Surgery Post-OP UPDATE 2 WEEKS AND COUNTING

[Relief_in_sight]

Hey, Im about 2 weeks Post-Op, and I couldnt be happier, Progress is going well I guess, the Right side seems a tad bit bigger than the left, I have no clue why....And it feels like on the left side around the nipple the muscle is as hard as a rock, and I havent noticed any swelling subsiding, it looks the same as it was a week ago when I took off the pads... but there is a MAJOR diffrence, I just wish the Swelling would go down already...anyway I was wondering, I havent really worked out all my life mabey the odd two weeks and ill give up but since the surgery its been a HUGE incentive to start working out, I was wondering when I can working out? and is it a good Idea if I just work out my stomach and if I have to wait a few weeks for the chest I will wait, but can I not work out the stomach or will something negative happen?

THANKS

[supaaman]

Hey R_i_s,

Thanks for sharing your experience.  I'm planning on going ahead with this too.  Hearing your result gives me incentive/inspiration!

On the workout front... that I have plenty of experience at.  I have spent a good part of my life in the gym... I think to compensate for the flabby chest.  When you first start out, it's pretty traumatic on the muscles.  It makes you pretty sore for the first few weeks.  Your muscles are essentially tearing and repairing (that's how the muscles get bigger).  I would say that you should stay clear from the gym for a few weeks for sure and then only start with light cardio.  I would start with light weights only after you feel fully recovered.  If you want to get into heavier weight, I'd wait a few months for sure.  You probably should let your body rest and fully recover without adding extra stress quite yet.

Diet can do as much as anything.  I'd focus on that for the next several weeks, maybe adding some cardio in a few weeks.  I wouldn't be in a rush.  It must be pretty exciting to have had a great result,  but if you have waited this long, surely you can wait a little longer to build those pecs that have been hidden until now.  The workouts can start anytime, but I figure these next few months would be key to getting an optimuum result on your surgery and make sure everything settles nicely.

Congratulations!  Keep us posted on your progress.

[Relief_in_sight]

YEE good to hear that posting can make a diffrence to people....Im gonna take your advice on waiting, but its just that when you have something that botherd you most of your  life and you get the chance to FINALLY make a diffrence but you have to wait... lol but I will wait though....but one question, what if I just work out the abs and diet for the time being, and leave the pecs alone for a few months, that way ill be ahead of the game when I get fully healed...or is that a good Idea...I cant see why it wouldnt be cuz pecs and abs are two diffrent muscles, so Im not sure

THANKS

[supaaman]

Well,

You can definitely start working the abs before throwing 400 lbs on  the bench press, but even when concentrating on the abs you are exerting your chest muscles to some extent too.  So, just make sure you are well on the way to being healed.  You don't want to reopen any cuts or pull your skin away from the chest tissue again... so you get the best healing/least scarring result.

A common misconception at the gym is... guys that think they can do a million sit-ups or crunches and get a 6-pack, but still eat 3 Whoppers w/cheese and large fries for lunch.  You won't "see" much progress from a cosmetic point of view in the abs unless you have a pretty low body fat % and are naturally very lean.  Most people have to virtually "starve" themselves to get that look, which isn't really healthy in my opinion.  That being said, it's very good for you to strengthen your "core" by doing ab workouts.  It will help you have a nice posture to show off the new pecs!

I can't say exactly when you can start the abs... you'll be the best judge of that as to when you feel healed (I'd wait until it feels close to 100%).  Start out really slow because the workouts are traumatic for all your muscles at first and it's going to put some stress on your chest too.  If you go slow you can feel if you tweak something in your chest.   I'd think you'd need 3-4 weeks for sure before you'd want to exert too much, even on your abs.

Good luck man.  I'll look forward to hearing how you progress!

[Relief_in_sight]

Thanks for the reply....Honestly I feel 80% healed...There is no pain or anything in the chest only if I push really hard on it.  Other than that I went for the 2 week post-op check up, and the Doc said that my progress is going well as expected... and that the minor swelling should subside within the next few months....so basically I CAN GO SWIMMING, TANNNING, DOING  ALL THE STUFF I COULDNT DO B4 by the time summer rolls around...so Its all good...adn Suppaman I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going for the surgery if you feel like you want it...and if you are conteplating on the Doc GO WITH DR. FIELDING...Best Doctor You can find, In mine and alot of other peoples opinions...Thanks again for the reply Ill keep udating...

THANKS

[Raven]

I'll echo what supaman said, with regards to taking it easy at first.

I waited 4 weeks and then hit the bench press and felt a little tear, so I stopped for another 3 weeks.
Then slowly progressed and even after 3 months, I decided I was ok to start chin ups again,.. WRONG
RIP... another tear inside by my left nipple..and I felt it.
Now I have a hard scar tissue in back of that nipple, and it's 5 months post op.

Keep in mind that chin ups require you to pull all of your body weight, so its considered to be more of a hard excercise, than doing bench press etc.

To summarize, take it real slow, you wont help anything by trying to get back in shape quickly.

[Relief_in_sight]

Ok I wont work out....Ill just do cardio
Thanks

[supaaman]

Yeah,

That's cool.  Better to take it easy and make sure.  You have plenty of time until beach weather anyway.

With some lower impact stuff - like swimming, hiking, biking, elliptical machine, even running - mixed with a good diet - you'll be a machine anyway.  Getting leaner through diet and general exercise has much more affect on how your abs look than any ab regimen.  When you are ready, do some really focused "crunches".  Even if you only start out with a few at a time, do them slowly and focus on using the ab muscles only (not using other muscles to help you swing up).  Start with 10, then work your way up to 30-35 at a time, in sets of three.  Once you get there add in some other ab exercises.  Spending 10-15 minutes on abs, 3-4 times per week it plenty.

I am glad to hear Raven's experience as I will tread even more carefully after hearing his report.  Chin-ups are pretty intense though.  They are a great exercise, but pretty much the most traumatic for your muscles.

Thanks for the recommendation of Fielding.  I think he is the way to go for me too.  I'm not really overweight and I'd say it's almost completely a glandular problem, so he seems best for that.  I would have gone to see him already, but I live in Vancouver.  I have to travel there twice in the next few months on biz, so I will get a consultation on one of those trips.  

It's been great having this site as a resource.  I kind of assumed that guys with this problem were all grossly obese and that I was odd for having this problem as a relatively lean person.  Now, from the stories and photos I have seen it is a problem that affects "regular" guys - not really related to your body type.