Hi!
Sorry this is overbearingly long but I figure if there's anyone out there like me who is more relieved by being able to review every detail before it happens, it might help to be annoyingly descriptive.
If you've been reading my first thread (
Surgery Booked and Paid), you know I just had my surgery yesterday with
Dr. Lo from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
First, I want to say that my consultation was excellent. I felt very well treated. Both
Dr. Lo and his assistants, Gina and Mildred, were patient and took the time to answer any and all of my questions. Mildred even stayed late to set up my appointment and answer any final questions I had.
For
Dr. Lo, himself, I found him to be very understanding and patient. He made sure all of my questions were answered and he answered my questions with as much information as I requested. In the past, I've had other doctors, when I've asked probing questions say things like, "Well, I could give a whole lecture on why that is but suffice it to say..." and that's really off-putting. I want to understand exactly what is happening and what will happen and
Dr. Lo took the time to satisfy my curiosity and alleviate my concerns.
I was cool as a cucumber about the surgery until the time I started to register at 11:30 AM. Ironically, it wasn't the
surgery, itself that was making me nervous; it was the anesthesia. In addition to the horror stories you hear about people experiencing temporary "locked-in" syndrome, I'm a huge control freak. Even when I'm drunk, I can walk a straight line and sing my alphabet backwards because I practice and have control over my body as much as possible. (Funny enough, this is what makes me a bad dancer because I can't "let loose" and am trying to track every body part as it moves through space.)
My best friend came to the hospital with me and stayed with me as I waited. After registration, we went up to the prep room, they had me change into the hospital gowns, and sign more paperwork. The first nurse took my temperature, O2 Sat, and my blood pressure (112/68, I think?). She also asked my height, weight, name, address, etc., and told me it would probably be about 20 minutes.
Another nurse came by and said she was going to insert my IV. She did it in my left hand first but said she was too close to a valve and so had to take it out. The poor woman could tell I wasn't happy because I rolled my eyes in irritation, lol. Sorry but I don't like needles. She went over to my right hand and got it in fine and while she was doing it and cleaning up, she kept asking me questions but it was becoming increasingly difficult to answer and I felt myself become slower and light-headed, so I told her I felt faint.
She pushed my chair back, started the O2, and told me to take deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. She explained that it was probably because I was bearing down when she was sticking me, which causes your blood pressure to shoot up, and then, when I finally relaxed after she finished, my blood pressure dropped suddenly. After a few minutes, she took my blood pressure and I started to feel better, though a little embarrassed that I almost fainted. (BUT IN A MANLY WAY! Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
)
After that, the anesthesiologist (I forgot his name, sorry) came in. He asked me a bunch of questions about my indicative data (e.g., name, address, DOB, height, etc.). I guess to make sure I am who I say I am and to also check my mental status. He told me he'd be watching over me and that he'd be giving me the drugs to make me fall asleep. He asked if I had any questions. I asked him if people normally dream while under anesthesia and he said that most people do not. Most people feel like no time has passed between the time they go under and the time they wake up. I found the idea that my brain would be "off" to be comforting that way I wouldn't experience anything. He had me sign some papers, shook my head, gave a warm smile, and went off.
The nurse who gave me my clothes came back to check on me and then the man, himself,
Dr. Lo came by. He had me fill out some more paperwork and I told my best friend he could go to the waiting room now or leave and come back when they were done.
Dr. Lo told him to let the nurse in the waiting room know he was leaving and they would call him when I was awake.
Dr. Lo had me stand up, take down the robe a bit, and drew his lovely artwork on my chest. I confirmed with him that he would be taking all of the gland out except for a tiny, small portion left to support the nipple. I also asked about what section would be liposuctioned and he confirmed he would be lipo'ing the area around the aerola complex and somewhat into the axilla. He asked if I had any other questions; I didn't. He then told me we'd be getting started soon.
Then, another nurse came in and said she was the anesthesia assistant. She, too, asked me a lot of questions about my indicative data to "make sure I am who I am say I am"... lol. She asked if I had any questions; I didn't. She noticed that I still had my ear piercing in my helix and that I should take it out. I explained that
Dr. Lo would be taking it out right before the procedure because I got it back in 2006 and couldn't remember how to take it off.
Finally about 10 minutes later, a nurse with a wicked sense of human came by, introduced herself, and said she would be escorting me to the surgery room. She made all kinds of jokes, which were obviously intended to distract the more nervous patients from panicking. I was largely okay. Like I said, I was more nervous about the anesthesia than anything else and I kept concentrating on how after I wake up, my gynecomastia will be gone and I'd wake up a real boy.
The nurses laid me down on the table, strapped in my legs with a belt so I didn't fall off in my sleep, spread my arms on the bed's arm-rests, and the anesthesia nurses told me they were going to start it. She hooked it up to my IV and explained that it will take effect pretty quickly and that I'll start to feel like I've had a few cocktails ("you know, if you've ever partaken, that is," she said).
The room was cold and so the anesthesia was cold. For a second, it
almost registered as pain because it was so cold but once I got used to it, it just felt peculiar. I can't say that I felt anything or that I felt like I was becoming drunk; I felt fine, really. The other nurse was loading my legs up with blankets and told me she was going to put a compression stocking on each of my legs.
She asked me to lift my left leg.
"Oh, I guess I better turn the anesthesia up a bit if you can tell the difference between left and right lefts", joked the other nurse.
Then she asked me to lift my right left. The anesthesia must've been working because it took me a minute to "get the command" to my leg.
I lifted my leg, felt her put it on my leg and then...
I felt what registered to my brain as a "slapping" sensation against my face but I don't think anyone was touching me--just calling my name. There were two or three nurses around me trying to rouse me and telling me I was all done. I just felt really tired and wanted to go back to sleep but I could also feel a great soreness in my chest so I kept asking for more pain relievers. I also felt a great warmth around my legs and I thought I had urinated on myself but it turns out they just had a heated blanked on my lap. LOL
It wasn't exactly pain per se. At least not how I would think having liposuction and excision would feel afterwards. It really felt like a really great chest workout except with a slight added sting to it. It was more uncomfortable than it was painful.
I kept going in and out for about an hour and I barely registered my roommate coming into the room. They gave me water and graham crackers. My throat wasn't sore but it was really dry so I kept drinking the cups like mad. My right hand, where the IV was, was really, really cold. They told me
Dr. Lo took out about 600 CCs of fat (I wonder how many pounds that might've been?) and that everything went great.
They went over everything with me, gave me all the time I needed, told me to relax, had me sit up, told me that the anesthesia might prevent me from urinating so if I don't do it in 8 hours to call them. Lucky me, I had to urinate right away from all the water I was drinking in recovery. The nurses gave me my take-home bandages, paperwork, and etc.
I was probably in recovery for about 2 hours. I registered at 11:30 AM and left about 4:30 PM. My roommate said I had been sleeping for about 2 hours after the surgery, so the last four paragraphs have greater sections of time I can't recall in between them.
So, here we are today! The first morning after! Already looking in the mirror, my profile has greatly improved. My left chest is more swollen than the right and it's draining more than the right is as well. But so far, so good! I'm very pleased.
I think my vest shifted in the night because when I stood up, it felt like it was pulling on my stitches and causing a sharp pain. I pulled the vest up about an inch and we're all good now. lol
I also want to give a huge shout-out to Showtime620! He used the same doctor I did and him sharing his experiences with me and answering my questions about it have been a great relief and support to me! Thanks, man!
Topic: Liposuction & Mastectomy with Dr. Lo (Read 2145 times)
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