Thoughts on the $9,995 SRS from Dr. Sandoval in Guadalajara?

[StartingOver]

An email landed in my junk mail folder recently, offering a $9,995 all-inclusive SRS package (21 days) by Dr. Sandoval in Guadalajara.  Highlights include:

SRS/GRS Surgery using the Penile Inversion Technique
All medical team fees
All anesthesia related costs
All hospital facility charges
Medications while hospitalized
First post-op prescription filled
21 nights of accommodations with meals
Transportation to/from the airport
Transportation to/from all medical appointments

I think I got this email because I had expressed an interest a while ago about FFS with Dr. Cardenas.  Anyhoo, never heard of the surgeon before, but the offer seemed intriguing.  (Not that I think I'd ever really consider it - I just couldn't bring myself to go with something so cheap simply because SRS really is a one-shot deal and can't be screwed up, although maybe it's the bargain of the century?)

Just curious.  Has anyone got any experience with this particular surgeon?  His bio states that he's been performing SRS ops since the mid-1980s (like, thirty years ago?), and has performed over 100 (which is like an average of three or four each year? one every few months? is this enough to become proficient?)

And while I'm no fan of gatekeeping, this paragraph stood out as unusual:

We require at least one recommendation letter by a licensed mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.  The letter should be based upon an extensive evaluation by the mental health professional.  In addition, the patient must be living and presenting the female role full-time and must have done so for a minimum period of six months.  Hormone therapy is also required for a minimum period of six months.

One letter only, RLE of six months, and HRT for six months?  That's a dramatic relaxation of the typical standards for surgery (which are, IIRC, a full year of RLE and two letters, one of which must be from a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist).  A step in the right direction in terms of access to surgery, or a huge red flag?

Not wanting to slam the surgeon - just curious about whether there's any info out there on his work and results.  Could it be that we now have a low-cost SRS option available to those of us living in the US and whose insurance doesn't cover surgery?  For under ten grand all-in (except flights which aren't particularly costly), I have to admit that it made me sit up and take notice.

[Jenna Marie]

I don't know anything about this guy except what you've said, but my personal feeling would be that 100 surgeries in 30 years is not *nearly* enough, or frequently enough. When people are shopping for, say, a heart surgeon or breast implants, they're looking for someone who's done thousands (and in far less time).

Brassard these days does 5 a day 2 or 3 days a week, and I haven't done the math for his yearly rate, but that'd mean he'd hit 100 in 10 weeks give or take. The other big names seem to average 1-2 operations a day roughly 5 days a week, which, again, is going to add up fast. This guy presumably isn't focused on GRS as his primary surgical experience, which is a red flag even without the price.

[RaptorChops]

(FTM here)

I looked around on the net to see if I could find any results from this guy and I couldn't find anything. Transbucket doesn't even have him listed so maybe nobody has gone to him. I dunno I think surgeries in Mexico just sound kind of sketchy personally. I guess I hear too many horror stories on TV about people who go down and get surgery in Mexico and things just get messed up. If I were you I would save my money until I found a surgeon in the states that you can actually research. It seems like alot of people in the MTF community go to people in Europe.

Just an opinion

[enigmaticrorschach]

nope nope nope. doesn't should legit enough for me. even still, I rather go to an experienced surgeon who has a high satisfactory rating so I can feel less anxiety entrusting my life away

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[possessed]

Is his name Ivan by any chance? There was a member here who went to some Dr Ivan in Mexico, but she has not updated her progress. You can find her experience in the srs section, and her name is lovelessheard

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[Jill F]

I'm guessing it's like most things in life.  You get what you pay for.

I remember reading an article about 20 years ago in the LA Times about a surgeon with dubious credentials and a makeshift OR who would perform MTF SRS for a ridiculously low fee, and even go so far as to bill the patient's insurer fraudulently to cover it, claiming things like "congenital absence of a vagina" or "vaginismus".  Needless to say, the satisfaction rate was practically nil, almost every case had complications and the so-called doctor ended up an inmate.   Reading this article scared the crap out of me, and it may have even been responsible for another nail or two in my closet door.   One thing I most certainly took away from that article was that SRS is not something you want done by anything less than the best, as commented by Drs. Biber and Meltzer (I think), who were left picking up the pieces to salvage what they could from the shattered lives of these desperate transwomen. 

I get one shot at this, and it needs to be done right the first time.   I would rather wait and pay $50K for the best surgeon out there than take an unnecessary risk, save money and have it done sooner.   If Dr. Sandoval was one of the worlds leading and in-demand SRS surgeons, wouldn't he be able to charge accordingly? 

I recently read about a Thai surgeon who would do it for $1,500.  *runs away screaming*

I recommend interviewing as many SRS patients as you can to see how satisfied they are with a surgeon's work before you commit.

[Jessica Merriman]

An email landed in my junk mail folder recently,

Which it should stay awaiting deletion, period.

[kellypatrick]

I have received the same email. I have decided to contact them for more information. The reason I decided to do so is it appears that Dr Sandoval is now part of Transop ran by Dr Cardenas. Dr Cardenas has built up a solid ffs operation and now wants to start doing srs. It would only be logical to offer a great price due to trying to gain a customer base because people like those who posted in this thread will be weary. The are many latin american surgeons with a good price.,if i remember correctly one doctor was charging just under 11000 in 2014, so it is logical to offer this introductory price. From what i understand the hospital and residence is first class. All of Transops emails come in junk mail so that does not concern me. I feel it is worth the look and will update after i hear from them.
kelly
\

[kittenpower]

SRS is kind of a one shot deal; therefore, I would not risk going to a surgeon that hardly anyone knows about, as it is just too risky. Best wishes

[Beth Andrea]

I don't know anything about this guy except what you've said, but my personal feeling would be that 100 surgeries in 30 years is not *nearly* enough, or frequently enough. When people are shopping for, say, a heart surgeon or breast implants, they're looking for someone who's done thousands (and in far less time).

Brassard these days does 5 a day 2 or 3 days a week, and I haven't done the math for his yearly rate, but that'd mean he'd hit 100 in 10 weeks give or take. The other big names seem to average 1-2 operations a day roughly 5 days a week, which, again, is going to add up fast. This guy presumably isn't focused on GRS as his primary surgical experience, which is a red flag even without the price.

Considering SRS takes 3-5 hours...maybe this is a typo?

SRS is kind of a one shot deal; therefore, I would not risk going to a surgeon that hardly anyone knows about, as it is just too risky. Best wishes

You get 10,000 9995 Interwebz points for "The Understatement of the Century"!

fwiw, I also got the email...and I was like, "Umm...yeah. Sure."  But I'm sure someone will go to him, and hopefully we will hear what happened.

[Jenna Marie]

Beth Andrea : Nope, I mean it. I was number #5 on the day I had my surgery. I was amazed, too. It takes him only about 2-2.5 hours max, and I actually was done and wheeled to recovery at around 1:45. He works in partnership with Dr. Belanger, which is why he says he's able to be that fast; they're both skilled GRS surgeons, and that's not counting the nameless attending surgeons and nurses who do the rote work of placing easy stitches and so on. I would think it was impossible, except I met all 4 women who went before me that day (and I admit I was kind of scared of his assembly-line approach, but the results speak for themselves).

[Beth Andrea]

Wow, I am impressed...especially with the quality Dr Brassard is known for.

[Carrie Liz]

Considering that it's still under $10,000 for three of the most famous Thai surgeons, Chettawut ($9500,) Preecha ($8600,) and Saran ($8000,) all of whom have multiple hundreds if not thousands of SRS surgeries under their belts, it is most definitely not worth the risk.

[warmbody28]

i have herd of that doctor before. all the reviews are in Spanish and Portuguese though

[Beth Andrea]

i have herd of that doctor before. all the reviews are in Spanish and Portuguese though

Links? I would think even Google would get "yea" and "nay" correctly...

[radialan]

The introductory offer is valid only for surgeries that are booked before October 20th and that take place before January 20th of next year.  However, even when the price increases, we still intend on keeping it very affordable.  We think that some girls will find our location to be much more advantageous when compared to Thailand.

Regarding the requirement for psychiatric letters:  We have been told that requiring two psychiatric letters can create a financial hardship for some patients.  Our goal is to make sure that patients are qualified to have SRS without creating an undo burden on them.  We tried to settle on a happy median with our requirement of one letter based on an extended evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist plus a six month minimum real-life test.

The facility where Dr. Sandoval operates is the same new facility where Dr. Cardenas performs FFS.

[Laura_7]

Is his name Ivan by any chance? There was a member here who went to some Dr Ivan in Mexico, but she has not updated her progress. You can find her experience in the srs section, and her name is lovelessheard

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Here is more:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,191498.msg1707015.html#msg1707015


hugs

[radialan]

Dr. Ivan, the surgeon referenced in the link provided by Laura, is not the same surgeon referenced in this thread.  Dr. Sandoval performs the penile inversion method with the inclusion of a skin graft as needed.  More specifically, a vaginal cavity is created in the perineum and it is lined with skin from the penis.  Where there is not enough of this skin available to produce an acceptable depth, donor skin is taken from another area such as the thighs.  Scrotal skin is used to form the labia majora of the vulva (external opening of the vagina).