Video Transcript

Dr. Delgado: So we’ll get you in a garment today and take out your stitches, and probably, I won’t see for a couple of weeks, you know?

Kevin: And that week, that next appointment, is just, again, just us keep track of it?

Dr. Delgado: Yep, look at how you’re healing, how things are coming around. The appointments get fewer and fewer, unfortunately. I miss you guys.

Kevin: And then, in terms of the… I’ve pretty much used up the medication, the antibiotic so I don’t need to refill or anything on the medication side?

Dr. Delgado: No, man your getting beyond the curb now. This is good.

Kevin: So, I just take this whole thing off?

Dr. Delgado: Yeah, let er rip man.

Kevin: This is the last time I’m taking this sucker off.

Dr. Delgado: Maybe. It’s like opening of a Christmas package. Those are great man.

Kevin: I mean, I, the flatness is definitely huge. It looks it’s pretty good.

Dr. Delgado: It looks great man. Let’s take some stitches out.

Kevin: What is this? Iodine? Is this discoloration?

Dr. Delgado: No, that’s just the bruising, just, emanating.

Kevin: You want to be extra careful, so when I’m in the shower I’m like barely touching it. And I’m kind of, you know, still kind of shy about it.

Dr. Delgado: That’s okay man. I think that’s okay, its all right. The problem when you get a flat chest it makes this look worse.

Kevin: I’ll work on that, trust me.

Dr. Delgado: The other thing, there isn’t the stigma of a guy with a gut. That’s not any, you know, people, you know, men don’t have as much problem with that. You know, for the degree of gynecomastia that you had. Had! You know, you’re gunna look great. In two weeks, two weeks would should start talking about the scar management and that type of thing. There’s some things we use that I think you should start them.

Kevin: Okay, so it looks good huh?

Dr. Delgado: Excellent!

Kevin: Thank you doc. Thank you very much.

Kevin: I feel that quite a bit of relief. It gave me some relief to know that the doctor has looked at the progress and feels that it’s coming along very nicely. And I would say, you know, that was a big step, is that the first time the doctor has seen it after taking out that the bulge,, and so yeah I’d walk out here, you know, more comfortable than I did walk in here.

Kevin: I feel good. It has been a little over six months since the surgery and I would say from month 3 on, I really felt that I was coming back to normal, and and the further away from the surgery, the more I feel that I’m more back to normal. Its like it feels like it’s been years since the surgery. In terms of marks and you know, from the blind eye someone looking at, to have no idea that surgery took place.

Interviewer: Tell us about the surgery experience itself.

Kevin: Well, you know, the anticipation of the surgery is by far the the worst part of it. Kind of came to. No pain, the nurse was right there. Actually she said I was making a few jokes right away and so I felt that I felt pretty good at that point on. And through the support of friends and my girlfriend and that first week or two you know, you do have some some bulbs in you and you have some blood flowing if it cannot be maintained. Yeah, and maintain and clean up, and so I think it was great to have people there especially my girlfriend to be there to help because it would have been, I’m sure, a little bit more difficult after doing that on your own. So with that support and no pain it was it was fine.

The best part is now knowing that it was completely successful and I feel good about it. I look at it I’m like that that does show a big difference for me. I confided in a few close friends and both of them have seen, obviously, see me before and after and then since then and I think they’re they’re happy. They said it looks good, you know, you’re look. You know, that was something that they were joking around before, they knew it was kind of something that was part of me but didn’t feel like it was that much of a big deal for me because I never really opened it up. But they definitely, after seeing the difference like wow it looks great and I think having that past now, done and then looking at me in a different light. I mean I feel like yeah, it’s normal, it’s the way it should be.

Interviewer: Now as you look at these before and after pictures of you, how does it make you feel?

Kevin: They look like breasts. They, you know, they from the nipple area, just the contour of it, they just… I would look at it and go oh Jesus is that normal? It’s just, it’s, it’s just amazing. How much has changed.

Interviewer: If you today could look at this picture of you before, what would you have to say to that person?

Kevin: I would say with very little pain, and the right doctor, and the right strategy about it, and talking you through with people, it would change them dramatically without a whole lot of risk really.

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Interviewer: Kevin is a remarkable young man who has gone through this experience as well as anyone could possibly go through it. I think he had realistic expectations going in and I think he’s really delighted with the outcome. And I think that his gain and self-confidence and his lack of self-consciousness about his body is really serving him well that will only continue to grow better as he gets further and further away from the surgery experience. And the experience of having breasts. I think that he’s pretty normal and that he’s testing his limits around taking his shirt off. Like the first time at the swimming pool with the other guys. I think that just that freeing experience is walking out of the shadows of hiding and that he’s just beginning to open up and really relax.

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David: I feel a lot better about my body so you know it looks. I’m much more comfortable with my chest. So I’m able to now, I mean, just little you know, little things, like I’m able to go swimming.

Interviewer: Tell me about this surgery experience.

David: It went, I mean, a lot smoother than I could ever think any type of surgery could go this. I mean Dr. Delgado and his staff, I mean, they’re really good what they do. I got an IV in, the next day I woke up, and I was all bandaged up. The worst part was probably when they took those the  drainage tubes out, I almost passed out or something. I started getting all hot like they were like hold on. You just feel like this snake thing coming, pulling out,  like it’s such a different feeling. That’s, well, it’s probably the most uncomfortable. What I like about them, they’re very sensitive to the condition, very understanding, you know, not only just, you know, the doctor but the whole staff. And everything like that, you know, and so  because this is kind of something that’s really, really embarrassing to guys.

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Interviewer: You recognize that picture?

David: Mm-hmm.

Interviewer: What comes up in you when you see that, the picture of you before?

David: I just don’t like the way it looks. You know, just, I don’t  know. I used to get so angry. It makes you mad. I don’t know, I just, I don’t get pissed off that you know that it looks like this. Yeah this to me it was remarkable, just how much different it is.

Interviewer: What does the feeling that comes up in you when you look at the post surgery?

David: It makes me happy. I don’t have to wake up every day concerned about the way my chest looks, you know. I don’t know how you wanna describe this kind of like a life-changing event.

Interviewer: Is there any ways that it has changed your life that we haven’t talked about?

David: You know, like, this, it’s a life-changing event and it was something that impacts my entire life. Every little aspect. Everything, everything about my life is changed.

Interviewer: David has clearly made a good recovery. I got the sense that he has actually experienced a lot of relief from the gynecomastia surgery and at least that piece of the shame isn’t weighing him down anymore. He’s actually made a lot of progress really being much more open and in terms of really moving past the shame of that piece of it quite nicely. I think in terms of the gynecomastia this has been a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders and it’s actually impacted him quite positively.

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