Quote from: Ethedon on April 10, 2014, 09:35:46 PM
More than enough from forums, youtube, and just talking to people that actually seen him.

I asked as I knew of the surgeon you were talking about, but I've only heard one bad review about him and that was on Youtube.  The way I see it is there's probably two sides to the story that we don't know about.  As for the bedside manner, if there is someone going with you, then maybe you could count on them to go the extra mile to help you feel comfortable?

If sensation is something that is very important to you, then maybe it is best to lose the extra money to go to someone that could fulfill that wish, but I will say that sensitivity varies with the patient. I have heard of some guys with the DI retain sensitivity (though it does seem more rare) and guys with other procedures lose their nipple sensation so I say it just depends on your body.

Best of luck in whatever you decide! 

I think you should of asked if he did peri before you gave him money.

Ethedon, I knew it was Garramone because you said his name in another thread.

Birkin, indeed we all look the same, that is why Jay and I tease about being clones!

The reason I chose Garramone is he hits it spot on every time.  Consistent results, which made me feel confident.  Consistent results with the chest look I like better than any other.  A win-win!

I never found him rude.  I have never understood people viewing him this way.  He is not jolly, but he is if you joke with him.  I had no issue with him at all, and like Jay said, he actually made me feel very comfortable and confident about what I was doing.  I never felt rushed.  I wasn't rushed on the phone consult, I wasn't rushed at pre op, and I didn't feel rushed at post op.  How is it are people saying he is rude?  In what way?  Does he not answer their questions, make them feel rushed, or...? 

I can't help but wonder if the people that saw him as rude are the type of people who want extra attention and expect more than one should expect from ANY surgeon.

Anyway, everyone on this thread gave you great thoughts/information.  Don't assume since some people find him rude that you will too.  Good luck on your decision.

Quote from: aleon515 on April 11, 2014, 02:21:08 AM
Yes I'm a Dr Garramone patient. I'm very happy with my decision, and I think he did a really nice job. The office staff treated me very well and he was polite and efficient. He is VERY focused which is a good trait in a surgeon. I have had lots of guys here who really admire what an awesome job he did. I had very little trauma (pain and so on) and healed really well which is partly his skill as a surgeon (and also my general good health). I also found him very calming in situations where you might think you'd have a lot of dysphoria (the times I had to show my chest) and he was calming in that I was afraid of surgery.

I would say you gave some tips as to who it was (awesome results, nice staff, polite, etc). It's easy to guess actually. I can see why people would think of Dr G as rude. I do NOT consider him rude at all, but he is very business like and can snap from joking and social to business like in a half second. I just consider that this is who he is. But I was never treated in anything but a professional way. He answered all my questions and when I asked him something he wasn't familiar with he answered in a really interesting way. I just think he is not a particularly social kind of guy. He doesn't really like that aspect of being a surgeon. But if you aren't comfortable with that, well there are many other surgeons.

He won't do the pedicle technique because he *doesn't* do it, it wouldn't be anything personal. He doesn't know how to do it, and choses not to learn it. If you want the pedicle technique you need to find someone who specializes in that technique. Surgery techniques aren't something that you can sort of discuss with a doctor and get them to do, it's not a thing like that. He also is kind of old-school, drains and so on. I think if it works, he isn't fixing it. I don't consider it a personal decision. It wouldn't have anything to do with being "more trouble". That's kind of irrelevant. If you don't know how to, say, cast a fly, it's not "more trouble" to do it, it's "you aren't able to do it".

There are very good surgeons who do the pedicle technique because they want to do it.

If you *really* want the pedicle technique, it might be worth losing your $500. But if you are just worried that he might be rude to you, then I think it's kind of a lot of money to lose for something that it isn't what everybody experiences anyway. But that would just be my opinion on it.

This link has surgeons who perform this technique (not too many actually), not sure how old this link is: http://www.topsurgery.net/procedures/inverted-t-anchor-top-surgery.htm


--Jay

Thanks Jay. You've given me a better understanding of his bedside manner. And if him being straight forward is peoples idea of him being rude I don't agree with them. This is fine with me. And thank you for the link it is very helpful. I'm going to think it over this weekend and then make my decision. It's my chest and $500 isn't so bad if I'm able to get what I want.

I think you may be right about some individuals needing more attention. Some people maybe more afraid and have more anxiety about surgery than others. I was thinking the same thing. I was telling another guy, that he doesn't have to be my best friend. As long as he gives me what I want and is professional & passionate about his work. I chose him because like you said he is very consistent. I can spot his work a mile away. Plus he's only 3hrs from me. This is something I'm going to really think about over the weekend. Thanks for the advice.

Most people who had DI w/grafts say that they have limited sensation, and the surgeons would also mention that sensation loss could happen.
But from my personal experience, I regained most of the erotic sensation gradually post-op, and my nipples will become "erected" when aroused.

I had surgery with Dr G and I actually thought his bedside manner was pretty good, also felt as though I could have a joke with him and he put my mind at rest considering it was my first ever operation. Cannot fault the job he did too, best decision of my life. But I guess others have had different experiences

I also liked consistent results. I sort of am like "who cares if all Dr G chests look alike" if I look good like that.
I'm proud to be part of the vast clone army. LOL!

I know some people like their hand held more than others. I am not particularly needy in that way. I do have a pretty good friend who did a phone consult with Dr G and was turned off by him as it wasn't personal enough. (He didn't think he was rude.) He goes thru what I think is a checklist or something. He asks if you have any questions, and he will answer them, but I think this person felt he needed more of a personal touch or something. I feel like he's a surgeon. He would not make a good PHP, but he did make me feel comfortable and calm and that's really all I need. He doesn't allow you to video pre-ops but youtube videos of post-ops are pretty telling about how he actually is without making interpretations. He says the same things when he can. He did joke a little bit, and I found him likable.

IMO, the big deal is the whether you want the pedicle. However, I think you should be realistic about how much sensation you'll keep. My understanding is that even after peri/keyhole not everyone maintains 100% sensation and it might take over a year to get back. Also if you have a very large chest or very large areolas and nipples it is less appropriate. It's more for medium chest, they can downsize the areolas and nipples to an extent, but less so than in free nipple grafts.

I think that this doctor in Chicago, Dr Steinwald gets some nice results. I have no idea how nice he is, but there seem to be videos on youtube.

--Jay

Quote from: SX0877 on April 11, 2014, 10:14:51 AM
Most people who had DI w/grafts say that they have limited sensation, and the surgeons would also mention that sensation loss could happen.
But from my personal experience, I regained most of the erotic sensation gradually post-op, and my nipples will become "erected" when aroused.

Really?!? So there is some hope.

I don't think that erotic sensation is to be expected. The nerves aren't lined up like that. OTOH, I the brain is a sex organ, and what the brain thinks. Well lots of things are possible like that. I'm not at ALL saying this is in SX's imagination, btw.

--Jay

Quote from: aleon515 on April 11, 2014, 02:52:51 PM
I don't think that erotic sensation is to be expected. The nerves aren't lined up like that. OTOH, I the brain is a sex organ, and what the brain thinks. Well lots of things are possible like that. I'm not at ALL saying this is in SX's imagination, btw.

--Jay

Yea this is why I'm not sure if I want to cancel or not. I mean what are the odds of retaining sensation with the pedicle method VS regular D.I. If anyone can answer this it would help me make my decision. And I do believe a lot of things are possible with the brain.

I realized this morning I might have inadvertently come off as a huge d-bag when I said the chests all look the same, and I wanted to apologize if it offended anyone. I think for a lot of people that's actually a huge plus, if they like his work and like the idea of knowing pretty well how it's going to turn out. And it definitely shows that he has found a technique he likes and he knows it well enough to replicate it every time.

Quote from: Ethedon on April 11, 2014, 03:10:09 PM
Yea this is why I'm not sure if I want to cancel or not. I mean what are the odds of retaining sensation with the pedicle method VS regular D.I. If anyone can answer this it would help me make my decision. And I do believe a lot of things are possible with the brain.

What Jay posted is the Inverted T/T anchor (I did not know that this was also referred to as pedicle?). Pedicle is the one where the incision is across the areola a la Megan Hassall work (see Kreuzfidel's chest).  I don't know anyone who does this in the U.S., but I'm sure there is someone.

But anyway, if sensation is that important to you, and you don't mind that extra scar from the bottom of the pec up to the areola, then maybe you really should strongly consider the T-acnchor.

The owner of the Neutrois Nonsense blog got the T-Anchor http://neutrois.me/2012/02/14/top-surgery-analyzing-results/

They (I don't know the pronoun they use), are also here under the name Neutrois.  I bet they would be happy to talk with you.

Quote from: birkin on April 11, 2014, 04:06:46 PM
I realized this morning I might have inadvertently come off as a huge d-bag when I said the chests all look the same, and I wanted to apologize if it offended anyone. I think for a lot of people that's actually a huge plus, if they like his work and like the idea of knowing pretty well how it's going to turn out. And it definitely shows that he has found a technique he likes and he knows it well enough to replicate it every time.

Yeah, really, my chest looks WAY better than Jay's!  Kidding.

It's cool birkin.  I admit it kind of hit me in the gut a wee bit, but it really is true.  There are times that it bothers me that there are a bunch of other guys out there with the same chest as me.  Other times, like when I mess around with Jay, it makes me smile, as it gives me a sense of inclusiveness.

I had my surgery done with Garramone prior to coming to this board, and I hadn't been a part of any other trans* websites/blogs/social sites, so I wasn't even aware that he was as popular as he was.  I made my decision based on transbucket pictures.  I saw a handful of youtube videos, too, but it really only was a couple.

However, I don't think knowing the large amount of clones out there would have deterred me, however.  I love the "Superman chest" that Garramone gives.

Yeah, his chest definitely has a lot of positives, and I never meant it as a bad thing at all. He does a really good job on resizing and placing the nipples and makes the chest very flat. Plus, if you got shots of a bunch of cis guys chests, you wouldn't be able to know who was who, you know what I mean? lol. I'm just extra sensitive about the issue because I'm surrounded by a lot of pomo feminists and rad fem lesbians. If I lived somewhere else, I probably wouldn't hesitate to go with Dr G because his results are great.

Quote from: Brett on April 11, 2014, 04:18:32 PM
What Jay posted is the Inverted T/T anchor (I did not know that this was also referred to as pedicle?). Pedicle is the one where the incision is across the areola a la Megan Hassall work (see Kreuzfidel's chest).  I don't know anyone who does this in the U.S., but I'm sure there is someone.

But anyway, if sensation is that important to you, and you don't mind that extra scar from the bottom of the pec up to the areola, then maybe you really should strongly consider the T-acnchor.

The owner of the Neutrois Nonsense blog got the T-Anchor http://neutrois.me/2012/02/14/top-surgery-analyzing-results/

They (I don't know the pronoun they use), are also here under the name Neutrois.  I bet they would be happy to talk with you.

Thanks for the link. That's another thing I must consider is the extra scarring. Just thinking about it now there are more pros than cons if I continue with D.I And cons being more scarring with pedicle and it's not guaranteed I will gain that sensation back. I definitely don't want extra scarring. So which is more important to me? Extra scarring with the POSSIBILITY of sensation or minimum scarring with a possibility of sensation.. I'm thinking guys I really am.

Although Dr G uses the same technique with D.I IMO I still don't think any two guys are Exactly the same. As well as a cis guys chest. They may look the same but they all aren't. IMO I think just being consistent in any business sells. That's what sold me.

While I thought Garramone comes off as incredibly fake and pretentious (as well as having very recognizable reults which is really only a problem if you're stealth), a lot of people start to think someone is rude just because they heard it from someone else and now need to have that same opinion. If he's the best choice for you cost wise/travel wise/results wise go to him and get it over with. It's not like you have to keep in contact once your operation is over.

Oh, just to throw it out there: I had double incision with nipple grafts and I have more sensation than ever before. I've mentioned it on a different thread but I'm 5 months post op and that area is still insanely sensitive.

Quote from: timbuck2 on April 11, 2014, 05:36:09 PM
While I thought Garramone comes off as incredibly fake and pretentious (as well as having very recognizable reults which is really only a problem if you're stealth), a lot of people start to think someone is rude just because they heard it from someone else and now need to have that same opinion. If he's the best choice for you cost wise/travel wise/results wise go to him and get it over with. It's not like you have to keep in contact once your operation is over.

Oh, just to throw it out there: I had double incision with nipple grafts and I have more sensation than ever before. I've mentioned it on a different thread but I'm 5 months post op and that area is still insanely sensitive.

Why would it be a problem if you're stealth just curious..

Quote from: Brett on April 11, 2014, 04:18:32 PM
What Jay posted is the Inverted T/T anchor (I did not know that this was also referred to as pedicle?). Pedicle is the one where the incision is across the areola a la Megan Hassall work (see Kreuzfidel's chest).  I don't know anyone who does this in the U.S., but I'm sure there is someone.

But anyway, if sensation is that important to you, and you don't mind that extra scar from the bottom of the pec up to the areola, then maybe you really should strongly consider the T-acnchor.

The owner of the Neutrois Nonsense blog got the T-Anchor http://neutrois.me/2012/02/14/top-surgery-analyzing-results/

They (I don't know the pronoun they use), are also here under the name Neutrois.  I bet they would be happy to talk with you.

@Birkin, I didn't really take offense, I think it's kind of true. It's not that he can treat you the same, because obviously to get the same result he has to use much different approaches. But he is kind of snip, snip, next and so on. I think it's kind of funny actually.

@timbuck-- I didn't see him as fake, but I think he is VERY very sure of himself, I don't know that always comes across so well. it's a surgeon trait, imo.


I was thinking the t-anchor and pedicle are one in the same. I don't knwo what they call across the chest. I think there is really the one doctor in Australia doing that, and I don't know of anyone else. But I might be totally off on this. They may be more similar than is apparent, the surgeon is obviously retaining the nipple, so it is around which is either up and around the nipple or down and around, either way you'd have to do some kind of t type cut, it seems to me anyway. Not sure if this is clear.

The extra scar(s) would decrease in time, but I can still see Micah's (neutrosis me). The result is natural though. I think he went to Steinwald btw. I agree that they would be willing to talk to you. I know them, and really nice open person. You could comment and pose a question on their website, and they are likely to answer. The only thing is that they are asexual, but there are other reasons they chose that technique.

Anyway, if sensation is important it's something to check out. But you must be medium size and have small-med. nipples and areolas. They are less able to resize in this procedure for obvious reasons. They can go back later, but that's a revision.


--Jay