please help

[marcus28]

you could call this begging but i dont know any one else to turn too,i went to my gp last friday to explain my problem about my breast the last 15 years,and basicaly he laughed in my face and said there is nothing he could do himself or nhs even though he agreed i had a bad case of gyne,just found this site and notice dr levics name and cost was the best option of fealing normal agin ,ibelive ther is someone out there who would not miss the money if the could help me out this could be my last hope if there is please reply so i can talk to someone at last without them laughing thanks mark

[phantom]

Hello Mark

Did your GP really laugh in your face?  Or was that just a metaphorical description?  Admittedly, many GPs are very ignorant on the psychological effects of gynaecomastia, but your GP does have a duty of care for you.  If you have come away from your GP feeling 'untreated', and clearly you have then I suggest you go back and ask to see a different GP for another opinion - which you are entitled to.

First off, if you GP agrees you have gynaecomastia (and you have already said that he thinks you 'have a bad case', then ask to be referred to an Endocrinologist (hormone specialist) who can run a few tests to see if there is possibly an underlying hormonal cause.  Aside from that, there is obviously a psychological 'side effect' of your gynaecomastia.  Explain to you GP how this impacts your everyday life.  Do you wear certain clothing and darker clothing to hide your breasts?  Do you walk around with your arms folded and your shoulders forward to disguise your chest?  Do you avoid going swimming or taking your top off in public at all costs?

One you can demonstrate just how much this condition affects your everyday life, you are in with a better chance for referral to an NHS surgeon for a male chest reduction procedure.

There are disadvantages and advantages with going private.  The obvious disadvantage is cost, anything up to £4,000 in the UK.  Although you can get it done for less than half that in other places in Europe such as Poland or the Czech Republic.

You give no indication of your age or status.  I know of one guy, a 20 year old student that did a couple of nights bar work a week and saved every penny for 18 months before he nipped off to a clinic in Europe to get the job done.  Given that even if you did go NHS, it would probably be at least a year before you found yourself on the operating table!

The big advantage of going private is that you get to choose who does the operation and when.

Like you, I only know too well how much this condition really torments your life.  But remember, gynaecomastia is just one part of our lives and it's easy to credit it with being a much bigger deal than it actually is.  Surgery to treat gynaecomastia - for me at least, did not make me a happier person, it just served to take away a layer of sadness.

I could have gone for surgery two years ago (when I had saved up enough money).  But first off I wanted to lose weight to prove to myself it was not weight related but also to give me plenty of time to really think about this important and life changing step.  It gave me time to really think about the consequences and also to research the disease as well as look into plastic surgeons.

Having any kind of surgery should never be taken for granted or just walked into blindly.  If you have only recently decided to go for surgery, then in my opinion need to give significant time to really think about some the things I have mentioned.  But hopefully I have given you some direction in planning your surgery, even if you don't have the means to have it right now.

Best wishes.

[marcus28]

thanks for your reply yes he did laugh in my face as soon as i took my top off,i tryed to explain how i have felt over the years but the whole situation has knocked what confidence i had , i also had blood /hormone test a while back to no help, i know what ive got andknow who can help after all these years,but like many others i cant afford the only the thing that makes me feel diffrent

[phantom]

I read your other thread in the gynaecomastia chat forum.  A response there said how persistence can and does work.

You will need to go and get a second opinion.  You will need to give good reasons as to how this condition is affecting your life as I mentioned in my first response.  You will need to expect to get knocked back at every level and be ready to come back and try again.  And again.  Unfortunately, treatment for gynaecomastia is not given the same priority as other conditions which is why you have to be persistent.  If you walk away here, no one is going to come back to you.

Your other option is to save money for surgery.  If you were to save £25/week from part time work, you could afford the surgery in less than two years.  It could take that long to get surgery on the NHS.  Are you in a position to work a second part-time job to earn the extra income?

If you don't want to wait and save or go via the NHS, is taking a loan an option?

Ultimately, you can play this how you want, NHS or private.  It all comes down to how determined you are.

It's my guess that you are very unlikely to get some generous guy on here chucking a few grand your way - especially based on such limited information you have provided.  And so far, it appears the extent of you trying to get surgery by other means mentioned have by far, not been exhausted.

[outertrial]

Doesnt sound like the gp was much good. Go and see another one, you have to be persistent.

[marcus28]

saw diffent doctor today ,what a diffrence,his reffering me to addenbrooks,hospital,thanks to all of you ,ill keep you posted

[phantom]

That's excellent news

Do you know which department your GP is referring you to?  Is to to Endocrinology (hormones) for a few tests or to a surgeon to assess you for surgery?

[marcus28]

hi phantom
i had blood test today but already had them before so know theres no problem doctor said he will refer me to a surgeon as he belives me in respect how much its f****d up the last 15 years
thanks your replys have been very helpful

[phantom]

A surgeon.  That is good news.  He or she will now make the final decision as to whether they think you would benefit from surgery - so you are not home and dry yet.

Once again, make sure they are aware of just how badly this condition makes you suffer on a daily basis as mentioned in other posts.   Let us know when you have your appointment with your surgeon and of course a surgery date - hoping you get one.  In the event that you reach sticking points with progression to surgery, come back here and let us know so we can support you through it.

Best wishes.

[marcus28]

hi
i dont know if i cant wait for nhs so thinking of getting loan,and going to mr levick,can you tell me
how long after can you take your top of without any noticeing youv,e had surgery
where dose mr levick cut
dose he move the nipple
realistic healing time
has any one had a bad experience with mr levick

[Robin_G]

With Mr L he makes his incisions quite discreetly under the armpit, and from what I gather from others on here they heal quite well

Only a few centimeters on either side anyway

I'm about 11 days post-op and can't see me being able to take my top off for a bit without drawing attention, but thats more to do with the bruising than any scars

Some seem to have lost the bruises a lot quicker though so don't think there are any hard and fast rules

I'd take the cautious line and assume it would be at least a couple of months, bearing in mind that you have bandages and then a compression vest for the first month anyway

[phantom]

Healing time greatly differs from one person to another.  All my bruising was gone within ten days.  For Robin, his are taking longer.

Aside from bruising, the skin, fat and scar tissues can take several months before fully recovering - anything up to a year.  But as a general rule of thumb, I think most guys can expect up to 80% healing by three months, 90% by six months and the rest between 9 and 12 months.

I am almost three weeks post-op and am happy to go to the gym, get changed and shower without feeling as if people are looking.  Already I am significantly 'improved' compared to before surgery.  I will be posting a set of before and after pics on my thread "Surgery with Mr Levick" at week four, around the 18 of February, bookmark this link and look out for my update around that time:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/cgi-bin/gyne_yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=8;action=display;num=1137860278

The incision points Mr Levick made (next to the armpit) are already virtually invisible on me.  But scar tissue can be more obvious on some people compared to others.  However, it seems the vast majority of guys, whether incisions are at the armpit or areola (around the nipple) don't have obvious scarring within a few months.

As for bad experiences with Mr Levick.  I am not aware of any 'botch' jobs he has done.  If you read some of the older threads by patients of Mr Levick you will find that some peoples' expectations have not been fully met.  This is not necessarily down to Mr Levick's skills.  He can only sculpt what he thinks to be the right amount of tissue removal from the right area.  His perception of what to expect might be a little different from your own.

A couple of things that swayed me to Mr Levick what the overall satisfaction people report about him - and I think many of the before and after pics of his patients (on this website) range from good to excellent.

The other thing in his favour is his surgery guarantee.  You pay a one off fee.  That fee includes all treatment and consultations for up to a year.  If further work is required, such as revision surgery (to improve upon the first surgery) then there is no further charges.

The only separate fee with Mr Levick is his initial consultation fee (£80).  Almost all Plastic Surgeons charge a similar amount for this.  It might sound pricey, but then they want to ensure that the kind of people that's going to be taking out an hour of their time are serious about making a decision for surgery.

I could have gone NHS but ultimately I wanted to use a surgeon with good experience of this procedure.  I wanted to be able to have the surgery when I wanted it and know I could easily go back if I had any outstanding  or unresolved issues.

[marcus28]

thanks mate im sure youve heard this before but i wish i,d spoke to you about 8 years ago
ive decided to go to mr levicks for the op in september when/how long before would i have to phone to make this possible ,is it just a case of phoning and bookig a consultation

[phantom]

You can contact Mr Levick's secretary (usually Mrs Levick) here:

http://www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/yourconsultant.cfm?consultantid=3265

It's no different or any more scary than booking to see your own GP.  You should be able to get an appointment for the initial consultation within a week or two.  If you wanted the surgery sooner rather than later, you could have it done within four to six weeks.  But if you wanted later in the year, you could book anytime according to his availability.