Orchi before GCS/SRS or skip Orchi - current thoughts?

[Michelle G]

Thank you so much for the update Jeneva! 

That is all very good info to remember

sounds like you are doing well...fantastic!

[Shantel]

The only part I felt queazy about was saying that it altered my sex characteristics.  While that is true because males have testicles and females don't, I am intentionally hoping that they read that as full GCS.  I feel bad about the misleading intent, but the M on my license and other documents is very hurtful.

Don't waste your time feeling queasy about that, let's face it you don't qualify as a male anymore anyway since your maleness is forever gone. There are a lot of states that will honor your doctor's letter as sufficient for an [F] gender marker. I had a letter from my urologist but never used it because when I forwarded it to the SRS surgeon along with other letters from my counselor and an endocrinologist I had been seeing, I got a letter from the SRS surgeon so I could get my gender marker changed simply based on my intent to have SRS as my next step. As it turned out the state would have accepted the urologists letter confirming the orchiectomy as sufficient. That was several years ago and I'll confess that I have had neither my marker changed or SRS thus far. But just to let you know, it's do able!

So overall, this surgery was very minor and low pain in my opinion.

Just like a kick in the nads yesterday and not feeling the discomfort until today! 

[Jeneva]

Ok, I definitely overdid it yesterday and have had to take meds today.   With the meds it is fine, but anyone else reading please don't push too hard.  We've got some water damage at the house.  It had finally hit a total that they had to send an in person adjuster.  He was here in the morning with our main contact with the water removal company.  Both had left tools so I spent all morning fetching and 4 trips up and down the basement stairs and then 6+ trips up the first to second floor stairs was just a bit much.  Still no major bleeding or even swelling.  The cords have gone down swelling some and are now retracted out of the scrotum, but the down side there is that they can't be constrained to keep them from hurting when they move around.

Still no major pain, I just hoped to be done with the painkillers and had to start them back.

[Jeneva]

OMG 

Ok, so the E seems to be SO much more effective now.  I tear up at anything remotely emotional.  I am almost deliriously happy and I can't get enough hugs and snuggles.  Some of this could just be mentally induced euphoria because THEY are gone, but either way I feel happy ([bad movie joke]and it isn't just because I don't want to go on the cart[/bad movie joke]).

Not had to take pain pills for several days.  I still have a day or so left of antibiotics, but it seems to be healing nicely.  It does still ooze a bit, but no real pain.

Now for some interesting news.  Since last visit was my first with this new endo (been DIY and then monitored by my PCP till we found an accepting endo), he wanted a follow up a month after the first appointment.  That was on this Monday.  He was fairly concerned if I was feeling tired and listless and energy-less because even with the medium dose of spiro (and I am a BIG girl and have been told by other TS that I should be taking MUCH more spiro) I had almost NO testosterone showing pre-orchi.  I don't know if it is accurate but he said that Spiro didn't stop production of adrenal T so at least until my next blood test in 6 months he is confident I won't need spiro or finasteride, because he expects the adrenal T will still be lower than female norms.  He didn't give me the exact T number, but it raised a few flags for him.  He did give me my E number from the last test and it was 110 so I do wonder if I'm getting more out of the HRT now after the orchi and reduced medicine.

I don't regret this at all.  The only drawback I can see is that it cost me a bit out of my surgery fund, but the way I feel now is well worth that small (<3k) cost.

BTW: Sarah I am glad you shared your Brassard cost because I didn't realize he was all inclusive from and back to the airport.  I also like the fact he will do local instead of general anesthesia since general with Dr. Z knocked me for a loop.  So now I'm leaning toward him since I can do it for $21k instead of $25k I was having to plan for Bowers or McGinn.  Shannon wouldn't be with me, but because he has you stay in his guest house with nurses she as worried and doesn't feel like she HAS to go.

[eli77]

Really glad you are feeling so good.

I actually had a bit of trouble with my hormones post-op, but they seem to be settling down now and I'm seeing more changes than from before.

Let me know if I can help with questions about Brassard or anything..