Brisbane opinions please help

[struglinwitmychest]

hey everyone, i have just turned 21 and have promised myself since i was 11 (wen it started becoming a problem) that if my gyne had not 'disapeared' by the time i was 21 i would have it surgically removed. Being an athletic person i have struggled through my years of swimming (eventually quitting), surfing (always wear wet suit) and rugby (change rooms very difficult) and just general life having to sacrifice so much and am sick of it. I also was a premature baby and have pectus excavatum which is a curved sternum (caved in chest) which makes it even worse.. so thats my story..

i have just booked for consultation with dr Paul Belt as people have given him a good wrap. Just wondering if any of the people out there have had good bad experiences with him and/or anyone else.

Also i have read/researched a fair bit however if anyone wants to give me a breakdown.. ive gathered the price usually costs between 4-7 thousand..

any help would be greatly appreciated. and just to let everyone know i will be posting alot of photos pre and post op so people can learn from my experience good or bad outcome.

hope to hear from you

[cecly]

Looks like you found my post, all the info is in there for the proceedure, if you have any other questions please ask, otherwise talk to the doctor he will answer anything.

Here are some preop pics:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=16196.0

[cecly]

Another thing. I only went to Dr Belt because it was difficult for me to get to the Gold Coast, but if you are interested you can check out Dr Peter Widdowson who has had more experience with the proceedure than Dr Belt. But they are both members of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, and they certainly know what they are talking about and wont lie to you about unrealistic results.

Paul did make me feel comfortable all the time, although keeping things strictly professional which might come as a shock. He did give me time to answer any questions I had and didn't rush during the initial consultation which was a plus in my books.

See what you think, if you feel comfortable with him schedule surgery, if not take the second option.

[struglinwitmychest]

thanks mate, it is really appreciated more than u imagine. ur a really good bloke following up and helping people out. congrats

[cecly]

That's not a problem at all. I can understand how frustrating it can be to have people say they will post followups and not actually do it, and the aussie board is a little lacking.

Hope everything goes well for you!

[struglinwitmychest]

hey cecly, iv got a consultation with both paul belt in brissy and widdowson at southport however i couldnt get in till february with widdowson however i am going in dec to paul. I was just wondering how long it the waiting period is for surgery? well at least ur case.. just because i am going to japan in april next year and i need all of it sorted before then..

also how long until u were able to excercise freely again? i am actually going to japan for sport and i train everyday so i dont want to lose too much however i am not obviuosly going to risk my recovery after surgery so i was just wondering time frames etc.. til i can get back into weights and running etc..

thanks again!!!

if anyone else can answer these questions ur more than welcome!!

[The_G0rn]

The waiting period for surgery is not as long as the waiting period for the initial consultation.

Once you put your cash for the op down these places treat you a lot more seriously.  Surgery waiting period a few weeks max.  Mine was about 2 weeks.

As for exercise post operation, its up to you but I waited no less than 12 weeks before doing any weights.  I wanted to get a perfect result and avoid any aggravation or stretching of the chest post op that would risk my recovery.

[cecly]

It was 3 weeks until surgery from the first consultation for me. Also as for excercise, Dr Belt recommended working out from my consultation after 7 weeks, as well as massage of the scar tissue. I am currently at the gym and doing lots of cardio and aerobic excercise as well as some light weights.