Consultation with Levick booked 08/10/12 .Now with pics (pre/post)

[tpuk]

Hi, GL with the scar tissue. I guess you've already talked with him about it..

RE: the vest. I'm not sure - but I had in mind 4 weeks from removing the bandage....possibly then wearing it 12 hours at a time. I hate the thing now but want to do it all as advised I guess...I need to read the info again I think

Not sure about the follow up appointment yet either - I still haven't phoned the office yet - so I will ask about that when I contact them.

GL man, I guess only so much scar tissue can appear so hopefully it will give you a break asap.

[jmdc]

Man i cant wait to ditch the vest! How are finding it now?

[tpuk]

Yeh pretty good thanks.

I bought some new cloths & feel alot smarter for work & stuff.

Still super worried everytime I have a bath (is it still OK? thoughts), but yeh I am happy so far. Also worry about if it will look flat after the vest comes off etc.

My nips look a little strange, a little cratered - certainly nothing that bothers me though. Movement is really good now almost 4 weeks post-op.

I've been lacking some exercise this last 7 days & feel a bit sluggish, but now I have some time for decent walking & I've started some sit-ups & stuff.

My swimming trunks just arrived & once i've called Levick got the OK ill brave it & hit the olympic sized pool in Cardiff (after 25 years).....might be crapping myself at first lol.

Its pretty mad how casually I will talk about this sh*t with my mum now.... its easier to joke about. She's pretty laid back now as i've told her alot of things about it (as well as all the low Testosterone sh*t I am stuck with). I let her tell her best mate (who I know & think is a decent person) so I often hear of their chit chat about the subject of gyn/low-T.

My brother & his family are visiting on Thursday & so I will tell them. My bro has very bad gyn & is v overweight - nobody says anything about it apart from my nephew taking the piss occasionally - my bro doesn't seem to care (he doesn't 'layer up' on hot days - he just wears a t-shirt)......he will be pretty surprised that I had an OP lol & my nephew will deffo love taking the piss - but I dont mind - he's usually quite funny

So yeh - just waiting & hoping for the best. Gonna stay off the booze aswell.

Hope that scar tissue isn't driving you mad dude. Any improvements or reduction in new tissue??

GL.

[jmdc]

Hey good luck with swimming, sounds good bud. I've got a bit more hard tissue yeah. Its mostly on my RHS. Sometimes it bothers me sometimes not, but to be honest its way to early to be worrying about that.I'm sure (fingers crossed) it will go eventually. Massaging really helps with the hard tissue/lumpiness so am trying to do that as often as i can.

Only wearing the vest at night now (2nd day without it today). I start to swell up after an hour or so and it all looks at bit odd! Again just par for the course i think mate. Pain wise there isnt much at all. Ive been to the gym a couple of times ( just light stuff ) and its been fine.

Sounds like your family is pretty easy going. Much the same here . My daughter saw me in the vest (havent told my kids as i didnt want the ex mrs to know!) the look on her face was priceless. Wtf dad?!?! lol.

[tpuk]

Alright man, how it going?

I've only just taken off my compression vest, so tonight will be my first without it since the OP.

I thought I would give it an extra week for luck (I've been stuck in bed with the norovirus anyway - god - it sucked so bad).

Just hoping everything stays OK.

I've only just checked myself in the mirror in a T-shirt (without compression underneath) & I think its fine - its hard conflicting my body with the component on gyn thats been hard-wired into my mind for so long.....wierd. I guess its like the guy who looses an arm but can still feel phantom pain in it.....

I still haven't had any scar tissue/swelling etc. I'm kinda worried about how I will deal with it to be honest. I guess there is no choice but to ride it out.

I didn't manage to tell my bro & his family - I got shy about it .....pretty sure my nephew spotted the compression vest under a T-shirt though.

Levicks' office suggested sleeping without it & wearing it during the day so thats my plan now.

Good luck to you - let us know how your doing.

[jmdc]

Hi bud i'm doing ok. Norovirus sucks! it put me in hospital a couple of years ago. I know what u mean about your mind being out of sync with the changes to your body its f*&kin weird! I keep thinking im going to wake up one day with the old wobblers back lol.
Scar tissue is decreasing a bit now with massage etc but is still very hard and distorts the contour of my chest on the rhs. I sure its all part of the process so im not worrying about it any more. For now im just glad i can wear t shirts without the usual drama. how are you getting on now??

[tpuk]

Cool. Yeh got rid of the virus - didn't eat for 3 days though.

I've noticed some swelling (i think) on my RHS. I dont think it was there before.......a bit wierd..but still not too bad & im gonna just wait it out...

I still wear the vest alot, sometimes i dont bother taking it off during the night.

Gonna try a run soon (in vest) - pretty sure it must be OK by now !

GL man.

[jmdc]

Hows it goin? Managed to go running/swimming yet? I think the hard/scar tissue is starting to soften slightly since i stopped wearing the vest (i think?!)Still a long way off though. Think i kind of underestimated the recovery period. Hoping by summer a final result may be visible.

[tpuk]

Hey. I'm OK thanks.

I think my chest is pretty flat. I had the vest off for 2 days & noticed some loose (ish) skin - freaked out a bit, but when I examine my chest there doesn't seem like there is more that could be taken away lol.

I guess I am still a bit nervous about anything going wrong.

I am staying in somebody elses' house for 2 weeks over xmas. I walked past a mirror in the middle of the night & was totally buzzed with how I looked - kinda surprised/happy. It gives a bit of motivation to work-out my chest in the near future - as all my bench presses didn't seem to help me in the past.

RE: exercise I have done nothing but eat junk. I actually had some booze aswell (after quitting for a year) so have probably put some weight on but that will be shredded off as soon as im finished up staying here (I cant really get out walking & stuff at the mo).

I wasn't sure when to stop with the vest... if you stopped then I guess I can aswell?

Maybe I will quit the vest in the next day or 2 but wear it running....

tbh I still have zero scar tissue. I'm not sure if I have swelling or not either...what I do have is creasing (they look a bit wonky sometimes ) & slight cratering behind the nipples - but really I don't mind this at all - its not bad - and I actually like the reminder it gives me of the fact that the gland has clearly been removed !!!!!!!!!!!


Best of luck man. That scar tissue will sort itself out in time.

[jmdc]

Hey Happy new year! Sounds as though ur doin well. Scar tissue is starting to fade a bit. Got odd looking nipples at the mo though lol. Trying not to pay much attention to it though. Ive been eating for england over christmas! (drinking to). I take it u've ditched the vest now?

GL man

[tpuk]

Happy new year !

Yeh, ditched the vest. I wear it for running though - a good feeling......

Back home & running every other day with big walks thrown in when possible. I've ditched the booze again & Its nice to be burning off all that xmas shite. haha.

Tbh, I have got a little bit nervous lately about the way things look....idk if I have swelling, or residual/xmas fat or what but sometimes I kinda loose confidence when I was fine the day before?

I deffo have a little mild soreness (almost gone) after not wearing the vest - so some swelling would make sense.

I just have to remind myself that its sooooo much better than before & stay calm.. so easy for the mind to play tricks..

I do get paranoid about my low T levels & gyn return........I'm due to see a specialist about my low bone density aswel (I have to go to a geriatric medicine unit at 39 - kinda scary)....... Levick didn't seem concerned with any of this so I'll see what happens.....

I think we are both still in the early / middle stage of the waiting game so I guess just working out & eating well is all you can do !!!!

I think its gonna be fine to start doing some press-ups & stuff now?

I dont go to a gym or anything & haven't exercised my chest since the op.... what are you doing?

GL. keep us updated.

[jmdc]

Hi bud. Im back in the gym liftin weights 3 times a week and then kickboxing twice a week. Still carrying some major xmas weight tho lol. The same is happened to me in terms of mind playing tricks. One day im really happy with it and the next im feeling pretty shite?! Got swelling on both sides still (RHS is worse). Thinking i may go and see Levick in the next month see what he thinks. Looks like we're both in the geriatric stage mate (im due a hip replacement in the next 2 years sometime lol) Im goin to put some picks up when ive got my pc sorted (been using ipod for months lol).

[tpuk]

Yeh its pretty wierd with the up/down mood about this.

I still feel a huge improvement overall...

Exercise is helping in terms of weight control/mood.

I ventured out in just a T-shirt in public the other day......that hasn;t happened for 10+ years....very cool.

I Just need to find the confidence to go swimming......I really think that would help with toning aswell.

My other annoyance is that my areola are still a bit large....when I say that - I dont mean puffy - just quite big compared to my quite small frame....I suppose this is when managing expectations of surgery come into play because my areola are deffo smaller & not puffy & my chest does feel flat so there is some kind of internal conflict when I look into the mirror.

Its wierd.

[jmdc]

Hi ive finally managed to get a couple of pics together....

Pre op.....

[jmdc]

Post op............