Hello, as you will have guessed by the title this is the story of my surgery with Dr. Katarzyana Ostrowska-Clark at her clinic in Szczecin, Poland. I'm fresh from having the surgery, today being day 2 post op. There have been a lot of posts concerning this particular clinic. I would like to add my own impressions of the clinic and discuss my story. Anyone who is wondering about surgery with this doctor please post your questions here or send me a private message, I'd be happy to answer.
(((Note to moderator: Please do not remove the names on this post as they are important to other readers who wish to seek her services! I am a genuine forum member with 2 years of posting history!)))
My story:
I'm 27 and live in London. I've been a reader and contributor to this forum for 2 years. I have previously come very close to having surgery at Klinik Beaucare in Brussels but was thwarted by an array of personal, financial and health problems that forced me to delay surgery until now! In some ways I'm glad I did as I think the treatment I received here was excellent. (probably better than if done in brussels.) This time around I feel like I was truly ready both psychologically and financially to have surgery. Actually the monumentality of what has just happened is only now sinking in. I'm finally free from this burden that has compromised my self esteem and hindered my social development for 15 years!!
So, the usual procedure is to contact Jeremy Clark, the surgeon's husband, who is English and your point of contact from initial enquiry until the morning of surgery when he takes you around the city to get blood tests and ultrasound scans. He also organises the airport pick up and cabs. Mr. Clark is an affable man and was quite helpful with all of my questions. I did have to chase him a few times for replies to my emailed questions but I did ask a lot of questions. Some people are just happy to throw themselves in to surgery but I like to get a lot of information before making the big decision. I'm also nervous going under sedation/anaesthetic so asking loads of questions up until the point of going under was the way I coped with my fears. In this respect the surgeon and the anaesthetist were obliging. For those who might want to know they use "a mixture of local anaesthetic and general anaesthetic". They don't put in a breathing tube because it isn't necessary so I assume the patient isn't as knocked out as with normal general anaesthetic.
So on the op date I had the tests in the morning (after fasting the night before). Then I went back to the hotel for a late breakfast and waited until a cab picked me up at 3:40pm. On arrival to the clinic I was impressed with how modern and clean everything was. I had my own recovery room which was well appointed and spacious. Not in the least depressing like NHS hospitals tend to be. At 4pm I met Katarzyana and had my consultation with her. We reviewed the results of my blood and ultrasound tests. She explained the procedure and the risks. Then after payment we both got ready for surgery. I walked in to the operating room, laid on the operating couch and let the nurses and doctors do their thing, and soon I was under. I woke up from surgery still in the operating room just as the nurses were finishing with my bandages and ripping out the pads that monitor heart rate which was quite painful as I'm hairy. The surgery involved liposuction first and then full gland removal. It started at around 4 or 5pm and lasted 2 hours! It's normally meant to take 40minutes to 1 hour but Katarzyana said I had particularly fibrous fatty tissue which made the liposuction hard work. Just typical I'd have this weird fat structure, I'm so full of irregularities ::moan, moan::. I also had a thicker than usual gland. If you see a cross section of the usual gynecomastia gland you see that it's like a cone, thicker just under the nipple and tapering down towards the outer edges. Mine was of one even thickness throughout. Unfortunately she didn't take a picture. I would loved to have seen it!
I spent that first night at the clinic. There was a lovely night nurse that took care of me. She made me open sandwiches, tea, administered antibiotics, heparin, painkiller and emptied my drains and checked my vitals. She didn't speak much english but we understood each other despite this.
My impressions of Katarzyana was that of a very competent surgeon who was warm and friendly but like every other surgeon I've met also a bit 'no nonsense' and focused on her work. She has done a wonderful job on my chest and I'm very pleased with her. The clinic offers such a complete package for such a sensible price. They even do a histology of excised tissues as standard. I have had all the logistical worries of transport and medical testing taken away from me by Jeremy's inclusive service and ultimately the Surgery's cost to quality ratio is amazing!
The next morning Katarzyana came and removed my bandages to have a look at the area. Everything seemed ok. She stood me in front of the mirror and there I saw my post op chest for the first time. I swear rose petals flew out of my chest towards me in the reflection! It was a real American Beauty moment. I shook her hand. Now I feel immensely transformed by this procedure. I get a little emotional at the thought of the hardships I have been through these last few years and a great feeling of deserving that things are finally going my way. And things are going my way because of my own perseverance and hard work. And I've done it all by myself, like coming to Poland alone and just generally fighting for everything! ::sob story:: This may sound premature but I've already found my self esteem to be greatly improved and my very thought patterns have changed simply on the basis of not having gynecomastia anymore. It is a wonderfully liberating experience and it is a MONUMENTAL game changer in my life. To those in doubt, I would encourage you to go for it!
Costs and other details:
The usual time frame between first contact and surgery is quite quick. I made my initial enquiry in early september, confirmed the appointment by way of a £200 deposit (bank transfer) and then had surgery on the 2nd of november. So 2 months for me but others here have had it faster. apparently the clinic is less busy during early winter and the run up to christmas, for obvious reasons. On the surgery date you pay the remaining balance. In total the surgery cost me £1467 for gland removal and 'liposculpturing' as well as the cost of the blood tests and ultrasound as well as the airport transfer from Berlin to Szczecin and a night's stay at the clinic. I had a big mole in my abdomen removed for an addition £100. The average nightly rate at the Ibis hotel was £34 but I booked late. Early birds can probably get a better rate. I am staying 6 nights in the city, one of those nights being at the clinic.
The city/accommodation:
Szczecin is about 2 hours drive from Berlin. There are various hotels but I chose the Ibis as it seemed the cheapest. It's quite central and is very affordable, spacious, clean and every staff member I have encountered speaks English. it has a bit of a sterile quality to it but at £34 a night I'm not expecting great opulence or character. They also have a good restaurant that serves breakfast and is open from 16:00-23:00 for full meal service. This i have found very useful after surgery when when I did not feel like walking around too much, carrying heavy groceries, water bottles etc. The current exchange rate is very favourable. Euros and British pounds go very far in Poland!
I've actually just come back from a post operative evaluation and Katarzyana said things look pretty good. She joked that I must have had a very good surgeon. I hope to have my drains taken out tomorrow so I can finally take a shower. I'll be here for another 3 days and will try to post regular progress photos over the next few months to a year.
::pictures in following post::
I have a question I hope someone can answer: I would like to loose some 8 kilos. My gut and waist will naturally shrink down but will my chest, which is now nice and thin, shrink down much further? Possibly resulting in a strange emaciated chest not proportional to the rest of my torso? This is my fear. The surgeon said this shouldn't happen but I would welcome first hand experience from those who have had the op and then lost weight.
Topic: MY TRIUMPH OVER GYNECOMASTIA: Surgery with Ostrowska-Clark on 02/11/2011 +pics+ (Read 23138 times)
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