My Poland Surgery experience...

[ghostrider]

Hi again guys.

yes its 6 months before they wil consider a revision.....as to the cost i paid for my revision its a standard cost of 360 euros for anesthesia and stay at the clinic..the actual revision they decide on when you are there and its free of charge....be sure to be firm in what you want doing when you go back as i did...what i found is i felt as if i was negotiating with them to get everything done which i felt was necessary..just seemed like anatoly (the translator) was more of a salesman trying to say io may eed a futher op to remove excess skin etc...which was totaly un necessary im only small to medium build and would have been no need for this at al ( which worried me ) as when the surgeon came in (baranski) he doesnt speak a word of english yet between us in hand guestures and a lot of pointing and pinching of my chest manageed to understand each other in what needed doing.....and agreed there was no need at all to remove skin...( i will get some pictures on so you can see for yourself) anyway my revision was 4 weeks ago now and so far i am happy with my left side as the nipple seems to be staying back so far but the right hand side the nipple stick out more...although he has removed the excess fat around the nipple so all in all im 90% happier....but i know that the nipple will not by some kind of mirricle pull its self back in within the next 6 months so will go back for a third and final time hopefully to get the nipple corrected...you see what i have noticed from my 1st op is that over the time of the healing process upto 6 months,..is that if your nipples still stick out after the op slightly or 1-2-3 months in to healing then they will still be the same after 6 months trust me ive been there...the swelling may go up and down but the SHAPE of your chest will stay the same..sorry guys but i thinks thats just how it is.....also i have noticed lke some of you others out there that there do seem to be a few poland people coming back not happy...i have seen a few of your pictures and seem to be noticing some similarities in what went wrong with my 1st surgery with them....i think that baranski seems to take fat out of the chest to high up above the nipple and then below the nipple area..but not directly underneath...and although heremoves the gland under there if you have the excision also stil there are deposits of fat that remain so you still end up left with cone shaped nipple and when ooking down on the chest from your view it looks kinda ski slope like.....i thik he needs to start drawing on the chest before the operation like other surgeons tend to so you can get things agreed and make sure the target areas for your op are correct rather than just going in on you free hand from memoryof what you agreed with him 3hrs ago at your consultation because in some cases he has seen 3 people requireing the same surgeries and after the consulttion will be a while before you are back in front of him on the operating table lay down so the fat in the chest lies flat and disrtibutes more evenly making hard to judge where to take from with no markings to aim at.....anyone like to ask more questions or has anything to add please feel free.

[outertrial]

I really feel for you guys. It would be horrible having to go back for a second op, especially all the way to Poland. I must say I dont think I'd be going back for a 3rd time and I would say to anyone new reading this that after having knocked around this board and read a number of these threads I really cant recommend people go to this surgeon. I know thats hes done gynecomasty on a  higher than usual number of people on this board but theres just been too many complaints now; and theyre all complaints about the same shortcomings in their surgery and  difficulties communicating in the clinic.

[Time_to_fix_it]

I really feel for you guys. It would be horrible having to go back for a second op, especially all the way to Poland. I must say I dont think I'd be going back for a 3rd time and I would say to anyone new reading this that after having knocked around this board and read a number of these threads I really cant recommend people go to this surgeon. I know thats hes done gynecomasty on a  higher than usual number of people on this board but theres just been too many complaints now; and theyre all complaints about the same shortcomings in their surgery and  difficulties communicating in the clinic.

I am not going to decry or promote any particular surgeon.  It’s a simple fact that all surgeons carrying out gynecomastia reduction will have to do a proportion of revisions after the initial surgery.  No surgeon is perfect and all patients heal differently.  We tend to hear the unhappy stories more often than we hear the happy ones because those who have a successful outcome simply leave these boards and get on with their lives.

If you accept my statement above, then when you are searching for a surgeon you then need to consider that if you require a revision, will there be further travelling and further costs involved?

I considered the Polish option for my own surgery, the obvious advantage was they are apparently less than half the cost of having the surgery in the UK.  I saw the disadvantages as, the travelling; the potential for further charges if a revision was required; further travelling for any revision; and not being able to have pre and post op consultations as easily as having them here in the UK.

The advantages and disadvantages are completely reversed by having a UK surgeon who includes all revision work as part of the initial fee.  But it costs so much more.

I am not saying one way is better than another, they are just different and we all have different priorities.  What I am saying to anyone who is considering surgery .... do your homework on all of the above points and make your choice.  I’m sure all of us would like to have the surgery at the cheapest possible price by a surgeon who works just down the road, who never needs to do revisions.  But life isn’t that simple is it?  It really is a case of .. you pays your money and you makes your choice. 

Ghostrider ... good luck this time around with your healing.

[outertrial]

I guess theres people here who are unhappy with Levick, Grobelaar et al as well. I had my surgery in Spain but the surgeon does all the consults and follow ups in London so I got a good balance of Euro prices and local service.

Id still have to go back to Barcelona if he needed to operate again of course but luckily the results are excellent so far.

I saw three PS's before eventually choosing and I think its very important to be able to meet your surgeon first and go through it all and then have time to think about it after.

Anyhow guys, dont lose heart, revisions happen; tough it out and youll get there in the end and can put it behind you.

[Time_to_fix_it]

Ideally whats needed is a few people to try some other places so we get a balanced feedback and a few more options.

I couldn’t agree more.  Outertrial’s experience of using a Spanish clinic with UK consultations by the surgeon is another way forward.  The more options patients have, the better it has to be for everyone.

[patientx1]

Hi guys,

Just a quick one - I haven't been on these boards due to not being access the net in private - I had my revision op on 1st March and so far there doesn't seem much difference, but didn't one guy on here have serious doubts upto 3 months then it started clearing quite dramatically??

I personally am going to wait a few months then make a decision whether my op in poland was a success or not. Its 3 weeks and there is still wierd feelings / mild discomfort around the whole area. I can also feel scar tissue here and there. I would say its a bit too early to pass judgement.

There seems to have been good things and and bad about my revision...

I will divulge when I'm less tired...!

Regards all

[Gaz_R7]

You have had revision surgery in Poland? ? ?

Did you have the original surgery in Poland? ? ?

If so, did it cost you anything? ? ?

How long did you have to leave it from the original operation to the revision surgery? ? ?

Many Thanks.

[NotFedup]

but didn't one guy on here have serious doubts upto 3 months then it started clearing quite dramatically??

i had doubts but now im at 6 months im a happy chappy
i believe with a healthy diet and regular massage you can get the exact result you were hoping for 
im happy with Poland

[patientx1]

Gaz - the history of my ops is in my signature at the bottom. This is my first visit to Poland. I've posted some new photos and I still think I've got a long way to go, both in healing (there is scar tissue I can feel and see) and well... maybe ANOTHER op, but only time will tell. If I'm still not happy with the results say after 3-6months, I'll consider my options again.

Gaz, I think you have to leave it AT LEAST 3 months, though people here generally recommend 6, maybe even 12.

Notfedup - were you still unhappy with your results after 3 months?? Was it you that was unhappy in the early stages?

[NotFedup]

i was happy but not fuilly satisfied at 3 months
but i kept telling myself that within time it will get better as i heal.
People tend to jump the gun when it comes to body healing time
 and completely forget theres alot of flesh been disturbed and it really needs to "fuse" back together
Also diet is very important becuase you gain weight the 1st place youll gain it is on your chest!

[Gaz_R7]

Well i will be 10 weeks post op tomorrow and so obviously you guys think i am still healing, etc...

Will see how i look when i get to 3-4 months.

[samgyne28]

Hey you guys.. How many days / weeks was it till you could take of your t-shirt in fromt of people and they wouldn't realizize that you had surgery (so no discolour/bruise/major scar etc..).

Also how many days/weeks till the pain was gone and you can go swimming and sun batheing?

Thanks..

[Gaz_R7]

I havent actually taken my top off infront of anyone yet so i cant comment.