Been offered Masectomy on NHS.Any advice PLEASE!

[dave2009]

Hi guys, I'm new here. I'm 34 years old.

I have suffered with moobs for years. Over the last 6 years I've been to the GP's on 6 occasions to request a referral.

On each visit they have taken me seriously, firstly they told me to lose weight which I did - lost 3 stone in 2 years. But the moobs are even bigger. Here are some photos, I'd be interested on any comments, thanks...

Front view:
http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad312/ddaavviidd31/FIMAG0025-1.jpg
Side view:
http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad312/ddaavviidd31/SIMAG0028.jpg


Each GP admitted to me having gynocamastia and offered to do a letter to a private hospital, but I can't afford £2K+

I thought I'd give it a final shot and he finally agreed to refer me to the male breast clinic at my local NHS hospital.

I had blood tests/mamogram-hormones etc-all fine. He said I had "Pseudo gynacamastia" where there is a little breast tissue but mostly fat. As weight loss doesn't work, he recommended lipsuction, but again this is not available on the NHS. He then said he could do a masectomy but scared me with all the potential side effects...ie black nipples which may need removal...indents to the chest....big scars....haematoma etc etc etc.

I felt almost elated to be finally offered the surgery and signed the consent form, BUT I am unsure now as don't want an even worse result as he is a breast surgeon and not a plastic one and won't be using lipo at all.

If there is anyone out there who could offer ANY advice I'd be SO grateful. I used to swim, I love the beach but as the moobs have grown I don't take my top off and hate wearing t shirts as they really show though. I like to look after myself and like nice clothes etc and I don't mean to sound vein, but these damn things really bother me. I will reply to each response. MANY THANKS. Dave

[fluffy_tits]

If i was you i would take that pic of your face off here!!

I mean i don't know what to really say cause you want the surgery but don't want what comes with surgery.  You gon have to pick one...if you scared of how it's going to come out keep your moobs !!  I just wanted to look normal in a damn t-shirt i didn't care about the other bs.




Fluffy( o )v( o )...

[johnny125]

If it sounds like the surgeon doesn't have much confidence in a good outcome, I would pass. I'd rather stay with the gyne than take a chance of coming out worse than I went in.

And your gyne is not all that bad anyway. My boobs are bigger than yours and I live with it with no problem.

[balalayka]

Dave, if I were you I would hold off and try to save up for plastic surgery. Your case is simply treatable by liposuction and you'll only have two small incisions and perhaps a small scar round the areola. Sounds like you're going to have big time scarring if you go with this procedure.

[dave2009]

Many thanks for your replies, I really appreciate your time in writing.

Fluffy, wow, your outcome was great, I saw your pics, fantastic! I know what you mean about the T shirt!

Thankyou also Johnny and balalayka.

Yes, the surgeon didn't exactly fill me with confidence. He was a nice enough guy but when I asked questions it was like I was bothering him.

I almost felt guilty for being there as I know they are mainly for female cancer patients which I fully understand, but this has and is a problem for me and I've always worked full time to pay my NI and taxes from the age of 16 and never claimed anything, so don't feel I should not be entitled to a decent job done.

I read on here yesterday about a guy who had a masectomy and his story is frightening.

I think I may have to save and get a second opinion. My mate had her boob job done by Mr. Levick, I think it was in Birmingham, UK and can't praise him enough. Just wish it wasn't SO expensive!

Please, any one else with advice, or has had a masectomy, I would be very grateful.

Kind regards.

[fluffy_tits]

Many thanks for your replies, I really appreciate your time in writing.

Fluffy, wow, your outcome was great, I saw your pics, fantastic! I know what you mean about the T shirt!

Thankyou also Johnny and balalayka.

Yes, the surgeon didn't exactly fill me with confidence. He was a nice enough guy but when I asked questions it was like I was bothering him.

I almost felt guilty for being there as I know they are mainly for female cancer patients which I fully understand, but this has and is a problem for me and I've always worked full time to pay my NI and taxes from the age of 16 and never claimed anything, so don't feel I should not be entitled to a decent job done.

I read on here yesterday about a guy who had a masectomy and his story is frightening.

I think I may have to save and get a second opinion. My mate had her boob job done by Mr. Levick, I think it was in Birmingham, UK and can't praise him enough. Just wish it wasn't SO expensive!

Please, any one else with advice, or has had a masectomy, I would be very grateful.

Kind regards.

thanks man!!  




Fluffy( o )v( o )...

[headheldhigh01]

I read on here yesterday about a guy who had a masectomy and his story is frightening.

you could probably find a horror story for any kind of operation.  i would worry a lot more about NOT having excision done, so many people have come back here really unhappy with lipo only.  it does NOT get all the gland, maybe not even close, it just sucks out fat, and you won't like it.  a competent gyne-experience ps will give you much better odds than whatever story you read, which i suspect was probably by a general surgeon, and will also keep the excision option open under any circumstance.  they usually hide a small scar extremely well on the edge of the areola, it's a fairly routine thing, and the ps will have a better sense of what options to use.  i strongly advise NOT to do lipo only, and anyone who suggests it probably does not know his stuff.  

[jsboob]

Many thanks for your replies, I really appreciate your time in writing.

Fluffy, wow, your outcome was great, I saw your pics, fantastic! I know what you mean about the T shirt!

Thankyou also Johnny and balalayka.

Yes, the surgeon didn't exactly fill me with confidence. He was a nice enough guy but when I asked questions it was like I was bothering him.

I almost felt guilty for being there as I know they are mainly for female cancer patients which I fully understand, but this has and is a problem for me and I've always worked full time to pay my NI and taxes from the age of 16 and never claimed anything, so don't feel I should not be entitled to a decent job done.

I read on here yesterday about a guy who had a masectomy and his story is frightening.

I think I may have to save and get a second opinion. My mate had her boob job done by Mr. Levick, I think it was in Birmingham, UK and can't praise him enough. Just wish it wasn't SO expensive!

Please, any one else with advice, or has had a masectomy, I would be very grateful.

Kind regards.

very much a postcode lottery in UK. Some health authorities will class gyne as cosmetic & so will not provide funding for surgery. others will offer all kinds of things from circumcision to full SRS!
sadly even some potentially life saving drugs are only available in certain regions.

[thetodd]

mate the last picture youve posted is wrong, its a pic of your face id change it if i was id imagine theres a lot of lurkers on this forum

Leave that surgeon in the dust, say that you want a second opinion! And book in at a gyne friendley NHS Clinic. You dont have to go to your local hospital, you can choose anywhere in the country! If you can save up go with karidis/levick if the NHS is your only option and youve gotta be patient and kick up a fuss really

Good luck!

[dave2009]

Thanks guys for further advice. Really appreciate it.

Thetodd, I've taken your advice mate and removed the pic of my face!! Not sure what a 'lurker' does but don't like the sound of it. LOL.

I am getting a second opinion tomorrow so will make my final decision then. Todd, you're right, I need a gyno friendly surgeon and he even suggested losing more weight, and it is a common fact that losing weight won't get rid of the moobs. In fact, after losing 3 stone they've got bigger.

I found an interesting link from an NHS website about common problems of masectomy for men and it ain't pretty...

http://www.rcsed.ac.uk/journal/vol43_2/4320032.htm

I've also ordered a compression vest from Amazon so will see how that goesm with all the Christmas do's coming up etc, it'd be nice to not have to wear a jacket with a slim fitting shirt for once.

Thanks again all, this is such a useful and helpful forum.

[dave2009]

...ps the todd, I've just checked out your after surgery pics as your gyno was very similar to mine. The result is really awesome, the best I have ever seen. Totally flat. So wish I could get a result like that!

[D24]

Don't want to go against what others have said but essentially a mastectomy is the medical name for removal of breast tissue and that's why on the N.H.S it's listed as a mastectomy. I understand that it's the aesthetic side of things we want but any surgeon has to inform you of any possible complications. When i had lipo only performed on th N.H.S there was a list of about 6 or 7 complications explained to me. The concern really is is the surgeon confident in this procedure and how much experiance of it does he have. The fact they've confirmed you have mainly fatty tissue and wont perform lipo seems a bit odd tho.

[dave2009]

Hi, thanks for that.

I had a second opinion yesterday at a private hospital.

He confirmed that I have a grade two gyno, and in his opinion lipo would not do the job fully.

He suggested I would need the masectomy and it would be 4 and a half grand.

I've made further inquiries of the surgeon on the NHS, and appears to have a good reputation. My GP states, in his opinion I've been put off by all the potential side effects which, ofcourse the surgeon has to inform me of.

So! I've decided to go for it. When I look in the mirror, scars are nothing compared to the wobbly moobs I so hate! I got a compression top, which wasn't cheap and is a bit rubbish really, just presses it all together so looks like big lumps and is very tight and uncomfortable!

I'm booked in for early Jan' so will post photos of the before and after. Am anxious about it, especially the general anaesthetic, as never had one before, but feel it will be worth it for even a slightly flatter chest.

Thanks again you all for your reples. Much appreciated.

[wannabemassive]

Hey dave

Go buy some bio oil to massage into your chest after op and dermatrix from boots for the scar its about £30.

Wannabemassive

TRAIN HARD LIVE LONG

[jsboob]

quote:
"In medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men"