Need some verification

[darkness7]

I was told after my surgery yesterday that there was no need for a compression vest. Is this case specific or has anyone ever heard something like this.

The doctor said exactly this: The compression vest has no bearing on the final results of the surgery. It will minimize swelling, fluid build up, and may provide some comfort and extra mobility.

Note: I bought one anyway after the fact but I would like to hear if anyone has experienced this.

[Paa_Paw]

I think your Doctor would be in the minority, But what he said is true. Without the vest or compression garment there will be more swelling but the ultimate result should be the same. If you can accept the fact that the initial swelling may give the appearance that nothing was done, you are probably OK. Any swelling should slowly diminish.

[yoobro]

I'm a week post-op now, and I too am questioning the necessity of the compression garment. I think for the first week it was certainly a good idea... but now I'm healing so darn well, with such minimal swelling that it seems like I could discontinue. I would think that my warm showers and daily hour of no vest time would cause everything to start swelling up, but things are pretty stable and look totally fine. Of course, maybe things look so great simply because I've been diligent about wearing my vest... I dunno. Maybe once my doctor sees my healing progress at my follow-up next week, he'll give me a little bit of leeway. Hope so... the second stage vest is a huge pain in the ass to get on and off.

For what it's worth, two other reasons I've read on this forum for using a vest is 1) it helps the tissue adapt properly to your new chest contour and 2) it helps the resulting skin shrink up. Maybe one of the docs will chime in on these points.

[darkness7]

Thanks for the replies. I don't feel too worried since this surgeon has outstanding credentials (Dr. Robert Turner, BSc, MD, FRCSC) and has done hundreds of these procedures. I posted my before and after pics in surgery experiences so maybe it's just not a severe enough case. I have no idea, but I did buy a vest and will wear it when it arrives. Also, he said I did't require a vest but if I wanted to wear one it would not do any harm.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I am an ardent fan of post op compression.  It minimizes any swelling and to some extent prevents accumulation of fluid or blood.  It allows the skin to attach back to the underlying tissues and it helps the skin to re-distribute itself over the chest. It also minimizes the need for drains in virtually all of my patients (I use drains in perhaps 1 in 100 cases). Other doctors may differ -- particularly with an individual patient.

Bottom line:  compression use cannot hurt and could probably help -- so why not use it?

Dr Jacobs