Top Surgery Recovery Updates (a place for all members to update after surgery)

[Bimmer Guy]

Hey guys.  I thought we could use a thread where all recovery updates could be recorded in one place.  This can be for recent surgery updates (Day 1), all the way through years later as to how one is progressing.  People can update over and over again as time goes on.  Be sure to tell us what you are using for scar treatment, if anything.  Feel free to post pictures (I still need to look into doing this).

I will start:

11 week update


Things continue to go well. I changed from Scar Away strips to using the Scar Away gel. The strips were cumbersome and the academic studies I found on the subject said that the strips and gel had the same outcomes.

I have read good stuff about Bio Oil (anecdotal evidence), so I use some of that, too. Massage is very good for scars.

So, my routine is to apply Scar Away in the morning after my shower. When I get home from work, I rub in the Bio Oil. Before bed, I apply Scar Away again. I like to always have the incision line "moist", as that is part of what is supposed to heal the scars.

My scars are definitely less read, however, I have not been consistent with taking weekly pics under the same lighting conditions, so it is hard to say from pictures. However, I am confident they have.  They probably did not show any significant change until 6 weeks of consistent scar therapy.  You are supposed to only use this stuff for 3 months, but I am guessing I will be using it for a year. Based on this brief period of use, I would say that it will cost me about $35-40 per month for scar treatments, if I continue with the same level of diligence. I believe that this investment will be worth it.

I can also say that my scars are pretty much flat.  I think this significant at this stage of healing, and would be due to the silicone gel, as well. I believe my using the gel as soon as possible after surgery, kept the scars from becoming as raised as they would have become without treatment (not to say that they weren't raised when I started the treatment, however).

I have been pleased so far that my scars have not stretched. I still do not lift my arms up completely above my head. I feel a pulling if I do this. I hope that I am not just delaying stretching of scars, but rather assisting them in healing to the point where they will not stretch once I use my arms more. I am also not strength training for the same reason (even though I want nothing more than to build up my pecs!).

The sides where the drains came out has settled down a great deal (they were puffy). However, there is still a small area of skin on each side that are puffy and slightly sore if pressed. These are not dog ears. With tubes coming straight out from your sides, only to be flattened with a very tight ace bandage for 6 days, your skin is being pulled/lifted away from your body. I am hopeful that it will eventually become completely flat. My motivation for using the Bio Oil is mainly to massage this area.

The nipples have healed nicely with no difficulties. You can still see where the nipple was attached to the skin through stitch, however.  It is hard to explain, but picture little pieces of your red areola pulled away from the nipple, and stitched onto the white/black/brown skin surrounding the nipple of your chest.  I don't know if this is what all free nipple grafts look like, or not.  I hope they fade (I am pale Caucasian).

I did have one "spit suture" along the incision line. This is where the body pushes out one of the stitches. You just have to wait for it to fill in from the inside (skin growing). It has been a 5-6 weeks for me and is finally filling in (via phone through emailed pics,, Garramone said it would only take a couple of weeks). I am very glad that I only had one (well there was one other very small one), of these. Even though there are hundreds of stitches, I was concerned about how slow it was to "fill in", plus the hole itself was getting a bit larger. Additionally, the spot on the incision line where the suture came out of, is a bit wider that the than the rest of the incision line. More "spitting sutures", would have meant more widening.

I will do more updates in the future.  I hope people will come in and post.

ETA: Added 3 month (12 week) picture below.  It would be GREAT if when people posted an update, they included a picture (taken the same day as the update).  Please note, I am not on T.

[Jeatyn]

Good idea for a thread, I shall start using this instead of my other one.

I haven't been given any info about scar treatment, though I do have bio oil laying around anyway from other scars (it didn't work on them, but I'm gonna try it anyway) - when should I start doing that?

It seems like we have complete opposite attitudes to surgery recovery - you sound like you want the cosmetic results to be as good as possible. I on the other hand do not give a monkeys what it looks like, so there will be no super diligence on my end and I will be lifting and stretching ASAP xD

18th day update 

Over the last few days I have completely abandoned the compression tube, I have patches over my nipples to stop them rubbing on stuff...they are still really dark and just basically look like big scabs. I'm assuming that's normal at this stage.

I cannot for the life of me get the sticky crap off from where the honeycomb bandage was. No amount of scrubbing is shifting it

I've ran out of pain meds, but it's not too bad now. The whole area aches when I first stand up, but then settles down once I start to move around. I have a pulling feeling in a very specific area, on the inner edge of one of the incisions, it's feels like someone is gently pulling on it and it's really strange.

On one side in particular my skin is....puckered? ruffled? pleated? xD I don't know if I've caused that by sleeping on my side, not wearing the binder and generally ignoring the advice I was given or if it's just because my skin was so stretched out and saggy to start with.

[Jack_M]

I had top surgery with Dr Bowman in Vancouver, Canada on Dec 17th.

11th day update:

I'm amazed with the scarring.  It's so pink and fine already!  I'm really hoping for good results here.  No redness at all, just a very, light pink.  I have Gilbert's Syndrome (recently diagnosed) so I haven't taken any pictures because I don't want people getting a hold of my pictures and attributing it to the surgeon.  My left side isn't so bad now but my right side is still quite swollen and my chest is yellow.  I got jaundiced after the surgery and didn't cope well with the blood loss (because of the Gilbert's Syndrome).  My right side got the worst of it so the bruising is bad.  I don't see if affecting the results too badly but I think it's affecting me psychologically because I keep expecting pain that doesn't come just because it looks sore!  Lol.

My left side - I can raise my arm to about 3/4 range.  Right side only 1/2 with it only slightly above shoulder line before I feel pulling. The worst part for me is actually under the scar on the right side where the worst of the bruising is.  It feels tight and it's annoying but it's getting better day by day.

My nipples are looking amazing.  There's still some scabbing and bleeding associated with that but once the scabbing is over and done with I anticipate good results.  There's no stretching there and I can barely see where the stitches were now.  I keep them covered with gauze and tape to try to prevent more bleeding so the scabs can form and fall at their own rate.

The top right scar has a more open part to the scar, likely because of the swelling and that could well affect scarring, but not worrying too much about that too be honest.  I'm not going to be going top half naked too much anyway as I don't actually swim!  I CAN swim but because of bad ears I'm not allowed to get my ears wet so swimming is a rarity.  Otherwise the more top half naked I'll likely get is what you can see while wearing a dobok that can get pulled open a bit during sparring and that's it.

My scars aren't like Dr. G's.  They follow the pec line more so they go across and then up the way around the pecs.  Once the swelling goes down I'll be able to see what I'm working with pec wise and then when I'm allowed, hit the gym to improve that!  Lol.

I have a compression vest that I'm going to keep wearing for 6 weeks but I'm used to it now and it's not as bad as a binder.

So far so good!

I'm going to start scar guard soon, there's a couple of areas I want to close up a little better before I touch them with scar guard.  As for when you use scar therapy: as soon as the wound is closed.  Don't use it on open wound!  Watch what you get too.  Something that says it works on stretch marks as well as new scars is a BS product.  Scar therapy should be specific to age of scar.  What will work on a new scar won't work on an old keloid scar for example.  Bio oil isn't the best IMO.  It's better for stretch marks and fine lines like that.  The mechanisms of how they say it works are a bit weird too.  It's more vitamin based but the skin is a barrier for that so really all it's doing is keeping the scar hydrated, which is good for the scar, but I don't see it doing much for the actual healing asides from that.  I used it for about 2 months on a surgery scar on my back years ago and it did nothing, but it did admittedly help with stretch marks. A silicone based gel has much better documented results and targeted specifically to new surgical scars and recommended by plastic surgeons.  It wasn't available for a long time because the application wasn't so great and you had to keep applying it all day but it's been improved since.  It does rely on you being quite vigilant with it though.  So 3-4 times a day would be optimum but at least twice.

Jeatyn, I suggest you put on the binder, sleep on your back and follow the advice!  If you're noticing issues now, follow the advice now before it gets worse :-/.  As you are healing your skin will conform to how it is post surgery.  If you're sleeping on one side and pulling on that.  You'll be affecting the healing process because your skin will think this is the normal way it should be and the scar will heal with that stretched skin idea rather than how it should be.  That's why compression post surgery is important too.  It helps the scar form in the optimum way where everything is kept together and in a tight fashion and not pulled by uncompressed sleeping on your side which could lead to puckering as the scar doesn't know where the norm is meant to be, and a potentially wider, stretched scar rather than fine. 

[Jeatyn]

Another update, which actually happened about an hour after I posted the last one

One of my nipple scabs fell off (well it fell half off and I pulled it off the rest of the way, no way I was having that flapping around and catching on stuff) I'm surprised at how much nicer it looks, I thought the black mess was my actual nipple, not just a scab, which freaked me out at first because I thought my nipple was falling off

I'm now wearing the compression tube again, because I don't have any more patches to put over my nipples, they're not sore or anything but still make me nervous

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m528/Jeatyn/WP_001139_zps3302f90c.jpg

You can see the puckering and the dog ear on the left....my right.

I managed to get quite a lot of the sticky crap off, with a baby wipe scrubbing the hell out of it hasn't been working but apparently a gentle wipe is effective.

[Bimmer Guy]

Hey, Jeatyn.  I am glad to hear that you are going back to the compression tube.  I will choose good long term outcome with short term discomfort/inconvenience over short term convenience every time! 

I also worry when I hear guys say they don't care that much about long term outcome because they will never show their chest (so they don't take care in recovery), or they don't concern themselves with surgeon choice based on outcome.  This seems to often be guys in their earlfy 20's.  They are more concerned in just being "flat as soon as possible", instead of waiting for a bit (if the issue is about getting it done between semesters instead of waiting for the end of the school year, not wanting to wait the 4 months until a friend can travel with them for a surgeon they would actually prefer, etc).  You may find that down the road you do care, and would have made a different choice (s) if you thought ahead.  I do understand how chest dysphoria is an emotionally painful thing, though and the need to get it done as soon as possible.

I am not speaking to you specifically Jeatlyn, this is something I have thought to say many times, just haven't before.

/speech from an old 43 year old to the younger guys...ha!

Jack, I get where you are coming from when you say that Bio Oil won't make a difference in scars.  I am using it for two reasons... to keep the area moist (which as you said, has been proven to help with scar improvement) and as a way to have a slick surface for massage (massage has also been proved to help with scar reduction).

I started with Scar Guard but moved to Scar Away gel because the dried silicone would flake off. 

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that Garramone's incision lines do not curve up around the pecs.  Mine certainly do this.  I have a slight curve from beginning to end (all the way up around the sides, into arm pits).  When I flex, the incision lines curve around the pecs beautifully.

Something else to mention to you Jack is that I had no bruising and very little swelling (swelling was really only where the drains had be taped down).  Although I hear you saying that you have other medical issues that effects your bruising/swelling, perhaps you may want to use Arnica (bruising) and Tumeric/Curcumin and Bromelain (inflammation/swelling), if you aren't already taking these/other supplements for healing.

Carry on, Recoverers (not a word, but I like it)!

[Jack_M]

Brett, don't get me wrong bro, I'm defo doing absolutely everything to ensure the best results possible. I just know that for me personally, as a non swimmer, there's less overall concern for me if things don't end up perfect but I'm also stealth and so even just the accidental pulling my dobok open in a sparring match requires passibility. The only time I'm not wearing the compression vest is when it's in the wash and I didn't wash it for a week (ewww I know! Lol)

The only form of arnica that's actually active is in topical form and with the same problem as bio oil, the skin is a natural barrier so it's not really going to do anything with regards to established bruising. Same goes for any drugs really. Once you have an established bruise, it's only heat and time that'll get rid of the sucker. It's only when it's actually in the process of swelling or bruising that any of that helps in diminishing it. I've been using heat packs and it's definitely going down. There's no swelling on the left side, that was more just bruising and yellow all over. The swelling was exclusive to the right and now it's just that hard bruise you can do nothing but use heat packs on and wait to disappate. It's like someone kicked me really hard in the chest and I'm wearing the result of that for a while.

It's hard to explain what I mean with scars, they just don't go out towards the sides at all and curve up sooner. From the armpit level, I'm maybe 3 to 4 finger widths before getting to scar (so more front of chest than side and from what I've seen of pics much higher) and then the scar goes down at around a 30 degree angle before flattening out.  Once the bruising is gone I'll take a picture that may make more sense.

[aleon515]

7 weeks post-op (Dr G's clone heehee): I'm over 40, just say. Way over 40.

I have a little swelling under my arms esp on the left side (I am right handed so wondering if this is a bit of overcompensation on my part?).
I started with scar sheets went to ScarGuar (as I was getting curling from scar sheets, but hate the SG too-- mostly the nasty nasty smell). I have found something else, which is also silicone based. (BTW, research only supports the use of silicone products. If you want to use other stuff it's up to you, but there isn't research out there that proves it's better than time, which of course does work to some extent too.)

Yes Dr G's clones' scar lines do curve, though I can't say much re: where the heck my pec line is, if I even have one. LOL

Anyway the scar has faded and is pinkish. The nipples seem a little hard or whatever can pin down. I am going to put a picture up here or two when I have a chance.

Watching Brett with interest here because I know he and I will look identical.

--Jay

[Bimmer Guy]

Hey, Jack, I was for certain not referring to you (there were one or two other posters in other threads in the past that fueled my thinking).  You seem to know yourself well and clearly are making smart, careful decisions with your recovery.

Interesting information about the inability for any "medication" to help with a bruise that is already established.  Makes sense.

Jay, you crack me up!

[Jeatyn]

I've stated on multiple occasions that I'm not really fussed about the cosmetic results. Hell, I was more than willing to lose my nipples completely if it meant I would be less likely to need a two step procedure, my surgeon was desperately trying to sell me on how much better my nipples would be with the two step, how the sensation would be maintained and blah blah....I was like, that's great and all, but I really don't care. I have no sensation to start with. Going through all of this, recovering, and then being left with say, B cups, and still having to bind would have been a huge blow. My surgeon seems to have listened to me on this regard - either that or I was just lucky - my nipples are still completely in tact yet I'm also pretty much flat. The second procedure is supposed to involve shaving down the length of my nipples, correcting any dodgy bits (dogears, etc) and liposuction to contour and flatten. I highly doubt I will be going in for a revision, certainly not anywhere in the near future. If the surgeon is willing to put it on hold for a couple of years then maybe - but definitely not in 6 months.

I am 500% happy with the results I have, regardless of the puckering and puffy bits; and my nipple length seems fine. I was a very saggy E cup, I was not expecting miracles, it already looks so much better than I pictured. (6 years of double binding and breastfeeding does that to ya ) The vast majority of the messed up stretch mark ravaged skin has gone, you can still see some of the bigger ones in the photos. My skin was so stretched out there was literally at least a centimeter between each of my pores - I could see them all individually. The rest of my body is pretty much the same - a big web of various scars and stretchmarks. Even if my chest turned out absolutely perfect the rest of me would still be a mess hence why I don't care as much. I will absolutely be working on my body shape, getting rid of all the fat and building up some muscle - once I'm happy with the shape I will be covering myself in tattoos nobody is going to notice my scars, stretchmarks or puckering when I'm done.

I mentioned in my other thread that my partner quit his job to help me out - I can't even fathom how I would have coped if he hadn't done that. If I didn't have a 3 year old to take care of it would have been more feasible. I'm sure I would have figured it all out somehow, but I'm glad I didn't have to our savings won't last forever though so he needs to be getting back into work, if we had to do this all over again in 6 months we'd be in some serious debt. I also have uni to think about and I run a business, the less downtime the better.

I have classes starting, presentation deadlines and client meetings coming up in the next week - I don't really feel like I'm going to be anywhere near ready carrying a backpack with a laptop and various books seems like an impossible task and I still get pretty tired and achy just pottering around doing housework.

[Bimmer Guy]

Jeatlyn, I think that your chest looks great.  I never would have wanted to do a two step, either.  You mentioned puckering and puffiness, this should go down.  I still have some puckering, Garramone said it would go down, I hope it will.  If it doesn't I am ok with that, as well.  I am already beyond pleased.

I am glad that your partner was there to help you.  Managing a three year old would have been crazy on your own.

In terms of school, how about getting one of those packs that you can wheel behind you, rather than a backpack?    I don't know the cost on those, but maybe you can find a cheap one?  A backpack certainly wouldn't be good for you.

[Bimmer Guy]

3 months post-op

[AdamMLP]

Looking good Brett

I wonder if this could be stickied to give people an idea what their surgery might be like and so that people can share their updates?

[Bimmer Guy]

Looking good Brett

I wonder if this could be stickied to give people an idea what their surgery might be like and so that people can share their updates?

Thanks, lxndr!  The only bummer has been watching my pecs deflate more and more due to lack of any use (along with my biceps...but they wouldn't have been that noticeable in this picture, anyway, as I am not on T... my biceps only had some definition when flexed). 

In terms of a sticky, I can see how that would be a good thing.  Especially if we always put pictures along with our updates.  I will leave it up to the mods if they want to make this a sticky or not.  I was thinking it would be good if people put pictures here, along with their written update.  I forgot to mention that in the opening post, however, and didn't even do it myself!

ETA:  Since we can modify our posts here, I just added a picture to my opening post.  Jay (I know at some point you will come back to this thread  ), how about modifying your post to include a picture from today (unless you have one from that day/very close to the day of the posting).  Jeatlyn, I am glad to see you have one up to go along with your update.  How about it Jack (I understand you were hesitant because you are concerned people will connect your bruises - from the Gilbert's Syndrome- with your surgeon...so maybe at your next update)?

[Jeatyn]

3 Week Update

Feeling absolutely great these past few days. I think I might be ready to go back to uni next week after all. Few things worry me - I have a two hour commute morning and evening during rush hours. I always end up having to sit upstairs on my second bus, either that, or I have to stand. I don't feel like I could manage this for a whole hour. If I could sit downstairs, great! But the pulling on my chest holding onto a bus rail or getting up and down the stairs on a moving bus will be horrible. At rush hours the drivers WILL take off at full speed the second the doors are shut; and will drive past stops if you aren't standing up and waiting right by the door. I'm not even taking into account carrying a bag at this point, teachers will just have to understand that books and laptop aint happening.

My other nipple scab fell off, everything looked great so I had a bath. All the sticky crap is now gone and I feel properly clean for the first time in 3 weeks getting in and out of it wasn't too bad either, I had to sort of shimmy onto my knees and use my legs to get up - which is no easy feat in a bath xD but I managed it.

I'm using E45 cream to massage the area. I have loads of it lying around and is recommended in my little post-op pamphlet I probably won't invest in any other sort of scar treatment purely because I don't have the money to spare.

I appear to have dog ears on both sides now, not sure if they will settle down over time? I've also noticed that one side of my chest has more fat than the other. I still think I'd rather see how diet and exercise shapes things before considering a revision.

You can definitely see how stretchmarky my skin is in this photo, scars are the least of my worries

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m528/Jeatyn/WP_001148_zpsaa0ab100.jpg

PS: looking great Brett! I agree about posting photos, don't be shy fella's I love comparing notes  I think it's great having this all in one place, the individual threads can get overlooked easily and you can forget which one's you've read or replied to.

[Bimmer Guy]

Feeling absolutely great these past few days. I think I might be ready to go back to uni next week after all. Few things worry me - I have a two hour commute morning and evening during rush hours. I always end up having to sit upstairs on my second bus, either that, or I have to stand. I don't feel like I could manage this for a whole hour. If I could sit downstairs, great! But the pulling on my chest holding onto a bus rail or getting up and down the stairs on a moving bus will be horrible. At rush hours the drivers WILL take off at full speed the second the doors are shut; and will drive past stops if you aren't standing up and waiting right by the door. I'm not even taking into account carrying a bag at this point, teachers will just have to understand that books and laptop aint happening.

My other nipple scab fell off, everything looked great so I had a bath. All the sticky crap is now gone and I feel properly clean for the first time in 3 weeks getting in and out of it wasn't too bad either, I had to sort of shimmy onto my knees and use my legs to get up - which is no easy feat in a bath xD but I managed it.

I'm using E45 cream to massage the area. I have loads of it lying around and is recommended in my little post-op pamphlet I probably won't invest in any other sort of scar treatment purely because I don't have the money to spare.

I appear to have dog ears on both sides now, not sure if they will settle down over time? I've also noticed that one side of my chest has more fat than the other. I still think I'd rather see how diet and exercise shapes things before considering a revision.

You can definitely see how stretchmarky my skin is in this photo, scars are the least of my worries

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m528/Jeatyn/WP_001148_zpsaa0ab100.jpg

PS: looking great Brett! I agree about posting photos, don't be shy fella's I love comparing notes  I think it's great having this all in one place, the individual threads can get overlooked easily and you can forget which one's you've read or replied to.

You look great, Jeatlyn!  The swelling is for sure going down.  You really can't tell how your chest will look for a couple of months.  You will find that it settles down more and more and you might be more pleased than you are now.

How about asking the bus driver when you get on to wait until you are seated?

Also, how about modifying your post to list how many days/weeks since your surgery?

I did go ahead and wrote a PM to FA asking to sticky this (I didn't know who else to ask?).

[Jeatyn]

You look great, Jeatlyn!  The swelling is for sure going down.  You really can't tell how your chest will look for a couple of months.  You will find that it settles down more and more and you might be more pleased than you are now.

How about asking the bus driver when you get on to wait until you are seated?

Also, how about modifying your post to list how many days/weeks since your surgery?

I did go ahead and wrote a PM to FA asking to sticky this (I didn't know who else to ask?).

Done!

I considered that, but I dunno I'd just feel a bit daft - I'm probably gonna have to resign myself to just setting off super early, to get out before rush hour. Then go for a coffee or something when class was over instead of rushing to the bus and wait for it to settle down. 2 hours may turn in to 3 hours for a couple of weeks until I have full arm useage

[Simon]

Brett, you look great, congrats! Seeing results like that makes me anticipate my own surgery just that much more. 

[Bimmer Guy]

Brett, you look great, congrats! Seeing results like that makes me anticipate my own surgery just that much more. 

Thanks, Simon!  Nice of you to say!   

[aleon515]

Ok 7 weeks post-op (Dr G.) (picture taken 1/1/14):
http://i.imgur.com/vC4pQ8f.jpg?1

[Bimmer Guy]

Wow, Jay, your incision lines stayed nice and thin!  Mine widened a bit, as you can see.  This started happening after I went back to work after 2 weeks.  I have a desk job, but I still needed to reach for things, just general movement.  Although my incisions seems to be thinner than many pictures I see of other chests, yours are fantastic!  Thanks for posting.