I chose to have my GRS done by Dr. Chet. I think he was a good choice. Let me comment on your concerns:
- operation time of 6 hrs is double that of the PI surgery. This increases the risks of infections and other complications.
>You will be placed on a antibiotic for several days post-op to prevent infection. Dr. Chet works out of his own surgery center so the risk of contracting an infection is less than in a general hospital.
>Dr. Chetawutt is very conservative in his practices which will minimize the chance of complications, plus you are required to stick around for 3 weeks post-op so that any complications can be addressed before returning home.
- recovery time is significantly longer
>Recover time will vary from patient to patient. For me it was not long. On day 6 post-op I walked from Vertical Suite to the Paradise Mall to buy a HDMI cable. I was on my feet for an hour and a half, and felt pretty good. I was instructed not to leave the hotel, but it gives you some idea how quickly I was recovering.
- there is more pain involved due to the technique
> I was pleasantly surprised how little pain there was when I woke up after surgery. They gave me pain medication while in the surgery center and more to take back to the hotel. I have say that breast augmentation was much more painful than GRS. BTW. they provide a doughnut cushion to sit on so that pressure is not applied to the surgery site. It works very well. Dilations were a bit painful while inserting the stent, but only for a short time.
- the graft could potentially fail and the scrotal skin is more difficult to stretch and dilate
> This is news to me. I'm not aware of what graft failure involves.
> The difficulty in inserting a stent is stretching the vaginal entrance (introitus) due to the contraction of the muscles the surround the opening. Once that's stretched open the stent slides in with minimal discomfort.
- after care reviews, once you fly off from Thailand are pretty dismal. Seems like you're left to your own devices. What happens if something goes wrong once I'm back in the UK?
>As I mentioned, you are required to stay in Bangkok for 3+ weeks post-op. You will have to be cleared to go home after Dr. Chet evaluates your recovery/healing. It's possible that something could happen after you return home, certainly, so you are wise to have a contingency plan should medical after care becomes necessary. My primary care physician was prepared to help with any late materializing complications. None occurred, thankfully.
- I'm not concerned with sensation, depth or appearance so much, I'd be happy just not to have anything down there.
> That is certainly the key goal, but having a very natural looking vulva and functional vagina is really nice.
- long haul flight increases the risk of DVT. OR imagine if one starts bleeding on the plane?
> Minimal risk of this happening three weeks after surgery. If you have a history of DVT, I would definitely take precautions like wearing compression socks and getting up and walking frequently.
- to top it all off I suffer from panic attacks/anxiety and hate being on planes.
> Well, why didn't you say so. That changes everything.
