Hello all,
I haven't had my surgery yet, but I'll be updating this thread periodically to hopefully help others who are thinking about going under the knife.
I'm 25 now, and I've had this condition since I was 11 years old. To say it has affected my life would be an understatement. I'm like many of you on this forum: I was bullied, I avoided form-fitting clothing, change rooms, and situations when being shirtless was necessary.
I posted pictures of my chest on this forum last week to get an unofficial verification of what I had always feared; I was told that it looked like I had gynecomastia. I contacted a number of surgeons in my city (Ottawa), and was quoted prices well above what I expected to pay. What I learned later on is that private practices will not accept Ontario health insurance (OHIP) to get the gland removed.
After doing lots of reading on this site, I found that Dr. Fielding, a surgeon based in Toronto, did not charge for the gland excision, making the surgery affordable. I booked a consultation and decided to take a day trip to Toronto on Monday.
Once there, I was greeted by his extremely nice secretary and office manager. It was interesting to see a number of other young men who were also there to talk to Dr. Fielding. After a while, I was called in by the doctor himself. We chatted a bit about things completely unrelated to why I was there, making me feel comfortable. Finally, it came time to take my shirt off. This was extremely hard for me since only two people have seen me completely shirtless in the last decade. Dr. Fielding was understanding, but he also made sure to let me know that he wasn't there to judge and that he had seen hundreds of guys with the same condition.
He explained that the procedure would be relatively straightforward. The glands will be removed and surrounding fat cells extracted via liposuction. However, because of some loose skin, he would have to draw some fat out near the collarbone in order for the skin to tighten. All told, the total bill came to $3,000, which is half the cost of the cheapest option in Ottawa. Even considering travel and lodging costs, I'll have saved thousands of dollars. While the amount is still a rather steep investment for a young person, being diligent with my money over the last few years has really helped take the sting off.
My surgery is scheduled towards the end of January. Until then, I'll be eating even better than I have in the last year while also working out to keep my body healthy for the trauma it's about to undergo. If there are any questions, I'll be happy to answer as well as I can. I hope you found this informative!
Topic: Surgery with Dr. Fielding - Toronto (Read 3764 times)
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