Surgery This Week....Few Post OP Questions

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Well I'm having surgery this week (Cant work out if I'm excited or scared...maybe both ha!)

As I said in my previous thread, although I have gone through stages of following these forums closely, I kind of drifted off as I knew I was getting surgery till this summer and my final year of my masters was a b*tch!!!

My surgery date has come about really quickly, Kind of feel like I haven't read enough about post op stuff etc but to be honest I really want to get it done now!

Anyway sorry for digressing... I just wanted to as a few questions:

1> Should I get a Nike under armour/compression vest?? If so which one would people recommend??? And when could I start wearing it???

2> I know they give you arnica tablets, but is (in anyone's experience) Arnica cream better??? and can you take/use both at the same time??

Like other people I will keep a log as they are REALLY helpful, owe a lot to other peoples ones as I would probably not got done without all the info people put on here!!!

Would appreciate any other additional info or tips people would share for the post op process??

cheers!

[thetodd]

Well I'm having surgery this week (Cant work out if I'm excited or scared...maybe both ha!)

As I said in my previous thread, although I have gone through stages of following these forums closely, I kind of drifted off as I knew I was getting surgery till this summer and my final year of my masters was a b*tch!!!

My surgery date has come about really quickly, Kind of feel like I haven't read enough about post op stuff etc but to be honest I really want to get it done now!

Anyway sorry for digressing... I just wanted to as a few questions:

1> Should I get a Nike under armour/compression vest?? If so which one would people recommend??? And when could I start wearing it???

2> I know they give you arnica tablets, but is (in anyone's experience) Arnica cream better??? and can you take/use both at the same time??

Like other people I will keep a log as they are REALLY helpful, owe a lot to other peoples ones as I would probably not got done without all the info people put on here!!!

Would appreciate any other additional info or tips people would share for the post op process??

cheers!

1/ Depends who you are going with, if a compression is not provided you will need to buy a proper one. Underarmour vests are good for gym work etc but are not a substitute for the proper vest.

2/ Arnica is a bullshit treatment to be honest, take the tablets because its free dont spend any money on products.

Yeah keep a log for sure, it helps to log in and have a look back when you are reovering. all you need post op is a nice big shirt, go to tesco and buy the cheapest shirt you can (with front buttons) in a size or two above what you usually buy. When you are post op you cant lift your arms to get a hoody or a tshirt on so a nice big shirt is a must

thats all you need, and make sure your surgeon has all relevant blood test results if they require it.

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Thanks for the response thetodd, U deserve a bloody medal for your posts on here dude lol

Im having done with karadis, so im pretty sure you get a vest included, just wondered as I hear nike compression vests knocking around in these forums and wondered if it was worth getting one? One guy was wearing his under his normal compression vest to make things more comfortable, don't know how that worked?

good point on the shirt mate, never thought about that, I was just gona wear a baggy t shirt but didn't think about getting it above my head!!

Is it worth shaving/waxing my chest before hand??

[KSS24]

1> Should I get a Nike under armour/compression vest?? If so which one would people recommend??? And when could I start wearing it???

2> I know they give you arnica tablets, but is (in anyone's experience) Arnica cream better??? and can you take/use both at the same time??

cheers!

1) Personally I would, I had two anyway from my usual exercise as it used to keep everything pushed down to a certain degree, but yeah I'd defo get one to put on underneath the compression vest. It helped me with the itching, it also made it just feel a whole lot more comfy, the compression vest can slide about a bit easier with the under armour underneath. I have a t-shirt and a vest under amour, both are fine.

I didn't start wearing mine underneath until about day 5 I think... It would have been pretty akward getting one of those on over your head lifting arms etc specially when they are tight if you tried it from day 1 after your first shower. Things are very tender (well were for me) for the first 2 weeks and I still had to be careful as I was putting the under amour on when pull it down past my chest.

2) I just used the tablets, my bruising really wasn't mega bad, I went more yellow then anything, still have slight discolour now but pretty much gone. Once again your chest will be pretty tender so I don't think you'd actually want to rub the cream in multiple times daily so imo I'd just finish the course of tablets 5 a day, and if you are not satisfied with your bruising then start with the cream which should be at the end of on your 2nd week.

Hope all goes well.

[TylerD]

1> Should I get a Nike under armour/compression vest?? If so which one would people recommend??? And when could I start wearing it???

2> I know they give you arnica tablets, but is (in anyone's experience) Arnica cream better??? and can you take/use both at the same time??

1) I can't comment on the Nike under armour as I don't have one but I've been using an ASDA one! (Don't laugh) I bought it a couple of years ago when they were really popular and selling out quickly. They were dubbed the 'moob tube' by the papers.

There's no way I was shelling out another £70 on a compression vest so I dug that out of my wardrobe and thought I'd give it a go while I was washing my vest. It's actually really good! Obviously doesn't provide the same compression but I had mine on for around 2-3 hours while my vest was drying and it felt fine. Won't let me post a link but if you go onto the ASDA website/George and search " Bodysculpt Shape Enhancer T-Shirt " they are still available for £10. Definitely worth a look!

2) I am on the Arnica tablets - I normally bruise for a while but I'm 12 days post-op now and I'm surprised at how quickly it's going. It's mainly yellow now. Can't tell if it's the Arnica tabs or just surgeon (Levick) skill (or both!)

I agree with you about keeping a log as well. It's also what made me take that first step. It's great reading other peoples stories.
I've done the same but made a blog so I can go into more detail.

I can't post links but if you want to have a look:

my-gynecomastia-journey.blogspot  (add .co.uk to the end)

Maybe something on there will help you out.

Oh and I trimmed my armpit hair but regretted not shaving it all off! The sticky bandages were a b!tch! Chest/nipples were ok because the bandages weren't sticky to the chest area. This was with Levick though, I'm not sure how Karadis wraps you.

Couldn't agree more with thetodd about the shirt. I used a loose large fitting shirt. Still can't get my arms above my head so when I was trying to get that tiny ASDA top on, it took me over 5 minutes! I also probably looked like a right idiot, slowly worming my way into a top that looks like it belongs on a toddler.

Anyway, hope everything goes smoothly for you, I don't mind answering any other questions either. Hopefully my blog will help you out though. I've just uploaded my before/after shots too! Goodluck!

[g3579]

Hey

I am also having surgery with Dr. Karidis this Thursday.  I can't believe it's come around so quickly!

I went to St John's Wood to have my bloods done last week, and popped up to the Karidis centre afterwards as I had a few questions.  One of them being 'how many compression vests do you supply?', to which the answer was '2'.  So I was told that I didn't need to go and buy another one.

I also found out that despite my letter saying 10am, I actually need to arrive at 7am, so I'm glad I checked that too - ha!

I am going to do a bit of a body spruce tonight, complete with armpit shaving and chest/stomach shaving (I am having abs and flanks done too).  

Re: clothes, I tried to go and get some cheap shirts in Primark last week but they didn't have any in my size (believe it or not I take a Primark XS!).  I will pop along tomorrow lunch time to see if they have any in stock, and if not then I will go to ASDA to get some wonderful George creation or 2.  I already have a couple of shirts which will see me through the first couple of days.

Bit of a bugger that it's going to be amazing weather these next few days... I am going to be sweating like a bitch in all that gear!

Good luck!

[ThinkingAboutIt]

Thanks for the responses guys, much appreciated!

Going to take some pre op photos tonight and start my blog!

[ThinkingAboutIt]

G3579 Good luck tomorrow mate, sounds like your having the works done!

I had a phonecall today to say im not due in til 11am now, so gona head down to the hospital betwenn 10 and 11

[g3579]

Cheers man.

Did you get a call from one of Dr. Karidis' nurses today to run through admission details?  I chatted to her about various things like when to arrive, where to head etc.  I also asked about the colour of compression vests and she said to expect a black one and a 'nude' one.  Consequently, when I went to Primark to buy a few baggy-ish shirts at lunch I knew not to buy light coloured ones as the black vest would probably really show through.  People are work next week are going to be like 'WHAT is he wearing?!' Haha.  Good bargain though - 4 shirts for £38 so I don't mind if they get stuff oozing on to them.

I'm told I will be started on about 8am, so all done and brought back to the real world by about 10.30, then taken to my room.  So I reckon he'll be down to see you as soon as I'm all wrapped up

Good luck to you too! 

[g3579]

Are you all done and dusted now? I woke up in recovery about 10.10.

Just ordered lunch - am totally ravo.

Hope you're well!