One of the questions asks about the moment from surgery that stayed with the patient. Usually people write about a nervous moment or a conversation that made an impression. This patient's answer was a little different.
The paradox of having no memory of the surgery being the best memory of it. Today I would like to introduce his story.
A man with a long list of worries
Asked what worried him most before surgery, he wrote several things: whether he would recover well, when he could get back to daily life, and the cost as well.
Having many worries means you looked into it long and seriously. Our job is to take that list out item by item in the consultation and separate the vague fears from the things you can simply prepare for. Recovery and the timeline for getting back to work vary from person to person depending on your own condition, so plan around what is confirmed in your examination.
"I liked having a waiting area to myself"
That was his impression of the clinic.
Gynecomastia is hard to bring up with anyone. Some men work up the resolve to come to a clinic and then find their steps growing heavy at the thought of running into someone else in the waiting room. That is why we keep the patient route and the spaces separate. The time before you walk into the exam room is part of care too.
"I deliberated for a long time and carried the stress for a long time too"
That is how he opened his message to men facing the same concern.
It is an admission that the road to the operating table was anything but short. Words from someone who has been through that carry weight, but this too is his own experience. Whether surgery is the answer is something to judge after confirming your condition through an examination, and a consultation is a good first step toward setting down some of that weight.
At the gym, and in summer
Asked what he most wanted to do after surgery, he chose not having to mind other people's eyes at the gym and during the summer. In the last box of the form, he left a short note of thanks.
What finally put a period on all that time spent deliberating and stressing was his own decision. We only helped make sure that decision stayed a comfortable memory. I hope this summer is a season with no one else's eyes to mind.
