Surgery Mr Levick (25/06/14) ONE YEAR UPDATE (including 'gym' pics)

[FlatAsAPancake]

Just got back from my consultation with Mr Levick. I booked my surgery with him before I left. What a top bloke.

[s00ntobe]

you look great man i appreciate when people update there threads like you are, it really helps for people going into surgery, to see the whole process etc.
You look perfectly flat btw and you'll only look better after this which is a plus!!

[AchillesUK]

7 Weeks Post Op

7 weeks now. Vest is gone now, not wearing it at all, had enough of it. It got to the point where I would actually undo it in my sleep.

I'm massaging regularly now with the following regime, started about 5 days ago:

Right side: 5 mins clockwise
Right side: 5 mins anticlockwise
Left side: 5 mins clockwise
Left side: 5 mins anticlockwise

I've been doing this every night, been quite discliplined about this. I put the timer on my phone and usually just watch an episode of something on my laptop whilst I massage so it's not a bore.

As mentioned before, my right side is the one that has given me the most problems, with fluid build up previously and now with a big lump of quite tough scar tissue under the nipple making it still look like I've got gynecomastia. This morning it felt a bit softer than it has done for a while, so maybe the massage is working. I'll keep at it anyhow and see where I am in a week or two. Not much else I can do.

Here is a picture of my right side. As you can see if a toy car was to ride over my chest it would have quite a bumpy ride:



Some other pics:





 

*New development* I've noticed a crease on the right side recently. Not sure when this first appeared, maybe it has been there a while but seems more like a recent development:

 


Gym and Exercise

I'm now going to the gym regularly, every other day. Doing light weight training followed by 10-15mins of cardio. Some exercises (bicep curls, shrugs) I'm almost back to going 100% effort. Others (side lateral raises, any chest exercises) I can feel a slight stretch/tightness so I'm not really pushing myself, just doing light weights. I am still NOT doing squats or deadlifts yet as these are high energy exercises and I dont want to risk anything just yet. Nor am I doing any chin ups or pull downs as I can tell the stretch at the top is still not back to 100%.

Anyway thought I'd post a screenshot from my android of a typical workout at this stage:

[AchillesUK]

Just got back from my consultation with Mr Levick. I booked my surgery with him before I left. What a top bloke.

Awesome. When is the surgery?

[AchillesUK]

you look great man i appreciate when people update there threads like you are, it really helps for people going into surgery, to see the whole process etc.
You look perfectly flat btw and you'll only look better after this which is a plus!!

Thanks man, appreciate your comments. As you can see from the latest pictures, however, I'm still not quite flat!

Keeping a detailed account has certainly helped myself keep track of my thoughts/progress etc. and I hope helps others too.

Have you had surgery/planning to have surgery?

[FlatAsAPancake]

Just got back from my consultation with Mr Levick. I booked my surgery with him before I left. What a top bloke.

Awesome. When is the surgery?

It's scheduled for the 2nd October. It would have been a couple of weeks prior to that but Levick is on holiday then.

Re your 'creasing', I spoke to Levick about that and he mentioned it does happen occasionally but it'll go back to normal eventually.

[AchillesUK]

Just got back from my consultation with Mr Levick. I booked my surgery with him before I left. What a top bloke.

Awesome. When is the surgery?

It's scheduled for the 2nd October. It would have been a couple of weeks prior to that but Levick is on holiday then.

Re your 'creasing', I spoke to Levick about that and he mentioned it does happen occasionally but it'll go back to normal eventually.

Cool, thanks for info re creases.

You probably want the surgery asap, I know I did. I booked last winter for surgery in June for various practical reasons but I really wanted it back then. But the positives are that wearing all the compression will be easier in winter. Also Mr Levick commented that for some reason there tends to be more fluid accumulation in his patients during the summer, so hopefully that's something you can avoid.

[FlatAsAPancake]

I'm going on holiday in 3 weeks so it'll be my last one with gyno then I'm back for surgery. Can't wait for it to be gone. I've been following thread and I'm liking your progress mate!

[thetodd]

Thats quite a significant amount scar tissue could be a bit of fluid build up behind aswell (which is normal, so dont worry)

With massaging its a real delicate thing, i think this gets explained now post-op but back in the day the general consensus was to use your knuckles to break up scar tissue. Which is what i done, which caused me to get a bit of scar tissue fused inbetween my chest muscles so yeah its a really delicate timed technique like your doing just use two fingers and i found bio oil made it more bearable.

the creases and stuff will go man, youl prob notice some more pop up 7 weeks is a bit of a shit point in recovery to be honest you may feel a bit down about the surgery think its comming back etc its just your mind adjusting to the changes that are going on.

[AchillesUK]

Thats quite a significant amount scar tissue could be a bit of fluid build up behind aswell (which is normal, so dont worry)

With massaging its a real delicate thing, i think this gets explained now post-op but back in the day the general consensus was to use your knuckles to break up scar tissue. Which is what i done, which caused me to get a bit of scar tissue fused inbetween my chest muscles so yeah its a really delicate timed technique like your doing just use two fingers and i found bio oil made it more bearable.

the creases and stuff will go man, youl prob notice some more pop up 7 weeks is a bit of a shit point in recovery to be honest you may feel a bit down about the surgery think its comming back etc its just your mind adjusting to the changes that are going on.

Thanks for the advice re massaging, and nice to hear from an experienced poster. I've been using my fingers, didnt think to use my knuckles! It is a big lump certainly behind my right nipple, feels hard and squidgy, I have wondered if some of it is fluid.

I tried a couple of fitted t-shirts on yesterday and still looked very perky, especially on the right hand side, for a moment I was thinking of even digging out my old compression vests that I used to wear all the time.

I guess I'll just keep massaging for now and see how things go, if I'm still in a similar situation around the 12 week (3month) mark, I'll get in touch with Mr Levick. I did mention at the start of this thread that I was always hopeful that by the 2month mark that I would be in good shape. Well that's next week and clearly I'm not going to be flat by any means then.

Btw how did you ever know you ended up with scar tissue between your muscles? How did you resolve that issue, did you have more surgery?

[thetodd]

its prob still there a bit, i went back to karidis about a year afterwards and he asked about this red bruising i had on my RHS which was where i had been scraping my knuckles up and down because i thought it was scar tissue. he had a feel and said it was muscle and it looked inflamed and to stop massaging full stop as it can create scar tissue in between the muscle fibre's. So i did and it resided hugely but there is some abnormality there when i lift my arms in a certain place behind my head but ive got used to it now i guess.

I got offered to correct it, but was advised against it. I suppose you've gotta put a line under things and since im not planning to join any diving teams the chance of people seeing me with my hands above my head with my right arm pointing on a 45 degree angle isnt to likely so i chose not to have further surgery.

Definitely go back and see him anyway at 12 weeks, its good to go and talk with your surgeon at the end of the day they need to know your progress

[AchillesUK]

2 Months Post-Op

So I passed the two month mark a couple of days ago and took some pics, just getting around to uploading them. I've always said I'd hope for a decent looking chest around this time. The progress hasnt quite been how I'd hoped, although I'm still hopeful that given time and continual massage the swelling will subside.

Some updates since last time...

Reply from Mr Levick:  I also emailed Mr Levick with pictures a week or so ago. He said that I've certainly got swelling. Part of me was hoping he'd tell me to come in and offer a steroid injection, but he said the swelling should subside with time and massage. The lymphatics (drainage system) are still recovering (I remember he told me at the time of the surgery, these inevitably get damaged during the surgery). Hopefully once these recover some of this gunk in my chest will drain away. He also said what I have is most likely NOT scar tissue. Scar tissue can be a problem between 3-6 months, and I've only just hit the 2 month mark. Knowing my luck I'll probably suffer maximum scarring, hopefully not.

Massaging: I've been quite disciplined about this. I massage every night for 20minutes. I havent missed a day since I started following my own regime as it were as detailed in a previous post. Has it helped? It's difficult to say, if it has, the progress is in such incremental steps that it's difficult for me to notice.

Training: I'm pretty much doing all gym exercises now. Even pull ups (although very light pull ups on the assist machine). I still havent done squats or deadlifts yet, and I'm still going to delay these a little. Deadlifts in particular I feel will cause some undue stretching in the chest area.

I get the feeling some of my posts, pictures and complications may have caused some unease on this forum, so I thought I'd answer some questions which readers may find useful:

How happy am I with results so far? I'd say about 5/10 so far. But that's because I was hoping for a flat chest by the 2 month mark.

Does it still look as though I have gynecomastia? Yes. Particularly if I wear light coloured clothes, or close fitted t-shirts I still look perky.

Is it better/worse than before surgery? Better. I looked worse before surgery.

Do I regret having surgery? No. Before surgery I knew there was gland and fat in my chest which would never go without surgery. Now I know (or sincerely hope) it's only post surgical tissue/blood/lymph/inflammation which will disappear over time. My body is my body. Meaning, whenever I would have had this surgery, I would have most likely suffered the same recovery issues. So I'm glad I got it done when I did. It's a 6 month investment (in terms of recovery according to Mr Levick's handbook) and then, hopefully, a lifetime freedom from gynecomastia.

Would I still recommend Mr Levick? So far, yes. Mr Levick (and most surgeons' FAQs) would tell you that recovery can take months. Clearly that is the case with me. Additionally, he is the most experienced surgeon in the UK, and his post op care is completely free. He has seen me three times so far after surgery for my chest to be aspirated. He's always charming, professional and replies to emails. Its comforting to know if I'm still not happy at around the 6 month mark, I could go back to him free of charge. Having said all that, however, if it still looks like I have gynecomastia at around the 6 month mark post op and no further corrections can be offered, my answer to this question could be very different.

Here are some recent pictures below. A new development - I've now got a crease across my right nipple. It was the one thing I thought I had gotten away with, but alas the right side of my chest seems to be going through every post-op complication possible:

 

 

 

If I tense my pecs:

 

If I let them relax:

 

 

[AchillesUK]

its prob still there a bit, i went back to karidis about a year afterwards and he asked about this red bruising i had on my RHS which was where i had been scraping my knuckles up and down because i thought it was scar tissue. he had a feel and said it was muscle and it looked inflamed and to stop massaging full stop as it can create scar tissue in between the muscle fibre's. So i did and it resided hugely but there is some abnormality there when i lift my arms in a certain place behind my head but ive got used to it now i guess.

I got offered to correct it, but was advised against it. I suppose you've gotta put a line under things and since im not planning to join any diving teams the chance of people seeing me with my hands above my head with my right arm pointing on a 45 degree angle isnt to likely so i chose not to have further surgery.

Definitely go back and see him anyway at 12 weeks, its good to go and talk with your surgeon at the end of the day they need to know your progress

Forgot to thank you for this reply, was informative. Shame you never fully recovered 100% mobility, but I guess you're right you have to weigh up the pros v cons.

Just out of curiosity, did Dr. Karidis charge to see you again after surgery?

[FlatAsAPancake]

Hey dude. Thanks for the update (I keep checking to see if you've put one up!) I think you look great. Perhaps expecting to be completely flat after two months was a bit ambitious? Keep positive!

My vest arrived today and made it feel a bit more real. Can't wait!

[AchillesUK]

Hey dude. Thanks for the update (I keep checking to see if you've put one up!) I think you look great. Perhaps expecting to be completely flat after two months was a bit ambitious? Keep positive!

My vest arrived today and made it feel a bit more real. Can't wait!

Thanks man. Yeah the 2 month mark was based on seeing how others have recovered on this forum. By 5 or 6 weeks, most people (who post on here anyway) looked pretty flat.

You probably have read from the book they provide from Mr Levick's office that full recovery can take months, so I dont feel I've been misled in any way and I'm still hopeful of a completely flat chest, aiming for the 6 month mark now as there's not been much difference between 1 and 2 months for me.

Great news that you've got your vest! Which one did you go for?

Also start taking the Arnica as recommended (before surgery). I didnt start taking this till after surgery. I cant imagine everything that has happened has been due to not taking Arnica from when I should I have but cant help but wonder. Boots chemist normally stock these, some of the smaller ones didnt.