I never email a doctor on Saturday or Sunday. These emails just get lost in a glut of emails that come on Monday morning. So you might try again.

Puffiness or swelling under the arm is pretty common, my understanding. I thought it was up to 6 months but I have actually heard longer.

--Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on April 02, 2014, 10:47:27 PM
I never email a doctor on Saturday or Sunday. These emails just get lost in a glut of emails that come on Monday morning. So you might try again.

Puffiness or swelling under the arm is pretty common, my understanding. I thought it was up to 6 months but I have actually heard longer.

--Jay

LOl  I actually said a year because I thought you were the one who said that in a post once.  I suspect skin elasticity.  Maybe it won't go back since I am 44.  I dunno.  I plan to ask Garramone when I talk to him.  Excellent point about weekend emails getting lost in the shuffle.

Our six (actually seven) week post op is today, so I'm mostly posting to remind myself to post the results on that... everything is healed up and looking fantastic for me, but we'll see what he says about FB who is still having some little cyst-like things.

I almost thought I wouldn't make it because I thought I had a check engine light - turned out to just be a low tire pressure light... doh.

Quote from: Brett on April 03, 2014, 06:32:16 AM
LOl  I actually said a year because I thought you were the one who said that in a post once.  I suspect skin elasticity.  Maybe it won't go back since I am 44.  I dunno.  I plan to ask Garramone when I talk to him.  Excellent point about weekend emails getting lost in the shuffle.

You can also call, and then they'll tell you what to do. I got a email lost because I sent a picture to his "picture" address.

Okay would be interested in hearing about the swelling in older guys.


--Jay

I think it's always best to call. Emails get lost. I always actually call my surgeon with any issues and email pictures if requested.

Quote from: Darrin Scott on April 03, 2014, 02:38:05 PM
I think it's always best to call. Emails get lost. I always actually call my surgeon with any issues and email pictures if requested.

I agree.

My post-op emails were completely ignored by my surgeon's office no matter what day of the week I sent them on.  The only time they looked at them was when I rang and queried why I'd not had a response.

Seven week post op went great! I'll post some pictures later. We've gotten to the point now that they're pushing other expensive stuff on us, though, lol. They convinced us to get a ($97 - OUCH) bottle of Biocorneum, but it should last a long time. Anyone here have any experience with it? I'm reading fantastic reviews but it seems like there are a handful of people it didn't work too well for.

Quote from: NathanExplosion on April 05, 2014, 12:59:15 PM
Seven week post op went great! I'll post some pictures later. We've gotten to the point now that they're pushing other expensive stuff on us, though, lol. They convinced us to get a ($97 - OUCH) bottle of Biocorneum, but it should last a long time. Anyone here have any experience with it? I'm reading fantastic reviews but it seems like there are a handful of people it didn't work too well for.

I researched it a bit.  The only thing that I can see how this is different from any other silicone gel is that it includes SPF30.  It makes sense you would read good reviews as it is a silicone gel, which is the only treatment that has been proven to help with scars.

The question for you is if the extra cost is worth it for the SPF 30.  Personally, I wouldn't open it, take it back to my plastic surgeon, and order the >$20 Scar Away gel online.  Your chest shouldn't be out in the sun for over 12 months, anyway.

Sorry to be harsh, but I figured I would just be direct.  It pisses me off to see people taken advantage of (which I think this product does), especially young guys like you who don't have the extra cash to waste.

Quote from: Brett on April 05, 2014, 04:41:22 PM
I researched it a bit.  The only thing that I can see how this is different from any other silicone gel is that it includes SPF30.  It makes sense you would read good reviews as it is a silicone gel, which is the only treatment that has been proven to help with scars.

The question for you is if the extra cost is worth it for the SPF 30.  Personally, I wouldn't open it, take it back to my plastic surgeon, and order the >$20 Scar Away gel online.  Your chest shouldn't be out in the sun for over 12 months, anyway.

Sorry to be harsh, but I figured I would just be direct.  It pisses me off to see people taken advantage of (which I think this product does), especially young guys like you who don't have the extra cash to waste.

Well, honestly, I sprung for the biggest size so the amount we got for the $90 is enough for MONTHS for the two of us, so overall I think the price wasn't too bad comparatively. I'm seeing $20-$25 for a twelve week supply of Scar Away (so six weeks for each of us.) I am seeing people paying double or triple that for this amount of Biocorneum though so I would definitely say it doesn't sound worth it then.

Quote from: NathanExplosion on April 05, 2014, 05:03:26 PM
Well, honestly, I sprung for the biggest size so the amount we got for the $90 is enough for MONTHS for the two of us, so overall I think the price wasn't too bad comparatively. I'm seeing $20-$25 for a twelve week supply of Scar Away (so six weeks for each of us.) I am seeing people paying double or triple that for this amount of Biocorneum though so I would definitely say it doesn't sound worth it then.

Ok, well glad you got a good deal on price. 

Hey guys,

New to the thread and have enjoyed reading all of your inputs. I am currently 18 days post opt. I had minimal pain the first week. After my first week I had a follow up appointment where they took the tape off my skin and cleaned everything up. This is what hurt the most. The nurse said it happened to be because of my skin type. The tape (durapore tape/silk tape) was stuck on there like no other. So all of that is what caused the most pain. I went to work after having a week off and was surprised how tired my body still was. I could only last about 6 hours at most before my body would shut down. I wasn't in pain per say but my body just felt drained. Luckily my job was extremely supportive and allowed me to leave early.

I was able to drive about a week and a half out but just to short distances. Also, going into my third week ice been getting better and better everyday. I couldn't and still can't carry a briefcase. I actually just carry a backpack for not. It's easier to distribute the weight and also it's doesn't have a strap going across my nipple like my briefcase did.

I had my surgery with Dr. Peter Raphael in Plano, TX. I am extremely satisfied with my results. I had a bilateral mastectomy with free nipple grafts and liposuction. He was amazing along with his staff. I have sent a couple of emails and received a response on the same day with a phone call. It also was nice to not have to deal with drains.

I'm posting from my cell. But when I get the chance I'll post a picture of my progress. Wishing everyone a quick recovery.

Quote from: AStrikes on April 08, 2014, 12:49:35 AM
Hey guys,

New to the thread and have enjoyed reading all of your inputs. I am currently 18 days post opt. I had minimal pain the first week. After my first week I had a follow up appointment where they took the tape off my skin and cleaned everything up. This is what hurt the most. The nurse said it happened to be because of my skin type. The tape (durapore tape/silk tape) was stuck on there like no other. So all of that is what caused the most pain. I went to work after having a week off and was surprised how tired my body still was. I could only last about 6 hours at most before my body would shut down. I wasn't in pain per say but my body just felt drained. Luckily my job was extremely supportive and allowed me to leave early.

I was able to drive about a week and a half out but just to short distances. Also, going into my third week ice been getting better and better everyday. I couldn't and still can't carry a briefcase. I actually just carry a backpack for not. It's easier to distribute the weight and also it's doesn't have a strap going across my nipple like my briefcase did.

I had my surgery with Dr. Peter Raphael in Plano, TX. I am extremely satisfied with my results. I had a bilateral mastectomy with free nipple grafts and liposuction. He was amazing along with his staff. I have sent a couple of emails and received a response on the same day with a phone call. It also was nice to not have to deal with drains.

I'm posting from my cell. But when I get the chance I'll post a picture of my progress. Wishing everyone a quick recovery.

Hi, AStrikes! 

Welcome to the thread and the site. 

Thank you for being so thorough in your post.  We like that (ok, maybe I am the only OCD one around here....).

Interesting to hear about removing the tape.  Raphael uses that quilting technique.  I wonder if that is why it hurt.  Also, I have never heard of tape getting removed after week one.  It would be great if you could post pictures with the tape on, so we can see what that looks like.  Also, of course, it will be great to see how your chest looks now.

Glad it hear it went so well and that you liked Raphael.  No one else who has posted on this thread has gone to him, but I have always heard of him being a respected surgeon. 

Glad to have you here!

Quote from: Brett on April 08, 2014, 06:16:06 AM

Thank you for being so thorough in your post.  We like that (ok, maybe I am the only OCD one around here....).

Interesting to hear about removing the tape.  Raphael uses that quilting technique.  I wonder if that is why it hurt.  Also, I have never heard of tape getting removed after week one.  It would be great if you could post pictures with the tape on, so we can see what that looks like.  Also, of course, it will be great to see how your chest looks now.

Glad to have you here!

I saw a video where someone (not sure it was Dr Raphael) removed the tape on the video. I was changing the bandages over the drain holes and didn't see what I was doing. I accidentally pulled tape off the incision. Yikes did that hurt! So I can't imagine this, but perhaps there are ways to do that might hurt less.
I know several people that went to him. There is a local guy here that does top surgery, but some people go to Texas as it is close to NM. (I didn't feel it mattered once air fare and hotel were involved, but some guys have driven there.) Glad you were happy with him.

Brett, I hate to let you know you are NOT the only OCD guy here. LOL
Welcome AStrikes!


--Jay

Quote from: AStrikes on April 08, 2014, 12:49:35 AM
Hey guys,

New to the thread and have enjoyed reading all of your inputs. I am currently 18 days post opt. I had minimal pain the first week. After my first week I had a follow up appointment where they took the tape off my skin and cleaned everything up. This is what hurt the most. The nurse said it happened to be because of my skin type. The tape (durapore tape/silk tape) was stuck on there like no other. So all of that is what caused the most pain. I went to work after having a week off and was surprised how tired my body still was. I could only last about 6 hours at most before my body would shut down. I wasn't in pain per say but my body just felt drained. Luckily my job was extremely supportive and allowed me to leave early.

I was able to drive about a week and a half out but just to short distances. Also, going into my third week ice been getting better and better everyday. I couldn't and still can't carry a briefcase. I actually just carry a backpack for not. It's easier to distribute the weight and also it's doesn't have a strap going across my nipple like my briefcase did.

I had my surgery with Dr. Peter Raphael in Plano, TX. I am extremely satisfied with my results. I had a bilateral mastectomy with free nipple grafts and liposuction. He was amazing along with his staff. I have sent a couple of emails and received a response on the same day with a phone call. It also was nice to not have to deal with drains.

I'm posting from my cell. But when I get the chance I'll post a picture of my progress. Wishing everyone a quick recovery.

Good to hear of someone else that didn't do drains! I didn't actually know how uncommon that was until after I found out I wasn't having drains either, so I'm excited to see your results.

Hey, whenever I post and error pops up so that is become frustrating. Also, I don;t know how to post an image. Everytime I do I get a broken image logo. help?

11 Weeks Post-Op

Surgeon:  Dr. Megan Hassall - Sydney, Australia
Date:  23 January 2014
Surgery:  Bilateral Subcutaneous Mastectomy - Left Nipple preserved pedicle, Right Nipple free grafted

So I'm posting my 11 week post-op update.  I'm actually at 12 weeks, but these photos were from last week (forgot to post them up).

Front view:



As you can see, I still have visible "creases" in my incision line which I am not happy about at all.  I realise that it may be a rather small and trivial thing to some people, but it bothers me and I will continue to observe to see if they eventually straighten out before I seek her opinion on a revision.  Otherwise, the incision lines are still very thin (I'm still wearing the micropore tape until next month) - I'm not using any kind of silicone gel or scar treatment at this stage.

3/4 view - right nipple (free graft):



This graft had me pretty worried for a long time.  I honestly thought that it would reject considering how horrific it looked (just refer back to the older photos just after my surgery).  But it did just as she said it would - every time we changed the dressing and debrided the necrosed tissue, it would just close up and get better.  Now it looks pretty good IMHO.  It's slightly larger and more oval-shaped than the left, but again - small things.

3/4 view - left nipple (preserved pedicle):



I've never had a problem with this one, fortunately.  Happy with the shape and how it generally turned out.

Sensation:

I'm still mostly numb about 3 inches above and all the way down to my nipples.  I have some vague sensation returning around the incision areas, but certainly nothing in the nipples themselves at all.  I no longer feel the incisions stretching when I do my workouts, so I'm not as worried as I was a few weeks ago about scar stretching.  I'm still going to keep wearing the tape for another few weeks until the 3-month mark as instructed. 

Shape:

I'm overall very happy with the look of my chest.  Dr. Hassall left a little tissue to give me the correct contour in my chest instead of being just pancake flat which I like.  As it's still early, I'm not too concerned - but there's a small area just under my right nipple that looks like there's a bit too much tissue remaining and resembles a tiny "mini-boob" when I raise my arm.  Time will tell if it's just swelling.

Otherwise, with a shirt - you can see the shape of my chest beneath clothes.  Looks pretty natural to me so no complaints:

Wow, Kreuzfidel, most stunning to me is how quickly you are bulking up!  There is a big difference even when unflexed.  Good job, mate!   

And the chest looks simply fantastic.  It really looks great for only 11 weeks!  Holy smokes!  I am very pleased for you!

I am so jealous of those thin and light scars (but very happy for you!).   

I understand why you would worry about the creases.  I really do.  For what it is worth, I still have some on both sides closest to the center of my chest and I am 6 months out.  It really was a slow process for them to go away, and I admit mine weren't as severe as yours, but they were definitely very visible.  Did you get to ask her about them at all?  Are there cases where it never goes away?  Can it be be fixed in revision?

What concerns me are my stretch marks.  With all the years of binding and my flatting straight down of my chest the stretch marks are there.  I am hoping that after I take care of the hypertrophic scar issue something can be done with the stretch marks.  There are a lot of products out there, but I have read physicians as saying that none of them really work.  I need to look more into possible laser or that type thing.  Stretch marks are something I really haven't looked into, so I don't know anything about care for them.

Again, congrats on a beautiful chest that is only going to look better and better in time!  Those scars will be invisible for sure!

P.S. Thanks for the extensive review along with pictures.

Brief Hypertrophic Update

Ok, so I never heard from Garramone, but I did not follow up with a phone call.  I need to do that.

What I wanted to share is that with doing the massage twice per day religiously, the scars are getting flatter. 

I do wonder how permanent this is, however.  Meaning, I wonder if I stopped massaging, if they would raise again (long explanation as to why I think this might be the case).  But, I don't think they will be as tall.  I think they are widening a bit as they flatten, which is logical 

I continue to use jojoba oil.  I continue to not think that the type of oil makes a difference, just the massage itself.  Jojoba is very good for the skin, plus I have a bottle of it in organic form, so that is why is another reason why I continue this particular oil.

I decided that I will go with whatever Garramone suggests when I finally call him.  If he says to seek cortizone shots right now, I will investigate that option.  If he says to let them flatten their own or tells me to do professional massage, I will go that route.  If I did the massage and it is easy enough to do, I will see if my GF can just do it for me, due to cost.

Earlier in the thread someone was posting about getting professional massage and I wrote about my discomfort in anyone touching my chest, due to leftover (habitual?), dysphoria.  I think that has abated enough to where I would be more comfortable.  Just thinking about the idea is not disturbing in the way it was. 

Kreuzfidel, do you think massage may help with the creases?  Maybe that is something to ask Hassall.

It's a beautiful day out, so I am off!

Thanks heaps, Brett!  *Blush*  I really appreciate your feedback, mate.   

With stretch marks, I've seen some being treated on a show called "Embarrassing Bodies" - I'm fairly sure it was done with laser treatment and there was a significant difference before and after.  .I don't know if that's even offered where you live, but I suppose it's still an option.

That sucks that Garramone didn't get back to you - but my surgeon did the same thing.  I don't think they can be bothered answering post-op emails, so a phone call will be the only way to go.

I hate that you had creases, too - but at least it's not something unique to me. *sigh*  I'm hoping they'll keep stretching out - I think they're not as bad as they were, so here's keeping my fingers crossed.  I asked her in the email about the creases, but of course never got a response.  I don't know that it's worth calling her at this stage since it's only 11 weeks - I'm not even sure if it can be fixed with a revision, but if it's still bad and bothering me in closer to a year I'll definitely give her a call.

I'm a bit like you in regards to massaging my chest - my wife hasn't really even touched it yet and I worry about it.  When she was wiping it down to get the sticky tape stuff off, it made me queasy - mostly because it's still numb and feels hella weird.  What is the science behind massage, Brett?  What does it actually do?  I'd be willing to give it a go if I knew how it worked.

Quote from: Kreuzfidel on April 12, 2014, 05:35:05 PM
Thanks heaps, Brett!  *Blush*  I really appreciate your feedback, mate.   

With stretch marks, I've seen some being treated on a show called "Embarrassing Bodies" - I'm fairly sure it was done with laser treatment and there was a significant difference before and after.  .I don't know if that's even offered where you live, but I suppose it's still an option.

That sucks that Garramone didn't get back to you - but my surgeon did the same thing.  I don't think they can be bothered answering post-op emails, so a phone call will be the only way to go.

I hate that you had creases, too - but at least it's not something unique to me. *sigh*  I'm hoping they'll keep stretching out - I think they're not as bad as they were, so here's keeping my fingers crossed.  I asked her in the email about the creases, but of course never got a response.  I don't know that it's worth calling her at this stage since it's only 11 weeks - I'm not even sure if it can be fixed with a revision, but if it's still bad and bothering me in closer to a year I'll definitely give her a call.

I'm a bit like you in regards to massaging my chest - my wife hasn't really even touched it yet and I worry about it.  When she was wiping it down to get the sticky tape stuff off, it made me queasy - mostly because it's still numb and feels hella weird.  What is the science behind massage, Brett?  What does it actually do?  I'd be willing to give it a go if I knew how it worked.

Hi, Kreuzfidel!

I don't know that massage would help with creases, but it makes sense to me.  You would be are moving/rubbing the skin around...loosening it up, so it can setttle into a natural position.  Just a thought...worth asking, I think.

So you still have some discomfort with your wife touching your chest too?  I am still uncomfortable too.  Wish I wasn't.  I am thinking I just have to push through it??  Lots of years with dysphoria, so I guess it is hard to shake.