Ass. Prof. Peter Haertsch, Sydney - can anyone tell me what his work is like?

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Ladies,

This post is more directed towards the Australian ladies, and those from Sydney or NSW in particular.

I have just recently received the green light from my Psychiatrist for surgery. So at present I am shopping for a surgeon. I live in NSW, (Aust.) and the only surgeon that I am aware of in the whole Country is Dr. Haertsch in Sydney.

While Dr. Haertsch has a very nice web site,   http://www.haertsch.com.au/  it does not really say a great deal about what he does, (apart from it being a two stage procedure separated by three months between operations), how he does it, (penile inversion, etc..) how many operations he has performed, success rates, costs, previous patients he has had, etc, etc, etc...... (I often get the feeling that that such questions are frowned upon because the surgeons are the EXPERTS and you are JUST the patient)  Anyway, the reason I am asking is that I am fairly sure that I will end up going to Thailand to either Dr. Suporn in Bangkok or Dr. Sanguan in Phuket  , (I am leaning a bit more towards Dr. Sanguan due to my age, 62 yrs) BUT if there is a reasonable option in Sydney, (Dr. Haertsch) I would be very interested. My daughter lives fairly closely to the Hospital he operates from, it would be a big plus.

So if anyone has any knowledge, opinions, experiences, or information of any type I would love to hear from you.

This is the first time I have written anything on this site so please be patient with me, I am very new to all of this.





Fixed smileys. 

[Jenny_B_Good]

From one Jen to another - " Hi " !

I asked around about him and was told that he's quite old now - 80+ and had his prime time in the 80's when medicare used to help with the surgeries.

I also believe that the prices are outrageous, something like 40-50k!! - This is all second hand as not many surgeries have been done in Australia since the Monash closed down in Melbourne after been sued- I personally don't believe it was their fault... Alan Finch

The truth for me anyway is that the best surgeons will be the ones who are doing surgery after surgery. Not enough surgery is done in Australia to win my vote of confidence.  There is another here in Australia but his name escapes me.

I myself am looking to go to Thailand. Due to it's reputation as a medical tourism destination the Thai government is extremely hard on the hospitals to keep standards above world class.

Hope this helps sweetie.

Jenn

[Cindy]

Sorry missed this thread.

He is retired.

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Jenn and Cindy,

Thank you for replying. Since I first wrote I have phoned the Gender Centre in Sydney, and talked with one of the counselors who had grs with Dr. Haertsch. According to her he is still operating, is very good and reasonably priced, (if you have Private Health Cover - the Hospital costs). So at the moment I am even more confused.

She also mentioned that late last year she checked with Monash Gender Centre and apparently they are still operating with I believe Dr. Cerber. I had heard the rumor that he had retired.

So at the moment I am thinking that I will make contact with Dr. Haertsch and find out a bit more about what he can offer. I must admit the idea of having my surgery in Sydney where I have a good network of family and friends is more appealing than being in a Motel room by myself in Bangkok or Phuket for five or six weeks. (Also I have never had any great ambition to go to Thailand, I am a snow skier and prefer the cold weather - I love Thai food though).

I am very nervous/worried/concerned about making a good choice. This surgery only happens once so I am keen to make the best choice I can. (I wonder if Choice Magazine would do a comparison on GRS surgeons - the scoring system would be interesting).

If you like I will post what I find out when I contact his surgery.

Thanks again for replying.

Hugs

Jen

[Nicolette]

I am very nervous/worried/concerned about making a good choice. This surgery only happens once so I am keen to make the best choice I can. (I wonder if Choice Magazine would do a comparison on GRS surgeons - the scoring system would be interesting).

Being nervous and worried about making a good choice is perfectly normal and has plagued me for some time.

How would one perform a comparison between surgeons? It requires both objective, third party assessments, and patient subjective ones. If you ask the patient, they will tell you their surgeon is the best one. We're practically in the territory of giving evaluations on works of art.

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Being nervous and worried about making a good choice is perfectly normal and has plagued me for some time.

How would one perform a comparison between surgeons? It requires both objective, third party assessments, and patient subjective ones. If you ask the patient, they will tell you their surgeon is the best one. We're practically in the territory of giving evaluations on works of art.

Hi Telsa,

This is something that I am finding as I search for the elusive "best choice". If you talk to somebody who has a good experience in their surgery then their surgeon is the best. I think that this might have something to do with Cognitive Dissonance, if I remember correctly one of the concepts was that people place more importance or value on something to reinforce their decision or choice.

I agree with you that we are trying to give evaluations on "works of art". Perhaps that is one answer, in art you have different schools of painting - perhaps a similar method could be used for surgeons - although I shudder to think how the "works of art" would be displayed.

Meanwhile I will keep trying to find objective information and see what I can do to sort it all out.

Hugs

Jen

[babz]

Hi Jen If you are thinking on the lines of Thailand You might want to Give Dr Chettawut In Bangkok He Is very good GRS & FFS. I had my Surgery with him.

Babz

[Jenny_B_Good]

Hi Jen,

Please keep us informed of any information you find regarding Aus Doctors.  Never reconsidered it as none of them are really considered the best, and considering how strong the AUD$ is, it made sense to me that if I afford the 'best'- then I should.
My friend did mention that at that age, he's probably pass the prime with surgical work and I admit that I agreed.

In regards to comparison. A lesbian friend of mine told me a friend of hers (pre-op) had the opportunity to "try out" another doctors work. Although that doesn't really interest me, I must admit it's probably one of the better ways to affirm a surgeons quality of work I guess.

Let us know of any details you find.

Jenny

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Babz, I was having another look at Dr. Chettawut's site earlier tonight, he is in the running as well. He gives a good description of what he does and how and reasonable expectations of the end results as well as responsible warnings of the risks. He sounds good.

Hi Jenny, I never thought of the strength of the dollar - but a good point. As to your friends idea for trying out another surgeons work - Interesting!

Thank you both for your thoughts - I will keep digging and see what I find.

Hugs

Jen

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Cindy,

I just tried to send you an email as you suggested but was blocked. I'm not sure what to do now.

Jen

[Catherine Sarah]

Hello Jennifer,

I'm a bit late into the response to your question.

Haertsch is still operating in Sydney. I had a quote from him last year at $65K. His work is deteriorating the older he gets. Monash is open, and Ceber is in partial retirement. He's assisting (training) a new boy. Mr. Andrew Ives. (I won't give my opinion of him. I believe my comments may contravene the Broadcast and Telecommunications Act (Revised) 2002 )

I've just come from an Urological consultation today and was asked why I didn't consult a Sydney Urologist, Dr. Richard Millard from RPA who supposedly performs vaginoplasty. I don't know anything about him at all.

However, if you are looking for the best for your dollar, there's absolutely no body in Oz. Thailand or the States are your best bets.

Best of luck with your research

Huggs
Catherine

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for your reply. I found a very brief, (two page) biography of Peter Haertsch online yesterday and worked out that he is about 66 or 67 years old. It also stated that he is looking at retiring in the next year or two, so probably not a good choice. No followup after retirement, a $65K price tag, (that is a lot of money) and maybe not a great result, it does not sound very inviting.

I will probably give his office a ring but it is sounding more likely that I will be heading overseas. For me this decision is too important to rush into. If I was buying a new pair of snow skis I would seek advice, compare prices, rate what they are designed for, etc.. and if I ended up making the wrong choice I can always get another pair later. Not so this operation. I need to get the best result I can first, (and only), time.

What is it about Australian surgeons and GRS procedures? Is it a taboo subject for them or they just cannot be bothered?

Thank you for your help,

Hugs

Jen

[dejan160]

I have seen an Australian extreme make over show where an Aussie lady had a SRS with him. It didn't go much into details.... I guess you have nothing to lose if you make an appointment and see him. Everything else is just a rumor.

[Jenny_B_Good]

What is it about Australian surgeons and GRS procedures? Is it a taboo subject for them or they just cannot be bothered?

My guess is that it comes down to population rates. Not enough patients hence not enough experience or cash flow to justify the time.
I'd guess you'd also have to consider that Australia has one of the most expensive medical rates in the world. Not just the doctors, but equipment and hospital stays and all.
A friend of mine did get a orchdotomy on medicare though. No longer available though. She got it done at RPA though...

An article in a recent paper mentioned that we pay $1.68 per tablet on a much needed medication, while the UK was paying 12c .... huh?!?!
I must admit are hormones are damn cheap though.

Jenny

[Jenny_B_Good]

.... I guess you have nothing to lose if you make an appointment and see him. Everything else is just a rumor.

Very true....

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Swan and Jenny,

Thank you for your thoughts. I will try contacting his surgery today and see what happens. (I'm not expecting much though).

The cost of medicine, medical treatment, et. al. in Australia? It seems that every time the bureaucrats and politicians say they are going to make things better and more affordable it goes the other way. Very strange.

Jenny, I love your avatar, every time I see it I have this overpowering urge to grab my lipstick and check my makeup.

Hugs

Jen

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Ok, I sent an email to Dr Haertsch's Office and received a reply which I followed up with a phone call to his Secretary. Briefly, he is still practicing, he charges about $35,000- which covers hospital, surgery, anaesthetic, assistant, and 12 month follow up, (in other words, a total 12 month package). If you have Hospital Insurance the cost will come down to about $20,000-. Which is about the top end of my budget. You have two consultations, the first is information and discussion about "the requirements and the reconstructive technique required in your particular case."

I will go and see him and see what he can do. It sounds as though he has a few options when it comes to surgery and not just one approach. Anyway, I will see.

Fingers crossed

Jen

[dejan160]

 

[Charley Bea(EmeraldP)]

Sorry for bumping. I am curious as to how things went or if you have even had a chance to talk to him.

[Jennifer Snowskier]

Hi Emerald,

I haven't seen him yet. I have been delayed by some other surgery, (not the sort that I wanted - cardio bypass) but I have made an appointment for mid September to discuss options. I hope it goes well. I can only hope.

Jen