Gynocomastia Grade 2A Surgery by Dr Naveen Rao

I had Gynecomastia surgery 5 days ago in Bangalore.

How I realized I had Gynecomastia:

I think I got Gynecomastia during my puberty (around 13 years of age). My chest looked bulkier than normal and it continued to remain that way. I always felt embarrassed to take out my t-shirt and could never wear tight T-shirts. I never really thought it could be breast tissue, what all I used to think was I have higher fat deposition at the chest though I was a bit skinny. Also, it used to disgust me when I used to run and my chest used to feel as if it was bouncing.

After my graduation, one of my friends suggested I might be having man boobs when he saw my chest. Then I searched it over the internet and learnt about it. After contemplating for several years (around 5 years) I finally decided to get the surgery done.

Deciding the right surgeon for the job:

I consulted couple of surgeons in Bangalore after going through reviews online. Both the surgeons identified my grade to be 2A (Significant fat/breast tissue but no excess skin).

The first surgeon I met (wouldn’t like to name here) felt more of a salesman than a doctor. He sounded overly optimistic about the surgery. Never mentioned any complications and risks of the surgery. And even when I asked about the risks, I had read about over the internet, he told his “method” was superior and there were absolutely no chances of anything going wrong. And the surgery would be conducted at his clinic.

The second surgeon I met was Dr. Naveen Rao at Apollo Hospital Bangalore. He explained about Gynecomastia, the process of surgery, risks/complications etc. He also pointed out my chest didn’t look that bad and I could do without surgery unless it is mentally bothering me all the time (which it did). Also, he would perform the surgery at Apollo hospital (Though he owns a personal clinic), which being a big hospital has a lot of modern facilities and many other specialist doctors at disposal if any complications were to occur during the surgery.

I chose Dr Naveen Rao as he seemed genuine.

He gave a set of tests to be done (Some of the hormonal tests to determine if there are medical conditions leading to gyno were optional. But note that if there happens to be such a condition, the gyno might come back from the 10% gland he doesn’t remove to avoid crater deformity. So, it is the choice I needed to make)

The Day of Surgery:

My surgery was scheduled at 6:30 a.m and I was supposed to report at 5:30 a.m at the hospital.

I was told not to have any kind of food/water for 6 hours prior to the surgery. So, I had dinner around 9:30 p.m and had last sip of water around 11:30 p.m. I barely slept the night before surgery.

So, we went to the hospital around 5:20 a.m. Paid the surgery costs, and we were directed to the day care ward. We were visited by couple of doctors asking questions about my previous surgeries, drug allergies etc. I was given a hospital gown to wear. After some time a barber came and shaved off my chest and surrounding area. Then came couple of nurses, who checked my blood pressure, sugar level etc. And then they put IV needle on my hand, gave a couple of injections through it.

After some time I was taken to the operation theater, where Dr. Naveen Rao, along with some other doctors including an anesthesiologist were waiting for me. They took some photos of my chest avoiding my face. And made markings on the chest. Then I was made to sleep on T shaped bed with my hands stretched out, placing my head on a kind of circular disk. They connected some IV fluids to the IV needle. Then they put the oxygen mask on my nose. I was asked to take deep breaths. It smelled weird. I was asked to count. I remember counting somewhere between 15 to 20.

I was having some dream and I suddenly woke up only to realize my surgery was done. I was lying in a hall with lot of beds, Where the patients were kept immediately after their surgery. It was around 11:30 a.m. The surgery started around 7:15 a.m. My throat was sore (later learnt it was because of pipe they put in the throat during surgery for anesthesia). It was just like I woke up from normal sleep. They were pumping IV fluids through my veins. I didn’t feel any vomiting sensation. But I was feeling cold. My neck was a bit paining. I called a nurse. She elevated my bed a bit to make it a bit slant. And she put a pipe into my blanket which was blowing warm air.

Then I was shifted to the day care ward. I was not allowed to stand up yet. I had to urinate in bottles. I was allowed to drink normal water around 2 p.m. Followed by coconut water and soft food.

You can’t put pressure on your hands to getup of lie down, as the stiches might break. Can’t push heavy doors or lift heavy things. So, you will need someone to assist at least for 3 days including the surgery day for various normal activities.

I was feeling it a bit difficult initially to urinate But it was fine till the night. However there was no bowel movement for 2 days including the day of surgery. You need to drink plenty of fluids and eat some bananas.

The doctor came in the evening before discharging and told that surgery went well, asked me to meet on Sunday. (Surgery was done on Friday). I was given some antibiotics, pain killers and some tablets for acidity to take for next 5 days.

Following days:

There was normally no pain as such at any time even on the day of surgery. There was some pain initially while getting up from bed. Probably due to the tight bandages that were pulling my skin.

I visited the doctor on Sunday, where he removed the bandages. And did a bit of dressing (which he told I should do for next 10 days). Also I noticed that my entire operated area where lipo/glands removal was done felt numb. It is still numb on the fifth day today. The doctor did tell me before the surgery that there will be numbness post surgery which will get better over time but not guaranteed. I hope it comes back on the days to come. He then gave a compression vest to be worn for next 3 months. He gave some other suggestions as well:

1. Can’t lift heavy objects for next 3 weeks.

2. Try to minimize putting pressure on hands while getting up or pushing doors during initial days.

3. Can’t lift hands vertically above head for 10 days. (There will be internal stiches on the fat tissue, which can’t take much pressure)

4. I was given aloe vera gel to massage on the chest for next 15days (avoiding the cuts), which will help in skin retraction.

5. Try not to gain wait for next couple of years.

6. There will be swelling/bruising which will disappear gradually.

7. After 1 month I can do simple exercises without using weights.

8. After 1.5 to 2 months I can start exercises with weights which will give better shape to my chest.

9. I can start taking shower from following day, followed by dressing the area of surgery.

10. Slight seroma is normal, which will be absorbed back by the bosy. But if it is more then I need to visit the doctor.

11. Asked to visit following week.

I did the massage as suggested by doctor. It felt weird to touch my chest, as it was totally numb (not sure if this amount of numbness is normal, I will enquire the doctor this week during the visit). The chest is a bit uneven. There is slight swelling. Not sure if it is seroma. I will wait till the weekend to see how it goes.

I will keep updating the thread.

Peace.