It's Time

[shimano]

I have been browsing these forums for a couple years.  At age 32 I am ready.  Deciding to have this surgery has almost been a religious experience in one way, and definitely a religious experience in another way.  If you are not a “religious” person, keep reading.  First, I’m talking about the fact that this condition is such a personal and private issue that the whole experience becomes a very emotional and reflective ordeal.  I’m not using the word religious in the traditional sense, but you guys know what I mean.  It is a condition that gets at the very core of our souls as men.  Second, I am a practicing Christian and the potential treatment has required me to examine the spiritual impact of my decision too.  I can confidently say that after prayer and careful consideration I believe that having plastic surgery to correct this condition is the right thing for me to do.  Without getting into a long explanation, I believe that God has given us the technology and resources at this time in history to deal with this condition. 

I’ve probably had this condition since I was 5 or 6 years old because I’ve got pictures to prove it.  I guess you could say I was almost born with it.  Thankfully, it never affected me growing up, not even in high school or college.  I wasn’t self-aware enough to even know that I looked different than other guys.  I was a little overweight and I always just thought it was extra fat up there.  But in my 20s and 30s it has become a major issue for me.

I live in Michigan and have been to two consults so far.  The first was at one of the most reputable hospitals in Michigan.  I was disappointed to find out that they didn’t allow me to see any pictures of prior surgery results.  The second consult was at a practice also affiliated with another one of Michigan’s most reputable hospitals.  I felt better about the second, but still they only had one photograph to show me!  Both physicians indicated that they would use ultrasonic lipo as well as other type(s) of lipo, and neither brought up or seemed to think they would need to do excision.  From reading these forums I did not feel comfortable choosing either physician based on their pre-surgical insistence that lipo would be THE surgical method of choice.

My next appointment is with Dr. Dennis Hammond in Grand Rapids.  He is the only Michigan doctor I’ve read about on these forums, and from what I’ve read I’m impressed.  It’s been almost a year since my first consult so I hope it’s been worth the wait. 

I am uploading some pictures.   

[hammer]

Shimano,
You don't have a real bad case, however it sounds like you gave it great thought and even prayed about it! I am please to hear that you took the time to pray and ask for guidance on this, so with that I will wish you the best of luck!

Keep us updated on how things are progressing, and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers as well.


Bob aka Hammer

[mak23]

Hi, Even I'm a Christian  and I really love the Lord. Sometimes I felt that I will pray about this condition and the Lord will do something about it. This has affected my life so much, I can hardly put it into words. I will be 30 in October and I haven't got married yet because of this. I haven't even gone out looking for a girlfriend because of this. Reading your post has taken me one step closer to decision of going in for a surgery. Thanks

[hammer]

Hi, Even I'm a Christian  and I really love the Lord. Sometimes I felt that I will pray about this condition and the Lord will do something about it. This has affected my life so much, I can hardly put it into words. I will be 30 in October and I haven't got married yet because of this. I haven't even gone out looking for a girlfriend because of this. Reading your post has taken me one step closer to decision of going in for a surgery. Thanks

I am so pleased to hear that both of you are Christain, as I am as well,  however, I never let my gynecomastia get in my way in the way that it stopes me from moving on and living life. If you have not done so look at " my story after all these years" .

Men, I am not against surgery, The Lord has seen my throught many of then, both knees replaced, back being fussed and several others but not gynecomastia surgery and I have double D breast now.


I have been married 25 years next month second time, yes I have made mistakes, i hope that i learned from them! I have fathered five and third grandchild due next month.

We, men with gynecomastia are our worst enemy when it comes to this problem as we are not as noticed as we think we are, and the fact is there are more of us then you think. If you do the research you will find that it is more common to have some breast tissue then not to.

If I can help in any way let me know. I hope for the best for both of you!


Bob aka Hammer

[shimano]

Thank you for the encouraging words brothers.  I just want to clarify a few things.  I am not suggesting that gynecomastia surgery is for every Christian.  I think every Christian needs to seek God’s will and He will show it.  What I have figured out in my own life is that this condition unnecessarily consumes a lot of time, provides a lot of anxiety, and prevents me from being all God intends me to be.  Like mak23, it has severely hindered my ability to date.  Should it? I don’t know, but it has.   And that is where I’m at.  I liken plastic surgery to getting your haircut, having wax removed from your ears, removing moles, trimming your nails, cleaning and whitening your teeth, and all the other things we do to our bodies.  One of the biggest things I struggled with is the cost factor from a stewardship perspective, but when I consider what $6,000 buys these days it is really insignificant.  For example, let’s say I had a teenage child right now.  I could easily sink $6,000 into buying them their first car – a car that may only last a couple years.   Surgery done correctly for this condition will last more than 24 months; it will last a life time.  With all that said, do I still have reservations?  Of course.  Until it’s done and over with I won’t be able to say without a shadow of a doubt that I still feel the same way, but right now this is where I stand.  For those that are choosing not to have surgery, I wholeheartedly support you too.  Up until now, I have been one of you and I have taken great encouragement from those who have chosen to live with the condition.  As Christians we can't go wrong.  Either way God is going to sustain us, uphold us, and He is the one who gives us our identity as men and He is the one we are made in the image of.  We can't let a condition like this take that away from us.

[mak23]

^to that I say AMEN. I'm sure He will make a way to get the finances arranged for this condition to go away

[xelnaga13]

My gyno surgery changed me forever for the positive. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to have insurance cover it that I dedicated myself to self improvement and helping others to show my gratitude. For me it was a weight attached to my leg preventing me from really taking my life and running with it.

Im big on taking a blank piece of paper and writing out the positive/negative aspects of any decision.

Im not very in tuned with god, though I am working on it. But I would venture to say that he supports anything that helps you shine.

[shimano]

Surgery is tomorrow.  I'm very nervous about the recovery, but keep telling myself that some things in life aren't easily attained.

[hammer]

It is normal to be nervous! You will be fine, as long as you follow the post op instruction to the T!

You will be bored during the time afterward, the weeks that you need to take it easy, so you can catch up on your reading than!

I wish you the best, and may God Bless you, as well!


Bob aka Hammer

[xelnaga13]

The worst part is the waiting room before hand... I would recommend and Ipod or a book that you are really into. Once they take you in- if youre feeling overwhelmed let them know and they will give you something for anxiety.

[shimano]

Thanks for the advice!

[shimano]

In the words of the doc, "surgery was perfect"! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  More later...

[shimano]

Everything went well!  I was nervous about going into surgery, as I’m sure everyone is.  I calmed down quite a bit once I arrived at the surgery facility.  I tend to like to be in control, and once everything was out of my hands and I was in the care of the surgery staff there was a tremendous amount of freedom and peace.  There have been a lot of emotions and experiences in the last 48 hours, but overall I am very happy.  My surgeon took the stiches out in his office yesterday and said that I don’t even need to come back for my one week appointment.  He said it would be selfish on his part to require me to come because it would just be for pictures for his website.  That was very encouraging to hear.  He showed me my side profile picture right away and I was very impressed.  I just saw the front of my chest for the first time when I took my compression shirt off to take a shower.  It is so flat it’s unbelievable!  I don’t have a lot of muscle mass on my chest/pecs, so I will definitely be hitting the gym after recovery.  I wish I could say that I absolutely love the way the front looks, but like I said with very little muscle mass it does kind of look funny.  It’s going to take some getting used to and it’s going to motivate me to do more weight training which I have really gotten away from.  The fat on my chest always kind of looked a little like muscle and now I’m going to have to put on real muscle!  I have very little bruising.  Just a hint of yellow throughout the chest, but it’s hardly even noticeable.  I’ve had very little pain.  My arms and shoulders hurt more than my chest, because I have been really protecting and guarding my chest and have been a bit tense which has stiffened up my arms/shoulders.  The doc wants me to keep my arms mobile so that they don’t tighten up.  I’ll try to update as things continue to recover.

[hammer]

Congrats, welcome to the new you!


Bob

[shimano]

Thanks hammer! And thank you for your encouragement along the way.