Ok I have some questions. I don't understand how she forms the actual vaginal cavity. Does she just cut away a hole several inches deep and then sew in the scrotal tissue that has been form on the dilator? What tissue is she removing there?
also, it mentioned something about drains. Is it similar to the drains we get when we have top surgery? If so, how long do they typically leave the drains in? We typically have to have ours in for a week and I had to empty mine a couple times a day.
Basically the answer is yes. She cuts through the perineum and the muscle there and pushes open a cavity using her fingers. She may also use a cauterizing tool to cut through some of the connective tissues. Then she takes the stent that has been sheathed with the inverted penile and scrotal skin that has been previously stitched together and inserts it into the cavity. Then she sutures the opening of the cavity to the end of the scrotal/penile skin. She does not suture inside the neovagina. By leaving the stent in place or replacing it with gauze packing, the inverted tissues will be forced against the exposed tissues of the cavity. Over the course of the next several weeks following surgery, the two tissues will bond. I'm not quite sure about the tissues she removed, it may have been more of the perineum so to better expose the vaginal entrance.
They are the same you used and they stay in anywhere from 3-5 days. Once the oozing appears to have slowed down to a manageable amount they are removed. Also once per day, approximately, they are pulled out about an inch to prevent tissues from bonding to the drain.
I'm a McGinn girl and I studied Marci's technique quite a bit. Dr McGinn assisted with approximately 35 surgeries while she was in residence with Dr Bowers. In my discussions with her prior to my surgery, Dr McGinn utilizes all the techniques that were used by Dr Bowers and developed by Dr. Biber.
I saw similar videos prior to my surgery and saw this after my surgery. It was interesting to watch knowing that it would be me on the table, and now knowing it was me on the table. As she was going through the surgery, I kept saying to myself, for example, yes, that was like me having the vaginal cavity exposed. It felt oddly comforting watching my birth defect being corrected.
Sutures don't break, however you can tear through if there is stress on the tissues. The lower sutures can be under the most stress and tension when you sit or spread your legs too far. That is one of the reasons for constant bed rest following surgery. Once the tissues bond, which takes 1-2 weeks, there is little chance of a tear.
-Sandy
