Surgery 28/08/2013 with Levick with pics!!

[Myers]

Was just wondering if anyone knows how long it takes for areola size to decrease or is that pretty much straight away after surgery. Mine havent exactly shrunk much but its not something I'm bothered about at all tbh just curious is all. Any advice would be appreciated and sorry for the constant walls of text I keep posting, just trying to get as much info out as possible.

[Myers]

Few side views

[Myers]

Top, not the best pic but it was difficult to get a good angle and I didnt want to stretch up too far

[jamie10]

Thanks for the info before mate. Looking good. I think these side and top shots are more telling of the excellent results than the one front on...

Seems like you have some well defined pecs which can be shown off! When you plan on getting exercising again? I think Levick managed take it easy one month after, so I guess weights on the chest area would have to be light, and you would have to take it really really light - maybe 2 months after.

Just wondering - is the compression vest really noticeable if, for example, you wear a hoodie? I will have to go to work about 4 days post op, and was wondering if I will have a big protrusion from the chest which is the bandage poking through ;p

[Myers]

Thanks for the info before mate. Looking good. I think these side and top shots are more telling of the excellent results than the one front on...

Seems like you have some well defined pecs which can be shown off! When you plan on getting exercising again? I think Levick managed take it easy one month after, so I guess weights on the chest area would have to be light, and you would have to take it really really light - maybe 2 months after.

Just wondering - is the compression vest really noticeable if, for example, you wear a hoodie? I will have to go to work about 4 days post op, and was wondering if I will have a big protrusion from the chest which is the bandage poking through ;p

Tbh i feel like i could get in the gym today and do some cardio on a bike, not sure about jogging or anything yet but im planning on going on wednesday when I'll be 2 weeks post op. Gonna leave it till 4 weeks post op to start on my chest, in bed i went through the bench press motions, obviously with no weight and there was no negative feelings at all. When i get back in there im going to go incredibly light. The gym i use has a 20kg olympic barbell and a lighter 10 kg barbell, so ill start off doing some reps with the 10kg one at first and see how it feels, if im not happy ill back off but its just about testing what you're capable of and being smart about it. I'll probably start squatting again in a week or so but again empty bar.
The compression dressing protrudes quite a bit but theres nothing really you can do about it, I was fixed into a pretty arkward position with my shoulders forward and up. It will only be for a couple of days anyway, plus no one will think twice about it and it wont matter 3 days later, just say youve injured your shoulders or something and its a support bandage, no one will question it. As for the compression vest you cant notice it even with a t shirt on, the only thing that shows through for me is when theres wind directly at you and you can see the fastenings a tiny bit but again no one will know and if you wear a hoodie then there wont be an issue with that.

[jamie10]

Hey thanks for the insight on that...

Yeah, definitely take it easy. I think you have the right approach. If you keep up your protein intake you shouldn't lose too much muscle mass if you go light. I reckon it could take a good few months before you get back to pre-surgery. In fact, I think a doctor on here as said it would be about 6 months to get to a state akin to pre-surgery. If that is an indicator you may want to go light and then moderate on the chest for some time. Your body will tell you either way. I recall also hearing someone say they developed bruising after doing chest exercises prematurely - scary thought! However, I don't know how soon he started up and how heavy he was lifting.

You'll have to keep us posted

[Myers]

Hey thanks for the insight on that...

Yeah, definitely take it easy. I think you have the right approach. If you keep up your protein intake you shouldn't lose too much muscle mass if you go light. I reckon it could take a good few months before you get back to pre-surgery. In fact, I think a doctor on here as said it would be about 6 months to get to a state akin to pre-surgery. If that is an indicator you may want to go light and then moderate on the chest for some time. Your body will tell you either way. I recall also hearing someone say they developed bruising after doing chest exercises prematurely - scary thought! However, I don't know how soon he started up and how heavy he was lifting.

You'll have to keep us posted

Yeh im gonna focus more on volume instead of intensity when i get back in there because my usual routine is 5x5 so i'll lower the weight and up the volume.

I think some scar tissue has formed, it seems quite large below my right nipple, like a hard rectangular block a couple of inches wide, Ive begun to massage it through my vest. Im not that bothered by it at the moment because i fully expect this to be a long recovery and im trying to think in terms of like 6-12 months instead of the here and now, we'll see how it goes. Thinking about sorting a follow up with Levick in a few months time just so he can have a look and make sure everything is fine.

[Myers]

3 weeks post op tomorrow:

I was back at work for the first time over the weekend, I work at Asda so it can be fairly labour intensive depending on what I'm doing. My manager knows i had an operation although she doesn't know exactly what I had done so she put me on some lighter stuff which was fine. It felt a little tight at the side of my chest when i was biking to and from work but there was no pain or anything and my suspension helped with any bumps along the way. I've been massaging every now and again, focusing on the areas of scar tissue which have developed or are developing, they feel pretty hard so I'm not sure how much good it will but hopefully it'll all work out by the end. I went to the gym for the first time yesterday and it felt alright, no real issues. I worked on some leg stuff on the machines then did some cardio on the cross trainer. My friends were on chest day so i felt a little left out but I'll give it a few weeks and it will all be good. I find that the most frustrating part at the moment for me is that I'm not fully mobile, the gym is one of my biggest releases and the fact that I'm not able to do certain things is worse than the scar tissue or swelling by a long way. Probably going to wear my vest for a further 3 weeks 24/7, it is tight but I'm used to it now and I like the support it provides plus from what I've read most people say to wear it between 3-6 weeks and i can't see any harm in keeping it on

[jamie10]

Hey, seems like your progressing well mate. Yeah keep going with the vest, there is no harm in that! Do you have two vests? I have one but someone else was posting on here about getting 2 and it may be worthwhile as having only one may get smelly! ;p

It's good you are able to do some gym stuff a few weeks after. You will be back to normal soon enough!

Regarding scar tissues - do you have little hard lumps scattered, or is it bigger concentrated lumps? I made a post about injecting scar tissue previously but no one replied. Do you have a follow up with Levick booked? You may be able to get injections in the future if you do indeed end up with any scar tissue. Massage may well help a lot though!

[Jonny5]

I've been thinking about wearing the vest for longer too. The only thing is the blurb they gave me says '2 weeks 24/7 then a further 2 weeks day or night MAXIMUM' ...in caps. I'm gonna email them now and see what that's about. I always thought the garment was to keep swelling down and that can be present for a lot longer than 2 weeks, also different surgeons recommend different timings. I suppose it could be like other 'injuries' in that beyond a certain point you need to let the body repair unaided, like taking off a cast or dressings. Perhaps it is possible that keeping it on could actually slow down healing?

[Myers]

Hey, seems like your progressing well mate. Yeah keep going with the vest, there is no harm in that! Do you have two vests? I have one but someone else was posting on here about getting 2 and it may be worthwhile as having only one may get smelly! ;p

It's good you are able to do some gym stuff a few weeks after. You will be back to normal soon enough!

Regarding scar tissues - do you have little hard lumps scattered, or is it bigger concentrated lumps? I made a post about injecting scar tissue previously but no one replied. Do you have a follow up with Levick booked? You may be able to get injections in the future if you do indeed end up with any scar tissue. Massage may well help a lot though!

Yeh I've got two vests, but i only really need one. I was pretty lucky cos i responded to thread and got them for free, the only issue is one is a lot tighter than the other so I've been sticking with that one and only swapping while I'm waiting for the tighter one to wash and dry etc. I've been using the hand wash cycle on the washing machine then tumble drying it on light. Seems to be working well and its always nice and tight again after.
The scar tissue is mainly big concentrated lumps especially below my right nipple and I can feel more forming round where the drains were in pretty much the same place on my left as well. I noticed the big bit forming pretty much a week after the surgery, there's no point in stressing about it because i figure it's out of my hands so I've just got on with it, I'll see how it goes and like you said I can always get injections if it doesn't subside. I haven't booked a follow up yet, I should probably get on it and send some pics over so he knows how it went. I'm gonna aim to get an appointment a few months down the line so probably about December time that way I'll probably be into the worst of the scar tissue and i have no immediate issue at the moment so its all good
 

I've been thinking about wearing the vest for longer too. The only thing is the blurb they gave me says '2 weeks 24/7 then a further 2 weeks day or night MAXIMUM' ...in caps. I'm gonna email them now and see what that's about. I always thought the garment was to keep swelling down and that can be present for a lot longer than 2 weeks, also different surgeons recommend different timings. I suppose it could be like other 'injuries' in that beyond a certain point you need to let the body repair unaided, like taking off a cast or dressings. Perhaps it is possible that keeping it on could actually slow down healing?

It's interesting that it says that, everything I've read suggests that it will have no negative effect wearing it longer, if you find out will you post in here or your thread, would be interesting to know . I only intend to wear it for a few more weeks anyway and after that just for gym sessions for extra support.

[3rdTimeLucky (Dave)]

You must be ecstatic man, excellent job

[Myers]

You must be ecstatic man, excellent job

Not gonna lie, i do get pretty excited whenever i see my chest in the mirror, its a good feeling. I can't believe its been nearly 4 weeks already, its flown by.
Got some Bio oil today as well so i'll use that instead of the olive oil.

[jamie10]

Hey any updates on your progress? I am all done! Can't believe it is over so fast. My chest feels sore but I actually still have sensation there and nipples aren't numb or anything. I hate the bandage I was given. I actually got a new one put on because the first one was not positioned well. It is really bulky and kind of pulls my shoulders In. I am not convinced it is a better option that jumping straight to the compression vest, but I will keep it on until next Wednesday I think and then switch. U had it on for a full week did u? U can see my pics in my thread. Cheers!

[Myers]

Hey any updates on your progress? I am all done! Can't believe it is over so fast. My chest feels sore but I actually still have sensation there and nipples aren't numb or anything. I hate the bandage I was given. I actually got a new one put on because the first one was not positioned well. It is really bulky and kind of pulls my shoulders In. I am not convinced it is a better option that jumping straight to the compression vest, but I will keep it on until next Wednesday I think and then switch. U had it on for a full week did u? U can see my pics in my thread. Cheers!

Welcome to the other side!!! I have sensation as well, I cut my finger on broken glass when i was at uni and it severed the nerves along the side of my little finger, at first i couldn't feel anything, it was completely numb but eventually some sensation has returned, My chest feels how my little finger does at the moment so because there is some sensation already hopefully all the nerves will heal. I know it'll take a while, took my finger over a year to get some sensation back and it still feels weird now a few years on. Yeh the bandage for me was kind of annoying, it pulled my shoulders forward and up so my back was killing me after a week. I had my op on the Wednesday but when Levick saw me on the Thursday he said take the bandage off in a week so i think he meant the following Thursday but i took it off on the Wednesday anyway because i was sick of it.

Nothing much to report really, i went to my brothers wedding over the weekend which was really good fun, its also the first time I've had my vest off for any real length of time because i didn't want it showing up under my shirt. Managed to use the pool at the hotel as well so I've been swimming Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Turns out having a swim and going in the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms is a great way to get rid of a hangover. I was a tiny bit conscious of my chest at first because of the swelling and loose skin etc but i got on with it and now I'm not bothered at all, it was a massive improvement from my holiday where i was constantly having to reassure myself and try to blank my chest out of my mind when at the beach or swimming. This whole post op business is mainly a mental game.