Quote from: Carrie Liz on November 04, 2018, 04:22:05 PM
My final ratings on my surgery with Dr. Chettawut are as follows:
Dear Carrie Liz,
First of all, I would like to thank you very much for sharing your GRS experience with Dr. Chettawut. Your story and your comments were invaluable to me at the time I had to choose a surgeon and then during my recovery.
My GRS took place one year ago. I too would have liked to share the story of my adventure, but for some reasons I have not done it so far. I take advantage today of your update to give some elements about the outcome of my GRS as today, knowing that I still feel a slight swelling at the mons venus and the perineum and thus that the healing is still not totally finished.
Depth: I am completely satisfied with the depth I have. It was initially 7 inches (measured by nurse Sri on the day of package removal) and I was able to maintain it at 7 inches until today. I confirm that the people I know who had their GRS with Dr. Chettawut have all a depth of 6 inches or more.
Appearance: I am also very satisfied on this point. Before the operation, especially after looking at the Great Wall of Vagina, I could not ignore the extreme diversity of cis women vulva. My only expectation was thus that my potential partners can not realize that my vulva was the result of a surgery. I think that this goal has been achieved.
I too would have liked that my inner labia be defined better than they are but it does not bother me at all.
Sensations: Quite satisfying. My clitoris is very sensitive, but not excessively. What I feel when it is stimulated and during vaginal penetration is very different from what I knew before the operation but is exactly what I expected. The labia and the entrance of the vagina are also very sensitive. I had my first orgasm at 5.5 months post-op (the day of Ascension!). The only downside is that the perineum and peri-clitoral area are still slightly painful to the touch. I think I will have to wait another 3 months or so to fully enjoy my new anatomy.
Urinary function: The urethra is in the right place and when I pee the jet is oriented correctly. I already mentioned that I had two urinary infections including one with multi-resistant bacteria that required that I had to be hospitalized. In both cases they were not directly related to the operation, the infectiologist who followed me at the hospital said.
Dilation: The first three months were trying and demanding. 3 daily dilation sessions of 1.5 hour each (counting the initial preparation and the final cleaning and toilet), this is a total of 4.5 hours per day which is enormous. However I wanted to strictly respect the dilation program provided by Dr. Chettawut so as not to risk jeopardizing the excellent work he had done. Starting D+4 months I began to gradually reduce the number of dilations per day, then per week. Today, at D+12 months I am at 3 sessions per week and I intend to go soon to 2 sessions per week. I still use the 4 dilators #1 to #4. The dilation itself was painful during the second and third months post-op, but it was still bearable. At present I do not feel any more pain but the dilators being very rigid it is not particularly pleasant.
Healing: I first want to express my admiration for the quality of the sutures made by Dr. Chettawut. In the first days after the vaginal package had been removed, the external sutures were clearly visible (no hair had yet grown back) and their appearance was such that one would have thought they had been made with a sewing machine ! : very fine and very regular points. It was very different from what I had seen before my surgery on pictures taken after GRS performed by other surgeons. Note that as soon as I could see my vulva it had the appearance of a normal vulva, instead of a Dr. Frankenstein's creation (as I have seen in many pictures). This is probably the reason why a GRS performed by the best Thai surgeons lasts about 6 hours (6:30 in my case) while it only lasts 2 hours when performed by any Western surgeon.
I never had any bleeding or suspicious vaginal discharge. Past D+3 months the minimal leaks I had previously after each dilation session have gone and I did not need to wear pads any more.
Today, there is still some slight inflammation in the perineum (fourchette) but it is gradually diminishing and I'm sure it will disappear in the next few months.
On-site aftercare: I am very satisfied with the way my convalescence took place at the clinic and then at the hotel (Bangkok Rama Hotel).
During my stay at the clinic I only slept, ate and took medicine. A nurse passed regularly to pick up the constants and empty the urinary pocket. Another nurse slept in my room for 3 nights out of the 4 that I spent at the clinic. The return to the hotel by car was a bit difficult but it was due to the state of the roads.
Once back at the hotel I had the visit of at least one nurse, most often two (Sri and Tair), every day, Sunday included. During the 23 days of my recovery at the hotel there was only one day (a public holiday) when they did not visit me.
These two nurses were very professional and very concerned to avoid unnecessary pain. They have done everything to bring me comfort the rare times I really suffered.
Follow-up after returning home: The return travel by plane, train and then taxi was very painful and tiring (25 hours of travel overall). Once arrived at home I felt lost and having no medical support available in case of problems.
As I said above, I had a multi-resistant bacterial urinary tract infection for which I had to be hospitalized 3 weeks (1 week in hospital and 2 weeks at home). When this infection broke out, at 1.5 months post-op, I immediately contacted Dr. Chettawut's clinic by e-mail for guidance on what to do, especially about dilation. I could not have a direct answer from a member of the medical team, I had to go through the administrative manager which lengthened the time for accurate answers, answers that I received only after I had been hospitalized.
Regardless of this problem, I find it unfortunate that it is not possible to easily contact the medical team especially during the first 3 months post-op, the most critical period for healing.
Similarly, I find it really a pity that the clinic is doing nothing to maintain a community of women operated by Dr. Chettawut (for example, through a dedicated website or a Facebook group). He would benefit as much as his patients from the existence of such a community.
The post-op follow-up after the departure from Bangkok therefore deserves greatly to be improved in my opinion.
Price: My GRS cost me a total of just over 16,000 euros (about 18,000 USD). This cost included vaginoplasty and complementary grafting (10,000 euros), shaving of Adam's apple (1,500 euros), travel, hotel and food for two people (3,500 euros), and all ancillary costs: fees of an English-French translator for the pre-op consultation, purchase of suitcases, laptop, tablet, lubricant stock, etc. (about 1000 euros). That's a lot, but the value for money offered by Dr. Chettawut is unbeatable.
Overall I am very satisfied to have entrusted my GRS to Dr. Chettawut, and if it were to do it again I would choose him anew for sure despite the small criticisms I have expressed.
PS: English is not my native langage, I hope it is anyway understandable and I thank everyone for your indulgence.
