First of all, I would like to introduce myself to you guys. My name is “Bow”, I am 23 years old. I am studying for a master’s degree in Chiangmai. Well, I am writing this to review my mastectomy experience. I have known for long I do not want to have large breast, in other words, I don’t want it. For those who have large breast, they may understand it causes you trouble. In my case, “my breast is C-cup almost D-cup size.” I am unhappy with my body, I do not like it. It makes me feel fussy when I see it. “Why do I have breast?” “Why is it so protruding, it is very difficult for me to work out.” When it gets larger, I use stay garment to tighten it. I have to walk crookedly to hide my body. Some people may think I do not have breast, in facts, “Yes, I have, but I do not want to show it.” I have been living happily under the stay garment till
the day that I saw a video clip of FTM people or transgender, it inspired me want to undergo mastectomy. I was 18 years old, just finished my high-school from one of the famous all-girl schools in Bangkok. I asked myself whether I do really want to undergo mastectomy or “I just only have girl mates”. “Do I have to ask for parental permission?” “Is it okay to have it done without telling my parents?” I had been thinking back and forth till I was 22 years old, and I am certainly sure that “I do want to have it done.”
At that moment, I was quite sure that I wanted to undergo the surgery, I also had some amount of saving, I did not think much because I thought the surgery was not that complicating. I read a lot of online reviews, asking people who already had it done. Hence, I found a clinic which was not that far from my university, it looks reliable. The price costs roughly 50,000 THB including 1-night stay in a hotel. The surgery is performed under local anesthesia. It was not major surgery just minor one. Then the clinic showed me a lot of pictures of the surgery.
Finally, I made a decision not to have the surgery done in this clinic as I could not accept its standard. I called my dad and told him what is going on. “Yes, you are doing right that you told me about everything, come back home and we will find more information about it together” answered my dad. Every dad loves their children no matter what, he tries to understand me, and we understand each other more. We found 2 famous hospitals for mastectomy in Bangkok, one of them is Kamol Cosmetic Hospital. My dad and I asked many people about their experiences. Finally, we made a decision to undergo the mastectomy at Kamol Cosmetic Hospital.
One of the main reasons why I chose Kamol Cosmetic Hospital is its patient care and its price, which is not that much different comparing to another hospital. The price of mastectomy starts at 80,000 THB. I called to the hospital to ask for information, talked to hospital staff, and consulted with Dr. Kamol on the same day. Unlike another hospital, if I want to see the doctor, I have to book in advance for almost a week, maybe more than that. Dr. Kamol gave me crystal-clear explanation about mastectomy, and recommended me which technique is better for my breast size. He also explained me even the size of the stitches he normally uses when performing the surgeries.
On top of that, the doctor also pays attention to your post-operative lifestyle. He told me about post-operative change and asked me whether I want to see the hospital rooms, operating theatres and etc. As the hospital is small hospital, people may think it is a cons. However, I am sure that the hospital covers every service and takes care of you much better than others. All mentioned above made me decide to go on the surgery here. After the consultation day, I never went to the hospital, till the surgery day. What you have to prepare before going on the surgery is only packing your clothes, no other stuff needed. There is amenity such as soap, toothpaste, and toothbrush prepared in the hospital room. Like other major surgeries, before going on the surgeries, you must stop eating for 10 hours, and drinking for at least 3 hours. The only thing I feel was that I was really starved.
On that day, I arrived to the hospital at 10 in the morning. I had a health check-up (blood test and pulmonary X-ray) also medical assessment to make sure that I am healthy enough to go on the surgery. After that, I went to my room (the same room I had to stay during my hospitalization), and changed to hospital uniform, and waited until 3 p.m. The nurses came to assist me to go to the operation theatre, your family member can accompany you to the operating theatre, also. My last memento before the surgery was that the anesthesiologist told me to count on 1, 2, 3… I woke up and found myself in the recovery room, it took me 6 – 8 hours there to see whether my condition was fine or not.
Hereafter, I went back to my room, I also had blood drainage tubes under my breast, and a urine catheter. On day 2 after the surgery, I was quite full conscious, however; I could not do anything by myself. I need someone to help me. I did not feel so much pain. During my hospitalization, the nurses took care of me really well. They came to me and checked my condition every 6 hours. On the day that I opened the wound, I was afraid that my wound would not be that good. Also, I was quite afraid of possibilities of unattached nipple grafts. I am satisfied with the result but still worried about the nipple grafts.
On day 3 after the surgery was the day that I left the hospital, Dr. Kamol visited me and checked my wound whether I could have the drainage tubes removed or not. If you really want to go back home, you can go back home with the drainage tubes. Fortunately, all of my drainage tubes were removed before going back home. I got 3 types of medication including painkiller that I never took, then I changed my clothes and headed back home. My younger sister took care of me after coming back home, I recommend you to have someone staying with you during your hospitalization, as the wound dressing is essential, and it may affect the darkness of the scar in the future.
Seven days later, I had the stitches removed and opened the nipple grafts to see if they completely attached to the skin or not. I was very worried about the color and the appearance of my nipple. All of them are surgical risks. The nurses opened my wound, and told me that my nipples look great and nice. I would like to thank to my sister for her care. From now, I just need to take care of myself till the wound is completely healed. I did not take shower much as I often stayed in cool place. After one month, I could start doing light exercise, and I could fully start working out in one or two months later.
My wound is completely healed right now, it looks nice. I am very gratified with the result. I wish this review be a beneficial guideline to those who are interested in mastectomy. If you have any questions, or need more information about the hospital and the techniques, you can contact my Facebook or Kamol’s official Fanpage. Please give me likes, if you guys need more photos about the surgery. I have come to the end of my review, I would like to thank my parents for understanding me, my sister for taking care of me, and you guys for your attention to this review. I hope this will help you all.
