44 y/o taking the plunge

[jtt]

A few post op pics

Here are some pics 4 hours post op.  Big time bruising...I didnt even try to take off the vest until 24 hours post-op.

[jtt]

24 hours post op

24 hours post op, I finally got up the nerve to take off the vest.  The padding under the vest had some kind of adhesive on it so it was very difficult and time consuming to get it off.  I was able to look at my chest and take a shower.  Man, it felt good to have that vest off, but I put it back on immediately after my shower.  I also did some range of motion exercises that the doctor recommended.  My range of motion is good at this point.  I dont have much pain in moving around.  I was able to wash myself pretty well and felt very refreshed.

Here are the pics...as you can see, there's LOTS of bruising on my right side.  It isn't painful, but it does look like hell.  I also discovered that there were no incisions on my nips.  I was very surprised by this as the surgeon told me the excision would be done there.  So, I will definitely be asking him about that during my appointment later this week.  The only incisions are internally stitched and are not painful.

I had a chance to put on a t-shirt when the vest was off and I can say, it looked AWESOME.  I know there will be changes in the tissue and it doesnt seem like there's much swelling yet.  We'll see...

[jtt]

24 hours post op - more pics

[jtt]

36 hours post op

So, it's Sunday morning now.  I stayed up a little too late last night.  My two teenagers were out at the movies, etc. and I usually wait for them to get home before going to bed.

I only took one of the percocets before going to bed.  I slept about 5 hours, but didn't wake up in the middle of the night.  I did wake up at about 5:30a and was pretty uncomfortable in the vest...I suppose that's due to taking off the vest and showering last night...it was a lot of work because of all the adhesive on the padding.

The vest is itchy...but I feel pretty good.  I'm looking forward to seeing the doctor this week.

[jtt]

5 Days Post Op

I'm now at 5 days post op.  I'm still uncomfortable, but not in a lot of persistent pain.  I slept a little better last night and I'm able to cut way back on the pain killers.  But, I still haven't slept a full night without waking up with discomfort.  So, I'm finding that an afternoon nap helps a lot.  Showering today was easier, but I'm still being very careful as I wash.

I do notice a lot of weird numbness in my chest.  That will take some getting used to...

I was able to take a long walk today with my dog.  It felt good to get moving.  I'm really looking forward to being able to get back to some cardio...next week, hopefully.

The bruising is starting to turn yellow...not pretty.  The Design Veronique vest is pretty itchy at this point, too.  I'm definitely feeling more comfortable with each passing day.  Slow, but sure.

The swelling has not been as severe as I expected.  My wife says she notices it, but it is certainly not as bad as my gyne was before.  Not even close.  My chest looks great to me and if my final results are anything like what I see right now, I'll be very, very happy.

My follow-up visit to the surgeon is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that.

[jtt]

6 days post-op:  Follow-up visit with Dr. Van Natta:

I had my follow-up appointment with Dr. Van Natta today.  The first thing he said when he saw all my bruising was "Wow, who did this to you?!"  

Of course, he was kidding...but, recognized that I had bruised more than expected.  He explained how the body will process the blood and bruising in 2-3 weeks.  He's really happy with the results (me too!).  He also explained how he was able to remove the gland via the lipo incisions because my gland tissue was not too tough.

I commented in my previous post that the swelling was not as bad as I expected.  Well, the doctor disagreed and said there was a little more than he expected and that it would go down a lot over the next 30-60 days.

Dr. Van Natta also told me to transition to the under armor now.  I volunteered that I was agreeable to wearing the binder for a longer period, but he insisted that would not be necessary.  I also asked when I could return to the gym and he said I could do cardio next week so long as it doesn't cause me discomfort in my chest and could resume on strength training in 30 days...or sooner, if I can resist chest workouts and only use very light weights.  I think I'll wait for the 30 days...saves me $600 on my trainer fees!

Anyway, I feel really good and I'm nearly 100% off the pain meds.

I also went back to work for a few hours today.  Nobody seemed to notice in spite of the fact that I had a big off-site staff meeting where I had to get up in front of the group to read an introduction for our featured speaker.  I just wore a knit golf shirt over the under armor and I think it looked great.

So far, so good...why didn't I do this a long time ago?

[calibrn]

sounds like this is going well for you.  must be so much better that he didnt have to cut at the nipple - that would bother me having
a scar there.  So maybe you had just more psuedo gyne right? thats good. 

[jtt]

Yep, it's going well.  So far, I'm very happy.

Dr. Van Natta said psuedo-gyne is fatty tissue and usually associated with over-weight.  He also said that I definitely didn't have pseudo-gyne.  He said he removed my gland tissue by using a long scissors thingy (I don't remember what he called it), and another long instrument called a "tendon passer" (?!) and with the cannula.  He said that some guys have really tough gland tissue and lots of it, and some guys' gland isn't as tough so it can be removed the way he did mine.  I think I've read Dr. Jacobs say the same thing on here.  In any event, I'm THRILLED that there's no incisions on my nips.

[jtt]

1 week post-op

I went back to work today from about 8am to noon.  Nothing too strenuous...interviewed someone for a job opening, talked to a couple employees, and signed some checks...went to Wendy's and had some chili for lunch, came home and took a 3 hour nap.  Tylenol and Celebrex seems to be all the pain relief I need now.  I'll keep taking the Celebrex for a few more days.  Life is good.  Next week, I should be good to go for a full day of work.

I'm now 7 days post-op.  I feel better every day.  Last night, I slept for 7 hours without waking up, or being too uncomfortable.  However, in the morning, I was still pretty uncomfortable.  I'm always most uncomfortable when I wake up in the mornings...it seems that I'm stiff and sore from lack of movement all night.  I don't feel decent until I get some Tylenol and coffee and move around for a while.

Now, I gotta go try to fit into a medium under armor...I'm a little concerned about that...it looks pretty small.  I've been wearing a large size UA for the past 48 hours.  I'm psyched that the Dr. told me I could ditch the vest, but I'm not sure the large-size UA is providing enough compression.

I'll post another update after next week.  Once my bruising settles down a little, I'll post some more pics...probably in a couple weeks.

In the meantime, I hope my thread helps someone.  If anyone wants to reach me, please just post a reply on this thread.  I think the system will send me an e-mail and I'll get back to you.  I would be more than happy to talk about my experience or answer questions.

My surgeon was Dr. Bruce Van Natta in Indianapolis.  He has been awesome.  My total cost is about $6,000 US plus meds, and a few supplies (under armor shirts, gauze to re-dress incisions, Tylenol, etc.).  Best $6k I ever spent.

[jtt]

Quick Update - 19 days post-op:

Feeling great...still have some swelling but the bruising is all but completely faded.  I've been wearing under armor for about 10-12 days now...it gets old.  I'm ready to go without.

I still think my results are good...not perfect, but I will know more in another month or so when the swelling diminishes a little.

[Pooz]

chest looks great. Congrats!

[jtt]

5 weeks post-op:

Quick update...feeling a lot better.  Still have numbness...more than expected, but not too bad.  Also still have more swelling than I want, but I hope that will improve a lot over the next 30-60 days.  I have my 2nd follow-up with Dr. Van Natta in 3 weeks (he includes a 1-week and an 8-week check up after surgery).  So, I'm looking forward to that. 

I'm enjoying wearing a lot of shirts that I never could wear before.  Now, I just need to lose 15 lbs!!!!  Easier said than done!

[jtt]

7 Weeks Post-Op:

Still doing fine.  Swelling seems to come and go...still hoping it will go down more over the next month or two.  I actually think I have more swelling now than I did two-weeks ago.  I finally started doing moderate strength training again and I noticed that physical activity in the gym increases my swelling...even just cardio on the bike.  That's weird.  Numbness has decreased over the past couple of weeks. 

Went to a water park with my family last weekend.  I've never done that...I was so happy, that I laughed out loud as I slid down the water slide.  I probably sounded like some kind of dork.  Whatever

If your life is affected by gyne like mine was, and you're trying to decide if the surgery is going to be worth it...stop waiting and DO IT! Yes, the first couple days was a bitch, and the first few weeks was uncomfortable, but 100% worth it.

[LagoonTrifecta]

Hey man, I just wanted to let you know that reading this has made me feel great. 

I don't suffer from traditional gynecomastia -- I was overweight as a child, and when I finally lost the stuff, the skin continued to hang around.  I'm still saving up for surgery but man oh man if the results are anything like this, I cannot wait. 

Inspiring stuff.  Thank you. 

[freak]

thanks for the posts and congrats! I'am 46 and my body looks similar to yours, pre op. I'am scheduled to have my surgery in 3 weeks and I cant wait. Hope it goes as well as your did. Thanks again.