Author Topic: Surgery in Barcelona - Now With Photo Goodness!!  (Read 11065 times)

Offline outertrial

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Hi  guys, Okay I got back from Barcelona yesterday at the Institut Dexeus so I’ll tell you about my surgery there. Ive posted a full report below but its summarised in the next paragraph.

This is their website  www.cosmeticsurgeryabroad.org  the surgery was performed by Dr. Benito. It cost ₤2500, the consultation with him  in Harley Street was free.  You arrange your flights but after that included in the cost you get transfers to and from the airport, two nights in the clinic, meds and vest and if you have a partner who wants to come they can stay in your room with you, but they have to get their own meals. Removal of stitches and follow up consultations happen back in England as Dr. Benito travels between the two countries regularly. I’m about a week post op and very happy with the results and my experience over there, my chest is flat and nicely countoured. I will post some pics soon.

I’m in my 30’s and my gyne got a lot worse in my late 20’s. Well over a year ago I went to my GP, he was understanding and it was a very liberating feeling having a professional validate my problem, but then began a soul sucking  pilgrimage back and forth between the plastic surgery department of the local hospital and my GP’s, and the primary care trust.

I saw an endo and  two plastic surgeons on the NHS, the first one was hopeless, the 2nd one was  better but by that point, well over a year after I’d first seen my GP the goal posts had moved again with the PCT and there were yet more hoops to jump through  so I went to see Dr Benito in Harley St. His was by far the best consult, he was obviously very experienced with gynecomasty, and was  matter of fact about the procedure, realistic about the results I should expect from surgery  and forthright about the things that could go wrong. He says hes never had to do a revision but if he did it would be free.

My wife and I arrived in Barcelona on the first Easyjet flight last Wednesday morning and were met by their driver Emilio who took us to the clinic in a London black cab! We were both pretty nervous but we were met by Aida the patient co-ordinator who was very nice and reassuring. The clinic is clean and modern, I think its quite famous for fertility treatment amongst other thing. Aida stayed with us while I got checked in and gowned up. Later I saw Dr Benito who drew on me with a marker pen and I got two valiums, which was great. I was wheeled down  to the surgery room by a friendly old porter who chatted away to me in Spanish although I couldnt understand him, he gave me a pat on the shoulder and deposited me in a small recovery room. Feeling less nervous then thanks to that and the valiums I waited a short while for the anaesthetist to come, a lady who busied herself with putting a catheter in my wrist, Dr Benito came past and said Hi and I could hear the medical team chatting to one another outside, I found it reassuring that it was just another day at the office for them. The anaesthetist then  injected something into the drip and said it would relax me.

Next thing I knew I was in the same recovery room and it was all done, and I wasn’t dead! Which was a huge relief. They wheeled me back to the room and my wife was very relieved too that I wasn’t deadn though Dr Benito had already called her from downstairs to say that everything went fine. I felt like Id been run over by a bison and didn’t have much mobility even if I hadn’t had the drip and drains in, fortunately you have an electric bed that you can control.  From then until next morning the nurses checked on me every one or two hours and the couple of times I had to press the call button someone English speaking came immediately.

The bandages came off the next day and were replaced by the vest, I was still pretty sore but was able to walk around then. Dr Benito said I could have gone then  but the hotel wasn’t booked for the next day so I stayed another night and was discharged the next day. The clinic was really good, the nurses were lovely and made us feel very well looked after but I was certainly glad to go and start our holiday in Barcelona.

We stayed in a Confortel in the centre so I was able to walk to and from everything. Barcelona is a fantastic city,  friendly, still cheap-ish, great restaurants and museums and things to see. My wife had to carry everything too, which is a first! My mobility continued to improve steadily too and didn’t get in the way of our holiday, providing youre just planning sight seeing I would really recommend staying for at least a few days in Barcelona. I wasn’t allowed to drink much for the first 4 days after the op though unfortunately.

Emilio drove us back to the airport yesterday and, sadly, we're back in London now. I'll see Dr Benito again this week in Harley St for the stitches and then again in a month for another follow up. Very happy with the whole experience and the results, and also having such a nice city break after the op. Ill get some pics up when my wife comes back from  work with her camera. I really recommend this surgeon and the price of ₤2500 is very reasonable I think; if anyone has any questions in the meantime please let me know.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2007, 03:10:51 PM by outertrial »

Offline outertrial

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OK, Ive added photos on the photo board here:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php/topic,9199.msg65514.html#msg65514

Its healing up pretty well now though I still look like Ive been trampled on by a goat or something.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2007, 05:32:38 PM by outertrial »

Offline Time_to_fix_it

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Hi,

Excellent, well done and I hope the healing goes well for you.  I guess in many ways you have the best of both worlds.  You have the opportunity of the consultations both before and after surgery, here in the UK and the surgery abroad at a greatly reduced cost compared to that in the UK.

Keep us posted as to how your healing goes.  I think it would be great for patients to have another option in their search for surgery.

TTFI

Surgery performed by Mr Levick at The Priory Hospital Bimingham (UK) 20th October 2006

Offline outertrial

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Thanks TTFI, thats what I thought. You know when I woke up from my op, whooowheeee. Those people who say it just feels like you've had a hard workout; forget that - I was immobile bro. And you can see the bruises in my pics, but Dr B showed no mercy on those little two little swine and I cant argue with his results. I'm coming up to two weeks now and looking forward to the packing some muscle on where the moobs used to be.

Best two and a half grand I ever spent IMO.

Offline outertrial

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As someone else on these board haws asked about Dr Benito Ill give this a bump.

Offline outertrial

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Offline notobvious

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can I just ask what the 'more hoops to jump through' on the NHS werE? :(

Offline outertrial

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Well I saw a GP, then in a couple of months an endocrinologist who told me that thered be nothing wrong with myblood work and Id be privileged to come back in 2 and a half months for her to tell me so and that Id better have a good rethink think about such silly ideas as operations. Then she referred me to a PS who told me it wasnt that bad and to lose a lot of weight and come back in 3 more months, which I did. Then I was told that I definitely needed it but  there was now no funding for the operation unless it went through the PCT. Then some more months of going back and forth as  letters were written by various professionals to other professionals, and thenmisunderstood, and mislaid and I found that in 2007 the NHS is totally incapable of telephoning or emailing one of their patients to give them an update, you have to actually physically go to every appointment, which takes months/ weeks just to find nothing happened.

All this took 18 months and I just gave up, if there is a gyne service there it is totally inaccessible where I live other than for those willing to endure a kafkaesque endurance test. Dr Benito gave me a much better consultation than the 2 NHS guys I saw anyway, and 2500 isnt a lot.

Offline muscleman

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HOW LONG WAS IT B4 EVRYTHINK WAS BACK 2 NORMAL AND DO U HAVE A PHONE NO. AND ADRESS 4 THE SURGEON IN UK ?

Offline outertrial

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It can take up to a year to see final results - at 3 months I  have some tender bits around the nips and scar tissue I can feel when I stretch my arms up. It depends on the person I think.

This is the website http://www.cosmeticsurgeryabroad.org/ and Dr Benitos email is listed as drbenito@cirugia-estetica.com

The UK number is 0207 224 1010, consultations are at Cosmedicate in Harley Street.

Cheers


Offline Jim1985

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Alright mate. I read that you had surgery with Dr. Benito. I have found that the compression vest he gives leaves a slight imprint down the middle of my chest (where you join the links). Did this happen to you? It doesn't leave a permanent imprint does it? Dr. Benito told me the tighter the better, but just a bit worried I will leave myself with a permanent mark.
Surgery 2nd April with Dr. Benito.

Offline kingboob

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Alright mate. I read that you had surgery with Dr. Benito. I have found that the compression vest he gives leaves a slight imprint down the middle of my chest (where you join the links). Did this happen to you? It doesn't leave a permanent imprint does it? Dr. Benito told me the tighter the better, but just a bit worried I will leave myself with a permanent mark.

Hi, I didn't have surgery with this doctor, but I think I can safely say that no compression vest will leave any kind of lasting mark on the skin..... if it is extra extra tight it might leave a little bit of a mark for a few hours / day after removing it, but these things are designed to hold everything in place and help with the healing process, not leave you with extra scars.

I know my compression vest cost a fortune but it was just too tight and uncomfortable to wear after the operation, so in the end I didn't bother for more than a couple of days.


Offline outertrial

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I wouldnt worry about the vest. If its uncomfortable wear a t-shirt underneath. Course you might not be able to breathe then.

Offline Jim1985

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jim.. id agree with kinid say kingboob on that one.. another good example of that would be when some people sit down for a long peroid of time they get creases which disapear a while after you get up.. but im open to correction as i didnt have the op yet or wear a vest


 

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