GCS choices

[warlockmaker]

I hv a professional make up artist whom I sponsor for the big TG pagents. She  is just incredible at make up. Have been wanting to post alot of pics but dont want to add taptalk and thus uploading pics are difficult for this forum. Always select the best pic so you dont get to see those I feel are not flattering.

[HappyMoni]

Thanks for starting this thread Anne, I am so excited for you and am ready if you need any long distance hand holding. If need be I'll get Laurie to come pick me up and we'll drive over to your place. lol You are awesome and I hope you consider posting, for everyone, how it goes.
Love,
Moni

[rmaddy]

Complete is whatever we decide it is.

[LizK]

My experience.

I had limited depth vaginoplasty one year ago last May. About half the price.  One night in hospital, week with catheter (that part is the same) another week no lifting.  Much less time under anesthesia, much simpler procedure, much less surgical risk of infection, complications, etc. Much faster recovery. No dilating. Still takes 6-9 months for all the swelling to go down and stitches to dissolve, etc.

This (IMHO) is the big difference.  The surgeon is trying to make a vagina in a place never intended for it.  The way they identify gender of skeletons is the size of the pelvis. It's like trying to put a walk in refrigerator in your kitchen without moving any walls. Something has to give. It works in most cases, but has some risks.

So, it is a decision that requires careful consideration and big commitment. It made sense to me because of my age and ability to get it done soon (my initial consult with DR was St Patrick's Day 2016, surgery month later). For me the good news was Medicare eventually paid all the fees except the Surgeon. I had a fear that if I waited two more years they might refuse me for age or medical condition (at this age anything can happen).

My doctor was Keelee MacPhee in Raleigh, North Carolina.  I chose her because she is Board Certified Plastic Surgeon (means passed lots of tests on technique and infection control), trained with Dr Bower, routinely does GCS and other surgery, and is affiliated with Duke University (major teaching hospital: means must teach, publish and is subject to peer review). Hit the Jackpot! She is extremely personable, has fabulous "bedside" manner, and treated me like I was family! The last person I saw before the OR, the first person I saw when I came out, the first person I saw the next morning and in phone contact the day after the hospital. She's really great.

Anyway it is a difficult decision. I think age, physical condition, domestic situation, future plans, etc are all important factors.

Thankyou so much for posting this it was great to read your account. It really does make more sense from a practical point of view, for me. There is still that part of me that wonders if what it really is all about is completeness and whatever that means for me.  You sound like you are really happy with the way everything went including the final outcome. That is so great

Complete is whatever we decide it is.

^^^^^^
IMHO this

[debrferguson]

I'm 51 and just had GCS with McGinn. I went into it mostly with a goal of eliminating spiro and the inconvenience of the dangly bits. But afterwards I've discovered that there is something very powerful about knowing that everything down there looks and works like other women my age. Knowing that my depth can handle an above average male even if it never will feels good. Being able to talk vaginas with my cis girlfriends and to be a part of the group with the same issues (eg dryness) also is very confirming. It is MY vagina and it is real has turned out to matter a lot. So I would be cautious about dismissing the value of a functional vagina too quickly. Dilation is a hassle, but you get through it.


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[EmmaLoo]

A few thoughts.

It seems like a disservice to portray dilation as a problem. Infection is a problem. Dilation is just the necessary process of maintaining the result of vaginoplasty or GCS. No, It's not a lot of fun, but the routine lessens as time passes as does most physical therapy stemming from surgery. You can even choose not to do it or simply stick with maintaining minimal girth and depth by using a much smaller dilator. Beyond dilation, the real issues that should be discussed are directly related to the degree of invasiveness which is magnified significantly between the cosmetic and full version. The older we are, the more recovery time it takes and this is incredibly complex surgery that involves cutting through a nerve-saturated area of the body, rerouting your urinary system and removing a significant amount of other tissue. Age is an important consideration for any surgery when deciding how much you want to put yourself through. The benefits should outweigh the risk along with potential complications and level of ongoing inconvenience or worse, incontinence.

I'm not advocating for either decision but to those of you in this age group, I think you have all the life experience you need to know which surgery is adequate. The only people you have to answer to is you. Potential Regret is a good argument, however. You can't really change your mind after-the-fact on this one. If you think you'll regret not having the complete GCS surgery and you're healthy enough, weigh the options, it's no one else's business which you choose.

[Laurie]

Thanks for starting this thread Anne, I am so excited for you and am ready if you need any long distance hand holding. If need be I'll get Laurie to come pick me up and we'll drive over to your place. lol You are awesome and I hope you consider posting, for everyone, how it goes.
Love,
Moni

  I believe I could be persuaded to play taxi for That Woman if need be.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[Rachel]

Hi Annie,

If you go to Dr. McGinn I could visit you in the hospital.

Ultimately the decision is yours. You may want to make a list of pro's and con's and see how it goes.

I say to myself I never will have a partner again but that is just me deflecting a painful issue of facing being alone. If I had a male or female partner I would want to share certain sexual experiences. I am beginning to think a female partner would be perhaps better than a male partner in some ways.

If my wife wanted to remain married I would be happy. If we could share sexually I would be very very happy. I think I am starting to grow in my thoughts of sexual partners and perhaps I am becoming more fluid. All I know is that what I once thought I now am much more open. Perhaps I am a suppressed bisexual.

[LizK]

A few thoughts.

It seems like a disservice to portray dilation as a problem. Infection is a problem. Dilation is just the necessary process of maintaining the result of vaginoplasty or GCS. No, It's not a lot of fun, but the routine lessens as time passes as does most physical therapy stemming from surgery. You can even choose not to do it or simply stick with maintaining minimal girth and depth by using a much smaller dilator. ...............

Thanks I really liked your post and you make some great points. I am now after a lot more consideration swinging once again to the full GCS and its probably the same reason that drove me to transition, for me, my desire to lop it off as a teenager is no less now than it was then. But I agree with you  it requires much thought and consideration

[Michelle_P]

Like Liz, I am moving from the cosmetic version to seriously considering the full depth vaginoplasty procedure again.  I worry that I might not consider myself complete without the full depth procedure, another of my personal issues.  In addition, dilations are basically a regular self-administered medical procedure, not unlike much of the medical intervention we may experience in life.

I was doing intermittent urethral self-catheterization for years, sanitizing equipment, cleaning myself, and inserting and removing a foreign object into a rather sensitive place to a depth of 15 inches, four to six times a day.  (And insurance authorized one (1) catheter a month.  No spiffy disposables for me. On Day 30, that sucker was ROUGH.) If I could do that, I can do dilations.

[mm]

Michelle_P, Will you have to self catheterized after srs, that would be a big plus for you.

[Michelle_P]

Michelle_P, Will you have to self catheterized after srs, that would be a big plus for you.

No, intermittent self-cath won't hold the new urethral opening and meatus in place and open.  There's no catheter in place most of the time with intermittent self-cath, and running a catheter in and out will irritate the new tissue structures.  There will be a Foley catheter in place for several days while the initial healing takes place.

I can self-cath if needed after the Foley catheter is removed, but I certainly hope I won't need to.  My urethra will be several inches shorter and not wedged into all that expandable tissue, so if anything, urination should be easier.  I haven't had to self-cath since surgery last year to remove the bladder outlet blockage, where a flap of tissue had grown across the urethral passage.