My appointment today went well. We got to Dr. Bermant's office a few minutes early and I barely had my coat off before I was called in to meet Jane. She's really great, just like many people have said. I weighed in at 175 pounds, so I was able to drop all of the weight I wanted to lose in the last few weeks. This didn't surprise me because I lose weight really easily if I just eliminate garbage from my diet. I filled out some paperwork and was given some info sheets to read to prep me on what to expect tomorrow. She also gave me a hospital "shirt" to wear, and when she left I took my shirts off (of course I had on two T-shirts) and put the gown on, which opens in the front.
Dr. Bermant came in shortly and the real consultation was under way. He's very deliberate and professional. He used a variety of instruments to take measurements of my chest. After this consultation, I had a better understanding of the makeup of my gynecomastia than I've ever had. I could really feel where the problem was and compare that to my actual muscle structure and the proper male contour that exists under the gland and fat. My left side is bigger than my right, and he explained that I can expect there to be a difference post-surgery as well. Hey, I'm not looking for perfection here. I understand the reality of this.
Fortunately there were no surprises after this consultation, so surgery for tomorrow morning is on as scheduled.
After the consult, I went across the hall to another office to finalize some paper work and get my blood pressure taken. I assume it was fine because he didn't say anything about it -- I was reading paperwork and forgot to ask. I've never had a problem with blood pressure, and didn't expect any problems today.
Next I went into the "camera" room to be fitted for my compression garments. I had already paid for the stage-one garment, which has button hooks up the front and velcro on the shoulders, but I tried on the stage-two garment first ($99 more), which is more like a very tight T-shirt made out of a lycra-type material. First Jane asked me what size dress shirt I usually wear, and of course I was like, "Uh, XL, of course. But not for long." She suggested I start with a M, and she was right, it fit perfectly. Snug, just like it's supposed to be. It was cool to look in the mirror with this on, because it definitely creates a masculine contour and gave me an idea of what I might be looking like in a T-shirt tomorrow. Pretty exciting stuff. Next I tried on the stage-one vest, and to my surprise I need a size S. I won't be able to wear tight T-shirts with this, but supposedly normal-fitting T-shirts completely hide the garment. I did notice that it makes a bit of noise as I shift about -- the velcro kind of moving around I guess -- but Jane said that will stop soon after I wear my garment a few times and wear it in.
Once I was fitted, Dr. Bermant began the process of taking photos. He takes a lot of photos, but again he's very deliberate and it goes quickly. I stood in front of a blue screen, which you'll see in the background of the photos on his website.
Next, in the same room, he began mapping out my gynecomastia with a magic marker. I had seen photos of this before and wondered how the process worked, so I'll explain it here. First he had me flex my chest muscles, and this gave him an outline of pec muscles. He followed around the perimeter of them and made dots with his marker until he made it all the way around each muscle and established the problem areas, then he connected the dots and created the outside circle. Next, he firmly felt around the glandular/fat mass behind my nipples and did the same thing, finding the perimeter and making dots until he was all the way around, then connecting the dots. I can't shower before the surgery, of course, because these circles are his "map" during surgery. He might explain this process differently, but this is my perception of how it happened.
Next, it was back to the camera to take photos of me with my maps. This didn't take as long, since he only had to take front and oblique views.
That was pretty much it. I was informed that my surgery has been bumped from 7 am tomorrow to 8:15 am, which I think is a better time anyway. The whole appointment took about 90 minutes. I didn't have to wait for anything. We got started as soon as I got there, and I went from step to step almost immediately. No wait time at all.
So now I'm 13 hours from the start of my surgery. I can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight tonight, so I think I'm going to enjoy a soda and snack as my wife and I order up a movie on the hotel TV. (I'm at the Hilton Garden Suites in Colonial Heights, by the way, which is nice because it's surrounded by plenty of things to do. We're about 20 minutes from Dr. Bermant's office.) I feel very calm but also excited to go through this. Not long from now, I should be on the "other side." I'll be sure to post at my next opportunity.
Topic: TiredofIt's Diary (Read 21826 times)
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