Bloody NHS

[daveyboy]

ok so I saw my doc a year ago, he referred me to a surgeon, the wrong one, then got teh right one, he referred me, got a test done (this took NINE months) and he tells me its just because I'm fat,

now I am 15 stone, 6 foot 2 though and go to the gym, but I've had this since I was a skinny, weedy 15 year old, so I go back to my doc and ask for cosmetic surgery and he tells me the nhs won't do it, great eh?

so ok, now I need to raise some cash to get it done soon as I'm getting married next year and I've just had a caribbean 3 week break and wasn't keen at getting my top off at all, in fact I hated it,

so guys.....where's the best place to do it? best surgeon? is it worth going abroad like the guy in prague? how soon can I get it done when I have the cash?

I'm pretty upset here and angry, any response would be great, thanks.

[phantom]

Hello Daveyboy

Firstly, gynaecomastia is not purely about excess fat and losing weight.  I have lost four stones in two years.  I was 21stones, now 17.  I have a photo of me at my heaviest and now have one at my current weight.  Not surprisingly, the only place on my body where there is no change whatsoever is on my chest.

You are entitled to a second opinion.  I would suggest you seek out a female GP who might have more empathy.  Rather than going in saying "I don't like my chest, I want it lipoed out on the NHS" explain to your GP how this condition is limiting your life, how you have adopted avoidance behaviours  such as never taking your shirt off on holiday or hot weather, that you buy specific  baggy clothes that are dark or black in colour to 'hide' shadows that your 'breasts' create.

The crook of this condition is the the psychological impact it has on your day to day life, that not a single day goes by where you don't think about how you look and how it impacts you life and relationships with both men and women.

Was you referred to a specialist, such as an endocrinologist by your first GP?  What was the outcome?

I am 6ft4ins tall, so with you being 15st at 6ft2ins, that sounds like a reasonable weight for your height.  Don't be fobbed off with official height/weight charts.  If I was my maximum weight of 14st as that chart says I should be, I'd look like a bean-pole!  Any reasonable GP would only ever use those charts as a rough guide.

As for which surgeon?  I can only suggest one that you are comfortable with.  I am going to see Mr Levick, a consultant in Birmingham.  Loads of guys on this forum have used him.  I am particularly interested in him because he does quite a lot of research in gynae and obesity.  He also suffered with gynae himself once, until he had surgery, so he will have massive empathy for his patients.

With something as significant as this condition and having surgery, even though it can be expensive in the UK, getting the right surgeon has to override the consideration of cost.

Hope that helps a little.  Best of luck.

[irish_dude]

ok so I saw my doc a year ago, he referred me to a surgeon, the wrong one, then got teh right one, he referred me, got a test done (this took NINE months) and he tells me its just because I'm fat,

It always amazes me how little some so-called medical professionals actually know.

Gyne is a combination of fat and/or gland tissue. I've seen lots of pics on here. Some guys were quite skinny, but were obvious glandular cases, others (like me) were a combination.

As far as I can see, it's really pot luck with the UK NHS.

Personally, I don't have any regrets spending 3655 pounds. You'd probably spend far more on a car for a few years.

This is life-changing stuff we're talking about here. Although it seems like a lot of money, it's not an impossible or outrageous amount for a lot of us.