Shoulders that used to hunch, now held straight

In the end, what eased the worry was the ‘explanation’

Surgery is frightening because there is so much you do not know. Once you understand how the procedure unfolds and what you will experience during recovery, much of that fear turns from worry into preparation. That is why we spend the time we do on consultations and on pre- and post-surgical guidance.

About the recovery process, he was candid:

"The compression garment was definitely uncomfortable, but I'm glad I had it done before the weather got hot."

Wearing the compression garment is a necessary part of recovery and of the result, but it is genuinely uncomfortable. That is why we pay close attention to the fabric and shape of the garment, so that it can be worn without difficulty even in hot weather. The fact that we actually see more surgical patients during the hot summer months reflects that effort.

A clinic staffed only by male nurses

A clinic where all the nursing staff are men

Asked about his impression of the clinic, he answered:

Concerns about the chest are a particularly difficult subject for men to bring up. I often see how much easier it is to walk into a consultation simply because male medical staff are present from the examination through surgery and recovery care. His one sentence reaffirmed why we maintain this arrangement.

The surgery was over in an instant

Asked what he remembered from the operation, he said it was over so quickly that he remembered nothing. Because the procedure is performed under sedation anesthesia, most patients answer similarly, though how anesthesia wears off and how quickly one recovers vary from person to person. That is why we explain the flow of the surgery day and the precautions thoroughly in advance.

The surgery was over in a moment

Clothes he never imagined wearing

As for what changed after surgery, he chose to talk about clothing. He had never even considered fitted clothes, and he said it felt rewarding to be able to wear other things now.

The longer the gap between "clothes I want to wear" and "clothes I can wear," the greater the satisfaction this change brings. Not so much because the body has changed, but because the daily self-monitoring disappears.

"Being able to straighten my hunched shoulders makes me so happy."

In his message to others with the same concern, he wrote that he had many worries — cost, complications, fear — but that with support he was able to get through it without anxiety, and he closed his review with the sentence above.

This was this patient's outcome; results and recovery vary from person to person, and whether surgery is needed, along with the specific cost, is something to determine after confirming your own condition through an examination and consultation. But if the weight of worry has left your shoulders hunched as well, I would encourage you not to carry it alone, and to work through it with us one item at a time.

- Dr. Shim Young-jin, TRUEMAN Myeongdong -