Surgery Levick 17/12/14 - Low Fat, High Gland & Puffy Nipples

[Glennjamin]

2 week update!

So it's been constant day and night wearing of the compression vest, it fits very well and gives me all the support I need. Levick suggested several days of the compression vest + the binder but I only did this for one day. If your vest doesn't give full support everywhere, I'd recommend doing as Levick says.

Bruising is completely gone now, I had no secondary bleeding (only yellow bruises from the initial surgery). I'm starting to see some of the lumpiness in the pectoral regions as everything settles down. Those are expected after having had liposuction, so I'm just ignoring that for now. The nipples are retracted, numb and soft still, I think there may be a small amount of fluid behind them but it's minimal and my body should reabsorb it. Touching / poking areas of the chest have strange sensitivity & some pulling if I stretch in a certain way. It doesn't hurt, it's just an unusual feeling and understandable given what's healing / happening underneath.

The only real thing with some way to go is the swollen areas near the incisions. The incisions are sealed up and look fine, but where the instruments go through in surgery, I imagine causes losts of disruption and this will take longer to go down. Very lumpy in these areas too.

Other notes:
- Not taken any pain management for many days, the last things I took were ibuprofen towards the end to reduce inflamation from the binder.
- Haven't taken arnica for a week.
- When switching to the compression vest, I had some discomfort in the armpit areas because it pressed a small degree on the incision areas. The eurosurgical vest apparently 'rides up' as you move throughout the day so upon lengthy reading on this forum I got the macom sleeved vest which is anchored down over your shoulders and can't move. The sacrifice is it touches the incisions so I've opted to wear a very tight compression sports shirt (like under armour / base layer) as an underskin under the compression vest. It acts as a layer for the vest to slide around on top of in every-day movement, without getting caught or rubbing on my direct skin.

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Vest: http://www.macom-medical.com/products/gynecomastia--bodyshaping-compression/57?c=7
Example base layer shirt: http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-pro-combat-core-short-sleeve-t-shirt-mens-427007?colcode=42700703
Anyway - week 2 pictures







Thanks
Glenn

[bagels]

A great follow up and looking really good, true inspiration! Really interesting to get an in depth view of the recovery. Hope you keep the updates coming.

Have a great New Years!

[maurice212303]

Looking really really good mate!

[bagels]

How are you getting on Glenn? Good I hope.

[Glennjamin]

Hello Bagel / all! Thank you for chasing me up for an update, I work overseas throughout the year so I've been a little busy, currently posting from Sydney.

So where was I? After the third week of wearing the compression vest 24/7, in week 4 and currently, I'm only wearing the vest overnight. I don't really have any issues with how things are, most of the healing from surgery has pretty much disappeared. I started in the gym in week 4 but I've not done any weights. I simply run and swim. I found after some swimming one day I had some softness behind my nipples moreso than usual, so I've used the sock technique (under the compression vest, to amplify the compression at that point. By morning it had gone, it hasn't returned.

As with other people here, I still have the bulges near the frontal armpit areas, judging by the consistency it doesn't seem to be fluid but inflammation or scar tissue. It's understandable given the incisions in the armpits are the entry point for the instruments to reach across the chest and do their work. I imagine on that basis these areas were highly irritated during the procedure and will take a longer time to heal. There is no pain or discomfort prodding them.

I really find the compression vest comfortable to sleep in, so I imagine I'll keep wearing it for a few more weeks to keep everything as stable as possible.

The sensitivity on the chest area is still a little strange and tender in areas, the bumpiness under the skin is still there but a natural consequence of liposuction, that'll take a good few months to settle. I know people recommend massaging areas, I don't really know why or if I should do that.

The best thing I can conclude on is the fact it's very warm here in Sydney, around 30+ most days. As you guys with puffy nipples will know, the hot temperature would keep them really puffy and protrude through any shirt. It's a truly bizarre experience going out now and being able to keep my shoulders back and have flatter nipples and not have to worry. I often look down in surprise or catch myself attempting to pinch. It's a really great release from gynecomastia. Also beach time is now free of that worry too. These were the first moments of acknowledging the true consequence of doing this, and it's really lovely. If you're someone who goes through that annoyance still, you can do something about it.

I'll leave you with the pictures taken yesterday, 5 weeks in. You should be able to see the armpit area'ish bumps. I shalln't dwell on them, for the improvement has been exceptional overall.

Thanks
Glenn