New member intro - Surgery with Karidis 6 October

[FreeManDan]

I’ve been browsing the forum for a couple weeks so I thought I should maybe join and introduce myself. Thanks to some inspirational stories I found on here, I decided to have my consultation with Dr. Karidis, which happened last Friday. He was great, very professional and put me at ease straight away. I hadn’t been to see anyone else and nor do I feel like I should have either – after meeting him in person and reading the recommendations from here I felt like I had found the Dr who could help me.

One very large withdrawal from my bank account later, I am now booked for surgery on the 6 October. A little up and down about the surgery since then really, some days I can’t wait for it and others I’ve been like “What the hell are you thinking – surgery?!” I really hope it’ll be worth it in the end…

Anyway, I suppose I should give you all some background and what lead me up to here. I’m 29, nearly 30, and have pretty much had gyne for as long as I can remember. I think the first time I realised it was a problem and I didn’t have a ‘normal’ chest was at school camp when I was in grade 7. Some of the kids there teased me about my moobs and I’ve been self-conscious about them ever since, wearing dark and loose T-shirts, avoiding all swimming pools and dreading every beach holiday.

The weird thing up until a couple months ago I think I had learned to live with it. I guess nearly 2 decades of covering up your chest will do that. Then I started my new job and it all changed. We were out one evening for induction drinks and I was at the pub with my new colleagues having a laugh, until one of them called me ‘bitch breasts’. It was said as a joke, but it still hit home. That made me realise that I’m nearly 30 and I’m ready for change.

So that was all it took really. I quit smoking, joined a gym, revamped my entire diet and – most importantly – found this forum and Dr. Karidis. And I guess now there is no turning back, my life is about to change and there’s nothing I can do it about it!

As I said in the title, if anyone has some pre/post op advice that would be much appreciated. I picked up some Arnica tablets yesterday, when should I start taking them?

Also I saw something about pineapple – should it be pineapple juice? Fresh cut pineapple? Pineapple out the tin? Sorry if I sound silly but I just want to give myself the best possible chance to heal.

I’ll also be posting my experiences leading up to and after the surgery for anyone who cares to read it.

Thanks again guys, look forward to chatting with you all.

Cheers,

Dan.



 

[badger]

Hi Dan.

I haven't had gyno surgery (yet) but had a completely unrelated, invasive operation last year and researched what things could speed up wound healing. I had to see a nurse each week to check on my progress and the wound ended up healing much faster (by a few weeks) than she had expected. Whether this was down to what I was taking or just coincidence - who knows? But I'm planning on having gyno surgery soon and would definitely use the same protocol.

About pineapple - it contains an enzyme called bromelain that has been shown to reduce the length of the inflammatory phase of wound healing i.e. bruising, swelling, pain. You're not going to get much of it from eating pineapple so it's best to supplement.

I have a good summary of the science behind the healing process and the research into what can decrease healing time, dosages found to be effective in studies etc. I can't link to it on here (links are disabled) so if you want the web address you'll have to message me.

I ended taking everyday:

Vitamin A 25,000iu
Vitamin C 3g
Vitamin D 5,000iu
Bromelain 1000mg
Zinc 30mg
Glucosamine 1500mg
Arginine 15g
Glutamine 15g

Also drank aloe vera juice but I don't think that would help with recovering from gyno surgery.

Of course none of this should be seen as a replacement for a good diet. It's recommended to eat 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight post-op. I'd also probably eat a good amount of red meat, vegetables, fruit, vegetable juices, homemade soups and other mineral-rich food sources.

I didn't start taking anything until post-op though I think all of the above is fine apart from bromelain, which should only be taken post-op. As far as arnica goes, I don't know, sorry.

I usually get my vitamins and stuff from the US because it's half the price of buying in the UK, even with postage costs. I didn't have time to wait the 1-2 weeks for delivery so ended up getting most of it from Holland & Barrett instead. Though they charge way too much for their glucosamine which, as well as arginine and glutamine, you can get for much cheaper on the internet.

Hope that helps and good luck with your surgery!

Simon

[ITrecruit]

Hi Mate.

Kardis will give you the arnica tables, you should receive it in the post with your welcome pack.

Get some waterproof plasters, got mines from boots, so when you shower you can take the old ones off...you only need them for the first week, so no infection get's in the incision hole.

get ome arnica cream for the massaging stages which is around 2-3 weeks post op,

thats it i think, you get 2 vests i believe....cant think of anything else.

[Swarley]

Hi Dan,
How did it go?