cecly Posted September 17, 2008I am 21 and have had gynecomastia since 13. I will be posting about my experience with my surgery today performed by Dr Paul Belt in Brisbane. Just a quick overview now as he prescribed some really nice drugs and it's hard to think, but everything went great, he is very very professional, and is HIGHLY recommended if you live in Brisbane. I'll try to get some photos off him and I'll post them up here for you all to see.
Three weeks after the first consult, I went under the knife, and am feeling really comfortable afterwards, he put drains in and they come out tomorrow afternoon. I had my surgery done in Pacific Day Surgery and was admitted at 12:30. I went into surgery at 1:30pm and woke up around 4:20pm (the surgery was about an hour and a half). After some sandwiches, lemonade and some waiting around I was free to leave at 6:30pm (with an adult).
The anesthetist was very nice and so were Paul's assistants and the nurses. All I remember from the OR was everyone introducing themselves and the anesthetist saying "you will feel light headed, I'll let you know when you are asleep"
cheeky bugger. Woke up with a short lived sore throat, but everything else was fine.
I'll provide a rundown of total costs and other details for you all later on. I didn't get this done with private health insurance, but the final costs after the medicare rebate worked out to be very reasonable.
Can't wait to see my results, but the nurses said it turned out great, and Paul is very particular. So far, he is highly recommended by myself.
cecly Posted September 18, 2008Feeling alright the next day, didn't get much sleep because of the tubes in me. They come out this arvo though.
A rundown of my costs:
Dr Belt's Fee: $3500 - Rebate of $528.55
Assistant's Fee: $350
Anaesthetists Fee: $800 - Rebate of about $300ish (still to be confirmed)
2 Garments - $160.65 (you can order one, that will cost about $100)
Pacific Day Surgery - $1614.40
Total - $6425.05
With Rebates - Approx $5596.50
The theater fees are a little dearer without private insurance, because they usually take part in a gap payment. But they treat you really well and make sure you are comfortable the whole time, so it is well worth it over a public hospital. Because there aren't sick people there, i.e. it's people coming in for medical procedures only, everyone is really upbeat and exceptionally friendly, and will make you feel right as rain.
They called this morning to see if everything was alright, which was also a nice surprise.
The hard part is over, now the waiting begins. I will try to get pictures if I am allowed them.
cecly Posted September 18, 2008Just had the drains removed, and I feel much much better. Dr Belt said that he only performed excision as there was no fat to remove. I got to take a look at my chest and it's fantastic, flat as Cheesy. I'll have some before and after pics next week.
cecly Posted September 19, 2008Second day in, and have moved over to paracetamol as the pain is going away. It's still difficult to do things like put on shirts. You should not put any strain on your chest for a few weeks to maximise healing and minimise the chances of getting haematoma's which Paul stresses and warns you about a whole lot. He doesn't want his work to be ruined.
Feel free to ask any questions.
s90 Posted September 21, 2008ooo im in brisbane and i need this done STAT! i was wondering how you go about making an appointment with the Dr. do you just call up and book one, the receptionists dont ask what its about or anything? i dunno i just want to get it done this year because im probally going to uni next year... and you said yours only took 3 weeks before the surgery. and do you absolutly have to have someone pick you up? because this isnt really something ive ever discussed with anyone ever before... i would reeaaallly like too see some photos as well.
thanks!
cecly Posted September 21, 2008Just tell the receptionist that it's for gynecomastia it saves mucking about trying to tell them what it is (they ask why you might be seeing him so they can work out how long to make the appointment), they are very friendly and understanding, and you will get to know them quite well over the time you see Dr Belt. It took a few weeks to actually get a consult, the wait for me was about 5 weeks, but after that everything was quick (although there was a cancellation, hence why I got in early for surgery).
I myself went in with a GP referral and having blood tests, chest xrays and an ultrasound already done (the GP sent me for these). Dr Belt will send you for these anyway, so you might as well do it via you GP to speed things up a bit (it can take a few weeks to get an ultrasound appointment). And if you get a GP referral, you get some money back from Medicare for the consultation. I saw it as a passage of accepting the fact that I had gynecomastia, you get over the first few hurdles, and the others (surgery), don't seem so bad. If you don't want to get a referral just call the office and arrange an appointment to see him.
All surgery procedures that put you under general anesthetic require you to have an adult to discharge you to, talk to Dr Belt about those concerns he might be able to suggest something.
I'll have some photos up soon when I see him after one week. The results are looking good.
Oh and also, he called me on the weekend to make sure everything was still alright. Still cannot recommend him enough.
el_duderino Posted September 22, 2008gday cecly thanks for posting all of this information.
I have a consultation with Dr. Belt next month and it sounds like he's done well with you. Congratulations.
If you get time to post some pics that would be great.
One question, when you approached a GP about gyne did they seem to have fair knowledge of the condition?
I've been aware of my gynecomastia for over twelve years (I'm 24) but only found out there is a name for the condition the other day.
Hope it's all going well
s90 Posted September 23, 2008i guess im going to call up soon with in the next few weeks at least.. i dont want to wait any longer lol .
thanks for your help!
on a side note... how do you pronounce gynecomastia correctly, i dont want to sound like a male thingy and get it completely wrong.
el_duderino Posted September 23, 2008s90,
check out a vid on youtube to hear pronunciation.
Don't stress over the phone call though, I had no idea how to pronounce it and just described what I was concerned about.
The lady on the phone was very helpful and professional.
When I phoned up the nearest consultation I could book was over a month away so don't waste any time waiting to call.
cecly Posted September 26, 2008One question, when you approached a GP about gyne did they seem to have fair knowledge of the condition?
Sorry for not replying, I had to travel to a competition for our final year project.
My GP had a great deal of knowledge on the topic and is very familiar conditions for young males.
I am seeing Dr Belt tomorrow, and should get some pics.
Topic: Surgery in Brisbane with Dr Paul Belt (Read 23949 times)
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