Surgery with Dr.Fielding (July 2018)

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Hi everyone, I have my gynecomastia removal surgery tomorrow with Dr. Craig Fielding. I'm very excited but also very nervous. I have had multiple surgeries recently for separate injuries and those were not fun. Hopefully this turns out to be better, I'll keep this updated during my recovery. I don't think I'll be posting pictures as I have identifying scars on my chest.

Here's some info:

Booking Consult:
I called Dr.Fielding's office in March to book an appointment, I asked for the next available which was on May 18th. The receptionist was to the point but still very nice. She gave me advice about calling every Monday to see if there's a cancellation to move up my consult, I chose not and just wait. I did not need a doctor's referral, just my OHIP #.

Consult:
The appointment itself went well, I waited about 1hr after my appointment time which in my opinion is really good. Due to my past experience with surgeries I've found that generally doctor's who take their time to answer questions and explain things end up being late for appointments. Dr.Fielding was very nice and understanding, he took measurements then went into details about the surgery and expectations. He also discussed scarring and how my body would react based on previous scars I've had (due to genetics).

Booking Surgery:
I booked the surgery for the next available date which was July 25th. Surgery cost was ~$3500 after all the fees/taxes (10% at time of booking, remaining at pre-op appointment). I am in my late 20s, 5'7, 180lbs. I had gyno since puberty and did not take steroids. I am overweight so there is lipo and general anesthesia (hence the higher price). I was told to call the office a few days before my surgery to get the actual surgery time.

Pre-Op Appointment:
This was fast (at his office, not the hospital), he went over the surgery details again and my post-op recovery. Signed a waiver, filled out some patient forms from St.Joseph's, then paid the remaining amount. Since I wasn't considered a health risk (no health conditions, allergies, or previous issues with anesthesia) I did not require a blood test (some may need this).

Planning for Surgery:
I only told a handful of people due to avoiding having to explain this to others. Since I am a bit overweight this condition may not be as obvious as I think it is. My boss has been extremely understanding and supportive which really helps. I'm expecting to take 1 week off from work. Dr. Fiedling said that generally people only need pain meds for a day or two, then people usually go back to extra strength Tylenol which is great.

Post Op:

• 1 week with compression vest always on, no showers (clean upper body with sponge/wet cloth).
• my first post op appointment is on Friday July 27th, next will be 3 months post op.
• I'll then have the vest on for 3 weeks but I can take it off to wash it and take a shower.
• Expect to return to exercising 3-4 weeks post op. Dr. Fielding actually encourages this instead of taking it easy.
• He mentioned there will be swelling which will peak 2-3months post op. This will reduce to normal levels ~1yr post op.

I'll update this with more details but feel free to ask questions.