New guy here!

[shaknbake]

Hi Everyone!  I've been lurking on the site for some time now, reading and following everyone's progression from consultation to surgery and beyond.  I have to say...after many years of dealing with gynecomastia, it sure is nice to be able to relate to someone else's experiences.  For myself, after reading the information and experiences on this site, I finally mustered the courage to talk about this with my wife.  Even though we've been married for 10 years, it's still very difficult and humiliating for me to talk about.  I had told her how much the condition bothered me, and affected my self esteem.  She knew it did, but didn't want to say anything since she figured it was a touchy subject with me.  To my surprise, when I mentioned about corrective surgery, she was all for it!  I was shocked!  Perhaps I should have spoken to her about it sooner.......My wife said that she understood how something like this could affect a man's self image, and was all for me getting surgery if it would make me feel better about myself.  Man!  I love my wife!  Anyhow, since I have been researching this for literally years, I contacted Dr. Lista's office to arrange a consultation.  From reading about him in these forums, I understand he is highly recommended, and extremely good at this surgery in particular.  I see him in mid November (I could have gotten in much sooner, but I couldn't get the time away from my work).  Anyone here have any encouraging news or stories from their experience with Dr. Lista they would care to share with me?  Thanks!

[sandokan]

 Hey bro, i was in the same boat as you. I've been with my wife for 11 yrs, and it was only 2 month ago that i mentioned to her about getting this surgery.
 It was a shock to her when i told her b/c ive always been lean/muscular. Puffy nipples was my problem (caused by glandular tissue below my nipples/areola) this situation was much worse in warm weather.
 All these years i never told her it bothered me and she thought i was being to critical of my chest/nipples.... But she understood why having puffy nipples for a male could make you self-conscious. After discussing it for a while she said she was all for it (if i felt so strongly about getting this done)
 Anyways, i  had the operation yesterday morning with Dr. Fielding. It was a great experience, he's a real cool surgeon. He even had some classic rock playing in the operating room.
 I had a local anesthetic, and we were having a great conversation while i was being operated on. Which made the experience soooo much better.
 Cant wait to take the vest and bandages off. What suprised me so far is that im not feeling any pain, which is great :-)
 Both Dr. Fielding and Dr.Lista are the best gynecomastia surgeons in this area. And i also did alot of research on both of them.
 I eventually decided on Dr. Fielding b/c he performs the surgery in a hospital (so OHIP covers the hospital stay) Going with Dr.Fielding saved me over 50% of the cost. He has great credentials and has performed over 1500 of these types of operations.
 Good luck with your surgery and i hope all goes well.


















 
 

[shaknbake]

Hey!  Congrats about your surgery!  I understand that Dr. Fielding is also a top notch surgeon.  I have debated on whether to have a consultation with him as well.  From what I've read on this site, he has a great personality, and takes alot of time with his patients during consultations and follow ups.  I like the idea of being in the hospital (in case something ever happened).  It sounds as though it everything went picture perfect.  I can only hope mine goes as well as yours!  The one thing that drew me over to Dr. Lista's office was the way he excises all of the glandular and fat.  He does not go through the nipple area.  Everything comes through a small incision on the sides of the chest, leaving an inconspicuous scar.  Unfortunately, I think I am more prone to scarring than most, so the less noticeable the scar, the better for me!  Did Dr. Fielding use an incision below the nipple for you?  If so, I wonder if this is the only way he performs the surgery.... This may be worth looking into further.  In any case, my wife and I go boating a lot in the summer, and it sure would be nice to feel comfortable going shirtless next year.  Gotta say...sure is great having a supportive wife is it not?  After all that time, it was REALLY hard bringing up the subject with her.  But she totally understood, and was all for it.  For me, I don't really have puffy nipples, just enlarged breasts.  But I'm a pretty big guy (6'5" and 260lbs), so no one really teases me about it any more HAHA!  If only I were this big when I were 10! It sure will be nice to finally feel normal and wear a regular t-shirt without feeling self conscious.  So how is the compression vest working out for you so far?  I hear they are pretty uncomfortable.  Have you had any trouble sleeping?

[sandokan]

I like the idea of being in the hospital (in case something ever happened). 

Yeah thats what appealed to me as well. Ohh and the fact that OHIP covers the hospital stay was pretty good :-)

It sounds as though it everything went picture perfect

So far so good, no pain at all.  Well except from last night when my 3 yr old son jumped on the couch and landed with his hand on my left chest (and that hurt).. It was one of those moments where you just shake your head and say "tell me that just didnt happen" lol..
Luckily im wearing foam pads under my compression vest, and im hoping that absorbed some of the impact and hopefully no damage was done. Its amazing how easy it is to bump your chest into things (and never give it any second thought) but you really have to be carefull post surgery.
Im a construction worker, so you can be sure im gonna keep my vest on with padding underneath.

The one thing that drew me over to Dr. Lista's office was the way he excises all of the glandular and fat.  He does not go through the nipple area.  Everything comes through a small incision on the sides of the chest, leaving an inconspicuous scar.

yeah i think thats really cool how he does that. He pretty much works by feel (its an art in itself)

Unfortunately, I think I am more prone to scarring than most, so the less noticeable the scar, the better for me!

Yeah if thats the case then Dr.Lista's method may be better for you. But honestly from the pictures ive seen where the "areola incision" is made, you really have to look for the scar. The incision is made at the bottom, on the border of the areola, so its hardly noticeable (unless you really look for it) In my case i have a hairy chest so that should camouflage the scar even more lol

Did Dr. Fielding use an incision below the nipple for you?  If so, I wonder if this is the only way he performs the surgery.

Yeah he performed the "areola incision". I didnt ask if he performed any other types of incisions, but i believe that i read somewhere on this site that Dr.Fielding was familiar with how Dr.Lista performs his incision, but that he is more comfortable with the "areola incision" b/c he wants to be able to look at exactly what he is doing/removing. But he does respect Dr.Lista's method.

Gotta say...sure is great having a supportive wife is it not?

Absolutely, she is the only one that knows. I havent even told my folks.

It sure will be nice to finally feel normal and wear a regular t-shirt without feeling self conscious.

ditto :-)

So how is the compression vest working out for you so far? I hear they are pretty uncomfortable. Have you had any trouble sleeping?

So far so good, but im only 2 days in. I need to wear it for 7 days and then remove the bandages. Then i need to put it back on for a couple more weeks. Im gonna keep mine on for longer b/c i do construction work and it will help with extra support. I find it comfortable and gives me good support. It has 3 velcro straps in the front, 2 on the chest area which i keep snug, and one on the upper stomach which i keep looser (to make breathing abit easier)
Sleeping is a bit of an issue b/c its recommended to sleep on your back and i hate sleeping on my back.  So i find it best just to sleep on my lazy-boy chair. This keeps my upper body slightly inclined (which i heard is better) and it keeps me from rolling to my side.

[shaknbake]

I work in the construction / reno industry myself (window and door installation company).  I will have to try to work out my timing for surgery so I don't get into it while we are in our busy season!  I plan on taking as much time off as possible to heal up.  I usually have to unload delivery trucks full of all kinds of heavy windows and doors, so looks like I'll need to make sure I have someone else in the warehouse for those days!  I hate sleeping on my back too, but I like your idea of the lazyboy.  We have one of those at my house.....looks like it will end up being well used as my new bed fairly soon LOL!  I have debated on whether or not to tell my daughter (7 yrs old) what I am going to have done.  I'm not sure if she will understand at her age.  As far as she is concerned, her dad is perfect just the way he is.  BUT - I'm thinking after your son jumped on you and hurt your chest, I may have no choice (she had a tendency to want to jump on me now for rides and such).  My wife will also be the only one I will trust with this.  I hate secrets, but sometimes things are better left unsaid.  Hope your healing continues well, keep me posted on your progress.  Thanks Sandokan!

[shaker]

Aaah the sleeping .... is pain in the butt... i swear i slept only maybe 3 to 4 hrs daily cause i could not stay on my back for a lot of time , cause i did hurt my back few years back and never usually sleep on my back...

I am not too sure if 1 week of rest will be enough... i had discomfort for like 2 to 3 weeks. Only after 3 weeks i was feeling better.. but i guess my pain tolerance is kinda low..

[shaknbake]

You should maybe try the lazy boy trick sandokan uses.  I am a stomach sleeper myself, so I know the recovery period is going to be hell.  Laying on my back for too long makes it really stiff when I try to get up.  Almost like a pinched nerve or something sometimes.  But, as they say...."time heals all wounds."  Who are "they" anyways?.....