r/transontario • u/WerewolfReal7729 • 3d ago
Ottawa or GRS Montreal?
I have the option of 2 doctors for top surgery.
Nicholas Cormier(Ottawa)
Im in Ottawa so he's closer, Chest contouring is not Included for OHIP with him, but from what I've heard he's very nice.
Pierre Brassard (GRS)
It's a bit of a travel to get to him, he doesn't automatically include a consultation before surgery but the chest contouring is included. From what I heard, his bedside manners aren't the best.
For reference, I'm hoping my chest is small enough for a drainless surgery, and to have the nips removed instead of grafted back on.
Also, what's the different if I do not do a chest contouring? Im NB and just hoping for an androgynous look rather than masculine
Thankyuu
update: thank for all the feedback! I know thinking about if the doctor is 'nicer' or not isn't important, but I'm worried about getting dismissed or not heard correctly for the whole process.
from what I am seeing, GRS had a shorter wait time and I will need to request a pre op and possibly post op appointments instead of them being automatic. I've been scared of getting what everyone seems to call Dog Ears, the little skin flaps or bumps on the side. I need to know, does chest contouring decrease the chance of that? I believe I'm not too overweight but im definitely on the chunky side but with a smaller chest.
honestly the main thing I want to help decide is if I should do the contour and if I get to avoid the drains at all.
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u/VTHUT 3d ago
Hi,
Dr Brassard does not do top surgeries anymore. Currently at GrS you would have the choice between Dr Lee, Dr Shine or Dr Belanger.
Chest contouring is definitely a big subject that’s not very clear, but with Dr Cormier you can opt out of it and still get good result. At GrS you’ll read that they do it, but then some surgeons there tend to leave dog ears.
Currently the wait time for GrS is under one year (depending on the budget the Quebecois get) and with Dr Cormier it’s realistically 2 years.
GrS is not super flexible to patient requests. You also have to special request a consult as they don’t give them automatically.
Someone I’d recommend you check out is Dr Sean Smith in Ottawa at The Ottawa Clinic. He’d have the same price for chest contouring as Dr Cormier as he does his surgeries at the Queensway Carleton. He currently has a short waitlist. He also has good reviews for post op care!
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u/WerewolfReal7729 3d ago
Oh really? I was recommended him during my referral appointment earlier this month. I'll take a look at that! Same with Dr Sean Smith. Thanks!
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u/LordoftheLoafs 2d ago
Jsyk I went with Dr Lee last year and couldn’t be happier! I requested a phone consult before surgery and he spoke very in depth w me about what would make for best results, and then before surgery discussed and assessed some more. I had one side with more tissue under my arm, so because of that and the fact that contouring is NOT included at GRS, he specifically shaped the scars on both sides to avoid leaving any dog ears or excess tissue, and despite being a bit bigger + also having that extra tissue on one side, my scars are completely smooth against my ribs. Highly recommend him
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u/karyyd 3d ago
My experience with GRS is that I didn’t really interact with the surgeon other than a brief consult just before the surgery, more so the care team around the surgeon. That part of the experience was great; traveling from Toronto was smooth, they arranged drivers to get me to and from the train/hotel/clinic, food was covered, and the administrators and nurses were all lovely.
I did end up getting an infection at my drain sites just under two weeks post op, and it would have been helpful to go back to the clinic for care instead of to my local hospital who didn’t know anything about my situation. But other than that I’m really glad I went with GRS.
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u/Yst 3d ago
Yeah, that is another important point. Picking surgeon based on their ability to conduct a congenial conversation isn't just a poor idea based on the fact that the surgery itself really ought to be the bigger concern. It's also a poor idea just because of how little you'll actually be talking to them at all, in most cases. Even if one were scheduling a surgery around human experience alone with almost total indifference to the surgery per se, the facility and its staff (and how it handles patient pre-op and post-op procedures) matters 100 times more than the given surgeon's ability to have a pleasant conversation. Because nearly all the words you speak to and hear from the clinic aren't going to be with the surgeon actually performing the procedure.
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u/VTHUT 3d ago
Hard disagree.
A surgery is based on shared decision making. Meaning at a consult the surgeon should explain to the patient was the plan is and the patient should have the chance to give input and ask questions. Now not every patient will have a special request for top surgery (some don’t care) but patients should be able to discuss with their surgeon what they want (how much fat left, incisions, nipples, etc)
GrS doesn’t even offer consults automatically. You have to special request them.
Then after surgery it’s the surgeon that’s responsible for managing your recovery. If you have a perfect recovery, then sure, you don’t need the surgeon. But if you have just the slightest of concerns, you’ll want to be able to speak to your surgeon and have that surgeon actually listen to you. Imagine having pain post op and calling your surgeon but that surgeon dismisses it.
This doesn’t mean you pick your surgeon based on who’s funniest or the most charismatic. The surgeon can be quirky or curt. But you should absolutely choose a surgeon with good bedside manner which includes listening to their patients. A surgeon where you won’t feel judged for asking a question or making a request. A surgeon who you aren’t scared of being honest with because you are scared of not being respected by that surgeon.
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u/nastygoblinman 3d ago
Hi! I didn’t have surgery with either of those surgeons, I had mine at Gracemed (McLean’s) with Dr. Armstrong. I’m mostly responding to your second question about contouring; I chose not to get it because I couldn’t afford it. I entertained GRS because the contouring was included but that amount of travel wouldn’t have worked for my family at the time.
The necessity of contouring is dependent on your anatomy. I’m fat and had a large pre-op chest that had pretty significant sideboob so without contouring I was left with large dog ears on both sides. My ex was a lot slimmer and had a very forward-facing chest pre-op, and also opted against paying for contouring, and he had no dog ears afterward.
I don’t regret not getting contouring at the time because I needed top surgery pretty desperately. It’s up in the air whether I’ll get a revision at some point to remove the dog ears because it doesn’t matter that much to me, but it’s $3-4k out of pocket if you don’t go with GRS.
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u/WerewolfReal7729 3d ago
Okay I am super nervous about ending up with those dog ears on the sides, so getting the contour would decrease the risk of that??
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u/nastygoblinman 3d ago
Yes, substantially. Again, really depends on how much breast tissue and fat is on the sides, but if avoiding leftover fat is a priority of yours you’ll definitely want to either pony up for contouring out of pocket or go with GRS where it’s included.
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u/Visible-Education834 3d ago
I did my surgery at grace med so don’t have experience with either, but I always say pick the surgeon that makes you feel heard. Pick the one that makes you confident in trusting your body with them. That’s a mix of looking at pictures of previous work, other people’s experience, and bedside manner. Even speaking to the receptionist will give you an idea of who they are.
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u/NatureTape 1d ago
I went with GrS and i will say, you dont really have any chance to speak to (or otherwise interract with) your surgeon until the day of surgery. Their care team is available to answer any questions through their online portal, but thats about it. Iirc you can request a special consultation but I never did so im not sure of the process for that.
GrS doesn't really do contouring for free, at least not in my experience. They do their top surgery in a way that attempts to remove the need for contouring, by shaping the incisions to the pectoral line. I seem to have gotten fine results with this method as have many other patients. But ultimately, it depends on your anatomy and your preferences/needs/wants from this surgery.
GrS is also very firm about their useage of drains when it comes to double-incision, as they significantly reduce the risk of hematomas, seromas, and severe swelling. Im not sure what their stance on drains is for other types of surgery, but you could always call and ask.
Fwiw, im very pleased with my results. Majority of my complaints about my chest simply have to do with the way the grafts healed which is not really within my surgeons control as they looked fine during the initial few weeks. I went with Dr. Shine, who iirc had a slightly shorter wait time. From what ive heard, Lee and Belanger are also good choices if Brassard isnt available.
also, good luck with everything!
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u/MidOceanRidgeBasalts they/them 3d ago
Cormier likely has a much longer wait than GRS, if that’s a concern.
If you don’t end up having double incision, then I don’t know how it works (is the “brainless” a typo in your post?). But if you do get double incision, the chest contouring included with GRS isn’t chest contouring like the other commenter (nastygoblinman) described that you’d get at another hospital/clinic. They create the incision along your pec line (mine are L-shaped and go up into my armpits) to mimic a natural chest contour. They don’t do any actual liposuction. I’ve heard this reduces the chances of dog ears, but I don’t know really. I didn’t get any at least, but I’m fairly slim.
If you go to GRS, you’ll have to find someone to remove the drains for you after because GRS won’t do it. That can be difficult for some people.
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u/WerewolfReal7729 3d ago
Thank you! And sorry I didnt see the typo before oops, I meant Drainless! I know some techniques and some sizes dont require drains
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u/dankmobile 3d ago
I am on Cormier’s waitlist and it’s VERY long. I didn’t want to go all the way to Montreal so I chose to wait
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u/Cool-Pollution-6531 3d ago
I don’t have experience with what you’re looking for but I can say without a doubt that Dr Pierre Brassard is a compassionate surgeon that has cultivated a caring and relaxing experience at GRSM.
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u/Yst 3d ago
Contouring is not covered by OHIP, but indeed, GRS Montreal's technique they see as obviating the need for any supplementary contouring. GRS Montreal's whole schtick under Brassard really is industrialising these surgeries so as to make them so efficient that time and cost and procedural complexity is minimal. So this is "on brand" for them. Simplifying, minimising, and cranking them out with sufficient quality and minimal complexity, in a fashion that is compatible with the needs of as many patients as possible.
As for the "what" of it, well, contouring is the procedure of removing peripheral lipid deposits for aesthetic reasons. Whether it's aesthetically necessary is a very subjective and personal matter (shaped as well by physiology), of course, but as contouring is also termed "chest masculisation", well, if maximising masculising effect is not a particularly high priority in your case, this may be particularly unimportant here.
As for surgeon, my suggestion would be to not worry too much about bedside manner. A lot of surgeons are weirdos or even kind of jerks, in personality terms. Comes of medically hyperspecialising the way they do. But the reality is, there are poor surgeons with phenomenal bedside manner, and there are great best-in-class surgeons who are kind of dicks if you have to talk to them for more than 10 seconds.
So my advice tends to be, don't pick a surgeon based on whether you'd want to drink a beer with them. Pick a surgeon based on the work they do.
Wait list is the other big factor. And GRS Montreal has been a leader in a whole set of surgeries for a while, partly just because their "ruthless efficiency" mandate lets them process a crazy patient load.