i sent in my email, along with the awkward pre-op photos. i'm currently waiting for my therapist to email my letter.... did anyone (who had medalie) have a shorter waiting period?

I would definitely say a minimum of 3 months wait. Once he has looked at your photos and determined which procedure to go with, it was about a month before they called me to schedule surgery. Then the first available surgery date was another ~2 months from when I scheduled. I would say average of 3-4 months instead of 4-5.

Yes it is a minimum of 3 months wait. I actually am post op from him as of 11am today. The office was rammed and I was told that it's pretty much always like that, so I understand why the wait list is so long now!

You also have to factor in when college has their breaks. Kids are graduating/summer and have free time for surgery. Christmas break is also a very busy time.

Yes. I was just put on the waitlist and told I'm looking at a date in October or November. I'm super depressed about waiting but I believe going to Dr. Medalie is worth it based on his results. So I will be spending the next 5 months building muscle in preparation.

Kinda lucky you dont have to wait longer. Many surgeons have a much longer waiting list than that. I would be happy to have to wait 4 months. I had to wait 5 months from referral just to get my consultation, told to lose weight then go back in 3 months. Its been 5 months now and Im still just on the waiting list no closer to going back yet. Even if its approval at next appointment add another 5 months on top of that and it will be like a year and a half wait for me maybe longer

Surgeons are always busy with long waiting lists. There is nothing you can do about that nor can they do anything about it unless they got cancellations. The wait is always going to be worth it in the end to get what you want. Gives you time to prepare for it. Building up the pec muscles makes chest shaping easier to follow the muscle line

Garry I'm so sorry you've had to wat so long. I definitely need to be grateful I'll be getting it this year.

Quote from: Garry on May 05, 2015, 02:07:53 PM
Kinda lucky you dont have to wait longer. Many surgeons have a much longer waiting list than that. I would be happy to have to wait 4 months. I had to wait 5 months from referral just to get my consultation, told to lose weight then go back in 3 months. Its been 5 months now and Im still just on the waiting list no closer to going back yet. Even if its approval at next appointment add another 5 months on top of that and it will be like a year and a half wait for me maybe longer

Surgeons are always busy with long waiting lists. There is nothing you can do about that nor can they do anything about it unless they got cancellations. The wait is always going to be worth it in the end to get what you want. Gives you time to prepare for it. Building up the pec muscles makes chest shaping easier to follow the muscle line

Kam is in the U.S.  Much quicker process.  Of course, in most cases the government/insurance aren't paying for our top surgeries.  Is the wait that long for private surgeons (meaning that the patient is paying the cost?)?

For a lot of the very well known surgeons it can be a long wait. I went to Dr. G, but even then it was a three month wait. There are occasional cancelations and I was offered, when I called, to have my surgery done earlier but as I live far away, it didn't work out.

Bimmer: for the more well known surgeons paying out of pocket doesn't matter. When a doctor is in high demand like Medalie, they have to space it out.

The wait is frustrating, but well worth it. If you like what a surgeon can do and you want them, the wait is worth it. In hind sight, I'm glad I waited for the doctor I wanted instead of going to a doctor that could have gotten me in sooner.

That being said, I have a friend who went to Medalie and he waited for about 4 month. He was very glad he did and his results look great.

I went to Dr G, and waited 2 months I think. I believe the wait depended on time of year with student breaks having the longest waits. If you want Christmas or Spring break you maybe need to go out 4-5 months ahead of time. I had the easiest time of year which was October.

--Jay

Quote from: Konnor on May 04, 2015, 11:03:10 AM
I would definitely say a minimum of 3 months wait. Once he has looked at your photos and determined which procedure to go with, it was about a month before they called me to schedule surgery. Then the first available surgery date was another ~2 months from when I scheduled. I would say average of 3-4 months instead of 4-5.

Why doesn't he just transfer the call to the receptionist at the time of consult to schedule?  That is weird that she calls you back.

8 weeks wait for Garramone here, (during the U.S. 2013 academic year).

Quote from: Ayden on May 06, 2015, 04:02:26 AM


Bimmer: for the more well known surgeons paying out of pocket doesn't matter. When a doctor is in high demand like Medalie, they have to space it out.

Ayden, Garry is in the UK.  I am wondering if he is working from the NHS model in his head and that is why he sees 4-5 months as a short wait time.  I was then curious to know if you can get in with a surgeon more quickly over there if you are not using the national health service.  Make sense?

Really, I didn't know it changed so much.
I went to him several times.
2013 summer, 2 months waiting time which was then shortened dramatically because someone rescheduled and i took the spot.
2014 winter, a little over 2 months waiting time, but I asked for this specific week to have it, so ideal.
2015 spring, a simple office procedure, about 6 weeks waiting time, and I also asked for this specific week, so ideal.

Quote from: Bimmer Guy on May 06, 2015, 07:39:26 PM
Why doesn't he just transfer the call to the receptionist at the time of consult to schedule?  That is weird that she calls you back.

8 weeks wait for Garramone here, (during the U.S. 2013 academic year).

Ayden, Garry is in the UK.  I am wondering if he is working from the NHS model in his head and that is why he sees 4-5 months as a short wait time.  I was then curious to know if you can get in with a surgeon more quickly over there if you are not using the national health service.  Make sense?

Ah, gotcha. Sorry, I misread the posts. I was sleepy at the time.

4-5 months doesn't sound out of the ordinary for any of the in demand surgeons in the US. To be honest, I'm surprised it isn't longer. I had my consult with Dr. Fischer on February 2nd. The absolute soonest I could get in was April 21st, and that was her last slot for the month. It was sooner than most surgeons are able to do, but it still felt like forever.

Try to focus less on the wait and more on how happy you'll be when the day arrives.

Quote from: Bimmer Guy on May 06, 2015, 07:39:26 PM
Why doesn't he just transfer the call to the receptionist at the time of consult to schedule?  That is weird that she calls you back.

They told me that he doesn't open his schedule for upcoming months until so far in advance. So you have to wait until he opens his schedule, then the receptionist schedules people in order of when they had their consult. Hope that made some sense, it's kind of hard to explain.

Quote from: Konnor on May 07, 2015, 10:50:36 AM
They told me that he doesn't open his schedule for upcoming months until so far in advance. So you have to wait until he opens his schedule, then the receptionist schedules people in order of when they had their consult. Hope that made some sense, it's kind of hard to explain.

Ok, I get it.  Maybe he gets too many cancellations?  Typically the longer a person has to wait for something the more likely they are to cancel.  Is your downpayment refundable?  I am thinking that Medalie's is (or was).  That would maybe explain it too.  People are less likely to cancel if they are not going to get a chunk of money back!

I think the wait times are going to get longer and longer now that more people are coming out (and transitioning), and especially since more private insurances are starting to pay for top surgery.

just to update anyone who is looking at medalie for surgery...

his receptionist called me back this month and i was scheduled for surgery next month. although the waiting period (to schedule surgery) can seem like years, sometimes his schedule opens up and you'll be tumor less (chest) sooner than you could ever imagine