Surgery Done by Dr.JB Ratti, Vital Clinic, New Delhi- July

[darkrai95]

Okay so I'm two days post op now. I will be giving you all an extremely detailed account of my pre op, op and post op so far.
So first things first I'm 20 years old and about 5'10 and weigh 74 kilograms. I was leaner at about 70 Kgs like a month ago but put on some weight while trying to bulk up.
During my teens till the age of 15 I was pretty obese and then decided to do something about my weight. So I started dieting, working out, playing tennis, etc. As a result, I lost a ton of weight dropped about 20 kilos in a rather short span of time. (went from 81kg to 60kg).
Now, however I found that I wasn't losing weight around my chest and that it was rather odd. This led to a lot of self conciousness and lack of self esteem. Did some research on the net and found that it wasn't an uncommon condition called gynecomastia where breast glands form behind the nipple. And that it would go away by the time puberty ended. I don't think I was made fun off as such. But there was always that nagging feeling in the back of my mind telling me that something had to be done. It got to the point where in I would wear really loose, baggy shirts and tshirts and go to extreme lengths to avoid taking off my shirt in public.
So I waited till I was 19. There were a few fluctuations in my weight during this period. Averaged around 70kilos though. 
Now this was really starting to trouble me that it wasn't going away. Did some more research and figured that if the glands were fixed firmly, the only way that they were coming out is through surgery. Googled some more, found this Doctor called Dr.JB Ratti who is supposedly a specialist in gynecomastia surgery. So I made it my mission to get these glands removed before I turned 21( I've only turned 20 like 2 months back). So started saving up on my allowance. I Had saved up like Rs.28000( which isn't much around $465 :p). And then I got lucky my grandfather decided to gift me Rs.50000(approximately USD 833).
I knew it was now or ever. So towards the end of my college semester( around the third week of May) I decided to mail Dr.Ratti pictures of my chest. I got a reply rather quickly saying I had 'classical gyecomastia' and since I was done with puberty, surgery would be the only option to get a normal flat chest and that the cost of surgery would be Rs. 68000.(Rs.60,000 for the surgery and Rs. 8000 for the compression vests and blood work). Although the cost generally depends on the size of the male breast. Now, I had to book the date of surgery for which I had to transfer an advance of Rs.10,000 to his account and I scheduled my surgery for the 6th of July(on a Monday).
Now this was during my summer semester break from college( I'm an engineering undergrad B.Tech as it's called in India). And money wise, I was running a tight ship. So on the 3rd of July, I took a train (yes, a train) from Chennai, India which is my hometown and co-incidentally supposed to be renowned globally for its medical facilities(I'll get to why I chose Dr.JB Ratti in a bit.). So yeah, I had Rs.78000 and odd in my bank account, paid online for a rather shady hotel in Paharganj, New Delhi  Left Chennai by a rickety, non-Airconditioned train on the 3rd of July and a gruelling 30 hour journey later, reach Delhi the next afternoon. Go to my 'budget hotel' room in an auto rickshaw(tuk tuk) :p (which costs around Rs. 1000 a night) which is around 60USD. Oh and yeah, my parents have no clue that I'm in Delhi for surgery, because, you know you can't really open up to Indian Parents about cosmetic surgery.... So here I am, in a new city 2175km from all alone, armed with nothing but my broken hindi (we speak Tamil in Chennai) and my resolve to get these glands out.
Immediately after getting to the hotel, I shower, get dressed and go to the clinic. Okay now I'll get to the part why I chose Dr.JB Ratti. When I doing my research on this condition, I came across his website which said he does his surgeries using a local anaesthetic and without loss of a drop of blood. I had to watch a couple of videos of him performing the surgery on YouTube to be fully convinced about his technique. So I get to the clinic and paid Rs.500 as a consultation fee. The thing is, the clinic itself doesn't look very impressive( but never judge a book by it's cover. You'll understand why I say this when I get to the end this). So I go into the clinic and have to wait for a bit because Dr.Ratti is busy in surgery. So meanwhile the nurses and helpers take my height, weight, etc. And then I go in for my consultation. I have to be examined by Dr. Neeta Ratti, his wife, as Dr. JB Ratti was busy in surgery. She explains the schedule. Day 1: the consultation Day 2: Surgery and Day 4: Removal of dressing. I was very nervous but Dr.Neeta Ratti said it's a routine procedure and assured me that I'd be fit to travel after the dressings came off. She put me on an anti-biotic called Augmentin 625(Rs.150) twice starting one day pre op and ending one day post op. (that is 6 tablets, twice a day). Next I was taken to a room where they had to take a blood sample( ironic, I thought since the surgery is supposed to be bloodless and all.) The nurse said my veins were too deep and called in Dr.Neeta Ratti to take my blood test( In my mind I'm like wow this is not a good start). But she did it expertly and that put me at ease. She told me my surgery was scheduled for day after (Monday) at 9:30 am and to shave my chest and armpits, wear loose clothes, have a light breakfast and a tablet of augmentin before coming to the clinic. The next day, Sunday was immensely boring because I didn't have enough money to do touristy things( all though I did see the parliament house, and India Gate and all that from the auto rickshaw). I was getting really nervous towards Sunday night and couldn't sleep well at all(seeing as I've never been operated on in my life). So now, Monday morning, I wake at 5am, nervous as hell and excited at the same time. Reach the clinic an hour early on a rainy Monday morning at around 8:30 am. And the doc's not in yet. The nurses take me to a room and tell me to wait and that they'd tell me when the Dr.Ratti reached the clinic. I'm nervous as hell it's 10am and there's no sign of the doctors. The Nurses offer me a cup of tea or coffee but I'm not in the mood for that just want to get done with this surgery as fast as possible and get the hell back home. The doctor comes in at 11am and I still have to pay Rs58,000. Try  to pay by card...declined. So I run over to an ATM close by and bring back the amount in cash. Dr. Ratti is kind enough to give me a dicount of Rs.1000 because I'm running low on cash. Next he examines me and says there is gland present, makes some markings on my chest with a black marker and explains the procedure: first a local anaesthetic is injected into the sides of your chest and wait for about 10 to 15 minutes till the chest becomes completely numb. Next lipo is performed to suck out all the fat and then a small incision is made near the areola to remove the gland(I listened very intently :p) then you're sewn up and the the same process is repeated on the other side. So then he tells me to go and changed into the surgery gown( for which you need to strip down infront of a helper..lol embarassing.. xD) I was helped into the gown and given a tablet of Valium and something else which is supposed to be standard before any surgery. I felt a certain calmness on taking the valium, like I had no worries in the world(mind you I was really stressed out before the surgery, what with being alone in an new city and all). Then I'm made to lay down on the table and I don't even feel the injection of the tumescent fluid( local anaesthesia). I think I doze off for a bit some calming music playing in the background. Next he I know that he's doing lipo and I ask him and says Yes. btw I'm blindfolded so that I don't lose my shit on seeing what's happening because I'm awake and conversant. Next he removes the glands and I feel him pulling them out. After this is donr, he stiches me up and puts drains on either sides through slits and winds me up in dressing which is really bulky and the compression garment on top of that. Then I'm told that the surgery is done and taken to my room where they tell me that the doctor will call me out. I'm given some Apple juice and cookies and I wait. I feel no pain and the nurses help me put on my clothes. Dr. Ratti calls me outside and says the surgery was successful and completely bloodless and shows me the glands (L 57gm and R 49 gm) and about 150cc of fat aspirated during lipo. He says I'm young and hence will see excellent results. Tells me to go back to the hotel and take rest. Also, that I'm allowed to walk around normally, climb steps but no jerky movements for a while. He says my diet can be normal and that I can eat whatever I want. Also not to worry if I saw a pinkish stain on my compression garment as it was normal draining of the tumescent liquid and not blood. I'm allowed to sleep on my back and side but not on my chest. The surgery ended at around 3pm so he said the peak pain period would be around 3pm to 5pm which would be covered by the anaesthesia but at around 6-6:30 pm the anasthesia would wear off and pain would start. He told me to take a painkiller called Nimulid twice a day on Monday and Tuesday. So I take another auto rickshaw back to the hotel and just chill. The dressing hinders movement and there is pain but nothing. I don't sleep great that night because of the bulky dressing. Next day( Tuesday) I pass time playing games on my laptop and FIFA and watching TV shows and I can't wait to get back home and get the dressing off. Don't sleep too well Tuesday night either. Wednesday comes and I'm excited as hell wake up at 8am get ready, leave that seedy hotel(I was so relieved). Go to the clinic by auto rickshaw again. The nurses help me out of my clothes and compression garment, remove the dressing and drains( very very minimal pain) only some tenderness. Apply neosporin powder, and band aids on the slits. And I wait for Dr.Ratti. He comes into the clinic calls me into his office. Takes a look at my chest and says the result is excellent. I can walk around normally, bathe, climb stairs, and drive in a week but I must wear the compression garment for 2 months. He says I can start working out after 6 weeks and driving in a week. Says there will be tenderness and a little bit of unevenness for the first couple of weeks but all that is completely normal and not to worry. Also that the skin will shrink perfectly and final results will be prominent in 4 months. Wishes me luck, tells me to keep in touch and I'm off to the airport to catch my flight back to Chennai. (I'm writing this from The Delhi airport)
Would I recommend surgery for gynecomastia? That would be a yes, do it as soon as you can ( the earlier the better) as skin tends to lose it's elasticity over time I've heard.
Would I recommend Dr.JB Ratti? A resounding YES. He does them at very reasonable costs, no blood loss, virtually painless, he's extremely experienced and he really knows his stuff. Although the clinic itself isn't very impressive and looks more like a house and the attitude is slightly casual, if you can look past all this and take the leap of faith in this Doctor, I'm pretty sure, you won't regret it.
I have to admit even I was very apprehensive until after the surgery. But apparently he does does this almost everyday. Pre and post op pics will follow once I get home( for now two major concerns are explaining the compression garment to airport security and breaking news of the surgery to my parents. :p) Apologies about the English, this was written in a bit of a hurry. But, yeah, a huge weight off my chest.
Oh and yeah younger guys( aged 20-25) DONOT let this condition ruin your self confidence. Do whatever you can to get it fixed.
tl;dr
Started developing moobs during early teens.
Tried working out, didn't go away.
Did research, decided to get them removed.
Saved up and Got operated on by Dr. JB Ratti @ Vital Clinic, New Delhi at the age of 20 on July the 6th,2015, Monday.
Lipo+ Gland Excision.
Local Anaesthesia: "tumescent technique"
Lipo(150 cc)+ Gland excision(L 57 R49)
So far so good. (Fingers crossed).
(Im)Patiently waiting for final results. Which should take 6 to 12 months.
Pics will follow.