Hey all,
I've had my case of gyne since I can remember, probably dating back to Grade 5-6. I've always been a big guy (around). In grade 9 I maxed out at 260 pounds, and I was (and am still) 6'1". My mom and I joined weight watchers together, and after a good while I managed to bring myself down to 185. However, the gyne did not seem to go away.
My family doctor sent me over to Dr. Lin in August of 2005. He told me my case was pretty minor compared to most (and after doing some research on the condition, I agree) but I could do the surgery if I wanted to. However, it has always bothered me. A friend of mine used to call me "Big Nipples" Jeff in grade 7, and while I always tried to laugh it off, it always stung. On top of my puffy nipples, I had the hard tissue behind the nipple which made wearing t-shirts and such a terror. There was also some excess fat that had to be lipo'd out. He kind of freaked me out over the Anesthesia, really emphasising that I was a minor case and I could risk not waking up from being put under. He told me to think about it, and I left.
As November rolled around, I decided that I had enough. I went back into see him and said 'I want to do this!' He agreed to perform it, and I was booked in for February.
Which brings me to today. I arrived at the Peter Lougheed around 6:30 AM, ten minutes before my scheduled clock in time. After fifteen minutes in the chair, I was called over to confirm my details, and they sent me up to the second floor, Day Surgery Unit 22. The room was quite big and looked to span around 50+ beds. The nurse (Kandy, a cutie) led me over to bed 32, and told me to take everything off and put on the back-tie gown.
Me: 'Everything...except underwear?'
Kandy: 'Nope, EVERYTHING. Sorry.'
So, add worrying about my twig and giggleberries falling out to my list of things to stress over during the entire process, hehe.
I put on the gown and was instructed to sponge/brush my chest and sides for 5 minutes with the pre-medicated scrub. After I was done, I got back into bed and went over my information with Kandy and the nurse in training, a nice older lady (I feel bad but I already forget her name). I had my blood pressure and temperature checked, something that would occur a few times over the course of the day. They also tried to give me an IV, but for some reason they just couldn't get it! My hand felt like a damn pincushion.
So, it was now about 8:00 and I had a good chunk of time left to pass. Thankfully, I stuffed Mr. iPod into my bag right before leaving. I mouthed the words to my favorite songs and wiggled my toes to the beat in bed until 9:00, and followed up with yet another medical scrub. Upon leaving the bathroom, I was informed that Dr. Lin has sent patients back for not having rinsed the scrub medicine off well enough, so yet another nurse took me into the bathroom and rinsed my chest off for me! Fun times, lol.
Back into bed (making sure that the woman across from me didn't get a few of the goods as I hopped back up) and I waited anxiously for 9:40 to roll around. At 9:45, I was stripped of my glasses (UGH, add being totally blind to my anxieties!) and wheeled into the prep room. Once again I was quizzed on my information by the nurse, and answered some questions for the anesthesiologist. Dr. Lin made his way in and briefly asked me about which part of the area was my main concern, and drew a few crop circles around my chest with a Sharpie.
Now dressed in a sharp new back-tie gown, I was wheeled out in front of the surgery room. Shielding my pecker from plain sight, I gracefully slid off the stretcher and walked into the operating room, where a surprising amount of people stood (over seven? At least six blurry looking figures). Hopped onto the operating table, where I multi-tasked. Blood pressure from the nurse on my right side, stabbed with the IV needle on my left. Finally, the gas mask thingy went over and they told me it was just oxygen and not the total nighty-night gas as of yet, but I should begin to feel something soon.
'Are you feeling it yet?'
'Mmm...a little, I guess.'
'Take a few deep br--'
...fast forward to noon, and it's all over. Wow, I don't even remember going out. I make small talk with this new nurse in the first recovery room and feel surprisingly chipper. My throat is somewhat sore, and I feel a little pain in my chest, but nothing too bad at all. Soon I was brought back to my original bed, where I sat for another hour and a bit, during which I went and took a good long pee (in the bathroom, not in bed haha). Around 1:50, Dr. Lin came in and went over a few FAQ's with me, and prescribed me some of those mega Tylenols. Did a 20 minute IV dose of some anti-biotic, and call it a day I'm going home.
So far, I feel quite pleased with what happened. The soreness in my chest is moderate and I don't think I'll need to take any pain pills if it doesn't get any worse. The gas has pretty much worn off and I'm STARVING. I removed my compression vest and had 3 small square bandages on my chest: One on my right nipple (the worst side) and one under each pectoral. These will come off late tomorrow, leaving those strips to hold the cuts together for a week before they are removed. From what I can see so far, things look so much better! Stay tuned for updates over the next little while.
Topic: Jeff's Op/Post-Op Diary (Read 2974 times)
Similar Topics
