I'm cross-posting this from the Canada board in case it serves as a source of inspiration for anyone...
So I'm up late today for no particular reason and then remembered this forum. It's interesting how times change. I remember when I first discovered this forum back in 2005 my life was completely different. I had a relatively serious case of gyno I had been living with my entire life (I was in my early 20s at the time), and didn't realize surgery was an option. I think I spent weeks reading through every single post on this entire forum, and eventually decided to get surgery with Dr Lista.
I remember I had all these elaborate plans of living in a hotel room for a week or so so that I wouldn't have to tell anyone. Then I realized how foolish I was being. Ultimately I made the big step of confessing the whole issue to my parents... who turned out to be very supportive. They were the only ones I told. I remember being concerned about friends noticing, but it ended up being no issue at all. People just assume you lost weight or something. Ultimately all my worrying ended up being for nothing.
Here I am 4+ years later and to be honest, I sometimes forget I ever had gyno. The surgery was definitely a life-altering procedure. I would say that I've become much more positive and outgoing in general... but to be honest, I can't even remember what I was like before the surgery.
Anyway I'm just reminiscing here.... I don't think I have anything particularly useful to say. For those who are starting their journeys now like I was so many years ago: good luck to you. Remember that people come back to post their horror stories, but the vast majority of people have successful surgeries and never come back to post about them. That's why you tend to see more negative posts than positive. Unfortunately, I am guilty of doing this too.. as only a few months after my successful surgery, I disappeared.
Nice to see some familiar faces. Great to know that some people stick around to help and offer insight. I almost feel guilty for not doing so after all the knowledge I got from these boards way back then.
If anyone has any questions about my surgery with Dr. Lista... please message me or post here.. I'll check back over the next few days. At the very least, I hope this serves as inspiration for someone...