Hi Guys,
It's been awhile since I've posted, but I really wanted to review and give some feedback on my SRS in Thailand, as I know some people have been curious about other Thai doctors that use a similar technique to Dr. C without the 6 month+ wait time. He uses the same technique of scrotal skin grafting. I opted for this so I could avoid electrolysis hair removal. I'm a blonde and laser wasn't possible there.
I went for my SRS back in November, and I've been lucky enough to quit my job and recover at home since then.
One of the biggest selling points to me was that I wanted SRS NOW. I did not want to wait anymore, and being told I'd need to wait 3-6 months for the next available Thai or US doctor was not an option for me. I had severe dysphoria working in Japan, and though my face passed, I had students constantly trying to look up my dress, and it made me feel insanely insecure and protective of myself. I decided that I would begin inquiring in October, and I had an appointment made by the next month in Thailand with Dr. Kamol. I did all of this alone, and every part of my transition had been going VERY fast (I'm only 25 now, and I've been doing hormones for a bit over 2 years and now have had breast aug, FFS and SRS)
Arriving in his facility it was extremely clean and I loved that it seemed mostly fresh and modern. It was effectively a hotel attached to a medical facility.
When I flew out there, they actually took me out to see two gender specialized psychiatrists; I did not have all that paperwork from the US (I had been working abroad). This was really fast, and I went with another transgender woman to those appointments. It cost me maybe 50 USD, which I found fairly reasonably priced. I had also discussed adding in a last minute breast augmentation with Dr. Kamol, as well as what I wanted things to look like post-op.
I had surgery the following day. I was honestly terrified when I was going in, and for pretty good reason. I had done most of this last minute, and while I was certain this was what I wanted, I wasn't sure if I had picked the right doctor. I had spent very little time researching everything. They injected me and I passed out. When I finally woke up, I was exhausted and I'm pretty sure I slept on morphine drip for a solid 48 hours while waking up to request more occasionally.
The night nurses were attentive for the most part, and they would ask if I had pain. The tablets they gave me did literally NOTHING, and I was pretty much dependent on morphine. They had me on a liquid diet for maybe a week, but I had absolutely no appetite, and I dont think I really ate anything at all and drank very little. I felt no sensation whatsoever when I was urinating, which was super bizarre to me. I absolutely regretted doing a breast augmentation because I had an INSANE amount of pain coming from my breasts, and they were swollen maybe 3-4x larger than they are now. They had a drain attached to them to help, but oh my god I thought I was literally dying. I bought a beaded neck pillow in the airport and brought my personal blanket with me, and this was the single best decision I had made. The pillows there weren't that comfortable, and I didn't like their blankets either. My pillow was my best friend for like a solid month.
Every single night I'd wake up in terrible pain, and I'd request morphine. I got very intermittent sleep, and I would constantly cry through the night because of how much pain I was in, and I was super lonely since I flew out alone with no one there helping me. My vein got REALLY swollen, and after like a week and a half (I think?) my needle fell out. This was devastating for me, because they couldnt put it back in, and I was dependent on the pain medication that wasnt working. My vagina was SUPER swollen, and I refused to even look at it because it made me feel so nauseous. My depth was measured at ~5 and a half inches, which has since decreased to a bit under 5 inches, which I have become OK with (though I was told it would be closer to 6 inches during my consult).
At this point I could have solid food, but it really hurt to defecate, and so I'd actually recommend you stay on a liquid diet, or only have very MINIMAL solids. Most of the food sucked, but the pasta was good, and The sandwich option provided fries and some fruit and a juice drink which I was sometimes craving (and it tasted Western so yay!). I highly recommend these two and something you like off the liquid diet while eating there. Food isn't something you really think a lot about going in, but trust me you'll wish someone recommend you a food diet once you're sitting there for like 2-3 weeks.
I was not able to transfer out of the hospital room and into the hotel part of the facility. I liked my room on the 4th floor, but I ended up getting VERY sick one night and fainting trying to get to the nurses. They had me stay there overnight and said it was due to low iron, so they moved me to the 6th floor by the nurses and put me on some medicine to help. Dr. Kamol saw me then and he was super nice, and it was good to see him. There were a LOT of patients there, and I wish I had gotten to see more of him, I think it would have helped with my comfort level and made me feel more at ease, though I understand he was busy.
After some time in the hotel, they told me they needed to remove the catheter, and I had to "prove" I could pee on my own and control my urine flow. This sucked, and I had to drink a massive amount of water. Removing the catheter hurt badly, and it was so swollen from where they had it. I hate catheters now, and if I'm ever on one again I think I will lose my mind. One of the nurses was SO helpful and made me feel better. I wish I had asked for her information to stay in touch, because she was one of the kindest and most personable people I've met, and I'm so grateful that she was there to help me and make me feel better.
I went in for dilation around this point, and oh my god this sucked, and I'm convinced the nurse I had hated her job (I don't blame her, I would too, but still I was already terrified, and she kind of scared me). I had a really difficult time with even the smallest dilator, and it made me cry every single time I was doing it. I really would have appreciated being compassionate. We were put on a dilation schedule of 2x a day for an hour each, which I've since modified to one dilation in the middle of my day for 2-3 hours. This works for me, and I haven't exploded yet, and it's more manageable for my mental health. I'm still on the second smallest dilator, but I'm OK with this for now.
Appearance wise a lot of the swelling has now gone down, but I do have scars I want to be more hidden that I'm looking into. It has a mostly natural appearance, and any guy who has seen it hasn't noticed I'm trans because of it 4 months in. I do personally notice a few asymmetries (particularly with my labia) and a few surgical lines which I'm hoping will continue to fade more. I have sensation in my clit, but I don't like touching that part of my body yet, and I'm still slowly assimilating to everything. Peeing no longer hurts really bad, and I've become better at pain management. I might add more to this as needed, but I wanted to give everyone here my perception on what things were like going to Kamol if anyone is considering him. I'd be more than happy to answer questions as well.
Oh also I highly recommend dilating in the bathtub after you get the initial dilation in and just throwing up netflix or something. It makes things easier and it's not as bad that way and kind of relaxing.
Rating:
Facility - 8/10 Mostly clean, and they have a few good food options. I've seen some other people badly criticize the facility, but I don't think it's bad at all.
Location - 9/10 You can't really beat the area. It's safe and there's lots of food options, especially if you're a westerner visiting. I spent more time than I should have going to Mcdonalds but w/e, it's what I was craving.
Staff- 6/10 I appreciated the night nurses, but sometimes people were slowish to respond or I'd need to ring again. A few of the nurses went above and beyond and I will always appreciate their compassion. Others were not so great. On my first checkup the nurse told me I mustn't cry when he removed the vaginal packing and stuff or the doctor would walk away and I'd have to wait (what)
Vaginal Result - 8/10 My vagina mostly looks natural, but I do wish it had a bit more depth. Dilation is still difficult for me, and there's a bit more scaring than I'd like. There's some slight asymmetry, but I'm aware I'm 4 months in and my results may continue to improve. I have had ONE hair grow out of my vagina post op, but I'm hoping it was just an anomaly and I plucked it.
Breasts Result - 6/10 I feel my breasts are a bit too spaced out, though I do think they still look natural. I recommend using smooth implants even though they recommend textured. I was given a good deal on the implants, but if I could afford it I'd have done this with my FFS doctor back in the states instead, it's just such much cheaper in Thailand.
