Well it's done

[Chge]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the good luck messages the other day, I'm back home now all bandaged up and I swear the most uncomfortable part was having pre op pictures took and having the drains out afterwards .

Speaking to levick afterwards it appears I was a bigger case than I thought, he moved 200cc of liquid from each side and 200grams of gland from each side too, which he said was the largest gland removal he had done this year, kinda made me feel better in a way because like levick said i could have starved myself to death and this would never have gone away, so makes my decision to have surgery feel somehow more justified.

Read couple posts on here today that worried me a bit about some peoples experieces with revision and how pleased they are or aren't with results, Mr L has already said that there is a chance I will need some revision next year, but that as long as I'm not to critical about the chest it will be pretty "normal" looking  quickly so I hope he is right.  Can't really see that it isn't going to be a lot better with so much removed.  Fingers crossed

One question though I was under impresion fat couldn't really grow back in the breast after surgery as the fat cells had been removed, but some other posts seem to contradict this.

Fingers crossed for next thursday when the bandages are due off

P.S I forgot to ask when I should start massaging, can anyone let me know?

Thanks again guys for all you help and advice so far

[orrible]

I started massaging at 3 weeks post op and used palmers cocoa butter oil from boots. I felt that it aggrevaited my chest and made it look more swollen, but did as advised and built up to 3 times daily for 5 minutes for a few months. I must have done somethin right as Mr levick says that my scar tissue has gone or isnt significant to affect the look of the result.

The literature states that fat cant come back. However you can still get fat in the chest if you put on weight. The reason is although some fat cells were removed, some still remain, and with weight gain these can increase. So the surgery isnt a licence to eat whatever and get away with it  

Good luck with your results, i wish you all the best and hope you have a positve experience.

[Chge]

Stonecold,

Cheers Bud

On seperate note, if you still aren't happy i hope you find a positive way forward, although I think you look totally fine/normal, it's obviously about how you feel mate so good luck..

[phantom]

Hello Chge and I really happy for you to have arrived at the start of the other side!

It is true that you have a fixed number of fat cells all over your body, under the skin.  What Mr Levick has aimed to do is remove the excess number of fat cells that were giving the 'breast like' appearance.  Once things have settled down over the coming weeks and months, hopefully, your chest will have been 'normalised' as far as possible.

When we put on weight, our fat cells 'swell up' and they can do so several times there original size. So when someone grows to be morbidly obese, they still have the same number of fat cells as when they were not fat.

You will still have a layer of fat remaining in your chest area after surgery.  So if you go on a pie eating marathon, your boobs will increase in size - in proportion to the rest of your body.  Loose that weight and your boobs will go back to how they were.

As we get older, our body's ability to produce testosterone diminishes.  A consequence of this is that men tend to gradually put on weight as they get older.  Because Mr Levick has now 'normalised' the volume of fat cells in your chest, it's up to you how you maintain your body shape.  If you live an average lifestyle, you can expect your body shape to change in an average way as you age.

Hope that helps.

[Chge]

Thanks Phantom, clear as crystal

Just been for short walk in sun...i know I'm bandaged up but to walk with a t-shirt on and to keep my hands by my side was just bloody g8!

[phantom]

Hmmm, and I don't doubt for a moment you are not catching a look at your profile each and everytime yu pass a shop window or any mirror

It's strange, but quite quickly you will probably forget just how your chest looked, despite the years!  It's only when you go back to Mr Levick to see the pre-op photos you remember just how bad things were!

Enjoy your summer!

[Chge]

Looking in shop windows?

Guility as charged phantom  

Cheers you too!!

[irish_dude]

Speaking to levick afterwards it appears I was a bigger case than I thought, he moved 200cc of liquid from each side and 200grams of gland from each side too, which he said was the largest gland removal he had done this year

That's a lot of gland! He took 500ml of fat and 45gm of gland from *each* side of me.

Funnily enough, I was looking a 1 1lt bottle of Diet Coke today, imaginging that he took that same volume of liquid out of my chest.

[Chge]

Yea he said that a normal large amount of gland was 30-40g per side so to take 200 per side was pretter damn big!!...He didn't take as much fat as I thought he might thou, so either it was mostly gland or I'll need some hoovering in 8-12 months

Anyone know If I should still be wearing those DVT sock things now?...Haven't had them on since i left hospital



PS think i'm still a bit half stoned on the co-codamol

[phantom]

Yes, the pain killers can zonk you out a bit.  Be careful, they can make you constipated too!

[Chge]

Yes, the pain killers can zonk you out a bit.  Be careful, they can make you constipated too!

errr yea think they already have!!!

Still buzzin thou!

[irish_dude]

PS think i'm still a bit half stoned on the co-codamol

Ahhhh ya big girl! There's the same about of Codeine in those things as the Solpadeine you can buy over the counter!

I preferred the nasal-tube oxygen thingy in the room myself. I was lying there most of the day post-op merrily out of my tree and watching tv.

What you think it still fat is probably internal scar tissue. This will go after a time.

[Chge]

Irish Dude

How long did you keep the bandages on for?  Looking at pics it seems like only 3 days. yet he has told me to keep mine on for over a week?

If thats the case on solphadine I'm popping out to stock up on the stuff!!!

[irish_dude]

How long did you keep the bandages on for?  Looking at pics it seems like only 3 days. yet he has told me to keep mine on for over a week?

I kept the bandages on for the week, as advised and then went onto the compression vest. Notice that I've still got the bandages on in the 3-day post-op pics!

If thats the case on solphadine I'm popping out to stock up on the stuff!!!

Oh please don't! I was seriously thinking of not making that original wise-crack as I didn't want to give anyone any ideas.

I used to work in the pharma industry and addiction to OTC (over the counter) medicines is a major problem in the UK and Ireland.

Mel Smith (of Alas Smith and Jones fame) had gone on record as being addicted to Codeine-containing cough-syrups for the best part of 20 years and Herman Goering and Howard Hughes were both Codeine addicts, with the latter dying of an overdose.

Codeine is a derivative of opium and works in a similar way to Heroine. In the US you can only get it on prescription.

Seriouslly, don't use it unless you genuinely need it.

[Chge]

Don't worry irish dude, im only talking in jest

I'm pretty paranoid about taking that sort of thing and don't generally even take medicine for headaches etc unless i really need to....so no worries on that score mate