Truman Customer Story Column
Two Words Written in the Worry Box
In the box asking what they worried about most before surgery, this person wrote only two words: "Complications, or cost."
The two things that come up most often in gynecomastia consultations were written there just as they are. Even the order was the same as the order in which I hear them in the consultation room.
For Those Who Ask About Cost FirstGynecomastia surgery is eligible for national health insurance coverage. After the condition is confirmed through an examination, we judge whether it meets the criteria, and if it does, we proceed under insurance coverage.
I do not find it strange when people ask about cost first. That is because in many cases, cost really is among the reasons they put it off for so long. However, what needs to be checked before the amount is whether what can be felt now is glandular tissue or fat. That determines whether surgery is needed or not.
The Box Labeled ComplicationsThe items checked after surgery are set. The first 12 to 48 hours after surgery are a period with a risk of bleeding, so you spend that time with additional compression over the compression garment, and the next day at the clinic we check for bleeding and then remove that compression.
After that, we check while watching the course whether there is a seroma, in which fluid collects where tissue was removed, and whether the shape is settling evenly. Coming in on the set dates is all there is to the checking, and patients do not have to tend to the surgical site themselves. Not knowing what to worry about wears people out more than the worry itself.
An Answer That They Do Not Remember WellWhen I asked about a memorable moment during surgery, they wrote: "I was under anesthesia, so I don't remember well. There was no pain to that extent, either."
That was their case. The degree of pain differs depending on the extent of excision and the individual's condition, and some people say it bothered them for a few days. Our gynecomastia surgery is performed under sedation, so almost no one remembers the surgical process itself.
The box asking about their impression on first coming to the clinic was also one line: "You were kind."
Four of the six boxes were one line or less, but those short sentences contained everything they had worried about and everything they had gone through. Satisfaction does not differ between people who write long reviews and people who write short ones. For what they wanted to do after surgery, they wrote exercising in a short-sleeved shirt.
The answer this person wrote in the box asking what they would like from us was a single word: "Fighting!"
To others with the same concern, they left the sense that they would recommend it. This is their experience, and whether to have surgery is something to judge after confirming your condition through an examination.
