Chest surgery date...!!!

[Bif]

Yes!! I have my date for chest surgery! I saw Mr Dai Davies today and had a good chat about what he can do. What to expect etc.

Then spent some time with his Nurse who gave me more information, BP test and helped me decide on a date. My BP was up, which is a bit unusual and she said it was borderline, but if it was that on the day the hospital would possibly send me away! :eek: So I have to go to my GP and have regular tests for the record so that I can prove it isn't normally high.

Plus I need to lose weight! I know that anyway, but I have six weeks to shift some pounds. Surgery date is 14th June.

So, if anyone has good tips for weight shifting then let me know, apart from the obvious! Eat less and exercise :doh:

I am as of next week stopping alcohol and also minimising the carbs. I don't eat as many as I did before, but do eat a loaf of wholemeal bread over a week. I just crave protein all the time, so I am thinking about using protein shakes to supplement meat, as good lean meat in the UK is really expensive.

Happy guy today :D

[Ze]

That's awesome news! :thumbsup: Unfortunately I can't help you with any advice, but I'm still happy for you. :)

[Sheila]

Bif, great news :), seems a silly tip but use a smaller plate to put your meals on, don't wait intil you are hungry to eat, eat small amounts regularly, chicken is a great source of protin, defrost frozen chicken portions and skin them, steam them along with veggies, and rice, great meal low in nasties and filling
:)

[pamela_a]

Congratulations Bif. Great news. I need to work on losing weight too so I've just been watching what I eat and cutting down on the amount. Best of luck to you lad

[Kieron Andrew]

Great news Bif, Davies is a good surgeon :).... don't forget to update us on the surgery in FtM Transitioning when you have it...

[Bif]

Thank you for the tips Ladies :)

I will Kieron, plus I will be daring and do photos!!!! :eek:

Thanks Ze :)

[Adam]

Yay thats great news congrats :thumbsup:

[Andy66]

Congratulations, Bif! :^5:

About your blood pressure, you probably just had a touch of "white coat hypertension." Next time you see that doctor you will be lighter, so that should help a lot. Avoid salt for a few days before the appointment; and if you smoke, don't smoke for at least an hour before they take your vitals.

About diet: honestly, the best way I've ever found to keep my weight down is to be broke... because I can't afford to eat at restaurants. :doh:

Right now I'm trying a diet that I've seen recommended for diabetics, even though I'm not diabetic. In a nutshell, it's "don't eat anything white." That means avoid or cut way down on sugar, fat, bread, rice, pasta etc. I feel more energetic after 2 weeks, but still waiting to see some significant change in my weight.
Oh, and be careful how you use protein shakes. In some cases they can actually make you gain weight.

p.s. - love the beard. You're a handsome devil. ;)

[jenna_woods]

good luck to you hope all goes well for you.

[Abraxas]

Congrats mate!

[KrazyKat]

Awesome, very happy for you, Bif!! You must be walking on air!!

Eating celery everyday will also help you lower your BP, there's something in it that helps! Yes, alcohol is also bad for BP, as is caffeine and nicotine. Geez, nothing is any fun anymore, lol.

Not true, you will be getting a new look for yourself!! I love your Avie, I agree, handsome Devil indeed!!:love:

[Bif]

OOOOOO, I do believe I am blushing here :o Thank you for the compliments :)

Celery? Hmm, that's not so bad.

I am drinking my last beers this weekend. Although I think I could allow myself the occasional one. :)

[Gerrijerry]

Great news on your surgery, as for the weight loss. I have lost 50 plus pounds over the last year. Yes you can drink a good proteen drink instead of a meal. Cut the bread down to no more then one slice per day. you can eat up to about 4 onces of proteen per meal. for get the carb's just adds weight. try eating low calorie & no fat foods.
have 5 small meals instead of three large ones. drink a lot of water between meals and no or very little drinks during meals. Good luck of course take a nice walk every day at least one mile.

[NiCo]

Dude that's epic, well done and GOOD LUCK! :D

[GypsyKaren]

Bif, that is great news, good for you!

Karen

[Felix]

Hi Bif dunno if we've said hi yet so hi :) Congrats on the date for surgery I may well be having my second lot of chest surgery when you do :) so good luck!

As for your diet I have for the last two months been doing low carbs and more protein. I've lost 2st 5lbs and the last stone has been doing low carbs and also going to the gym two to three times a week. The surgeons are all pleased with my progress too. I'll be following ya progress as and when I can get on here while my comp is down take cares xx Felix :hugs:

[Ryan]

Good news on your chest Bif, and hi, we've not met here, I'm Ry n pop in from time to time.

Diet wise, please do NOT cut your carbs too much, the key is to eat them earlier in the day to give you the energy you need to get through, and eating them earlier you have chance to burn it off if you want to exercise etc etc.

As for the protien, yea it's good to help build muscle, but you first need the energy to be able to work out, which is where the carbs come in.

I'd say eat about six, seven times a day if you can, but small bits and pieces will do, and dont forget to drink at least two litres of fluids daily too. Try and get your fruit n veg in, n for anyone out there who deosn't like oranges but needs some vitamin C then you could always try a raw red pepper sliced or cubed or whatever. They have more vitamin C than oranges, and one lot will be more than enough as it's summat like 200+ % of your daily guide, but I cant remember how much you'd need but it's not really much.

I get cravings for red peppers often for some odd reason, but thats just me, lol.....I do like my fruit though and so long as it's nice n juicy I dont mind. My veg I'm not so good on, but to get myself to eat more now, I just eat it raw, I don't really like carrots or cabbage cooked, it's so much more tasty and juicy if I dont cook.

All this said bud, I'm overweight and am needing to lose a few stone before I can get my lower surgeries done, so I'm having to get more knowledge about the things we need to eat and the things we dont, and we all need some of the 'bad' things too to help us get by, but I know it can be hard.

Exercise is always the obvious thing people tend to mention with weight issues, and most people think they've got to half kill themselevs to get fit and lose weight but it doesn't have to be that way.

Alot of people can lose weight without doing much exercise, thats because they eat alot of the wrong things, and when they cut them out the weight drops. For others just cutting out the naughty things doesn't always work either, so of course exercise is the next thing.

When you do exercise you should be able to still hold a conversation with someone without gasping for air or feeling ill. If you do feel like ill, do gasp, or feel sick you're over doing things, so slow down or rest a bit.

The average person should easily get half hours exercise in throughout the day, even gentle exercise, like house work, walking to the shop, walking dogs, or going to work etc, and to lose weight you should up it a bit and get an extra couple of hours into the week and it should help. Of course if you do all that n them go to Mac D's or summat like, then it wont help. But if like me, you do loads at the gym one day, you wont want to ruin or undo all that work you put in so you will eat healthier things and think more about what you are eating too.

Whatever you decide to do I hope you manage to shift some weight, and I hope my advice helps. Good luck :)

[Bif]

thanks for all the replies ladies and gents. Also some very good advice and tips.

Well my BP is fine. I had to have a smear a few weeks back and the nurse took my BP just before that, again it was sky high. However all BP readings prior to and after that have been very healthy. So it's obviously my stress level reading!

I have lost a little more weight, not a vast amount but certainly I can feel it.

Have been working a fair bit on my chest muscles so they are much stronger than before and hopefully will help the results.

Not long now, I am getting very nervous...mostly about anaesthetics as I hate them....always afraid I won't wake up! Stupid as I won't know! Most of it is excitement though.

Am going into hospital on my own in the morning, noone with me as I will be so stressed and grumpy that it's not fair on anyone! However, friend is coming to pick me up in Taxi next morning to take me home. Where my Mum will be as she is coming down for a week.

2 weeks to go! :D

[Thomas]

Just wanted to make a quick note about the celery comment before: Celery actually contains (so called) "negative calories" because when digesting it you burn more calories than you actually consume, so this helps with the weight loss issue as well as blood pressure! two birds, and all that. haha.

Also wanted to congratulate you on your surgery! You must be elated. I'm sure you've wanted this forever =P I hope everything goes well for you :)

[Norma Desmond]

Hi Bif, congratulations! It's always great to see a dream come true :)
About the diet stuff: don't skip meals and eat little quantities of food for each meal. drink a lot of water! ;)

[Andy66]

Good job on the weight loss. I imagine if you've been gaining muscle, you've lost a lot more fat than the scale indicates. :thumbsup:

I wouldn't worry too much about the anesthesia. If you've had any sort of surgery before, you have a good idea how your body will react to it. Personally, I know it makes me throw up so I tell the nurses ahead of time to be ready. :yucky: It's worth it in the long run though, to take care of what needs to be taken care of.

Good luck, and congratulations.

By the way, nice new avatar, you handsome devil. ;)

[Bif]

thank you for all the lovely replies.... :)

I am now officially getting nervous and excited!

Have to be at hospital at 10am on Monday, then I expect it will be a few hours wait before they do the op to go through the usual checks and nail biting time.

As soon as I can I will post back here :)

[Kieron Andrew]

thank you for all the lovely replies.... :)

I am now officially getting nervous and excited!

Have to be at hospital at 10am on Monday, then I expect it will be a few hours wait before they do the op to go through the usual checks and nail biting time.

As soon as I can I will post back here :) ;) bif if you want i'll pm you my mobile and if you can't get online you can text me and i'll let the boys know for you :)

[Lex]

Exciting!! Good luck for Monday. :D

[Bif]

;) bif if you want i'll pm you my mobile and if you can't get online you can text me and i'll let the boys know for you :)

that would be great Kieron. I doubt I will be wanting to bother navigating my phone to post...text will be much easier. :)

[Kieron Andrew]

that would be great Kieron. I doubt I will be wanting to bother navigating my phone to post...text will be much easier. :)

want me to send it here or on fb? lol

[Ze]

You'll do great, Bif! :hugs: Good luck!

[Andy66]

Yay Bif! :cheer:
Good luck!

[Bif]

Thanks everyone. :)

Kieron will post something for me if I can reach my phone after surgery LOL.

Not long now. :D

[Kieron Andrew]

Kieron will post something for me if I can reach my phone after surgery LOL.

i sure will :)... get the pretty nurses to put your phone with in reach of you :)

[Kieron Andrew]

Bif, has now gone down for his surgery, i am waiting for an update from his girl friend

EDIT:- he is actually out of surgery now, i just got a text from himself saying 'all okay, all done, sore and tired, but am fine. Double G's look great ;) lol'

[Andy66]

Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Kieron. :)

[Ze]

Congrats, Bif! I'm both jealous of and happy for you. :D

[pamela_a]

Thanks Kieron

Bif. Congratulations guy. I'm happy to hear it's done and you're fine. I know you're still sore so gentle :hugs: to you.

[Lex]

Hurrah! Congrats Bif! :D Nice to know it all went well.

[4serrus]

Grats!

[Kieron Andrew]

update from Bif from his facebook...

good morning! Had a good night sleep with temazepam and earplugs! woke at 5.50am sore and stiff. Some of which will be due to sleeping on back. My ribs alround feel like they did years ago after a motorbike accident! Nevermind, i have painkillers and tea, and a cooked brekky coming later! :-)


drains are out, not too bad. Second one on left worse, but nurse was quick and efficient. Friday is going to be hell when they take plaster off....i should have shaved more of my chest!!

[NiCo]

Awesome! :D

Temazepam FTW [I had three of these before my hysto and I wasn’t even on this f^&*$% planet lol]

Good to hear he’s recovering well. :thumbsup:

[7sisters]

Thanks Kieron.

Congrats Bif. Wish you a speedy recovery.

[Andy66]

So will Bif need a follow-up surgery to fine-tune things, or is it all done now?

[Kieron Andrew]

So will Bif need a follow-up surgery to fine-tune things, or is it all done now?

this is all done, but i guess like with any surgery, there is a small chance of revisions needed :)

[Andy66]

this is all done
Glad to hear it. I'm happy for him. :)

[Sheila]

Send him best wishes for a speedy recovery from Debs and I please Kieron

[Bif]

Hey everyone.....thank you so much Kieron for posting on here for me :)

thanks also for all the good wishes. :)

Am just popping in as I can't sleep, it is hard sleeping on my back all the time, but at least I can catch up during the day.

I am having the sticky bandages off tomorrow, not looking forward to that as it really does stick! I have been gently working at the top bits this evening and managed to ease it off my skin. Shoved some bepanthen on to help the redness. So hopefully that will help the process tomorrow.

I had to stop taking co-dydramol as the inevitable constipation happened. Really a pain. Heavy anaesthetic and those is not good for ones motions! To be honest that has been the worst part....LOL.

I am very tired, but in good spirits. Was surprisingly bouncy when I left hospital on Tuesday, and still look amazingly healthy but I have my Mum cooking me good food so that helps. :)

[Andy66]

:bh:

[Ze]

Nice to see you back so soon, Bif! Go easy on yourself!

[Lex]

You sound pretty chipper, always good. :) Make sure you rest up!

Don't worry about the bandage coming off, it's not so bad, I thought the drains being pulled out was more painful. I found it a relief to get the bandage off, wearing that thing drove me nuts, my skin felt suffocated.

[Adam]

Glad its done and went well just rest rest rest now:) hope your back on your feet soon :)

[Sheila]

glad you are feeling bright and cheerful & mums cooking will surely help :D, just don't over do things follow the medical advice to the letter and you will be just fine ........... good luck for the bandage removal tomorrow :hugs:

[Felix]

Sorry I'm late on this Bif congrats :) I've just come out from the second stage of my chest reconstruction too :) xx Felix

[Bif]

the nurse was very good to me with the bandage removal. The trouble is I am very hairy and even though I had shaved my chest I had forgotten they pull the skin down....so the hairline to where I had shaved was a couple of inches lower after the op!

It was painful, but over very quickly. I am very swollen and more sore on the right side as I was very big on one side. They would have had more work to do. A fair amount of bruising, but it's coming out well with the taking of arnica tablets. The nipples have grafted well and although they look very big at present they should settle down. Even with the swelling the chest shape looks good. He has not made me flat as that would be stupid considering I am large. I have a big man's chest!

When I can it will be swimming and then working my way back up with weights slowly. Continued weight loss too.

I am very happy with everything. No pain, just tenderness, although it does pull if I stretch too much.

I have to wear a tubi grip for a few weeks which is a pain as it rolls up. I have to safety pin it to my clothes as it rolls up and sits right on top of the lower scars. It helps with swelling and I do leave it off for a bit during day as it's good to let some air circulate.

Tomorrow I get to shower! My Mum bought me some extra dressings as I expect some will come off.

:)

[DanielMacBride]

Glad to hear everything went so well Bif, and that you are well on the way to a speedy recovery :)

[Andy66]

So does it feel weird, having all that skin moved around? Did it mess with your nerve endings?

He has not made me flat as that would be stupid considering I am large. I have a big man's chest!
If you gain or lose a lot of weight, will your chest area change proportionately?