I got my surgery done a couple of days ago at Manipal hospital, Bangalore by Dr. Anantheswar. I had been following this site for 3 years before the surgery so i thought i should post my experience for the benefit of others like me.
A little bit about myself - I had a mild case of gyne (according to the doctor), less than the average for those who go under the knife. What bothered me personally was the puffy nipples more than anything else.
I went to see the doctor a month back. he said it is a gland problem and recommended gland excision and liposuction.
(I, unfortunately, did not take pre-op pics. But the doctor did. I will post them once I get them from him (my next visit for drain removal).)
Since this site has some very detailed accounts of others' experience, I am not going to bore you by repeating the same information.
What I want to focus on are some facts that will be useful for others and things that I felt I hadn't grasped completely even after reading multiple accounts.
- firstly, my surgery went off well according to the doc. so my case is probably a typical thank-god-it-all-went-well scenario and not a oh-god-why-is-this-happening-to-me-only situation
- i chose Dr. anatheswar after reading up on him on this site. he did not disappoint me. he is a really good and understanding surgeon. I am glad i chose him
- I wanted to minimize my expenses so I decided to go for the general ward which is the cheapest. The doctor gave an estimate of Rs 50000. I had to deposit the full amount at the time of admission. The actual expense came to Rs 36000. Apart from this I spent about 4k in pre-surgery tests. the compression vests (2) cost my Rs 3500. Post-surgery medication is about Rs 1000. So in all, about 45k. there will probably be some more to pay on my next 1-2 visits (drain removal, stitches removal etc.)
- i checked in to the hospital the night before the surgery (around 9 pm). the surgery happened the next morning. I was discharged the next afternoon, came home at 3 pm.
- my room was on 7th floor in the general ward. there were 2 other patients in my room and the 3 of us shared one bathroom. the room and the bed were clean.
- at the time of admission i carried a knapsack with me. I carried a book, my ipod and phone. there was a plug point next to the bed so charging was not a problem
- the staff at manipal is excellent. the nurses are very good and caring and most obliging.
Ok, i hope this information is useful for people in Bangalore.
Now for some personal observations:
i was incredibly sore after my surgery. it felt like someone had punched every inch of my body (neck down to waist up). the area around my armpits was super sore (still is) and bruised and all. while there was not too much pain, any movement or any touch was painful.
at first i thought there must have been some complications during the surgery. but the doctor assured me that wasnt the case and that this was normal.
i had my parents and my wife at various times while in the hospital. any movement like even sitting up was incredibly painful and required someone's help. I am amazed that some people get this surgery done without telling anyone.
on day 1, just after surgery, i had to piss in a bottle while lying on the bed as walking to the toilet was beyond me (plus i was attached to a drip and 2 drains). believe me, its a disgusting experience and i somehow missed reading abt this. plus, i had to piss 5 times on day 1, probably a surgery thing. after the first time, i just could not do this lying down. my body just refused. so finally i would ask the nurse to help me get up ie. stand next to the bed, hand me the bottle, draw the curtain, wait for me to urinate, take the bottle from me, and then help me lie down again.
i drained 346 ml and 120 ml from right and left sides on day 1. this is a lot apparently. so the night after the surgery, a doctor came to see me. he told me to not eat or drink at night as they may have to do another round of surgery the next morning. believe me this is the last thing you want to hear after your surgery. I was up all night praying and hoping that it didn't happen. thankfully they decided against it in the morning. this was based on my hemoglobin count which was normal. this means i was draining a lot but it wasn't blood. but it was a scary night.
before the discharge, you have to get your bandages changed. they open up everything and you can see (for the first time) the results of the surgery. now this was the most disgusting part of the whole process. i am cringing as i write about it. the sight of 2 pipes coming out of your body is by far the most disgusting sight i have seen in my life. the doctor had to drain some blood out of the pipes as they tend to become clotted. there is no pain involved, just a mild discomfort. but it is disgusting (sorry, i can't think of a synonym). it is a sight that will stay with me for a long time and i will probably get nightmares about it.
ok, then they bandaged me and i left the hospital as quickly as i could. my wife drove me home. home felt so much better. it just does. thank god i am home now.
the compression vest - its an incredibly uncomfortable thing to wear. last night was my first night in it and it just felt so tight and uncomfortable (not on my chest but around my stomach). i hope it will get better as i get used to it. it also feels hot in summer.
who to tell - i am not sure it is possible to hide this surgery from friends, family and many inquisitive others. Not in india.
first you are in hospital for at least 2 days. then you have drains sticking out of you for anywhere up to 10 days. the drains are attached to 2 bottles (which are not very small). i have put both bottles in a plastic bag that i carry with me around the house. so you basically need to go MIA (in other words, not meet anyone you know) for at least 5-6 days.
even after the drains are removed, the compression vest will be there for 6 weeks to 6 months. i am pretty sure people will notice.
if you are a smoker and drinker, you will have to give both up from 1 week before surgery to 3 weeks after it (this is my interpretation, not the doctor's).
how do you explain to your friends and family why you were under ground for a week and have now come back looking slightly stuffy (in your comp vest) and have stopped smoking and drinking in the meantime. Not to mention you have stopped running or gymming and are not playing football for at least a month.
ok, enough for now. will write more later.
Topic: surgery experience -bangalore india (Read 7549 times)
Similar Topics
