RRB's Op Diary

[RRB]

5 Weeks

well nothing much really to report about the healing, everything seems in order so far, top of my chest is a bit puffer than i would like but i know its early days still so im not bothered in the slightest.  Started weight training again on monday, went fairly light but not too light and felt pretty much fine.  I reckon another 2-3 weeks ill be back to full strength.

Had post op consultation with Mr Levick over the phone on wednesday and described my chest to him, again he said its a long slow process to fully heal, which i already knew anyway.  Asked me how i was getting on and such, said same as some other guys, to start massaging and i could go back training.  He also stated that physical exercise would make the chest swell up more.  He also asked if i would like my post op photos sent to me, which i did.  He confirmed my address again and they arrived today with a "Strictly addressee only" notice on the envelope, which i thought was a great touch. Outwith surgery, which speaks for itself Mr Levick really is a top bloke, I cant stress that enough.  

Ive noticed some guys on here have been getting very paranoid about post op conditions after only a week or so.  Id like to stress that this surgery takes time to heal and worrying about things after such a short time post op is going to do nothing to help.  Im not having a go at these people as i know myself how traumatising the op is, im just trying to alleviate fears.

[Yorkshireman]

RRB.....glad to hear things have gone quite smoothly for you, Im one of the paranoid one weekers! Im actually less para when I read posts like yours and Im pretty chilled at the mo!....for the next hour or so at least!

[doddy]

Good stuff RRB. Do you have any pre op pics online already or not?

[RRB]

Sorry no online pics, Ill do my best to get a scanner and scan the pre op pics as soon as i can.  

Almost forgot Mr Levick did say i was one of the biggest this year, i asked what he took out and he said 400 cc each side and 127 right 114 left grams. not sure the exact figures for gland cos when people talk to me on the phone i have a tendancy to just shut off for some reason but those sound close enough  

[RRB]

RRB.....glad to hear things have gone quite smoothly for you, Im one of the paranoid one weekers! Im actually less para when I read posts like yours and Im pretty chilled at the mo!....for the next hour or so at least!

I wasnt pointing at anyone directly, just trying to put people at ease and try and assure them that things will work out, it will just take time.  I hope it came across as that.

On that note im off out to get yaggled tonight with nothing but a thin shirt on top and no boobs poking through.  So all you recent op guys remember this is what you have to look forward to soon very shortly.

P.S ill be wearing jeans and that too, just incase anyone thinks im a weirdo

[Ste]

On that note im off out to get yaggled tonight with nothing but a thin shirt on top and no boobs poking through.  So all you recent op guys remember this is what you have to look forward to soon very shortly.

That's ace. Makes me smile.

[RRB]

Quick 6 week update

Went training my chest today and im back to full strength now, lifting what i was pre op, trained my back monday past and it was the same.  No pain or anything during training and didnt feel like anything was going to go pop.

[Patientx]

Hi,

I stumbled across this site and your diary was the first to read, so I thought it best that I add a thread, especially as nearly a thousand people have read it and are probably being influenced.

I had surgery with paul levick just a few years ago and can only hint at the nightmare it has been ever since. The contouring, asymmetry and damage done is poor beyond belief and I would not recommend anyone seek his advice.

I hope for other people's sake my case is in the minority, however I have heard from various professionals that he has/is doing similar to other people.

Hate to put a dampener on things, but thats just the way it goes.  :-/

I hope for your sake you will be fine, it sounds like your recovery is doing well.

Regards

[Taz]

PatientX, would you care to tell us more about your story? I'm very interested to hear what happened to you.

I'm also very interested in hearing about what other 'professionals' have told you about him.

After reading your post I am now in a state of panic as I had surgery with Mr Levick nearly 2 years ago and also have fairly major contouring and asymmetry problems.

[Patientx]

Hi Taz,

Long story to say the least. Basically 3years post op. I believe levick was that raw or rough with me, he unnecessarily damaged or/ and removed muscle in the process which left me looking well, deformed.

I have been to see various professionals since, of course, and oddly most have said that it is normal, and the 'indent' caused is due to skin tethering. Yeah, good one. Try telling that to a man who has been in the gym most of his young life trying to combat gyne by building up his pecs, dieting etc. and knows every slight contour of their own chest.

In my opinion the asymmetry / indentation caused was far too significant to be tethering, and I'm still amazed I have been told by other 'professionals' that there is nothing I should worry about.

What's worse, the comments by other people that levick is such a nice guy etc, yet when I went to see him about my concerns post op, he tried to stiffle the situation by throwing in random big Latin phrases about what my condition could be attributed to - trying to deny what he had himself done. Nice guy? No comment.

Interestingly I've noticed from this morning's viewing that the scars on his patients are still located in much the same place - some people reporting larger scars and in more prominent positions on one side than the other. Some time ago I made him aware that I was not happy with how he had placed my scars without any respect for their invisibilty, and it still seems he is doing the same three years on - near the armpit, sometimes under, but sometimes nowhere near.

However, the scarring issue is only a small complaint compared to what happened with respect to the contouring and I would also be interested to hear your stoy and what happened with levick.

Oh yeah, with respect to what I 'heard', the Harley Clinic, Birmingham offered levick's name as the surgeon they thought I might have been with. They explained that they have alot of patients that come to them for help after levick has operated on them. More than scary if you ask me.

Let me know your accounts.....

[Taz]

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'll give you an insight into the situation im in now.

20 months ago I had lipo & excision for gynecomastia. At the initial consultation, i was labelled a 'perfect candidate' for this type of surgery.

Anyway, I had the op and when I took the giant plasters off 3 days later, I was ecstatic. Although my chest seemed pyscadellic in its colouring, it was as flat as a pancake, I had the chest shape I'd dreamed of since I was a young boy.

So the chest started to swell up as expected and by about 6 weeks the swelling and bruising had gone. After that I noticed my chest was quite mishaped- the left side was still boob-like and the right was just a mess, looking square shaped.  So I saw Mr Levick and he said it was scar tissue, which it certainly seemed like as it was rock hard.  

About 8 months later there wasnt much of a change, but I was patient as I knew it could take a long time for me to heal.  I have seen Mr Levick about 4 times since my op and he's been pleased with the progress and told me that all the uneveness and bumps/dents will sort themselves out. 20 months on, it hasnt  

I'm currently getting some fairly intense massage done on my chest in a hope that the uneveness is still scar tissue that needs breaking up but my masseuse thinks I just have fat back in the area (guh!!!) as the tissue softens up very quickly.

My scars, 20 months on, are also still red & very much raised. They are NOT hidden, and are more on my arms than armpits. I thought these were Keloids (they darn well look like them) so I went to see a GP who confirmed that they were and will never go away. When I asked Paul about this he said that they are Hyperthrophic scars, NOT keloids and will go away. When I asked him why my GP said differently he said "Becuase she is asian she probably thinks they are Keloids, because asian people tend to get them more". Pretty wierd response, but I didn't argue. I'm still with Paul on this one as other scars havent left keloids on me before.

In three weeks time I have my first follow up appt since last August, at which point Paul said there was a 'less than 50% chance' I'd need revision surgery. I'm almost certain I do need revision surgery, just to try and make the area look more normal if anything.

One thing that worries me, is that last august he told me to visit him march/april and I questioned whether further surgery will be completely free as the 12 month mark had passed. He said that because I've been regularly seeing him & I hadn't fully healed that there would be absolutely no charges. When I spoke to his wife (who always calls me back instead of Paul ) she seemed to think that the hospital would charge me if I did require revision surgery. I really hope they don't, as I could never afford the £1500 ~ of hospital fees.

All in all, I'm not happy with the results of my surgery at all, but to be honest I can't say I'm surprised, bad luck as followed me throughout my life.

When I see Paul next I am going to explain everything to him and see where to go from here. One thing I must say is that in my experience Paul Levick has been nothing but very friendly and understanding towards me, which is why that even after all this, I still have hope that he will be able to make me look better.

[Sporty]

Hey PatientX do you have any post op pics. I getting a bit nervous reading your story as I have a consultation with Levick on Monday !!

How bad was your gyno pre op ? Was your chest distorted once all the major swelling had gone down post op (say 4 months after) or did your chest slowly become distorted in the following years ? How old were you when you had the op ?

I'm really very interested to hear your comments.

[Bubble]

What sort of help are you looking for patientx? Also could you post some photos so we could better understand your concerns?

Regards

[Patientx]

Taz you sound fairly similar to me, when I first had a look at myself about 3hours after the op, I was happy but confused; I was flat at last, but the one side looked normal and the other a bit wierd, in fact I questioned levick when he came into my resting room whether muscle had been removed in the op, but he assured me that of course it hadn't...

The harsh reality of it all hit me when I went to see him 3 weeks post op, I was in quite an unstable state and I was hoping he would kind of sort something or remedy my worries, but of course this was not to be and he suggested I come and see him some 6 months later!! From this point I knew he had done his work and he was mearly trying to get rid of me.

Sporty and Bubble - I was 27 (3yrs ago) when I had the op, and oddly there was no post op swelling really or none that I noticed - my attention was mainly on this indent that was on my right pectoral - it was if there had been a sharp gouging in my muscle and my left pec when tensed looked fuller - still does - than my right. I will try and post photos, do i just go to yahoo, whats the address?

Taz - I'm not sure what to recommend you, but you should know this - any surgeon will not criticise his own work. What swelling there was should have gone by about 6 months, scar tissue i'm not sure, but by about 12 months I think you're left with the results that will stay with you unless you do something about it. If after 20 months you're still relying on levick's words, dont. I didn't after 3 weeks. In fact I made a complaint to the head of the hospital, John Sharpe, but he unfortunately wasn't interested in the care of his patients. This may sound all a bit hard core, but I can assure anyone that if you come under the 'care' of paul levick, this is what you might have to expect.

My story has evolved since then and I recentlly visited a physiotherapist who told me that my muscle had been noticibly damaged, and I am still trying to find hard evidence to make a complaint against levick.

What would be interesting to know is if you are going to see levick on Monday Sporty ask him if he has ever had anyone not pleased with his work. Maybe then you can assess for yourself how 'nice' a guy he is.

Taz - during these three years I have also had revision surgery with another surgeon with some success, firstly for scar revision, and at the same time a bio filler to fill in the indents that levick caused. I of course have nothing but sympathy for you if you are not happy with your results, but I think you should question whether you see levick again, I personally feel he is dangerous - without concern for his results and nonchalant in his approach to his work. Interestingly Sporty, in my initial consultations with levick I remember that he had assessed me as a suitable candidate for gyne - lipo treatment without me taking my top off first - and there's no way he could have seen my condition as that day i was wearing a jacket-top to disguise any 'contouring' - maybe another thing to note if you see him Monday??

Anyway, I think thats enough rambling for now, but Taz I would still like to hear what position you're in, and what you feel is the right thing for you, if you have any ideas that is - it can all be confusing as f***

[doddy]

Man the itching under the bandages almost drove me insane yesterday, I really cannot wait to take them off. .

You are not bloody lying. ARRGGHH!! STOP BLOODY ITCHING!!