Regular Use of Pain Meds, how can this affect my Surgery? My Story..Holla!! :)

[SweetTaTasNoMore]

First let me start by saying this is a wonderful site.  I've been reading for a couple years now, but never post.  I figured i would "Man up" and post since i have the ball Rolling and im going to go ahead and get the surgury.

I am in the process of battling it out with my insurance company to cover my procedure.   Its in the Beginning stages for me.  I just got my first consultation 2 weeks ago.   Today i had to get a Mammogram done so my insurance company can see where i stand.  The Plastic Sergeon took pictures, and i have a Very Severe case of Gyne.  He refers to my situation as Fat in my chest not Gland. I'm Told i have about 180 CC's of fat?   I dont know where that stands on this board..as far as bad mild or what..I'm figuring its rather Severe. I wouldn't have the Surgery done if it wasn't Severe.  I read alot of stories on here, and see alot of pics and chuckle..Not a laugh to put anyone down, but a laugh b/c mine is so much more severe then majority of the photo's.   I dont mean that i a bad way, I am in the same boat as everyone else on here trust me.....i am just reconizing my situation to be a more severe one that most of the cases i see. 

I'm about 6'3, 290lbs. I hide my Gyne Very Well(Tucked in WifeBeaters To hide my gyne, Mutli Shirts over my Wife beater, Baggy Clothes, U guys Know the Deal...)  I would consider myself fat, but a "Solid" fat..i'm a big guy, and for me this is a genetic thing...as it runs in my family.  24 years old..Beautiful 5'2 gf thats never seen me with my shirt off in the 5 years we been together!!!...I'm young, active, got alot going for me, popular, heavily tattooed...just a regular run of the mill kid is what im saying...just one of them things thats had a grip on me for so long i'm ready to take the next step and having this procedure done.   I recently got a great job with insurance, so it will be covered for me now..i never had insurance, so now that i do im jumping on the opportunity to move forward and have this done.

I eat about 3 5mg Perkocets a day.  I am in no way shape or form justifying why i take them. I just want to lay my situation on the table and be as honest as i can.  I take them through the day, and have taken them regularly for about 2 years.  how will this affect my surgery? I've never had any type of surgery before..and i'd be lieing if i said it wasn't driving me crazy! i'm terrified of the whole thing!!!    When im given pain meds after the surgury..i figure they wont have a affect on me like they should since i've taken them regularly for the last couple years.  Anybody have any simliar situations?

I also used to smoke alot of pot back in the day, but haven't touched anything in a couple years.   Growing up i used to smoke quite a bit..but them days are over.

Lastly, Can anyone suggest to me a Doctor in the PA Area?? I had a consultation with a guy in the Philly Area, and we are moving forward getting the approval from my insurance company, but i am just not comfortable with my doctor. I felt Very uneasy with the guy.  Great Staff..But He weirded me out, And the Office Wasn't as Clean as i would have liked. That alone makes me wanna run elsewhere... I want to have a Sergeon that specializes in this procedure..as i have a serve case here.  I am in the Philly suburbs..and have a Very Severe Case. I'm looking for the best doctor in the area...If anyone any recomendations please shoot me a private message! or reply...I Greatly Appreciate all Replies and suggestions

Thanks for Reading!

[Mr_Nip]

I eat about 3 5mg Perkocets a day.  I am in no way shape or form justifying why i take them. I just want to lay my situation on the table and be as honest as i can.  I take them through the day, and have taken them regularly for about 2 years.  how will this affect my surgery? I've never had any type of surgery before..and i'd be lieing if i said it wasn't driving me crazy! i'm terrified of the whole thing!!!    When im given pain meds after the surgury..i figure they wont have a affect on me like they should since i've taken them regularly for the last couple years.  Anybody have any simliar situations?

First, let me say welcome. 
My wife is a registered nurse in a hospital, so I asked her about your situation.  She said that although 3/day are not a dangerous dosage, you have now built up a tolerance for pain meds.  This means your pain will possibly be more difficult to manage.  Fortunately this surgery is not known for bad pain, but you should try to wean yourself off the stuff because if you ever had a painful situation you could really suffer.  My wife has seen people in great pain because the meds she gives has no effect due to the patients' tolerance to pain meds.  You also need to tell your PS about this so that you will not be prescribed a dosage or combination that WOULD BE DANGEROUS.  It's unlikely that it would negatively affect your surgery, bleeding, or healing, since it's only a combination of Tylenol and Hydrocodone.  Neither of those drugs thin the blood.   I hope this helps you. 

[SweetTaTasNoMore]

Mr Nip,

I greatly appreciate you looking into this for me!   I hope your right when you say this isn't a very painful surgury b/c this is all new to me..first time going under a knife or being knocked out..I'm very "shook" by the whole thing.  Being that my case is a rather severe one. I'm working on getting some pictures for this thread to show everyone.   Tell your wife i said thank you for the advice, and i appreciate you asking her for me! i really do.


Does anyone have any suggestions for a good doc in the Philly area?  I am finally doing it after all these years..i want to make the right decision(s).

[rich19007]

I am in the Philly area.  I used Doctor Lam from Bucks County, PA.  He is located in Langhorne.  My PCP and other doctors told me he and his staff are great.  I am not even 2 weeks post op yet, but so far everything seems to have turned out ok.  I also read a lot of good stuff about Dr. Lo from Philly, and he even has a gynecomastia section to read on his web site.  You really want to inquire about the pain thing.  I read on most of these posts that there was not alot of pain, but when I woke from surgery, I was hurting, and the following week I was in pain.  They injected me twice with morphine and I was still in pain.  I could not even get myself out of bed the next couple of days because it hurt to move my arms in any direction.  It was nothing I could not deal with but all the same, you do not want to be in a situation where pain medicines don't work.  Talk to your PS, tell the pre-admissions people and the anethesiologist.  By the way, do you mind if I ask you what doctor you saw?  You can tell me privately if you do not want to say it.  thanks

[gynogone]

Just out of curiousity why would you take percocets? 

I was prescribed them and I don't think they do that much.  Except maybe put you to sleep.  Just to take them for the hell of it?  Why?  What is the effect?

After surgery I was in a lot of pain.  No way with large glands you're not going to be in pain.  I think they took over 1000 ccs from me....over  1 LITER.  Like you I'm about 6'1" 250, but very solid, work out alot.  No one would ever look at me and say I have gyne. 

But my PS SCOURED me.  I felt like a pot that had been scrubbed with an SOS pad for about an hour or two.

They gave me some morphine and I took some percocets that day and some more the next.  I guess they work some.

They also give you INCREDIBLE constipation.  Wow.  That was probably the worst part of recovery.

[gabbyhey]

After my surgery I was prescribed Lortab for pain.  It helped a bit, but really not all that much.  I never took pain killers before in my life.  I can count on one hand how many times I've even used advil or tylenol in the last year.  People were telling me how loopy those pain pills can make you.  I kept waiting to feel messed up and never did.  (darn.)  So anyway, the pain really wasn't that bad despite the fact that the pain pills didn't do too much.  Plus physical pain is like 100 times easier to deal with than psychological pain.