Christmas Break Recovery

[brent777]

Over the summer, I decided to have a consultation with Dr. Mentz in Houston.  I am 21, 6'3" 205 lbs, and I have a mild case of gyne.  I still go to college and am completely dependent on my parents, but I didn't tell them about the consultation until after it was done.  After the meeting with Dr. Mentz, I told my parents I was going forward with the surgery whether I paid for it or they did.

My parents were surprisingly supportive and told me they'd cover everything.  We scheduled an appointment over Christmas break, after my finals were through.  That date was December 20 (yesterday).

Like everyone who's been through the surgery knows, you don't eat anything after midnight of the day before, and my surgery was scheduled for 1:00 pm.  Already hungry, I was met in the waiting room by a family of four, all eating Whataburger (a local fast food chain).  They didn't help my hunger at all, but it was nice to see a family come and support their daughter coming in for surgery.

Luckily, I didn't have to smell the burgers long, because they called me into the pre-op room soon after.  My mom drove me to the surgery center, and she was going to stay with me through the whole thing (she's a great mom) so she joined me in the pre-op room.  I changed into my surgery garments, chatted with a nurse who offered me a Valium to help the time fly by quicker and to ease my nerves.  I declined.  I met the anaesthesiologist who put an IV in my hand to hydrate me.  Dr. Mentz came in and met my mom who left the room so that the doctor could draw on me with his marker.

I waited with my mom for about another hour before they finally came in and told me my time had come.  I was pretty nervous to be honest with you.  I didn't like the idea of being out cold under general anaesthetic, but the nurses and doctors were so professional and kind, it was no big deal at all.  After I met all the nurses, Dr. Mentz walked into the room and had me lie down and get strapped in.  The anaesthesiologist chatted with me for a while, and she eventually told me that she was about to give me the "good stuff."  I was out cold pretty quickly.

The next thing I remember, I'm waking up from a heavy sleep, and I feel pretty uncomfortable around my chest.  It feels pretty tight and sore, and I feel pretty groggy.  The nurse kept telling me to go back to sleep, but I couldn't, so she eventually helped me into a chair.  One of the most uncomfortable things I remember about the whole situation was how cold I felt.  They gave me a couple blankets and put this neat heater thing underneath them which warmed me up well.  Anyway, my mom joined me in the room, they put me in a wheelchair, and brought me out to the car.

Back home, my mom warmed me up with a hot bowl of soup, and I was really surprised by my appetite.  I downed the entire can of soup, almost the a whole package of saltine crackers, and two pieces of toast.  My stomach was feeling fine, so I quickly graduated to normal food.  With the painkillers they gave me, I was feeling just fine after a couple hours.  A little groggy, but fine.  Dr. Mentz prescribed me some sleeping pills as well; I took those around 10:30, and by 11:00 I was out.  I remember thinking, "If this is as bad as the pain is going to be, well then it's not bad at all."

I had trouble sleeping that night, but only because I'm not used to sleeping flat on my back.  I woke in the middle of the night around 1:00 and took a couple more painkillers, not because I was sore, just because I could.  I didn't want to wake up in pain.

At about 8:00, I woke up on my own virtually no pain.  I realized I wasn't perfectly mobile, I had a little bit of soreness, but no real pain, so I decided not to take any pain killers.  The nurse came by today to do a house visit; she changed the bandages and fitted me with my vest, showing me and my mom how to refit it on our own, and then she left.  That brings us up to now, where I'm feeling just fine.  When the nurse came by, I looked at myself in the mirror and was surprised at the lack of bruising and swelling, and most shockingly of all, the lack of moobs.  I will continue to wear my vest, and I'll be fine without the pain medication (even on post-op day 1), and hopefully I'll be recovered enough by the time school starts that nobody will even notice I had the surgery done.

I had a little bit of a "dimple" (as the nurse called it) when I looked in the mirror, but apparently that's normal, and it should go away.  My nipples looked funny and scrunched up, but that'll heal up nice as well.  The incisions were tiny: one on each side about a quarter of an inch long.  So far, my experience has been great, and I'll try to keep you updated about how recovery continues.  I'm about to head to the movie theatre and watch King Kong with my dad.

[scottq]

good post, After reading some of these recovery stories, I had second thoughts about wanting the surgery, yours helps though. thank you.

[brent777]

I'm Day 3 post-op, and I don't have that much to report.  Day 2 went by great with little to no pain.  I limit my mobility so I don't stretch my arms into the ouch zone, and as long as I do that all I feel is an awareness of a minor bit of soreness.  I even helped my sister paint her new room yesterday.  The brushing motion caused no pain at all, and it felt good to be productive.

Today is day 3, and since 1:00 AM the night after the surgery, I still haven't taken any painkillers.  There has been minimal bruising and minimal swelling.  If it weren't for the fact that the surgeon's markings were still on my chest, I could probably walk around shirtless and nobody would have a clue I just had surgery unless they examined very closely or I told them otherwise.

I continue to take the vitamins and antibiotics the doctor gave me, and I take the sleeping pills as well so that I have less trouble sleeping flat on my back.  I'm walking around, climbing stairs, painting rooms, driving short distances, all with no problems.  I think much of my success with this surgery should be credited to Dr. Mentz, my surgeon here in Houston.  He has done a great job: pre-op he made me feel very comfortable about the surgery; on the table, he did a very clean, fantastic looking excision and lypo; post-op, he has set up a very efficient check-up system that is neither too invasive nor too distanced.  

With the results I am extremely pleased.  I finally feel like I look normal.  There is still that minor dimple I spoke of before, but I don't know if it has healed a bit, or perhaps my paranoia has decreased, or maybe a combination of the two, but it doesn't look so bad anymore.  You have to get up real close and check it from a certain angle to see it, and when you do see it, it doesn't look that weird.  Plus, the nurse says it should heal up in time.  

My Post-Op check-up with Dr. Mentz is scheduled on the 28, and I imagine that will go smoothly, but I will keep you updated as to how it goes.  For all those curious, the surgery cost $4500, and that was in line with every other surgeon I checked in the area.  And with the level of professionalism, expertise, and quality of results, it is worth every penny.  I look forward to my life without gynecomastia.