A kind of delicate subject

I have mulled over blogging about my surgery today but think may be it might help someone. As I've discovered other people than my family and friends read this occasionally so I'm going to briefly talk about the surgery.

Last year as most of you know, for my 50th birthday, I entered a bodybuilding contest. I did a 12 week contest preparation program of restricting carbs in my diet and adding a lot more cardio work. By the day of the competition I had lost 20 lbs. In reality I probably lost a bit too much weight and lost some size.

But getting down that lean and completely shaving my chest for the contest, I noticed a large bump or lump under my right nipple. Having done bodybuilding workouts for years and being fascinated with bodybuilding, I knew what gynocomastia was. If you do an internet search on gynocomastia and bodybuilidng, you'll see that it is commonly caused by anabolic steroids. I have never taken steroids though I have used what were called hormone precursors in the 90's.

When I performed a self-examine of the lump, it felt hard and a little sore. I made an appointment to have my general practioner take a look. He concurred that it was hard or fibrous we scheduled a mammogram. Yes, a mammogram for a man. Men can get breast cancer and there is a history of cancer including breast cancer in my family.

I had the mammogram and a sonogram. The doctors reviewing the results concluded that the lump was not cancer and diagnosed as gynocomastia.

I have kept most of the weight off since the competition....have kept up the cardio...and have been more careful of what I eat. The gyno was not noticeable with my arm at my side but to me very pronounced with arm up. I also felt that having it on one side and not the other...being asymmetrical...just didn't seem right.

It was time to do something about this if only for my personal vanity. But also because it was so fibrous (hard) and was starting to bother me when I picked up Frankie. I visited two different cosmetic surgeons. Having decided on the one who treated me the most professionally and getting pre-approval from my insurance -- very, very important -- I had the surgery today.

The staff at the Abbott Surgery Center were wonderful. It took three tries and three techs to get my IV in...that was not fun. The operation itself took about 30 minutes. It as an excision -- cut me open and cut it out. I have not had any effects from the anesthesia which I have had before.

Many, many "THANK YOU's" to Jenny Batten for taking me and picking me up and to Christine Peters for sitting with me both at the hospital and at home.