Surgery Scheduled

[morpheus11]

Well, the title may be misleading, but the surgeon said he can fit me in first week of June. I have to call by the end of this week to make the appointment, but I'm still a bit unsure. I'm specifically concerned about the sedation and the method.

General Background:  I had my consultation this past monday, and it was very brief.  The surgeon kept repeatedly saying that this surgery is "nothing", that I have a greater chance dying during my drive home than on the operating table.  This was very reassuring, and the guy says he is a leader in his field, but he only performs about 40 surgeries a year???  I was very confused by this statement so I questioned it, but he insists he does a lot of it.  His website does show lots of info, but those remarks seemed more like a selling point rather than a genuine statement.  Anyhow, I'm determined to get it done, and in the Austin area, he is the only one with plenty of info on his website. 

Technique:  He said he would remove the gland and perform liposuction.  He also explained that I would be under IV sedation. Could anyone provide some insight about this?  I don't want to read about it on the net. I would much rather hear from the community?  Is IV sedation bad?  Also, is liposuction really needed?  When I got home I visited his website and a lot of the guys who are pictured just had gland removal, and they had it worse than me.  So, should i be worried about the additional, possibly unneeded liposuction?

Thanks

[nyce]

Hi,

I can't speak to the quality of the surgeon you've selected and I have no medical background, but I'll give you insight based on similar questions I've received response to and my general thoughts.

My surgery took less than an hour and I was awake for it in its entirety.  I am a small amount of pain currently, but the procedure itself was tolerable.  I felt pain in the form of sharp pricks when first being injected with the local anesthetic.  There was also some mild pain and general discomfort (the little probe thing rubbing under your skin is simply odd) during the liposuction.  I watched the remainder of the procedure -- fascinating.

I had the same concerns about general anesthesia and since given the option I chose local anesthesia for my procedure.  Many doctors on this board had assured me that, while there is an added risk over local anesthesia, it is slight and general anesthesia is quite safe, particularly the "twilight sleep" version.  I have had general anesthesia one, but this time just felt better about local anesthesia.

I had incision and a small amount of liposuction.  I was concerned about the liposuction causing extra swelling and bruising, but surgeons on this board suggested that I follow the advice of my surgeon.  I'm certain they'd offer the same advice to you.  You can look in the user photo section for samples of my chest pre-op to compare to your condition.  I had gland mixed with fat.

Hope this helps and feel free to message with any other concerns.

[morpheus11]

Thanks for replying.

Awesome that you went through with it. How long ago did you get it done? Seems like it was pretty recent.  Could you reply with some info pertaining to the drains?  How long did you have them in? Can they be concealed?

Thanks

[nyce]

I just had my surgery done today; I am just 14 hours post-op.  I do not have drains in place, so I can't speak on that topic.  Bleeding has been nominal as far as I can tell.  There was some blood and discharge -- about a quarter's diameter stain on my shirt.  For the most part, pain is minimal.  I have a prescription for pain medication, but I've not yet taken anything.  I've been trying my best to stay on my back, as most of my pain comes when I move around.