experiences on nhs???

[bloodygyno]

im a 25 year old, ive had gyno for about ten years now.

After all these years, i finally plucked up the courage to visit my gp today, and to my suprise he didnt ask many questions at all after i took my top off, and said surgery can be done on the nhs and he will refer me to the local breast clinic. the reason i was surprised was because i thought you had to make a long hard case about how its affecting you psychologically, but my gp didnt seem overly bothered about this. He even asked me if i would be willing to have surgery. What an absurd question lol.

Now in peoples past experiences, what were the waiting times like to get surgery on the nhs? how were the experiences at the breast clinic? do they normally just try and fob you off, and ask to do blood tests, ultrasounds etc?  who do i really have to convince that it causes me huge problems in order for the nhs to feel its necessary to get funding for surgery? or is it a very good sign that my gp was so supportive?

[Ricardo7]

Hi there mate.

I too went to my GP and was referred quite easily. This can depend on the GP though, others might not be as understanding. I think it depends on your area, but for me it was a 16 month waiting list and that was only to see a psychologist who would deem whether or not I was (mentally) suitable for surgery.

I ended up saving up the money to go private with Dr Levick. The reason being that it was too long a wait to be told no at the end, it was ruining my life. I'm unsure what your waiting times will be for the breast clinic - hopefully not too long.

Another reason for my decision is that you can't choose your surgeon when getting it done on the NHS. This means there's a chance you may get someone inexperienced in this type of surgery which could potentially mean poor results. When th time comes, ask your surgeon every question you can think of. Keep a notepad and jot down any question that comes into your head. Don't go through with surgery unless you're 100% happy they're competent.

Good luck.

[saints1234]

Hi,
I too got sent by my G.P. to the breast clinic approximately 3 weeks ago, though when i got there i was told i shouldn't have really come to them and should have gone to see the plastic surgeon.
However they did do a scan " took 2 minutes " and confirmed i had gyno, though i knew that because i have suffered for the last 20 years.

Though to be fair they stated they would write to the plastic surgeon and true to their word i got a letter last Friday for an appointment in July. I have no idea what happens next so any information would be really appreciated.

Thanks      

[Nips]

From my experience I would say avoid the NHS. Although it's kind of your GP to refer you, ultimately it's up to the NHS to decide if they're willing to fund your case.

I had an op in 2009 for gyne puffy nipples. To cut a long story short the results were a bit of bulk was taken away (only a mild form of gyne but puffy nips the main issue) which seemed to make the puffy nipple situation enhanced!
After trying to get a revision for a year or so the NHS denied another op with the government cuts etc.

I was a bit of a novice back then I must admit and guess I didn't know my options. If I were you I'd forget the NHS as I doubt whoever does the op is a gyne specialist, probably just a general surgeon. If you go private you can be way more specific on who you choose and make sure they're well experienced with the procedure.

I ended up seeing 4 surgeons in Nottingham/London before deciding who to go with and am happy the NHS denied me the chance of a revision. It's early days post surgery, currently 11 days but one thing I'm sure of is this job is WAY better than the first on the NHS. 

If you decide to go with the NHS make sure you do your research, and as already mentioned above here, ask as many questions as you need to to make sure the surgeon is very gyne experienced.

Best of luck mate

[bloodygyno]

thanks for the response mate. I've been looking around online and of course along with many unhappy nhs patients, some people are happy. I didnt even end up going to my breast clinic appointment, as i convinced myself that i have the money and will just do it privately in poland. it was with a surgeon who specialises in :

Breast and General Surgery

One stop breast care service at both sites,
Dedicated breast diagnostic and management service,
Combined Oncology clinics;
Oncoplastic and surgical breast reconstruction,
General surgery including minor ops and hernia surgery

I think i may have missed a trick as i have already paid my deposit to go private as i would have been meeting a surgeon who specialises in breasts. Im feeling that i really should have gone to see him and find out what he says, he may have been able to do a good job.

[Nips]

how much was your deposit if you don't mind me asking?
Also, how much would the procedure cost in Poland? Once you include travel etc it may not work out all that much cheaper with the downside of not having the clinic close to where you live in case you need post op care.

You could always see the guy on the NHS. Definitely ask to see some before and after photos (which you should ask anywhere you go) for reference and have confirmation he will be doing the procedure himself.

Choice is yours my friend

[bloodygyno]

hi,

the deposit i paid was 300 pounds. the procedure will cost about 1430 pounds in poland. Including all other costs it will be about 1700 pounds.

How long did u find the waiting times with the nhs? also because this guy is a breast surgeon, that doesnt necessarily mean he is an expert with gynecomastia does it?

i have just had an email that there is an available slot in poland on the 4th july. im unsure whether to book that now lol

thanks

[Nips]

Don't rush into anything mate. £300 is a good chunk of cash but if you learnt that the surgeon isn't quite right it's not much to lose when comparing to getting it done somewhere else you are confident with. Saying that it could be the right place to go!

That is cheap I must admit. I've heard of some guys on here getting surgery in Poland too. Have you had a consultation with the clinic in Poland? Met the surgeon and seen pics of his work? Is he very gyne experienced?

The reason I ask is first time round I didn't make sure I knew everything I could about the procedure and differing skills and experience each surgeon can give. It's vital and wouldn't want you to need revision surgery in future; which trust me is a right pain in the arse due to wasted time, recovery process and the amount of head space it'll take up.

First time on the NHS was a few months. Second attempt took forever just to get the final denial answer, hence why I ditched them, although I was considering private anyway.

Not sure about the general breast surgeon, he could/could not be skilled with gyne. In my opinion you really need to meet whoever it is to get a good idea of what they can do. Don't mean to sound pushy but for your sake you need to do everything you can to make sure you did all you could to get the best possible outcome not leaving any boxes unticked!

[thetodd]

Im not a massive advocate of the polish surgery myself, despite what the the europe board looks currently there has been in some pretty poor post op results.

You get what you pay for at the end of the day, and that is poor post op care wherein patients are told to drain fluid themselves which is a pretty careless practice that wouldnt fly in the UK. There have been some good results, and the members of the Europe board are a nice group of lads. Just make sure you get all of there opinions jakeyboy is a good candidate and has had lots of lads ask him questions so he's always clued up.

Good luck with whatever you chose to do, you probably would of got turned away on the NHS anyway.

[Donut]

I know I'm obviously not going to get surgery in time for this summer, possibly even for next... But I've waited this long and for me, personally, having researched this for years, there are only 2 surgeons I would consider...

I speak of Levick and Karidis of course. Neither are cheap, but I have complete faith they are equally the best of the best and have done literally hundreds, if not thousands of these ops and their results are consistently good. The accounts of nursing staff and hospital care seems to be impeccable for both too.

There is no substitute for experience - and I don't want to be chopped about by someone who had only done a few of these procedures, when for the sake of a bit more time and money I can go under the most experienced surgeons who have countless provable and consistent results.

...but each to their own I guess! - no denying that some guys have got very good results in Poland and half the price of the top UK clinics.

I'm going to carry on stuffing my piggy bank!

[mike93]

I couldn't agree more with Donut. I also considered poland with    
Katarzyna Ostrowska-Clark but everything seemed very dodgy. I'm sure she possibly is a very good surgeon but I'd rather stick with Levick/Karidis who are known surgeons with excellent experience. Much safer if anything goes wrong. You get what you pay for.

[bloodygyno]

thanks for the replies guys but they have made me slightly nervous. is dr clark too good to be true?

i guess i'll just have to make a decision, i dont have 3-4grand spare for levick or karidis. its nhs or poland, i think poland is a better route, i can get it done on 4th july. in terms of post op- thats pretty scary knowing things can go wrong and i'll be back in the uk..

[bloodygyno]

I am a little bit overweight, most fat is on my chest and on my stomach. reason being i have been very busy at work and stressed and unable to get to the gym. I need to get surgery asap as I have a break from work, possible date 4th july.

question is, if im a bit above the weight i am happy with and expect to be, as i hope to lose fat after surgery by doing more cardio, will this make it harder to get surgery results which i am happy with?

[Nips]

mate, if you've not met the surgeon, seen any pics of the surgeons work, and feel worried about being in a different country for post op reasons, I think you're rushing into it. Try not to feel like you're on an egg timer here. You really need to be 100% confident with who you choose. This is the rest of your life you're dealing with here so please be careful.

[Nips]

I'm with Mike and Donut here, it's worth saving rather than cutting corners. A few grand undoubtedly is a lot of money in the short time, however, over a life span it isn't that much when compared with the benefits you could get from high quality surgeons in the UK.