surgery done by Dr.Lista

[marx]

Braveboy, first of all Congratulations!!
Don't get wound up worrying about how it looks day to day right now because you are swelled up.  The internal scarring will get broken down by the massaging later on.  Right now you are just swelling.  I am over 1 month post-op and still have some swelling and hard areas so I have to keep massaging.  I do it 5min 3 times a day.  Lista told me last week that it looks great but the final results may take 3 even 6 months sometimes to completely finish - just in time for beach!

[marx]

Had my one month visit with Lista.  Told me to keep massaging for another month, wear the vest for two more weeks, do whatever I want after vest off, and see him in another month.  He even said if I am worried about anything, book an appointment.  He is good for post op visits I must say.

[PeterBateman]

hey marx, did he say with WHAT to keep massaging for another month with?  arnica gets expensive after my 3rd tube...  hows your holes, have they gone away yet?  mine are almost sealed back together, and the redness is going away...but i've got a rash now on my chest with what looks like ingrown hairs or something that hurt, so i'm not using any arnica for a few days...my chest is still numb, hardly any feeling or sensitivity to it, and when i raise my hands over my head, still feels like its stretching the insides too much...you?

[braveboy]

marx/pete,thanks just picked up my arnica at shoppers and also bought a cream for scars in the bandage aisle.how are you guys copping with the vest.I find it keeps on digging into my sterum,that is where all my brusing is.

[marx]

Lista said to keep massaging with Arnica gel until next month visit although I can ditch the vest in a week.  I am only on my second Arnica tube.  It says to put it on thin.  I don't think the stuff really does much, the massaging seems to be what really counts on breaking down the scar tissue.

I still had stitches that with some scabs underneath, I was worried about scarring.  He just removed them at my last visit and I've been using silicon bandages on them.  These ar very expensive, about $45 at Shoppers.  

I have no rashes.  Don't know what causes that.  When I lift my arms up, you cvan see scar tissue under skin, looks weird.  It is getting better slowly.  

[braveboy]

Pete/Marx did you guy have your chest change day to day or week to week as far as swelling goes and size.I find mine really haven't swelled up or shrunk down any from the 1 day.If so when did you guys experience the changes.my left side is noticabley larger than my right i don't know if that is because it is more swollen or if the doc didn't take enough out.Iwill ask him today at my 2 post-op visit.

[PeterBateman]

days 1 and 2 pretty flat, days 3 to 19 puffier, but slowly better, 3rd week same about as day 19.  

my left side is more 'full' if u know what i mean, so i think urs is normal.

so lista says the following on 3 week post op visit:

1.  scrap arnica, since SOMETHING i'm using is causing an allergic reaction on skin, so just use a skin cream instead...he said its the massaging that is doing the work anyways...so I have a 7/8 full arnica tube now to look at...oh well

2.  he said its 5 minutes TOTAL of massaging (thats to do BOTH sides in that 5 minutes), but he said doing more (like i was) is fine, more is good

3.  he showed me how hard to rub - hard, but not so hard you're wincing, and in a circular motion

4.  no weights etc for one more week - which is a bit confusing since i was originally told 6 weeks...but he said i can start next week.  walking and stationary bike is fine still until then.  I think I will still not do weight lifting until closer to the 6th week though just in case.

5.  start stretching the chest he said, and that is going to help with the straining feeling when i raise my hands above head.

6.  me being swollen still and tender is a GOOD thing he said, as this means I have more shrinking to do.

7.  He was very happy with how it looks, and he said to expect 75% results at the 6th week mark, and 100% after up to a year.

I have to see him again in one month.

[braveboy]

thanks for the input,i just got back from seeing him and let me tell you there were some pretty hot babes in the waiting room .he also told me to rub hard for 5 min total with arnica which he said i an buy at a drug store or his office.he said i am still swallon and that the left side justa little more.my fingers are sore fom rubbing i was just given her.I wounder how one of those personal massagers would work?

[marx]

With me it one side more swollen than the other, but I found I sleep on that side.  Gravity pulls down on the swelling, which is why the swelling moved from upper chest down to bottom under nipples pretty quickly.  I tried to sllep on other side and I see some difference.  I still have hard swelling on lower right side, but it is going down.  I find I feel a lot better after a massage session.

Are your scars red?  I'm glad Lista removed the remaining stitches that seemd to be holding scab under them.  I think they will slowly fade to my regular skin coulour by summer.  Right now they are bright red so it is obvious.

[PeterBateman]

I prefer sleeping on right side, and its more swollen after i have massaged..so maybe ur right about that...my scars have no scab and are slits, pinkish red in colour.  my swelling is to the bottom also, and behind my scars is hard lumps.  also under arm following line of chest muscle is a squiggly gross thing thats 6 inches long.  

whenever i wake up im on my back, and my chest is FLAT...i hope it eventually goes that way...

[braveboy]

I still have scabs on my incisions i started massageing yesterday as per the dr,but i find 5 min is not enough i don't know if i just have a larger area to cover but it takes me about 15min to massage my chest.My chest seemed to be healing fine before massaging i had minamal pain or discomfort but since i started massaging my chest it is very sore.i don't have lumps i just have large areas that are very hard which i assume is scar tissue. Am i rubbing to hard my fingers get sore so i start using mt thumbs and nuckles.

[PeterBateman]

ya starting to massage it brings on all the pain and swelling again...get used to it.  im daily developing different areas that are sore.  15 minutes is a bit much i think, especially when its 3 times a day.  rub hard but not too hard that its unbearable.  lista showed me circular patterns.  some of the scar tissue i just push on with the tip of a finger too trying to squash it.  just keep at it, and hope for the best..thats what im doing...

[braveboy]

the pain seems to e less shortly after i massage ,later is when i start to get sore?

[PeterBateman]

ya i think thats when all the swelling comes back but the vest is pushing it down.  after i rub, and put the vest back on, my chest flattens out and is hard as a rock.  u being a few weeks behind my post op condition probably has more pain associated with the post rub.

[braveboy]

If it wasn't for my right side being alot larger than my left  I think I would be very happy,I know i've started repeating my self but i'm pissed at my left side.I also know it is still very early and i still have months of healing to go before i can see the final results.My chest is alot flater than before i was never looking for a completely flat chest.how are you guys with your results as of now(pete,MARX)