1 YEAR Post-Surgery by Mr Levick on 16-01-2014 : (98 photos)

[Donut]

Right then, here's the first of 3 posts to show the transformation over 2 weeks.

I have tried to take all the photos from the same angle and with the same pose, by noting where the camera tripod and I stand on the floor - it helps that the floor has tile effect vinyl in a diamond pattern, so is very easy to get the side shots at exactly 45 degrees by lining up toes with the tiles! - so there's a little tip for anyone who wants to accurately log their progess like me.

When the bandage first came off at the 1 week point, one of my first thoughts was "what the hell are my nipples doing right down there???" - the interesting thing is that when I lined the 3 shots up with horizontal lines taken through neck, belly button and a pimple right in the middle of my chest, nipples are all exactly in the same place too! - I guess it is down to perception and the angle they used to be when sat on top of all that gland or something? - really odd!

[Donut]

Here's looking from the right-hand side. You can see that at the moment the left side of my chest has quite a nice contour.

[Donut]

And finally here's looking form the left-hand side, which shows how bad my right nip was before surgery, and also shows up the fluid build-up (seroma) that at the moment makes it still look like there is gyne tissue left. Mr Levick assures me he took everything out, and I'm sure he is right; it is clearly fluid and can be squished around easily. Had 20cc drained on Monday, and I would say there is probably 10cc there again now. If no improvement by Monday, I'll get Levick to drain it again - he said it was quite likely to come back, so I'm not at all worried or surprised.

I probably won't post daily photos any more, as day-to-day visible changes are going to be hardly noticeable from now I don't think. Instead, I'll update the montage photos on a weekly basis, so you can actually see the changes better.

If anything interesting happens in the meantime, I'll stick a photo of it up!

At 3 weeks my hopes are that the bruising is all gone, seroma is gone, and the swollen lymph glands start to go down as they are pretty uncomfortable (read that can take many weeks, even months).

[mike93]

Donut! What can i say? You look fantastic!

Not sure if you remember me but I had my surgery earlier last year and was following your story and your fundraising. Around September I decided to stop using the forum and move on with my life. It just so happened that I was thinking about my surgery today and you crossed my mind. So just got home and decided to check on how you were doing. I'm absolutely delighted to see that you managed to fund your surgery and you're finally on the other side. It honestly looks brilliant, feels great right? Well done, your dedication was incredible. I'm about to update my thread now with where I am and I'll keep an eye out on how you are doing over the next few weeks.

[Donut]

Thanks mike,

yeh, feels surreal still when I look down at chest and the dreaded moobs are just not there any more. Still somehow keep half expecting them to pop back out again like when am very warm in the shower or soaking in the bath or something!

Can't wait to get the vests off for good - but I know I must be patient to get best result. Have been religeously downing a litre of fresh pineapple juice every day (contains six and a half pineapples apparently!), plus the arnica, vit C and bromelain, all as advised. Certainly seems to have worked so far, as bruising all gone and still no real swelling to speak of. Of course I'll never know how it would have looked by now if I hadn't have done all that? 

Popping in to see Mr Levick in the morning to possibly drain the seroma again, I say possibly because as of Saturday it was as big as when he drained it last monday, but this morning it had gone down quite a bit, so by tomorrow there might not be any to drain! - weird how it could go so quickly.

You're looking pretty good! - weren't tempted to keep up with the shaved chest then I see?  lol    - I haven't made my mind up yet... getting quite used to it being smooth (having chest hair stubble in the compression vests just annoys me too much - I'm quite ticklish!)

[Donut]

Recovery Day 18:

Popped in to see Mr Levick this morning to have seroma under right nipple drained again. This time he got about 15ml or so out. It had already gone down noticeably since Saturday morning, so he thinks that whatever was causing it has now healed internally, and hopefully it won't fill up again.

Advised not to do anything still that is likely to raise heart rate / blood pressure... just walking is great excercise at the moment.

Other than that all is good - slightest sign of bruising left.

Loads of lumps and bumps now - Mr Levick said can start a bit of massage, 5 mins or so each side a couple of times a day with fingertips in small circular motions - reasonably firm but no so much that it hurts! and no need for fancy oils or lotions etc.

Will do some more photos on Thurday at the 3-week mark.

[Donut]

2 weeks away? Fab! - should be looking mighty fine by summer now then  

Mr Levick said not to do anything to raise heart rate just yet in my case because pumping the blood round might make the seroma fill up again. Walking best, and as good as jogging, just takes a lot longer and a lot better for your knees!!

Not really a running type of guy anyway - but have been checking out the swimming pools locally for when I can get exercising a bit more than walking... And a few weeks ago I'd have NEVER thought about going swimming!    - so that's going to be first real major transformation in my new 'flat life' I think!

Oh, and no I haven't really put on any weight, been very careful and I weigh myself every day anyway and keep track of what I eat with myfitnesspal (dot com) - worked very hard last year to lose 50lbs of fat to get to where I am now, and determined that it is never going back on again!

[Donut]

Recovery Day 20:

Yesterday for the first time really I noticed a real tightening of things such that I couldn't lift my arms straight above my head without it hurting. It was tender right at the very bottom of pecs and bottom of ribcage for some strange reason.

Anyway, I had a hour-long massage last night whilst watching the telly - didn't seem like a chore that way! - as had a huge amount of lumps and bumps plus thought it might help the tenderness. It felt very good after a while, and sure I could feel it getting a bit better, but wondered how much of that was just due to the relaxing rythmic feeling, rather than anything actualy changing... anyway, back on with the tight-t and compression vest and off to bed after.

This morning, it feels MUCH better, way less pronounced lumps and bumps can be felt or seen in the mirror (I was going to take pics yesterday, but forgot!), and also the tighness when stretching arms straight up is much less (still a little bit).

So will be another nice long massage for me tonight!

It will be 3 weeks tomorrow, so will take a new set of pics in the morning to show you all how progress is going.

[cduub]

Donut I would like to thank you for taking the time out and keeping us posted. Ive been following your story since you started saving and it motivated me,so now im scheduled for surgery next wed. Im watching your recovery and I want to be recovered by the summer so hopefully I heal well,just knowing that im getting surgery help my confidence some,I have gotten like 4 phone numbers from women I wouldnt have ever talked to with this condition,but with my anticipation of it going away has helped. I hope my results are as good or close to yours good luck!!!!

[Donut]

Hey cduub, no problem!

This forum inspired me to finally knuckle-down and save hard to get it done. Best thing I've ever done I think!

If my story inspires just one more guy to become gyne-free, then I'll be an even happier guy than I am right now (if that's possible!!)

Good luck with your surgery - let me know when you've started your before/after thread so I can follow along with your progress too.

Just taken my photos at 3 weeks post-op, I shall have a nice cup of tea whilst I sort them out and then upload.

[Donut]

Recovery Day 21:

3 weeks post op!

Well, as I had hoped at the 2-week mark, the bruising has all gone - there is the tiniest little hint of yellow left in the photos, but bare in mind that as before the contrast in the photos is enhanced by 100% in photoshop deliberately to highlight the bruising etc.

Seem to have got on top of the seroma under the right nipple, it hasn't filled up again, so as Mr levick said on Monday when he drained it last, whatever was leaking seems to have healed up now. You can probably see there is a bit more swelling at the top of chest/under arm on that right hand side. What looks like a "sunken" bit on the edge of the pec above the nipple will be closer to the "real profile" - it isn't that that part is sunken of course, it is that the rest is slightly swollen.

Lymph glands have gone down quite a bit - that was probably the most uncomfortable part so far - a line of glands which come up like marbles under the skin almost, in a line from armpit down the outside edge of each side of chest. I think the massage in past couple of days has helped ease them down a bit too. Apparently could take several weeks for them to go down compeltely, but I'd say right now they are only about 25% of the size they were a week ago, when they were probably at worst point.

So, keeping up now with half hour massage in morning and same (or more) at night in front of the telly - easy to pass the time that way without it becoming a chore. If it becomes normal part of routine, more likely to keep it up for a good while for optimum results, rather than forget about it after a few days like a lot of guys seem to (though that may just be beacuse they are happy with their result and don't think they need it of course!)

Keeping the compression vest on 24/7 still - well actually it is off for about an hour or so in the morning for breakfast/massage/shower, and again for an hour for massage etc. before bed - so I suppose that should say 22/7.

Hopes for the 4-week mark - that lymph glands will continue to go down, and that right-hand side of chest will start to even out and catch up with the left-hand side... that seroma put it a little bit behind I guess.

[Donut]

Recover Day 21: (cont...)

Here's a close-up - can see the difference currently between my left and right

[Donut]

3 weeks of progress:

[Donut]

3 weeks of progress:

[Donut]

3 weeks of progress: