Should I get surgery? I need to get rid of these.

[Hi_Top_Guy]

Yay! Good luck and keep us posted. 

[y2015]

I got the surgery this morning! I'm back at home now and feel great.

It was a really simple procedure- just a couple of hours, and I was out of there.

I was really worried at first, because when I came in the nurse asked me if I had eaten anything since midnight and I had. They had written not to eat after midnight on one of the pre-op instruction sheets but not on the one I had been reading. It turns out you can't eat before general anesthesia because you might vomit and asphyxiate yourself. I was thinking they might cancel the surgery, which really would have sucked. However, the doctor said that another option would be to use local anesthesia and just sedate me before the procedure so I would be conscious but relaxed. Of course, I opted for that. I didn't really know what to expect though, and was kind of imagining them hacking away at my chest as I watched.

They gave me some kind of medicine to calm me down (similar to Valium). He also rubbed some sort of numbing gel on the nipple area to prepare for the local anesthesia injections. Once the sedative started kicking in, he began injecting local anesthesia gradually around the nipple area. They pinched a little, but not even as badly as having your blood drawn. Subsequent injections were even less irritating because some of the anesthesia already there was numbing the area. Before the surgery started, they put a curtain in front of my face so I couldn't see what was going on. By that point, I was relaxed and daydreaming and barely noticing what was going on. I had no idea what they were doing to me- all I could hear was the surgeon talking to the nurses and the instruments they were using. It was not scary, it was not painful, and to be honest, I kind of enjoyed it because I knew they were getting rid of the problem that had plagued me for years. I just lay back in my drug-induced haze and enjoyed the surgery, and it was done before I knew it. I had the compression vest put on and was able to walk around unstably right away.

It's been a few hours since I got back from the surgery, and the effects of the drugs have pretty much worn off and I feel zero pain. I'm not sure if they gave me pain meds there, but the doctor prescribed me some for home, which I'll start taking tonight. I'm also on antibiotics to prevent infection.

Right now I have these little bags attached to my compression vest to drain blood, but I have a follow-appointment in a week where those come off. Then I have to wear the vest for another two weeks, and then that comes off too (just in time for the start of my next semester).

I haven't seen the results yet, but the doctor said they look good. I'll keep you guys updated, and I'll add pictures once the bruising, etc. has subsided. It's kind of cool to be starting the new year by finally getting rid of an old burden (cheesy I know).

[cduub]

Congrads man!!!! This is going to be a great year for you!!!

[y2015]

Thanks! I can't wait to finally wear all of the t-shirts I've been leaving in my wardrobe because I was too embarrassed to wear them, and for going to the beach this summer. It'll be great to finally feel comfortable with my body and with having my shirt off around other people.

[y2015]

I had my first post-op appointment today, and had the drainage tubes that have been sticking out of my sides for the past week finally removed. The healing is going well, with almost no bruising at this point and very little pain. I stopped taking pain meds during the day after the second day post-surgery because it wasn't necessary. I only feel pain if I move my arms above my head or if I accidentally flex my chest muscles. I do take one pill (Dilaudid) at night to help me sleep because I'm not used to sleeping on my back and all of the padding under the vest was kind of uncomfortable.

I got my first good look at the result today, and I'm really happy with it. The nipples are completely flat now, and those horrible protruding glands that have been bothering me are completely gone. The nipples themselves still have tape over them, which will be removed in two weeks, but now I can take off the vest to shower and I don't need gauze pads underneath anymore. I'll post pictures once the nipples have healed so you can see the real final result. From what I can see, it'll look great, and I already feel like a new person. The one thing that's kind of a pain is that I can't go to the gym for another five weeks. Oh well, it was worth it.

[Hi_Top_Guy]

Good for you, y2015! 

Isn't it great afterwards? Get better soon and don't rush it!

[y2015]

I just wanted to post an update, since it's been four months since the surgery. I am really, really happy with the results, and the surgery is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. The healing does take a while- the incision site on my right nipple is still pretty visible, although my left nipple has no visible scar and it looks like nothing ever happened to it. However, the skin on the right nipple has recently started tightening as the underlying swelling continues to go down, and the incision area is becoming less visible. I don't think it will be long before it is unnoticeable. The best thing is that I am no longer self-conscious about my chest when wearing a shirt- I can finally walk around without the embarrassment of gynecomastia, and it feels great. I have been working out and exercising as normal for a couple months now, and I no longer feel any soreness when exercising or moving around. The nipples are still a little sensitive, so if something taps them or presses against them too hard it will hurt, but they are becoming less and less susceptible to this kind of pain every day. I think that by the time summer rolls around and I start getting invitations to go to the beach, I'll be fully comfortable taking my shirt off and joining my friends. The surgery has also made me more socially confident, and I've finally started having sexual relationships because I'm not afraid of what they'll see when I take my shirt off anymore. Before the surgery, I was also constantly on a calorie-restricted diet, because I was afraid that eating too much would make the gynecomastia worse. Now that the glands are gone, I am not as afraid of eating too much, and as a result the weight I can lift at the gym has started to steadily increase where before it had stayed basically the same for over a year.

I'll post pictures when I get back home in mid-May- by then the incision sites and residual swelling should have gone down even more so that you can really see the final result.

[McGilli]

Awesome to hear. I know the feeling

[y2015]

Alright- I think the surgery site has healed enough to post pictures. The scar on the right side is not fully gone, but it is becoming less noticeable with time (especially within the past few weeks). Getting rid of my gynecomastia has been a real confidence boost- I never think about my chest at all during the day, and I honestly think I have become a more relaxed, sociable, and happy person post-surgery. I have a sense of hope for my social and romantic future now that I don't have this curse lingering over me. Of course, I still have other problems and worries, but it's just one less thing on my mind. Here are the pictures- this will probably be my last update, but I might check back every once in a while to see if there are responses or questions.

[y2015]

pic 1- sorry about the size but I needed to get the file size down. Just zoom in to see it more clearly.

[y2015]

pic 2

[y2015]

pic 3