Revision with Dr. Brassard?

[WishIWereCis]

Hi everybody,

I am now almost 11 months post op from Montreal, and to be honest, I'm very disappointed.

My depth is about 4 inches, sensation is limited and delayed healing at the entrance of the vagina causes discomfort and minor bleeding  when dilating or trying to use a dildo. I am asexual and primarily romantically attracted to women so I can live with this if that's the way it'll be.

My biggest concerns are with asthmatics.

The clitoral hood is thick, protrudes and covers the clitoris to the point that I have yet to see it and stimulation is impossible.

The labia minira (or what I assume are the labia minora) are only now starting to immerge and disappear completely if I spread myself wide open.

Also the vestibule has two fleshy ridges about 1/4 " thick that meet in the middle. A lump on one of these ridges sit next to the urethral opening making urination an unpredictable experience.

Also, while I could live with it, the labia majora could be defined a bit better.

Has anyone or someone they know had success getting these types of problem fixed in Montreal? If Dr. Brassard won't cover the costs then my insurance will.

That said if he physically can't fix these problems, are there any surgeons that could?


I am so sick of making comprises in regards to this body.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give me, Montreal won't even discuss anything until I'm one year post op, and I'd like to get a sense of what their response will be.

[Laura_7]

You could have a look here and at the links there:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,200056.msg1778940.html#msg1778940

and here:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,206026.msg1828605.html#msg1828605


You might:
-try to dilate with coconut oil, it might help soften the tissue
-try some bioidentical estrogen cream internally from time to time, from a gyn. OTC creams usually contain only a small amount of estrogen.
It might help soften the tissue and regain depth.
-try probiotic pessaries:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,190342.msg1695485.html#msg1695485

and additionally eat organic yoghurt. They contain live bacteria which can help restore a healthy flora.

The neovagina reacts to estrogen like a vagina.
With menopausal levels there might be some dryness or even some atrophy.
Many endos strive for levels of estrogen of 180-200 pg/ml, well in the female range.

Talk it all through with your doc.


hugs

[WishIWereCis]

Thanks for the reply and PM Laura,

I knew that he at least at one time offered revisions in the first year, and I may try talking to them again (the last time was in August).  If they still refuse to cover this under the "free" revisions, my provincial health care will cover it including airfare and accommodations.

I've also read about how Dr. B doesn't like to admit mistakes, and I don't fault him. I've had 11 various surgical procedures performed on me since before I turned 1, so I know that sometimes surgery doesn't turn out as planned.

Failing all of this, I may need to pay out of pocket for a different surgeon. Right now Dr. Bowers sounds like a plausible choice, but the epic wait list sounds daunting.

Sorry for any typos. I'm using an iPod touch to post, so autocorrect is doing its thing.

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan't Place. Take what I say with a grain of salt because my surgical information may not be the most up to date but I understand that Dr Meltzer is also very good at revisions. I was told if I wanted to upgrade my 33 year old surgery, he was the man in the United States to do it. I understand he also has a long waiting list so that could be a down side to seeing him. As for the year wait before updates, I think some surgeons will do revisions in as little as 3 months but personally, I would wait a year because my body tends to swell and it takes as much as a year after surgery for it to return to normal. Other people have much faster recovery times and may have surgery much sooner.

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[Akilasena]

Welcome to Susan't Place. Take what I say with a grain of salt because my surgical information may not be the most up to date but I understand that Dr Meltzer is also very good at revisions. I was told if I wanted to upgrade my 33 year old surgery, he was the man in the United States to do it. I understand he also has a long waiting list so that could be a down side to seeing him. As for the year wait before updates, I think some surgeons will do revisions in as little as 3 months but personally, I would wait a year because my body tends to swell and it takes as much as a year after surgery for it to return to normal. Other people have much faster recovery times and may have surgery much sooner.

We issue to all new members the following links so you will best be able to use the web site.

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What is a "revision" in terms of srs? does it mean more surgeries? Sorry to ask but I am learning from this thread as I go and as I plan my SRS in couple of years.

[Dena]

Many times surgeries involves two procedures or the first procedure didn't turn out as expected. A revision is the second procedure to correct the first procedure. My surgery was a two part surgery with the second procedure being cosmetic. I don't feel the need to have everything look perfect so I haven't bothered to get the second procedure.

[Laura_7]

What is a "revision" in terms of srs? does it mean more surgeries? Sorry to ask but I am learning from this thread as I go and as I plan my SRS in couple of years.

It means further surgery, it may be a small procedure with a local or a further drawn out procedure, depending on desired outcome.
Many surgeons do revisions, from own clients and from other surgeons.
It may be necessary to talk to the surgeon, maybe ask how much experience they have with that kind of procedure and about realistically to be expected results.

During the first surgery usually its not possible to create delicate tissue around the vagina.
They would not withstand the pressure of dilation.

There are different approaches to that.

Quite a few people are happy with the outcome fom the first surgery, its in general within natural variation.
There is a lot of variation with vaginas, you can look up wall of vaginas.

Then there are surgeons like Meltzer who from the beginning plan a two stage surgery, with the second surgery a few months later.
Usually finer details may be created there, and a more pronounced fourchette.
It may be possible to talk to surgeons to position material before the first surgery if a second surgery is desired from the beginning.

With Suporn usually there are further revisions after the first surgery, while people are there for recovery the first 30 days.
With Suporn further revisions are included so some people return after half a year or later for a further revision.
Drawback with Suporn imo is a much longer healing time, a possibly painful dynamic dilation and some people reported problems with left erectile tissue.

With some clients from older techniques a restoration of sensitive spots may be attempted.
And usually the prostate is left in place, making for a sensitive g/pspot.


hugs

[mmmmm]

With Suporn usually there are further revisions after the first surgery, while people are there for recovery the first 30 days.
With Suporn further revisions are included so some people return after half a year or later for a further revision.
Drawback with Suporn imo is a much longer healing time, a possibly painful dynamic dilation and some people...

Incorrect. Dr Suporn doesnt perform any revisions until after 1 year, preferably later. During first month recovery small minor separations on labia can occur (or minor necrossis), which could heal on its own, but sometimes he prefers to use a stitch or few to help with healing or to prevent any further separation. We couldnt really call that a revision. Some patients call it that because of lack for the better word.

[Akilasena]

Many times surgeries involves two procedures or the first procedure didn't turn out as expected. A revision is the second procedure to correct the first procedure. My surgery was a two part surgery with the second procedure being cosmetic. I don't feel the need to have everything look perfect so I haven't bothered to get the second procedure.

Thanks so much for explaining.
Is it common, I mean very common to have more than one procedure done? I hate surgeries, especially if it puts me out of commission to recover every other couple of years after post op.

[Dena]

This is why need need to learn everything you can about each surgeons procedure. The procedure some doctors use almost require a second step if you want a realistic appearance and other doctors do it in one step. PI tends to require two steps where as flap surgery/graft might be doable in one. In my case, I didn't understand the surgery and wasn't aware of the second phase until after I had it. I am still a virgin and the way I feel about it is if I should have sex and the guy isn't happy with the way things look down there, he can go somewhere else. What is down there is functional enough so why go through another procedure that only a doctor might see.

[WishIWereCis]

This is why need need to learn everything you can about each surgeons procedure. The procedure some doctors use almost require a second step if you want a realistic appearance and other doctors do it in one step.

I agree. In my case SRS was funded by my province and they only deal with Montreal.

As it is right now, even if my revision were to be free or covered by the Province, I will pay out of pocket to have the result that I want. I know that plenty of girls are happy with Dr. Brassard's work, and I don't fault him nor his technique, but I'm no longer certain he is the correct surgeon for me.

UPDATE: I've sent emails to Drs. Meltzer, Bowers and Suporn to see what they might be able to do and start weighing my options. I'm going back to school for a while so I have plenty of time to make a choice and wait out the waiting list when I do.