Dr Fielding

[lamp]

I don't have gyno, but I am considering surgery for my puffy nipples. How much will it cost during this time and can OHIP cover this? How much does puffy nipple surgery cost? And what is the success rate for this kind of surgery? Will I get puffy nipples again due to something hormonal?

[lamp]

To all viewers who prefer not to participate in the forum, I might as well document my journey. There's quite a bit of posts to reference to, but I'd rather keep this forum current with how the gynecomastia world is keeping up as of july-august 2010. To clear up the confusion, I have a problem with puffy nipples. I just booked a consultation with Dr. Fielding over the phone (416.766.8890), and spoke with the receptionist who was very kind and respective to speak up and say gynecomastia for me when asked what I was making an appointment for (silly me ). My appointment was booked for August 13, 2010 which happens to be a friday. 2 week wait time not bad, wish I wasn't booked on friday the 13th . Anyways, she did tell me I was able to bring a guest/family member along with me to the consultation.

That's all I can say for now until then. I hope to bring my mother that day, which I've only talked to about my puffy nipples once and the consideration of surgery. If any of you want to have an idea of my situation, I posted a picture below. My doctor told me I do not have gynecomastia or have any gland, but happen to store fat deposits under my nipples. This was pretty much a genetic occurrence, and said wasn't a response of a hormonal imbalance. I've had this since I was a kid, maybe 10 or 11 or so.

picture:

http://img829.imageshack.us/i/dsc00346.jpg/

[theflip44]

my case is similar to yours so cant wait to here about the consultation and how much its going to cost.

[lamp]

yeah for sure flip44. does anyone have an idea if i need to bring anything other than my OHIP?

[hatey]

Yeah I'm also interested in learning what type of fees Dr. Fielding charges for cases similar to yours... hope your consultation goes well!

[lamp]

im back folks! had my consultation with dr. fielding this morning but, i have to go to work. will come back tonight and let you all know what it was like.

[lamp]

im a lil tired so ill try to make it brief. came in at 11:15 for my appointment with dr fielding. he didnt look as old as i thought i would and is very friendly and welcoming. the secretary whose name is leslie was very kind as well. the consultation started off nice with a few jokes. he begins by asking questions about your life, lifestyle, weight, height, whether or not you were overweight or obese, when you noticed you had gyne, steroid usage or not, etc. these all go into his notes he jots down. then you show him your case and he observes you a bit, and creates a verdict. in my case i believed i had "puffy nipples", ad no gynecomastia. he clarified to me that enough just "puffy nipples", it is STILL gynecomastia with a bit of fat. he measured my areolas, felt for the glands and told me i have gynecomastia. he then proceeds to go on about procedures using either anesthetics or doing the surgery awake; in that case they freeze the chest areas and perform while youre awake. the incisions for "MY CASE", will be a small one right under the areolas. if i do the surgery awake, it wont take as long to recover to do everyday things oppose to doing it under anesthetics since youll be drowsy for a few days. to clarify my case, im pretty much in shape and my case isnt bad at all so he recommended doing it awake. he said for different ethnicities, scarring will vary. since im east asian he said i should heal well and since it will be small incisions it shouldnt be a problem. HE DOES MENTION, that the kind of people who look at themselves a lot and expect perfection wont always get it. swelling and soreness will be felt in the first three weeks. and for swelling, it can take up to 3 months, 6 months, or even a year for the swelling to dissipate. he said the swelling feels like what it would if youre familiar with working out your chest when its  the next day. some people take pain pills one day and wont need it for the rest. with all this being said, EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. prices will vary from what your case is and if you have a history with obesity. even if you have "puffy nipples", ITS GYNECOMASTIA. everything is breast tissue just like a female. i dont want to get your hopes up guys but for the price, ill just say ill be spending under 1500$ CAD for the surgery. thats because my case isnt so bad, he will just have to remove the gland. if i had to go to the surgical room, id be spending more. as far as OHIP coverage, he told me that it would have to come out of pocket. OHIP covers small portions like hospital stay and what not; in rare cases does OHIP ever cover gland removal. dr fieldings a very nice guy and doesnt make you feel like youre missing any information. at the end you can ask questions but he pretty much covers everything you need to know. after dr fielding is done taking notes they keep it for records for future reference. the price estimate is given and put into record, so whenever youre ready to set up a surgery date call leslie and you can set it up. as for me, i was very surprised on how much i have to spend so i will be saving for the surgery and planning to get it real soon. this is all i can think of for now but i hope this helps. drop questions below if you have any, good luck all!

[hatey]

Thanks so much for the update! And congrats on what seems to have been a pleasant consultation.

Hmm I didn't know Dr. Fielding offered surgeries with local anesthetic... do you know if he does these types of surgeries in office or still at the hospital? Also, would surgery with using local anesthetic also require you to be signed out by someone post operation or would they let you go by yourself? You mentioned that you'll only require the gland to be removed... does this mean that local anesthesia surgeries don't involve lipo at ALL?

Wow, you must have a very small case if your estimate is under $1,500... from the one pic you've posted it seems that my case is very similar so hopefully I'll get a similar price as well . If you wouldn't mind, could you post some additional pics so we can see just how mild your case is? No worries at all if you don't want to. Perhaps just your height and weight then?

Lastly, somewhat of a dumb question, but when he examined you, were you sitting down or standing up? It's just that my chest looks different when I'm sitting down and slouching my shoulders as to when I'm standing up.

Thanks again for the great info and hopefully you won't mind answering some of my questions.

[lamp]

i dont mind answering your questions because i too am trying to rid myself of this shameful problem .

he performs at the hospital if he uses anesthetics, and if youre covered by OHIP the should be able to cover those costs. if you do chose the anesthetic route, you will need someone to sign you out and take you home oppose to doing it awake, you can drive or take the train/bus home. thats for my case since i will only need gland removal. he said i had a bit of fat, but did not once mention about lipo and that i needed it. he said i wasnt able to achieve definition on my lower pectorals because of the breast tissue. so it will depend on different cases; as for me im pretty athletic and am pursuing bodybuilding and i havent had a big problem with weight.

if your case is quite similar to mine and that you dont seem to carry fat on your breast tissue then you wouldnt require lipo. if you post a picture maybe i can give my opinion and give you an estimated guess on how much you might be spending. im not exactly sure what picture you want, i can post another front picture and side picture with my digital camera. the camera i used for the above picture, i used a digital SLR. as for my stats you can reference to, im 5'7 at about 160lbs, probably 15% bodyfat.

when he does examine you it wont matter whether you stand up or sit down. i was sitting on the chair but you will sit on the edge of the chair and sit up straight with good posture. it wont effect his judgment if thats what you are getting at lol. hes done thousands of surgeries and consultations so i dont think you need to worry about that.

i know you guys are reading so ask questions if you have any! i dont want to feel like im the only one who lives with this lol.

[hatey]

Thanks for the answers and your message.

So just to clarify, both general anesthetic (asleep) and local anesthetic (awake) operations take place at the hospital but in the case of local anesthesia you can walk out after surgery alone but for general anesthetic you need someone to accompany you out?

Also, did Dr. Fielding or his receptionist give you any estimate of how long you would have to wait for surgery if you were to book it today? At least a few months I would imagine?

Yeah I was more or less asking for a side/diagonal/angled view but like I said, no worries at all if you don't feel like it . I don't have the gonads like you to post my pic on here for fear of someone finding out my identity (small but noticeable birthmark on stomach) but I am 5'7 and 130-135lbs, not sure about BP, but definitely not in the overweight category.

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions as I prepare to book my own consultation so you being here and answering my questions is much appreciated. Thanks again.

[lamp]

oh, for your first question yes thats correct.

i didnt happen to ask how long id have to wait for that, but i guess maybe a few weeks to a month or more.

you can probably take a pic of your chest and crop out everything but your chest area. or you could do the same thing if you take a side pic.

book your consultation asap, if you really want this done get your consultation done at least so you can set goals. after i got my estimate, im pretty much working until the end of august; actually i may have enough to pay for the surgery out of pocket by my next paycheck.

i sent you a PM of the estimate given to me by fielding.

good luck to you bro

[hatey]

Yeah I might post up some pics when I eventually book my surgery just so I can track my progress. But until then..

How long was the consultation btw? Did you have to bring anything other than your OHIP card?

[lamp]

around 15 mins probably. depends especially if you have more questions or concerns. it will take as long as it needs to be.

[hatey]

Great. I think I'll be giving his office a call tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll get a consultation within 2 weeks . Thanks for your help.

[lamp]

no problemo. im not sure whats going on now but in a week and a half, or 2 weeks from now ill be finding out what im doing. i may have enough money to pay for the procedure out of pocket by then and ill update you guys on how booking the appointment goes.