NHS is effed up

[BullsEye]

I was referred to NHS plastic surgeon by my GP and on the day of consultation the surgeon decided to cancel my appointment and sent some guidelines to my GP. Apparently unless my chest resemble that of female breasts they will not deal with my case. I haven't got big breasts and I would rate my gynecomastia 3 or4/10 (puffy nipples). Has anybody with moderate gynecomastia had surgery on the NHS?

I have to start saving up for private treatment, NHS is just waste of time..

[kingboob]

I was referred to NHS plastic surgeon by my GP and on the day of consultation the surgeon decided to cancel my appointment and sent some guidelines to my GP. Apparently unless my chest resemble that of female breasts they will not deal with my case. I haven't got big breasts and I would rate my gynecomastia 3 or4/10 (puffy nipples). Has anybody with moderate gynecomastia had surgery on the NHS?

I have to start saving up for private treatment, NHS is just waste of time..

exactly the same thing happened to me; twice.     Standing in a room full of other patients being told by the receptionist that the consultant is refusing to see me and my appointment was void.

Stupid thing is I then received a letter telling me my condition was not a 'plastic surgery issue' and would be 'best treated in another way' please go back to my GP.. blah blah blah.

I had gyne and excess skin from weight loss, my chest was bigger than a lot of womens breasts, how the hell can they tell it isn't a plastic surgery issue for the NHS without a consult?

[outertrial]

Issues like this are why many people (including me)  decide that the NHS route isnt worth it. Its frankly outrageous the way you get passed from pillar to post.

[BullsEye]

Kingboob, how did you come around the issue then and were you operated on the NHS at the end?
outertrial you're right mate, I'm trying to go to a different doctor and ask them to refer me to a surgeon and if that fails then I have no choice other than private.

[kingboob]

I didn't come around the issue, I spent 9k having it done privately, having to fork out another 3800 to get finished off as well.....  although in fairness it wasn't just man boobs that was my problem... but it was the boobs that bothered me the most...

[abc1235]

i had my surgery done on the nhs and according to these boards mine was a very minor case, so maybe i was lucky...howether they didnt get rid of my puffy nipples..so im gonna have to go private

[kingboob]

i had my surgery done on the nhs and according to these boards mine was a very minor case, so maybe i was lucky...howether they didnt get rid of my puffy nipples..so im gonna have to go private

yeah, you were very lucky (or unlucky if it didn't do the job)......

My private surgeon was even surprised I was having problems getting treated on the nhs....

To be totally honest I think the whole experience at the private hospital is much more pleasant....... no shared or even mixed wards or curious nurses & junior / trainee doctors wanting to get a good look at the freak show......... Clean wards, own bathroom, TV....... you know a nurse is actually there when you hit the call nurse button for more pain relief, the surgeon has more than 5 seconds to talk to you pre and post operation.......... you actually get what you ask for from the hospital staff and more importantly your surgeon / operation, not what you are given, you don't have to jump through hoops and practically beg to get the treatment you need!

Oh, and if something goes wrong or you have a complication your surgeon will call you in his own time from his holiday in Portugal and talk you through any issues......  don't get that with the nhs do you?

If your not half dead the nhs couldn't give a fig.

[BullsEye]

thanks alot guys I've made up my mind. I'm going private and most likely abroad. Friend of mine was telling me about Estonia so I need to investigate that.

[newmanby30]

Hey dudes,

I'm not sure whether I have been lucky or not, but I had NHS surgery on May 9th with no hitches whatsoever... if you look at my previous posts you will see my "pre" piccies.... I am a slimish guy but my chest was always out of proportion... not drastically though really..... as soon as I mentioned it to my GP he referred me to an endicrinologist.....my hormone tests were fine.... but they understood that my life was on hold until my body changed.... I think - as awkward as it may sound - you have to be quite honest and open about how much of a hindrance this condition is on your life. I explained how on the outside people would never suspect, but that I hadn't had a meaningful relationship in 8 years, wouldn't holiday with anyone else, couldn't go swimming etc.... they soon realised that I was depressed and at the end of my tether..... I was visibly pretty distressed cos I knew I had to let it all out.

Is there anyone that you have spoken to through the course of your enquiries that has taken you seriously? If it was your GP, get them to refer you to someone else - or if it was your endicrinologist, see if they can put you in touch with a different surgeon.

I think its worth pursuing - I love my results and can't believe I was considering going to Poland on the quiet.

Keep us posted

Newman

[BullsEye]

newman I guess you've been very fortunate to have successfull operation on the NHS. How long were you on the waiting list?

[WXYZ]

I wasn't too happy with the NHS either. Although I have a severe case of gyne, the surgeon I saw seemed to be giving me all the reasons NOT to go through with the op with him. He told me there will be scarring, he won't get rid of it all and that I'll be placed in a mixed gender ward with other women recovering from breast surgery. Also I didn't like the fact that one of the nurses came in while I was being examined. She didn't come in to help, she came in to stare and even cracked a joke with her friend when she saw that a male was waiting amongst the women in the NHS breast clinic. This attitude of some NHS staff (even though it was only one or two) really put me off. 
Yeah, the NHS doesn't seem to care much about guys with gyne. Guys who've had good expereinces with the NHS are lucky to be in the right area with the right surgeon. The breast consultant I saw specialised in different areas of cosmetic surgery but does less than 5 gyne ops a year. To me that's not much experience and I didn't have the choice to choose any other surgeon on the NHS.
So hear I am saving up for private, it may cost a bit but at least I'll be happy in the end.

[newmanby30]

Hello again...

Thats terrible (WXYZ)... I can't believe they laughed at you - some people just don't take a moment to think before they say/do something stupid.

I also know what you mean about the lack of experience on the NHS side. My surgeon does about 25 of these operations per year, but specialists elsewhere may be doing up to 5 a day!! This can be very offputting. The way around this for me was to insist that they put me in touch with a previous patient - I emailed him quite a bit and he said he had been pleased with his decision.

My one hiccup was back in April when my surgery was originally scheduled - they called the day I was due to be admitted and took my bed from me after some guy had been attacked with a machete.... (sometimes we need to put things in perspective as I would rather have been in my situation than his!!).... I was devastated at having my surgery put back - even worse was the fact that I was then told I could wait for my surgeon (2-3 months) or I could have someone new (3 weeks)..... I insisted on a consultation first and met with my new surgeon as I couldn't bear a long wait. He asked me more questions than the first surgeon and I actually felt lucky that things had turned out that way..... and my confidence in him has been proved correct as I'm more than pleased with the results.

If you have exhausted all avenues then I would say go private - its horrible waiting and once your decision has been made to go ahead with surgery, nothing will change it. But if you think there is a way around your NHS issue, you should investigate all options - apply pressure - show how much it means to you... it may just pay off.

Wishing you both all the best

Newman