NHS so far + what to do!! post and pre op pics now added

[manboobs2010]

I'm really split between wether i should go NHS for my gyne operation or private.

I have read so many negative stories on here that i have really been thinking of dumping the NHS route (although i have been accepted to go with them) and go down the Karidis route instead. Speaking to my family though they said i should go for the appointment with the surgeon (mr i smith) that would be doing the operaion on the NHS and see what i think after i have had a chat with him...

Been down this morning and it all seemed very professional so far unlike many other peoples experiences on this forum.

My appointment was at 9.45am at the plastics outpatient department at leeds general infirmary. I got down just after this time and signed in. I was waiting around 10 minutes at which a nurse came out and called me. She explained who she was and took me to a room where she went to get a registar. He came in a couple of minutes later and asked me to go through my problem. He then asked me to take my top off so he could have a look at my problem. The nurse was still there but was very professional so was quite happy. After looking and feeling he said i could put my top back on and started talking about surgery. He then started telling me about the options there is, either having lipo, tissue removal or there could be some of both. He then started going through the negatives that they might not be able to get me totally flat, and to not expect a chest like david beckham etc lol.

He then said he was going to get his boss (mr I smith) who would be doing the operation. After another couple of minutes all three of them came back in and mr smith wanted to have a look/feel of my chest. He told me if I had it done it would be tissue removal I would have and like the registrar went through the negatives of the operation (not perfectly flat, could concave, both sides may not be equal, scarring and excess skin). He also said it may be likely that it would bleed afterwards, which could be sorted out. They said I would probably be kept in hospital overnight and maybe 2 nights depending how it went. They also said I should be off work for 4 weeks ideally. I asked how often they had done the operation and they say each surgeon may do around 10 a year. He said If I wanted some time to think about it, which I did and made me an appointment for 6-8 weeks (don’t know if that is too long now thinking about It lol)

After this they sent me to a room to have some photographs taken. It was a right professional set up lol, lights everywhere.
The surgeons never really talked about the positives of the operation, but I suppose they are obvious, but the nurse was very reassuring saying that she has a son herself and they are really good at what they do and she had worked with them for years…

Really stuck on what to do! Do I go with someone who is trusted by many on this forum (Karidis), and spend the 4k, which wouldn’t really be an issue if it changes my life, but may take me a while to pay back or do I go with the NHS which so far has shown me good signs, saves me 4k, but I don’t know that much about the person doing my operation… AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

[jmg106]

Find a surgeon and pay, sounds like bulls>>t from what read and the nurse, her son has Gyno or does he just think he's a good Dr. The money should be the last thing on your mind if its your chest that is brothering you. Go see a real PS, check his back round, photos and a photo album in his office w/letters from other Patience. Good luck and I took out a loan.

[thetodd]

ask for some before/after pics if they have any at hand just say your worrying about the surgery full stop and want to see the end result (dont mention going private). If he hsant got any and you cant find much on google then id consider karidis. Do a search on this forum for him as well.

NHS hospitals are well kitted out, and your safe but its all down to the surgeon. Ive seen a few on here with bad surgeries but ive also seen a few with good results. If you dont have £4k to spare and you have piece of mind thats hes going to do a decent job then do it. Id be asking what sort of incision marks he makes aswell because you dont want to be left with scaring on the nips after

[manboobs2010]

just to update the thread. got a call from the nhs today as i decided to go with themand she called to say that they are having problems with waiting times so have decided to send me for it doing privately! its with the same surgeon who i had spoken to all along whom i am very happy with. cnt believe im going private lol

[Gyne-Sucks]

hey mate, really good to hear that you will be moob free very soon and i hope everything goes well for you

i have a couple of questions that i would like you to answer please:

did a GP or doctor recommend NHS surgery to you or did you ask/demand it, basically how did you go about getting it?

also how long has the whole process up to the very first day of going to see a doctor to now taken?

thanks 

[manboobs2010]

hi mate thanks for that i hope all goes well too!!

I saw a gp who and basically just followed the advice that i heard on here of how it has changed my life. tbh i didn't give a huge sob story and think it was more down to the luck of the draw that i actually got the surgery on th enhs and even luckier to get it pricate on the nhs!

the whole process has taken a good while its been around a year!

[manboobs2010]

hi guys had surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow and well the last few days i don't know how i feel about it... in a way i feel abit down as i don't feel i'm as flat as maybe i want to be and still feel like i maybe have moobs slightly. let me know what you think i have put some pre op and post op pics up.

i have also been told i need to wear this best for 5 weeks all the time and just change it when showering!! doing my head in lol

pre op







post op one day after





4 day post op





3 weeks post op

[manboobs2010]

will have to scroll along to see 2 or 3 of the pics properly

[thetodd]

youve got pre and post op mixed up, but it looks good to me just look at your pre op pics its a huge improvement.

just let the swelling go down and i think youl be pleased if you want a sculpted chest then i think your going to have to put some work down the gym but to me you look fine for the stage of recovery your in and your 1 day post ops look just as they should have done.

One of the best NHS surgeys on here i was kinda of worried you were gonna be dealt a bad card. Dont worry, wear the vest and live a healthy lifestyle and youl come up trumps

[manboobs2010]

thx todd m8 your such a help to people on here, a very valued member!

from start to finish i was really impressed with the nhs and how i was handled, if at any point i wasnt i would of gone private. it's just the last few days i have been abit wary of if its been a success or not... i shouldn't be thinking that thought because as you said look at the massive improvement.

do you think its just the sweeling then? i have noticed slight difference on one side to the other but im sure that can happen. i think what got me thinking is i tried a shirt on today that was quite tight fitting and to me saw moobage and it put me on abit of a downer. too early i think for trying them yet

changed the pre and post!

[chopper]

Try and not waste your time thinking about the healing. i know its a lot easier said then done.

Looks an OK job pal, surgery doesn't look like an NHS horror job, so hopefully in a few months we'll see how all looks.

[thetodd]

Yeah just take time to recover it takes months took me maybe like a year and a half before i was fully recovered. Best thing you can do is lose weight youl look better in tshirts with a slim waistline if i got my post ops from two years ago and my body now im in way better shape ... you look better in clothes and it just makes you feel better.

But yeah to me its a sound result

[manboobs2010]

been trying to log into here all day with no luck and when i get in and write a decent reply it doesn't post and then i lose it.... aghhh! anyone else having probs with ie? i'm in firefox now and its working fine.

anyway thx lads for the replies!

i have noticed that the right hand side, which is slightly bigger than the left side is also quite abit firmer than the other side. is this due to swelling?

when i went in for the op the surgeon did say to me that he wasn't going for flat and was going for a reduction instead. i mean i am happy with the work as like you said before todd look at the difference! i think i was just hoping for it to be abit flatter than it is though (especially the right hand side), i hope it does go down but from looking at many of the pics on here people have been preety much flat after the surgery and they havent looked much different in their post op pics which is why im thinking maybe im going to be left with mini moobs at the end of it. i was abit down again today about it as i was thinking i won't be able to wear all the shirts i would want to once the swelling has subsided

i cant wait to get myself back to gym and get my belly off but im thinking even that may make them look more prominent on me if wearing tighter fitting shirts. and also if i start toning up could tht then make them even more prominent?

should i post some more pics or shall i leave it a couple of weeks?

going to hospital on the 1st of nov so hopefully i will be getting rid of these bloody compression vests lol!

[manboobs2010]

oh well 5 weeks has gone by and well i just don't feel happy about my progress finally allowed to stop wearing my compression vests yesterday and as soon as i started walking with my t shirt on i could see 2 nice boobs under my top...

i have no idea how much healing i have to do but it just seems that everyone else looks great after their op and when they post their post op pics they look even better and just flat. I still have them, just in a more mild form. i dreamed of wearing any kind of shirts i wanted but it seems it's not to be.

I know i could do with loosing some weight, but like before the op the weight will go and the moobs will stay and i will just look even worse. Or if i start hitting the gym the muscle will grow under there and make them protrude even more.

I understand i have ALOT of healing to do and i know that theres alot of scarring under my worser side (right) because when i touch it, it feels very tough under there opposed to the left hand side. I have kind of just lost hope now and it has made me feel really unhappy these past couple of weeks and i feel i just want to hide away.

Here's some updated pics and please be honest what people think.

[manboobs2010]

just had a big chat with my mum and i feel so much better about it all lol. tell me guys am i getting myself too worked up?? i know its not perfectly flat but at end of the dy do i want to be perfectly flat?? or am i being too obsessive!? and im sure the gym will sort it out!? just want my right hand side to sort itself out abit more and i think i should be happy. lol