Truman Customer Story Column
"I Want to Relax at the Café in Front of My Home"
This is the answer written by someone who had gynecomastia surgery in early August, as what they wanted to do after surgery: "I want to comfortably wear the T-shirts I've usually been reluctant to wear and relax at the café in front of my home."
It is not a plan to go somewhere far. It is in front of their home, it is a single T-shirt, and it is something they did all the time. It also means that, all this while, that ordinary thing came with the extra step of choosing clothes one more time.
The Worry That Comes from Having No InformationAs what worried them while considering surgery, this person wrote this: "Since there wasn't much information about the surgery, I was worried about the surgery and recovery process, and about the cost, but the clinic explained these issues clearly, so the burden went away."
Gynecomastia is a hard problem to reveal outwardly, so there is no one around to readily ask. So people end up gathering information only through searches, and what comes up first on the screen are the cases that did not go well. People who got through it safely do not bother to write about it.
The Order in Which We Explain CostGynecomastia is a treatment covered by national health insurance when the diagnostic criteria are met. Whether coverage applies is decided after the condition of the glandular tissue is confirmed through examination and ultrasound, so we cannot confirm it in advance over the phone.
So at consultation, we first explain the order of tests and the criteria for the judgment, and talk about cost after that. If the order is reversed, the explanation ends up being overturned later. We also explain the recovery process in stages in the same setting. Going through it knowing the range, from how long the compression garment is worn and when the swelling goes down to when activity resumes, feels different from going through it without knowing.
To Those Receiving Sedation for the First TimeAs their memory from the surgery, this person wrote this: "It was my first time under sedation so I was really nervous, but I think that was the only time in my life I've slept that comfortably."
The surgery is performed under sedation. The anesthesiology team checks your condition and administers the anesthesia, and the operating surgeon enters the operating room after that. So the patient's memory usually cuts off just before the anesthesia and picks up again in the recovery room. The explanation before surgery is given in the consultation room, and the talk about the result is given after you wake up.
About their first visit, they wrote that the interior was neat and the staff welcomed them warmly, which put their mind at ease. To others with the same concern, they wrote that your confidence itself changes.
This is the change this person felt. With gynecomastia, the need for and extent of surgery differ depending on the grade and the composition of the tissue, so whether to have surgery is something to judge after confirming your own condition through an examination. There are also cases where, after consultation, we advise that surgery is not needed.
I expect the day will soon come when they just head out without spending time choosing a T-shirt.
