TweetDay 4:

First day back to work. I sit behind my desk all day, so I was cleared to go back to work today. I still can't drive, so I had to have a ride to and from work. Felt like I was a kid back in school lol. I think being up and about all day has taken it's toll. I made it through the entire work day, but I'm completely exhausted. Wearing this vest in the summer heat isn't too fun. Especially since I can't take it off or take a shower yet.

The soreness is continuously improving. I'm noticing I feel much better in the mornings when I first wake up, then the soreness gets a little worse throughout the day. I also notice a little swelling through the day with minimal swelling in the mornings. Still just a couple Tylenol to mange the soreness and nothing more. Hoping I can keep this pace the rest of the week.

Tweetthanks for the log. this is the first one of it's kind I have ever seen

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Originally Posted by Yohimbe

I paid for it out right and went to a plastic surgeon. I've heard of some guys getting insurance to pay for it, but very rarely. Even though I did have it mild when going through puberty, I didn't even attempt to get it covered by insurance.

Ok gotcha

TweetDay 5:

Everything is continuing to improve day by day. I didn't need to take anything at all for pain today. Most of the soreness is only noticeable after moving around quite a bit. I'm getting mild itchy and tingling feelings around my chest, which they said was normal due to the nerves. My energy levels seem to be coming back and I'm able to move around more through out the day. The nurse said I may get to a point where I feel perfectly fine, but still need to try and take it easy so everything can heal 100%.

After all this time in the vest I'm very ready to take it off, but still a day or so until I can. I have to wear the vest for almost a week straight (no showers) and then 23 hours a day for the next 3 weeks. I'm going to be looking forward to that one hour a day without it.... And my first shower lol.

TweetDay 7:

I missed logging day 6, but it was pretty much the exact same as day 5 lol.

Today (day 7) was a good day. Don't need anything at all for pain any more. The soreness feels like a heavy chest workout. I moved from sleeping on the couch recliner to actually sleeping in the bed last night and I took my first shower since the surgery. Words can't describe how great those two things were.

My chest is swollen and bruised, but even through that I'm very happy with it. It actually felt weird to take the vest off when I showered. I guess I've gotten used to it this whole week, it was just an odd vulnerable feeling. I have my first follow up appointment on Monday to have stitches removed and see how I'm progressing. I fee like I'm healing pretty quick, so hopefully this continues and I can get back into the gym sooner rather than later. Of course making sure I'm 100% healed up before lol.

TweetGreat journal bro glad ur healing up well thanks for all the info

TweetDay 10:

Very good day today. I had my follow up appointment this morning and they said everything looks good. Still have some bruising and swelling, but even with the swelling the difference is night and day. Finally got the stitches out which made everything much more comfortable. The vest originally had some foam pads in the front to add to the compression, but I was able to take those out today so the vest is a lot less bulky and easier to wear.

My range of motion is coming back more and more everyday. Still a little sore if I try to reach up too high, but other than that no pain at all. Much better than I expected at the first 10 days.

Tweet2 Weeks:

Well I've reached the 2 week mark. Everything feels better and better everyday. I'm at the point now where it's hard to keep taking it easy because I feel great lol. Swelling and bruising are continuously improving, however they said I could have some minor swelling for up to 6 weeks. Although at the rate I'm recovering, I don't see it lasting that long. Also starting to get a little sensation back in some areas that were numb. I was a little worried that I would feel a lot more soreness when the sensation started coming back, but that's not the case at all.

Only one more week of wearing the vest 23 hours a day, then I'll only have to wear it at night. Looking forward to that.

Tweetthat's awesome you are recovering so quickly yohimbe

TweetThanks brotha, it's been an experience. If there's one thing I hope anyone reading this will learn is how important it is to educate yourself. Many years ago when I first started, I wasn't too bright. I've gained a wealth of knowledge over the years, but the things I didn't know on day 1 are why I'm siting here in this vest almost 20 years later. While this surgery has been better than I expected, it's still not something I'd suggest going through. Be smart about it, get blood work done, educate yourself and ensure you're doing everything properly.

TweetThanks for sharing ur experiance with us brother soon u will be 100% agin

TweetThanks bro. I'm just counting down the days until I'm back in the gym. My first "light" leg workout will be this weekend. Looking forward to it!!

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Originally Posted by Yohimbe

Thanks bro. I'm just counting down the days until I'm back in the gym. My first "light" leg workout will be this weekend. Looking forward to it!!

that's great man