Gynecomastia Support Forum
International Forum => U.K. => Topic started by: 3rdTimeLucky (Dave) on January 31, 2013, 04:45:28 PM
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Hello all, this is my first post here but without this forum I wouldn't have found out about Paul Levick and how well received he is.
Let me tell you about my story...
Developed puffy nipples at around the age of 13/14, spent many many years pseudo-depressed, hunching my shoulders, wearing hooded tops in summer etc etc. I'm sure many can relate.
At the age of 23, spending a few years saving up, I decided to go for surgery at a hospital which was local to me (Spire Hull).
1st operation was done using a mammatome, ended up with a huge hematoma and thus had to have one side of my chest drained via needle every other week for a while. GRIM.
Spent the following year deeply unsatisfied with the results and still convinced I could feel gland under both nips. I started working out and going boxing/running in a bid to 'tighten things up'.
So then came the 2nd operation.
The suregeon thought that I only needed lipo, despite my protestation that I could still feel gland. However, he knew best... Anyway, had the lipo. It did NOTHING.
This led me down an obsessive road of intense martial arts and weight training plus working as hard as I possibly could (in a tough manual job) so I could build muscle and drop body fat. The result was that I ended up pretty shredded at ~5% body fat and constantly knackered due to overtraining. When I was cold the nipples would almost look normal, but in the shower or if I was hot they would puff out. I'd had enough, went back to the surgeon and I could tell I put a lot of pressure on him, but he wanted to leave one side alone and thought the best way to go for the bigger side was to peform a benelli incision (remove the entire areola and stitch back on) and trim back the 'excess skin' - a term he would recurrently refer to... Oh and this was to be performed under LOCAL ANAESTHETIC to reduce cost!! He would also say 'but you can't remove all the gland, there needs to be something there.' Something I would later find to be a myth.
I left his office that day, dejected, and confounded to defeat. Was this really my ONLY option? I went away for a while - on holiday to Thailand, great holiday though it was I had a hard time hiding these damned puffy nips.
As soon as I got back I typed in to Google, 'best gynaecomastia surgeon UK'.
Mr Levick's name appeared atop the list, and just below a link to this very forum...
So I went to see him, he debunked a few myths, was sympathetic to my cause after having to go through this twice already, showed me his exemplary and efficient technique with pictures and recalled stories of former patients. Had a look at my gyno, and arranged for to get booked me in for surgery. Spirits lifted!
I had to take the option of getting a BMI card where I took out £3000 and payed the rest on debit card.
(BMI Card info: first 6 months 0 interest, 0.79 APR there after, minimum payment - 5% total balance.)
Here are some Pre Op Surgery Day pics followed by 1 Week PO pics:
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More pre Op
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another Pre op
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1 Week Post-op, took the bandages off today, impressed with the right side,
left side is pretty swollen and more sore with the bandage off.
Hopefully isn't a hematoma.
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Right pec (originally bigger than the left)
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Left pec, OUCH, bit throbby!
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Another front view.
I'm currently taking arnica and bromelain. Might have some ibuprofen such is the swelling...
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The bruising looks pretty rough at the moment, but trust me.
The first time around I had it done I dark bruising all over the place,
currently using one of these to minimise the swelling:
myprotein.com/protein-accessories/myprotein-hot/cold-gel-pack/10615613.html
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Looks great, nice and flat. Glad you found Mr Levick after your previous surgeries. Sounds like you've been on a bit of a rough journey to get to the "other side"!
I'd get advice from Mr Levick about using any kind of cold packs for swelling as there is nothing in the paperwork about trying it. I'd also email a pic of the bruising to Levick's office to enquire if it looks like a hematoma. I'd have thought it's just bruising myself.
Another top result from Mr Levick by the looks of it!
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I emailed him today, I'm just assuming that the ice pack makes sense.
In theory it shouldn't do any harm, but I should look into it a bit more.
Thanks for the reply.
I'm going to be writing a tactful letter to the Spire hospital enquiring about potential remuneration! - Just a little more info regarding my experience:
On my last visit to the hospital, the surgeon showed me pictures of gender reassignments and operations that were botched and had bad scarring. Not once was I ever shown a decent picture of a procedure that had gone well. Imagine walking out of there with that "£$%c in your head?! It freaked me out...
He does a lot of breast surgery, cancer, reductions/augementations etc and for the NHS. But seems to be the only 'gynaecomastia specialist' they have there. I'm glad I never went for the 'scar revision' under local anaesthetic, it probably would have been another botched case.
I think I'm going to put forward a case that should they really be offering such a procedure if the success rates are seemingly low and the surgeon is clearly unaware of a less invasive and more efficient procedure such as the one the Mr Levick administers?
After the first operation I was never filled with any confidence, but prior to that he seemed to talk the talk... Levick said I could provide his contact details for the hospital/surgeon to give an insight into his methods, which I think is good thing. But I'm going try and claw back some of that 4 grand even if I have to use solicitors! It was my life savings up to that point...
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I'm sure everything will work out mate. Dr levick knows gynecomastia, he's done hundreds.. Apparently even suffered from it himself.
Good luck with recovery. Make you you eat massive amounts of pineapple to help the bruising
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I'm sure everything will work out mate. Dr levick knows gynecomastia, he's done hundreds.. Apparently even suffered from it himself.
Good luck with recovery. Make you you eat massive amounts of pineapple to help the bruising
He certainly did suffer it himself. Didn't get rid of it until he was in his 40's as they hadn't invented lipo until then.
Also, Levick actually trained Dr. Karidis. That's when you know the guy is a master at this art.
3rdtimelucky, I'm 2 weeks post op and still have dark bruising. Levick assured me it wasn't a haemotoma when I emailed him. Hopefuly he'll give you the same reassurance.
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Thanks for the reassurance guys, he'd too told me he suffered from it.
As for the pineapple, I'm eating a modest amount of it along with a supplement called Bromelain which is the anti-inflammatory chemical property of pineapple. :) (bought from Amazon)
Back to work on Monday, thankfully I now work in an office job, so no hard graft.
Told them I was having 'elbow surgery'... ;)
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Let us know what Levick replies to your email mate
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2 weeks P.O. Left side still pretty swollen, feeling squashy underneath, quite sore too.
Bruising has considerably reduced, doing light massage. Arnica twice a day and taking Bromelain 3 times a day (@ 500g) will start reducing the dose next week.
Right hand side is sore but barely any bruising.
Few hard lumps at the bottom of my chest that are probably the most painful, caught them a couple times getting undressed and it produces a burning pain which is pretty unpleasant!
Weird pain down my LHS ribcage and lower abdominals and that is the worse side, maybe the pain is related. Consuming plenty of protein and 1/4 a pineapple a day to aid recovery.
Definitely getting there, I expect to hear from Levick tomorrow after admin replied to my e-mail from last week earlier today.
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Left hand side.
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Right hand side.
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Bird's eye view.
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Your bruising is coming down nicely, always makes things look a bit extreme when you get colours like you had. I don't know how your body generally reacts to injury with regards to swelling but I'm 10 weeks post op and still have swelling, as I expected. My last injury with ligament damage in my ankle (pretty server) but the doctors said the swelling would go after a month and even looking after it it took 6 months to go back to normal.
How you feeling with regards to the improvement you have atm. Looks to me like your profile has improved nicely.
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Really nice result! Not really much else to say, once the bruising/pain goes your gonna be really pleased.
The BMI card thing is interesting aswell, sounds like a reasonable way of lending the money.
Shame that you've experienced sub standard surgery in the past, but Levick's done a great job.
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sjwsjw - After my first surgery exactly the same thing happened to the left side, but I had a far worse hematoma and I could feel pain where my initial incision wound was for the first one too, hearing from Levick today and his initial opinion on my 1-week post op pics, he thought I had a small hematoma and said that it will more than likely resolve and mentioned he too experienced the same thing.
I sent him the 2-week pics and will see what he says, but it is going down. I may need to go and get it drained if he thinks it appropriate but my feeling is there may be no point.
Just doing light massage in the shower, can feel hard lumps at the base of my chest wall that are very tender, will be going easy on those bits haha!
Really want to get back to action, kickboxing and weights but I've gotta be patient I guess. I don't really want to train chest and shoulders before its fully healed so may just have to get very light and promote blood flow (hence healing nutrients) into the area when I feel more comfortable.
Oh and as skateboarding and playing football for many years I know all to well about ankle injuries!!
Cheers Todd, I'm going to go back to the previous hospital and try claw back some money.
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This is a great result from levick. Your bruising 1 week post op was probably the most significant case I've seen, but it's looking much healthier now. It will get better with every day from now on. I also wish you all the best trying to get some of your money back from the previous procedure.
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^Cheers Pez, your result looks really decent.
3 Weeks Post Op - Birdseye View
Left side still squishy and bulbous, seems I had a minor hematoma which is still resolving, with me I noticed after around 10-14 days the bruising started to fade with each successive day. Possibly due to the Bromelain I started taking in addition to Arnica 30c. I also wear neoprene under armour to alleviate chafing - also adds an extra layer of compression. After a shower I slap some moisturiser on my back, sides and shoulders as they get itchy and dry.
Anyway its still pretty sore but I'm getting more mobility - can put my hands right above my head which I wouldn't recommend trying for at least a fortnight as the trauma to the pectoral muscles causes them to contract, but I routinely do *gentle* stretches throughout the day including putting my hands against a wall above my head and leaning forward.
Also noticed the 'creasing' in my right nip which some have mentioned on here, not phased as the overall result is a comprehensive improvement on my old chest!
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3 Weeks PO - LHS
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3 Weeks PO - RHS
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3 Weeks PO - Front
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4 WEEKS POST OP - BIRDSEYE VIEW
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4 WEEKS POST OP - LHS
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4 WEEKS POST OP - RHS
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4 WEEKS POST OP - FRONT
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As you can see, things have improved. Though the left side is still a little swollen.
Both nipples are 'asleep' and still numb, reluctant to pop out.
Anyone know how long that takes to resolve?
Also noticed that string-like streaks under the lower part of my chest are pretty painful so I continue to lightly stretch them out.
I've yet to do any exercise and probably won't start until all the tenderness/pain settles completely.
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
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week 5
Left side still swollen, still sore and a bit tight. Nipple numb and asleep on that side, feels and looks really weird. Armpit wounds are quite big but will hopefully fade.
Going to have to keep wearing the vest for another few weeks, also using an elastic strap for extra compression. Bought more Bromelain tablets too.
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Looking good mate.
If you haven't already I'd invest in some bio oil. £20 for a big bottle at boots (might be cheaper elsewhere idk) but that stuff is really good and lasts ages even with regular use. A good massage makes a big difference.
How's the tenderness?
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Looks Excellent!
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Looks great, you should be very happy :) .
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sjwsjw - I've got some bio oil, but I massage with that Mens Cocao Butter moisturiser for the only reason being is that my skin was dry. I've been using the bio oil for the armpit scars [which look more noticable in real life] and they seem to be fading out.
Still quite sore, left side is probably 25% more swollen than the left which is completely flat, not quite as tight as it initially was but the nipple is 'awake', just wishing the left one would return to normal already!!
For the time being I'm applying more pressure with an elasticated strap that comes with the Hot/Cold Pack from MyProtein.com, the reason being is that the vest doesn't offer as much compression as it first did.
Little bit worried my left nipple won't go back to normal so going ask Levick about it this week...
So to summarise, still sore on both sides, more so on the one I had a hematoma on, still feel like I need compression at this stage, when I go for a few hours without the vest it feels odd. Coming up to 6 Weeks post-op, will upload some more pics to track progress.
Hope this serves as a helpful guide or insight for someone. ;)
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I think the vests get to a point where they feel more comfortable so it feels less tight. How much longer you with the vest?
I know what you mean about the dry skin. I had about two weeks of insane dry skin. It was pealing off like I was badly sunburnt (gross). I was a little concerned for a while about it tbh. I think it was the combo of the oil and the restricting of the vest not letting the skin breathe.
I'm sure your nipple will 'iron out'. Mine stayed creased for a while. After a couple of months I found I spent less time looking at my chest so closely and my nipples have improved basically to normal and I'm about 14 weeks post op.
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Think I'm going to wear it for another 3 weeks and use the elastic strap from when I got to bed till midday. It's got to the stage where it feels weird not wearing the vest, I've had that before but the swelling resided quicker as the previous ops didn't remove barely anything.
My skin hasn't shedded! Though I've still got a mark from peeling off the dressing which really wasn't nice.
Weird that the nipples do that, did you get any sensation back? Mine are numb!
Also when did you ditch the vest?
Cheers for the reply, and also to McGilli. (y)
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I wore the vest for 5 weeks. Karidis says 4-5 week. I started getting a lot more sensation all over my chest once the vest was removed. It's not anywhere near where it was before but it is coming back.
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I wore my vest 2 weeks full time and another few weeks for 12 hours each day.
I've gone back to wearing it full time during the week and at night at the weekends!
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why have you gone back to wearing it ? :S
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Because I've got a bit of swelling and feel that wearing the vest might be good for it. They do say that those who wear the vest longer get better results.
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oh darn, you made me feel bad lol..personally I wore the vest for 5 weeks full time and then just stopped completely.. I don't know how that'll effect my results now
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Swelling is a normal part of healing. The vest doesn't stop it but it reduces it a good deal. 5 weeks is enough time to get the major benefits from the vest. There's no harm in wearing it further but by then it's effect is much smaller. I found I started to get feeling return much quicker once I had stopped wearing the vest.
Personally I'd always say for people to follow what their surgeon tells them. Especially if it is karidis or Levick they aren't guessing these numbers. I asked about wearing it for longer and he said I could if I wanted but it wasn't necessary, once I heard that I was comfortable with taking it off.
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Levick doesn't give you a time period for wearing the vest. The hospital booklet might say 4-6 weeks I can't remember but he himself says it's entirely up to you and if you feel there's any benifit in wearing it longer, do so.
I think I'm seeing an improvement since I've started wearing it full time but that might not be down to the vest, I can't be sure
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I wore my vest for 6 weeks. Only removing to shower.
After I took mine off everything looked great! I thought that was it - totally done!
Then over the next two weeks without the vest, gravity happened and things started to sag a little so I was then taken back for a revision.
Still wearing my vest 2 weeks now after revision. Personally I don't mind wearing it.
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6 weeks
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6 weeks
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6 weeks
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6 weeks
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6 weeks
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6 weeks out:
Things are slowing, the left side is still sore to the touch and massage its daily with cocoa butter/bio oil, applying bio oil to the axilla scars on the armpits in the hope they will improve.
VEST: If I don't wear the vest for a few hours the left side will bulge out and feel like a stiff lump. More compression is better, as mentioned before using an elasticated strap that came with a hot/cold pack from MyProtein.
Going to contact Paul today to see what he thinks.
I'm still taking arnica at 2 tabs a day, but got some Bromelain which I take 3x a day as carving up a fresh pineapple isn't always practical when you haven't got time.
RE: Bromelain, it is the anti-inflammatory compound in pineapple.
Going to contact Paul today to see what he thinks.
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I've been in touch with Levick and there's not much I can do but wait and keep applying pressure, the hematoma isn't fluid like and hasn't been for nearly a month so I'll have to see it out.
Was going to post pics but will be doing so every 2 weeks now.
But generally since last week the progress has slowed and my left pec is possibly bigger (maybe due to massaging) and still feels odd, no normality in the areola yet either. Seems to feel a bit tighter over the ribcage too when I stretch overhead on that side, in any case I'm probably looking at a around another 3-4 months till it sorts itself out.
The right side is pretty much there now.
If I've got time I'll post pics next week.
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The result looks good from what you have posted up.
7 weeks isn't very long really and if you have had complications then you can't really define a standard time line.
Numbness may or may not get better, seems to be varying experiences on that subject. Had mine done in '08 and have limited sensation as a result to this day.
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Thanks for your input 'Kingboob' haha!
I think impatience is getting the better of me, though I'm a bit concerned that it won't resolve how I hope and am really just trying to find out info about hematomas. I can't recall how long my last one took to sort out I think it was only a month though, mind you some stuff has actually been removed this time which is maybe why its taking longer than I had hoped.
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I'm in the exact same boat.. Keep the faith my friend I'm sure we will both have a great final result..
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9 Weeks Down the road now, very slow progress if any in the last 3 weeks.
Hematoma is a strange thing, seems like a hard lump and protrudes...
I do worry that it will stay like this and form into scar tissue, I really hope not as it will basically be the same as the condition I had before only on the opposite side, I guess not seeing any progress for a while has been disheartening.
Will with any luck post pics in the next couple weeks.
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Anyone else having problem loading pics?
I'm at week 12 now, oddly the protrusion on my left side has increased and the lump is quite hard - apparently the hematoma reabsorbing, the skin on my right side is not as tight anymore too. Been back in the gym for 2 weeks and everything feels fine, wear the vest less often but from the 6 - 12 mark was still wearing it daily until a fortnight ago.
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Still having problems uploading pics. I get a message that says the 'upload folder is full'
Can't do a thing about it... :/
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9 Weeks
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9 Weeks
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9 Weeks
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12 Weeks
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12 Weeks
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12 Weeks
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12 Weeks
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16 Weeks
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16 Weeks
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16 Weeks
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16 Weeks
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16 Weeks
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So I managed to get some pictures posted finally of the 9 weeks mark and up to the 16 week mark.
This is obviously taking a long time but I'm getting there, left nipple is still asleep and is stiff/bulges out which is evident that the hematoma is still there unfortunately there's quite a large area that is hard despite what the pictures reveal.
I've disbanded the vest and use the elastic strap instead now.
Also, the skin of my right nipple has gone quite slack, can feel a nut-sized bit of scar tissue, don't think its going to go away as its pretty hard, I'm not that bothered really.
Been back in the gym for the last 4 weeks no problem at all with mobility though my left ribcage is still strained slightly... Weird.
I was hoping by 4 months that things would be settling but looks like I've got some time yet!
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23 Weeks on nearly 6 months, if anything the scar tissue/sleepy nipple looks worse now. :/
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23 weeks left side.
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23 weeks right side.
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Going to get in touch with Levick and see if I can get a kenalog shot as progress seems to be regressing... Gutted, not what I hoped. Still going to be hunching this summer. :(
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Definitely get a review one on one with him or at least send him these pics. He will get back to you pretty quickly.
I'm 6 months post OP too, still healing. God luck buddy, keep us posted.
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Heard back from him today, going to arrange to get an adcortyl injection in the next couple months.
How is your recovery going?
Definitely get a review one on one with him or at least send him these pics. He will get back to you pretty quickly.
I'm 6 months post OP too, still healing. God luck buddy, keep us posted.
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I feel for you mate, but the injection will work wonders!
Any chance you can get some photos of the arm pit incisions? It would be great to see what they look like as not many on here take any :/
Heard back from him today, going to arrange to get an adcortyl injection in the next couple months.
How is your recovery going?
Definitely get a review one on one with him or at least send him these pics. He will get back to you pretty quickly.
I'm 6 months post OP too, still healing. God luck buddy, keep us posted.
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I'll remember to get some armpit shots posted for next time, if you go to the 4th page of this thread you'll find some incision pics. Cheers
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Hows it going mate? You had surgery a week after me so it's interesting to see how you're getting on.
I'm unsure if I need that injection you speak of or not, I plan to visit Mr L in the coming months if my chest still doesn't seem right.
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Hi there, haven't been to see him as had to go abroad due to unforseen circumstances with family.
Here are some update pics 32 weeks out (7 months), I included the armpit shots as requested.
As you can see the left nip still does not resemble a nipple and quite honestly it feels like I still have gyno even though I know its a hematoma, its just taking so long to resolve. The skin behind my right nip is also pretty slack I'm hoping it will eventually tuck in with time.
Also heard back from Spire (my original choice of hospital for two result-less procedures) after sending them a letter, basically they refused outright to give me any compensation partly because I didn;t come back to them to tell them I was unhappy.
Quite irrelevant really - I'm thinking of suing them now.
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7 months PO
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7 months PO
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7 months PO
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7 months PO
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7 months PO
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This doesn't initially look that bad but nips are still a bit tender especially the swollen one, its the way it feels as well. Trying my best not to have a gyno-hunch!
Wish it would hurry up already!!
Will try and see Levick when I get back, he's been very good about everything, can't knock him.
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Your case is very interesting. The armpit scars appear almost completely hidden and should only get better with time.
So this hematoma thing is just one of those things outside the surgeon's control is it? Do you believe that aside from the hematoma that the gland and the right amounts of tissue have all been removed? Have you gone in for an injection or anything to try and get rid of it?
The right side looks absolutely perfect, so I hope you can sort this other side out soon. Please keep us posted.
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The armpit scars are actually disappearing I only noticed the other day.
Haven't seen Levick yet about an injection, I'll hopefully get one before then end of the year if I can. There seems to be a bit of slack skin on the right nipple but it is responsive to the cold and touch as such.
There's not been much progress with the left side, I'm confident the gland has been fully removed, the thing with the hematoma is that even now its still quite tender.
I was intending to go and see him but I ended up having to deal with the passing of my mother who was living abroad, in a twist of fate though I've managed to find a girlfriend which is something I've struggled with for the most part of my adult life.
Doubt I'll be posting with as much frequency anymore, but will return every now and then with update pics. It'll serve well just to show what people can expect from this kind of surgery.
Fair to say I've been unlucky!
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Hey mate, just wanted to know how are your chests doing? Has the scar tissue gone down? if it has, how long did it take for it to completely go down?
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Hey mate, just wanted to know how are your chests doing? Has the scar tissue gone down? if it has, how long did it take for it to completely go down?
Last Active: November 09, 2013, 01:35:07 am
Don't fancy your chances of a reply mate :-X
Hopefully it means that things improved and he was able to get on with life :)