Military Surgeons???

[AvionicsMarine]

my surgery is in 3 weeks. i am having the navy do it, because i am active duty, and they will remove it for free. i have a commmander doing it (0-5), so he has some good experience. however, he is a general surgeon and does a mulititude of surgeries. he says he will be conservative as possible with cutting, and he is not sure if he has to make lateral incisions outside the nipple area until he gets in there and sees the size of the tissue. is this normal? how hard is this surgery overall? any input i will appreciate! i am just nervous because its the military and all........and its free. lol. anyone else with military experience with surgery?

[RyanMace]

If the goal is just to remove it all, I think it's 'fairly' easy for any surgeon. Although, it has to be somewhat esthetical, and that's where their competence is lacking. Remove too much tissue, and you're risking a depression around the operated area (indentions sp?)

[Grandpa Bambu]

my surgery is in 3 weeks. i am having the navy do it, because i am active duty, and they will remove it for free. i have a commmander doing it (0-5)

What does  '(0-5)'  mean?

However, he is a general surgeon and does a mulititude of surgeries. he says he will be conservative as possible with cutting, and he is not sure if he has to make lateral incisions outside the nipple area until he gets in there and sees the size of the tissue. is this normal? how hard is this surgery overall? any input i will appreciate! i am just nervous because its the military and all........and its free. lol. anyone else with military experience with surgery?

I understand how enticing a 'free' procedure would be... but I strongly suggest not getting surgery done by a 'General Surgeon'. GS's usually do not have the skills/experience to perform GRS with good results. Your surgeon 'may' have the skills, but why risk it?

You say that your surgeon 'is not sure' on what he will do? I personally would not feel confident with anyone cutting me open that doesn't know their plan of attack.

The method most often used is the 'Peri-areola' incision. A 3 o'clock - 9 o'clock incision at the bottom of the areola. Incision scars are best camouflaged in this area. 

The surgery looks 'easy', however it is a very technically demanding procedure. Having a highly GRS experienced, board certified PS is key to good results...

Is your surgeon intending to do Lipo as well?



Here are 'before' and 'after' pics of work done by a 'General Surgeon'.... in order to save a few pennies...

Before

After

After

I was told by a third party PS that this was a 'lumpectomy'. The performing surgeon obviously has no GRS skills...

The skill/technique of the surgeon are important factors to obtain 'Satisfactory Results'... 

GB

[tttdone]

so has he never done any gyne reduction surgeries before???!!!!

[Grandpa Bambu]

so has he never done any gyne reduction surgeries before???!!!!

x2...

GB

[AvionicsMarine]

i am going to check on that...how many he has done before, which i know he has done from what he told me. an 0-5 is a rank...it is a commander in the navy, which means he has been in at least 25 years in most cases. i am not having any lipo done, because i have very low body fat and i work out consistantly. it is just the gland i am having removed. he says they just cut down to the surface of the muscle, but not into the muscle, and thats it. he says it only takes about 30 minutes. the reason that i have to go to a general surgeon is because the military is paying for it and i dont really have a choice. i could pay 3000 out of my own pocket, but i dont have that kind of money.

[Paa_Paw]

I have mixed feelings here. Having been an Air Force Medic many years ago, I know that the military Doctors come from the same places that civilian Doctors do. You will find the same qualifications and sometimes the same lack.

I think that the O-5 Rank is the same as an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. (Silver Oak Leaves)

Professionals enter the service at higher grades due to their professional status and length of training. Air Force Doctors were all O-3 (Air Force Captain) or higher for example.

A very strong plus is that there is no financial incentive for a surgeon to try and perform over his head. He will make the same pay regardless of whether he does the surgery himself or refers it to someone else.

Thinking back, I am still very impressed with the quality of treatment in military hospitals.

Reconstructive surgery owes much of its development to Military Surgeons dealing with gross injuries from the battlefields. I am not sure how well that translates into cosmetic surgery however.

[Allhopeaside]

my grandfather and uncle both had theirs done in the service. grant it it was like 30 or so years ago but same deal , free surgery and my dad says that they both had scars across the chest for the rest of thier lives because the surgeons went straight across the nippies. not saying with the advancements in how the procedures are done havent changed, but still something to think about.

[Paa_Paw]

The old surgical methods were rather crude by modern standards, even with a good surgeon. The methods of today have only been in common use for about 20 years, and they keep improving almost on a daily basis. It would not be fair to make a comparison between a surgery performed 30 years ago and one performed now.

30 years ago, Liposuction would have been either unknown or the newest thing. Just look at the many variations of it there are now and how many variants have come and gone..

[AvionicsMarine]

yeah i wouldnt compare the old methods to today. also, i am having my surgery done at balboa hospital in san diego, supposedly one of the top military hospitals in the country. i know alot of marines get re-constructive surgery there also from camp pendleton. i am going to talk to the surgeon one more time before my surgery, and i will ask him how many he has done. the way he talked about it, he made it sound like it was a fairly simple surgery, and said it would take him about 30 minutes. he seemed pretty confident. yes, he has the silver oak leaves whomever was asking. the good thing is that i am not needing any lipo, so he doesnt really have to mess around too much with forming the chest or anything like that. its just a matter of taking the glands and growth out, which is bi-lateral and about a inch to an inch and a half on each side.

[Allhopeaside]

whoa i wasn't comparing the two in any way, my mistake if anyone took it that way. i was merely saying that it is something that needs to be gone over with your surgeon to the letter if hes not so familiar with doing that kind of a surgery and you are still planning on using him as your surgeon.

[The_G0rn]

Go with a plastic surgeon.
Why risk it just to save a few extra dollars?

You always get what you pay for in life

[Grandpa Bambu]

The good thing is that i am not needing any lipo, so he doesnt really have to mess around too much with forming the chest or anything like that. its just a matter of taking the glands and growth out, which is bi-lateral and about a inch to an inch and a half on each side.

However, you mentioned that he said he 'may' have to cut you 'laterally' outside of the areola area. A lateral cut is totally unnecessary dude. A peri-areola cut is all that should be required.

GB

[gynebegone2]

I just wanted to comment on his rank as someone else stated.  Most MD's in the military are commissioned as an O-3.  Their promotions are not based upon military experience but positions available.  Most military MD's resign their commission as an O-3 or O-4.  What always worries be about a higher ranking military doctor, is that unless they are reserve component they most likely have never been private practice. 

Now something you also may not know, that there are rarely legal remedies for malpractice by a military surgeon aside from disability.

In Feres vs. United States the court said military members and their families have no right or ability to sue the military for negligent medical care given to them during their service.

[Grandpa Bambu]

Now something you also may not know, that there are rarely legal remedies for malpractice by a military surgeon aside from disability.

In Feres vs. United States the court said military members and their families have no right or ability to sue the military for negligent medical care given to them during their service.

Is it worth the risk?

GB