-- My -- Experience - January 2013

[Wireman]

Hi all

I have Been a watcher on these forums for best part of 2 years and finally took the plunge and booked gyno surgery with -- which I had on 14th Jan this year. So thought id share my experience with you all.

I'm 30.  I've had the problem with gyno since around 17 mainly due to going from being very skinny to frankly fat in a short space of time and then vice versa a few years later. I think this messed with my hormones and the rest is history.

I flew Liverpool to Szczecin on 11th Jan so had 3 days pre-op in Poland. The flights were with Ryanair cheap as chips no frills. Awful flight times but nevermind. Anyways got to Szczecin around 10am. Szczecin airport is tiny. Akin to the size of a bus station. This is actually great as everything is very quick. We booked 1 checked bag and even so time from leaving the plane, getting through passport control and in to the minibus was 7 minutes.
There was a Polish Chap with our name on a plaque waiting right outside and away we went. The minibus was a  Mercedes; very new and clean and the driver was pleasant despite no English. It was the first day of heavy snowfall when we arrived so roads were white but it didn't stop the diver from driving like it was mid summer (not for the nervous). Anyway we arrived at the atrium hotel in Szczecin around 45 mins later.

The atrium is a lovely hotel. Staff speak good English and are all pleasant. Even though it was only 11am the hotel sped up the cleaning staff and readied the room immediately. Check in isn't normally until 2pm.
Once settled in the room we decided to venture out. There isn't too much around the hotel so we walked and eventually found the galaxy center. A modern shopping center complete with supermarket on the first floor. We went in there and stocked up. (the atrium has fridges in rooms - we removed all minibar stock and used the fridge for our stuff which was great). Weary and frost bitten we trudged back the 25 min walk in heavy snow back to the warm hotel.

Next few days we ventured out more and quickly realised some  things about Szczecin.
1. Drivers aren't safe. A green man at a pedestrian crossing means buggar all..
2. Food is cheap. Taxis are cheap
3. The townsfolk were on the whole miserable
4. Clothes and luxuries are more expensive than UK.
5. Everyone tells you took go to the galaxy place but theres a far better shopping plaza called Galarie Kascada 5 mins walk away.

Anyway Monday (gyno removal day) came and Jeremy Clark called at around 9 to tell me he was picking me up at 10.30 for blood tests. He arrived on cue in abit of a bashed up Mercedes (kids fault I believe). Jeremy has lived out there for a while now and seems a bit detached from the UK. He's a research scientist by trade and whilst his people skills aren't great he's a nice guy and answers anything you ask. Blood test center was a bit dirty in my opinion even down to the nurses clothing, but other than that no worries. They test for a number of things including hormone and blood clot potential. Takes five minutes and within another 5 I was back at the atrium.
Jeremy then confirmed he would be back at 2 to take me for ultrasound report and then on to clinic. Again this went without issue and about 40 mins later we were at --.

The -- offices are on a new site development. Looks like apartments or offices. Inside -- have decorated to an ultra high standard. That put me at immediate ease for some reason.
Next I met Katarzyna whose people skills are far better than Jeremys. I think she is a bit crazy, quite bubbly and wild but in a good way. She's a confident woman. We sat down and went through the procedure after she had given me the low down on sacking her mum the former receptionist after a barny (couldn'twork out if joking or not) and currently having to do all the paperwork herself.
There were about 7 risks in total and (rightly so) she didn't shy away from any of them when explaining. I asked a few questions and then signed the acceptance forms.

From here everything was a bit of a blur. I was asked to strip to underwear and report back in the gown provided ready to start surgery. Full of nerves and excitement I almost forgot to remove my contact lenses before the anaesthetist got to work (eek). I then don't remember a thing, not even being put out. Next thing I remember  was that I woke up on the treatment table at the end of the op.

I was told the op was a success on both sides. My first thoughts were "brilliant" followed by "why am I not in pain" followed by "I'm starving".
Anyway the surgeon told me her work was done and that she was leaving me with a nightnurse and would see me in the morning. It was then that I got some ham and cheese sandwiches which I Wolfed down despite the lashing of butter (I hate butter/marj). I then tried to get some sleep.

All good so far... Ahem that was until about 2am.
I woke to the sight of the nurse extracting blood from my left side and i remember looking down and seeing the bandage swollen the size of a 34DD on one side. Bollocks immediately sprang to mind. The next 5 minutes felt like an hour as many thoughts passed through my head and I admit I got a bit anxious and starting feeling faint. I could hear the nurse talking on the phone quite loudly and a few minutes later the surgeon arrived and immediately announced that she needed to reopen my left hand side up to stop bleeding.

I have a hazy recollection of events next but i remember being wheeled in back to the operating table and the surgeon quickly announced that what she was about to do was going to hurt, a lot. She then proceeded to use a metal Rod and started to prod inside through the side of my nipple up towards my neck and shoulder. I don't know whether her warning me it was going to hurt, my own defence mechanism, or drugs, but I don't remember ever being in that much pain though I was awake for all of it. Quite surreal.
After what was probably about 15 minutes that felt like an hour, the surgeon announced the bleeding had stopped and was then quick to tell me that my blood loss was less than a donor would give at a blood bank. This made me feel better but she then followed this up by telling me that I "wound have a big breast for a while". I was then taken back to the rest room where Itried in vain to sleep without success until the morning.

Ill complete the rest of this blog tomorrow..

[Poland2012]

Welcome to the other side. I'm 1 and a half months out now, and believe me that there's more to come. Scar tissue is up and down every day, but it's worth it.

Definitely a good account; it really brought back the feel of the place, especially the trippiness of the first night. You had a more eventful time than I did though. Bleeding was one of the long list of possible complications she gave me minutes before I went under.

p.s. The Mercedes must have been damaged recently because it was still in one piece while I was there.

[wezzer]

Thankyou for the very detailed account mate, I appreciate that. That's scary about the bleeding, did she tell you what had caused it in the end?

Can't wait to hear the rest x

[Wireman]

PART 2

(OK im on a laptop now so hopefully this update will be better.)

So after not sleeping for the night following the mid night events, and having to endure a thumping headache thanks to the bloody heart rate monitor and trauma from the night, I just about made it through to the morning. The nurse brought a repeat of the food from the evening but I couldnt touch it this time.
The surgeon reappeared at around 11 and we went back to the operating table to take a look at her "handy work".

For the first time, I got to properly see what an ace job she had done on the other side (by the way im thinking of this looking down at my body so in reality when i say left side, I really mean right, and vice verse - sorry for any confusion). i used to look down and see this puffy nipple out of shape with my body contour, but not any more. It was flat as a pancake!!  Delighted.
The other side frankly was a mess but I had programmed myself ready for this given what I had gone through. It was heavily bruised and swollen. All the colours of the rainbow.
Despite the complications I was discharged after an hour that morning. If I am honest, It all felt a little rushed at this point given what I saw as major complications. I think it was probably me being mivered but the mrs also thought it was a little rushed. Anyway she was the expert here, who was I to argue?! She gave me a prescription for Nimesil (a UK banned painkiller) and Zimmat antibiotics, along with some cream.
The chemist is less than 5 minutes walk away so we ventured over and picked up the necessary before a taxi arrived to take us back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel complete with drugs and drains, I rested for the rest of the day and night. Rested probably not the right phrase as I had trouble sleeping, but anything was better than that clinic bed and heart rate monitor (bleep bleep).
In the morning, I felt a little better but stiff as a board and sore as hell. We were due at the clinic at 11 for a check up so I got ready and headed back.

At the clinic we were met by the surgeon who again opened up the dressing. The swelling was 50% better on the left (right) side, but badly bruised. The right (left) was still aOK no swelling, no bruising, and she was nightly pleased with her efforts and so was I. She told me that although the right hand side looked bad, that it would subside and would eventually look like the other side. I still hang on to those words now!
She checked the drains and the left side had bled but not much considering but she wanted me to keep it on for another 24 hours. The right side was bone dry, so she removed that immediately. We agreed to meet again the next day at 4.30pm

After leaving the clinic we went to the Pizza King restaurant (basically just an american food place) near to the other shopping plaza Galarie Klascada  which I find much better than the Galaxy centre. Despite my pains, after the meal, I sill had to endure shopping with the mrs - no getting away from that! Seriously though I felt really well considering the ordeal 24 hours prior. No tiredness or pain. In the evening we went to El Globo restaurant which is fantastic and so so cheap its also close to the hotel.

The next day, I had a careful bath without going near the vest which felt great. We then wasted time looking around Szczecin until 4pm before going back to the clinic.
At the clinic she again looked at the chest and we saw that the left (right) side had again improved anther 25% but was still badly bruised. The right (left) still looked amazing. No bruising, no swelling but some scar tissue had appeared.
The surgeon then performed the "nipple" twist on me to stop possibility of the nipple sticking to the muscle. I didn't think it hurt personally but I'm beginning to think I must have a high pain threshold.
She removed the drains and seemed happy that the bleeding had stopped completely although there was some in the drain bottle from the day/night previously.

Again, like on the discharge day, the next bit felt rushed if I am honest. I felt a bit pushed out of the door. She went through a 10 second massage tutorial, told me how long to wear the wrap and then vest, and when to get the stitches out. Other than this, it was very much a case of me forcing to ask the questions I wanted to than the surgeon taking time out. (I'm writing this wondering if I am being unfair, but I think I'm just being honest in terms of how I felt. It's not a negative so much as I still got to ask my questions, but if someone went and experienced the same thing and wasnt as intent, they might have gone away with some information holes).

My questions were as follows:

Q1. What should I be looking for once I leave as signs of problems
A1. Just the obvious signs. Any major swelling or discoloration.

Q2. What happens if fluid builds up, when will I know if it needs draining
A2. Only needs draining if fluid build up is substantial. See your GP.

Q3. When can I drive again
Q3. Immediately if you feel well

Q4. When can I return to the gym
A4. Immediately for lower body. 6 weeks for anything chest related.

Q5. What products should I buy now
A5. Macrom compression vest one size down from your usual size. Bio Oil, jelonets, and dressing pads.

Q6. Is there anything else I can use to help swelling or scar tissue
A6. No, just make sure you start massaging immediately and wear wrap/vest.

Armed with what I needed, I left the clinic and return to the hotel and packed ready to leave the following morning (Friday 18th).
I hadn't read the bus information Jeremy sent properly so didn't know the morning pick up time, so I rang Jeremy who informed me of the time for pick up.

The next day the taxi arrived right on time, and we set off to the airport.
We again got to witness some fine polish driving as we were involved in a minor collision when another vehicle strayed over the centre of the road and shattered the wing mirror of our taxi. A little bit hairy to say the least. Anyway we made our way to the airport and on to the flight home complication free.

Other edits / Notes

1. The Atrium hotel doesn't like you streaming data and they banned my MAC address after the first few days  i presume due to us watching movies. Thankfully we had the laptop, 2 phones, and an Ipad so we were fine.
2. Netflix, NowTV and other TV channels do not work in Poland. You need to use a VPN to get around it.
3. On our final night, walking to the El Globo restaurant we encountered a drunken/drugged polish weirdo who wouldn't leave us alone. He walked with us for about 700m and wouldnt go away. It was clear he was looking to provoke a reaction by me but we just did our best to continue as if he wasn't there and he eventually seemed to get bored. It's typical that this happens when you can't properly defend yourself. All I could think was; If this guy ruins my Gyno I will hunt him down one day. lol. We got a taxi home in the end to avoid any repeat. It was the only time we felt a little uncomfortable in Szczecin.
4. There is a sports bar with premier league football on called Boom Bar which was pretty cool. Just search for sports bar live szczecin on google for directions.

[Wireman]

Now back home I think I am getting better. The left side is still swollen and fluid has built up but im not sure if its to a degree where I need to think about having it drained. I think I'm going to keep the compression up and see how I go. Any advice?

Also, on the bad side, it looks like the skin has opened up slightly between one of the stitches. Nothing major at all but it's not true anymore with the rest of the stitched area, which is concerning me. Not sure what to do again.

Still no bruising from right hand side which is great, but I can see scar tissue starting to build. Im not bothered though, I know scar tissue is a long game.

[Wireman]

Thankyou for the very detailed account mate, I appreciate that. That's scary about the bleeding, did she tell you what had caused it in the end?

Can't wait to hear the rest x

Just a vessel that hadn't closed. She says she can only do what she can see which I understand. Just one of them things. I was unlucky in that respect.

[wezzer]

Wow, great report mate, thanks so much for all the info, it's a great help. Im getting my surgery done in june and im really nervous because i'm going on my own. Is there any any advice you would give to someone going on their own to Sczecin (i never spell that right, lol)?

[Wireman]

Take something to entertain you. I took an laptop and iPad with games/movies installed plus a book and it helped pass time. In fact I'm selling the laptop now if your interested  

Also, and this is clearly a choice thing, but I took out specific cosmetic medical insurance. I was amazed to find that you would be refused cover for anything medical if you took out general travel insurance on the basis that you were going for cosmetic surgery. it cost £100 but covered everything and I figured it was a small price to pay if things went wrong. I can give you details if interested.

I didn't book hotel breakfast, but tried it one day and it was the biggest pile of rubbish ever. I bought belvita from the supermarket and other cereal and that was more than enough.

This next bit again depends on the person. I am a person who doesn't see fear. For example I didn't fear the surgery and if anything I looked forward to it and despite my surgery problems one of the reasons I couldn't sleep the night after was the excitement of being rid of this lifestyle cancer. (thats how serious I view gyno).
My advice is therefore go and enjoy this. Its not a holiday, its better, its a life changer. I even convinced myself that I didn't care that much about the aesthetic results as long as the discomfort and appearance under clothes changed for the better. Thats still my view writing this.

It didn't bother me that I was going to Poland. Your going to be seeing a specialist who did 88 UK specific gyno operations in 2012 more than 1 per week.. Not some hooray Henry who dabbles in male beast surgery. This is her forte.

Most places speak basic English but even those that don't you Just get by. Its amazing how.easyit is to cross communicate.

Honestly you'll be fine but ask away and ill answer anything Ican help with.

[zack42]

Thanks for the report Wireman.  Sorry about your complications but I am sure that side will be just as good as the other in due course.

I didn't get any fluid buildup so can't comment on that but I'd keep up the compression as much as you can and speak to your doctor if you're concerned.

I understand completely what you say about the weirdo following you - after surgery I felt very vulnerable and unable to either defend myself or run away.  I didn't experience any problems in my time there but I can see how that would not have been very nice.

Wezzer don't worry about going on your own.  I did and it's honestly fine.  As Wireman says, you're going to have the operation done by an expert and as long as you take things to keep you entertained you'll be fine.

[DamienUK]

Thanks Wireman for such a comprehensive post mate. All the best on your recovery! The recovery process will test your patience, but hang in there – you will be just fine! 

[wezzer]

Lol, i know, i'm just really paranoid! I would like to know about this insurance, could you pm me? I doubt I'll be able to afford it, but i'd like the option. 

Thanks for all the advice, I appreciate it!

[Wireman]

PMd mate

[Poland2012]

I talked to her about the Nimesil ban. She said that while it causes liver damage, it only does so after prolonged use. Apparently the rest of Europe uses it, and she had a bit of a go at our mentality. She was prescribed Nimesil in Spain the Sunday before by a dentist who'd also had a go at us. It may just be that we shouldn't be giving the continentals ammunition.

I streamed several gigabytes a day, but the Ibis gives you a piece of paper each day with a new code. I guess they never thought to ban my MAC address, either way it's a fairly simple thing to change.

One of my stitches came out, and she gave my steri-strips to keep the nipple closed. Is it opening up, or just being stretched by the swelling?

[Wireman]

I think its just stretched. Its not bleeding on to the gelonets so I'm just going to hold out. She told me to keep stitches in for 14 days so I'm only 1 week in.

Main issue now is fluid. Anyone know how to tell when fluid build up gets to a stage where it needs to be drained rather than just left alone to absorb? Also for stitches and or draining, does anyone know if its doc or triage nurse job? Presume the latter??

Re Nimesil - it did a great job for me. No concerns.

[zack42]

You just need the nurse for stitches.

I didn't take the Nimesil but I didn't really need it and I don't like taking drugs unless I really need them anyway.

Regarding insurance, are we not covered by the European Health Insurance Card (assuming you're UK based)?

It's free and you can apply for one online.