Surgery with Dr. Lista on the 26th!

[gtitdi]

Yeah!! Good luck Robs, hope all goes well!
Keep us updated!

[robs]

Well, here i am on the other side!  crazy...it's day 1 post-op (just over 24 hours since I left the clinic)

Just as you guys said, the surgery part was easy stuff.  You lie down on the table, very friendly staff get you positioned and ready, the anesthesiologist puts in the Iv, the oxygen mask goes on...and, what seemed like a moment later, I was in the recovery room! 

It took be no time to bounce back and be fully awake, I didn't even have a snooze like most people do immediately after waking up after surgery.  I was feeling quite happy, big smile on my face, partly due to the drugs i imagine, but mostly feeling relieved that part was over and thinking about what I am looking forward to. 

Left the clinic with my loot-bag of drugs and went home to rest.  When I got home, I grabbed a bite to eat and was sitting at the table reviewing my drug schedule when I realized that i was feeling good enough not to be instinctively heading for bed...but I quickly reminded myself that that the nurses orders were to head straight to bed for 24 hours, getting up only to go to the bathroom and eat.

So, all in all, I'm feeling good.  My chest is quite sore, only felt nauseous once.  I'm taking the oxycocet, I don't know how you guys are ok without it.  Feeling sore like this makes me feel nauseous without pain meds.  For some reason I have a harder time dealing with being sore than actual pain.  Like you said, everyone is different.

Hmmm, I wonder if it's when the pain meds are wearing off, that combined with the actual soreness makes me feel nauseous...oxycocet can definitely do that.

Soon I'm going to be taking off the vest to take a shower...I'm expecting it to look pretty nasty as you guys have said, so I hope that I don't feel to shocked to see my body look that way.  Thankfully we have this discussion board to know exactly what to expect so we don't flip the f@#* out!!!

The hardest thing for me now is getting out of bed! lol, I'm trying so hard not to use my arms at all so I kinda roll off the side and use my abs to get up.  I'm so worried about not being careful enough since on a few occasions I picked something up or tried to open something that causes a slight bit of pain.

How did you guys handling that the first few days?

well, that's it for now...updates to come.  wish me luck for the unveiling! lol

[robs]

The unveiling was a success!  Can't believe how flat it is...but i know it will not stay this way.  At least I now feel hope that there will definitely be a huge difference at the end of this whole ordeal.

In the end, all I really care about is being able to wear a tshirt and take my shirt off at the beach without worry.  We all share this common desire and know not to expect perfection.

Wow..relieved that part is done...now i just have to endure 6 weeks of the vest and then freedom...

[gtitdi]

Thanks for your update, was really looking forward on hearing from you. I'm glad everything went superb!
I'm at 3 weeks, and my chest is starting to look better, no more bruising, just a little swelling and lots of scar tissue left.
I see Dr. Lista in a week so i am hoping he will give me the green light to work out again because i miss it.

Robs just remember, for the first week, just stay quiet, do as much less as you can. I know it sucks, but gotta fight through it!

[robs]

Day 2 post-op:  things are going well.  Very little bruising and I've stopped taking the pain meds.  Soreness is minimal and overall i feel good.  I've been sleeping a lot, getting up to eat and watch tv.

Wearing this vest for 6 weeks is definitely going to be annoying but we have no choice.  It's part of the deal!

I have to say that I'm amazed at what i see.  It seems almost impossible that Dr. Lista can do so much while making only 2 really small incisions...

When I think back to my surgery day, I am really happy that it took place at the clinic instead of a hospital.  It was less intimidating to arrive at that nice building and be in a waiting room with leather chairs...worth every penny.  This was one of my main reasons for going with Dr. Lista, as well as the fact that his procedure leaves minimal scars.

gtitdi: Thanks for the advice, it's definitely tempting to move around a lot when you feel this good.  It really does suck to stay home, doing pretty much nothing. 

I've been sleeping as much as I can, snacking, watching tv and browsing the net.

Question: are you taking off and putting on your vest by yourself?  I'm wondering if that's too much movement to do myself.

Also, how hard did you scrub your chest during the first week?  The nurse said not to be shy because the stitches need to dissolve but I'm being a bit gentle due to the soreness.

 

[gtitdi]

Yeah i took the vest off slowly myself, no big deal. As for the washing, yeah i was gentle at first because it was all numb and stuff...
You have minimal bruising now but it gets worse, it will spread out eventually. (that's what happened to me at least)

[robs]

Good to know about the bruising...I'm not too concerned overall, hoping for the best results but taking the daily "viewing" of my chest as an interesting evolution that I have no control over.

I will post pictures soon.

[robs]

you were right about the bruising!  No big deal.  I find this numb/sore/tingly feeling a bit annoying.  It almost tickles...much more distracting than just being sore.  oh well.

Oh, yesterday during my daily shower inspection, i noticed that my right nipple looks purple/black over the top.  I had someone else look at it and they think its more purple...better than black!  Just called the clinic just to be prudent and now I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Did a quick search on here and it is probably nothing to be worried about.  Seems to either be bruising or dried blood that seeped up through the ducts.  

This whole thing is such a funny roller coaster ride: trying to keep a balance between staying chill about the daily discoveries while still wanting to be prudent and keep on top of things that seem out of the ordinary.

My check up appointment is next tuesday so then I get to learn the joys of the massaging that everyone seems so fond of...

Whatever, it's all worth it in the end...I'll be wearing a t-shirt in Paris in mid September.

[gtitdi]

robs, the black purple thing you are talking about is a scab i think. I had it on one side as well, and it comes off after two weeks or so.
Yeah the massaging sucks ass, your going to feel mushiness and scar tissue but just know that one day it will all heal and go away!
I have a long way to go, just like you.

[robs]

gtitdi, all your feedback and support is very much appreciated!  How are you feeling these days?

Today while waiting for my vest to dry I put on a tshirt...even with the swelling I'm really happy with what I see.  The simple fact that the puffy nipples are gone seems like a miracle, never thought I'd look in the mirror and feel content about my chest.

I'm at day 5 of 42 vest days...long way to go...you've got, what, 2 1/2 weeks left, not so bad.  Until when do we have to massage?  

[gtitdi]

I'm feeling pretty good. My chest looks good but the only thing that worries me now is one side is healing or looking better than the other by a tad. Hopefully the right side will flatten out more. Waiting to hit 1 month mark this upcoming thursday, and i see Dr. Lista for a follow up.
I'm not sure about how long we have to massage, i know its 3 times a day, 5 minutes on each peck. Till when? I will ask Lista
next week.

Yeah i honestly will go get drunk the day i can take my vest off, haha. That will be a celebration. So yeah, 2 1/2 more weeks.
I will probably wear it longer for good results but just during sleeping because the vest doesn't bother me while i sleep.

[robs]

Day 11, feeling great.  Doing the massaging religiously but I'm not sure I'm doing it right.  Just making sure to iron out the little lumps and bumps.  Bruising is all gone now and the incisions are healing nicely, I wouldn't even be shy about taking my shirt off in public at this point if I didn't have to wear the vest.

gtitdi, how did 1 month follow up go with the Doc?

[gtitdi]

I was in there for about 5 minutes. He looked at my chest and said i look great, it looks good.
I asked him about the one side being little more puffy then the other, he said it was normal it will go down in time.
I asked him could there be any fluids or liquid in there? He said no.
Anyways, 2 more weeks with the vest on, and then finally i can work out again and run. I will still most likely wear the vest during sleep
for maximum results. He told me to continue massaging, 3 times a day till next appointment, lol! I see him again in 3 months!
Oh and he also gave me these silicone bandages i can start wearing for the scars. You get a huge chunk and you have to cut them into little pieces to fit the scar.

Anyways, i take pictures every 2 weeks or so. I have one at first week post op and then a 1 month post op, what a difference.
Only pictures will prove how gradually your chest changes.

[robs]

Good to hear that all is well.  wow, he said to continue massaging until your next appointment in 3 months!  that's a long time.  But I guess he knows best.

I just looked at my pre-op pictures and it's seems so far away.  what a difference.  I'm so lazy about taking photos but I have pics a few days post op and I'm going to take some this week.

I'm jealous...you're about one week away from being able to take off the vest and workout.  enjoy! 

[boobienoob]

So how are u Lista guys doing? Are u happy with the results so far?

Not sure if I should go for it or not,