(sorry for the length..this ended up being longer than expected....)
Like everyone on the site, gynecomastia played a large part of my life. I got it as a teenager back in the late 80s. Even though I was fairly skinny, it was very noticable. As many will relate, my life consisted of a tight t-shirt under everything (even when it was 100*) and never going shirtless ANYWHERE. It wasn't just the size of my gynecomastia, but the shape. A lot of the mass was on the outside of my torso which cause my nipples to potrude at a 45* angle (see pic) and hang 'outside' my torso.'
Here are the before pics...
While it bothered me every day, it didn't keep me from living a normal life. I can't remember it being an issue with anyone I dated. I got married, had kids. My wife made a passing joke about it one time when we were newlyweds. But she knew from my immediate reaction it wasn't something I was comfortable joking about and she never mentioned it again. But I never went swimming with my kids. I made excuses for wearing a loose dri-fit shirt (with a shirt underneath) on a cruise. It was something I adjusted for all the time.
Then one day I just got sick of it. I was tired of dressing in layers, avoiding the mirror when I got out of the shower, being self conscious about exercising in groups.
In October 2012 I reached my breaking point. I was in the parking lot at work and did a simple search about 'getting rid of man boobs.' I got a quick lesson in gynecomastia and the options for getting rid of it.
I had an unexpected $5,000 bonus coming and decided to see a local PS. He was close to the office and someone a friend had used for her procedure. (first big mistake)
The doctor took a look and confirmed what I already knew, I had a pretty significant case. He got out a piece of paper and showed me how he'd make half moon incisions, remove the issue and all would be well. I held my breath and waited for the estimate from the patient consultant. $4750. The doctor had a surgery slot open the Friday of the following week.
While it was hard to do, I had a tough conversation with my wife about it. I felt really bad asking to spend the money on something that was selfish and superficial. But I explained to her how much it had always weighed on me and how it impacted me in so many ways. She was extremely understanding and told me to go for it.
Over the next week, I read more, learned more, found this site and started to wonder if I was jumping too quickly. I followed up with my surgeon for pre-op and on a separate day as well. I asked if this was a big part of his practice and as tactfully as I could, how many of these surgeries he's done. He couldn't have been more dismissive as he said 'oh, about a billion.'
The surgery date rolled around. I was ready to finally be done with this. The surgery seemed to go smoothy. I was the last patient of the day, so the only person left was the recovery nurse and my wife. My wife said the doctor said he removed a 'tremendous amount of tissue.' I was given instructions on the drains and sent home.
I went back in the following Monday to get my drains removed and see the first results. I had read enough to know that I shouldn't get too worked up over the initial results. But when he undid the bandages, I wanted to throw up. There was still a LOT of tissue. Even worse, it was uneven where my left side was clearly bigger than the right...and sort of saggy...like liquid at the bottom of a ziplock bag. The doctor acted like it was an absolute masterpiece and raved about how great it looked.
It got worse when I got home and took a shower. When I moved my arm, my pec would get distorted...like there was an invisible string being pulled diagonally across it..and it would twitch awkwardly when I moved my arm.
The doctor dismissed my concerns in my follow up meetings and told me to be patient. I still layered in tight t-shirts. I still avoided looking at myself when I came out of the shower. I was disappointed, angry and frustrated. I tried to just put it in the back of my mind and see where I was at the 6-month follow up.
Before my six month appointment, I decided to get a second opinion. I did some more research and went to see Dr.
Dr. Dr. Wilcox. The patient consultant gave me a document with an overview of
Dr. Dr. Wilcox's approach. My heart sank as I read it. (though I can't link to his youtube video, he has a short 2 minute clip with the same information). Essentially
Dr. Dr. Wilcox uses a technique where he goes through a small incision on the side to do excision and liposuction. No drains, no mutilated nipple.
Dr. Dr. Wilcox confirmed what I'd already feared. There was a lot of tissue left. He did make me feel a bit better in saying it's a much easier correction than when too much tissue was removed. The patient consultant brought the estimate....same exact money I spent on the original surgery.
When I followed up with my original PS. He agreed the results weren't' what he'd hoped and offered to do a revision. He would waive the surgical fee, but I'd still have to pay for the outpatient surgical clinic and anesthesiologist (about $1,500)
So I had 3 options.
1. Consider it an expensive lesson learned and live with the initial results.
2. Pay for a revision and trust the same doctor to fix what he originally thought was fine.
3. Pay the full cost for the procedure done with a more effective technique.
I had to do something. I wasn't going to go forward with the results I had. I knew I was going to get another bonus the next year. I hated the thought of paying for the same procedure twice. But I swallowed hard...talked to my wife over the holiday over the holidays and showed her the
Dr. Dr. Wilcox clip and asked what she thought. She told me that if I didn't trust the original doctor and wasn't happy, definitely get it done right.
So I scheduled the surgery for January 2014. Everything went smoothly. No drains...and I could tell even with the vest on that things were flatter. More importantly things were even...and there was no jiggle or bounce anymore.
Here are pics from the revision. The pic on the top of each set are the the results after my initial surgery. The pics on the bottom of each set are how things looked after the revision.
The results have gotten better and better since then. The surgery encouraged me to actually get into shape. I started a C25k program and got addicted to running. I ran my first 5k in September and 2 more before running a 10k. I dropped 25 lbs and running 20 miles a week and training for a half marathon in March.
I have no issues running in a dri-fit shirt on the windiest of days. (something I wouldn't have done before.) I wear t-shirts and golf shirts with nothing underneath. I've been shirtless around my wife more this year than I was the first 18 years we were married.
If you have the resources, get the surgery. And definitely do your homework and make sure you see the right surgeon. It changes your life!
Topic: 2 years, 2 surgeries and finally the end of the gynecomastia road..... (Read 1669 times)
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