Gyne on the NHS......

[30yrold]

Hi

I had a meeting with an NHS plastic surgeon a few days back, who also practises privately.

I was referred to him by my endocrinologist.

The first thing he said was he doesn't like doing this procedure as it was virtually impossible to get results that the patient would be happy with......But he could make it look a bit better, and if I wasn't paying for it then maybe it wouldn't be so bad!!!

AARGHH!! I waited three months for that appointment. 

Now I'm thinking of just calling it an investment in my future, saying to hell with trying to get it for free (Mine is due to a medical condition) and going to someone who specialises in it, will relieve me very quickly of a small fortune, and you never know.......I might be able to enjoy my first summer for many many years!! 

Unless........ I can secure funding from the NHS, and then go on the hunt for a specialist in this type of surgery.....then wait for a consultation..............then find out he's crap too......then wait for another consultation........then wait for another year for the actual moob reduction because there's more deserving ops to be performed first.......F**K it.

I might have been run over by a bus by then.

Hopefully.

Joke...... it will never get the better of me to that extent!!! 

A quick note to the purse string holders of the NHS

 : A man with breast is a very deserving candidate for NHS Funding.

At least women are supposed to have them, yet there isn't a public outcry at a waste of Funds when a woman has a reduction because her bra cuts into her back, or her pendulous mammaries chafe her upper abdomen, or she gets backache!!. (lighthearted rant, I know they are still very deserving cases... just not as deserving, in many instances, as a man being destroyed psychologically..which gets overlooked.)

In a world obsessed with sexuality, and breasts being top of the list of obsessions!!! Try living with them when you're.................. A BLOKE !!!!!!!!!!!!   

[Time_to_fix_it]

That just about sums up the feelings of many of us who have tried the NHS route.  However there are people on here who have used the NHS and have been very happy with the results.  If they don't pick up on your thread then maybe consider opening a new one asking for help from happy NHS patients?  They might be able to give you the name of the surgeon they had.  Armed with that you can beat your GP and local NHS trust around the head until they send you to see him or her.

As for the ranting and raving .. keep it up .. it always makes me feel better when I do it.

[headheldhigh01]

if you don't trust the nhs guy to do it right, and for all the patients who are picky he's still given you good reason to be concerned, the nhs may not be the way to go. 

[30yrold]

Next step is to secure funding so at least I know thats done, and then search for one that does it often within the catchment area that my funding covers.

All takes time when all you want to do is get them lopped off, and the expensive route then seems so appealing!!

[Time_to_fix_it]

NHS = National Health Service.

It's the free health service run in the United Kingdom, paid for by public taxes.  It's not perfect and it has it's shortcomings.

 

[man-chest-r]

Hi 30yrold, I saw someone privately who was also an NHS surgeon, and his spiel wasn't that different to what yours said (it was in the NW of England). I still went ahead, I need some revision now but it hasn't come as a shock that that is the case.

It is hard to say, but it may be the PS was trying to be honest. If you read widely on these boards it is true that there isn't the one-off its all cured op for some guys...  Still worth doing though.

I wonder too, whether there is some psychological game playing going on, by NHS PS's in general a test of resolve and of how serious it is as a concern?

[30yrold]

Hi

You're right he was being honest and much respect to him for that. It's just that I waited so long for the appointment and it's so frustrating putting your life on hold all the time.

I have the diffuse type where its very soft and bouncy and covers the full area, and the PS said that he'd go in thro' the areola and would only be able to realistically excise about 3 inches in diameter all round from the nipple. Would this look ok? Would it look ok in a t-shirt if it's not pointed like it is at the moment?

He also said he doesn't do liposuction!!! And he would excise some of the gland only.

[man-chest-r]

Hi, OK, well, the thing about not doing lipo and excising only some of the gland is beyond my understanding of what is required, and certainly something I would seek advice from the good people on this board, eg hypo if he is reading this. It certainly seems a bit odd to me....

[30yrold]

Hi

Yeah, i'm going to look into various possibilities.

I can't see the point in having it done by someone who's not especially good just because its free - only to be unhappy with the result, and have to go back and pay for it at a later date and go tho' it all again.

[realist85]

Honestly, when you consider all the ridiculous shit that gyne makes you go through, and the emotional and psychological costs of gyne, why not just go to the best and think of it, as you said, as an investment in the future?

Work a few extra hours. Don't eat out as much. Miss the movies. Skip your next vacation. Cut corners on your lifestyle. The short term (even for a year or two) sacrifice is worth a solid surgeon.

[30yrold]

Realist

Exactly my thoughts.

It's stopping me doing so much - I could get the surgery done now privately and have paid off most of it by the time I would be going in for the op on the NHS!!!!

[gynehater]

I first developed gynecomastia when I was eleven and it ruined my life. I met with many doctors and they all told me it would go away. Unfortunately it never did. I am now 20 yrs old and about a week ago I decided to see a plastic surgeon and ask him what he thought. He told me me that it was very unlikely that my gynecomastia would go away on its own and the only option was surgery. After having gynecomastia and suffering for almost 10 years i figured i had nothing to lose. That very day I decided to schedule a date for surgery and he said he could do it at the end of the week which was yesterday. I was put under general anesthesia and before I knew it I was awake with a new chest. Today just a day later, It seems so surreal that all my pain and suffering is gone. I feel so happy and confident knowing that I dont have to live with this disease that has taken so much away from me. If you are suffering from gynecomastia, i cant even begin to tell you how much surgery will change your life. Dont waist your time trying to lose it by exercising or by taking herbal 'remedies" because me and thousands of people have tried them and they dont work. If you truly want to get rid of your gynecomastia, see a plastic surgeon. For anyone who lives in the seattle area, i got my surgery done by doctor david f pratt and i couldnt have asked for a nicer, more dedicated doctor. He is highly experienced and gynecomastia surgery seems like a walk in the park for him. Furthermore, the staff are extremely nice and gave me five star treatment. Whether you guys are able to see dr pratt or not, i 100% believe you should see a plastic surgeon.
If you need more information about my surgery experience let me know.

[gynehater]

give me a couple more weeks to heal and ill post some before and after pictures and maybe convince you guys to get surgery as soon as possible!

[30yrold]

Gynehater

Nice to hear of a happy outcome. I can imagine how you're feeling.

I will have it done, and I expect it to be life changing when I do, as I don't do much at the moment due to it. And the thought of another summer like it really seems unbearable.

Keep us posted.

[outertrial]

"I have the diffuse type where its very soft and bouncy and covers the full area, and the PS said that he'd go in thro' the areola and would only be able to realistically excise about 3 inches in diameter all round from the nipple. Would this look ok? Would it look ok in a t-shirt if it's not pointed like it is at the moment?"

Bro, that guy does not sound like he knows at all what he's doing. If a private surgeon said that to you youd never go with them right?