...GONE!

[Merv_UK]

Update: Wednesday Day 7 Post OP

Energy levels starting to come back. Bruising continuing to disperse: the one on my right side has gone down as far as my hip: spoke to Mr Levick yesterday and was reassured that this is no cause for concern, just the blood draining away and may even feel a bit tender like any other bruise.

Getting very curious as to whats happening under the bandages. Know what RRB is talking about when he describes them as "armour". Mr Levick told me to leave them on until Fri/Sat. I'm getting a bit nervous about it as the time draws close. I guess I'm scared of what I'll see... Stupid really, because I'm quite prepared for 6-12months recovery but in the bandage you feel so secure and FLAT! But I guess it'll look a bit uneven and messy for the next few weeks particularly.

The great thing about reading previous posts from guys like Ste, IT100 and more recently uk_bloke and Chorlton is that I have a good idea what to expect and that things improve pretty quickly. I'm sure some guys, without the benefit of a resource like this, get a big shock when they take their "armour" off for the first time.

One of my mates said he noticed I'd started to put a bit of a belly on! I found this really funny (without telling him why), as what would normally have been an insult, I took as a compliment: its just more noticeable now that my chest is flat.

[RRB]

Merv

Hope the bruising goes away soon.  I feel i was so lucky with hardly any bruising.  I found when i took off the bandages in was more indented than flat,  I think i had a lot of gland removed though.  It was like craters where my nipples are but im sure they will fill back out shortly.  Overall i am very pleased at the moment, especially now the itching from the bandages has gone, that was driving me insane.

I know what you mean about the belly, now when i look down I dont see any boobs so all i see is my gut poking out in all its glory  

[Chorlton]

I was on a bit of a diet before xmas and lost a stone.  Me and my mate were doing it together.  I told him before the op that I was not drinking as I was back on the diet!!  When he saw me after the op he thought that I had lost loads more weight and kept going on about it.  The fact that I was wearing a tight t-shirt and new baggy off the ar5e jeans probably made me look like I had.  He was so convinced he got his wife to bring over some scales so I could be weighed.  I had actually put on a couple of pounds despite having my boobs chopped as well.

I still need to work on my gut though!

Chorlton

[RRB]

I lost 1/2 a stone in jan/early feb as i was doing training and eating very healthy,  im still doing ok but it will be good when i can get back training, hopefully start doing some cardio at the gym on monday and maybe some very light weights the week after. i found http://www.johnstonefitness.com/ invaluble for my training and diet.  The forums there are great with a wealth of knowledgeable people to help with any queries.

[Merv_UK]

I weighed myself today - I'm 7/8 lbs heavier than the day before the op! Can't all be the weight of the bandages. I reckon that having total of 600ml of fat and 600ml of gland removed has gotta weigh at least 3/4lbs so I think a lot of the weight gain is fluid/swelling etc.

Coupled with lying on my a*rse for a week and living on a diet of Melton Mowbreys and Cream Chocolate Eclairs. Three days of 3 course meals at the Priory couldn't help either: you tend to over compensate for Nil By Mouth.

Am signed up for two half-marathons later on in the year (that counts as one full marathon, doesn't it ?) so I intend to be as svelte as a boobless gazelle by the end of the summer.