Post-Op Sensation

[Ikiryo]

Hello,

  I recently underwent full GRS with Dr. Christine Mcginn in New Hope, PA. Everything was fantastic despite a small complication that was quickly fixed by her medical team. (Slice into colon followed by thorough stitching and extended precautions). I am now 8 almost 9 weeks post-op and i'm having a really difficult time staying positive. The surgical site seems to be healing fine and the complication is a thing of the past, however It seems that i have little to no sensation in various parts of the neo-vagina. The clitoris has very little sensation which is masked by small amounts of pain. The surrounding area and Vaginal canal are all completely dead, I can feel pressure and touch but there is absolutely no sexual sensation. Its really frustrating because its making me doubt myself. I'm not sure if i'm just not being patient enough or if it will actually never improve. I e-mailed the medical team in new hope, and received a reply stating the clitoris would improve but there will likely never be much sensation in the other areas. Is this normal? Does anyone have any personal experiences that might be helpful? I'm really having a hard time with this. I never had any issues with sensation or orgasm before. I'm healthy as far as i know with no other nerve or circulation issues. I'm still young at the age of 21. I might be able to soon rule out hormones as a cause because i might be starting a small amount of testosterone to supplement the small amount the adrenal glands produce. I read so many stories of people being able to enjoy sex and orgasm by the 6 week mark and it seems really impossible at this point when I've tried many different things and it was very easy before surgery.

[kanad3]

So far you're worrying for nothing. Some people have a lot of sensation from the start while for others it  can take up to a year of healing before they start having proper sensation, so it's a waiting game. There is no no need to be worried.

[Ikiryo]

Is there anything I can do to help the process move along? Such as like vitamins, cremes, activities, etc? Anything that would help the nerves reconnect or build would be great.

[kanad3]

I haven't had the surgery myself but I've already done some research on things that promote healing, so here's the things I'd buy:
Vitamin c
Vitamin b complex
Zinc

Zinc has in studies been shown to accelerate healing by 30% or something like that. Getting proteins is also important for healing. I don't know if any of this will make a difference for you, but I'll be taking these supplements myself and eating nuts for protein.

[Ikiryo]

Thanks for all the help you've really made me feel less worried.

I'll look into the supplements, and hopefully get some good results out of them.

[LiliFee]

Doesn't this topic fit better in 'Post-Operative Life'? Just a thought

[Sophia Sage]

If you're feeling pressure and touch, you're doing just fine.

Sexual sensation or arousal can take much longer to re-engage.  I myself was rather dismayed at first at my lack of sexual response several weeks out after SRS.  Everything was "dull" in that respect. 

To re-engage my sexuality took conscious deliberation.  I dug out all my erotica, everything that historically turned me on, and focused on masturbating several times a day, often while dilating. I discovered that the area north of the clitoris was most responsive, an area where I could feel the clitoral structure underneath my flesh. It took quite a while to get everything going -- first, just feeling a hint of arousal. Several days later, actually feeling horny.  Eventually, getting that "rise" of pleasure.  It was a good couple of weeks at "working" it before I finally orgasmed, and that one was pretty weak at that. 

But eventually they got stronger.  I couldn't get there by touching my clit directly, it had to be something softer and more delicate than my fingers.  It wasn't until I took a lover who liked giving face that I had an orgasm by direct clitoral stimulation, and not for a couple months before I finally had a vaginal orgasm. In fact, it took the longest for my vaginal canal to become "sensitive" in a sexual way. 

Anyways, I recommend breaking out your favorite porn to get going.

[Jenna Marie]

This is normal. The biggest thing you can do is be patient, unfortunately. I know of at least one friend who was completely numb for two years, and then recovered almost complete sensation (there's a spot about the size of a fingertip that never resolved). It's very early yet, and the nerves generally don't even start reconnecting for a couple months. Also, since you can feel pressure and touch, you do have *some* sensation; "sexual" sensation will likely take until it's fully healed and your brain has remapped, because even cis women who had sexual sensation before a similar sort of injury (childbirth, labiaplasty, etc.) sometimes don't get back to that point until it's not a surgical site. Yes, there are women who have sexual sensation very early, but they're outliers, not something you should compare yourself against. Part of this is that the brain is now your most important sexual organ, and it's still caught up in worrying about surgery; one of the joys of female sexual sensation is also sometimes a hassle, namely, you really have to be in the mood now before anything works.

[Virginia Hall]

. . . however It seems that i have little to no sensation in various parts of the neo-vagina. The clitoris has very little sensation which is masked by small amounts of pain. The surrounding area and Vaginal canal are all completely dead, I can feel pressure and touch but there is absolutely no sexual sensation. Its really frustrating because its making me doubt myself. I'm not sure if i'm just not being patient enough or if it will actually never improve . . .

Everyone is different, but you may be suffering from the "the impatient patient" syndrome. Nerves are jumbled. You have a whole new body part to be introduced to. Forget phantom limb syndrome. This is a new part of your body that you learn about. We have long forgotten that as newborns we had to learn the whole territory and had to learn to walk and talk and and eat solid food and hold our eliminations.

Zerophilia may be a cheesy movie, a romantic comedy, but in my view they got a lot of stuff right.

The McGuffin is that our main character develops a condition where when he climaxes, he changes sex and changes back when "she" climaxes. It happens and now he's stuck as a she because "he" can't figure out how to do it. It's all different. Of course that is finally overcome and moving back and forth is easier, but the plot thickens.

Ease up. Pretty sure nature has a plan for all of us post-op.

Check out a piece of the video. Fun!

Vimeo puts up this message. I think it's pretty safe to click on through.

[Jacqueline]

Ikiryo,

Welcome to the site.

Congratulations on traveling so far in your transition. I don't really have info to help you. Others here do have lots of experience. What I do have are links to welcome you. They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment to:

Things that you should read

• Site Terms of Service and rules to live by
  
• Standard Terms and Definitions
  
• Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)
  
• Reputation rules
  
• News posting & quoting guidelines
  
• Photo, avatars, and signature images policy
  

Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna

[Doreen]

Recovery will take time... and honestly I think you might be expecting a bit much.  My roomate I had was ready to go out & hit the streets the moment she was out of surgery... she clearly wasn't allowing herself time to heal.  Nerves WILL regrow, but it will take a while.. some up to a year like has been stated.  Some people never regain any functioning or pleasure sexually... it really shouldn't be about sexual pleasure.  Its about identity, and sex is an added benefit.  IF it was only about trying new 'positions', I think you might've been misinformed.

Just give it time, be patient with both yourself and your new body.   There is much more to life than sexual pleasure, enjoy being a woman.

[karenpayneoregon]

I'm post-op for several year, the vaginal canal for most will not equal that of a cisgender female, best the majority of us to get is some sensation. This is my experience along with speaking with other post-ops in a transgender group in my area.

Now the clit should (for most) become very sensitive over time. Personally mine is overactive to the point I will simply cross my legs and there is an explosion of sensation that I'm pretty much in outer space. It got to the point I went to a specialist and they said the hood was not the problem but instead all they could figure was I had a lot of nerves in the right spot to do this. Please note this may sound great but when one experiences this over ten times a week (at work is the pits) it at times become annoying but is a small price to pay for become one's true self.

Any ways you need to give it time along with using the mind to get to that happy place that the mind triggers things down there besides physical contact.

[Jenna Marie]

Karen: Cis women don't have much sensation in the vaginal canal itself, either; supposedly, there's only nerve endings for the first third or so (and the G-spot, of course), after that, they mostly feel pressure. For the record, that's more or less been my experience as well - the entrance and G-spot are very sensate, to the point that my wife says she's jealous of my responsiveness, and after that it's mostly just a sense of pressure and fullness.

The hypersensitive clit does sound like a hassle! Mine is too sensitive to touch directly, so I can imagine how unpleasant it would be to have jabs of that sort of sensation unexpectedly (and at work).