Request for advice - Pain after gyno surgery

[mmmn82]

Hi,
I'm 35 years old male and I'v had VASER and gyno surgery done on my chest 4 months ago.

I'm satisfied with the results and I feel well except for the fact that I'm still unable to raise my arms up fully extended; I feel a lot of pain at the areola as if the areola wall or tissues are being teared apart. I tried forcing my arms up and I was able to do so, however, the next day I was feeling uncomfortable pain with tenderness at the areola area.

I understand the best course of action woud be to visit my doctor, however, I tried and he had me seen by his assistant who didn't seem convincing; he told me its the nerves in the chest wall because of the VASER and told me to come back in 3 months, however, I only feel the pain in the areola area where the incision was done.

I'm trying to decide whether I should wait more time and see what happens, force my arms up and handle the pain, or look for a doctor advice immediately, even if I had to see a new doctor.

Note: I have a condition called pectus carinatum, and that's why the chest is protruding; it is not fat or tissues.

Thanks for your help.

[Litlriki]

I have a recent patient who has had severe pain in his nipples since his surgery a few months ago, and it's finally settling down after a couple months. This is pretty unusual--he's the only patient I've had with such severe discomfort.  He was put on Neurontin with improvement, and at this point, one side is okay and the other side is improving. In the meantime, he's much more comfortable on the medication.  In your case, I'm not sure if that pain is as severe, but the other things I had him do were massage the area and also to desensitize the skin by rubbing it with things like terry cloth.  Also, range of motion exercises help to prevent long-term issues with range of motion.  It's common to have some discomfort after doing the massage and range of motion exercises, so you just have to work through that and use anti-inflammatory meds (Ibuprofen, etc.).

[mmmn82]

I have a recent patient who has had severe pain in his nipples since his surgery a few months ago, and it's finally settling down after a couple months. This is pretty unusual--he's the only patient I've had with such severe discomfort.  He was put on Neurontin with improvement, and at this point, one side is okay and the other side is improving. In the meantime, he's much more comfortable on the medication.  In your case, I'm not sure if that pain is as severe, but the other things I had him do were massage the area and also to desensitize the skin by rubbing it with things like terry cloth.  Also, range of motion exercises help to prevent long-term issues with range of motion.  It's common to have some discomfort after doing the massage and range of motion exercises, so you just have to work through that and use anti-inflammatory meds (Ibuprofen, etc.).

Thank you very much Dr. Silverman. 

Actually, the pain is tolerable, but I'm concerned there is some damage that will need repair.

I'll be visiting my doctor at the end of the month and hopefully I'll be able to see him; meanwhile, I'll try massaging the area as described.

[Litlriki]

It's unlikely that any specific "damage" was done and more likely that the nerves in the treated area are just hyper-active, giving you the ongoing discomfort.  Hopefully, time will see resolution of this problem. 

[Dr. Schuster]

UAL (VASER) can defintely produce some prolonged stinging / mild burning / numbness. This will resolve. I recommend massage with Arnica gel or cream. If it is very bad you could try Lyrica which is particularly good to relieve this type of pain. I'm not sure why you feel so restricted with raising your arms. I would stretch and massage your chest and work through it. Of course you should check in with your own surgeon before doig anything suggested here.

[mmmn82]

UAL (VASER) can defintely produce some prolonged stinging / mild burning / numbness. This will resolve. I recommend massage with Arnica gel or cream. If it is very bad you could try Lyrica which is particularly good to relieve this type of pain. I'm not sure why you feel so restricted with raising your arms. I would stretch and massage your chest and work through it. Of course you should check in with your own surgeon before doig anything suggested here.

Thank you Dr. Schuster. I feel restricted as raising my arms fully extends the areola too much, which is where the pain exists; the areola look very thin, especially when I fully raise my arms, but they don't look inverted (a little bit wrinkly though,when I flex my chest muscles). 

[Dr. Schuster]

Just gradually work through the pain. Check in with your surgeon and discuss massage. Good luck.

[mmmn82]

Hi,
I'm 35 years old male and I'v had VASER and gyno surgery done on my chest 4 months ago.

I'm satisfied with the results and I feel well except for the fact that I'm still unable to raise my arms up fully extended; I feel a lot of pain at the areola as if the areola wall or tissues are being teared apart. I tried forcing my arms up and I was able to do so, however, the next day I was feeling uncomfortable pain with tenderness at the areola area.

I understand the best course of action woud be to visit my doctor, however, I tried and he had me seen by his assistant who didn't seem convincing; he told me its the nerves in the chest wall because of the VASER and told me to come back in 3 months, however, I only feel the pain in the areola area where the incision was done.

I'm trying to decide whether I should wait more time and see what happens, force my arms up and handle the pain, or look for a doctor advice immediately, even if I had to see a new doctor.

Note: I have a condition called pectus carinatum, and that's why the chest is protruding; it is not fat or tissues.

Thanks for your help.

Hello,

It's been two and a half years since I posted my question, and to date, it feels a little bit uncomfortable at the areolas area to fully raise my arms; there isn't much pain per say, but the areolas still sensitive, and feel like tearing apart when they're stretched due to raising my arms fully.

I'm not sure if this is normal, or if there is anything I can do to fix it.

Thank you for your help.