Consult with Fielding

[Achilles]

So I had my consultation with Dr. Fielding yesterday.  I'm from Ottawa so I took the train at 6am and got there at about 10:15am.  My consult wasn't until 4:45 but I was told to go in at 12:30 and they'd try to fit me in.  So as soon as we arrived in Toronto my mom's friend picked us up and we went straight to the area around Dr. Fielding's office, we shopped around and had breakfast and then went to his office, they were closed for lunch at 12:30, so we came back for 1.

When we got back to his office at 1 there was another elderly gentlemen waiting too.  We went in, filled out the papers and I eneded up being the first one to see Dr. Fielding.  He was really cool and we talked about my history with gynecomastia and other health issues and he talked about the procedure, how he does it, etc.  He said that he does the lipo from the side of the chest, under the armpit area and excision through the nipple.

He took a look at my chest, measured it and felt around and he said that there's both gland and fat (unlike the previous PS, Dr. Silverman, who said there was only fat).  I asked him about what the other doctor said and he said that if he didn't take out any gland, the nipples would remain puffy and my chest would have a bump sticking out.  I didn't think that I had one side bigger than the other, but he said that the left side was slightly bigger than the right.

He said that he does this procedure over 100 times/year, which is amazing and my mom thought he was great.  He said his fee was just under 1200 for students (I don't know if it has gone up from 1070, but I don't really care).  So I called his office back this morning and booked my surgery date for January 4th, 2006.  I wanted to do it between xmas and new years but they are closed then and might be closed on the 4th as well (so the 11th, the following week, is the back up date I have).  They arew currently booking for mid-november, for those that may want to know.

And since I am coming from Ottawa, he said that they would prefer to keep me overnight after the procedure to make sure everything goes well, and that I don't need to go back to get the stitches removed since he uses the one's that disolve on their own.

All I have to do now is talk to my oncologist and make sure that there's no problem with getting this done (my mom wanted me to wait until I passed the 5 years remission point of my cancer, but I don't/can't wait another 2 years and the PS's have said that there shouldn't be a problem.

I'm relieved to have had this consultation with Dr. Fielding and can't wait to go back and see him in January to takle care of this f'in gyne.

[theprick]

Sweet deal.  I have surgery with him tomorrow at 2:00.  I'll let you know how it goes.  From what I hear it is a breeze.

[Achilles]

Good luck with the op!  I'm not worried about it at all, I can't wait to get it done!

If you can, take some before and after pictures.  Keep us posted....

[fourrings]

Hey Achilles,

Good to see they got you in on time.  Glad to hear that your cancer is in remission.  What an awful thing to go through at such a young age...

I must say that I was worried when Silverman said that you didn't have any gland to excise.  Just goes to reinforce my confidence with Fielding.  Speaking of which, I just sent my money order to him today.  1 step closer!

Almost 1 month to go!  Can't wait!

[Achilles]

Thanks Fourrings... it was great that they took me in first too! and Fielding is a really cool person in general.

That's one thing that bothered me about my consult with Silverman, the fact that he said there was no gland.  I've seen and compared myself to a bunch of people on these boards and my case is similar to many of them and most or all of them had gland.  Dr. Fielding also said that there is always gland, might be a bit or a lot, but it's always there and you'll get the best results if it's taken out.

I booked my surgery date today so I'm just waiting to receive all the stuff in the mail and have everything confirmed.

[Achilles]

Another thing I forgot to add is that both Silverman and Fielding said that they didn't believe I needed to get my hormones checked since it's a pubertal gyne but I'm probably gonna get it done anyways since I'm going to see my oncologist in a couple of months and I'll ask to have my hormones checked when they do the blood test.

[fourrings]

Achilles,

What date did you end up with?  I called an Endo here in Ottawa but I need a referal.  Maybe I'll ask Fielding if he'll refer me after the surgery.  I know I should check it out but Fielding told me it was pubertal gyne too...

[Achilles]

My surgery date is booked for the 4th of January.   I'm not going to an actual endo, I'm going to see my oncologist (cancer doctor) and I'll ask him to check my hormones when they do my blood test.  Maybe you should ask your doctor for a referal, and do it before the surgery, just so that you can be confident that it is pubertal.

[FB]

I'm not knocking Fielding one bit..I had surgery with him as well....but if he doesn't say you have gland then you're not getting the surgery done with most of it covered by OHIP.  Remember, the whole gland removal part is covered by OHIP...which leaves the lipo part 100% billable to Fielding

[Achilles]

FB, he did say that there was gland, it's Silverman that said i didn't have any.  Fielding says that there's always a bit of gland there and that if it's not removed the procedure would not be a complete success (as there would be a "bump" left from the nipple).

[Achilles]

For those that have had the procedure done by Fielding, how have the scars on the side of the chest healed up?  The one's he makes to do the lipo from, how noticeable are they?

[Creek]

I still have the scabs covering the wounds, so I can't give you a complete answer- but from what I'm seeing, the lipo wounds are insignificant. They're so small (like 2 centemeters)  that they don't even require stiches, so it would be on par with getting cut shaving. These will heal up in no time, in fact, you'll probably have worse wounds from the sores caused by the friction of the bandages (by the way, I checked my back out today and I have a patches of abrasions caused by the tensor raps- they actually hurt more than the surgery wounds but just rub some polysporin on them and they'll be fine).
As for the incission marks, they're right around the nipple, and from what I can see so far (still scabby) they'll blend right into the areola.

[Grandpa Bambu]

For those that have had the procedure done by Fielding, how have the scars on the side of the chest healed up?  The one's he makes to do the lipo from, how noticeable are they?

The Lipo incisions are almost undectectable once healed...  

John.

[Achilles]

I'm looking into possibly getting one or two compression vest from underworks, but still not sure.  Once the foam pads are off, does Fielding provide/suggests anything beside the tensor bandage (I don't remember what he said when I saw him a couple months ago)?  And which one would you guys recommend between the following models: 990 (single layer)  980 (double layer), 983 (goes down about halfway of the stomach), 993 (has the diamond shape on the stomach area) and 997?

I'm thinking I'd want the 980 or 990, because it looks like they have velcro to attach the vest, and I keep on reading how hard it is to put the regular vests on, the one's without velcro.  Also, for the vests that go midway to the stomach, are they uncomfortable?  Is it more comfortable to have one that's long like a regular shirt,  or is there no difference?

Thanks

[Raven]

My honest advice, save your money, you don't need that stuff.
I used a $2.99 brown tensor wrap from the pharmacy and it was all I needed.
But it's your call.