‘You have 4 nipples’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘The Doctor, he say you have 2 extra nipples’.
Sorted. All I needed now was a gold cigarette lighter that re-assembled into a gun, and a Hawaiian midget to do my bidding.
Well Gang, I’m back, so you can officially tick me off the Poland tally chart.
First things first. The appointed agent based in Germany, for the Polish Clinic, is the primary contact and also the primary source for confusion, mixing things up and not getting back to you in time. Where a simple one line answer will suffice, he will give you a paragraph, then prompting you to ask the same question again 2 days later.
But based on what I finally properly managed to extract out of him 20 hours before I left (although the original q’s were posed 45 days before), the op and costs were as stated, not a penny more not a penny less.
I had the lipo and gland excision by the way, and even now, looking down whilst swollen it’s a chest I don’t recognise. Flatter.
Mark, you will remember I pm’d you before I left, to demistify the following classic as received by us respectively:
“There are two reasons for an enlarged male breast. This can either result from an accumulation of fat or from enlarged glands. In both cases you qualify for an operation.
If you have enlarged glands the surgeon will remove this excess tissue directly (750 euros).
In case of accumulation of fat a liposuction will be used.
The difference in price between the two operation procedures is only 30 EUR, the liposuction being the more expensive one”
You read this as
Gland Removal is 750 euros
Gland Removal and Liposuction is 780 euros
The follow up contained
“In very rare cases a combination of both liposuction and gynecomastia might be necessary. This doesn't pose any problems but it is more expensive (1200 EUR) as this type of surgery is more complicated”
What transpired was that he actually meant, and all he had to say was
Gland Removal is 750 euros
Liposuction is 780 euros
this would mean that both procedures together will cost 1530 euros, however both together can be discounted to 1200 euros.
An additional leaflet, which is straight forward, that lists costs for different lipo body parts , explains the above costs are for the specific Operations
, not the anaesthetic, clinic stay or bandages – they are priced clearly and listed separately. Regardless of op to be had, lipos, gyno, re-shapes etc there is always a 325 euros charge on of the total op price. (The price list can be viewed here http://www.esculap-service.de/english/plasticsurgery/pricelist.htm)
This is broken down to 325 euros = 260 euros + 60 euros.
260 euros :
1 night stay at clinic following op
general anaesthesia
comsultation with chief surgeon
blood test - if done before 10 am (after 10am it is extra 15 euros)
interpreter service
medicine and dressings and injections
stitch removal (if you happen to pop back 10 days later!)
65 euros:
one additional day at the clinic – full board.
Two nights stay after the op is the minimum recommended – pref a week – But believe me 2 is about right.
On top of this the only other clinic cost is the compression vest 80 euros – or u can provide your own – they order them in anyway, it’s not as if they have a stock pile and want to sell you their own.
If all this is understood before hand then there should be
NO problems.
This goes back to Stonecold’s mate who apparently paid an extra £200 on top of what he was quoted. Well he was or he wasn’t. He was quoted the right prices for his ops, but it look like he was not made aware of the clinic costs – well nor was I specifically, but these are listed in the e-mail attachment that is sent, as well as the post that is sent. So that magical £200 was the equivalent 325 euros.
What should be sent out to people by the Agency is simply
Gland Removal is 750 euros + 325 euros (clinic Package)=1075 euros
Liposuction is 780 euros + 325 euros (clinic Package)=1105 euros
Gland Removal and Liposuction is 1200 euros+ 325 euros (clinic Package)=1525 euros.
The reason I’m labouring on the cost aspects (it’s the auditor coming out in me) is well, they are one of the primary factors for those considering surgery in Poland, otherwise they would have got it done in the UK and having read different posts were people were ‘under or over charged’. I think we need to get this clear for any prospective colleagues and even for those of us who have been and were thought to be hard done..
My Total Clinic costs were as follows, and which I was aware of and had calculated before I left:
1200 euros Liposuction and Gland removal
260 euros 1 night stay clinic stay + consulations , general anaesthetic etc
65 euros 2nd night stay full board
80 euros compression vest
1605 euros Total = 1600 euros.
“Stonecold’s post on 21/03/06
The extra 200 euros my friend paid on top of that, but has no idea why.
So in total my friend paid for gland excission and lipo 1600 euros, which included the vest, tests and anethestic etc”
Remaining costs are, since you land in Berlin Germany, a Polish taxi driver is arranged to meet you and drive you about 45 miles to Poland. The journey each way costs 60 euros = 120 euros. On top of that was my airfare of £41 and £20 to the airport and back.
So in conclusion my operation from my door, back to my door cost me £1265.
As for other points in brief
The clinic was first rate and very clean
Nurse Staff were friendly and helpful – depends who u got I think
Antonio – a squashed version of Eddie Izzard – was the translator and very very helpful, always checking on me during the stay and proffering advice and being re-assuring.
No problem with discussing gland vs lipo or vice versa
Op via underneath nipples
General anaesthetic – closed my eyes – opened my eyes – op done – two hours lapsed. wow !
The midday lunches were amazing – those gals can cook.
Obligatory fruit teas with no milk – whether you wanted them or not :-/
Salad breakfasts
89 channels - showing quiz programs or serials ‘n’ soaps in either German or Polish.
CN bloody N – on channel 2
Mark has given me plenty of tips, as I have pm’d him relentlessly over the past month – but the best one he gave is to take a laptop /portable dvd player/ books or magazines in English. You won’t realise how much you miss or love the language until you are there.
This is the ideal time to watch a complete season/series on DvD that you couldn’t normally put 16 hours a day aside for. I suggest ‘24’, that’ll kill some Real Time, or Star Wars Trilogy all over again.
By the way Mark was it you who ripped the bottom half of page 94 from the Polish Hello magazine? I was at least trying to follow the story via the pictures !
Just remembered and worth mentioning that there is a 10% discount on subsequent ops at the same time and the overall cost will be cheaper.
So if you had
Chest Lipo + gland combo at 1200 euros (counts as one op) then a Lipo of the lower belly is 680 euros – which is then minus 10 % ie 68 euros = 612 euros.
All this would then incur a single clinic package charge of 325 euros on top.
If you think I’ll get the chest done today and the belly next month, you won’t get the 10% discount, you’ll have to pay 325 euros for the clinic package /stay again, as well the 160 euros cab fare – and your flight obviously. So it is worth going through the price list to see if you want to combine with anything else.
These were some of the things on my mind, any other specifics please do let me know.
Oh, the 4 nipples; I have a tiny ball bearing sized blemish 2 inches below each nipple, which I though were just that, blemishes, birth marks, beauty spots whatever. Apparently it’s quite common and something to do with the template when we are forming as foetuses. Some of these blemishes may sit on a small flabby bit of the body - roughly were the top section of a six pack would be) – which would exhibit an extra ‘breast’.
Well that’s what I paid for, the services of an intrepeter.
Ace