Truman Customer Story Column
"It Feels Like There's One Less Thing to Worry About"
This is one passage from the words left for others with the same concern by someone who had gynecomastia surgery in late July: "It feels like there's one less thing to worry about in my life, and I feel more confident in my relationships with people."
Gynecomastia is not a condition that comes with pain, so it does not show readily on the outside. Instead, it leaves small traces throughout daily life, in the standards for choosing clothes, in posture, and in the way one deals with people. What lessens, lessens in those same places.
What If There's No Before-and-After DifferenceAs what worried them while considering surgery, this person wrote about the shape and how much it would change. "That the shape wouldn't settle properly, that there wouldn't be a difference between before and after. Those were my worries."
Before surgery, we check the amount and distribution of glandular tissue and the difference between the left and right sides through ultrasound and examination. Because the skin stays where the tissue has been removed, we also look at how the remaining skin will settle. This person wrote that the shape settled better than expected and they were satisfied. How long it takes to settle differs from person to person depending on the amount of tissue and skin elasticity.
The Sense That It Ended in an InstantAs their memory from the surgery, they wrote this: "It was over in an instant (in my feeling), so if anything I don't think I felt much at all."
Writing, with parentheses even, that it was their own feeling is accurate. The surgery is performed under sedation, so for the patient that time is entirely blank. The actual operating time varies depending on the amount and distribution of glandular tissue, the difference between the sides, and the condition of the skin, and the length of time itself does not tell you the result.
The Order of Entering the Operating RoomThe operating surgeon enters the operating room after the anesthesia is complete. So the places where we exchange words with patients are the consultation room before surgery and the recovery room after they wake up.
For how it felt on first coming in, they wrote that the male staff were kind and they liked it, and that if there had been female staff, they would probably have felt awkward. Keeping the waiting space and routes separate is for the same reason.
All the Way Through National Health Insurance ProcessingIn the box for requests, they wrote that they were satisfied that everything went smoothly, from the advance guidance to the surgery and the national health insurance processing after surgery.
Gynecomastia is a treatment covered by national health insurance when the diagnostic criteria are met. Whether coverage applies is decided after the condition is confirmed through examination and tests, so it is difficult to confirm it in advance over the phone. The clinic guides you through the documents and procedures, but the starting point for the judgment is the examination.
As this person wrote, I hope they live with one less item to worry about. However, this is their experience; whether to have surgery is something to judge after confirming your own condition through an examination.
