long time reader

[gyneinhell]

well, guys, been reading for awhile and finally decided to take action to change my life. 

for as long as i can remember, my chest has always been on the "chubby" side, my parents used to tell me to exercise more, stand up more straight, etc and now i'm 30, no amount of diet/exercise has helped.  standing at 5'10, i used to weight about 200, diet/exercise dropped me to about 170 but little change in chest size, i just feel more muscle when i flex.  knowing i look different but not knowing what is wrong with me and too ashame to talk to anyone, i hid this secret for years, even with my parents.  was watching late night TV one day and the topic of gyne was mentioned on the howard stern show, and that was the day that started me down this path of change; i don't recall the content of the show but ever since, the word "gynocomastia" has been burnt into my head.  since then, i have been reading this forum, along with Dr Bermant's website.  i have read Dr Bermant's website numerous times but have not started a remote consult yet, at one point i felt like just flying over there and just do it because of that "if he can't do it, no one can" feeling.

i have had a couple of consultation with local PS but no one gave me that "hey, he sounds like he knows what he is talking about" feel from reading Dr Bermant's website; although these PS's total fees are about 1/2 ... but i would rather come up with the other 1/2 and do this right the first and only time in my life.  i'm in California, in the Bay Area about 30min south from San Francisco.  i'm trying to schedule a consultation with Dr Delgado and Dr Rajagopal.  Has anyone been in the same situtation choosing between these 4?  or if you live near the west coast, what made you decide to see Dr Bermant in the east coast?

thanks all, not just for replies to this posting but for all the information you've shared on this forum.  i hope to share my results with you all in the near future.

[Bolognianips]

Hey good to see another new long time reader! http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php/topic,9273.0.html I heard that show too, I think it was last week somtime.  It was a some guy that lost alot of weight and has a T.V. show, I'm not sure, but I remember being upset that he was gay (stigma), and that howard cut off the Plastic Surgen who was talking about the procedure.  Then he said that Artie had it.. I dont know about that, but it sounded like it was all a case of Psudo for the guy.

Anyways I'm in the Midwest, and think I have clearly decided that Dr. Bermant would be that man I want for the job (I will probably get a remote consult in a few months and plan on Fall/Winter timline), even with a few experianced Dr's in the chicago area.  It certainly has to do with the amount of support he gives to this site, and his level of understanding.  I remember reading one post where an individual travelled there solo, and they provided a service that would escort the patient back to thier hotel etc..  If I can make that kind of arrangment, I would certainly be able to rationalize paying for just my own travel.  I have yet to see any unhappy cusomers of Dr. Bermant on this site (if there are please point them out), and I have certainly seen some horrible results from other doctors online, and on this forum.

I've only spoken to one PS office, not a consult, just a phone call, and an email, of a Dr. in the midwest, and they seemed to insist that it would only take lipo and worst case I might have to come back for a revision...  I got the impression that no matter what i would require lipo was all they wanted to do.  So I found it dicouraging, and dove deeper into this forum, and came to my conclusion that I want my operation to be done by somone who understands the physical, and mental condition.  I think its hard to explain, but I think alot of PS's are as superficial as alot of the work they do, I certainly do not get that impression from what i have heard and read about Dr. Bermant and his staff.

Hope my rational helps you out, and best wishes finding somone locally that you can feel confidant in.

[gyneinhell]

booked an appt with Dr Rajagopal, 2wks out but it's a free consultation (found it on Citysearch)