Thoughts On An Orchie

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

Hello ladies, hope everyone is healthy & happy! So like many I've HATED my man parts for as long as I can remember. Prior to HRT (started 9/14, amazing results already!) I hated seeing/touching my genitalia so much that i wouldn't shower but maybe once/wk (if that), I peed sitting down so I didn't hafta touch it, & I think I "self stimulated" 3 or 4 times in the previous yr. A little extreme, I know... my GD wasn't always THAT bad, but def came to a head this summer (suicide or transition - I chose well[emoji4]) Anyway i can handle it a little better now (no pun intended), for example I shower everyday now & it actually feels great cuz I've noticed my "undesirables" have shrunk a fair bit... But I want 'em frickin' GONE, & of course my endo doesn't want to sign off on my SRS til I'm a yr into HRT. So I've been wondering about having an orchidectomy for now, as I really believe it would help w/ my transition & my dysphoria, like I won't have those awful things anymore, the things that remind me several times a day that I'm not RIGHT... [emoji22] It just seems stupid to keep taking pills that make their poison ineffective as well as slowly kill them (which hurts I've noticed...) every day for the next 11 months when I could just have em snipped & be done w/ it...
Sorry for bitching... So my whole point is to ask you lovely ladies what you all think/know about having this done... Good/bad idea? Why? And rest assured that regretting or wishing I hadn't done it will NOT be an issue!

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[Lady Sarah]

Most surgeons will not perform an orchiectomy until you have been on HRT for at least a year. Sorry, but that's the way things are.
Then, there are those that will tell you to not get the orchi, because surgeons want that skin for your SRS. For those of us that are poor, the orchi may well be the best we can hope for.

[Devlyn]

Hello ladies, hope everyone is healthy & happy! So like many I've HATED my man parts for as long as I can remember. Prior to HRT (started 9/14, amazing results already!) I hated seeing/touching my genitalia so much that i wouldn't shower but maybe once/wk (if that), I peed sitting down so I didn't hafta touch it, & I think I "self stimulated" 3 or 4 times in the previous yr. A little extreme, I know... my GD wasn't always THAT bad, but def came to a head this summer (suicide or transition - I chose well[emoji4]) Anyway i can handle it a little better now (no pun intended), for example I shower everyday now & it actually feels great cuz I've noticed my "undesirables" have shrunk a fair bit... But I want 'em frickin' GONE, & of course my endo doesn't want to sign off on my SRS til I'm a yr into HRT. So I've been wondering about having an orchidectomy for now, as I really believe it would help w/ my transition & my dysphoria, like I won't have those awful things anymore, the things that remind me several times a day that I'm not RIGHT... [emoji22] It just seems stupid to keep taking pills that make their poison ineffective as well as slowly kill them (which hurts I've noticed...) every day for the next 11 months when I could just have em snipped & be done w/ it...
Sorry for bitching... So my whole point is to ask you lovely ladies what you all think/know about having this done... Good/bad idea? Why? And rest assured that regretting or wishing I hadn't done it will NOT be an issue!

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First off, one surgery is always better than two.

Since I just had an orchi, I will speak as the voice of authority reason opinion. 

I think there is a difference between blocking your T and (virtually) eliminating its production. I felt a difference in the days and weeks following the surgery, I assume it was the "quiet" that so many experience when starting HRT.

For practical purposes, a lot depends on your surgeons criteria. Dr Oates is fine with GRS after an orchi, I've heard that some doctors are not.

Good luck with your choice!

Hugs, Devlyn

Most surgeons will not perform an orchiectomy until you have been on HRT for at least a year. Sorry, but that's the way things are.
Then, there are those that will tell you to not get the orchi, because surgeons want that skin for your SRS. For those of us that are poor, the orchi may well be the best we can hope for.

Yes, one year on HRT is the WPATH guideline, but it is only a guideline. My orchi was performed 7 months after I started HRT.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Leslie601]

There is one Doc who will do an Orchi without a letter. I think the going rate somewhere north of 3k these days. I had it done two years ago and never regretted it. The surgery was done for me under general but the guy in Michigan uses a local I believe, There are several ladies here who have had it done by him. I personally had my penectomy done by him and that was a way different kettle of fish and is detailed by my thread here. Dr. Mark Arnkoff , PM me for his Number or go to myorchi.com

The pain wasn't bad and I managed to get off pain meds in just a couple of days. Unlike everyone else I was not on HRT at the time so I had major issues with hormone loss you probably wouldn't have. I started losing upper body mass within a few months which will happen with HRT too. When I finally got on HRT (due to liver issues we had to ease into E) it did not come back, so be ready for about a 40% strength loss which you may not notice until one day you realize you can't open jars or bottle tops you used to do with ease.

In my case I couldn't take that much strength loss because I still love my Harley (Girls ride bikes too!) and couldn't pick it up when I dropped it, which started happening a lot. (820lb bike) As a result they switched me to low dose T along with my E which restored some strength and now I manage better although breast development did slow a bit. When I get done with biking I'll probably drop the T.

Keep your scrotum because they're going to use that tissue for SRS/GRS if you do that later.

I had the letters, which I'm sure you're aware of and most Doctors will want. I did end up needing them for later surgeries but I understand that Doc Arknoff doesn't need them for orchis. Someone here recently had an orchi done by Dr. Arnkoff and they might be better suited to give their opinions on that Doc with that surgery.

Leslie

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it!
Devlyn- good point about 1 surgery being better than 2, I guess it's possible I may lose much needed scrotal skin if I do it this way, not sure... food for thought tho.
Leslie- Damn right girls ride bikes!! I hope to be a rider someday... As for the muscle, I've already lost muscle mass from being unemployed, & now HRT too... I used to be quite muscular from running a "goon spoon" (or shovel lol), all day... While it kinda sucks to feel weak & lose muscle, the HRT is padding my body nicely in its place, & it's WELL WORTH the trade!!
I'm waiting to hear back from my endo to see what she thinks about it. As I said, she's already willing to write the letter for SRS; she actually said she'd do it sooner, provided I had a place to recover (i.e. not homeless lol), but she'd PREFER I wait a year. I want everything to go well, so - difficult tho it will be - I'm going to wait the yr. Plus a surgeon may not be willing to do it until a yr anyway.
As for the Orchie, I'm not trying to have it done IMMEDIATELY; I need to be employed & homed 1st, plus I'd like to be living FT as well... which is right around the corner! [emoji23]

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[Devlyn]

During my consult Dr Oates and i were talking like sailors about the elasticity of the tissues involved and how quickly and dramatically the penis and testicles change size and shape. 

Hugs, Devlyn

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

During my consult Dr Oates and i were talking like sailors about the elasticity of the tissues involved and how quickly and dramatically the penis and testicles change size and shape. 

Hugs, Devlyn

Haha yes i can attest to that! I'm only 5 1/2 wks in & my skin all over is healthier & "stretchier!" My penis & testes have def gotten quite a bit smaller too!! I keep hoping I'll wake up to find they've withdrawn up inside me, like a turtle's head or something, but no such luck yet... [emoji6]

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[HappyMoni]

I must admit that when I glanced at the title of this I thought it said 'Thoughts On An Orgie.' I then saw Devlyn posting on it and thought...well maybe. lol

Haha yes i can attest to that! I'm only 5 1/2 wks in & my skin all over is healthier & "stretchier!" My penis & testes have def gotten quite a bit smaller too!! I keep hoping I'll wake up to find they've withdrawn up inside me, like a turtle's head or something, but no such luck yet... [emoji6]

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I used to daydream of having a car accident that only hurt me in the crotch so I could be rid  of 'it.'

Moni

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

I must admit that when I glanced at the title of this I thought it said 'Thoughts On An Orgie.' I then saw Devlyn posting on it and thought...well maybe. lol

I used to daydream of having a car accident that only hurt me in the crotch so I could be rid  of 'it.'

Moni

I literally Laughed Out Loud when I read the 1st part of this!! "Thoughts On An Orgie..." sounds to me like a deeply thoughtful intellectual discussion... about gangbanging. HA!!

And I'm glad I'm not alone on having such an immense hatred of "it." Haha, an accident would be nice in a way - "Hey, while you're down there, can you just redo it the RIGHT way?" Lol.

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[RachelH]

I used to daydream of having a car accident that only hurt me in the crotch so I could be rid  of 'it'

I cannot tell you HOW many times I had that thought!!

[Lucy Ross]

How much cheaper would it be performed under local?  I'm not squeamish, I like to watch the needle go in when having blood drawn etc.  Also, I found out yesterday that Oregon mandates that insurance cover GRS - would that apply to an orchi as well?  I really loathe the side effects from spiro. 

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

How much cheaper would it be performed under local?  I'm not squeamish, I like to watch the needle go in when having blood drawn etc.  Also, I found out yesterday that Oregon mandates that insurance cover GRS - would that apply to an orchi as well?  I really loathe the side effects from spiro.

That's something your insurance company would have to answer I think. I know mine does, & I have Well Sense thru NH Medicaid.
Personally I HATE seeing the needle go in... I was an IV drug user for almost 3 yrs, & the needle brings back dark memories... My housemate (a trans man) injects his T subcutaneously, & is very considerate not to do it in front of me, or even let me see his syringes.

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[Chris8080]

How much cheaper would it be performed under local? 

I can't say for sure but I think in my case it wouldn't have been that much cheaper. I wanted my orchi with a local, discussed it with the doctors several times. While I wouldn't be able to see what was going on I thought it would be fascinating to listen to all the goings on. Docs and most especially the anesthesiologist were trying to talk me out of having a local right up until lights out. Oh well huh? The important thing is that the evil twins are history. I don't think the local would have been much cheaper because the hospital charge for IV lights out was quite surprisingly only $680.00, I've heard of charges up to 4 times that amount. If a local were half that it wouldn't be a big savings given the total.

[Lucy Ross]

People used to cite costs around $1500, I wonder why they're so much more expensive now.  Of course, everything is, but SRS doesn't seem to have skyrocketed in the same way.

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

My endo okayed an orchie!! YAY!!! I'm making an appt w/ Dartmouth Hitchcock Urology next week. I'm curious what the recovery is like: pain level, length of time til back to normal, what kind of restrictions you're under (lifting & moving limitations), & whether or not they prescribe any pain meds; and, if so, if they're absolutely necessary. I'm especially curious about the last one as I'm on methadone. I also heal extremely well, & my pain threshold is thru the roof.

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[mm]

 JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ, you are on your way to losing your balls, hope everything goes fine for you. Let us know how everything goes for you.

[JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ]

JessiCalypsoƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ, you are on your way to losing your balls, hope everything goes fine for you. Let us know how everything goes for you.

Haha! I'll be losing far more than my balls- I'll be losing a massive aspect of masculinity!! AAAHHH!!! I CANT WAIT!! Thanks, I'll def let everyone know how it goes!

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[Devlyn]

My endo okayed an orchie!! YAY!!! I'm making an appt w/ Dartmouth Hitchcock Urology next week. I'm curious what the recovery is like: pain level, length of time til back to normal, what kind of restrictions you're under (lifting & moving limitations), & whether or not they prescribe any pain meds; and, if so, if they're absolutely necessary. I'm especially curious about the last one as I'm on methadone. I also heal extremely well, & my pain threshold is thru the roof.

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Congratulations! You should experience discomfort, not pain. Just like being kicked in the jewels. My surgery was Friday and my surgeon said it was okay to go back to work on the following Tuesday. I was sent home in a jockstrap full of gauze. I was prescribed oxycodone-acetaminophen 5/325 and Colace. The oxy made me sick so I switched to plain acetaminophen. No shower for three days.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Chris8080]

Yep, congratulations for sure.

I don't think you'll find a standard boxed answer to your questions, seems everyone is different as are the surgeons and their instructions. I had virtually no pain, nearly no bleeding and what there was had stopped the night of the surgery. Had very minor bruising that was gone in a couple of days. They did prescribe hydrocodone (30 pills) but I never took any of them. I went on two long walks the evening of the surgery just because it felt wonderful to walk. Had some minor tenderness at the stitches and in the knots on the end of tubes but as long as I didn't try to massage those parts it wasn't even noticeable. After about a week had some minor itching at the stitches that lasted about a week. The surgeon recommended at least two showers a day starting the day of surgery but no tub soaking for a week.

Not much doubt I am at one end of the spectrum from the answers you could get here and consider myself very fortunate.

Good luck Jessi, keep us informed.