I'm a McGinn girl. I had surgery with her on April 7, 2009.
For me, the decision came down to McGinn and Bowers. I am one of the lucky ones. My insurance agreed to cover my SRS. Due to my inevitable job loss, I was under severe time constraints. I booked McGinn 8 weeks before I had my surgery. At that point I had already secured my letters and approval from my insurance company.
One of the main reasons that I chose her was that I could get in touch with her through her assistant. We did my phone consultation on an icy November day. The consultation was quickly arranged and I ended up taking it on my cell while driving through a rain and snow storm. We talked not only about surgery, but we shared experiences about being trans and thriving through it all. She was very good at managing my expectations. By the end of the call, I had decided on McGinn largely because I felt that I could communicate with her.
It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I arrived in Bristol, PA 2 days before surgery. Wiriamu picked me up from the airport and took me to the Ramada for my stay. We met some people from here for dinner that night. We ended up sitting and talking for a long time before I finally went to bed.
The next morning, a friend that was having surgery the week after me picked me up from the Ramada and we drove to the hospital for pre admission testing. After that, we had lunch at the hospital cafeteria. We were kind of surprised to run into Sherman Leis at the hospital. Apparently he does SRS out of Lower Bucks Hospital also. After lunch, I had my exam with Dr. McGinn and I met her in person for the first time. She pronounced me fit for surgery.
At about 4 PM, I started my cleanse. This really wasn't too bad. McGinn asks that you adhere to a clear liquid diet on the day before surgery and a semi liquid diet (soups, yogurt, etc.) 2 days before surgery. So in essence, I started a gentile cleanse 2 days before surgery. Still, I was up until about 2 that morning. Maegan stayed with me that night and drove me to the hospital the next morning.
I got to the hospital at 6 AM, changed into my surgical garment and waited for a few minutes. Transport to surgery never came, so the nurse walked me and another patient into the pre-surgical area. This was a large open room with beds. Each bed was separated by curtains. I lied down in one of the beds. A nurse hooked up my IV and then I was interviewed by the anesthetist. She explained what was going to happen. Next, Dr. McGinn came and we talked for a few minutes. I waited for a few minutes. Then they came to wheel me into surgery. The anesthetist asked if I wanted a cocktail. I said yes. She injected something into my IV and I was out. I remember being wheeled from the room into the OR. But that's about it.
The next thing I knew, I was being wheeled from the OR to my room. Everything was over. Maegan and Wiriamu were arguing over pizza. Maegan likes Chicago style. Wiriamu likes NY style. To me, it's all good. The nurse that wheeled me into my room left. Maegan and Wiriamu then mentioned how cute she was and started laying claim to her. I was awake enough to respond 'f**k you, she's mine'. At that point I knew I was okay.
My morphine pump and I were good friends for the next day. The nursing staff at Lower Bucks Hospital is great. They have been working with trans patients for a few years so they know what to expect.
I was confined to my bed for the next 2 days. Bring books. TV sucks and there is no wireless internet at the hospital. On the third day, I was able to stand and walk for a bit. I visited the other women that had surgery with Dr. McGinn that week. It was nice just to be able to stand.
The next day I was up and walking around the hospital. But very slowly and not for long. At one point, I was talking to the woman in the next room and I started to experience a hot flash. It was bad enough that I had to sit for a few minutes and have the nurse help me back to my room. Honestly, that was the scariest part of my hospital stay.
My niece arrived on day 4 and on day 5, I was released from the hospital. Wiriamu drove me from the hospital to the hotel where I checked into my suite. I rented a suite while we were there. It was only $30/night more than a regular room. I'm glad I did. The room was at least twice as large as a regular room. I had my own private bedroom. It was nice to sleep in a real bed again. Dr. McGinn checked me before I left the hospital so I didn't have to see her again until day 7.
On day 7, Wiriamu picked me up and took me to Dr. McGinn's office. Dr. McGinn removed my packing and my catheter. She then taught me to dilate.
For me, dilation was not painful. The key is to relax. Think of it as meditation time and you will probably be okay. After Dr. McGinn was satisfied with my dilation and the fact that I could urinate without a catheter, I was released back to the hotel.
I saw Dr. McGinn twice more before I flew back to Chicago. I had no complications and things have healed very well.
At this point, 4.5 months post op, the plumbing and the electricity work well. I am orgasmic and my result is porn star quality.
To say that I am happy with how things went is an understatement. The funny thing is that post op, I have NO memory of ever having male bits. It's like they were never there.
I never posted any sort of write up about my experiences. This just seemed like a good place and time. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific concerns or questions.
