Thought I'd write a blog about having chest reconstruction surgery with Yelland due to there only being one or two online that I could find. And I know how anxiety inducing it can be not knowing what to expect.
To add I'm paying for the surgery myself due to not wanting to wait another two years for the NHS. It's £220 for the initial consultation and £6622 for the surgery (which also includes the pre op appointment, post op appointment and an overnight stay in the hospital)
To start with Brighton has a really nice cosy town feel about it even though it's now technically a city. Not sure if Brighton doesn't just now have more of a 'buzz' at the moment due to it being summer and pride month; but having the hospital so close to a city like Brighton is a definite plus.
As for getting to the hospital; it's only a 30 min bus journey (stop E, you can either get the 2 or 22 bus) and the bus stop is situated just outside the station and was very easy to find. As for tickets it was much less of a hassle than I thought it would be. I simply downloaded the Brighton and Hove bus app, purchased the £4.70 1 day network saver ticket (as the hospital is outside the city area) and simply had to show my phone with the ticket on it to the bus driver. There's also a taxi rank just outside the station.
The Nuffield Health Hospital is right next door to the South Downs National Park and the sea; so coming from London; it was amazing to see some real countryside. The hospital isn't cut off in the middle of nowhere though if that would put you off. There are houses across the road and nearby. The bus stop is also just across the road.
The hospital looks alot more like a clinic than a hospital. From the outside and on the inside it looks very modern and what I can only describe as 'comfortable'. It doesn't have a clinical feel about it. There's a reception desk on the right as you walk in, with a small cafe bar on your left which serves Costa Coffee. In the middle there are chairs and tables which makes it seem like you've walked into a Nuffield Health gym by mistake; not a bad thing at all. There is also a long window to the back overlooking the sea.
The receptionist was very nice and approachable; even though I was half an hour late due to the trains being either delayed or cancelled, because it had been raining heavily the night before
. I had called ahead saying I was going to be late.
The waiting room for Dr Yelland is down a corridor to the right and you can help yourself to tea or coffee. I just had to wait a few mins while a nurse took me to the consultation room. On first meeting Yelland I knew I made the right choice as he was as friendly and easy to talk too as other people who'd gone to him said he was. He was also understanding about me being late and he didn't make me feel like I was wasting his time because of it.
I first had to answer questions about my general health which only took a few seconds and then it was onto the dreaded examination
. The nurse simply drew the curtain, I was told to take off my top and binder and then Yelland only took literally a few second glance at my chest to know I needed a double incision procedure. So it was a lot less embarrassing than I thought it would be; although I found it odd Yelland and the nurse were talking about the weather while I was putting my clothes back on
After the examination Yelland explained the procedure; which I was already familiar with due to knowing with my amount of tissue peri areola wouldn't be an option (I'm a 36 B and if you're a large B size or bigger the double incision is the only option.). For the procedure; the surgeon makes two separate incisions underneath the breast to remove the excess tissue. They'd also then resize the areolas and nipples (Yelland said he'd resize the areolas to around the size of a 5 pence coin)There's a risk of having what's known as 'dog ears' on either side of your chest; which are sort of folds of skin but the idea is to make the scars long in order to reduce the chances of developing that. Yelland also mentioned they'd be some asymmetry as there is for everybody but it'll be within 1 mm.
I hadn't heard from guys online whether Yelland could keep the nipples still attached to the nerve; although I've heard with other surgeons this could be a possibility. So I asked him in which he said he didn't due to the reattached flap of skin becoming thicker and the sensation not being the same as before; if you're even able to get sensation back at all. So that was a tad disappointing even though I expected it wouldn't be a possibility. Next question I asked was what oils to use while the scars are healing as trans men swear by different products; to which he said its more important to massage the scars and the type of product you use doesn't matter. I also asked him why he didn't use drains after the surgery to which he said it doesn't get any more fluid out than simply using a needle and it's more painful getting the drains out. Tbh I had to just smile and nod along to this as I really don't like needles
. Even though the questions I asked him probably seemed sorta dumb he didn't make me feel dumb for asking them and joked that I was interrogating him just a bit
.
After the consult I said I was happy for him to do my surgery so I went back to the reception area to wait for his PA. Who again was lovely and easy to talk too
. She was able to book me right then for my pre op appointment, my surgery and my post op appointment.
Pre op- 5th September
Surgery- 19th September
Post op- 25th September
I had hoped I'd only have to wait another 2 months to have surgery as it was a 2 month wait for the consult; but they did say approx a 4 month wait from date of referral so that's fair enough. I'm just feeling kind of impatient now
. Additionally so glad I'll only have to wear the bandages for a week.
Annoyingly I couldn't pay for the consult then as I realised when I arrived that I had lost my debit card, due to rushing around London trying to find a train that was working
. But that wasn't a problem as she said I could simply phone her up and pay by phone later. I was also told people usually pay for the rest at the pre op appointment.
So all in all glad I chose Dr Yelland and glad everything was as positive as people had talked about online.
Will keep you updated when I have the pre op appointment
