Excision bilateral gynecomastia surgery w/Dr Fielding on January 18th.

[Azure]

After so many years of having to wear layers of clothing to hide my embarrassing chest, I have finally plucked up the strength, courage and finance to go ahead with surgery with Dr Fielding next Wednesday.

I really like Dr Fielding and his PA, Leslie who have both been very compassionate, knowledgeable and helpful in getting me to this point. Having a caring and understanding wife is just as important I think.

I've met with other surgeons, so I have done my homework and feel extremely confident and comfortable with my decision.

I am so looking forward to the day I can go out wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt or shirt and not have to feel ashamed of that part of my body.

Fingers crossed and appreciate any and all feedback on your own experiences, with or without Dr Fielding.

[dussaghun]

Congratulations!  You will be very happy you had the surgery.  My son is 13 and he had the surgery on December 14.  So, he is 4. Weeks post op today,  he looks great, he is healthy and happy.  He did amazing with surgery and handled  everything like someone much older.  His father and I are very proud of him,  you will do very well!  I am sure you will be very nervous but honestly my son said it was not as bad as he had made it up in his mind.  I will say the drains were the worst part for him when they were removed. I almost hit the floor myself  so take pain medicince before you have them removed!  Again, congrats and good luck!

[Azure]

Cheers, dussaghun!

I'm lucky in that I've gone through quite a few surgeries in my lifetime, so not at all worried (too much). lol

I wish I'd had it done and dusted at your son's age and not contended with the embarrassing nature of the condition for the time that I have. Better late than never as they say! Ha ha! I'm really looking forward to a successful outcome, even if it doesn't turn out perfect. Any improvement is a good thing, right?

[dussaghun]

That is a perfect attitude to have about your surgery and the outcome.  The good thing is you are having the surgery early and you will be able to enjoy your summer. You can swim and not wear multiple layers or jackets.  I am happy for you!  Everytime I look at my son I can not believe the difference. I am sure you will feel the same.

[Azure]

The beach sounds too tempting with all this snow we have!

Being able to go swimming without wearing the compulsory t-shirt will be brilliant!

[Azure]

The nerves have set in and I'm brickin' it. Gulp.

[shaknbake]

Hang in there Azure, you're almost done!  I just had mine last week (Thursday) by Dr. Lista, and I know first hand how nervous and excited you get the days leading up to surgery.  I can say first hand, there is really nothing to worry about though.  Once they get the I.V started, you are pretty much done!  I've written on my whole experience in the Canada section under "My experience so far with Dr. Lista" if you want to get all the details.  I've read quite a few surgery experiences here, and it really helped me to prepare for the before, during and after surgery expectations.  Dr. Fielding is one of the very best at this procedure, you will be in very good hands my friend.  Best of luck!  I'll keep an eye out for your progress.  Cheers!

[Azure]

Cheers for your thoughtful, assuring and kind words, shaknbake! Now out the other side, feeling pretty sore and grateful for the pain meds which help to take the edge off. Remnants of blood seepage from the bottom of the pad placed over the left breast but I'm itching a lot so I know the healing process has already begun. If my memory serves me correct, Dr Fielding removed in excess of 70o cc's of fat via (2.5 cups - wow!) lipo as well as removing the glands.

I have my post-op check-up tomorrow at 11:00am and assuming that all is well, will be driving back home immediately after. Can't have a shower until Tuesday, but nothing wrong with sponge baths and the wife has kindly volunteered to help with washing my hair. Not that it's difficult for me to do it, but as an ex-hair dresser it's something she's happy to do.

I am amazed at how much mobility I have although the compression vest does restrict me from doing certain things. I stopped at a hotel nearby but again the wife will do the heavy lifting with luggage etc. I don't want to compromise the excellent work Dr Fielding has done.

I have to say that Dr Fielding has been terrific throughout and his PA, Leslie is awesome! The staff at St Joseph's are a hard-working and compassionate bunch who believe in providing excellent care. Kudos to them.

Part of the procedure involves placing a significant amount of fluid in the chest cavity, so I'm pretty swollen with that but other than some blood/fluid seepage under the left breast and some additional need to urinate this has caused, I'm still pretty swollen, right up to my clavicles.

Having gone under the knife several times in my lifetime, I make a compliant patient and intend to follow through with everything Dr Fielding asks of me. He provides a thorough checklist of things I need to do to facilitate an optimum outcome which I will follow with vigour.

I will need to wear the vest for at least six weeks but plan to get into the habit of washing the garment weekly from Tuesday onward and placing it back on as soon as it comes out of the drier. Hate wearing smelly clothes and it's no different with a medical garment. If it's off for 40-60 minutes, it isn't a big issue just as long as I truss myself back up again and stick to the plan. lol

It's way too soon to begin to assess the effectiveness of my surgery but I will do my best to keep this thread updated with news as and when I have any new things to report.

Thanks for reading and a big thank you to all that have gone before me and have given me the strength and resolve to see this through. I really can't wait to wear only one t-shirt in the summertime instead of those darn layers! lol

[dussaghun]

Congrats!  Just follow orders and do what you are supposed to do and you will heal nicely.  My son is 5 weeks post op today and there is improvement everyday!  We have done everything he was told to do.  You know how mothers are!  My husband has said oh he can leave off the vest a little while and I am like NO!  Get it on now!  He is mad now but he will thank me later.  Follow the course and enjoy your new life!

[shaknbake]

Way to go!  Good to hear all is well after surgery.  I must say, I was in a bit more pain than expected right afterwards, but not too bad.  I took 1 oxycotin when I got back to the hotel, then another right before going to sleep (just to try and get a good nights rest).  After that, I took 2 extra strength tylenols the next day, and that was it.  I've been off pain meds from then on.  I've been diligent about the other meds though for swelling etc.  I've been pretty fortunate so far that the swelling and bruising hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.  I'm feeling thick bands of scar tissue forming along my sides, and along the bottom portion of each pec, but that's totally expected.  Wait until you have to start massaging.  Oh BOY that's fun!! LOL.  Good luck and happy healing!

[rocks456]

Congratulations Azure! I know how your feeling right now, I had surgery 11 days ago. The first few days are definitely tough, but hang in there. I feel you with being excited to only wear one t-shirt. In about 5 weeks I'm going to stop wearing the compression vest, and I'm going to wear a thin white t-shirt out, I don't care how cold it is!

[Azure]

Congrats!  Just follow orders and do what you are supposed to do and you will heal nicely.  My son is 5 weeks post op today and there is improvement everyday!  We have done everything he was told to do.  You know how mothers are!  My husband has said oh he can leave off the vest a little while and I am like NO!  Get it on now!  He is mad now but he will thank me later.  Follow the course and enjoy your new life!

Ha ha! Tough love but you're absolutely right to make sure he follows through with the plan, dussaghun. Maybe if you explain to him that wearing his vest will enhance his pectoralis major muscles (pecs) further, he will really buy into it? If he understands just how important it is in not only promoting a great looking chest but the healing process generally, it might help? Maybe not. Kids are kids, right? 

[Azure]

Way to go!  Good to hear all is well after surgery.  I must say, I was in a bit more pain than expected right afterwards, but not too bad.  I took 1 oxycotin when I got back to the hotel, then another right before going to sleep (just to try and get a good nights rest).  After that, I took 2 extra strength tylenols the next day, and that was it.  I've been off pain meds from then on.  I've been diligent about the other meds though for swelling etc.  I've been pretty fortunate so far that the swelling and bruising hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.  I'm feeling thick bands of scar tissue forming along my sides, and along the bottom portion of each pec, but that's totally expected.  Wait until you have to start massaging.  Oh BOY that's fun!! LOL.  Good luck and happy healing!

Cheers with the good wishes, Shaknbake! I have really bad lower back problems, so the surgery has presented additional issues that I have to take on the chin and find ways of promoting healing to my chest whilst not exacerbating a permanent bad back.

Sleeping's the worst as I can't find any comfortable positions; I'm sure with time I'll eventually get to the point of being able to sleep properly again but for now I just have to go with the flow and accept the situation for what it is. I knew this was going to be my biggest obstacle, post-operatively so I am well prepared for having to contend with sleep deprivation. 

Amazingly, I had some slight bruising but that has quickly faded and given my age, I'm amazed just how quickly the skin seems to be healing. Lots of swelling though but a lot of that is the stuff the surgeon injected into the chest cavity. Slowly but surely, this should subside with every day that goes by, so I am extremely optimistic at this point.

Went and saw Dr Fielding this morning and he says he took out 700cc's of fat along with the glands so all-in-all, I'm expecting some great results. That said, it's far too early to get carried away so I'll take each day as it comes and be compliant with regards to following the doc's "to do" list and keep my compression vest on for the six weeks. Can't wait to have a shower on Tuesday though! 

he said that as soon as I can stand massaging, to get right at it for at least five minutes each day. I think I'll start that when the external wounds have healed fully. Doesn't sound like too much fun but it's part of the bigger picture; the way I see it is that our surgeon's have given us an awesome tool and the rest is down to our own diligence in following through.

[Azure]

Congratulations Azure! I know how your feeling right now, I had surgery 11 days ago. The first few days are definitely tough, but hang in there. I feel you with being excited to only wear one t-shirt. In about 5 weeks I'm going to stop wearing the compression vest, and I'm going to wear a thin white t-shirt out, I don't care how cold it is!

Cheers for the good wishes, Rock! Ha ha! I hear ya. No matter how much snow has fallen or how cold it is, a trip out wearing only one t-shirt is where it's going to be at! Aye, the compression vest is like some kind of torture chamber to be sure. You itch and it's uncomfortable but it'll all be worth it for us in the end, right? 

[Azure]

I'll be sure to try and post before, during and after pictures, that's if I can pluck up the courage to 'show off' my old moobs which is something I've never been comfortable with. Will it be easier to do this now that I know that I'm on the other side? I'm not sure. Depends really on what others think. If my arm can be twisted with enough requests and a rationale for doing so, I could put something together.

In any event, I am happy to show off my surgical wounds, my swollen chest and my progress as I move through my now completely moob-free life!

Ahhh, the freedom of it all! It's very liberating! Ha ha!