Author Topic: SUGERY DONE! Karidis - 20/02/18 - New Technique - pre/post op pics  (Read 4663 times)

Offline Neergs

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Alright Fellas,

As I'm writing this, I am one day post surgery and I've just got home. I have been on and off this forum for almost 8 years and been dealing with gynecomastia since I was around 13. I'm now 27. Its a mild case, especially in comparision to some of the guys that have posted on here before, but it has restricted my life to no end. I was teased by friends, and even worse it was pointed out in passing by people I hardly new, especially when wearing t-shirts and on holidays.

But anyway, enough of the sob story. We all know how it feels and what it comes with, but I know when it was me browsing through the 100s of posts on here, all I wanted was details of the process and the result, so lets get to it!
I have three holidays booked this year, so I thought darn this im getting it done! I booked my consultation with Dr. Karidis for the 24th Janurary at 11:30am, and as I live in Birmingham booked a Virgin train down there to Euston Train station. I caught a couple of Tubes to St Johns Wood, and then from there the Hospital/practice is a 5 minute walk at most. The consultation is exactly as everyone else has said on here, short but sweet. He asked me to take off my shirt, tense my chest, and he had a little feel.


'I can sort that, no problem'.


Brilliant. He says everything you want to hear, and tells you how many procedures hes done and how regurally he does them. As I mentioned, my case is fairly mild which I've found is difficult when trying to find similar cases, so I asked him if he could show me any cases he had dealt with. He flicked open a folder on his computer and said 'I have 1000s of photos here, it could take a while' at which point I just said forget it, I was already convinced.


The one thing I think is really important to mention here, which I didn't know before the consultation, is he has started used a new technique after the surgery is complete, to reduce the risk of hematoma. He told me that the chance of it happening is very low (around 7% of all cases), but because he performs so many surgerys he wanted this down to 0%. This new technique designed to reduce this involves a series of stitches being woven across the entire chest, essentially sewing the entire skin of the chest to the fat/muscle under neath. This made me feel a little uneasy, especially as he has only just started doing this. If I'm honest, this was the part of the consultation which felt the most like a sales pitch, as if he was trying to convince me about it. He did however say it was up to me if this was done, and who am I to tell him whats best! Its also important to mention these stitches stay in for around 24 hours, so an extra night stay/ visit the next day is required.


After the consultation you're taken to an advisor to go over pricing and booking the surgery. It was £1300 for the deposit for the Surgery, and another £252 for bloods and MRSA tests to be done at the hospital on the same day, which took around 45 minutes. I deided to get the bloods out the way, save the hassle of doing it at home.


The surgery was booked for 20th February, to arrive at 7:30AM, and the Total cost was going to be £4055 for Karidis fee, £1483 for the hospital fee, £252 for bloods and MRSA.


So, the day comes and I get on the train to my hotel the night before, ready for the big day! (I stayed at The New Inn hotel, which cost me around £200 for two nights. It was a nice enough room, but noisy because its a pub, so had football and music on until at least 11pm, but was a 10 minute walk to the hospital). I've got to say I was shitting my pants at this point! I got to the hospital at 7:20 and had a few forms to sign before being taken to my room. The room is nice with a tv and an ensuite, where you'll find your gown, socks, slippers and sexy see through underwear. The nurse comes in, asks you loads of questions about your health etc and tells you how your day is going to go. Then the anaesthetist comes in to introduce himself and asks you the exact same questions. Finally Karidis himself walks in and takes some quick photos, and marks you up. Again at this point im so nervous im ready to shed a few tears if im honest, but Karidis has a confidence that settled me almost instantly. 'You're nervous? Well obviously, but this won't take us long to sort out those pointy nipples'.


I then sat around in the room for about an hour and a half watching the winter olympics and filling in the form for the food you wanted after the procedure, before another nurse came in and led me down to the room where the general anaesthetic would be administered at around 9:30am. I've never had a surgery before, and at this point I was losing my head. But the Anaesthetist talks you through it, tells you that you're going to feel drowsy and then..


I'm awake. Its 11:20 with a couple of lovley nurses next to me, giving me water and making small talk. You wake up with a machine next to you, which is pumping cold water across your chest. I had a little head ache, but I felt as though I'd had a nice sleep. My throat hurt, but other than that I felt fine, around a 4-5 pain on my chest. As others have mentioned, it felt like a bit more than a heavy chest workout session. You're then wheeled back to your room, where they tell you the cold machine will be left on for the next 5 hours, so it's a case of waiting around. This was the worst part for me, waiting around sat upright in the bed. I have a bad back sometimes and it was playing up being sat in an awkward psoition. The cold machine had a few issues so the nurses were in and out of the room trying to sort it, and other nurses would regularly come to take your blood pressure, probably very 30 minutes. During this time, I was still feeling a bit crap due to the GA, drowsy and with a head ache. I need to stress that I had MEGA dry mouth, so when the food came it was like eating ghandis flip flops. Make sure you take a few bottles of something nice to drink and maybe some hall soothers or something!
At around 3:30 the cold machine was taken off of me, and one of Karidis' nurses came into see me. She gave me my compression vests, pain killers, and applied some more dressings as i'd leaked a little. The compression vest is tight, as it has to be, but it chafes under your armpits near the incisions made for liposuction. I've found putting tissue or some dressings under here helps massivley! She then said she would see me the next day at 11:30 for the stitches to be removed. I left the hospital around 4:00pm.

I walked back to the hotel with relative ease. I haven't mentioned it yet but my girlfriend has been with me through all of this so far. I'd definitley reccomend having someone with you, even if just for support.
Anyway that brings me to today. Had a rubbish night sleep because you're told to sleep slightly upright on your back, which is so uncomfortable to me, and the pain was slightly more at around 5-6 out of 10. The pain killers work pretty quickly, but apparently can make you constipated, so get some laxatives like senakot. We went for some breakfast befoe getting to the hospital at around 11:15, where Karidis Nurse was waiting to take out the stitches. BIG TIP - shave your chest! I shaved mine the night before the surgery, but even so when she took off the dressings it clings to eveything, and you are tendor anyway! The stitches come out with ease and you barely feel a thing, maybe like a needle poking you a little.

Well thats it! I'm sat at home now, chilling with a cuppa tea. Feels so sureal, not sure it has sunk in at all. All I'd say at this point is im glad I've gone through with it, just so theres no more wondering what It could be like or if I really have to keep living with this. I know theres a big journey ahead now, I mean I'm only a day into recovery, but hopefully by posting this it will help anyone else on here, and equally myself get through the coming weeks.
Photos incoming!
« Last Edit: February 21, 2018, 01:23:46 PM by Neergs »




Offline nonini

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Never seen anything like this! Best of luck, really curious how this technique will turn out.

Offline Neergs

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Cheers mate, the new technique hasn't got much to do with how the surgery is performed, but rather an addition to help prevent hematoma. So hopefully the result should be similar to his other cases!

These photos are one day post op, before and after the stitches were in. 

I'd also like to clarify that I've never said 'darn' a day in my life.

Offline Neergs

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DAY 3 POST OP


So its been 3 days now since the op. The worst part so far has been sleeping, its so uncomfortable sleeping upright, i've barely been getting 4-5 hours kip a night. Pain has practially all gone now, just feels a bit sore when trying to lift my arms above my head which i still can't do. 

I had my first shower yesterday and took off the pads from my nipples and armpit incisions. It's the strangest feeling I've ever had, looking down and not seeing two big pointy things. It took my brain a few minutes to adjust, its almost like looking at someone elses chest. First thing I noticed is at the moment I haven't got too much brusing, and I couldn't notice the incisions around the nipple. The incisions at the armpits were visible, but tiny, a very light pink which looked as though they hadn't quite healed yet. As others have said, its almost too flat at this point, but thats to be expected after stuff being removed and wearing pads and compression vests etc. Also there was noticable swelling nearer to the sides of my chest, towards the arm pits, but hoping that wll settle down in a few days/weeks.

I say this with caution, but so far im pleased with what ive seen. I know 3 days in is nothing, but I'm going to try and go through this with the most optomistic outlook I can to make it a littl easier! I didn't take any pics this time because my phone had died on me, but ill definitley take some when I remove the pads again!

Offline sawyer

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Congrats on the surgery! Looking good so far.
Glad to see he's advancing techniques to improve the surgery as I developed a haematoma after surgery with Karidis which lead to life threatening complications, a night in ICU and a blood transfusion. Definition worth the prevention!

Offline PositionQ

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Congrats on the surgery! Looking good so far.
Glad to see he's advancing techniques to improve the surgery as I developed a haematoma after surgery with Karidis which lead to life threatening complications, a night in ICU and a blood transfusion. Definition worth the prevention!

Would you mind telling me when he haematoma arose? How did you know the difference between it and scar tissue? Sorry if it's a dumb question.

I'm currently raising funds for surgery with karidis which I plan to have later this year but I never knew that such side effects were possible. Regardless I will have to bite the bullet and get it done some day so I might as well get it done earlier than later.


Also OP would you mind posting some further pics to see how you're getting on?

Offline Neergs

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Post Op Day 10


Sorry for lack of updates, I was back at work 5 days after the operation and I work for the gas emergency service, and with this snow I've been working 16 hour days! 
I guess thats the first point i'll make, going back to work has been barely any trouble at all. My chest is still tight, and movement is restricted, but carrying out medium levels of physical work havent really been too hard. I sometimes feel ive made some swelling worse, so I maybe should have taken it a little easier but it is what it is.
I've been taking arnica tablets and bromelain as often as possible, but I'm not great at remembering to take so many tablets a day to be honest.
Bruising at this point isn't too bad at all, in fact its pretty much gone just a bit of yellow still knocking about. 

I had an issue with one of my wasterproof plasters on the nipple after day 6 and when I took it off it had been bleeding a little, so I kept the next set on for an extra 3 days to let it heal, so after 10 days they have healed up now. The right hand side is hardly visible, but the left (one that had bled) is scabbed up now.

The swelling is still quite bad, and on the left side its making the contour of the chest a little weird, but after only 10 day in im not too concerned, just got to give it time and rest. I have probably aggravated it through work aswell but trying to take it a little easier atm to let it improve.

The vest is frustrating. It rides up like a b**ch all the time, feels like im wearing a bloody crop top or bra, but other than that its not too bad to sleep in now. I try and sleep on my back, but sometimes ive woken up and needed to go onto my side for a little, which feels alright to be honest. I've started wearing an under armour compression vest over the top for a little extra compression, because the main area of the swelling is near the arm pits, and the vest doesn't feel too tight on that section. 

The left side, which is healing more slowly is the side which more glad came out of, which i guess has alot to do with it. 

Ill put pics up now, any questions about anything ive forgotten just let me know

Offline Neergs

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Excuse the dirt its from the plasters, and some of the creasing is due to just taking off the compression vest. 

Offline Neergs

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Offline Neergs

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2 weeks post op


Its probably been the quickest 2 weeks of my life, and everything so far seems to be going well and as expected. The pain is definitley starting to go now, I've got most my range of movement back but my chest is still tender in certain places. 
The scar tissue started to form around day 11, certain sections of my chest are solid, and it definitley affects the contour of the chest. I'd be lying If I said I wasn't worried about it when I first felt it, because it genuinley is like a rock under there haha. But its all exactly how I expected it to pan out, and thats thanks to reading so many posts on this forum. 

Another thing is my left nipple hasn't really woken up yet, still knocked out in dream land. Its started to scab up a tiny bit, which again was a little worrying when I noticed it, but I know its part of the healing process so just got to wait it out. 

I don't know when I'm going to start massaging yet. I feel like I could now to be honest, but feel like It might be a little too early in the process, so going to start at 3 weeks. In terms of the compression vest, I guess now im at the 2 week mark I can take the vest off during the day, but I think im going to wear it most of this week and wear it an hour less a day until 3 weeks to get used to it.

Its a weird feeling post surgery. I know theres a long way to go in terms of healing and final result, but I'm feeling alot more positive than I ever thought I would. Its both worrying, and not worrying at the same time, its difficult to explain. I think I've just come to the realisation that I can't really affect much anymore, and it is what it is. The surgery is done, now I have to sit back and heal, and the body will do that in its own way. 
I can't wait to get back in the gym. I have a holiday in 10 weeks for a wedding and a stag abroad in 11. I'm hoping things are looking good by then but thats definitley being optimistic!

I've taken some more photos which I'll upload later tonight.

Offline strax

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Results look awesome! 
I have a pretty similar (mild) case of gyno like you did and I think I'm finally going to get it sorted this year, finances pending. It's crazy how such a small thing can weigh so heavily on your chest (pun intended). 
Looking forward to seeing how you heal up. :) 

Offline Neergs

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pictures of my whole chest, then one of left and right (ignore the sheet in the back, wall has been knocked down for my new kitchen haha) - finally got rid of the dirty bit from the plasters aswell!


 

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