-- Surgery - Two Days Later...

[goodbyegyno]

Hello all,

Firstly, I'd just like to thank everyone on here for the posts. The information has been invaluable over the last couple of years that I've been reading the threads.

So, I am currently relaxing in the hotel two days post-op after deciding to take the plunge. I have suffered from both glandular tissue and fatty/breast tissue since the age of 20 and decided that I would come to Poland for my surgery. I had played with the idea with going to a UK clinic, however the consultations and enquiries were neither encouraging nor productive.

I will skip the build up and booking process as this was very smooth and Jeremy Clark was more than helpful. Everything was organised by Jeremy and ran like clockwork. However, I will say I was completely browning my pants in the days leading up to the surgery.

The actual procedure took around 1 hour 30 mins. Katazyna said that the glandular tissue was in fact reasonably small and the only lipo'd around 110ml each side, so not a lot. I am reasonably lean, work hard in the gym and have a good clean diet, so I suppose that made the procedure slightly less traumatic and lengthy.

Immediately after coming round I felt a very minimal amount of pain. The nurse (who was incredible) changed my dressing a few hours later as one side started to swell slightly more than the other so more compression and padding was applied to that side. Within an hour everything was fine and both sides looked the same and all was well.

Katarzyna came in around 11am the following morning to look at my chest and change the dressings. She said everything looked great and I had my first glimpse of my new flat chest - which was completely unbelievable. One of my nipples looked a little bit mishapen, however it had been under tight compressions since the operation and the tissue needed to adjust. Upon changing the dressing this morning I noticed that the nipple was starting to look more normal. Having said that, I really couldn't give a crud about how the nipples look right now as I know that with clothes on I will have a smooth flat chest.

Yesterday there was very little discomfort. Just a slight tenderness to the touch, but I guess I shouldn't keep pressing and prodding anyway. The only serious pain i'm getting is from this god-awful compression bandage they put on me. It really digs into my arm-pit, so I would advise putting some tissue or soft material between your skin and this area when applying the compression vest. The clinic gave me a velcro bandage thing that you wrap around yourself. This provides a lot of compression (as well as almost stopping your ability to breath) but when I return home tomorrow I have two vests waiting for me - one from Macom and one from Underworks. I thought I would give both a whirl and decide which provides the best and most comfortable compression. I've read fantastic reviews of both, so I will try both with the medical gauge undernearth. I also plan to wear an Under Armour top over the vest for extra compression (and extra concealment).

So, today is day two (sorry for the jumping back and forth in time) and I have had the drains removed and dressing changed. I still have no swelling at all and again, very little discomfort. It feels like I have had a heavy chest session in the gym and I have that two day ache. I can't wait to return home tomorrow and replace this wrap-style vest with the Macom or Underworks.

In terms of bruising, my chest is a bit yellow and there are some purple blotches here and there. However, most of the bruising has come from how tight the vest was applied yesterday.

All in all, so far so good with very little pain considering my body has been put through a lot of jabbing and poking and cutting and sucking. I'm sure I have some swelling, draining fluid and discomfort to look forward to, but I can handle a few months of awkwardness for a lifetime of happiness (god that was pure cheese).

I will try to keep you updated with progress and healing etc. It will be much easier to take pictures and keep you informed when I have a normal post=op vest rather than this wrap as it is a pain in the jacksie to put on. Katarzyna is an amazing woman - she is friendly, efficient and clearly has a passion for what she does. I would recommend -- to anyone even considering going through with this procedure.

Any tips/useful information on how to reduce risk of swelling and pain would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you for reading this hefty first post!

[McGilli]

Sounds like a success!

I have found there isn't too much you can do to keep the bruising away. Obvious things like don't stretch or strain etc. But you might get bruising popping up at odd times in areas like your chest or lower even. But it always goes away pretty fast.

You'll need to put working out at the gym out of your mind for a while. After my first surgery I tried a little to soon and got bruising across my torso so had to stop for another week.

Other than that it sounds like you're on your way, good luck!

[difsnbo]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery goodbyegyno...sounds like a good experience in Poland! I am slated for a similar procedure on April 24th and found your post informative.


Just some background...I am in my early 40's and have had the stigma of gynecomastia for more than 20 years. I started realizing it in my late teens and never knew how far it would progress. Dieting and exercising in cycles never really modified it or resolved it. As those with gyno know, swimming and running always involve trying to hide it; dating is nerve-racking if you want to get more physically involved; and preparing for any social function revolves around how best to hide it and the constant suspicion that others are looking/wondering at/about your protruding chest.
 
Gynecomastia seemed to serve as a check to any sort of assertiveness that I would try to muster up in certain social situations. The emotional toll this physical condition has caused has prevented me from having a really meaningful connection with people (and by extension, life.) I decided to do something about it in the last few months and hope the surgery in Poland will help me towards a better outlook, physically and mentally.

That being said, how is the town where you are staying goodbyegyno? Is it easy to get around? Any suggestions as to special items to bring with you? I am waiting for some final details/payment info from Jeremy Clark before my procedure later this month.

Oh, I have read elsewhere on this site that lots of fluid intake (water especially) and massaging can help reduce swelling. Pain meds (esp. acetaminophen) seem to be standard therapy if it gets to be too much. A lot has been said about wearing the appropriate vest as well for about a month after the surgery as well. Hope to see more posts from you...good luck.

[goodbyegyno]

Difsmno - thanks for the response. Szczecin is quite a nice place, with the rough parts you get in every large town/city. I would say that some of those rough areas are quite intimidating, but this is more than made up for by the lovely areas and great architecture. Navigation is very simple as places of interest are all off two main roads, and if you ever get lost just look for the top of one of the main churches/castles and you'll find your way. To be honest, once you've had your op you're not going to want to walk around too much as you'll be a bit tender but a little movement is encouraged.

In terms of things to take - there are some things that Jeremy might not tell you to get but Katarzyna will. For example post of she will provide a prescription for you to pick up at the chemist next door to the clinic. This is for some cream to rub in the chest area, some pain killers and some antibiotics. This costs around 27 quid. Then the day after when you go and have your stitches taken out you have to go back and get some gauge to cover the nipple area until your stitches are taken out...this cost around 18 pounds. You also need some sort of antiseptic cream or ointment to clean the areas with stitches before applying the new gauge each time you shower and change dressing.

If you have any questions or concerns leading up to your op don't hesitate to get in touch!

McGilli - thanks! I won't be going in the gym any time soon that's for sure. Did you have to get any fluid drained throughout your recovery period? I have started to get some swelling on the left hand side, to the left of the nipples towards my armpit. I'm not concerned at this stage as I'm expecting much more swelling over the coming weeks, and it isn't excessive at this stage - it's around 1cm - 2cm of 'squidginess' under the skin.

After cleaning everything up last night it seems most of the heavy bruising is under the armpit area on both sides from the compression garment. My nipples are looking good - right is just as it was before and the left only has a very tiny indentation next to the stitching. I didn't massage too much as I was told to wait a few more days as it could cause more bleeding so soon after the op. I will very lightly massage today whilst rubbing the cream in and then start more firm massage when I am close to having the stitches removed.

The surgeon said to massage for an hour each day, despite on her website recommending 30 minutes. Does anyone have any other suggestions for appropriate massage times that worked for them?

Thanks for the responses so far.

[goodbyegyno]

Difsnbo - sorry, I forgot to reply to some of your other questions. Water is a must. I drink 3l a day anyway minimum, as I'm 6ft 3 and train hard in the gym, so ill continue with that. Drinking more fluid helps the body to not retain fluids (sounds pretty strange doesn't it). I also drink 4-5 cups of green tea a day, so I will continue with this to help flush out excess fluids and toxins (plus it is a fantastic metabolism booster). I don't take in much salt, but I am cutting out foods with a high sodium content to further reduce the amount of water my body retains. This is supposed to help to reduce the chance of infection and amount of swelling.

Get a vest from Macom before you go. I put the Underworks one on yesterday but it was such a pain in the arse to put on, the stress and strain actually caused more soreness and swelling. I'd have put the Macom on last night but I didn't want to put my body through the strain again and cause further pain. The compression garment that -- provides will offer good compression and is easy to put on, but it's bulky, hugely uncomfortable and will cause bruising around the edges of the garment. The Macom vests fasten at the front so are much easier to put on and are extremely tight - which is what you want.

[McGilli]

Yes - After my 2nd surgery I had to have some fluid drained a few times - pain in the ass. I have a diary going in the Stories forum. It details it there. My swelling got so bad I actually had to be cut open again and have all the blood squeezed out

Good luck!

[goodbyegyno]

Thanks for the response McGilli.

Quick update: it's now day 5 post op and a lot of bruising has turned to that dirty yellow colour so that is good. Swelling on the left side seems to have gone down a little bit - it's not quite as squidgy and is a little bit smaller but firmer, so still some tender swelling there. Not really in any pain or discomfort and managed about 15-20 minutes of very very light massage after my shower. However I am conscious of doing too much at such an early stage so I am not going to massage much at all until 2 or 3 weeks have passed. Nipples are healing great and all is looking good so far...even with the slight swell on the left side if it stayed like this forever I'd still be happy!

I do expect more swelling and fluid build up so it's still early days...but it's encouraging so far.

[goodbyegyno]

Quick update:

Now 8 days post op. The bruising on the chest has almost gone from my chest, though I do still have some dark purple and red bruising on my ribs, but that seems to be turning yellow now. I don't really have much swelling...when I'm massaging I can move the skin quite freely, but it doesn't feel watery...I think it's just the loose skin that will soon smooth out. It feels reasonably hard over the whole area and I can feel the outline of my pectoral muscles, so there isn't too much in terms of fluid and blood underneath the skin.

Got a slight crease in my left nipple above the excision site. Parts of my chest and nipples are still a little bit numb, which is a very strange sensation! I really don't give a turd about the crease at this stage because the overall appearance is flat and has the natural contours of my chest, rather than the embarrassing pointy appearance before the op.

So so happy with the results so far. Probably have some swelling and fluid to come over the next month or two but all is going brilliantly so far and I'm in barely any discomfort at all.

[phillipshead87]

Great to hear everything is going along quite well!