Just had surgery *updated with photos*

[thekryptonian]

Hey all,
I posted here a while back about suffering from the dreaded puffy nipples.

Well after a lot of thinking, and two appointments with Sue Thistlethwaite and two with Dr John Collins I bit the bullet and booked in for the surgery.

I decided to go with Sue as she seemed the more experienced, more knowledgeable choice, whereas I found Dr Collins to be a bit blase and dismissive. His initial suggestion was just 'put up with it' and I almost felt like he thought I was wasting his time by coming to him with my complaint.

Granted, my GC was limited mainly to the dreaded puffy nipples, but as I'm sure anyone reading this knows that alone can have a big impact on your life. I was at the point where I wasn't even comfortable wearing t-shirts anymore because I was so self-conscious.

Anyway...

Had the surgery Wednesday. My experience was probably much the same as a lot of people in terms of the clinic, pre-op etc. so I will skip those details and just report the important bits (or the stuff I would want to read if I were still on the other side!).

In all my surgery went very smoothly. Woke up feeling fine in recovery and all up I think I was only on the table for about an hour.

I had minimal pain, and would describe it more as being sore than genuinely in pain. Regardless, they gave me medication for pain in recovery and then again a little later.

The staff at the Linley clinic were great. Very attentive, very friendly, and not once did I feel embarrassed or uncomfortable around them.

The worst bit was probably getting out the drains. It isn't so painful, but feels quite strange/uncomfortable. My nurse was super-nice and tried to make me it as painless as possible. My suggestion is just grit your teeth and do it. They're out in 30 seconds and it really isn't that bad.

Next day I felt fine. Bit sore. Stayed home. I can move pretty normally, just not lifting of anything too heavy. I'm fine to drive and walk around.

After midday my belly button got really red and itchy, they swelled up with blisters. I called the hopsital and they didn't know why, but assured me it was fine and that it would just be a reaction to something.

Third day out I went to Sue's office to get the bandages off. A nurse does this, not Sue. In fact, you don't even see Sue.

The nurse was so friendly and helpful. She has obviously done and seen this many times before. The tape coming off was completely painless and easy. I have very minimal body hair and the tape used on me was a different type (I sometimes have a reaction to bandage tape) so maybe this is why.

THere's no pain during this visit, but I still flinch everytime the nurse goes near my poor nipples. I see my chest for the first time. Pretty bruised, but flat... But seeing what looks like deep cuts at the bottom of my nipples freaks me out. I'm also very numb in the area.

The nurse assures me that everything looks good, and that what I am seeing is normal. She talks to me about scaring and the special kind of stitches Sue uses to minimise scaring.

She also lets me know there are things they can and will do if the scaring is bad. However, I scar 'well' if that's the right term and I'm not really worried.

I leave Sue's office with waterproof tape over my nipples and the vest back on. I can have a shower but haven't been brave enough yet. Will have to take the vest off and will feel a bit vulnerable.

Some people have complained about having to wear the vest but I love it. Yes, it is sometimes not the most comfortable thing to be wearing, but it gives really good support and compression. And you definitely want that when your chest is feeling this weak.

Anyway, that's where I am up to.

At this point just crossing my fingers for a good result, and frustrated I can't get to the gym.

[davidson]

Keep us posted on your progression mate.

And thank you for replying on my own thread.

It's great to hear that the results are good so far. One of my concerns was keyloid scarring but as far as I am aware I 'scar' well as well.

Was your GC glanduar or fatty tissue?

Thanks,

Davidson

[thekryptonian]

Mine was all glandular tissue. I have very little body fat (though post-op being away from the gym is helping with that!). I had excision only. No liposuction.

I wouldn't have even considered the procedure unless I was sure my problem wasn't fat related. You can lose fat. So if you're fit (six-pack abs) and you still have a problem? It's glandular, not lipo.

Had a shower yesterday. Probably the worst part of the process for me as you feel very vulnerable without the vest on and everything is a bit sensitive (or I'm feeling a bit sensitive about it).

Feeling better again today (currently it's Saturday and I had the surgery Wednesday morning).

In general everyday I have been feeling better and moving a bit easier. I'd like to be out walking more but currently walking or moving around too fast feels a bit jarring on the old pecs.

Looking forward to getting the stitches out. I think after that I will feel comfortable showering normally and be able to start getting back into a normal routine, even if I can't get back to the gym (which has been the worst bit for me).

[thekryptonian]

Braved another shower and took some pictures to share. I can't actually find a good before shot of my chest. The main reason being I never let anyone take pictures of me shirtless. But I'm sure I have one somewhere. I'll hunt around so you can all compare.

Firstly, my poor bandaged chest:



I'm a lot more bruised and swollen on the right side. I don't know why. My puffy nipples were worse, to me, on the left, but that side is barely bruised or swollen. I obviously have the waterproof tape that was put on a couple of days after my operation, and if you look closely you will see my belly button is basically one big blister still. Everything looks very flat.

Me with the compression garment on:



And the shape I was in before the op:



PM me if you'd like a link to some bigger versions of the photos. It won't let me post a link here and I don't know how to make them bigger on here.

[riot1234]

can you tell us the cost of your surgery, and break down the costs