Consultation

[dodgygardener]

hey guys, first post here. Im 19, 6'3" and have a moderate to bad case of gyno. Im about 190lbs, so im not overweight for my height and have been weight training for a year or so, though i still have a bit of a gut and love handles...

for years ive done the same as alot of you guys here, wearing lots of layers, avoiding swimming or general toplessness, i even sleep in a t-shirt.

i didnt have that much trouble in school about it, i think i was quite fortunate, only once or twice was it ever mentioned...

but since leaving school and that comfort zone i havnt dealt very well with it at all. i developed a nervous disposition in my hands(shaking) when in uncomfortable social situations(i.e new people) and had one or two anxiety attacks. I have almost finished my first year of university where i have been drinking heavily on nights out for confidence(in fact id be drunk before i go out) and sunk into depression.

i tend to surprisingly do quite well with girls, ive had a few girlfriends, nothing serious and more one nighters than alot of my mates... but i cant help but think the gyno has deterred a few women away, which is understandable, if unfortunate.

fortunately i have a supportive family and a good gp, ive been on medication for a while now and am feeling a bit better. i also plucked up the courage to address the gyno with my parents. i told my mum over the phone when at uni and she arranged a private consultation for me later this month. only thing is, im not sure who with, its at the ulster clinic in belfast, Northern Ireland and ive no idea if the clinic or the surgeon has a lot of gyno patients due to the small population of ulster... my mum and dad are pretty insistant that if im gonna have surgery it be at home in ulster...

im going to find out the surgeons name tomorrow, but is there any way i can find out if he has a history of excision/lipo proceedures with a good success rate without neccessarily having to go along to the clinic and pay £150 for the consultation to be dissapointed... money is an issue for us unfortunately, although i know my parents will provide what they can.

thanks

[phantom]

Hello dodgygardener

Of course money is always a consideration where this kind of treatment is concerned.  However, in my opinion, initial consultation fees with surgeons is probably the most important cost.  Having been through the entire process I always advise anyone seeking this kind of surgery gets at least two, preferably three consultations after giving careful consideration to who you think is best suited to giving you this operation.  So please, please rethink your perception of 'wasting' money on a surgeon if you are not sure you are going to use them.  What you are really paying for is an answer - being "Am I confident this person is up to the job at hand?"  If the answer is no, then that is £150 very well spent!

Why are your parents insistent on you having surgery in Ireland?  If you decide to go through with this surgery, it will be a life altering experience.  If you family wanted a family portrait in oils commissioned, which would be more important to them - an artist that painted in a style they liked but lived further and was a little more expensive or one that was mediocre but was local and cheap?  Not a great analogy, but do you see what I am getting at?

No two surgeons have the same skill, confidence or experience.  It's essential that you get things right FIRST time.  Although the entire process of treating gynaecomastia is expensive, you have to remember that this is a permanent solution to an otherwise permanent problem.  This is one of those situations where you really do need to find the best person up to the job and if that person is expensive, think about how you might be able to cover that cost.  

As you have probably read on this forum, Mr Levick is very experienced in this type of surgery.  I chose Mr Levick and am happy with the result.  He was the only surgeon I encountered that gave a satisfaction guarantee.  This means that if surgery does not meet his expectation (which he will agree with you before surgery) then a revision will be offered completely free of charge.  I don't know of any other surgeon that offers this guarantee.  He is expensive (a little over £3.5K) but he really did seem the best man up for the job - by far.  If you go through the threads in the UK section you will see that Mr Levick has had Irish patients come over for surgery in the past.

I have masses of empathy for what your gynaecomastia is causing you - you only need to see my pics from the link below to see how bad my case was.  Take your time to find the right surgeon.  Once you think you have found the right one, then plan how and when you want the surgery.  Sorry if I sound patronising, but at 19, you have your whole life ahead of you.  Even if you had surgery tomorrow, it would be a few months thereafter before you were to reach some kind of end point.

Take your time, plan ahead, pick the best person for the job.  This is not the kind of decision to make over night.  If you are to do this to minimise disappointment, then think in terms of months (even a year or so) rather than days to get this thing sorted.  Carry out your investigation and you know you can always come back here to ask further questions.

Hope that helps.

[dodgygardener]

cheers for the reply, ive heard levick bantered about on the board and ur pics back up the general consensus that he is a quality surgeon, congrats.

i think my parents just want what they think is best, i.e for me to be close to home. i will pull no punches tho, i'll goto this guy and ask every question cited in other threads til im satisfied. if not, darn it, i'll get a train down from scotland(i goto uni there) south and have a consulatation on my own with this levick bloke.

have u any idea how long u'd wait to see him? and maybe the waiting list after if i was to go ahead with the op?

i no this seems like im rushing and i know to an extent i am, but i feel the time is right, if i can get surgery before july i can be recovered for uni and people at home wont notice cus i can keep a low profile and say i was on hols for a while....

[limaecho]

cheers for the reply, ive heard levick bantered about on the board and ur pics back up the general consensus that he is a quality surgeon, congrats.

i think my parents just want what they think is best, i.e for me to be close to home. i will pull no punches tho, i'll goto this guy and ask every question cited in other threads til im satisfied. if not, darn it, i'll get a train down from scotland(i goto uni there) south and have a consulatation on my own with this levick bloke.

have u any idea how long u'd wait to see him? and maybe the waiting list after if i was to go ahead with the op?

i no this seems like im rushing and i know to an extent i am, but i feel the time is right, if i can get surgery before july i can be recovered for uni and people at home wont notice cus i can keep a low profile and say i was on hols for a while....

You're in the same boat as me, so to speak. I have my consultation later this month with levick, and I intend to have OP after my Uni exams. I feel the same as you in that the summer is the ideal time to have it done. Especially as whilst recovering it is essential to lay off the drink for a good few weeks. There's no way on earth I could do this whilst at uni.

[dodgygardener]

how long were u waiting for ur consultation mate? any chance ur on msn so we can exchange experiences on our consultations....

its cool if u dont wanna btw, but personal message me if ya do

i dunno about u but im having serious trouble revising when im thinking about this...

[phantom]

You should be able to get a consultation within a week or two.  Surgey within a month or two.

[limaecho]

how long were u waiting for ur consultation mate? any chance ur on msn so we can exchange experiences on our consultations....

its cool if u dont wanna btw, but personal message me if ya do

i dunno about u but im having serious trouble revising when im thinking about this...

I wanted a specific date which was about 4 weeks after I called, but it was closed for easter. I was offered dates before and after. I don't think the wait for a consultation is that bad, but I'm aiming for surgery mid-june. I hope I can get booked in then if my consulation goes well in a week.

I'll message you on here about my consultation as I don't use MSN.

I find it hard to revise anyway   But to be honest it doesn't bother me too much psycologically. Apart from the obvious lack of confidence.

[dodgygardener]

yeah, i guess its come to a head with me recently and is annoying me alot. im gonna ring priory tomorrow and enquire if they are open.