I've recently had a meta (or rather, a clitoral release, but the doctor classifies it as a meta). Due to complications and overall dissatisfaction I'll likely have it 'reversed'.
For me, having lower surgery was never necessary to me. I didn't consider it to make me happy (because I already was), nor did I do it because I felt I had to. I did it enhance my happiness. I'm a transguy, so of course I want to look more 'male' below the waist. Sadly, in the excitement of all that I, and many others I've spoke to, neglect to remember that, like ALL cosmetic surgical procedures, our differing body types WILL affect the outcome. It's something you don't think of at the time...but only afterwards (and for most it's too late to do anything about it...you're stuck). At this point, my experience with it is that I wish I didn't do it at all and I'm kicking myself in the ass for having 'wasted' 7k (that took me years to save up). I look no more 'male' below the waist then I did before...in fact due to my body type (my pubic bone juts out rather far, which obscures a LOT of my length) I look even LESS 'male' (in my view) than I did before. Right now I see the very top of my penis peeking out from between two massive testicle implants, regardless of whether I'm erect or not. It's very unsatisfying.
Frankly, knowing what I do now, and having gone through this experience, I just don't think lower surgeries (phallos and metas) are worth it. For some guys ANYTHING remotely male looking, whether it works or not, is better than having the 'chick parts' below the waist...and that's fine. Everyone is different. But for me, the surgeries just aren't on the same level as they are for MtFs (who can look like biological women with their surgeries). We have the options of having a very tiny pseudo penis which KIND of looks like a biological males', but still isn't going to let you pass in any locker rooms (even though biological guys come in all sizes, the actual SHAPE and look of their penis is different---the clitoris is 'forked' on the tip, and unless the surgery is more invasive to cut that skin and sew it together, it will not look like a bio-male's). The other option, of course, is a more realistically sized penis that lacks the same function (ie: ability to orgasm). At first glance it'd probably pass in a locker room, but closer inspections would doom that. The cost of these procedures don't justify the results.
For me...I was happy with what I had below the waist and even though they were 'chick parts' I always referred to them in a masculine way (ie: when I was noticeably erect, I'd dry-hump my partner and tell him I had a boner, and the like). My partner and I enjoyed a great sex life, and no one knew I had 'chick parts' below the waist except him, myself, and my family. My partner thinks guys who opt not to have lower surgeries have a more male mentality because they don't want to risk sexual sensation for aesthetics (as most bio males would share the view of).
If modern science could give me a penis that looked and functioned like a bio male's, for a price that wouldn't keep me saving for a decade (or in debt) then I'd do it in a heartbeat...but not for what's available now. Embrace those 'chick parts'....just think of it as another part of your body that can give you pleasure (that's what I did) and suddenly, having them wasn't so bad.
Posted on: April 16, 2008, 03:34:42 AM
Oh yeah...best advice I can give (and I wish someone would've given to me)...get yourself an awesome packer, even if it's in the $100 range and save yourself the $6k+.
Testicle implants DO NOT feel like a biological male's (so says my gay bio-male boyfriend who's felt his fair share of them and was horrified by how hard the implants are).