any of you ever did this(surgery)completely alone w/o telling anyone?

[nomore-jiggles]

I was just curious if any of you guys have actually had this surgery without telling anyone? If so, what kind of excuses did you give for wearing the compression vest and also what excuse you gave your employer?

 

[cduub]

I did! Just tell your employer you need a few days off,honestly I only needed two. The tricky part is that you will need someone with you at the surgery to take you home or they wont allow you to have the surgery because of the anesthesia can take awhile to ware off and they dont want you behind the wheel. Talk with your surgeon and see if he or she will allow you to take a cab. The compression vest is undetected once a shirt is over it,but if someone happens to ask just say its for your back you bruised ________ fill in the blank.

[nogojoe]

If you're in the US, you don't need to give a specific excuse to your employer. In fact, it's illegal for them to ask. While the procedure might be elective, the rest (or days off) required after becomes medically-necessary and therefore becomes private information to which your employer is NOT entitled.

I told my employer simply that I was having surgery and required three days off to recuperate. That was the end of that. I've only told 4 people (my three best friends and my mother) about the gynecomastia surgery. I told anyone else who happened to notice that I was wearing the compression wrap or out sick that I had overactive lymph nodes removed from under my armpits due to a chronic autoimmune disorder.

[Paa_Paw]

There are two kinds of people. The people who might deserve an explanation don't usually need one. The other people do not warrant an explanation.

Years ago, on this site there was an explanation that I thought was the best if you do feel inclined to offer one. "Had a growth removed. Not malignant, thankfully. Thanks for your concern." While this explanation is obviously intentionally misleading, it is the truth so you'll never be caught in a lie as a result.

[Liandoolb]

I had surgery on Monday, and I didn't intend on telling anyone I'd had ANYTHING done. I was able to leave the hospital on my own in a cab, but when I returned to the house of the two friends I was staying with, I wanted to explain why I was walking so slowly and asking them to reach up to high cupboards for me.

Years ago, on this site there was an explanation that I thought was the best if you do feel inclined to offer one. "Had a growth removed. Not malignant, thankfully. Thanks for your concern." While this explanation is obviously intentionally misleading, it is the truth so you'll never be caught in a lie as a result.

Ultimately this is what I told them. (I thought to say this because I'd read it somewhere else on the forums!) I said I'd had some growths / cists removed from my chest and couldn't move my arms too high because it could tear the stitches. None of this is far from the truth, and it didn't elicit any more questions.

Some other friends came over the next day. One of the people I'd already told jokingly made mention of how I was "walking like a penguin" because of my surgery. The other friends were shocked and asked what happened. I said I'd "had my soul removed" because I'm a journalism student, then the friends I'd told it was a growth laughed, and we all laughed because everyone knew it mustn't have been serious. They didn't ask me anything else, but if they ask the other two, they'll be told the exact same thing about the growth. Just make sure you don't tell different people different things; the story will become conflated and hard to manage, and everyone will know you're lying if one person repeats a different story to another.

Don't sweat it, people generally won't question much if you just say it's a benign growth or something. Those close to you will just want to know you're okay. As Paa_Paw said, you don't owe it to ANYONE to tell them anything. But if anyone presses you for more specifics, and you don't want to seem rude or abrupt, just say all you know is that it wasn't dangerous, but the doctors saw fit to take it out. Give a smile and say you'd prefer to forget about it. Laugh it off as insignificant.


BTW: Now back at home (with parents), five days post-op, and I haven't told them a thing. It's nearing winter now, so if they see my garment peeking through clothes I'll just say it's getting cold and it's a singlet. It is getting cold. It is (essentially) a singlet. No lies. Having an oddball like me as a son for 21 years, though, wearing something under my shirt is probably one of the less concerning things they've had to deal with, so I doubt it'll even come up.

[puffynipsman]

I only told one person--my girlfriend. She drove me to and from the surgery on a Friday, stayed with me overnight, and I was back to work on Monday (desk job).

Thankfully no one has seen that I'm wearing a compression vest under my shirts. However, two friends have asked me to participate in some active sports and I told them I pulled a muscle and had to take a few weeks off. I thought about using the line about having had some benign growths removed from my chest, because it would've been the truth, but what if they ask more questions about it, like where they were located and how long I've had them? Then I might feel compelled to lie anyway. With a pulled muscle excuse, it's such a minor thing that it will be forgotten about soon enough and it's almost impossible you'll be caught in a lie about it down the road.