Consulting a GP first

[summerscoming]

Hi guys,
I've had Gynecomastia for the past 20ish years and untill recently I didnt know what it was...all those summers of wearing tops that high my embarassing chest.

I've read though these boards and seen the results of Mr Levicks work and now have the money to get visit him to have corrective surgery.

One thing though, Is it essentail that I visit my GP first? I have spoken about this briefly with a Dr that I have worked with and he said yes you shoul see him. My problem is that I have moved around the country quite a bit and I need to re-register with my local surgery, and having seen this gp before I was not impressed by his attitude towards a none critical problem.

So my question is has anyone had surgery without consulting a Dr first?

Thanks for any thoughts
cheers

[Worrier]

Well, you do need to see a GP first before you go down the surgery route. This is because gyno in some cases can be a sign of another medical problem.

A wize thing to do as well is visit an endocrinologist before surgery (hormone doc).A pain yes but in rare cases gyno can come back after surgery if there is an underlying hormone issue .

If you think your GP is a pain in the arse, ask to see another at the practice(if there are others practicing).I had one like that and sacked him.  .

[RRB]

You dont have to see a GP first.  I didnt and all was ok but it can be advisable to see one.

[phantom]

I would see a GP first as they will act as an impartial medical professional on your behalf.  But yes, this does mean finding a decent GP that understands your situation.  Unfortunately, gynaecomastia is massively misunderstood by GPs and is often not taken seriously.  But there are a stack of GPs that do understand how this condition has severe psychological consequences.

Your GP will have few grounds in which not to refer you to an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) to make sure that your conditions is not caused by abnormal hormone levels.  If he or she does not refer you, ask for a second GP opinion which you are entitled to.  A good argument to use against a GP that does not refer is this, "If my gynaecomastia is caused by a hormonal imbalance and I choose to have surgery, there is a real risk that the gynaecomastia could return.  Given that fact, would it be wise for an endocrinologist to rule out some currently unknown hormonal cause?"  In other words, if surgery does not 'cure' me of this, the buck ends with YOU!

In the unlikely event things go this far, come back to this forum and I will give you further direction.

Even if you decide to bypass your GP, Mr Levick - and any other surgeon for that matter is obliged to inform your GP of your surgery, unless you specifically request that you do not wish your GP to be informed.

I had all me pre-op consultations before seeing my GP.  Before I committed to surgery, I went to see her, let her know what my intentions were and ask her if there was any reason why she thought it was a bad idea.  I know my GP very well and she could see that I had researched the whole surgery thing to death and so I had her complete backing.  It was only then that I made an appointment to go under the knife with Mr Levick.

[webster]

I didn't see my GP either, cos I knew I would go private. (Had the ££, wanted to choose my PS, didn't want to wait).
I asked Mr L whether I should see my GP and in particular if I needed hormone tests. He said at my age (40) endo tests would be most unlikely to show anything. Though  get them if I wanted.
But like a lemming I just said 'show me the cliff Doc' an away we went to book the op date.

ATB. Webster.

[summerscoming]

Thanks for your feedback on this, its very helpful.

I'm slightley nervous that I could be making a mistake by not seeing my GP as indeed there could be other grounds for having a build up of this nature. However I'm 33 and having researched I've kind of come to a self diagnosis that it is Gyno. I think what I'll do is make an appt to see Levick and get his opinon on it and take it from there.

I'm slightley concerned that Summer will be upon us again and I have to go through the usual hell.

From speaking with a Dr friend of mine there are numerous papers written on the subject which kind of suggest a 'inconclusive' stance of removal.

All the best will keep you informed!
Cheers