Author Topic: My botched surgery - General Surgeon  (Read 6939 times)

Offline puffynips0-

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Today I got my first real look at the results, and I hae to say I'm very dissapointed.

I realize the healing process is not complete, but I'm not feeling very optimistic at this point.

The incision lines look awful, and my nipple was cut over the top (rather than bottom like I usually see), which has given it an eerie appearance that it's about to fall off my chest.

When I first told the doctor that I just wanted to be able to swim with my kids and not have to worry about having my shirt off, he expressed confidence that scarring would not be a problem.

But the incisions he made are HUGE.  On the day of surgery (just beforehand) he told me I would definately have a scar.

I didn't know what to do at that point.  Part of me wanted to get up and run out of the hospital.  But another part told me that it was too late.  The doctors had all prepared for my surgery and running out would get me into trouble.

All I can say is the healing process isn't over yet, and I can try to muster some hope up that it will improve.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2005, 08:45:23 PM by Gyn.org »

Offline doddy

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Yeah, that's a serious scar. Who was your surgeon?
etc.

Offline allbah

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I do understand what you say but I truely think this scar (although unnecessarily large) will improve alot over the next few months. I have a large scar too and I know how you feel. General surgeons just dont think at all about cosmetics.
give it sometime.
one can never prepare to win a war, but one can prepare not to be defeated.

Offline puffynips0-

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Yeah, that's a serious scar. Who was your surgeon?


I'd rather not post his name.  Although, I can tell you that he is not a name of a doctor that we've seen at these boards.

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I do understand what you say but I truely think this scar (although unnecessarily large) will improve alot over the next few months. I have a large scar too and I know how you feel. General surgeons just dont think at all about cosmetics.
give it sometime.


Thanks for some assurance.  Do you have any pics of the way your scars have healed (maybe from an early stage and later?)  It would be really great to get an idea of the direction the progress may take.



Offline hypo

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Where are your new pics?

Offline puffynips0-

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My doctor was not a PS.  He was a general surgeon who claimed to have performed this operation many times.

I don't doubt him, but I think the cut he used was unnecessary

I did ask him if he had before and after pics during our consultations, but he told me because he was not a plastic surgeon, he did not take photographs.

To be honest, I might have over-reacted.  I've been upset at the way the doctor has addressed my concerns.  

He gave me many vague answers, that usually came down to something like "It doesn't matter either way, it's always the same in the end."

It's not an answer that suggests any confidence.  I heard this reply from him when I asked questions such as "should I wear a compression vest?" or "should I use something to help prevent scarring?'

We did get a bit further with the scarring question.  He said it would probably not be a problem during our consultation.  ???

However, shortly before the operation, he explained exactly how he would be cutting me and that I would definitely have some sort of visible scar (although likely to be slight.)  :o

I didn't like that contradiction.

Also I was disappointed to hear of the extra cutting that he would be doing.  I should have asked about this long before.  But I was not mentally prepared, and had other thoughts of the surgery on my mind.  Of course, the cut is a very important issue, but I had really assumed that it would be just outlining the underside of the areola.  That is the kind of cut I was very familiar with and prepared for (after reading these forums, I wonder if the underarm incision is an even better method.)

What he did is outline the upper half, and then extend the cut outwards horizontally on both sides (you can see that in my pictures from the diary.)  :-/

Having said all that, today I had my first look at my chest without any bandages, and it wasn't what I expected.  There is still quite a bit of healing in process, but I realize that I've probably jumped the gun in calling it "bothched".   I was upset when I wrote the first post, and even though I am still not happy with the way he chose to cut me, I need to give the healing process more time before passing judgment.

I took another good look this afternoon, and the redness from bandage removal had already faded which gave it a cleaner look.

I can still see some blood between my areola and the surrounding skin, where it looks like the skin has not fully reattached.  That scared me.  It gives the impression that I could just open that nipple flap right back up.  But as I said, there was some shock factor involved here.  Also, I've been in pain for quite some time, and it's just now starting to go away (although I'm not completely sure because I started wrapping a compression bandage again due to pain from a fluid build-up.)

In summary The healing process in just these two short weeks has proven to be more enduring than I thought at a psychological level.

I want to look better. I worry about the scarring, I worry about the recovery to a natural shape.  I worry about the pain.  I worry about the fluid build-up, which the doctor passed to me another, "It doesn't matter if you drain it or not"- type answer.

I will post some two-week post op pictures soon in my diary (see the signature of this post.)

Hopefully, you too, might agree with my conclusion after seeing those pics:  Although the doctor may not have spoken to me at a level that a patient needs and appreciates, the healing process is slowly taking place, and I need only to relax and give it time to recover.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2005, 07:49:19 PM by puffynips0- »

Offline Kevin

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General surgeons do not consider the aesthetic part of surgery. One of the surgeons that I interviewed recommends making an incision around the aerola with extensions - straight line cut on both sides of the incision if he cannot reach all glands. I believe your surgeon did this kind of incision.  
Surgery with Dr. Lasa - Ph 5/21/2005 (Liposuction only) My Pictures

Offline puffynips0-

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Are you happy with the amount your gyno has been reduced, if not the scarring?



I'm not really sure.  My nipples and breast have not regained a natural shape.  What I have definately noticed is that they are uneven.

The left side had always been more of a problem, which the doctor noted.  But he cut wider on the right side, and it is the right side that looks deflated with indintation.  I wonder if he took more out on the right instead of the left.

I will wait until that fluid gets absorbed, the swelling is gone, and they regain their natural shape for deciding if I like it or not.

I can say (even at this early stage) that there has been a decrease in size on both sides.

Assumming that I heal just fine, I think I will  be happier with the scar rather than the big puffy nipples.

Offline Spleen

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How much research did you do beforehand?  How many other doctors did you consult?  Anecodotally, I think the folks that have the most successful surgeries have a) done research and had multiple consultations, and b) have cases that are on the mild side of the severity spectrum.

Offline puffynips0-

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My research was all done here.  I asked the questions that I thought were important to the doctor.

He claimed to have experience with gynecomastia surgery.

He isn't a PS.  My family doctor referred me to him.

Anyhow, it's very likely that after I'm fully healed I'll feel ok about the outcome.

But for now, I still have the puffy nipples.  I just have some nice scars to go along with them.

My left and right breast look very different to me.  I told him the left was worse, but I wonder if he took more out from the right, by mistake.


Offline wasatchm

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I've head that giving treatment to scars makes a big difference on how well they heal.  the last plastic surgeon I talked to has a facility that also does hair removal and skin treatment and that is what he told me.  

is there anyone out there that has been recommended some type of treatment for scars from gyne surgery.  I think I am gonna do extensive research in this area before I have my surgery.  I want to know I did everything in my power to look the best I can after surgery.  

Offline Spleen

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My wife is using something her PS sells called "Scar Guard".  It's expensive, but this guys swears by the results.  Try looking in to it.  Also, I've readed that those silicone gel pads can really help flatten & heal scars too.


 

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