UK GRS: Phillip Thomas or James Bellringer

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Hi folks,

I wanted to ask what peoples thoughts are on these two, how they and their service differs and anything I should research or ask when considering them.

Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks!

Kira x

[SorchaC]

Are you considering paying privately? I ask that as last time I checked Mr Bellringer was only doing ops in the private hospital in Wimbledon. I met him when I was still an NHS patient and found him to be direct but also funny. He seems to know his stuff and I wouldn't have had any issues going to him if it wasn't cheaper for me to have my op in Bangkok and that includes my month in a hotel and 2 return flights from Sydney with the return legs being Business Class

Hope that helps

Hugs

Sorcha 

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Hiya.

Thanks for your reply. :-)

I am really interested I suppose, in the practicalities of what they offer. I know that the NHS surgery is comparable between surgeons and Bellringer is the more experienced, but I hear the surrounding care can be different. One question I have for anyone who might have had it done by them, is about the aesthetics of it. How pleased were they, what are the markings like and how much input did they have in it. I heard one patient (though I don't know when or which surgeon) talk about choosing some aspects of the appearance.

[Rejennyrated]

Coming at this from a slightly different angle - I'm currently a medical student, and on a surgical rotation, so let me talk a little about the reality of surgery. It's not like building cars or computers. Every model is unqiue so you can't push the buttons and guarrantee a uniform product.

Any decent surgeon will talk to you about your expectations and hopes, but the reality is when you get into theatre and start cutting you never really know what unexpected snags you may find. No two people are wired quite the same. Nerves and blood vessels run in slightly atypical places, bones are of differing sizes - openings are different - angles are different - so the upshot is while a surgeon will try hard to do what you ask, they may not be able to with the material that you supply.

I've seen James Bellringer working and I've seen his work. When I was 25 years postop myself I decided to treat myself to a little cosmetic update - and he was the man I went to. He did pretty well, but the reality is genital surgery is very intricate and it isnt like ordering decor for a room there are too many variables so alongside the undoubted skill there is also a fair bit of luck involved.

Can he produce the goods - yes he can. I've seen three good exmaples of his work. Will he for you? Sadly no one can tell you that for sure, and if anyone claims that they can guarrantee the result I'd say they are either a fool or a liar.

So my advice is go with the man you like, go with the man you trust. I think both surgeons are good. (The hospital in Wimbledon is Parkside, and it's a very nice hospital.)

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Thanks Rejennyrated. I do appreciate what you are saying and I accept it. Obviously nothing is guaranteed by anyone, not even leaving the place alive - hey, its surgery.

I wont get to meet them both to decide who I like, so its probably a good job that it doesn't bother me to a great extent if I like the person or not. I have heard other people make similar statements when they are choosing surgeons, but it confuses me! I am not taking them home with me. I care about the bits that I am taking home with me! :-)

At the moment, I am comfortable with where I am going forward, but I need to choose between them. The only criteria I can make that decision on seems to be experience (they are both very experienced, Bellringer slightly more so) and difference in service provided - which really I know very little about. At the moment I am leaning towards bellringer, just for his experience.

[calicarly]

Well Kira,

You and I keep bumping into each other girl, and I am happy that we do. I'm doing the same research myself, I am guessing that you immediately wrote off Tina Rashid and Dr. Fenton? For what I hear she is like super booked ahead and Fenton only recently got back to doing full vaginoplasties from only doing cosmetic procedures for years. That's what I was told anyway.

The thing is that, experience isn't really a big difference where they stand, they are both very experienced now, and have been doing this for a while. So Phil Thomas is in Brighton, right on the beach and I was told that the hospital is very nice and has very nice single rooms with all the comodities. Bellringer being in Wimbledon I'm sure it's a busier area and stuff but park side is also a private hospital, so although it's not right on the beach, I'm sure it's nice enough too. Just trying to think of the stuff I know and have heard to help you out. I just wanna know I'll get enough pain killers when I need them lol.  If I find out anything else relevant I will come back and post it for ya.

X

[eggy_nog]

I've just had my SRS with Mr Bellringer - and I can tell you he's done a fantastic job, couldn't be happier

Don't know what all the rubbish is online about "UK SURGEONS ARE TERRIBLE XYZ". Totally disagree. I think it's a case of you just hear less about people who are really happy, and more from a small number of people who've had complications or haven't had their expectations met, which is a risk for any surgeon worldwide.

Anyway, I can tell you that I was going to be on Mr Thomas' list, but there was a complication and the NHS ended up sending me to Mr Bellringer right at the last minute. I'm sure that had Mr Thomas done my surgery, he would have done an excellent job as well. One of my friends recently had SRS with him and she is over the moon with her results!

Hope this helps xoxo

[pyhxbp]

Tina Rashid and Dr. Fenton? For what I hear she is like super booked ahead and Fenton only recently got back to doing full vaginoplasties from only doing cosmetic procedures for years. That's what I was told anyway.

So... it is an opinion piece rather than a factual account? Here is some rumour I heard earlier??



I had full vaginoplasty recently with Mr Fenton. My friends mostly went with Mr Thomas and Mr Bellringer and in our discussions about what we went through I feel that Mr Fenton's approach was actually better than the other ones. Since each MTF person generally has GRS only once I guess I am writing an opinion piece too, but not on the basis of rumour.

Mr Fenton's technique differs from the others. He uses a special stitch that prevents prolapse and because he is not a production line churning out half a dozen per week, he takes his time. My friends' surgeries took about 3 hours, mine took five. He does not like to rush because rushing makes mistakes.

He uses scrotal skin in addition to penile skin and this makes the dilation regime very different. I was not allowed to start dilation until one month after surgery. I dilated for 15 minutes twice a day for 3 months and now once a day with a 35mm x 6.5" dilator. He told me that he saw little point in irritating the swollen, freshly stitched tissue and disturbing the stitches on day 5 so it was best to wait several weeks until the worst of the swelling was gone. My first dilation was easy and pain-free and within a week I was on the maximum size so the long wait caused me no problems. I have had no issues - dilation has only ever been a bit uncomfortable but never sore or painful and it was very easy to work two short sessions into my daily life.

The anaesthetist was superb and offered a number of types of sedation but recommended a light anaesthetic together with an epidural. I never even noticed the needle going in to my spine and I do not remember passing out. I was just suddenly back in my room and I was not nauseous. Pain relief was managed by paracetamol - I declined Ibuprofen as I am sensitive to it, but I was offered both.

I have no regrets. I am still somewhat swollen, but the worst of it has gone. Apparently it will be 12 months before all swelling, stiffness and after-effects are gone, but things down below get better looking each week.

[eggy_nog]

I've not heard of Dr Fenton. Sounds like you're very happy with the outcome! Do you mind me asking aesthetically what his results are like? What's his general technique? You still get a functioning clitoris afterwards..?

[pyhxbp]

I've not heard of Dr Fenton. Sounds like you're very happy with the outcome! Do you mind me asking aesthetically what his results are like? What's his general technique? You still get a functioning clitoris afterwards..?

I was originally slated for Mr Bellringer and even talked to him over the phone (which he answered himself!) but then he went to Parkside and everything went slightly mad at Imperial. I tried going to Brighton but after speaking with the manager down there I decided I would rather not bother so I went to Mr Fenton up in Leeds.

It is hard to judge the aesthetics as there is still some swelling in the left labia and below the urethra. The right labia appears to be reducing faster than the left but that is my biology not anything surgical. There seems to be sensation everywhere which is good but because I had been circumcised there was nothing to construct a clitoral hood with so my clitoris is a bit exposed but still within my labia, or was when I last looked - it all seems to change from week to week at this stage.

His technique is to use scrotal tissue as well as penile skin. I had to undergo genital hair removal on the back and lower edge of the scrotum which was partly laser and partly electro. He then killed off any remaining follicles in surgery. If I understood him correctly, the extra skin allows the vaginal canal to start wider before dilation and the early dilations do not have to stretch the skin as much. He also uses a special stitch to anchor the top end of the vagina to internal ligaments/structures so that it is held in place until it is fully healed and attached. I guess this is why he has no prolapses in his patients. He also mentioned something about how the muscles are separated makes a difference but I did not fully grasp that bit.

I might be down at Parkside in the New Year as one of my friends will be receiving Mr Bellringer's attentions. Did everything go OK for you? Your post sounded very positive.

[calicarly]

So... it is an opinion piece rather than a factual account? Here is some rumour I heard earlier??



I had full vaginoplasty recently with Mr Fenton. My friends mostly went with Mr Thomas and Mr Bellringer and in our discussions about what we went through I feel that Mr Fenton's approach was actually better than the other ones. Since each MTF person generally has GRS only once I guess I am writing an opinion piece too, but not on the basis of rumour.

Mr Fenton's technique differs from the others. He uses a special stitch that prevents prolapse and because he is not a production line churning out half a dozen per week, he takes his time. My friends' surgeries took about 3 hours, mine took five. He does not like to rush because rushing makes mistakes.

He uses scrotal skin in addition to penile skin and this makes the dilation regime very different. I was not allowed to start dilation until one month after surgery. I dilated for 15 minutes twice a day for 3 months and now once a day with a 35mm x 6.5" dilator. He told me that he saw little point in irritating the swollen, freshly stitched tissue and disturbing the stitches on day 5 so it was best to wait several weeks until the worst of the swelling was gone. My first dilation was easy and pain-free and within a week I was on the maximum size so the long wait caused me no problems. I have had no issues - dilation has only ever been a bit uncomfortable but never sore or painful and it was very easy to work two short sessions into my daily life.

The anaesthetist was superb and offered a number of types of sedation but recommended a light anaesthetic together with an epidural. I never even noticed the needle going in to my spine and I do not remember passing out. I was just suddenly back in my room and I was not nauseous. Pain relief was managed by paracetamol - I declined Ibuprofen as I am sensitive to it, but I was offered both.

I have no regrets. I am still somewhat swollen, but the worst of it has gone. Apparently it will be 12 months before all swelling, stiffness and after-effects are gone, but things down below get better looking each week.

No, I didn't just hear it from anyone. I was told, by the people at the GIC, not as a rumour. But this is a comment I wrote in may. He must be  up to full speed with new experience by now. I'm actually really glad that I'm reading about this because a lot of people don't even get him mentioned by their GIC's maybe some are doing now. To be honest had the people at the GIC not said that I would have considered him, but I had no accounts from anyone online to go by either... I now know the GIC had less idea than they seemed to have at the time... They don't even know the differences in waiting times for each dr or what really goes on with funding and all that. So I am incredibly glad we have someone finally reporting on Fenton, and positively, hopefully the people coming through after us read this and know he is now hop to speed and they should consider him for their surgery. So thank you for sharing this. What was your experience of waiting times , pre op assessment and surgery, etc when you were referred to him?

[pyhxbp]

No, I didn't just hear it from anyone. I was told, by the people at the GIC, not as a rumour. But this is a comment I wrote in may. He must be  up to full speed with new experience by now.

I was told that he originally worked with Mr Terry who trained Bellringer and Thomas. That bit could be 110% pure rumour though  but he did GRS years ago and has come back to it.

What was your experience of waiting times , pre op assessment and surgery, etc when you were referred to him?

When I was referred he saw me within 6 weeks and told me that I needed a LOT of hair removal down below so I spent the next 9 months having the back and bottom of my scrotum cleared. Although it seemed to stay clear I was concerned and mentioned it to him and he said that he would cauterize any remaining follicles in surgery. 5 months post op and I have no internal hair regrowth.

He did not recommend 9 months clearance, he just said that he would authorize whatever it took and to get back to him when I was ready. He left it up to me and my electrolygist to ensure that it was done right and not rushed. I contacted him in June 2015 and had surgery in the first week of August - about 6 weeks later. I did not mind the long wait caused by hair removal because I wanted it done right.

Pre-op assessment was quick and thorough and done about 2 weeks in advance of surgery. They also blood typed me to order in some blood units on standby and then had me back in 3 days before surgery to cross-check the blood they received. Methley is only an hour's drive away and a quick hop  over the Pennines so it was not a bother.

I never noticed the surgery but it took around 4 hours. Methley is a small hospital and everyone has a private room. He only does one or two GRS surgeries per week and I was in from Thursday to Wednesday and I was out of bed on the Sunday and allowed to sit in the recliner chair next to my bed.

I went back at 6 weeks post-op for my assessment and to get my dilators, a set of Amielle Comfort dilators (they are on Amazon if you want to look). Dilation was easy and pain free and I was on the largest 35mm width dilator within a week. I have another assessment with him next week.

The swelling continues to decrease. Like my friends who went to Brighton and Parkside I have been told that the swelling will persist in some degree for about 12 months but the bulk of it is gone and my labia look less swollen and more "flappy".

Does that answer everything or have I missed some bits?

[isa86]

so how have you recovered now years later ? ive been referred to jim now as tina rashid is off ahain this year on maternaty leave.

ive started a mix of laser all over and electro in the surgery area near where oliver fenton performs surgery. the girl that does the hair removal prepared alot of his patients so knows what he expects. ove only got  4-5 electro sessions left then im done. i go every 2 weeks. so im done before my consultation as his secretary said it will be july august time for the consultation. and as he is retiring end of this month from doing private patients he has more time gor his nhs patiens so the waiting time for surgery is not crazy at all she mentiond. wich is also fab

x bella x

[Megan.]

Interesting about Rashid, I was given her name as one of three options (Bellringer and Thomas too). Does this mean I should scratch her off my list,  as I was leaning that way.

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[isa86]

that depends on how much you want her for surgery. and how soon you want it.
i am desperate and  am not happy waiting that long.
with dr.fenton ill be having surgery this year as waiting list from consultation is between 6 and 9 weeks  ive been told by her secretary.
obviously that means if youre ready for surgery. as in healthy and had the requested hair removal etc.

x bella x

[Megan.]

6-9 weeks for nhs?

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[isa86]

yes . dr fenton and tina rashid have a really short wsiting list. and if youre not having to loose weight or get told u need hair removal on the day of consultation and stop smoking etc. then its a case of being ready for surgery.

im pretty prepared. bmi is at 23 dont smoke dont drink dont do drugs . work out 4 times a week  and i have 5 hai removal sessions left. wich i attend every 2 weeks as im paying that private. so it my consultation is in august ill be hair free aswell. so fingers crossed its all good.

[Megan.]

Fab, fingers crossed for you. X

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[isa86]

thanks hun. for you too thou. keep me posted how it goes for you. and wich surgeon you end up choosing xxx

[ForeverLacey]

I have seen a couple of very good results by Bellringer posted online.