Hello, how do I go about this whole thing?

[HoorayHoorayHooray]

About a month or two ago I realized I had gynecomastia. I mean, I've always known that my chest was bigger than normal even though I was fat, but after working out and losing some weight, I realized that there was no chance that what I had was just fat. Anyway, what I want to know is how do I go about this whole surgery thing?

I've already told my mom about it and she said there would be money for it if I needed it, but it's hard to say whether or not she'll actually come through since she never has in my entire life really come through for me.

I have plans of getting the surgery roughly around August 1st or so so that I have a month to heal before school starts up again. I haven't seen an endocrinologist yet or haven't spoken to any surgeons yet. Would it be reasonable to talk to a surgeon on July 10th or so and end up having the surgery on August 1st? Do I have to see or should I see an endocrinologist at all? What would they tell me and what is the point of seeing one? The thing is, I'm afraid that even if this all becomes successful, it may be recurring and the glands may grow back. I seem to have a girlish body because I have wider hips than normal and I don't know I just get the impression of myself that I'm not really masculine.

Read the bold if the whole thing is too long. Thanks for your time.

[cecly]

How old are you?

To answer your first question, you probably won't get it done that quick, it would take a while to get a consultation first depending on where you are.

[HoorayHoorayHooray]

I'm 18 and I live in SoCal.

[HoorayHoorayHooray]

Ok, well there are quite a list of surgeons that advertised around my area for this site...You know where it says "Find a Surgeon?" Is it safe to assume those guys are well qualified for the job since they advertised on this site and they are "Board Certified" though I don't really know what that means? One I'm particularly interested in checking with has put that he does 70 gynecomastia surgeries each year. That's a large amount so should I assume he knows what he is doing?

And anything regarding that endocrinologist thing will be greatly appreciated.

[Paa_Paw]

Regarding the possible need for an Endocrinologist, The first thing is that you need to be completely honest with your surgeon and with yourself.

If you can honestly say that your condition has not changed in 2 years, it is not likely that an Endocrinologist will be needed. The problem is that you have indicated that you are just recently aware of your Gynecomastia. This leaves room to question whether the breasts are presently growing. If there has been any change in the last 2 years then a trip to the Endocrinologist could save you some grief in the long term.

My greatest concern is that you have identified the problem withing the last couple of months. What brought it to your attention and why the rush?  This is an area where methodic, thoughtful action is preferable to rash, speedy response.

[headheldhigh01]

I've already told my mom about it and she said there would be money for it if I needed it, but it's hard to say whether or not she'll actually come through since she never has in my entire life really come through for me.

give her credit, sounds like she's doing better than a lot of others and maybe she does care.  i don't know if she knows what the package cost could run or knows how to plan for it, but she probably knows it's more than burritos at taco bell   good luck. 

[HoorayHoorayHooray]

Regarding the possible need for an Endocrinologist, The first thing is that you need to be completely honest with your surgeon and with yourself.

If you can honestly say that your condition has not changed in 2 years, it is not likely that an Endocrinologist will be needed. The problem is that you have indicated that you are just recently aware of your Gynecomastia. This leaves room to question whether the breasts are presently growing. If there has been any change in the last 2 years then a trip to the Endocrinologist could save you some grief in the long term.

My greatest concern is that you have identified the problem withing the last couple of months. What brought it to your attention and why the rush?  This is an area where methodic, thoughtful action is preferable to rash, speedy response.

It's a little hard to say whether my chest has grown in the past two years, but I think it did. The reason why it's hard to say is because I've been obese for pretty much my entire life at around 260 lbs. I've dropped 50-60 lbs in the past year and it's becoming obvious to me that they're not just made of fat. I mean, I've always known my chest was larger than usual even for my size, but now I'm sure. What I was hoping was whether an Endocrinologist could figure out if the gynecomastia would be recurring even after I get rid of it through surgery. As I think I have mentioned before, I have somewhat of a feminine body. Hips are wider than usual, fat stores in my ass and thighs more than my upper body by a bit. Basically just wanted to know if I needed testosterone treatment or anything. Might sound crazy, but I find that I'm a lot different than others.

I'm in a rush because umm...I don't like having boobs? I really want to have this "new life" and be at least in the easy going recovery process by the time fall comes around.

Just another question, how do I research certain surgeons and know how good they are online? I don't want to have a consultation with them just to find out they're a waste of my time.