Surgery with Karidis: Completed (Updated 4th August 2019)

[yamahatrophy]

Update 11 - Four (and a half) Weeks Post-Op 15th April 2019
Since my last update I've hit a number of milestones. First of all - not having to wear the compression garment anymore! Kind of...there's been swelling and fluid buildup behind the areolas (standard healing process) and wearing the garment seems to remedy this and flatten the area out again so I've been wearing it on and off as needed. Today I had my 6 week checkup with Dr. Karidis (actually at 4.5 weeks due to work availability). It was very quick, done and dusted in 5 minutes. He had a look at my chest and gave it a poke and said he was happy with how things are going so far. I mentioned the sunken areas to him which are still present. He said it was due to the swelling at the areolas...I'm not sure how that's possible because even after wearing the garment and the swelling flattens out the area is still sunk in. I really hope it springs out in the next couple of months because if it stays as it is right now I'd be as uncomfortable taking my shirt off as I was before. I've booked in a 4 month checkup with him mid-August so hopefully it'll all be resolved by then. Still early days yet.

Updated photos are attached. Really minor bruising is still present (can persist for up to 2 months). No marks left from the stitches and the lipo incisions are very difficult to notice. The last photo demonstrates the weird sunken shape that I talked about.

@dk1000 Good luck with your surgery tomorrow! I hope my diary has been useful, your experience should be identical to mine so no surprises on the day. Hopefully that will alleviate some anxiety.

@jr7 Good luck with your surgery too! Keep us posted.

[dk1000]

Update 11 - Four (and a half) Weeks Post-Op 15th April 2019
Since my last update I've hit a number of milestones. First of all - not having to wear the compression garment anymore! Kind of...there's been swelling and fluid buildup behind the areolas (standard healing process) and wearing the garment seems to remedy this and flatten the area out again so I've been wearing it on and off as needed. Today I had my 6 week checkup with <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url] (actually at 4.5 weeks due to work availability). It was very quick, done and dusted in 5 minutes. He had a look at my chest and gave it a poke and said he was happy with how things are going so far. I mentioned the sunken areas to him which are still present. He said it was due to the swelling at the areolas...I'm not sure how that's possible because even after wearing the garment and the swelling flattens out the area is still sunk in. I really hope it springs out in the next couple of months because if it stays as it is right now I'd be as uncomfortable taking my shirt off as I was before. I've booked in a 4 month checkup with him mid-August so hopefully it'll all be resolved by then. Still early days yet.

Updated photos are attached. Really minor bruising is still present (can persist for up to 2 months). No marks left from the stitches and the lipo incisions are very difficult to notice. The last photo demonstrates the weird sunken shape that I talked about.

@dk1000 Good luck with your surgery tomorrow! I hope my diary has been useful, your experience should be identical to mine so no surprises on the day. Hopefully that will alleviate some anxiety.

@jr7 Good luck with your surgery too! Keep us posted.

Glad to hear that everything has generally been okay. Hopefully once the swelling subsides your chest will appear as it should. I've heard of the explanation that Karidis gave to you before on another thread and I think that the person that was experiencing a similar swelling pattern to you did find their chest flattened out as they had hoped after a few weeks/months. Also, I think your chest is looking great -very flat and I highly doubt anyone would look twice if you were in public in my opinion, however, I can empathise with feeling conscious about it, I'd be very much the same.

Thanks for keeping this thread updated, it has definitely relieved my nerves and answered a lot of questions for me. I'm currently gowned and in my hospital room, the nurse, patient coordinator and Karidis have been down to see me and now I am just waiting to be taking down (hopefully within half an hour). Will keep you updated 

[dk1000]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted 

[yamahatrophy]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

[dk1000]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

Yesterday generally went quite well. I arrived at the admissions lounge at around 8am and was taken to my room after filling out some forms. I was shortly seen by one of the nurses who took my initial observations and I also chose my lunch options which I gave to the ward staff. I then got comfortable and one of Dr. Karidis' patient coordinators came to see me about the arnica tablets, followed by Dr. Karidis himself at around 10am to mark me up and sign another consent form. I changed into my gown and waited until I was taken down at around 11.30am (I was the third case of the day). The anaesthetists were very friendly and I chatted with them before being given the anaesthetic and some oxygen.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the recovery room with the cooling vest around my chest and a nurse by my side. Admittedly, I did feel quite groggy and slightly out of it. The nurse asked me how I was feeling before giving me some morphine. After half an hour or so I was taken back to my room and wore the cooling vest for a further 4 hours whilst watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. During this time, I had my observations taken several times and my lunch arrived. The lunch was very good but towards the end of it, I felt a bit sick (likely due to being given morphine without an anti-emetic), which caused me to vomit into my toilet. I felt completely fine after and went back to sleep until around 5pm, when a nurse came to see me about being discharged and told me I would be able to go if I could pass urine. I tried for a while but struggled for half an hour until I had plenty more to drink. During this time, the pressure I was putting on my lower abdomen caused me to vomit a further two times. At around 5.30pm the nurse came back and offered me an anti-sickness tablet, I then had another nap and was discharged at around 6.15pm and felt much better. Once I got home, I was pretty tired and fell asleep on my sofa until around 11pm, I then had something to eat and went to sleep again in my bed with 4 pillows behind my back.

This morning I woke up with some slight pain but nothing too intolerable and took a co-dydramol and an arnica tablet. I then had lunch and took a taxi to the hospital where I had my stitches removed by Dr. Karidis' surgical nurse. I also had a glimpse of my chest, and aside from some swelling below the areolas and some bruising, it looked flat and I was quite pleased. Dr. Karidis also passed me by in the waiting room and came over to greet me and ask how I was feeling, which was a nice touch.

Overall, a great experience and it feels surreal to be on the other side. I'm very happy about having gone through with surgery and can't wait to have a shower tomorrow and get a proper look at everything

[yamahatrophy]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

Yesterday generally went quite well. I arrived at the admissions lounge at around 8am and was taken to my room after filling out some forms. I was shortly seen by one of the nurses who took my initial observations and I also chose my lunch options which I gave to the ward staff. I then got comfortable and one of <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url]' patient coordinators came to see me about the arnica tablets, followed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url] himself at around 10am to mark me up and sign another consent form. I changed into my gown and waited until I was taken down at around 11.30am (I was the third case of the day). The anaesthetists were very friendly and I chatted with them before being given the anaesthetic and some oxygen.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the recovery room with the cooling vest around my chest and a nurse by my side. Admittedly, I did feel quite groggy and slightly out of it. The nurse asked me how I was feeling before giving me some morphine. After half an hour or so I was taken back to my room and wore the cooling vest for a further 4 hours whilst watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. During this time, I had my observations taken several times and my lunch arrived. The lunch was very good but towards the end of it, I felt a bit sick (likely due to being given morphine without an anti-emetic), which caused me to vomit into my toilet. I felt completely fine after and went back to sleep until around 5pm, when a nurse came to see me about being discharged and told me I would be able to go if I could pass urine. I tried for a while but struggled for half an hour until I had plenty more to drink. During this time, the pressure I was putting on my lower abdomen caused me to vomit a further two times. At around 5.30pm the nurse came back and offered me an anti-sickness tablet, I then had another nap and was discharged at around 6.15pm and felt much better. Once I got home, I was pretty tired and fell asleep on my sofa until around 11pm, I then had something to eat and went to sleep again in my bed with 4 pillows behind my back.

This morning I woke up with some slight pain but nothing too intolerable and took a co-dydramol and an arnica tablet. I then had lunch and took a taxi to the hospital where I had my stitches removed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url]' surgical nurse. I also had a glimpse of my chest, and aside from some swelling below the areolas and some bruising, it looked flat and I was quite pleased. <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url] also passed me by in the waiting room and came over to greet me and ask how I was feeling, which was a nice touch.

Overall, a great experience and it feels surreal to be on the other side. I'm very happy about having gone through with surgery and can't wait to have a shower tomorrow and get a proper look at everything

Sounds a bit more dramatic than my visit, but glad you're through it! Did you have to ask for morphine or did they just give it to you? The nurses didn't mention morphine to me...maybe that's why I felt so good when I woke up  The first 3 days are rough but it gets much easier after that, especially once you can shower. 

[dk1000]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

Yesterday generally went quite well. I arrived at the admissions lounge at around 8am and was taken to my room after filling out some forms. I was shortly seen by one of the nurses who took my initial observations and I also chose my lunch options which I gave to the ward staff. I then got comfortable and one of <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url]' patient coordinators came to see me about the arnica tablets, followed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url] himself at around 10am to mark me up and sign another consent form. I changed into my gown and waited until I was taken down at around 11.30am (I was the third case of the day). The anaesthetists were very friendly and I chatted with them before being given the anaesthetic and some oxygen.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the recovery room with the cooling vest around my chest and a nurse by my side. Admittedly, I did feel quite groggy and slightly out of it. The nurse asked me how I was feeling before giving me some morphine. After half an hour or so I was taken back to my room and wore the cooling vest for a further 4 hours whilst watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. During this time, I had my observations taken several times and my lunch arrived. The lunch was very good but towards the end of it, I felt a bit sick (likely due to being given morphine without an anti-emetic), which caused me to vomit into my toilet. I felt completely fine after and went back to sleep until around 5pm, when a nurse came to see me about being discharged and told me I would be able to go if I could pass urine. I tried for a while but struggled for half an hour until I had plenty more to drink. During this time, the pressure I was putting on my lower abdomen caused me to vomit a further two times. At around 5.30pm the nurse came back and offered me an anti-sickness tablet, I then had another nap and was discharged at around 6.15pm and felt much better. Once I got home, I was pretty tired and fell asleep on my sofa until around 11pm, I then had something to eat and went to sleep again in my bed with 4 pillows behind my back.

This morning I woke up with some slight pain but nothing too intolerable and took a co-dydramol and an arnica tablet. I then had lunch and took a taxi to the hospital where I had my stitches removed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url]' surgical nurse. I also had a glimpse of my chest, and aside from some swelling below the areolas and some bruising, it looked flat and I was quite pleased. <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url] also passed me by in the waiting room and came over to greet me and ask how I was feeling, which was a nice touch.

Overall, a great experience and it feels surreal to be on the other side. I'm very happy about having gone through with surgery and can't wait to have a shower tomorrow and get a proper look at everything

Sounds a bit more dramatic than my visit, but glad you're through it! Did you have to ask for morphine or did they just give it to you? The nurses didn't mention morphine to me...maybe that's why I felt so good when I woke up The first 3 days are rough but it gets much easier after that, especially once you can shower.

Haha yes, definitely more dramatic than I expected. When I woke up, the nurse asked me to rate my pain out of 10, which I said was around a 5-6/10 (probably a slight exaggeration). He then told me he would give me some morphine and slowly administered it over the following 30 minutes. 

Despite having some substantial bruising, swelling and loss of sensation in both nipples, this week has been amazing. I've been able to wear t-shirts that I haven't worn in years and I've been able leave the house without wearing a hoodie or jacket, which I would've always worn regardless of the heat ...My only concern so far is that the incision under my right nipple hasn't closed yet. I reckon this is due to excessively stretching my right arm to reach high-up items, which has caused the opposing nipple and skin surfaces to be pulled apart. When did you find that your incisions had fully healed?

[dk1000]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Good luck with your op JR7, you're in excellent hands and it will be one of the greatest decisions you've ever made.

All the best, DK

[yamahatrophy]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

Yesterday generally went quite well. I arrived at the admissions lounge at around 8am and was taken to my room after filling out some forms. I was shortly seen by one of the nurses who took my initial observations and I also chose my lunch options which I gave to the ward staff. I then got comfortable and one of <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url]' patient coordinators came to see me about the arnica tablets, followed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url] himself at around 10am to mark me up and sign another consent form. I changed into my gown and waited until I was taken down at around 11.30am (I was the third case of the day). The anaesthetists were very friendly and I chatted with them before being given the anaesthetic and some oxygen.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the recovery room with the cooling vest around my chest and a nurse by my side. Admittedly, I did feel quite groggy and slightly out of it. The nurse asked me how I was feeling before giving me some morphine. After half an hour or so I was taken back to my room and wore the cooling vest for a further 4 hours whilst watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. During this time, I had my observations taken several times and my lunch arrived. The lunch was very good but towards the end of it, I felt a bit sick (likely due to being given morphine without an anti-emetic), which caused me to vomit into my toilet. I felt completely fine after and went back to sleep until around 5pm, when a nurse came to see me about being discharged and told me I would be able to go if I could pass urine. I tried for a while but struggled for half an hour until I had plenty more to drink. During this time, the pressure I was putting on my lower abdomen caused me to vomit a further two times. At around 5.30pm the nurse came back and offered me an anti-sickness tablet, I then had another nap and was discharged at around 6.15pm and felt much better. Once I got home, I was pretty tired and fell asleep on my sofa until around 11pm, I then had something to eat and went to sleep again in my bed with 4 pillows behind my back.

This morning I woke up with some slight pain but nothing too intolerable and took a co-dydramol and an arnica tablet. I then had lunch and took a taxi to the hospital where I had my stitches removed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url]' surgical nurse. I also had a glimpse of my chest, and aside from some swelling below the areolas and some bruising, it looked flat and I was quite pleased. <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url] also passed me by in the waiting room and came over to greet me and ask how I was feeling, which was a nice touch.

Overall, a great experience and it feels surreal to be on the other side. I'm very happy about having gone through with surgery and can't wait to have a shower tomorrow and get a proper look at everything

Sounds a bit more dramatic than my visit, but glad you're through it! Did you have to ask for morphine or did they just give it to you? The nurses didn't mention morphine to me...maybe that's why I felt so good when I woke up The first 3 days are rough but it gets much easier after that, especially once you can shower.

Haha yes, definitely more dramatic than I expected. When I woke up, the nurse asked me to rate my pain out of 10, which I said was around a 5-6/10 (probably a slight exaggeration). He then told me he would give me some morphine and slowly administered it over the following 30 minutes.

Despite having some substantial bruising, swelling and loss of sensation in both nipples, this week has been amazing. I've been able to wear t-shirts that I haven't worn in years and I've been able leave the house without wearing a hoodie or jacket, which I would've always worn regardless of the heat ...My only concern so far is that the incision under my right nipple hasn't closed yet. I reckon this is due to excessively stretching my right arm to reach high-up items, which has caused the opposing nipple and skin surfaces to be pulled apart. When did you find that your incisions had fully healed?

DK if you're 100% sure the incision hasn't closed, you need to be extremely careful. It should be sealed with a scab after 24 - 48 hours. The reason you aren't supposed to shower for 24 - 48 hours after surgery is to avoid disturbing the incision scabs and potentially cause infection. I'd call the nurse for advice given it's been a week, that's way too long for a surgery incision to be open. Mine were fully sealed when I had the stitches removed the day after surgery. 

I've got loss of sensation in the nipples as well. Almost 6 weeks later and can't feel a thing when pressing a cold water bottle against them. Nerves can take months to fully heal, it's just part of the recovery process. But day by day, things will improve. Just gotta trust the process!

[dk1000]

Great recovery Yamaha, definitely puts me more at ease for my surgery in 8 days time reading logs like these.

DK, good luck with your op tomorrow, I will be 1 week behind you exactly as I’m having mine done on tue 23rd April. Would be great if you could keep us updated on your recovery as we’re so close together, and would be experiencing the post op  ‘rollercoaster’ at the same time more or less.

Thanks mate! Currently waiting to be taken to theatre, will keep you posted

How did it go?

Yesterday generally went quite well. I arrived at the admissions lounge at around 8am and was taken to my room after filling out some forms. I was shortly seen by one of the nurses who took my initial observations and I also chose my lunch options which I gave to the ward staff. I then got comfortable and one of <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url][/url]' patient coordinators came to see me about the arnica tablets, followed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url][/url] himself at around 10am to mark me up and sign another consent form. I changed into my gown and waited until I was taken down at around 11.30am (I was the third case of the day). The anaesthetists were very friendly and I chatted with them before being given the anaesthetic and some oxygen.

Before I knew it, I woke up in the recovery room with the cooling vest around my chest and a nurse by my side. Admittedly, I did feel quite groggy and slightly out of it. The nurse asked me how I was feeling before giving me some morphine. After half an hour or so I was taken back to my room and wore the cooling vest for a further 4 hours whilst watching TV and falling in and out of sleep. During this time, I had my observations taken several times and my lunch arrived. The lunch was very good but towards the end of it, I felt a bit sick (likely due to being given morphine without an anti-emetic), which caused me to vomit into my toilet. I felt completely fine after and went back to sleep until around 5pm, when a nurse came to see me about being discharged and told me I would be able to go if I could pass urine. I tried for a while but struggled for half an hour until I had plenty more to drink. During this time, the pressure I was putting on my lower abdomen caused me to vomit a further two times. At around 5.30pm the nurse came back and offered me an anti-sickness tablet, I then had another nap and was discharged at around 6.15pm and felt much better. Once I got home, I was pretty tired and fell asleep on my sofa until around 11pm, I then had something to eat and went to sleep again in my bed with 4 pillows behind my back.

This morning I woke up with some slight pain but nothing too intolerable and took a co-dydramol and an arnica tablet. I then had lunch and took a taxi to the hospital where I had my stitches removed by <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url][/url]' surgical nurse. I also had a glimpse of my chest, and aside from some swelling below the areolas and some bruising, it looked flat and I was quite pleased. <a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile"><a class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/alexkaridis/profile">Dr. Karidis[/url][/url][/url][/url] also passed me by in the waiting room and came over to greet me and ask how I was feeling, which was a nice touch.

Overall, a great experience and it feels surreal to be on the other side. I'm very happy about having gone through with surgery and can't wait to have a shower tomorrow and get a proper look at everything

Sounds a bit more dramatic than my visit, but glad you're through it! Did you have to ask for morphine or did they just give it to you? The nurses didn't mention morphine to me...maybe that's why I felt so good when I woke up The first 3 days are rough but it gets much easier after that, especially once you can shower.

Haha yes, definitely more dramatic than I expected. When I woke up, the nurse asked me to rate my pain out of 10, which I said was around a 5-6/10 (probably a slight exaggeration). He then told me he would give me some morphine and slowly administered it over the following 30 minutes.

Despite having some substantial bruising, swelling and loss of sensation in both nipples, this week has been amazing. I've been able to wear t-shirts that I haven't worn in years and I've been able leave the house without wearing a hoodie or jacket, which I would've always worn regardless of the heat ...My only concern so far is that the incision under my right nipple hasn't closed yet. I reckon this is due to excessively stretching my right arm to reach high-up items, which has caused the opposing nipple and skin surfaces to be pulled apart. When did you find that your incisions had fully healed?

DK if you're 100% sure the incision hasn't closed, you need to be extremely careful. It should be sealed with a scab after 24 - 48 hours. The reason you aren't supposed to shower for 24 - 48 hours after surgery is to avoid disturbing the incision scabs and potentially cause infection. I'd call the nurse for advice given it's been a week, that's way too long for a surgery incision to be open. Mine were fully sealed when I had the stitches removed the day after surgery.

I've got loss of sensation in the nipples as well. Almost 6 weeks later and can't feel a thing when pressing a cold water bottle against them. Nerves can take months to fully heal, it's just part of the recovery process. But day by day, things will improve. Just gotta trust the process!

It is slightly worrying as the left seemed to have closed and scabbed quite quickly. Around 4-5mm on the right is still open if I gently pull the skin down to reveal the incision. I've been removing my dressings before I shower and putting on new ones after, however, it's probably best that I leave them on and try not to get the incisions wet anymore. I gave Karidis' reception a call this morning and selected the option for the surgical nurse, but there was no answer unfortunately. I'll give the emergency number a try tomorrow.

I don't think I'll regain any sensation for a long time either. It's odd being able to touch my chest and see it with my own eyes but not feel a thing. I guess we'll be immune to nipple irritation at least 

Do you still have any soreness at the moment? I'm finding that I get some noticeable aches and soreness in different parts of my chest each day.

[yamahatrophy]

Update 12 - 10 Weeks Post-Op 26th May 2019

The last few weeks have been quite a rollercoaster and right now I am most definitely in a trough. I didn't realise how difficult the recovery period would be. Right now I would be even more insecure taking my shirt off than I would have been before the surgery. Why?

The right side is "80% there". The nipple is quite creased and has puffed out slightly. The contour has a slight indent. Karidis said at the first consultation not to expect perfection, so with that in mind I find the right side acceptable. Hopefully the creasing, puffiness and contour will improve over the next few months.

The left side is where I really have concerns. The nipple has puffed out a noticeable amount. The contour has also not improved in the slightest since day 1 of surgery. Clearly this is the lipo contour and quite frankly - it looks so bad and unnatural I'd called it botched. This isn't visible from the front, only angled views where the contour is visible. I brought up my concerns with Karidis during the first checkup but he said it was just an illusion because of the nipple swelling but that is clearly BS - morphing the nipple flat in Photoshop and the contour looks just as bad.

I'm going to bring up these concerns with him at the next checkup scheduled for August 12th. Who knows, maybe over the next 3 months some of these issues will subside. But right now, I am extremely unhappy. Especially given the (almost ridiculous) £6.5k this surgery cost and with a premium surgeon. I'll update after the next checkup.

[yamahatrophy]

So I've calmed down a bit since my rant yesterday. I've been looking up posts from other members who have faced a similar issue and the bad news, from what I can gather, is time will provide little to no improvement of this contour issue. However, I've now accepted the fact that I will likely need a revision to get a result that I'm happy with. I guess I'm just frustrated because I was looking forward to getting the surgery done and then never thinking about my chest again (except admiring it in the mirror!). And instead it's going to likely be a 2 year journey from the operation due to waiting sufficient time to get a revision and then waiting for that to heal up.

The plan remains the same - wait till the consultation with Karidis in August, see if there's any improvement. If not, convey my unhappiness to him. He was quite dismissive of my problem previously and other posters who have had issues with him reported the same attitude, so if there is no improvement I'll make sure he understands how displeased I am.

[hauser99]

So I've calmed down a bit since my rant yesterday. I've been looking up posts from other members who have faced a similar issue and the bad news, from what I can gather, is time will provide little to no improvement of this contour issue. However, I've now accepted the fact that I will likely need a revision to get a result that I'm happy with. I guess I'm just frustrated because I was looking forward to getting the surgery done and then never thinking about my chest again (except admiring it in the mirror!). And instead it's going to likely be a 2 year journey from the operation due to waiting sufficient time to get a revision and then waiting for that to heal up.

The plan remains the same - wait till the consultation with Karidis in August, see if there's any improvement. If not, convey my unhappiness to him. He was quite dismissive of my problem previously and other posters who have had issues with him reported the same attitude, so if there is no improvement I'll make sure he understands how displeased I am.

Sorry to hear of the issues mate. I had surgery about 9 months ago and one side is indented and as much as I would like a revision Karidis is quite dismissive as I also told him of my concerns at my 4 month consultation. Did you read about anyone else who did get a revision with Karidis?

[yamahatrophy]

So I've calmed down a bit since my rant yesterday. I've been looking up posts from other members who have faced a similar issue and the bad news, from what I can gather, is time will provide little to no improvement of this contour issue. However, I've now accepted the fact that I will likely need a revision to get a result that I'm happy with. I guess I'm just frustrated because I was looking forward to getting the surgery done and then never thinking about my chest again (except admiring it in the mirror!). And instead it's going to likely be a 2 year journey from the operation due to waiting sufficient time to get a revision and then waiting for that to heal up.

The plan remains the same - wait till the consultation with Karidis in August, see if there's any improvement. If not, convey my unhappiness to him. He was quite dismissive of my problem previously and other posters who have had issues with him reported the same attitude, so if there is no improvement I'll make sure he understands how displeased I am.

Sorry to hear of the issues mate. I had surgery about 9 months ago and one side is indented and as much as I would like a revision Karidis is quite dismissive as I also told him of my concerns at my 4 month consultation. Did you read about anyone else who did get a revision with Karidis?

Hey hauser, sorry to hear you faced the same issue. I do remember seeing one thread where Karidis said he would do a revision, however the OP disappeared...

Does your indent look similar to mine? A photo would be much appreciated for comparison. Are you scheduled to see him again at any point? Are you planning on pushing for a revision with Karidis or going to another surgeon?

[yamahatrophy]

I've been looking up some before and afters of other well respected surgeons (including one who frequents these forums). Surgeons tend to put their best results in the before and after photos. And the scary thing is, around a third of the afters have this same contour issue. So is having a deformed chest just an expected, acceptable outcome of the surgery? This certainly wouldn't be considered acceptable in any other form of cosmetic surgery such as rhinoplasty, yet surgeons are parading the results around like they're good?