i am finally ready to book with karadis. help please

[sparta]

my story has been told on here so wont bore people with that again

i am finally ready to book a consultation with karadis. i will probably phone up tomorrow but would just like a few things answered if you can:

1 - is the full price still just over 4 grand? and if so, how do you pay? do you pay all of it just before your op? or is it in instalments?

2 - how long would it be before i get a consultation if i phone up tomorrow?

3 - can i choose an exact date for the op? i have a date in mind for early may which would be perfect for my circumstances. this date is on the assumption that the price is still just over 4 grand. if it has gone up i will to put the date back

4 - i am living with my parents and want to keep this secret from then. does karadis send things through the post? if so, i do not want this. i know he sends you a pack with info on post op care or something, could i ask him to email this info or i would even pick it from him if i needed to.

thanks. i will probably be asking loads more questions, which have probably been asked loads on here, in the weeks and months up to my procedure. so sorry for that

i will hopefully get some pics up so people can judge my case, though i have no idea how to.

[Bikkembergs]

1 - is the full price still just over 4 grand? and if so, how do you pay? do you pay all of it just before your op? or is it in instalments?

Yeah it's about £4,200. £1000 of this is a deposit against your operation booking, and the remaining £3'200 is split about 60-40% between his fee and the hospital fees, I can't remember which way round though. Oh, and there's a mandatory £75 donation when you have your consultation towards St J&E Hospice. You can pay the donation in cash or by cheque and probably via the phone too actually so long as it's in advance. And you can pay the whole operation fee there and then at the clinic, but I paid mine afterwards via debit card and they were totally fine about that too.

2 - how long would it be before i get a consultation if i phone up tomorrow?

3 Weeks maybe? Might be less, might be a little more.

3 - can i choose an exact date for the op? i have a date in mind for early may which would be perfect for my circumstances. this date is on the assumption that the price is still just over 4 grand. if it has gone up i will to put the date back

If you have your consultation at the end of Jan/early Feb, you'll definitely get an operation date in May, or earlier if you want.

4 - i am living with my parents and want to keep this secret from then. does karadis send things through the post? if so, i do not want this. i know he sends you a pack with info on post op care or something, could i ask him to email this info or i would even pick it from him if i needed to.

No problem, you can choose to receive all information and forms electronically to your email account. His patient coordinator is very friendly and efficient.

Good luck  

[sparta]

thanks alot for your reply
so you dont have to give your address at all?

i am going to phone up today. who will i speak to on the phone? will it be his secretary? is it as straight forward as telling her/him the procedure i am interested in and choosing a date and time for my consultation?

also, good luck for your op bikkembergs. i will be interested to see how it goes

[Bikkembergs]

Sparta,

You might have to give your address for some sort of registration purpose, I honestly can't remember. If you tell his coordinator not to though, she won't send anything.

You'll ring up, speak to his sec, she'll ask what you're interested in (to prepare, not to probe) and discuss and date for your consultation, which shouldn't be too far away.

I understand you don't want anybody to know, but you can relax, I'm sure most guys ask for the same privacy. Don't worry, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the ease and understanding 

...especially if you're used to the nhs 

[sparta]

i finally rang up this morning and spoke to the secretary, rebecca i think she was called. she sounded very nice

i thankfully did not have to give my address to book my consultation. i am set to see karadis for a consultation in the first week of febrauary. was told to pay £75 on the day

i have already booked the time off work for the beginning of may so i hope that a)the price has not went up, and b)he can fit me in that week, which would be ideal for me

and a question about blood tests. i know you can get them done at your GP but to save all the hassle i may just get them done with karadis. am i right in thinking it is £120? and when would i get the blood tests done if i chose karadis? would i probably have to make another trip to see him just for the blood tests?

train fares alone seem like they going to cost alot

[Bikkembergs]

Sparta,

If you live far away then get your train booked as soon as your op is booked. You probably should've booked time off work after knowing your op date too...

From my experience so far, get your blood test done with them. I tried to save money and use my GP but had an absolute nightmare trying to do it 3 weeks in advance, when in fact, I've luckily managed to get the results to them today, when I'm going in THIS Saturday. Could have been disastrous.

From what I've seen others said, it costs £130 at his clinic and you can get that done as soon as your consultation is over in one trip.

[sparta]

Sparta,

If you live far away then get your train booked as soon as your op is booked. You probably should've booked time off work after knowing your op date too...

From my experience so far, get your blood test done with them. I tried to save money and use my GP but had an absolute nightmare trying to do it 3 weeks in advance, when in fact, I've luckily managed to get the results to them today, when I'm going in THIS Saturday. Could have been disastrous.

From what I've seen others said, it costs £130 at his clinic and you can get that done as soon as your consultation is over in one trip.

it is just over an hour on the train. is there a main reason why you say i should book the train as soon as possible? i have been london a few times and i have usually been able to get a seat
i am now a bit concerned about maybe not getting the date i want with what you said. my work can usually be a bit of a pain with booking about two weeks off so that is why i booked it now. i guess i could cancel my holidays if karadis cant make that date

i will get the blood tests done with karadis then. another £130 gone

good luck with saturday. will you have anyone going with you? i am still not sure how karadis and his staff will react if i choose not to have anyone with me. the NHS were adamant i needed someone with me when i got a circumcision

also, i gave the secretary my email address and she said she would send me a confirmation e mail with directions etc. i assumed she would send it today but i have received nothing

[Bikkembergs]

With regards to the train, it's not that important, I just thought you'd rather save money booking earlier than the day before.

I don't think it's that important to have someone there. I am being picked up from home station but travelling alone. If it goes like it did when I got chopped, it'll be a breeze. 30 seconds after waking up from the GA and I felt right as rain. I've no concerns about that.

I'm sure they'll send you the stuff soon.

[Mickydubs]

Yep you will be fine on your own lads, no worries there.
The nurse fills all the consent forms out and asks if you are on your own but doesn't frown when you say yes.
Journey back isn't that hard at all.

[sparta]

micky, i just read your thread, your results look great

you say you went and returned from your op on your own, but what about the days afterwards at home? did you need help with things?

if all goes to plan i will be getting it done whilst i have the house to myself. will i be able to get by? i am now getting worried about things like changing clothes, showering, even wiping my arse on the toilet

i know it wont be easy but, from your expereince, will i be able to get by without help

[Swarley]

I didn't have any problems looking after myself post op - but there were a couple of things I did to get ready, like:
- taking plates and glasses out of high cupboards and putting them on the kitchen counter, so I didn't have to reach for them
- putting some old sheets on my bed in case any seepage from the incisions stained them (which it didn't in my case)
- making sure I had enough food in the fridge to last me a week (I didn't feel up for carrying bags of shopping for about 5 days)

Changing clothes wasn't a problem - but I did have to stick to front opening shirts for a while. Lifting my arms up to put a t shirt on wasn't possible for several days.

As for bathroom matters, I had no problems there. I was a bit hesitant in the shower for a few days - I didn't want to point the shower head directly at my chest as I was feeling very protective of myself at that stage and though the impact of the water might hurt a bit - so I washed with a flannel in the shower for a few days.

Other than that - I'd say get yourself some DVDs to watch, and take the time to relax and chill out!

[Mickydubs]

As for wiping your own ass, think somehow you'll manage mate.
First 3 days are the worst, would have to look back at my thread but think I was driving on day 3 or 4, though not easy.
Them early days are the worst because the simple tasks like showering, washing any kind of stretching or raising of your arms are really hard if not impossible to do without really pushing yourself which you don't want to be doing while your body is trying to nit flesh and things back together insde where you can't see, outside bar some bruising and tiny holes you can hardly tell anything has been done bar the pancake effect! These are the words we all want to hear and see when the bandages come off and makes it all worth while. 

[sparta]

dealing with karadis and his staff is already proving to be a pain. i have my consultation next week

when i initially booked they told me they would send me a confirmation email with directions etc but never did. i phoned them this morning about this and the lady told me she would do it straight away. i have just looked at my emails and still nothing. they are not exactly professional

i am sure i would be able to find my way there but it is just the unprofessionalism so far that is making me have doubts about them

[thetodd]

The hospital clericals arent very good, but they are pretty overworked!

Look on streetview, you get off StJohns wood tube station and walk straight down the road.

[sparta]

The hospital clericals arent very good, but they are pretty overworked!

Look on streetview, you get off StJohns wood tube station and walk straight down the road.

thanks. i sent them an email and got quite a quick reply so no worries