Surgery - Jan. 4th, 2006 w/Dr. Fielding

[Achilles]

Alright so here goes...I left Ottawa Tuesday afternoon and arrived at the hotel in T.O. (Four Points Sheraton) at around 6 o'clock.  We had a nice room (my mom came with me) with two double beds and all.  The food at the hotel's restaurant isn't the greatest, but whatever, we only ate there for one meal.  Anyways we had to be at the hospital for 10:30 the next morning, but we ended being there a little early, around 10:00.  We were told that Fielding was actually running early on his surgeries so that was good to hear as I was getting hungry, but in the end, my surgery ended up being a half hour later than it was scheduled for; 1:30 instead of 1:00.

The nurse started an I.V. and all about an hour before I went in.  When it was time to go in, Fielding drew lines on my chest and took a couple of pictures, and a few minutes later I was asleep.  The surgery was booked for 2 hours, but I'm not sure if it lasted the whole two hours or not and how much was taken out;  I haven't had the chance to speak with Fielding since.  Anyways, after I woke up, I was moved to my room for the night.  I wasn't in much pain, just soreness, as my chest felt bruised, so I didn't need to take any pain killers (and haven't taken any yet).  I pretty much just stayed in bed all night and took the occasional leak.  By midnight, my back was prety sore and I wasn't able to fall asleep, it wasn't until about 3am that I realized that sleeping on my sides were not painful and doing so was a big relief for the back pain.  I think I only got 1 or 2 hours of sleep; another reason for which I wasn't able to go to bed was that the night nurse kept on coming in my room to check on me, but would turn on the lights completely, even though she had a flshlight with her, that was VERY annoying.

Day 1 post-op
When I woke up this morning I felt even better than yesterday.   One of Fielding's residents came to talk to me and told me what I can and can't do.  I didn't leak and no drains were put in; so the healing is going pretty damn well so far!  We left the hospital at about 8:45 and rushed to get the next train at 9:30 and made it.  I called Fielding's office not too long ago to speak with him but he's in surgery all day today and tomorrow and will be calling me whenever he gets the chance.  I want to speak with him because the info I got from the Resident and the nurse is different from what some of you had posted earlier (i.e. taking off the pads to go shower, I was told to leave the pads on until next Thursday, without removing them!  I need a shower!  And I though most of you took the pads off on the following Tuesday).

That's it for now, I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.  Don't hesitate to ask questions.

Info on my surgery:
1st consult - August 29th, 2005
Surgery - January 4th, 2006
Cost - 1284 CAD$ (student fee)
Surgeon - Dr. Fielding

[Achilles]

Spoke with Fielding a few hours ago.  He said he removed 200 ml by lipo on each side, but didn't say how much gland, could have been around 50 grams, they didn't weigh it.  Anyways I won't be able to see the results until Tuesday when I take off the pads.

[Achilles]

Day 2 Post-op

Feel fine today, not too much pain really, just the bruised feeling when I put pressure on my chest.  Had no problems sleeping last night either.  The pads are getting itchy though and it's annoying, can't wait to take them off!

[Achilles]

Day 3 Post-op

Nothing new today, no pain, the bruised feeling when I press on ym chest is getting better, and I'm just looking forward to taking the pads off as they can be pretty itchy.

[Achilles]

Day 6 Post-op

So there was nothing new to post the last couple of days, besides being itchy from the foam pads.

I took off the pads today and all I can say is WOW!  The results are great!  my chest is flat and there is also a bit of muscle there too, as I expected, I can finally see the results of working out for the last few years.  I should say though that taking off the pads HURT!!  Probably because of the chest hair, felt like I was waxing.  I thought I could do it slowly but they were very sticky, so I had to rip them off quickly, that was the most painful part of the whole thing so far, as I was never in any real pain after the op.

I wish I had a camera to take pics and show you guys the results as I know that I like seeing everyone's results.  Anyways I'm just wearing the bandage now, I decided that I am going to return the underarmour shirt I bought as it doesn't provide the same compression as the bandage (it does provide compression but the bandages can be wrapped as tight or as loosely as I want).  

I will just post messages when there is anything new to add, but for now the results are great, everything is symetrical, and the bruised feeling is subsiding every day.  My chest is still numb in some areas though, but no complaints!  I couldn't be happier!

[Achilles]

3 Weeks Post-op

So today is my 3 week post-op mark.  I decided to take the tensor off for the day today for the first time and only wear it at night when I go to bed, unless I feel uncomfortable without it which I will then put it back on, but I feel good.  There's still a bit of numbness and very minor soreness, and the scars are barely noticeable.

[Achilles]

5.5 Weeks Post-op

Went for my first full workout yesterday, since the op.  It went great!  I was just doing light weights but I had absolutely no pain doing anything.  Just have the post-workout soreness now.

[Achilles]

6+ months post-op

Hey everyone,

wow, it's been a while!  I haven't been here in months and decided i'd come check it out.  The board has a few more sections than were available since my last visit, good stuff!  Anyways, I figured I'd give an update since I'm just over the 6 month post-op stage.

Let me begin by sayig that having surgery is probably the best thing I EVER did for myself.  My case was not a major one compared to most, but it was major in my head.  My recovery was quick and fairly painless (the most painful part of the whole experience was having to take off the foam pads, DAMN!!).  Right from the start the scars were not that big, and now you can't even notice anything.  I look like I've never had gyne or surgery.  They say you won't know what th final results are really like until 1 year after the surgery, but damn! I don't know how it can get better!

It's so nice to not have to worry about what to wear, or taking my shirt off in front of strangers, things I used to be very conscious about in the past I don't even think about at all.  This is not to say I never think about it, but it doesn't control various aspects of my life anymore, and I rarely think/remember that I had gyne.

For those of you whom are contemplating having surgery, or may be scared to do it, do yourself a favour and go for it!  You will thank yourself for having done it.  It is such a relief to be gyne-free you won't ever know until it's gone.

I'll try to check out the board more often, but I can definately say that I have had no regrets about the whole process whatsoever and have been able to move on from the whole gyne thing.

[oldgynodude]

Awesome, great to hear!

I had surgery also, and so far I am very, very satisfied. While I can't work out yet, I am looking forward to that soon, and cannot wait to get in super shape! I also recommend surgery to anyone thinking about it or kind of scared. Looking back I can't believe how much this bothered me throughout my life, the simple little things like not wanting to take off my shirt at the beach on vacation, wearing two shirts or even a sweater when it's hot outside when I go for a run, hunching, etc. etc. If you do your research and go for a reputable surgeon, then you should go for it!

[Grandpa Bambu]

6+ months post-op

Hey everyone,

wow, it's been a while!  I haven't been here in months and decided i'd come check it out. I figured I'd give an update since I'm just over the 6 month post-op stage.

Hey... good to hear from you dude!  

They say you won't know what th final results are really like until 1 year after the surgery, but damn! I don't know how it can get better!

Docs say that cuz everyone heals at different rates. One guy may be healed by the 3rd month, while another takes 6 months. Some may take even longer.

For those of you whom are contemplating having surgery, or may be scared to do it, do yourself a favour and go for it!  You will thank yourself for having done it.  It is such a relief to be gyne-free.

Agreed!


John.

[Tim_Hortons_Coffee]

Great to hear another Fielding success story, that's comforting.

Enjoy the new life mate.

[Achilles]

1 year+ post-op

I haven't been on the site for months but I was surfing the net and thought I'd check out the board, and then decided to post a quick update.

January 4, 2007 was my one year post-op date, so I've passed that mark and I can't say that I have any complaints!  My chest still looks great, though I really need to get back to the gym once classes end, I could lose a bit of fat lol, but no sign of gyne!  I will repeat this again, if you are hesitant to go for surgery, don't be!  You will regret not having gone earlier!  I don't know what Fielding's rates are at now, but I would assume he is still much cheaper than most out there, and he's a great guy too!  So if you can, go see him!  Even if it's just for a consult, he's very honest and will answer all your questions and tell you all you need to know.

Anyways, I'll check the board from time to time.  If you sent me PM, don't be offended that I haven't replied, I just haven't been on the site for a while.  Everything you need to know about my experience should be on here, but if it's not, send me a PM and I'll respond when I log on.

Good luck to all!

[Grandpa Bambu]

1 year+ post-op January 4, 2007 was my one year post-op date, so I've passed that mark and I can't say that I have any complaints!

Awesome dude.... Glad to hear everything is going well!

Thanks for the update and congrats on your one year anniversary!!!   

GB