top surgery

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by The Oopster

Dapperbutch that is interesting on the arnica.

Did you have to have tubes?

The only other person that used arnica besides me that I know of didn't have to have tubes. Neither did I

I have always wondered so it's interesting to hear someone else used it and had minimal bruising and swelling also.

I only used arnica, nothing else.

Hey, Oopster, did you see I took over your thread?

Yes, I had tubes.

I remember reading earlier in the thread that Thinker used Arnica too. I don't know if he had tubes or not.

Unfortunately, I had tubes. The things hurt. A lot. The right side came out fine and is healing nicely. The left side got jacked up and now I have a knot that feels like scar tissue. I hope it will settle down. I think what happened was that when I was moving from recovery bed to chair a nurse was holding my arm and I sat down more quckly than she expected. I can still remember what that pull felt like. Or it wasn't laying perfectly flat when he wrapped my chest over top of the tubing. That is more likely, as it would have been the incisions that pulled when the nurse was holding my arm.

Anyway, my plan, if it doesn't heal nicely (still have swelling under my arms so I have to wait to see), is to get Dr. Beverely Fischer to revise it. She is only 50 miles from me and Garramone is 1,000! I hope it is just a snip and stitch in the office. Whether or not I get it done though would be based on cost.

Otherwise, I am healing amazingly well. It is weird. So far about three inches of steri strip has come off from under my right pec. The incision is completely closed, not red, and it looks like just natural skin. How crazy is that? Where the strips are coming off under my arms it doesn't look that way, but the incisions are very thin. Of course, I know they will widen over time, but they look good for now!

Did you use anything on your scars? I am using ScarGuard in the areas where the steri strips are coming off. When it all comes off (probably this week), I will start using Scar Away strips.

How are your scars? It has been 3.5 years now for you. How do you like your overall results? Would you use the same surgeon again?

Garramone told me there really is nothing one can do for widening scars. He says he had a patient contacted him a year later for a referral to a physical therapist. The guy moved his arms so little over a one years time since surgery, that he had "frozen shoulder". Garramone said the guy's scars ended up widening anyway. Although I am going to use the above products, I am not overly concerned about scarring. I am just thrilled I got it done. F* any scars I may end up having.

[The Oopster]

thinker didn't have tubes. So far he's the only one besides me that I know hasn't.

I had a hard lump on my right side and it was bruised but that was all do to the lypsosunction.

I think my scars are pretty good. my dr just recommended nivea. I also have used other vitamin e products. The key is to lightly massage the scar to keep the scar tissue from building up. I don't have any chest hair so there is no hiding mine.

I haven't tried it but I had an occupational therapist who wanted me to use cheese cloth soaked in castor oil on my other scars to break down the scar tissue.

I definitely would go to the same dr if he is still practicing. He is older so not sure how much longer he will be doing it.

I'm very happy with mine. I do have little pugee's on the side but when I lose weight they go down. I've always gained weight in my chest so I figure doing something about them would be pointless. Exercise is my best bet!

[DapperButch]

Hey, Oopster.

I did see one picture on transbucket of a guy who Garramone (my surgeon), did without drains in December 2012. Guy made some sort of comment that he thought maybe Garramone was changing to doing no drains. I guess Garramone was just testing that out though because all of the youtube videos I have seen since that guy (and there are TONS for Garramone), have drains. That guy's chest looked just as good as all the others. No different. It would have been great to have no drains.

I think you are very lucky to have not had drains. It would be nice to not have this unattractive (whatever it is) on the side of my chest (even though I am hopeful and wouldn't be surprised if it went away with healing). It would be weird though to imagine my body just absorbing all that blood/liquid that came out into the drains.

I didn't have liposuction (that I am aware of anyway). Did that lump go away?

That is very interesting about the cheese cloth. I have never heard that before. Seems like it would be a pain in the ass to do, though.

So, you don't think the "pugees" on the sides are dog ears? I don't know if dog ears get smaller and bigger with weight gain/loss though. If they are dog ears, most likely you can get a free revision in his office. Most doctors do that. Maybe you can send him a picture in email and he can let you know if it is indeed dog ears or not.

Thanks for the conversation.