Dr. Haeck, Seattle, WA - My Experience

[SEA2013]

Had my surgery yesterday with Dr. Haeck in Seattle.

7am - Check in
Anesthesiologist went over the basics, asked me the trick question of what I had for breakfast. Dr. Haeck then came in and made a series of marks on my chest, using a tape measure for accuracy.

8:00 - Surgery
Dr. Haeck started with two tiny incisions for liposuction. He did the lipo first to shape and sculpt the pecs. Then he proceeded with the glandular removal. In my case, he did the crescent incisions on the TOP part of my nipples because of how low everything drooped prior to surgery. This was to lift the nipples up slightly to give me a more masculine appearance.
They put on my compression garment prior to waking me. I also had two large squares of gauze to capture any leakage. Fortunately for me, I didn't require any drains.

9:30 - Wakey Wakey
Woke up feeling like I was hit by a truck. This feeling made me panic a bit, as I wasn't sure what the pain was going to be like. I had only arranged surgery day to have someone help me around the house.
But once I got home and took my first dose of Percocet, I would say 90% of the pain completely went away and only felt pain when I flexed my pecs.

First Night -
Had to sleep elevated, and on my back. Surprisingly, this wasn't difficult, as I had the pain medication and also a prescription of Ambien which I was informed, to take ONLY if necessary.

Day 2 -
Went back to the office today to have the gauze removed. Before the compression garment came off, Dr. Haeck warned me that one side was going to be more swollen than the other, and not to worry.

Drumroll... Only one day in, and I am VERY HAPPY with how things look! I understand that it's going to take time before I see the full results. Attached you'll find the before and after shots that I took on my own.

Dr. Haeck is very professional, and also sensitive to his patients' questions, concerns, and situation. Again, it's too early to say everything is perfect, as I'm only one day post-op.

[jay adams]

Looks great. Congratulations

[SEA2013]

Thanks Jay! I'll post more photos as the healing progresses

[jay adams]

Man this compression vest is making me itch like hell.haha. Plus I'm getting these funny sharp pains as my body is healing. It stings, then it itches, then it tickles. Get ready:)

[Pharmaecopia]

Looking good man. I just got my surgery with Dr. Haeck as well almost 2 months ago. Will be posting my pictures eventually.

[McGilli]

Maybe it's your body type - but those are some of the most impressive results I have seen on this forum....

I would not ever know you were that person in the 'before' photos...

[SEA2013]

Thanks McGilli. It feels very reassuring to hear that.

I have a very broad barreled chest, which made my condition that much more prominent. I felt like my nipples pointed into everyone's faces when I stood up straight. That's part of the reason why I obsessively did bench press workouts twice a week to try to remedy this without surgery. One day was dedicated to chest, the other day super-setting squats with A LOT of decline pushups. The upside of that is, now that I made the leap to actually have surgery, there is a lot of pec muscle to work with. Definitely happy about that. :-)

One week post-op and I feel like I'm entering that weird phase of healing. The overall/one big mass of swelling is starting to subside, but not evenly. One side has reduced in swelling dramatically faster than the other, which is frustrating. And there is a small, itchy lump on the far side of my ribcage - where my arm meets my side. Feels like a tiny lump of scar tissue developing. I had the same feeling on my ACL surgery incision a few years back. But by massaging it, the lump broke up and smoothed out in a couple months.

I'm not going to worry about it yet. Right now, I'm just glad it's on my side and not under my nipple. I also need to keep reminding myself that I'm only one week into recovery from some pretty major trauma to my tissues.

I'll post more pictures soon!

[SEA2013]

Day 9 of recovery

It appears that the hard lump on my ribcage has reduced in size by about 50%. Hopefully it keeps improving. Overall swelling has gone down a lot, too.

I'm considering ordering a second compression garment to rotate between washes. I meet with the doctor tomorrow to have the stitches removed. I'll ask him about the second garment at that time.

[jay adams]

What's happening SEA2013? Glad to hear everything is coming along good.
I have that same tissue on my side. Its breaking down enough I can sleep on my side now (softly). Im at 13 days.

I agree you should talk to your doc, I was just gonna let you know, I get up every morning and take my vest off for an hour and wash it. Feels good to let the blood flow around the torso too. I take it off throw it on a fast wash and dry it. It will shrink a little bit when you dry it but I like it cause it makes it more snug after it gets loose.

Glad you're doing well.

[jay adams]

What's goin on on man? Hope things are coming along good. Can you post an update photo some time? Your results are amazing.