20th Day Post Op - Psychologically Challeging

[leonlim]

Dear all,

I have undergone the surgery (excision & lipo) on 6th August 2013, and today (25th August 2013) is the 20th day of post op.

The flow below is the current flow of my post op,

- 6th August 2013, Operation (gland excision & lipo). I have stated my ultimate objective clearly to the PS that i just want to have a flat chest no other thing else before the anaesthetics kick in.
 
- 15th August 2013, the 1st post op appt (removal of stitches). The chest was obviously swollen, puffiness on left & right appeared. I told the PS that the results were not convincing and its not what i've expected, but he said its normal for the chest to remain swelling and puffiness to appear and remain there for quite a period of time before it subsides. The doctor put me thru an ultrasound to massage the chest in order to dissolve some excess fats which remain, and i was given some anti-swelling pills (papaya extract) for the period of 5 days.

- 20th August 2013, till date, the swelling did subside a little bit, not at the rate i'd have expected after taking the anti-swelling pills for 5 days after the 1st post op appt. And now, my chest feels swollen and puffiness is still there as if the operation did not take place. I'm not sure how long exactly the swelling and puffiness will remain there, its seriously psychologically challenging to deal with and my 2nd post op appt will be on this coming 6th September 2013 with "Antilax Treatment" which i totally have no clue of what the treatment is actually treating.

I'm actually quite an active guy in soccer, and i have stopped vigorous activities for 20days now, and without a drop of sweat is rather taking toll on my body, physically and mentally "abusive".  I appreciate if you guys were able to input me some vital advice on this.

I would like to know can i do some Sits Up or Brisk Walk at the moment? or maybe Sauna room in order for me to sweat it out? i need some of your vital input and advice on this.. I appreciate if you guys were able to input me some vital advice on this.

 Im at the stage now whereby i feel that the surgery i have invested in is a total waste of money and i did not get the results at the rate which i have expected or maybe the time will tell. I didnt know that post op and the healing process is actually the toughest stage to deal with in this whole process.

Please. Tons of Appreciations.

[Paa_Paw]

Be patient and follow your surgeons directions regarding activity and/or exercise. It is still far too early to pass judgment.

[Keep_It_Moving]

I would agree with paapaw
Do you have some pics before and after?

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't it take up to 6 months for complete healing?

[rjr3]

Im six weeks post op and am dealing w the same thing man.  I totally know how you feel. 

[Cpnh78]

I had my surgery on Aug 9. I have been going on brisk walks and plan to start a bit more vigorous treadmill exercise tomorrow.  Truthfully, I don't have a lot of swelling, I'm pretty happy with how it looks already.  I do have those hard lumps under he skin and have been massaging them daily. They say everyone I different in healing, hang in there and give it some more time.

[leonlim]

Be patient and follow your surgeons directions regarding activity and/or exercise. It is still far too early to pass judgment.

Understood man....one of the good news is that, doctor still has not taken any "after" photos for his own portfolio, so indirectly it means that i still have to wait a lil' longer.

hope this is the case.

[leonlim]

Im six weeks post op and am dealing w the same thing man.  I totally know how you feel. 

6 weeks? OMG. thats devastating, have you been given any anti swelling medic by the doc?

have u started any physical exercise?

i need to exercise so badly as my weight is on the bullish direction...pls advise...i wonder if sit ups would affect the healing process at this stage, what do u think?

[leonlim]

I would agree with paapaw
Do you have some pics before and after?

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't it take up to 6 months for complete healing?

bro, i have the before pics with the PS, and he still has not taken any "after" pics for his own portfolio use.

im not sure does this mean that i still have not yet fully recovered from the operation. Hope this is the case.

[leonlim]

I had my surgery on Aug 9. I have been going on brisk walks and plan to start a bit more vigorous treadmill exercise tomorrow.  Truthfully, I don't have a lot of swelling, I'm pretty happy with how it looks already.  I do have those hard lumps under he skin and have been massaging them daily. They say everyone I different in healing, hang in there and give it some more time.

wow, mathematically u started exercise within 20 days, i guess that's a record for me after so many articles i have read thru in this forum. I hope u're not kidding bro.

[George Pope, M.D.]

You actually told your plastic surgeon on the 9th postop day that your results are "not convincing"? Seriously?
And in a later thread, your comment to someone who is still swollen after 6 weeks was, "Six weeks? OMG-that's devastating!"  That's a pretty strong word.

I don't know if you weren't properly educated by your surgeon before surgery, or if you just have terribly unrealistic expectations, but you are now only 3 weeks postop and you seem very dissatisfied.  It is WAY too early to know how you're going to look once you're totally healed.  You need to follow your surgeon's instructions and BE PATIENT!  It's sometimes a good 3 or 4 months before one can see the final result in this type of surgery.  I really don't mean to be this hard on you, but I'm afraid you're making yourself miserable.

Dr. Pope, MD

[Keep_It_Moving]

[quote author=Dr. Pope link=topic=28257.msg184079#msg184079 date=1377532642]
You actually told your plastic surgeon on the 9th postop day that your results are "not convincing"? Seriously?
And in a later thread, your comment to someone who is still swollen after 6 weeks was, "Six weeks? OMG-that's devastating!"  That's a pretty strong word.

I don't know if you weren't properly educated by your surgeon before surgery, or if you just have terribly unrealistic expectations, but you are now only 3 weeks postop and you seem very dissatisfied.  It is WAY too early to know how you're going to look once you're totally healed.  You need to follow your surgeon's instructions and BE PATIENT!  It's sometimes a good 3 or 4 months before one can see the final result in this type of surgery.  I really don't mean to be this hard on you, but I'm afraid you're making yourself miserable.

Dr. Pope, MD
[/quote]

^ Shooting from the hip...

[Cpnh78]

I had my surgery on Aug 9. I have been going on brisk walks and plan to start a bit more vigorous treadmill exercise tomorrow.  Truthfully, I don't have a lot of swelling, I'm pretty happy with how it looks already.  I do have those hard lumps under he skin and have been massaging them daily. They say everyone I different in healing, hang in there and give it some more time.

wow, mathematically u started exercise within 20 days, i guess that's a record for me after so many articles i have read thru in this forum. I hope u're not kidding bro.


Why would I kid about that? I wouldnt psy something here that wasn't true? I was told that I could do whatever I wanted as long as it felt right.  Nothing hurts when I do my walks, so I'm fine. I am not back at the gym yet as I just don't feel like I should be yet.  I am giving myself 4 weeks of recovery before I start lifting again. I still have a long way to go in recovery. Everyday something feels or looks different. I'm not even tuning about it. Mi know that I have at least 4 months or longer before I can even consider final results

[lurkin505]

Time heals my friend, take it easy and stop stressing out about something that you cannot control. I am 3 months post op and I am still waiting to see the results. I was told some people take up to 6 months to fully heal! Let your body heal its self naturally and take it day by day, inch by inch. Thinking about it all the time will only make you sick. Your surgeon knows what they are doing, trust them do what they say and the rest only time will tell.

[dab84]

Agree with, Lurkin.

I'm 9 weeks post-op and and from 1 week to 7 weeks I was looking in the mirror about 50 times a day. Scrutinising every angle etc. It was insane.

At 7 weeks I stopped. I decided to just hit the gym and let my body heal. I am now avoiding mirrors and taking one lot of pictures per week to monitor progress.

And you know what? I feel WAY better. I am far from the finished article but I can now see progress being made each week.

Just relax, forget about your chest for the next few months and let your body heal. I know that is easier said than done. But most of us have gone years suffering. What's a few more months eh?