After finding this forum and reading other people's mainly positive experiences I finally decided to get my gyne operated. I thought it would be fair to contribute to this site, so here is my experience with Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. I'm currently 2 weeks post-op.
Diagnose10 years ago I had my first consultation with a doctor in Finland (I was ~20 years old that time). My breasts weren't extremely big, but there were clearly small lumps both sides combined with puffy nipples. Doctor suggested me simply to work out more and that was it. Gee, thanks a lot. By then I was 183cm and 75kg so my condition wasn't related of being obese or even fat.
Two years later 2003 I went to another hospital. This time they ran series of test (ultrasound, mammography and took a sample piece with a needle). Yes, you have gynecomastia but since it's only cosmetic problem, we are not willing to operate you. It's anyway harmless. Notice that this was a public hospital and had they agreed to operate me I would have probably ended paying just tens or maximum few hundred euros.
ConsultationFast forward to 2012. My breast hadn't grown any larger over the years but nevertheless they were largely bothering me almost on a daily basis. Since I hadn't got any help from the public side, I decided to start looking for a private hospital with a good reputation in the field of plastic surgery. Partly thanks to this site, I ended up choosing Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok.
Beginning of July I sent an inquiry email to the hospital and got a reply within couple of days. They were running a promotional price offering the operation including 1 night accommodation for 69 000THB (~2000EUR). However, the doctor I had chosen (Dr. Amorn Poomee) had a price tag of 150 000THB (4000EUR) and for a piece of mind I still opted for the latter due to the good feedback he had got from his other patients. Within one week from my first contact I had booked the first consultation with my doctor and the operation tentatively 1 week from the first appointment.
During my first consultation I was shown couple of pictures and explained the procedure. In my case both lipo and gland removal on both sides very necessary. Since I had already got most of the information through this website I didn't have many questions and my consultation was over in approximately 20 minutes and the operation date confirmed in the beginning of August. Before leaving the hospital I had my blood checked.
OperationI returned to Bangkok in the evening 2 days before my operation. I had booked myself a nice hotel for the whole week even though I knew I would be spending one night in the hospital. This however allowed me to leave all my luggage in to my hotel room. I also went ahead and bought fruits, berries, almonds, drinks etc. for couple of days need in case I wouldn't be in condition to go out after my op.
I had opted to have my surgery first thing in the morning in order to avoid anxious waiting for the whole day. I had to check-in to the hospital at 6:00am and the operation was due at 8:00am. This meant waking up early and leaving my hotel shortly after 5:30am. I had packed a small backpack with me containing few books, tab, mp3-player, clothes etc.
I arrived to the hospital around 5:45am (no traffic jams at this hour) and after finding the right door to check-in was lead to my room where I had a chance to leave all my valuables in a safety deposit. Then was the time to change my clothes to the stylish gown. It was probably just 6:15am when I was already laying in the bed in the preparation room. Several nurses visited me asking the standard questions such as when I had eaten the last time, if I have any medical conditions etc. They also checked my blood pressure which was now bit of on the high level. Luckily it wasn't too high to prevent proceeding with the operation. This was first time I have had a case of high blood pressure - weird.
Then the anesthesiologist came over, introduced herself and explained everything to me. She was very nice and took her time chatting with me for a few minutes. Shortly after her my surgeon came over and make the final marking to my chest. I was finally all set.
I suppose it was around 7:30 when they took me to the operation room. This was the first time it really struck to me that I was about to get my moobs done after 10 years of coexist with them. They pushed me to the operation room feet first which I remember laughing to myself - good karma. At least back in home only dead people are transported feet first
It took couple of minutes to put the IV and do the other preparations. During the preparations the nurses made couple of jokes and generally seemed to be in a good mood. At this time my smile was widening. I knew that I only had few short minutes before I would on a sleep and the next thing I would know is my moobs are gone. And this is exactly what happened. Last thing I remember was when I had the mask on and someone was asking me if I can feel anything yet. I managed to reply not yet before I passed out.
Just couple of hours later I woke up feeling all dizzy. I have only few vague memories from my wake up. Basically the next thing I clearly remember is being in my private room and the nurses standing next to me saying the operation went well and my lunch would arrive shortly. If I recall correctly it was only around 11:00 at that time.
I didn't feel any pain, but I couldn't stretch my arms too much. Also my doctor instructed me not to move my arms more than necessary. Somehow my chest felt like I had got a beating, but nothing too bad or unbearable.
For the rest of the day I was just relaxing and the hardest part for me was sleeping on my back since normally I always sleep on my side. Nurses came over every now and then to check that all was good and also to regularly measure my temperature and blood pressure. Now my blood pressure was back to normal too. At some point my doctor visited me to check how I was doing. He repeated what the nurses had told me. Operation had gone well and lasted approximately 1 hour.
On the following day nurse came over to remove the bands and this was the first time I saw the initial results. Looked really great although everything was still swollen and bruised. I had my first shower after the surgery and then nurse helped me to put the vest on and instructed me to wear if 24/7 for 4 weeks.
I was told I would be free to stay until 4pm, but I decided to check-out shortly after lunch. Before I left the hospital I got small bags of antibiotics and pain killers. Finished the antibiotics but didn't need the pain killers due to lack of pain.
The hospital room by the way was very nice with a satellite TV, WIFI, sofa, bathroom etc.
RecoveryDue to my travel plans I booked the post-op check for 5 days from the operation. My stitches were removed and doctor was happy with the healing and how things were looking. Obviously I was feeling the same way.
It is now 2 weeks from my op and I'm extremely happy with the results so far. I'm aware the healing process might become a rollercoaster ride at some point of time. However even if the final results are not going to be 100% perfect I'm certain that in the end my chest will look better than before. After all I had 130/180cc of fat removed and 15/30g of gland.
Currently last bruises are finally fading out. My nipple areas are still quite numb and there are also some swelling. Occasionally when I have twisted my arm in some funny position I have felt minor pain, but besides that I'm almost fully back to normal. I'm planning to start light gym training after 2 more weeks if the healing keeps proceeding well.
The tiny scars under my armpits (for the lipo) are hardly noticeable and I bet after a year or two I can't even find them any more. The curved scars on my nipples are also healing very well and most likely they will also be eventually nearly invisible. My puffy nipples are history too. If my final results look anything like how my chest looks today I can be nothing but exceptional happy.
Based on my experience, I can warmly recommend Bumrungrad hospital and Dr. Amorn Poomee.
If anyone have any questions, feel free to ask.