pressure with BRAVA. I wonder if there are harmful effects to the fat besides the issue of sagging from excessive swelling. I airlocked for the 4 months post-op last time and yes, I got huge swelling but thankfully no sagging. Also, it does make sense that just the smaller amount of swelling from using the Smartbox pressure is what causes growth, and that large amounts of swelling doesn’t translate into more growth. But it makes me wonder if there are benefits to the growth process, because lots of swelling takes longer to dissipate when the domes are off, meaning my breasts spend more hours expanded than they would if the swelling disappeared faster. Wish I could ask Dr. Khouri about that. I just hope I’m not somehow harming myself by using extra suction. Hmmm..
Dr. Coleman really didn’t give me much direction about wearing BRAVA prior to surgery, maybe because he knew I was already wearing it a lot. He did say to wear it non-stop 72 hours prior to surgery for maximum expansion, but he said nothing about “max pressure”. I don’t think he’s really aware that I don’t use the Smartbox.
That’s great you were able to get an MRI. I had to get a mammogram since that is all my HMO offered, and they didn’t even want to do that because I’m so young. Then I’ll have to get another one at the one year post-op mark. I was already using BRAVA when I got my pre-op mammogram, so there was swelling already at that point.
Going to that fat-grafting workshop in November sounds like a lot of fun!! Would be very interesting to hear all those surgeons.
Sounds like you did well just wearing the BRAVA for as much as you did in that early post-op period. Looking back on my surgery in September, knowing what I know now about how important those first couple of weeks are, I really, really missed out… I didn’t start wearing BRAVA until nearly 2 weeks post-op. This was mostly because I was dealing with that infection (hospitalized, IV antibiotics, high fever for days, fat draining out, absolute horror show!). AND… I think Dr. Coleman didn’t realize the importance of BRAVA because he was very laid-back in his attitude about using it post-op. That’s in contrast to NOW, months later. This time, he wanted it on by the very next day post-op. He said now they are seeing how much it helps with results in their patients, so NOW they are encouraging its use more. I just think wow, I maybe could have gotten an extra half cup size or something out of this (on the good breast), because I bet I lost a lot in that 2 weeks.
So this time, I started wearing BRAVA on the re-do breast 12 hrs post-op, lol. I’m surprised you had such pain with that. I had some mild discomfort, but nothing a little Tylenol didn’t help for the first couple of days.
Yes, I had a lot of that yellow-orangey drainage, too, for a few days post-op. Although my “holes” were sutured closed, so I couldn’t figure out if it was oozing out of them or if the fluid was coming out of my pores along with the sweat. Totally gross!! I was worried, too, about the fat being sucked out! Or at least being damaged somehow by the domes, since the domes are a little too narrow to include the entire breast inside. But I guess none of that happened, thankfully, lol.
As for why I got the infection, it’s still a mystery. My infection showed up on about day 6 post-op, and I actually wasn’t wearing BRAVA yet by that point. And my “holes” were sutured closed. So it’s possible some bacteria got in through them post-op, but whether that’s the case or whether it was introduced during the surgery is still unknown. When I got the second surgery, Dr. Coleman’s PA said that they think I was “over-stuffed” with fat in that breast. That maybe it was too tight in there, so no blood supply and the tissue died, and of course dead tissue is a great place for bacteria to thrive. I remember that after that surgery in September, Dr. Coleman said I was about ready to pop on that side with the 300cc’s (and he was quite pleased at having stuffed so much in there)! But I’m confused because obviously other people (like you) get more volume than that without problems.
So whether the fat would have died anyway from lack of oxygen or whether it was all killed off BECAUSE of contamination, who knows. Either way, bacteria got in there somehow.
So I was the one who insisted on antibiotics this time, along with my infectious diseases doctor. No way was I going to take that risk the second time around, especially wearing BRAVA this time and having all that sweat around those “holes.” Because as you said, that would be a great opportunity for infection to start.
The only way this could have turned out any worse was if I had also gotten infection in the other breast! I can only be thankful for that. Well, also the fact that the infection was FINALLY killed (it came back a second time after the first round of IV vancomycin, so I then spent 6 weeks on 2 different antibiotics which finally killed it off!!).
Sorry for the really long post! Guess I just needed to vent a little…
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 11:34 PM
I do remember seeing a pic on Coleman's site of a girl who had tuberous breasts. The caption said that she wore BRAVA pre-surgery but not post. Yet at ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/recor...ava&rank=1), Dr. Khouri's study explains that the participants are to use BRAVA "18 hours after surgery for 72 hours, then worn 10 to 12 hours a day for one additional week, then the patient may choose to proceed with a prolonged intermittent wear of 10 hours per day for 10 - 14 weeks".
Yet now he tells you 24/7 the first week and 12 hours/night for 12 weeks. I would bet that just in the time since those study results, they realized that the greater the post surgical use, the greater the fat survival/retention. Logically it makes sense, that the newly transferred fat needs a continued highly vascularized "bed" to "take root in". That blood supply and oxygen.
(That page also explains using Keflex pre-operatively - and he also prescribes it post-operatively.)
I'm curious about Coleman's description of "stuffing" that breast. In Dr. Khouri's videos, and in what he explains to you as a patient, that was one of the problems with fat grafting in the past. Instead of injecting large amounts of fat, he makes multiple injections of microdroplets of fat all throughout the breast. He explains it in the third video here: http://www.fatgraftcourse.com/ (you can see it bigger/clearer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFCcP6KD...r_embedded). And then combine the microdroplets with the post-surgical use of BRAVA, and the survival of the fat is probably far more likely.
I would bet that starting BRAVA sooner and continuing to use it on your re-do will make a big difference in your outcome. And if there's asymmetry after all is said and done, maybe longer use of it on the smaller side could promote more growth in it to even them out.
(The pain wearing the domes right afterward for me wasn't horrible, but more like PMS tenderness times 10! Plus the anxiety of whether that was fat draining out the first couple of days, even tho Dr. Khouri assured me it was fine and normal, made me more apprehensive.)
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 12 2010, 5:38 PM
hey alexandra!
I'm just wondering how you are progressing and what size you have been stabilizing at? Since you have brought up the surgery I have become very interested in it and contacted Dr. Khouri about it, but he said that I have so little body fat that I would only be able to get to a small b. I'm trying to do as much research as possible before I make my decision. I tried to sign up at your forum but I dont know how to look at your pics and it keeps saying that everything is private. Hope all is well !
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 12 2010, 8:50 PM
Sorry to disappear for awhile. I saw that girl on Dr. Coleman’s site, too, and it looks like she had pretty good results considering she didn’t wear BRAVA post-op. That’s interesting how Dr. Khouri has changed his BRAVA wearing recommendations. I guess this fat grafting for breast augmentation and using BRAVA is so cutting-edge that new data is gathered just over a matter of months, and improvements/changes are made that increase results even more.
Thanks for the links. Dr. Coleman uses the same technique of grafting microdroplets in hundreds of passes throughout the breast. What baffles me is why I had a problem with lack of blood supply and “overstuffing” (apparently!), when he uses this same technique successfully on many patients with large volumes. Very weird.
Just saw your latest pics on your forum, you are looking great!
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 14 2010, 7:57 PM
Hi tinybunny, I was wondering if you saw Dr. Khouri in person or emailed pics to him. If you emailed, how long did it take for you to hear back? I emailed mine last week and haven't heard anything yet so I'm just curious about your experience. Thanks!
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 14 2010, 11:01 PM
hey kari!
I emailed my pics to him ! He got back really quickly I think it was like the day after. I think you should email him again it might have gotten lost somehow. He's emailed me twice because I had some questions to ask him first and he emailed me back the day after then too! I think the procedure would be really great but Im scared too because I dont know if it will be worth all the effort and money. sigh to booby journeys lol
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 19 2010, 5:15 PM
hey alexanda i replied to your post awhile ago, but i dont know why it didnt post. But yeai emailed him my pics and he replied the day after !
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:12 AM
Hi Tinybunny,
This is actually the first week that I did not post updated pics, because it appears that there has been no change since last week. I will probably post only every few weeks or so if I see any changes (tho I would love to see BRAVA make further increases by causing the transplanted fat to "grow"!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:14 AM
Hi Kari,
How has your recovery been going? Does everything seem stable on the re-do? What are you planning on having Dr. Khouri do?
(Wondering if you heard back from him yet - there seem to be a few people trying to get in touch with him, but it seems pretty hit or miss who has been hearing back these past few months!)
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:17 AM
Tinybunny,
I realized that I didn't answer your question. I seem to be holding steady at a 34C-ish in the mornings, and a 34B/occasional C in the evenings. My gut feeling is that I will end up a 34B, which is light years from whence I came!!! So I *should* be happy if that's what I end up with. (Tho it's soooo hard to get those 34D+'s that I had by the end of the pre-surgery BRAVA use, out of my mind!
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RN09
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 4 2010, 7:39 PM
Hi Alexandra,
My recovery is going pretty well at this point, although I can't really tell how much fat is in that breast since I rarely have Brava off for more than a few hours. I can see progress in the shape though, especially in the cleavage area, so I think Brava is doing its job. I'm at a total of almost 12 full weeks wearing Brava on the re-do side (counting the 4+ weeks of pre-op wear plus the 7 weeks since the surgery).
Yes, I did hear back from Dr. Khouri pretty quickly...I had asked him if he thought he could find another 100 ml on me somehow to fill out the re-do breast better, and he said he could get at least that much without much risk of lipo deformity! I think I'm going to need about that much to make the breasts symmetrical. He wants me to be at least 2-3 months post-op when he evaluates me, so I'm planning to go for a consult sometime in the next month. So I'm glad that he thinks he can fix this! I really don't want to live with one side way smaller (and not a great shape, either). He also wants me to get an MRI to see what is there now, which I think is so cool because that way we can get a much better idea of how much fat is needed.
How are things looking for you? Has your size seemed to stabilize?
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 15 2010, 5:14 PM
Hi Kari,
I'm happy to hear that Dr. Khouri thinks he can even things out for you (now I wish he'd get back to some other ladies trying to contact him!!).
I know it is hard to wait tho, for the final results when you're still using BRAVA. He told me to wear it 12-16 weeks post-surgically - so I have another 8 weeks to go! My "night time" size seems to fluctuate a bit. Now that I've had 3 periods since surgery (well, really 2 since the first of those came 2 days after surgery), I think I'm seeing monthly fluctuation.
For the week or so before my period, I'm measuring a full 34B to small 34C at night, when most of the swelling is gone. From a day or so after my period starts, I'm more like a small 34B at max. It might be a combination of normal PMS swelling (in addition to whatever BRAVA swelling is there at night), but also some fat "growth"...?
I typically gain a few lbs each month that is truly fat (butt, hips, thighs, etc., but never had any breast fat to grow/fluctuate). Only slight swelling of breast tissue. I'm really curious if this is an increase in the size of the transferred fat cells each month now - but again, I won't really know that until I'm done with BRAVA for a few weeks/months.
I do have two areas that are starting to concern me a little. One is the slight asymmetry that I had prior to any of this. It was really accentuated with the pre-surgery BRAVA use. Dr. Khouri did try to compensate for it during surgery, but as things "settle down", it's pretty obvious (at least to me). The other is the lumpectomy area. While it is amazingly improved in so many ways, there does seem to be a slight indentation in that area now. I'm not sure if any of that is fat absorption, or if it just wasn't visible because of the post-surgical swelling.
Neither area is of too much concern right now, but I will be keeping an eye on them both. I don't know that I'm up for another round of all of this, but after all I've been thru with it, I do want it to end up as good as possible. It also would depend greatly on whether my insurance would cover follow-up surgeries to complete the process.
Well keep me posted on your progress. And when all is said and done, I'd love if you'd be willing to post some before/after pics on my forum. I'd love for the ladies there to know more about this amazing option.
Alexandra
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Kari
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 18 2010, 10:29 PM
Hey Alexandra! Glad things are going pretty well for you, your pics continue to look great. So now it's 16 up to 16 weeks of post-op Brava wearing... the timeframe gets longer all the time, haha. The more the better I guess.
Unfortunately, I quit wearing Brava 2 weeks ago because Dr. Khouri wants me have had it off for a number of weeks when he sees me at the end of June for a consult. So I had it on only a little over 7 weeks post op on the re-do side. I think I gained a tiny little bit in the 6 weeks that I was wearing Brava on the good side, too, since my bra seems to be tighter...which I'm happy about! I wore Brava obsessively, so even though permanent growth isn't supposed to have taken place in that short amount of time, I think with my extremely long hours I benefited just a bit on that side. And the good thing is that I'm measuring almost the same 2 weeks after quitting Brava as I did after 24 hours of having it off! I was worried I'd continue to shrink for awhile but things seem to be stabilized.
It will be interesting to see what Dr. Khouri can do about the small side when I see him in a couple of weeks. And yep, I'd be happy to post pics on your forum when I get this project all done. Guess I'll see you over there.
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caree
(no login) Fat transfer July 3 2010, 4:49 PM
Dear Alexandra,
I've contacted Dr. Khouri and am waiting for a response to my pics I sent him. I am very thin and am not sure if I will be a candidate since I have little excess fat. I live outside of St. Louis MO and don't want to fly there for a consult just for him to say he can't help me. They did say they can get a cup size on even the thinnist of women. I was curious if you could email me your before and after pics. Also, what type of lipo suction did he use and how did that area turn out? Could you send pics of your scars, too (if any)? What is your cup size now? My husband is scared that I'm going to ruin my butt just to get boobs, but he doesn't understand what it is like to be a woman and be completley flat (I mean absolutley nothing at all!). I tried Brava for 36 weeks last year and got nothing out of it!! I just hope I can do this and quit obsessing about my breasts!! My poor family has to put up with all of this!!! I would just be happy to fill out a bra and have something to push up, even if it's an A cup. Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 10 2010, 7:11 PM
Kari,
Great to hear that things seemed to stabilize for you even tho you had to stop wearing BRAVA sooner than you thought.
I'm really anxious to hear how your consult went! What did Dr. Khouri think about everything? Looking forward to hearing back from you!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 10 2010, 7:26 PM
Hi Caree,
Sorry I took so long to reply, I haven't been on much over the 4th and this week.
I know you said you don't have much body fat, but another lady I know just went to see him who has very little as well, and he said he could get enough.
I do have some lipo pics up, but I put on about 5-7 lbs since surgery (from not working out the 6 weeks post-op), so they're not entirely "accurate". I'll update them again after I lose it (did manage to get rid of 2 so far!) As for scars - I virtually have none, anywhere. The incisions around the breast are small needle incisions. I must have had around 15-20 per breast, and you can't find one today. The lipo "injection" sites are also very tiny - what's left of them, and you can't even find all of them now, are lighter and smaller than any of the moles/beauty marks/freckles I have on my legs.
Also, Dr. Khouri doesn't stitch them closed. Makes it quite messy for a day or two after surgery, but it's so they drain better and you have less swelling. You also don't have scars from the stitches.
My cup size varies morning to night since I've still got a few weeks left with the domes, and I assume at night there is still a small amount of "BRAVA swelling" too. But from day 1 of my period until I ovulate (yeah, still as regular as anything at 50 - ugh!), they're maintaining about a small 34B, and from ovulation until the next period a full 34B/small 34C at night. I don't know what that will translate to after the domes are off for a month or so, but Dr. Khouri seems confident that I shouldn't go smaller than what I see at night. (The mornings are torture tho - post menstrual they measure a 34D and pms they measure a 34DD! I always said I just wanted to be in the alphabet (because as far as I know "AAA" is not a letter!!), but it is really easy to get attached to that size!)
And I don't think husbands/men in general will ever get it!
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caree
(Login caree) fat grafting July 12 2010, 4:29 PM
Alexandra,
Thanks so much for all the info!! I finally heard back from Dr. Khouri and he said he I am very thin, but he could give me a large A / small B. I would be thrilled with that!!!!! I am like you said you used to be (AAAAA, completley flat). I would love to just fill our a bra (any bra would be nice). So you said that you are happy with the lipo results, too? I am so worried about lipo deformities!! I looked up horror stories from some people with botched up lipo and it scares me!!!! You don't have any indentations or saggy skin? I plan on getting a flight to go for a consult very soon and I'll let you know how it goes.
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra-fat transfer July 15 2010, 2:56 AM
Alexandra,
Hi, it's me again. I finally got onto the flattsy forum and saw your pics. They look Great!! You must be so happy! Well, I have an appointment with Dr. Khouri on Tuesday July 20th (which is next Tuesday). I just booked the flight so here I go!! I'm nervous that he is going to tell me that I'm too thin, but we'll see. A few months ago I looked up natural breast augmentation websight and found a doctor in Kansas City which is about a 4 hour drive from where I live and he told me that I was too thin and I needed to gain about 7-10 pounds of body fat. He basically said he wanted me to eat like a pig and hardly move to I could gain the weight. His whole office made me nervous anyway. He also wasn't a plastic surgeon, he was a gynecologist. Kinda weird?!? Anyway, that isn't going to happen. I'm very busy and on the go all the time, plus I don't think that sounds very healthy. WEll, I'll let you know next week how my appointment goes. Wish me luck!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 15 2010, 5:14 AM
Hi Caree,
Glad you got onto the forum OK - and I wish you all the best luck next Tuesday!
If you're on the forum again, search on the name "Malan". He too is a gyn, but in AZ (not a board certified plastic surgeon, which Dr. Khouri is, in addition to a micro-surgeon). He touts himself as the first doctor to do stem-cell breast augmentation. Wrong on so many levels. He has gone so far as posting pics of Dr. Khouri's patients on his own site. There's an awful lot of doctors that we need to be wary of.
What he told you about gaining weight is the exact opposite of what Dr. Khouri recommends. He actually wants you to be at your thinnest (I pretty much was at surgery, but then put on 5-7 lbs since from not being able to lift weights for 6 weeks after - I'm soooo afraid to lose it now (fearing my breasts will lose now too, since I don't know if those fat cells had "taken" enough to grow as I gained that soon after surgery)).
He explains that then the fat cells are at their smallest, so that all they can do is grow if you later gain weight. But by gaining weight you don't normally carry, those fat cells would expand, being at their biggest at the time of surgery. Then as you got back to your normal activity level post-op, they would shrink. So you would have immediate improvement, followed by weight/size loss.
Keep us posted. If you don't mind, if you decide to go ahead with the procedure, I would love to have as many ladies as possible journal their progress throughout as I did. I think it would be great for other "flatsies" to see this alternative to either being unhappy with their bodies, or to implants which aside from all of the potential downsides to them, don't always look the best when starting out with little if any breast tissue to cover them.
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Caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 18 2010, 5:23 PM
Alexandra,
If he says he will do the procedure, I would be happy to share my experience!! I have already done research on Dr. Malan. He charges 16 to 22 thousand dollars to do the stem cell procedure and as much as I want this, I just don't think I could bring myself to spend that kind of money on it. Judging by what I've seen and researched so far, I would trust Dr. Khouri way more and he charges way less!! I guess Dr. Malan thinks if he can find women desperate enough, they will do it. To be honest, I probably would spend that money if I had it to spend and didn't have any other choice. Hopefully if Dr. Khouri will do the procedure, I won't have to worry about it. You only did one procedure, didn't you? My husband is worried that I would have to come back for follow up procedures. Also, do you have to come back for a 6 month follow up or is that optional now? I have read so many different things. Damaris said that you usually have to wear the Brava for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after and you said that you were doing it for 12 weeks after. What is the reason for that? Sorry for all the questions, I guess I can save them for Dr. Khouri. Well, I'll keep you posted.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 7:48 AM
Hi Caree,
Please feel free to ask anything!
The standard protocol is 4 weeks before - 3 weeks of 12+ hours, one week of 24/7.
I'm not sure why the discrepancy in post-surgical use. His website's FAQ's say 4 weeks after. At the time of the study (clinicaltrials.gov - search on BRAVA), it states: "Patient will begin wearing the Brava System, with the SmartBox device only, 18 hours post-operative as a stabilization device. For the first three (3) days the system is worn 24 hours a day or as to the maximum tolerated. If the patient notes pain, the system may be removed and replaced a few hours later. The System is then worn 10 to 12 hours a day for one additional week (7 days). Then the patient may choose to proceed with a prolonged intermittent wear of 10 hours per day for 10 - 14 weeks."
Yet in emails to me after the surgery, he told me 12-16 weeks. (Last Friday was 13 weeks post-op!) The extra pre-op weeks that I wore it was my choice, only because I would have jumped out of my skin waiting 11 weeks from consult to surgery. I'm glad I did because Dr. Khouri felt that those extra weeks certainly allowed for extra expansion.
(I don't think Damaris is still working there, so if that's who you've been communicating with, you might want to stay in touch with Rosie and/or Dr. Khouri.)
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 19 2010, 2:53 PM
Hi Alexandra,
Dr. Khouri sent me to Damaris to set up the consult and I left messages on her voice mail , but the only person I actually spoke with on the phone was Cindy so I would assume Damaris still works there, but who knows. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. I'm really nervous that he is going to say I'm too thin, but I'll find out soon enough. Wish me luck!! My consult appointment is at 2 pm & if he says yes, I'll go for an MRI @ 4:30. Do you have to go back for a 6-9 month follow up or is that optional?
well, I'll post again after I get back.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 4:24 PM
Hi Caree,
Yes, Damaris was there to assist Rosie (I believe she was new around the time of my actual surgery - but not during the pre-op weeks). I am pretty sure that Cindy is replacing Damaris, so also assisting Rosie.
Anyway, yes! GOOD LUCK!
One thing you can do that I didn't think to at the time, is when he shows you before/after pics - ask to see the before/afters of the lipo'd areas too, especially of women built similarly to you. I was so over-focused on all things breast at my consult (and the whole idea of lipo was new for me - just never would have considered it under normal conditions), that I really hadn't too many questions at the time. All that was in my mind was that I knew I had plenty to spare! It wasn't until near my surgery date that I started reading horror stories, but even then my thoughts were still consumed with the breast part of this.
Your concern about not having enough fat, as well as what your legs will look like afterward is also a big concern with another soon-to-be patient. She too is very lean. He as assured her that she has enough as well. Again, I would ask to see results of similarly built women, both breast and lipo sites.
Yes, the follow up MRI is required, so I'd be going back sometime after October.
One other thing, and I hope you see this before you leave...RENT A CAR! I don't know if I had posted this on my boards in my "journal" of this process, but OMG, taxis in Miami are a fortune! I live in NJ, close to NY - I'm used to NY taxi fares. They're dirt cheap compared to Miami - and Miami's traffic was far worse, so leave plenty of time too. I didn't rent when I went for the consult. So I had a cab from the airport to Dr. Khouri, from there to the imaging center, imaging center back to the office (Dr. Khouri had been running late and I was flying back the same day, so instead of one from the imaging center to the airport I had to go back to his office after the MRI for my consult), then from his office to the airport! Each cab ride was about $30+! The math on that was nuts! A cab for the day is what, $50 max?
If you are already renting, I used Enterprise. They had shuttles from the airport terminal to their center about 2 miles away - but it looked like all the major car rental agencies did too.
Again, GOOD LUCK!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 10:24 PM
Oops! Meant to say, "...a RENTED CAR for the day is like $50 max..."
(Wish we could edit these posts!!)
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 25 2010, 1:08 AM
Alexandra,
Thanks for all of your info. I rented a car and it was around $40.00 for the day. He looked at me and said I am going to be a challenge, but never said he couldn't do it. He took pictures and showed me how to take pictures to send him after the procedure. He seems very confident and I love that!! He did say that it would probably take him 4 hours instead of 2 because he is going to have to take fat from a lot more areas out of my legs. I am so excited!! I thought for sure he was going to say that he couldn't do it. I got the MRI while I was there and now I'm just waiting for the results before I can set up the appointment. How long was it before you got your results? Can you believe that I didn't even ask to see before and after pictures of lipo areas? I was so tired by the time I got there and he was a little rushed by people waiting to see him that I never even asked half of the questions I wanted to ask. I guess I just have to call or send an email with all of my questions. I do have a lot of questions for you now though (I hope you don't mind). I just want you to tell me about your whole trip to Miami for the procedure. Did you wear the Brava on the plane since you have to wear it 24/7 before the procedure and did you have any trouble getting through security? I would just die if they pulled me aside and checked me!!! I was going to have my husband drive me over 20 hours just so I didn't have to wear that thing to the airport, but I think I'm just going to suck it up and take the plane. I think I'll wear a big sweatshirt and put the sportbox in the bin with the electronics as I go through. I'm dreading it, but I think that's what I'm going to do. I was also hoping I could go home the same day of the procedure so I wouldn't have to wear it back home, but he said that I'm not going to want to go anywhere after having needles all over me. How did you feel after the procedure and did you have a lot of gross stuff gong on? Well, if you could just fill me in on any details you can think of that might help me with my journey it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for all your help!!!
Carree
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 4:40 PM
Hi Caree,
That's great news! I'm not exactly sure how long my surgery was. I was the second surgery of the day, and I think they finally took me to the OR somewhere between 1:00-2:00 pm. I woke up in recovery around 7:30 pm, but I think I was there for around 2 hours before I woke up. He did have to do some extra work with the lumpectomy area, but all in all I think the whole surgery was probably around four hours as well.
I'm not certain when Dr. Khouri got the MRI results. I saw him for my consult and had the MRI on Thurs, Jan 28, ordered BRAVA on Friday and started wearing it on Saturday. Maybe they called/faxed him a preliminary report Th/Fr? I'm pretty sure I called his office the next day (Fri) to make sure there weren't any problems on it...? Geez, for as much as I've documented this entire experience, I definitely didn't write it all (God forbid!). If you haven't heard yet, I would call Dr. Khouri and the imaging center to find out. I just looked at my fax log, and I had sent a request for the results to the imaging ctr on Feb 5 (but had been wearing BRAVA for a week already).
On I think the third page of my looooong thread on my forum, I documented the two week period - a few days prior to a few days after my surgery - http://alexandra-aaa.com/forums/index.ph...=480&st=40 - including my security scare! Can I ask what state you're in? I'm in NJ. I had actually considered taking a train up and back to avoid security, but it was far more expensive than flying (tho it would have been cool to sleep in a train cabin!).
And no, you are definitely not going to want to travel the same or even the next day. Also, he wants to see you a couple of days later for your post-op appt. Check out that thread. If you have insomnia, read all the pages - there are some tips scattered throughout. There's also a loooong thread I have going on an implant forum (had considered it for a while) with a lot of details asked/answered there. There's also another current patient that started posting (last page or two). Maybe you two can compare notes there as well - http://www.justbreastimplants.com/forum/...nsfer.html
When this is all said and done, and I know my final results, I'm considering starting an offshoot of my forum dedicated just to this procedure. I've ended up posting/discussing this on my forum, the implant forum, here, breast-nexus and a cancer forum. It touches on so many areas, and there are so few of us actually discussing it, it would be nice if we had a centralized forum to talk on. I'd also love to hear from others who have done it from a few weeks to several years ago. Reconstruction and augmentation.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 7:16 PM
(I didn't mean for the end of my previous post to sound like I had cancer. I never have (thank God!). My lumpectomy was the result of a suspected cancer (by my surgeon only! the radiologist indicated that it was another fibroadenoma, as I previously had).
The only reason I posted on the cancer forum that I did, was because someone was questioning the procedure for lumpectomy repair. Unless radiation is also part of the treatment for an individual, a lumpectomy is a lumpectomy (w/varying degrees of damage, of course). Just wanted to clear that up.)
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aerie
(Login aerie84) alexandra-aaa July 26 2010, 7:54 PM
Hey alexandra,
I've been reading your journey and it sounds great. Ive been researching this procedure for years! and now that I found someone like you, I was wondering if I could get some feedback? The flatsy forum really doesnt let me post or do much of anything when I tried. maybe cuz I'm new? and all I really wanted to do was get in touch with you to ask you questions. Please, Ive been consideringt his for such a long time and would like more details...I have talked to at least 6 different doctors and theyve all said different things. (dr. Coleman, Dr. DelVecchio, Dr. Roberts in SC, and everyone in between) Nobody agrees on one thing. One person says im too skinny another says its not worth the trouble and to just get implants and then others say that itll work but not alot. I have not yet met with roger khouri but am excited to finally have found a patient I can ask questions to. Lord knows the breast implants patients are easy to come by but the fat grafting patients? Only you so far.
could you please do me a favor and e-mail me at waterfalls9580@yahoo.com and so I can see what kind of changes you went through (as in size)...Im starting off at 105lbs and 5'4....with an A cup. please e-mail me, I need all the info I can get.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 11:43 PM
Hi aerie,
* Your questions: *
"The doctors I've gone to say they can get me up one cup size max because of the little fat that I have. Could you tell me how much fat you had before you did this procedure?
How big were your boobs right after? and how much did they go down?
Are you satisfied with the size and shape?
and most of all....after the fat goes down, do you feel or see lumpy breasts. this out of all is my biggest concern with fat grafting to the breasts..please let me know
also...now that you've had the fat transfer, when you gain weight do you feel your boobs getting bigger?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am 5'8" and weighed 138 going into the procedure. Unfortunately from not working out (I weight train) for 6 weeks following surgery I put on 5-7 lbs that I am having a hard time losing (I couldn't do any cardio to compensate because I have one royally messed up knee). So I had a fair amount of fat to spare - hips, thighs, abdomen. However, Dr. Khouri only took fat from my inner/outer thighs and knees. There are before/after lipo pics on my forum.
Right after surgery I had measured about a 34C/D...BUT, that was mostly BRAVA and post-op swelling. Again, there weekly pics showing my "growth"/swelling over the 11 weeks I chose to wear the domes pre-op (typical time is 4 or so weeks). It's hard to tell their permanent size yet since I am still wearing the domes post-op, so I still have some amount of swelling at the end of the day prior to putting the domes back on. I won't know their true size for a few weeks after stopping wearing them (my last day should be Aug. 6, so by mid-Sept).
I started out a 36AAA. It seems my permanent size should be a full 34B (at least I hope!). Shape...? I'm not 100% certain yet. Part of that is due to not knowing if there will still be any deficit from where the lumpectomy was, and another is a bit of asymmetry that I had even when flat. It's a bit accentuated now, but again, I can't make an accurate assessment until there is no more BRAVA swelling.
I can tell you that there is absolutely ZERO LUMPINESS. They are very smooth and soft (or "smooshy"!).
As for weight gain. It's a little hard to tell because I gained that weight right away, so I don't know that the newly transferred fat (which were small fat cells since my weight was lower at the time of surgery) had time to grow/gain. In fact, I'm a little apprehensive to lose it, having gained it before the transferred fat was established. Hopefully they don't "lose". In other words, if those fat cells *were* small already, can they get smaller if I lose, or were they already at their smallest and they won't change.
What I have noticed is their fluctuation with my period. And that has to really be weight gain (which typically does happen - I usually go up 3 or so lbs each month a week or two before my period, and lose it once it starts), because there is no additional breast tissue to swell or change monthly - it can only be fat fluctuations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, let me know what you think after you register and see the pics. Please take a little time and read thru the threads at My Flatsy Forum and JBI. From all the ladies have asked, there ended up being an awful lot of information posted between the two. I should actually consolidate it all and find a central place to post it...
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caree
(Login caree) alexandra July 27 2010, 3:44 AM
Alexandra,
I'm going to try to check out your post on the two weeks before and after procedure. I am totally freaking out about the airport!!! Oh well, I'll make it. I live just outside of ST. Louis MO and will be flying out of Lambert airport. I think I am going to take it off in the car when I get to the airport and then wait until after the security check to put it back on. I'll go to the bathroom and put it back on and not make eye contact with anybody the whole time after that. I am totally dreading it!!! I am not an insomniac, but lately I can't sleep very good because I can't stop thinking about all of this. I'm also totally freaked out because I am so thin and he is going to have to lipo so many different areas. I emailed him and he said that he would try to find some before and after pictures of women who are thin like me. He said that he was going to have to take fat from my flanks(what is that?), inner thigh, knee, back, stomach(which there is no fat there), etc... Anyway, I just can't wait until I am in your position and just telling every body about my experience and can actually fit into a bra. I'll check out your posts and I'll get back with you if and when I have more questions. I'll also call the breast center tomorrow to see if they have the results and I can set up an appointment. Thanks!!! I'll keep you posted.
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caree
(Login caree) alexandra July 27 2010, 3:35 PM
Alexandra,
Hey, I read you thread about the pre and post op experience. Atleast I know what to expect now and from what I am reading, you didn't actually wear the domes at the airport either way, right? Thats the part I'm dreading the most. Did you have the Brava boxes in your luggage or did you take them out for them to see? Did you loose any swelling on the flight or were you pretty much the same? Also, I have medium domes and Large domes. Did your XL domes come with an XL bra? Just curious because my Large seems so huge and it doesn't say the size on the domes, just the bra says Large. I got those domes from somebody on Ebay and was wondering if they were incorrect. Thanks, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions soon. I'll be calling the breast center today to find out about the results. Wish me luck!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 27 2010, 6:29 PM
Hi Caree,
On the way to Miami, I took the domes off in the car right before going in the airport. I didn't trust putting them with checked luggage, so I had them in carry on's. I didn't take them out before they went thru the scanner, BUT security did stop the conveyor belt for BOTH boxes, keeping their image on the screen for what seemed like an eternity. That's exactly why I didn't pack the smartbox, hand bulb pump or tubing in either of those boxes. I had that all in my purse (w/the batteries OUT of the smartbox - Darlene's suggestion!). AND I made sure I had every bit of BRAVA documentation handy in my purse as well - instructions, DVD, pics, etc.
When I ordered my initial setup from BRAVA, I got the Wide/Med domes and a Large bra. That fit well, but the bra barely covered the LG domes and was extremely uncomfortable. And there was no way possible to wear that bra w/the XLG's. I also HATE nylon, or anything that isn't cotton. Very early on, I stopped wearing the bra at all. I cut the sleeves off of an old men's XLG T-shirt, then cut it f
April 30 2010 at 9:35 AM Alexandra (Login alexandra-aaa-2)
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On April 16, I had this procedure done by Dr. Roger Khouri, inventor of BRAVA. Short version is that normally the domes are worn for 12 hrs/night for 3 weeks, then 24/7 for the last week prior to surgery (which is liposuction followed by that fat being transferred to the BRAVA enlarged breasts). The breasts are highly vascularized and enlarged, allowing for a greater amount of fat to be transferred.
The domes are then worn for 12 hrs/night for 12 weeks following surgery, to provide the newly transferred fat with a rich, nourishing blood supply. Dr. Khouri's patients average a 90% retention rate over a 5 year period. I began a 36AAA/FLAT and am currently measuring a 34B/C at night (after the domes have been off for 12 hours). Most likely, if I'm lucky, my permanent size will be a 34B. That would be more than 3 cup sizes for someone starting out as flat as me.
(Has anyone else done this?)
Author Reply
Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:29 AM
Hi Alexandra! I was so excited to read your post as you are the first person I have found online on any message boards that has had the fat grafting procedure. I had it done back in September by a well-known surgeon in New York, and a re-do operation on one breast on April 15th. So it looks like we are both going through this post-op period right now.
Looking at your pictures, I can tell you are going to have an amazing result!! Especially if you wear Brava a lot. I started out as a 32AA/AAA and should end up a good solid 32B/small C. I had a very unfortunate experience as I got a nasty post-op infection in one breast following the September augmentation. It killed nearly all the grafted fat, which drained out and left me basically back with what I started with in that breast (flat flat flat!!!). That was heartbreaking to lose all that fat and start over again with that breast. But the side that didn't get infected turned out nicely, and almost overflows a 32B cupsize. I think wearing the Brava is the key to success in this procedure, and I did wear it for 9 weeks before the September surgery and then nearly 4 months after. And I wore for long hours, much longer than 12 per day on most days. This time around, I wore it on the one side for 4 weeks pre-op, and I'm going to try for at least 12 weeks post-op. It's brutal, but I think it's worth it in the end because the breasts you have are "natural" and permanent.
I'm just amazed at how great your photos look so far, and compared to mine, you look quite a bit bigger than I did at that point post-op. I was wondering, how many cc's did Dr. Khouri place in each breast? I had 260cc's in the breast that turned out well but yours looks like even more than that.
I really think that you will be thrilled with your results, just based off of your photos now. Best wishes for your recovery, I know it is pretty miserable but actually having boobs in the end makes it worth it all.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:37 AM
I had another question in addition to asking how many cc's you have. Did Dr. Khouri put you on antibiotics post-op? My surgeon didn't the first time, and that is a major regret for me, but the infection risk was supposed to be very low so I guess it was just my luck to get infected...
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 12:42 AM
Hi Kari,
Can I ask, is your surgeon Syndey Coleman?
Also, I'm curious how you saw my pics?? I haven't had any new members join in the last few days. Are you already a member?
And yes, I was on Keflex. I think (not sure) that he may have begun the antibiotic pre-surgery (in my IV).
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 1:20 AM
Yep, that's the surgeon. And yes, I've been a member at your forum for probably 3 years or so but hadn't visited in quite some time... so I checked in over there when I saw your post.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 1:52 AM
That's funny! I had a consult scheduled with him in January. He's actually how I found out about BRAVA being used prior to fat grafting in the first place. I had been following a company called Cytori and their product Celution (used for stem-cell concentration after lipo/prior to the transfer) for a couple of years. In an article I read it mentioned Dr. Coleman as a paid advisor to Cytori. When I scheduled the consult, I asked the woman if she knew if he'd be one of the first to receive Celution once it's FDA approved. She informed me that he already had it.
Then she asked me if I was going to be part of the BRAVA study. I reflexively said no, simply because I hadn't heard about the study (tho had known of BRAVA for years (you probably could find me saying some negative things on my forum about it - shhhh, it was years ago, and I was ignorant of how it really worked!!)). After I hung up, I went to clinicaltrials.gov, saw the study and that it was Dr. Khouri's. I scheduled a consult with him for a couple of weeks after Dr. Coleman.
The morning of my appt w/Dr. Coleman, my fuel line froze (I live in NJ and was going to drive into the city). I couldn't reschedule for a while because right after my appt w/Dr. Khouri, one of my sons was having major foot surgery and I didn't know when I'd be able to go again. I am glad for the way it all turned out tho. Especially since Dr. Khouri designed BRAVA and developed the whole pre-expansion process. (Not to mention, Dr. Coleman's fee is more than triple Dr. Khouri's, including airfare and hotel!!)
(Also, I realized I didn't answer your question about how much fat Dr. Khouri transferred. He said 400cc's per breast. I just uploaded pics from this week. I'm not sure whether the decrease I'm seeing is the BRAVA swelling and post-surgical swelling going down, or a decrease in fat (I'd imagine 400cc's looking a whole lot bigger, but I also started out with nothing). I just emailed my weekly pics to Dr. Khouri, and asked his opinion. I hope everything holds steady where they are now!)
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 3:16 AM
WOW is all I can say about your pictures... Looks like Dr. Khouri gave you a very natural, beautiful shape. I bet it's all swelling that you are losing, not fat. Dr. Coleman told me that by using Brava, one can expect to keep all the fat, and in my case he said I actually grew in addition to what he put in because of so much Brava wearing. That is awesome you got 400cc's in one transfer! And all without complications, I wish I were you, lol.
And the price... gosh, I realllyyyyyy didn't do my homework on that. I went with Coleman because I thought he was the #1 fat grafting doc, and I liked his before and after pics. But triple the price of Dr. Khouri??? Ughh that makes me sick. If I could only turn back the clock and do this over.
I'll look forward to following your progress and seeing your final results. With that large a transfer plus Brava, you are going to look great!!
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 4:08 AM
Dr. Khouri had also said that he thought I had a bit of growth from BRAVA alone. I had worn it for 11 weeks and for 14-16 hours per night (obsessive much??). I wonder why the post surgery wearing of it, also 12 hrs/night for 12+ weeks, wouldn't cause additional growth. Part of me thinks it should since there's more "breast" to expand and more cells to grow, but the other part thinks the fat cells are sort of fighting to thrive, and may not grow/multiply/expand under "stress"??
Maybe a few months after stopping BRAVA post-surgically, I wonder if another round of 12 weeks or so could bump you up a cup size or so? I would honestly have to take a few months off after the post-surgical use if I did that. For one, wearing the domes in the hot weather is challenging. The least bit of sweating and the seal gets broken (how do you like the sound of the "dome farts"?? my family thinks I'm out of my mind!). And while I've only slept on my back since getting pregnant with my first son 25 years ago!!, I so badly want just one night to sleep on my side or stomach.
Right after New Years sounds good. Finish up next April....OK, I can't even believe I'm talking about this at this point, LOL!
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littlebear
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 6:04 AM
hii! I was just wondering what the approximate cost of the procedure is? Or your cost in total because you also had to purchase the brava set? It sounds amazing that you were able to have such an increase in breast size congrats !!
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 2:59 PM
From Dr. Khouri's website (http://www.miamibreastcenter.com/faq/fre...tions.html):
"What is the approximate cost of the procedure?
There is a wide price range- total costs, all inclusive varies from 3000 USD to 9000 USD. This will depend upon many factors. If you are a breast reconstruction patient by law insurance covers your procedure"
I was "fortunate?" that a portion of mine was covered by my insurance. I had a lumpectomy (and 2 biopsies) 18 years ago, that left me with a 1/3 of my left breast missing and a nasty indentation (picture an ice cream scoop) on the outer side of my left breast that nearly went down to the bone. I don't have the EOB's back from the insurance company yet to know what the charges were, but I do know Dr. Khouri had to spend a bit of time "untethering" and scoring the scar tissue, especially on the left breast. So I'm sure that factored into the cost.
However, for being the inventor of this entire procedure, his cost is 1/2 to 1/3 of what some of the surgeons who learned the procedure from him are charging.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 2 2010, 3:02 PM
His FAQ's state that his cost is "all inclusive", but to answer your question specifically, this did include the initial price of the BRAVA system (additional larger domes as needed were extra tho). It also included the pre and post required MRI's, the surgical center fee, the anesthesiologist, Dr. Khouri's fees.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 3:08 AM
It was my understanding that wearing BRAVA post-op does cause additional growth. I would think the original breast tissue would grow during the 12 weeks post-op as it would if one were doing a normal BRAVA cycle. But from what Dr. Coleman told me, it seems the stem cells themselves grow, too. He told me he would “seed” my cleavage area so it would benefit from BRAVA post-op (he wasn’t putting enough fat there to actually fill the area noticeably, so that indicates to me that he wanted a few stem cells there that would grow from the post-op Brava wearing). So I think if one wears BRAVA faithfully post-op, you can not only keep all the fat, but also grow even more. It’s definitely a big incentive to wear it a lot. Since my surgery a little over two weeks ago, I’m averaging about 19 hours a day…this thing is consuming my life at the moment!!! But hey, I’m desperate here, lol.
I had the same question about the benefit of starting a new BRAVA cycle at some point after the surgery. Dr. Coleman mentioned to me that wearing BRAVA on my good side at this point wouldn’t help “much”, but who knows what that means. He probably doesn’t consider ½ cup size to be much, but every little bit helps so it might be worth a try. I started wearing BRAVA just about a week ago again on my one breast that was done back in September, after being off of it for over 3 months. This is because I’m having to wear BRAVA on the other breast that just got re-done, and the swelling is so huge that during the day it is impossible to make both breasts appear even, so I figured it would be easier if they were both swollen nearly the same. I’m going to try for 12 weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see if I get additional growth in the previously grafted breast. I know what you mean about the sweat breaking the seal. Not sure if you use the smartbox or airlock, but I airlock which really helps keep a seal even with all the sweat.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 4:16 AM
I tried using the smartbox during my "up" hours post surgically, but it's too annoying to wear the bra. But without it, there's nowhere for the smartbox to go! So I've been using the hand bulb pump, but it's hard to gauge the correct pressure. Dr. Khouri and Darlene (my BRAVA coach) were both adamant about not using increased pressure unless you're preparing for surgery.
They explained that prior to surgery, you want maximum expansion. But that swelling/expansion is not the same as the smaller amount of swelling that will become growth when using only BRAVA with the smartbox for growth (w/o surgery). That the increased pressure would of course cause increased swelling, but it would end up causing the tissue to stretch without true growth, resulting in sagging when the swelling subsided.
Did Dr. Coleman have you do "max pressure" prior to surgery too? And did he have you wear them 24/7 the last week before?
I was thinking a lot about you getting that infection. Of course the antibiotic would probably have prevented it, but I was wondering if you experienced what I did wearing the domes right after surgery. I was told to start wearing it the next day, after my shower (attempting 24/7 for the first week). All of the "holes" on each breast were uncovered so they could drain. They would drain right into the domes, the tubes and the smartbox, shutting it off. I got really paranoid because the fluid, which also pooled in the domes when the tubes filled up, was (not to be gross) an orange-y color, with a film of "oil"/fat floating on the top. Not quite, but a little like what you see floating on the top of a can of chicken broth!! All I could envision was all of the fat being sucked right back out! (However, Dr. Khouri did say this was normal, and that if it was coming out, it needed to come out.)
Anyway, I was thinking that wearing the domes like that, with the open incisions being exposed to the insides of the domes, which get sweaty on a good day, probably increases the likelihood of infection.
I also was upset with myself because that first week I could get nowhere near 24/7 use. I think I got anywhere from 6-18 hours, depending on the day. After the first week it's supposed to be 12 hours/night, but it took me another full week to get to a consistent 12 hours. That second week I lasted anywhere from 6-12 hours. They were just so sore after whatever local anesthetic wore off that once I woke up, even if it was only after sleeping a few hours, there was no way to go back to sleep or leave them on. The post-surgical soreness plus the BRAVA swelling was just too painful. I was really paranoid tho that I missed a crucial time of BRAVA keeping a good blood supply to the transferred fat.
Dr. Khouri assured me tho, that this was all very normal the first week or so, that I just needed to get to 12 hours/night as soon as I could.
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 4:23 AM
I keep forgetting to ask you a few other things (if it's OK!)...
Can I ask how old you are, and if you've had kids? Also, where did Dr. Coleman lipo the fat from.
Did Dr. Coleman send you for an MRI prior to starting BRAVA? I had to have one the day of my consult, and another 6 months after surgery (to follow-up on how much fat is retained). Six months for me is October, but Dr. Khouri mentioned maybe coming in November instead when he has a fat graft workshop (http://www.fatgraftcourse.com/miami/2010...graft.html). I'm guessing it might be dependent on how much fat I end up keeping by then tho. It looks like Dr. Coleman will be there too - he's mentioned with several of the lectures/panels.
I'm kind of hoping it does end up being November. I think it would be fascinating to hear all of these surgeons.
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 10:54 PM
Sure, you can ask me anything you’d like.
I’m 21, no kids. So I think it was extra difficult to get the pre-surgery expansion for a large graft because of that. The lipo in September was extensive. I’m 5’6, was about 125 lbs back in September, so I’m definitely not skinny but I carried a very disproportionate amount of weight in my upper legs/thighs. Extremely pear-shaped. So he took fat from my saddlebags, inner thighs, the front of my legs, and around my knees. My legs were incredibly sore after that!!! And the bruising…oh my! He also took fat from my flanks and a little from around my upper hips…none from my abdomen because my tummy is quite flat already. My shape is sooooo much better now, it’s amazing. Problem is that he has used up all my fat, my reserves are now gone and the re-do breast now has only 160cc’s while he estimates that the good side is about 300cc’s. I’m having a hard time dealing with this reality that I’m not even going to end up with two nice, matching breasts after all this. So I’m wearing Brava obsessively while I’m home for the next couple of months studying online. Just hoping I can get some additional growth somehow.That’s interesting about not increasing pressure with BRAVA. I wonder if there are harmful effects to the fat besides the issue of sagging from excessive swelling. I airlocked for the 4 months post-op last time and yes, I got huge swelling but thankfully no sagging. Also, it does make sense that just the smaller amount of swelling from using the Smartbox pressure is what causes growth, and that large amounts of swelling doesn’t translate into more growth. But it makes me wonder if there are benefits to the growth process, because lots of swelling takes longer to dissipate when the domes are off, meaning my breasts spend more hours expanded than they would if the swelling disappeared faster. Wish I could ask Dr. Khouri about that. I just hope I’m not somehow harming myself by using extra suction. Hmmm..
Dr. Coleman really didn’t give me much direction about wearing BRAVA prior to surgery, maybe because he knew I was already wearing it a lot. He did say to wear it non-stop 72 hours prior to surgery for maximum expansion, but he said nothing about “max pressure”. I don’t think he’s really aware that I don’t use the Smartbox.
That’s great you were able to get an MRI. I had to get a mammogram since that is all my HMO offered, and they didn’t even want to do that because I’m so young. Then I’ll have to get another one at the one year post-op mark. I was already using BRAVA when I got my pre-op mammogram, so there was swelling already at that point.
Going to that fat-grafting workshop in November sounds like a lot of fun!! Would be very interesting to hear all those surgeons.
Sounds like you did well just wearing the BRAVA for as much as you did in that early post-op period. Looking back on my surgery in September, knowing what I know now about how important those first couple of weeks are, I really, really missed out… I didn’t start wearing BRAVA until nearly 2 weeks post-op.
This was mostly because I was dealing with that infection (hospitalized, IV antibiotics, high fever for days, fat draining out, absolute horror show!). AND… I think Dr. Coleman didn’t realize the importance of BRAVA because he was very laid-back in his attitude about using it post-op. That’s in contrast to NOW, months later. This time, he wanted it on by the very next day post-op. He said now they are seeing how much it helps with results in their patients, so NOW they are encouraging its use more. I just think wow, I maybe could have gotten an extra half cup size or something out of this (on the good breast), because I bet I lost a lot in that 2 weeks.So this time, I started wearing BRAVA on the re-do breast 12 hrs post-op, lol. I’m surprised you had such pain with that. I had some mild discomfort, but nothing a little Tylenol didn’t help for the first couple of days.
Yes, I had a lot of that yellow-orangey drainage, too, for a few days post-op. Although my “holes” were sutured closed, so I couldn’t figure out if it was oozing out of them or if the fluid was coming out of my pores along with the sweat. Totally gross!! I was worried, too, about the fat being sucked out! Or at least being damaged somehow by the domes, since the domes are a little too narrow to include the entire breast inside. But I guess none of that happened, thankfully, lol.
As for why I got the infection, it’s still a mystery. My infection showed up on about day 6 post-op, and I actually wasn’t wearing BRAVA yet by that point. And my “holes” were sutured closed. So it’s possible some bacteria got in through them post-op, but whether that’s the case or whether it was introduced during the surgery is still unknown. When I got the second surgery, Dr. Coleman’s PA said that they think I was “over-stuffed” with fat in that breast. That maybe it was too tight in there, so no blood supply and the tissue died, and of course dead tissue is a great place for bacteria to thrive. I remember that after that surgery in September, Dr. Coleman said I was about ready to pop on that side with the 300cc’s (and he was quite pleased at having stuffed so much in there)! But I’m confused because obviously other people (like you) get more volume than that without problems.
So whether the fat would have died anyway from lack of oxygen or whether it was all killed off BECAUSE of contamination, who knows. Either way, bacteria got in there somehow.
So I was the one who insisted on antibiotics this time, along with my infectious diseases doctor. No way was I going to take that risk the second time around, especially wearing BRAVA this time and having all that sweat around those “holes.” Because as you said, that would be a great opportunity for infection to start.
The only way this could have turned out any worse was if I had also gotten infection in the other breast! I can only be thankful for that. Well, also the fact that the infection was FINALLY killed (it came back a second time after the first round of IV vancomycin, so I then spent 6 weeks on 2 different antibiotics which finally killed it off!!).
Sorry for the really long post! Guess I just needed to vent a little…
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Alexandra
(Login alexandra-aaa-2) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 3 2010, 11:34 PM
I do remember seeing a pic on Coleman's site of a girl who had tuberous breasts. The caption said that she wore BRAVA pre-surgery but not post. Yet at ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/recor...ava&rank=1), Dr. Khouri's study explains that the participants are to use BRAVA "18 hours after surgery for 72 hours, then worn 10 to 12 hours a day for one additional week, then the patient may choose to proceed with a prolonged intermittent wear of 10 hours per day for 10 - 14 weeks".
Yet now he tells you 24/7 the first week and 12 hours/night for 12 weeks. I would bet that just in the time since those study results, they realized that the greater the post surgical use, the greater the fat survival/retention. Logically it makes sense, that the newly transferred fat needs a continued highly vascularized "bed" to "take root in". That blood supply and oxygen.
(That page also explains using Keflex pre-operatively - and he also prescribes it post-operatively.)
I'm curious about Coleman's description of "stuffing" that breast. In Dr. Khouri's videos, and in what he explains to you as a patient, that was one of the problems with fat grafting in the past. Instead of injecting large amounts of fat, he makes multiple injections of microdroplets of fat all throughout the breast. He explains it in the third video here: http://www.fatgraftcourse.com/ (you can see it bigger/clearer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFCcP6KD...r_embedded). And then combine the microdroplets with the post-surgical use of BRAVA, and the survival of the fat is probably far more likely.
I would bet that starting BRAVA sooner and continuing to use it on your re-do will make a big difference in your outcome. And if there's asymmetry after all is said and done, maybe longer use of it on the smaller side could promote more growth in it to even them out.
(The pain wearing the domes right afterward for me wasn't horrible, but more like PMS tenderness times 10! Plus the anxiety of whether that was fat draining out the first couple of days, even tho Dr. Khouri assured me it was fine and normal, made me more apprehensive.)
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 12 2010, 5:38 PM
hey alexandra!
I'm just wondering how you are progressing and what size you have been stabilizing at? Since you have brought up the surgery I have become very interested in it and contacted Dr. Khouri about it, but he said that I have so little body fat that I would only be able to get to a small b. I'm trying to do as much research as possible before I make my decision. I tried to sign up at your forum but I dont know how to look at your pics and it keeps saying that everything is private. Hope all is well !
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 12 2010, 8:50 PM
Sorry to disappear for awhile. I saw that girl on Dr. Coleman’s site, too, and it looks like she had pretty good results considering she didn’t wear BRAVA post-op. That’s interesting how Dr. Khouri has changed his BRAVA wearing recommendations. I guess this fat grafting for breast augmentation and using BRAVA is so cutting-edge that new data is gathered just over a matter of months, and improvements/changes are made that increase results even more.
Thanks for the links. Dr. Coleman uses the same technique of grafting microdroplets in hundreds of passes throughout the breast. What baffles me is why I had a problem with lack of blood supply and “overstuffing” (apparently!), when he uses this same technique successfully on many patients with large volumes. Very weird.
Just saw your latest pics on your forum, you are looking great!
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Kari
(Login RN09) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 14 2010, 7:57 PM
Hi tinybunny, I was wondering if you saw Dr. Khouri in person or emailed pics to him. If you emailed, how long did it take for you to hear back? I emailed mine last week and haven't heard anything yet so I'm just curious about your experience. Thanks!
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 14 2010, 11:01 PM
hey kari!
I emailed my pics to him ! He got back really quickly I think it was like the day after. I think you should email him again it might have gotten lost somehow. He's emailed me twice because I had some questions to ask him first and he emailed me back the day after then too! I think the procedure would be really great but Im scared too because I dont know if it will be worth all the effort and money. sigh to booby journeys lol
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tinybunny
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 19 2010, 5:15 PM
hey alexanda i replied to your post awhile ago, but i dont know why it didnt post. But yeai emailed him my pics and he replied the day after !
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:12 AM
Hi Tinybunny,
This is actually the first week that I did not post updated pics, because it appears that there has been no change since last week. I will probably post only every few weeks or so if I see any changes (tho I would love to see BRAVA make further increases by causing the transplanted fat to "grow"!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:14 AM
Hi Kari,
How has your recovery been going? Does everything seem stable on the re-do? What are you planning on having Dr. Khouri do?
(Wondering if you heard back from him yet - there seem to be a few people trying to get in touch with him, but it seems pretty hit or miss who has been hearing back these past few months!)
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" May 20 2010, 12:17 AM
Tinybunny,
I realized that I didn't answer your question. I seem to be holding steady at a 34C-ish in the mornings, and a 34B/occasional C in the evenings. My gut feeling is that I will end up a 34B, which is light years from whence I came!!! So I *should* be happy if that's what I end up with. (Tho it's soooo hard to get those 34D+'s that I had by the end of the pre-surgery BRAVA use, out of my mind!
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RN09
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 4 2010, 7:39 PM
Hi Alexandra,
My recovery is going pretty well at this point, although I can't really tell how much fat is in that breast since I rarely have Brava off for more than a few hours. I can see progress in the shape though, especially in the cleavage area, so I think Brava is doing its job. I'm at a total of almost 12 full weeks wearing Brava on the re-do side (counting the 4+ weeks of pre-op wear plus the 7 weeks since the surgery).
Yes, I did hear back from Dr. Khouri pretty quickly...I had asked him if he thought he could find another 100 ml on me somehow to fill out the re-do breast better, and he said he could get at least that much without much risk of lipo deformity! I think I'm going to need about that much to make the breasts symmetrical. He wants me to be at least 2-3 months post-op when he evaluates me, so I'm planning to go for a consult sometime in the next month. So I'm glad that he thinks he can fix this! I really don't want to live with one side way smaller (and not a great shape, either). He also wants me to get an MRI to see what is there now, which I think is so cool because that way we can get a much better idea of how much fat is needed.
How are things looking for you? Has your size seemed to stabilize?
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 15 2010, 5:14 PM
Hi Kari,
I'm happy to hear that Dr. Khouri thinks he can even things out for you (now I wish he'd get back to some other ladies trying to contact him!!).
I know it is hard to wait tho, for the final results when you're still using BRAVA. He told me to wear it 12-16 weeks post-surgically - so I have another 8 weeks to go! My "night time" size seems to fluctuate a bit. Now that I've had 3 periods since surgery (well, really 2 since the first of those came 2 days after surgery), I think I'm seeing monthly fluctuation.
For the week or so before my period, I'm measuring a full 34B to small 34C at night, when most of the swelling is gone. From a day or so after my period starts, I'm more like a small 34B at max. It might be a combination of normal PMS swelling (in addition to whatever BRAVA swelling is there at night), but also some fat "growth"...?
I typically gain a few lbs each month that is truly fat (butt, hips, thighs, etc., but never had any breast fat to grow/fluctuate). Only slight swelling of breast tissue. I'm really curious if this is an increase in the size of the transferred fat cells each month now - but again, I won't really know that until I'm done with BRAVA for a few weeks/months.
I do have two areas that are starting to concern me a little. One is the slight asymmetry that I had prior to any of this. It was really accentuated with the pre-surgery BRAVA use. Dr. Khouri did try to compensate for it during surgery, but as things "settle down", it's pretty obvious (at least to me). The other is the lumpectomy area. While it is amazingly improved in so many ways, there does seem to be a slight indentation in that area now. I'm not sure if any of that is fat absorption, or if it just wasn't visible because of the post-surgical swelling.
Neither area is of too much concern right now, but I will be keeping an eye on them both. I don't know that I'm up for another round of all of this, but after all I've been thru with it, I do want it to end up as good as possible. It also would depend greatly on whether my insurance would cover follow-up surgeries to complete the process.
Well keep me posted on your progress. And when all is said and done, I'd love if you'd be willing to post some before/after pics on my forum. I'd love for the ladies there to know more about this amazing option.
Alexandra
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Kari
(no login) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" June 18 2010, 10:29 PM
Hey Alexandra! Glad things are going pretty well for you, your pics continue to look great. So now it's 16 up to 16 weeks of post-op Brava wearing... the timeframe gets longer all the time, haha.
The more the better I guess.Unfortunately, I quit wearing Brava 2 weeks ago because Dr. Khouri wants me have had it off for a number of weeks when he sees me at the end of June for a consult. So I had it on only a little over 7 weeks post op on the re-do side. I think I gained a tiny little bit in the 6 weeks that I was wearing Brava on the good side, too, since my bra seems to be tighter...which I'm happy about! I wore Brava obsessively, so even though permanent growth isn't supposed to have taken place in that short amount of time, I think with my extremely long hours I benefited just a bit on that side. And the good thing is that I'm measuring almost the same 2 weeks after quitting Brava as I did after 24 hours of having it off! I was worried I'd continue to shrink for awhile but things seem to be stabilized.
It will be interesting to see what Dr. Khouri can do about the small side when I see him in a couple of weeks. And yep, I'd be happy to post pics on your forum when I get this project all done.
Guess I'll see you over there.Edit Message Delete Message
caree
(no login) Fat transfer July 3 2010, 4:49 PM
Dear Alexandra,
I've contacted Dr. Khouri and am waiting for a response to my pics I sent him. I am very thin and am not sure if I will be a candidate since I have little excess fat. I live outside of St. Louis MO and don't want to fly there for a consult just for him to say he can't help me. They did say they can get a cup size on even the thinnist of women. I was curious if you could email me your before and after pics. Also, what type of lipo suction did he use and how did that area turn out? Could you send pics of your scars, too (if any)? What is your cup size now? My husband is scared that I'm going to ruin my butt just to get boobs, but he doesn't understand what it is like to be a woman and be completley flat (I mean absolutley nothing at all!). I tried Brava for 36 weeks last year and got nothing out of it!! I just hope I can do this and quit obsessing about my breasts!! My poor family has to put up with all of this!!! I would just be happy to fill out a bra and have something to push up, even if it's an A cup. Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 10 2010, 7:11 PM
Kari,
Great to hear that things seemed to stabilize for you even tho you had to stop wearing BRAVA sooner than you thought.
I'm really anxious to hear how your consult went! What did Dr. Khouri think about everything? Looking forward to hearing back from you!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 10 2010, 7:26 PM
Hi Caree,
Sorry I took so long to reply, I haven't been on much over the 4th and this week.
I know you said you don't have much body fat, but another lady I know just went to see him who has very little as well, and he said he could get enough.
I do have some lipo pics up, but I put on about 5-7 lbs since surgery (from not working out the 6 weeks post-op), so they're not entirely "accurate". I'll update them again after I lose it (did manage to get rid of 2 so far!) As for scars - I virtually have none, anywhere. The incisions around the breast are small needle incisions. I must have had around 15-20 per breast, and you can't find one today. The lipo "injection" sites are also very tiny - what's left of them, and you can't even find all of them now, are lighter and smaller than any of the moles/beauty marks/freckles I have on my legs.
Also, Dr. Khouri doesn't stitch them closed. Makes it quite messy for a day or two after surgery, but it's so they drain better and you have less swelling. You also don't have scars from the stitches.
My cup size varies morning to night since I've still got a few weeks left with the domes, and I assume at night there is still a small amount of "BRAVA swelling" too. But from day 1 of my period until I ovulate (yeah, still as regular as anything at 50 - ugh!), they're maintaining about a small 34B, and from ovulation until the next period a full 34B/small 34C at night. I don't know what that will translate to after the domes are off for a month or so, but Dr. Khouri seems confident that I shouldn't go smaller than what I see at night. (The mornings are torture tho - post menstrual they measure a 34D and pms they measure a 34DD! I always said I just wanted to be in the alphabet (because as far as I know "AAA" is not a letter!!), but it is really easy to get attached to that size!)
And I don't think husbands/men in general will ever get it!
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caree
(Login caree) fat grafting July 12 2010, 4:29 PM
Alexandra,
Thanks so much for all the info!! I finally heard back from Dr. Khouri and he said he I am very thin, but he could give me a large A / small B. I would be thrilled with that!!!!! I am like you said you used to be (AAAAA, completley flat). I would love to just fill our a bra (any bra would be nice). So you said that you are happy with the lipo results, too? I am so worried about lipo deformities!! I looked up horror stories from some people with botched up lipo and it scares me!!!! You don't have any indentations or saggy skin? I plan on getting a flight to go for a consult very soon and I'll let you know how it goes.
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra-fat transfer July 15 2010, 2:56 AM
Alexandra,
Hi, it's me again. I finally got onto the flattsy forum and saw your pics. They look Great!! You must be so happy! Well, I have an appointment with Dr. Khouri on Tuesday July 20th (which is next Tuesday). I just booked the flight so here I go!! I'm nervous that he is going to tell me that I'm too thin, but we'll see. A few months ago I looked up natural breast augmentation websight and found a doctor in Kansas City which is about a 4 hour drive from where I live and he told me that I was too thin and I needed to gain about 7-10 pounds of body fat. He basically said he wanted me to eat like a pig and hardly move to I could gain the weight. His whole office made me nervous anyway. He also wasn't a plastic surgeon, he was a gynecologist. Kinda weird?!? Anyway, that isn't going to happen. I'm very busy and on the go all the time, plus I don't think that sounds very healthy. WEll, I'll let you know next week how my appointment goes. Wish me luck!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 15 2010, 5:14 AM
Hi Caree,
Glad you got onto the forum OK - and I wish you all the best luck next Tuesday!
If you're on the forum again, search on the name "Malan". He too is a gyn, but in AZ (not a board certified plastic surgeon, which Dr. Khouri is, in addition to a micro-surgeon). He touts himself as the first doctor to do stem-cell breast augmentation. Wrong on so many levels. He has gone so far as posting pics of Dr. Khouri's patients on his own site. There's an awful lot of doctors that we need to be wary of.
What he told you about gaining weight is the exact opposite of what Dr. Khouri recommends. He actually wants you to be at your thinnest (I pretty much was at surgery, but then put on 5-7 lbs since from not being able to lift weights for 6 weeks after - I'm soooo afraid to lose it now (fearing my breasts will lose now too, since I don't know if those fat cells had "taken" enough to grow as I gained that soon after surgery)).
He explains that then the fat cells are at their smallest, so that all they can do is grow if you later gain weight. But by gaining weight you don't normally carry, those fat cells would expand, being at their biggest at the time of surgery. Then as you got back to your normal activity level post-op, they would shrink. So you would have immediate improvement, followed by weight/size loss.
Keep us posted. If you don't mind, if you decide to go ahead with the procedure, I would love to have as many ladies as possible journal their progress throughout as I did. I think it would be great for other "flatsies" to see this alternative to either being unhappy with their bodies, or to implants which aside from all of the potential downsides to them, don't always look the best when starting out with little if any breast tissue to cover them.
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Caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 18 2010, 5:23 PM
Alexandra,
If he says he will do the procedure, I would be happy to share my experience!! I have already done research on Dr. Malan. He charges 16 to 22 thousand dollars to do the stem cell procedure and as much as I want this, I just don't think I could bring myself to spend that kind of money on it. Judging by what I've seen and researched so far, I would trust Dr. Khouri way more and he charges way less!! I guess Dr. Malan thinks if he can find women desperate enough, they will do it. To be honest, I probably would spend that money if I had it to spend and didn't have any other choice. Hopefully if Dr. Khouri will do the procedure, I won't have to worry about it. You only did one procedure, didn't you? My husband is worried that I would have to come back for follow up procedures. Also, do you have to come back for a 6 month follow up or is that optional now? I have read so many different things. Damaris said that you usually have to wear the Brava for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after and you said that you were doing it for 12 weeks after. What is the reason for that? Sorry for all the questions, I guess I can save them for Dr. Khouri. Well, I'll keep you posted.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 7:48 AM
Hi Caree,
Please feel free to ask anything!
The standard protocol is 4 weeks before - 3 weeks of 12+ hours, one week of 24/7.
I'm not sure why the discrepancy in post-surgical use. His website's FAQ's say 4 weeks after. At the time of the study (clinicaltrials.gov - search on BRAVA), it states: "Patient will begin wearing the Brava System, with the SmartBox device only, 18 hours post-operative as a stabilization device. For the first three (3) days the system is worn 24 hours a day or as to the maximum tolerated. If the patient notes pain, the system may be removed and replaced a few hours later. The System is then worn 10 to 12 hours a day for one additional week (7 days). Then the patient may choose to proceed with a prolonged intermittent wear of 10 hours per day for 10 - 14 weeks."
Yet in emails to me after the surgery, he told me 12-16 weeks. (Last Friday was 13 weeks post-op!) The extra pre-op weeks that I wore it was my choice, only because I would have jumped out of my skin waiting 11 weeks from consult to surgery. I'm glad I did because Dr. Khouri felt that those extra weeks certainly allowed for extra expansion.
(I don't think Damaris is still working there, so if that's who you've been communicating with, you might want to stay in touch with Rosie and/or Dr. Khouri.)
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 19 2010, 2:53 PM
Hi Alexandra,
Dr. Khouri sent me to Damaris to set up the consult and I left messages on her voice mail , but the only person I actually spoke with on the phone was Cindy so I would assume Damaris still works there, but who knows. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. I'm really nervous that he is going to say I'm too thin, but I'll find out soon enough. Wish me luck!! My consult appointment is at 2 pm & if he says yes, I'll go for an MRI @ 4:30. Do you have to go back for a 6-9 month follow up or is that optional?
well, I'll post again after I get back.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 4:24 PM
Hi Caree,
Yes, Damaris was there to assist Rosie (I believe she was new around the time of my actual surgery - but not during the pre-op weeks). I am pretty sure that Cindy is replacing Damaris, so also assisting Rosie.
Anyway, yes! GOOD LUCK!
One thing you can do that I didn't think to at the time, is when he shows you before/after pics - ask to see the before/afters of the lipo'd areas too, especially of women built similarly to you. I was so over-focused on all things breast at my consult (and the whole idea of lipo was new for me - just never would have considered it under normal conditions), that I really hadn't too many questions at the time. All that was in my mind was that I knew I had plenty to spare! It wasn't until near my surgery date that I started reading horror stories, but even then my thoughts were still consumed with the breast part of this.
Your concern about not having enough fat, as well as what your legs will look like afterward is also a big concern with another soon-to-be patient. She too is very lean. He as assured her that she has enough as well. Again, I would ask to see results of similarly built women, both breast and lipo sites.
Yes, the follow up MRI is required, so I'd be going back sometime after October.
One other thing, and I hope you see this before you leave...RENT A CAR! I don't know if I had posted this on my boards in my "journal" of this process, but OMG, taxis in Miami are a fortune! I live in NJ, close to NY - I'm used to NY taxi fares. They're dirt cheap compared to Miami - and Miami's traffic was far worse, so leave plenty of time too. I didn't rent when I went for the consult. So I had a cab from the airport to Dr. Khouri, from there to the imaging center, imaging center back to the office (Dr. Khouri had been running late and I was flying back the same day, so instead of one from the imaging center to the airport I had to go back to his office after the MRI for my consult), then from his office to the airport! Each cab ride was about $30+! The math on that was nuts! A cab for the day is what, $50 max?
If you are already renting, I used Enterprise. They had shuttles from the airport terminal to their center about 2 miles away - but it looked like all the major car rental agencies did too.
Again, GOOD LUCK!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 19 2010, 10:24 PM
Oops! Meant to say, "...a RENTED CAR for the day is like $50 max..."
(Wish we could edit these posts!!)
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caree
(Login caree) Alexandra July 25 2010, 1:08 AM
Alexandra,
Thanks for all of your info. I rented a car and it was around $40.00 for the day. He looked at me and said I am going to be a challenge, but never said he couldn't do it. He took pictures and showed me how to take pictures to send him after the procedure. He seems very confident and I love that!! He did say that it would probably take him 4 hours instead of 2 because he is going to have to take fat from a lot more areas out of my legs. I am so excited!! I thought for sure he was going to say that he couldn't do it. I got the MRI while I was there and now I'm just waiting for the results before I can set up the appointment. How long was it before you got your results? Can you believe that I didn't even ask to see before and after pictures of lipo areas? I was so tired by the time I got there and he was a little rushed by people waiting to see him that I never even asked half of the questions I wanted to ask. I guess I just have to call or send an email with all of my questions. I do have a lot of questions for you now though (I hope you don't mind). I just want you to tell me about your whole trip to Miami for the procedure. Did you wear the Brava on the plane since you have to wear it 24/7 before the procedure and did you have any trouble getting through security? I would just die if they pulled me aside and checked me!!! I was going to have my husband drive me over 20 hours just so I didn't have to wear that thing to the airport, but I think I'm just going to suck it up and take the plane. I think I'll wear a big sweatshirt and put the sportbox in the bin with the electronics as I go through. I'm dreading it, but I think that's what I'm going to do. I was also hoping I could go home the same day of the procedure so I wouldn't have to wear it back home, but he said that I'm not going to want to go anywhere after having needles all over me. How did you feel after the procedure and did you have a lot of gross stuff gong on? Well, if you could just fill me in on any details you can think of that might help me with my journey it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for all your help!!!
Carree
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 4:40 PM
Hi Caree,
That's great news! I'm not exactly sure how long my surgery was. I was the second surgery of the day, and I think they finally took me to the OR somewhere between 1:00-2:00 pm. I woke up in recovery around 7:30 pm, but I think I was there for around 2 hours before I woke up. He did have to do some extra work with the lumpectomy area, but all in all I think the whole surgery was probably around four hours as well.
I'm not certain when Dr. Khouri got the MRI results. I saw him for my consult and had the MRI on Thurs, Jan 28, ordered BRAVA on Friday and started wearing it on Saturday. Maybe they called/faxed him a preliminary report Th/Fr? I'm pretty sure I called his office the next day (Fri) to make sure there weren't any problems on it...? Geez, for as much as I've documented this entire experience, I definitely didn't write it all (God forbid!). If you haven't heard yet, I would call Dr. Khouri and the imaging center to find out. I just looked at my fax log, and I had sent a request for the results to the imaging ctr on Feb 5 (but had been wearing BRAVA for a week already).
On I think the third page of my looooong thread on my forum, I documented the two week period - a few days prior to a few days after my surgery - http://alexandra-aaa.com/forums/index.ph...=480&st=40 - including my security scare! Can I ask what state you're in? I'm in NJ. I had actually considered taking a train up and back to avoid security, but it was far more expensive than flying (tho it would have been cool to sleep in a train cabin!).
And no, you are definitely not going to want to travel the same or even the next day. Also, he wants to see you a couple of days later for your post-op appt. Check out that thread. If you have insomnia, read all the pages - there are some tips scattered throughout. There's also a loooong thread I have going on an implant forum (had considered it for a while) with a lot of details asked/answered there. There's also another current patient that started posting (last page or two). Maybe you two can compare notes there as well - http://www.justbreastimplants.com/forum/...nsfer.html
When this is all said and done, and I know my final results, I'm considering starting an offshoot of my forum dedicated just to this procedure. I've ended up posting/discussing this on my forum, the implant forum, here, breast-nexus and a cancer forum. It touches on so many areas, and there are so few of us actually discussing it, it would be nice if we had a centralized forum to talk on. I'd also love to hear from others who have done it from a few weeks to several years ago. Reconstruction and augmentation.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 7:16 PM
(I didn't mean for the end of my previous post to sound like I had cancer. I never have (thank God!). My lumpectomy was the result of a suspected cancer (by my surgeon only! the radiologist indicated that it was another fibroadenoma, as I previously had).
The only reason I posted on the cancer forum that I did, was because someone was questioning the procedure for lumpectomy repair. Unless radiation is also part of the treatment for an individual, a lumpectomy is a lumpectomy (w/varying degrees of damage, of course). Just wanted to clear that up.)
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aerie
(Login aerie84) alexandra-aaa July 26 2010, 7:54 PM
Hey alexandra,
I've been reading your journey and it sounds great. Ive been researching this procedure for years! and now that I found someone like you, I was wondering if I could get some feedback? The flatsy forum really doesnt let me post or do much of anything when I tried. maybe cuz I'm new? and all I really wanted to do was get in touch with you to ask you questions. Please, Ive been consideringt his for such a long time and would like more details...I have talked to at least 6 different doctors and theyve all said different things. (dr. Coleman, Dr. DelVecchio, Dr. Roberts in SC, and everyone in between) Nobody agrees on one thing. One person says im too skinny another says its not worth the trouble and to just get implants and then others say that itll work but not alot. I have not yet met with roger khouri but am excited to finally have found a patient I can ask questions to. Lord knows the breast implants patients are easy to come by but the fat grafting patients? Only you so far.
could you please do me a favor and e-mail me at waterfalls9580@yahoo.com and so I can see what kind of changes you went through (as in size)...Im starting off at 105lbs and 5'4....with an A cup. please e-mail me, I need all the info I can get.
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 26 2010, 11:43 PM
Hi aerie,
* Your questions: *
"The doctors I've gone to say they can get me up one cup size max because of the little fat that I have. Could you tell me how much fat you had before you did this procedure?
How big were your boobs right after? and how much did they go down?
Are you satisfied with the size and shape?
and most of all....after the fat goes down, do you feel or see lumpy breasts. this out of all is my biggest concern with fat grafting to the breasts..please let me know
also...now that you've had the fat transfer, when you gain weight do you feel your boobs getting bigger?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am 5'8" and weighed 138 going into the procedure. Unfortunately from not working out (I weight train) for 6 weeks following surgery I put on 5-7 lbs that I am having a hard time losing (I couldn't do any cardio to compensate because I have one royally messed up knee). So I had a fair amount of fat to spare - hips, thighs, abdomen. However, Dr. Khouri only took fat from my inner/outer thighs and knees. There are before/after lipo pics on my forum.
Right after surgery I had measured about a 34C/D...BUT, that was mostly BRAVA and post-op swelling. Again, there weekly pics showing my "growth"/swelling over the 11 weeks I chose to wear the domes pre-op (typical time is 4 or so weeks). It's hard to tell their permanent size yet since I am still wearing the domes post-op, so I still have some amount of swelling at the end of the day prior to putting the domes back on. I won't know their true size for a few weeks after stopping wearing them (my last day should be Aug. 6, so by mid-Sept).
I started out a 36AAA. It seems my permanent size should be a full 34B (at least I hope!). Shape...? I'm not 100% certain yet. Part of that is due to not knowing if there will still be any deficit from where the lumpectomy was, and another is a bit of asymmetry that I had even when flat. It's a bit accentuated now, but again, I can't make an accurate assessment until there is no more BRAVA swelling.
I can tell you that there is absolutely ZERO LUMPINESS. They are very smooth and soft (or "smooshy"!).
As for weight gain. It's a little hard to tell because I gained that weight right away, so I don't know that the newly transferred fat (which were small fat cells since my weight was lower at the time of surgery) had time to grow/gain. In fact, I'm a little apprehensive to lose it, having gained it before the transferred fat was established. Hopefully they don't "lose". In other words, if those fat cells *were* small already, can they get smaller if I lose, or were they already at their smallest and they won't change.
What I have noticed is their fluctuation with my period. And that has to really be weight gain (which typically does happen - I usually go up 3 or so lbs each month a week or two before my period, and lose it once it starts), because there is no additional breast tissue to swell or change monthly - it can only be fat fluctuations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, let me know what you think after you register and see the pics. Please take a little time and read thru the threads at My Flatsy Forum and JBI. From all the ladies have asked, there ended up being an awful lot of information posted between the two. I should actually consolidate it all and find a central place to post it...
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caree
(Login caree) alexandra July 27 2010, 3:44 AM
Alexandra,
I'm going to try to check out your post on the two weeks before and after procedure. I am totally freaking out about the airport!!! Oh well, I'll make it. I live just outside of ST. Louis MO and will be flying out of Lambert airport. I think I am going to take it off in the car when I get to the airport and then wait until after the security check to put it back on. I'll go to the bathroom and put it back on and not make eye contact with anybody the whole time after that. I am totally dreading it!!! I am not an insomniac, but lately I can't sleep very good because I can't stop thinking about all of this. I'm also totally freaked out because I am so thin and he is going to have to lipo so many different areas. I emailed him and he said that he would try to find some before and after pictures of women who are thin like me. He said that he was going to have to take fat from my flanks(what is that?), inner thigh, knee, back, stomach(which there is no fat there), etc... Anyway, I just can't wait until I am in your position and just telling every body about my experience and can actually fit into a bra. I'll check out your posts and I'll get back with you if and when I have more questions. I'll also call the breast center tomorrow to see if they have the results and I can set up an appointment. Thanks!!! I'll keep you posted.
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caree
(Login caree) alexandra July 27 2010, 3:35 PM
Alexandra,
Hey, I read you thread about the pre and post op experience. Atleast I know what to expect now and from what I am reading, you didn't actually wear the domes at the airport either way, right? Thats the part I'm dreading the most. Did you have the Brava boxes in your luggage or did you take them out for them to see? Did you loose any swelling on the flight or were you pretty much the same? Also, I have medium domes and Large domes. Did your XL domes come with an XL bra? Just curious because my Large seems so huge and it doesn't say the size on the domes, just the bra says Large. I got those domes from somebody on Ebay and was wondering if they were incorrect. Thanks, I'm sure I'll be asking more questions soon. I'll be calling the breast center today to find out about the results. Wish me luck!!
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Alexandra
(Login Alexandra-aaa) Re: "Brava Enhanced Autologous Fat Micro Grafting" July 27 2010, 6:29 PM
Hi Caree,
On the way to Miami, I took the domes off in the car right before going in the airport. I didn't trust putting them with checked luggage, so I had them in carry on's. I didn't take them out before they went thru the scanner, BUT security did stop the conveyor belt for BOTH boxes, keeping their image on the screen for what seemed like an eternity. That's exactly why I didn't pack the smartbox, hand bulb pump or tubing in either of those boxes. I had that all in my purse (w/the batteries OUT of the smartbox - Darlene's suggestion!). AND I made sure I had every bit of BRAVA documentation handy in my purse as well - instructions, DVD, pics, etc.
When I ordered my initial setup from BRAVA, I got the Wide/Med domes and a Large bra. That fit well, but the bra barely covered the LG domes and was extremely uncomfortable. And there was no way possible to wear that bra w/the XLG's. I also HATE nylon, or anything that isn't cotton. Very early on, I stopped wearing the bra at all. I cut the sleeves off of an old men's XLG T-shirt, then cut it f
