help! should i cancel surgery this week???

[dav242]

i'm freaking out a little bit about all of this -

i'm a student, on spring break this week, and last week i put down a deposit for surgery (lipo-only) this wednesday.

i haven't paid the full amount yet (i'm supposed to do that tomorrow), but i've been having what i can only describe as major anxiety attacks about this whole procedure over this past weekend. i think i've only gotten about 4-5 hours of good sleep over the past two days... it's like every 20 minutes, i think about this surgery or the possible side effects or complications...

my issue is this: i've seen 5 different doctors now about my situation, all of whom said that i'd need lipo only (i'm not significantly overweight - 5'5'', 125 lbs, and so i've concluded, from all these visits and from research, that fat cells have just clumped disproportionately in my chest area, probably due to genetics or slow testosterone growth or something of that nature - )

none have found breast tissue (or any major breast tissue), and when i pinch my chest, i dont' feel any hard tissue... but it really looks as though i have some kind of gynecomastia and it's been incredibly difficult to live with

the thing is, because i'm on spring break, i wanted to get ths procedure done and over with, so i could start with the healing process

i went with a doctor whose price quote was $3600 (covers general anesthesia, surgeon's fee, etc - everything included) - others gave me quotes in the 4000s,...

this doctor doesn't specialize in gynecomastia procedures, but acc to him and his patient coordinator, he has "seen plenty of these cases" -

in describing the procedure, he mentioned making incisions for the cannula right below the chest, UNDERNEATH the nipple, which was VERY alarming at first to me because the incisions would be in such a noticeable place

i kinda felt like he didn't have the general aesthetics in mind and was simply going for most effective fat removal. it almost felt like i was just another case for him to get through... but that just might've been his personality (or the fact this his consultation, unlike the others, was actually FREE / no charge).

does the fact that he wanted to make the incisions right below the breast (rather than in the more inconspicuous place under the arm) raise a red flag for this doctor?

he's board certified, has good credentials, and i'm sure he knows what he's doing, but when it comes to gynecomastia, i didn't get the feeling (it was jsut a feeling though) that he had aesthetics in mind -

and i also rationalized that this is essentially a liposuction procedure, which i have confidence he knows how to do well - it's just that in relation to male chest sculpting, etc, he didn't give me the warmest feelings...

he also mentioned right off the bat that i wouldn't need drains, given the amount of fat on me, which was a relief, but also was a source of some concern because he was quick to make that statement -

to make a long story short, i ended up scheduling surgery with him anyway because, despite my concerns, he's still board certified and works at a reputable office and  had the lower price ($400 less than the next doctor on my list)

it might've been a rash decision, but i really wanted to do this during my break and as soon as possible, just so that i can finally move on with my life...

at this point, though, with all my anxiety about the procedure and the fact that i didn't get the greatest feeling from him (i haven't actually been able to talk to him since my last consultation - mainly been talking to the patient coordinator), should i just call them up and cancel surgery? i'll probably lose my deposit, but i'd rather lose that than go through with a surgery that i'm going to be dissatisfied with forever...

because i scheduled so quickly, my pre op is the day before, on tuesday, and so i'll be able to talk to the doctor about my concerns then, but by that time, i'll have had to have paid the full amount...

i definitely would rather have the surgery this week and would rather not be the obnoxious patient that cancels, but i can't shake these feeligns of doubt --

is this maybe just a bad case of cold feet?? (i'm also incredibly frightened of the general anesthesia thing)
or is there something more to this??

again, this doctor has good credentials and he's charging the least out of all the doctors i've seen, but he just hasn't given me the assurance yet that i'm in the right hands, especially with his idea of making the incision just below the nipple, rather than off to the side, under the arm

am i just working myself up over nothing?
or should i really cancel surgery and hold off until the end of the year to schedule surgery with someone else?

i'm really at my wit's end here, and am almost at the point of just not going through with any surgery at all because of how difficult the whole process is and just continuing to live my life miserably as i have been for the past 24 years -

sorry for rambling on - just so frustrated and stressed -
i'd appreciate any advice - good/bad/ugly...
thanks...

[notanymore]

the incision should be made at the bottom of the aerola, nipple, so it is undetectable after....if hes talkin about cuttin below the nipple,  cancel the surgery and find someone else.

[tsjas]

I guess it all depends on the reason for your worry. Are you worried because you have hesitations about the doctor? Or are you scared of surgery in general? I have a feeling that you are just afraid of getting the surgery. Surgery is not going to be very bad since I have had a surgery. So it is up to you to make the final decision and think about it carefully. But If you have doubts about this doctor, then I would suggest that you cancel the surgery.

[dav242]

I guess it all depends on the reason for your worry. Are you worried because you have hesitations about the doctor? Or are you scared of surgery in general?

it's definitely a mix of both. unfortunately, i just don't feel the most assured with this doctor, especially given the fact that he's planning (as of my last consultation) to make the lipo incisions in such a noticeable place.

i was thinking that maybe during my pre-op, i could request the incisions to be made through the armpit - but i'm no doctor and i don't know what would be best

just curious - where did you hvae your incisions made? and are they noticeable?

from what i understand from this doctor, he'll get more fat out if he makes the incision in front, below the areola, rather than the underarm. that makes sense, but i scar pretty bad and i'd prefer the underarm incisions

but again, the fact that he suggested going through the front sorta put some doubt in my head about how much he cares about how things look VS how much he cares about just getting as much fat out as possible... and those feelings of doubt just contribute to the unease i already have with surgery generally...

ive been mulling and obsessing over this decision this entire weekend and i'm really leaning towards cancelling, but a part of me thinks i should just suck it up and get it done with and put an end to this chest problem...

i just wish this were easier... it's hard enough having the surgery, but deciding who to have the surgery with and what techniques are really the best and when to do have the surgery is already getting to be a major stress...

[dav242]

Hi There.

I totally understand your anxiety as I dealt with this issue since I was around 13 (I'm 25 and 12 days post-op). I was also pretty damn nervous before the surgery worrying about the outcome, potential difficulties, etc. It turned out to be a snap, and  so far I think the outcome was a complete success.

I have seen MANY posts from people who received lipo only to correct their gynecomastia only to be very dissapointed months later. These posts seem to be pilling up. I'm not saying lipo only isn't fine for some people but the sheer volume of people unhappy with lipo only procedures should be something to consider.

Don't feel bad about canceling the surgery just because you feel you might put the Dr. or his staff out. I'm sure this does happen from time to time and they can deal with it. Feeling comfortable your surgeon is far too important. The results are permanent (well they can be touched up) and the surgery is very expensive.

Did you see any before and after pictures from your Dr. of other gynecomastia procedures using lipo only? I can empathize with wanting to get the surgery done with over spring break but don't make that artificial deadline make you choose a surgeon you aren't totally comfortable with. Remember, you'll be bruised and swollen for 2-3 weeks and then it will probably take a total of 3+ months to heal completely, so it's not like you'll be healed by the time spring break is over anyway.

I'm not sure about the entry point for lipo only operations, my Dr. did lipo + excision and did it all through the same incision along the areola/chest skin border.

Good luck.

thanks - this definitely makes me feel better about not rushing into the surgery and you're right on about the healing thing - that's one thing that i was also concerned about - even if i had surgery this week, i might not be ready for school next week anyway (even though the patient coordinator claimed i'd be OK by then...)

but yeah, i also had concerns with the fact that so many doctors suggested lipo only - thta's why i ended up seeing as many doctors as i did - to get a few more opinions, although i'm sure it makes me sound like this mistrustful patient...

it's jsut so hard to knnow what's best since these situations are case-specific and there's no one "right" diagnosis, i guess...

all the doctors i saw were board certified doctors in plastic surgery, and so i'm trusting that this procedure is right for me

i'm really thinking i'll cancel tomorrow (possibly losing my deposit), but my gut - for some reason - is telling me to go with someone who i'm more confident/comfortable with...

[letspray]

I was once in your position.

My gut feeling was to back out, but instead I went through with it.  It ended up being one of the worst experiences ever.

I'm not telling you to back out, but if you have a STRONG gut feeling about it, you know what you have to do.

If your surgeon is board certified, and he has a lot of lipo experience, he'll probably do a fine job.  I just hope you don't have any glandular tissue, because lipo doesn't work for that.

Good luck.

[OddMuscles]

I would strongly recommend a tight regieme of healthy eating (rice, vegetables and fish, no sweets or fast food) and exercise as a good way of combatting gyne. To be honest if I had the option to do anything else but surgery I would have, as my case was completely glandular. Once you drop to 10% or under bodyfat, you will see where you can go.

Take care

Oddmuscles

[dav242]

I would strongly recommend a tight regieme of healthy eating (rice, vegetables and fish, no sweets or fast food) and exercise as a good way of combatting gyne. To be honest if I had the option to do anything else but surgery I would have, as my case was completely glandular. Once you drop to 10% or under bodyfat, you will see where you can go.

Take care

Oddmuscles

appreciate the advice, but here's the thing - i was at about 10% body fat last year and the year before, and i still noticed a fullness in my chest area. i started working out - i even did the personal trainer thing for a while - making sure i hit the chest and especially the lower chest (with declines, etc), which is where most of my chest fat is. since then, i'd been eating more to try to increase gains  and did the protein shakes, and i've definitely seen muscle growth in my chest, but that only pushed the chest fat further out... leading to an even fuller looking chest. i can still pinch quite a bit of fat in my lower chest (below the nipple, near the nipple) - nothing hard, just soft fat. but when i contract the chest muslce, there's less fat to pinch but still fat that i absolutely hate. even though it looks a little better like that, i wouldn't want to keep my muscle constantly contracted every time i took my shirt off..

i've tried dieting and doing more cardio to somehow "spot" reduce that fat in the chest, but that hasn't been too successful and sometimes i feel like i lose muscle mass that way, which only makes me feel worse

even then, my arms are pretty thin and i've learned (as many of us have) how to hide my chest, so it looks like i'm fairly skinny. so whenever i try to eat less or diet, people question it and probably think i have an eating disorder

i definitely feel like an odd case since there's just so much fat distributed in my chest, and not so much in my arms (at least not proportionately) or other parts of my body

i think this is a developmental thing or, as one doctor surmised, the result of slow testosterone development during puberty, which led to fat cells accumulating in my chest area. whether there's gland tissue intermixed remains to be seen, but none of the doctors i've talked to have been able to detect any hard fibrous gland tissue from regular examinations... and none of them have been flat out, "yeah it's definitely gynecomastia" - it's always been wishy washiness, but that doesn't change the fact that my chest is so full and feminine looking

i scheduled surgery as a last resort to these past several years of thinking about it and trying to fix it through other means. the problem i'm dealing with now is that i scheduled surgery last week pretty hastily, for this upcoming wednesday... and i don't know if i sholud really continue

i'm hopefully going to speak to the doctor today before outright cancelling (and losing my big deposit)

maybe he'll alleviate some of my concerns and maybe i'll go through with this surgery anyway. a part of me wants to get it over with and to move on with my life, but there's that nagging part that reminds me of all the complications or the possibilities of ending up with a chest worse than what i have now... not to mention scars and the trauma of dealing with the side effects of general anesthesia...

despite that, i don't know - imight have the surgery because i'm tired of fighting this and figuring things out and it's already scheduled and it's there... i might just take a passive role and see where this surgery takes me and accept the fact that i might end up with a worse, scarred chest area but that that's OK and at least i'll find some peace, knowing that i've tried everything...

and worse case scenario, tehre's always revisional surgery, right?

maybe i'm rationalizing too much just to affirm the decision i made last week to schedule surgery - i don't know

it definitely helps to get other people's opinions - especially guys who've been in my shoes and know the consequences of a less-than-satisfactory surgery experience

[SC GameCOCKS]

u should be alright with lipo only BC u DONT have hard tissue underneth and bc u are thin. (i had lipo only and it still left the hard tissue) Where they make the small cuts depend on where ur fat buildup is. If you have a lot in the middle of ur chest than he or she will have to make a small cut under ur nipples somewhere. If the majority of fat is on the sides (like mine was) than you will only have scars somewhere under ur arm area. hope this helps

[IlluminaZero]

Hmmm... That doesn't sound right. Just lipo? Did you request a mammogram or something of the sort?

EVERYONE I spoke to denied that I had Gynecomastia, I had to confront my doctor about it and request a mammogram before I knew for certain I had Gynecomastia. (I was getting sick and tired of "do more push ups" or "it's natural/nothing"..)

Most doctors probably just don't give Gynecomastia much weight. Most of the time doctors disregarded my suspicions because they believe that Gynecomastia is only the product of fully female breasts. It's a medically benign condition, so it's somewhat understandable why so many doctors just glaze over the subject.

[dav242]

thanks again for the responses -
captaincalboy - are your scars at all noticeable? and did you end up having another procedure to excise the breast tissue?
i'm definitely concerned about both issues for me

illumina - the lipo-only thing has concerned me for a while, and i wouldn't be surprised if they found breast tissue somewhere after cutting me up

i've posted pics here: http://www.gynecomastia.org/cgi-bin/gyne_yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=11;action=display;num=1142284213

i'm not sure whether your condition at all resembles that, but if it does, then maybe i should definitely try to push the excision issue before tomorrow...

others have posted that it looks normal, but i could use as many opinions as i can get

i still have major fears about this surgery but i know i have to get it done... i'm getting very little sleep and today i woke up thinking, 'oh my god i'm going to get sliced and bruised tomorrow" -