SRS with Suporn

[Britney_413]

I haven't fully studied the technique or pros/cons about Suporn although I've heard that he is one of the top surgeons. I originally was thinking of going to a U.S. doctor but these doctors are simply too expensive. I don't want to have to spend the next 5-10 years saving for SRS (someone I know went to Meltzer and it took her 12 years to save for it). I'm frankly sick of all of this and want to just get on with my life. It's kind of funny really that prior to going full time I had it in my mind that I would take things slowly. But once I went full time which was only slightly less than 6 months ago, it felt so natural and normal in the female role (and especially after HRT started 3.5 months ago) that I am growing increasingly tired of my anatomy. I understand that Suporn is much cheaper than most surgeons. I also have heard there are other surgeons in Thailand who are even cheaper but I don't know how good they are. It sounds like Suporn might be doable and if I could get this done say around mid 2012 I'd be good. I currently have around $4,000 in a 401(k) that I can't touch until I leave my job but the job is closing the office in a few months anyway. Plus, I have a coin collection that I hope I could get a few thousand from, and hopefully friends and family could chime in a few thousand more if needed. But I'm just really worried about everything because if I have to start a new job are they going to give me time off for all this? Plus, with the economy tanking, if I don't do this soon by putting together these limited resources, then SRS could suddenly get further and further out of reach. Any advice is much appreciated.

[Michelle.]

I understand that Suporn is much cheaper than most surgeons. I also have heard there are other surgeons in Thailand who are even cheaper but I don't know how good they are.

I think Suporns cost work out to be on par with US surgeons these days. However that includes factoring airfare and hotel costs. So in the end Suporn might be 15k vs 20k for a North American surgeon. That cost being the surgeons total bill. Factor in say five or less for Thailand.

About those four thousand dollar total surgeons. You only really get one chance to do this. Buyer beware.

[Britney_413]

You know this is all getting extremely depressing. I literally have been on the verge of tears the last few days over this. I don't understand why it is virtually impossible to get this surgery. The standards are completely different from just about anything else. I can go and get a $25,000 car and not pay a penny but simply get a co-signer and agree to a payment plan. I could go to a hospital and get treated for something, pay nothing up front, and then get billed later. Yet these SRS surgeons require all of the money up front in cash. They will not work with you. Some workplaces are starting to cover it in their insurance policies yet the surgeons won't take insurance. We're not just second class citizens but third class.

I really need to get this done but it seems literally impossible. Just a few years ago U.S. surgeons were charging around $10,000 and already are now charging over 20k. That makes it literally impossible to save because by the time you have saved it just keeps getting more expensive and further out of reach. I would really like to know how people here have accomplished this. Worse, I have to get this done because if I don't, the longer I'm on the hormones the more the skin will atrophy and the more likely a medical complication could develop preventing SRS. Obviously I want a good quality surgeon to do a good job. I just don't know how or where to even start. All of it looks completely impossible and out of reach.

[Michelle.]

Have you researched medical loans? Explored your various financial options?

[Britney_413]

I haven't actually. I was under the impression that these surgeons won't even schedule you until they have the money literally in their hands so I didn't think that loans would do much good. Then thanks to the economy my credit score is horrible but I'll look into it. Every person I know personally who is post-op literally lost everything to their transition. Everything. Their hobbies, their prized possessions, everything. Everything got sold, pawned, you name it. Yet we have all these "non-op" trans activists spending so much time talking about bathrooms and non-discrimination laws, blah blah blah, when the real issue is the fact that millions of us can't transition because of money. In many ways I'm lucky to have even been able to get my hormones and hair removal treatments because many can't even do that. If people could actually transition, I don't think our lives would be so damn difficult. Sorry for complaining, I'm just getting really frustrated and depressed over this. I can't go back (nor would I want to) but it seems like I can't go forward either.

[Muffins]

Apparently Suporns pricings are going up some point this year, but they have been saying that since the end of last year and keep moving the date back, last time I heard it was changing in may and that hasn't happened yet that I know of. But yeah bank loans are great. the way Suporn does it is you suggest a date from their calender they send you after initial contact and then pay a deposit to lock it in, I think the deposit is around $2000 can't remember then you have up until 30days before surgery to transfer the full amount.
Stay focused and positive and you will get there!

[girl_ashley]

You know this is all getting extremely depressing. I literally have been on the verge of tears the last few days over this. I don't understand why it is virtually impossible to get this surgery. The standards are completely different from just about anything else. I can go and get a $25,000 car and not pay a penny but simply get a co-signer and agree to a payment plan. I could go to a hospital and get treated for something, pay nothing up front, and then get billed later. Yet these SRS surgeons require all of the money up front in cash. They will not work with you. Some workplaces are starting to cover it in their insurance policies yet the surgeons won't take insurance. We're not just second class citizens but third class.

I really need to get this done but it seems literally impossible. Just a few years ago U.S. surgeons were charging around $10,000 and already are now charging over 20k. That makes it literally impossible to save because by the time you have saved it just keeps getting more expensive and further out of reach. I would really like to know how people here have accomplished this. Worse, I have to get this done because if I don't, the longer I'm on the hormones the more the skin will atrophy and the more likely a medical complication could develop preventing SRS. Obviously I want a good quality surgeon to do a good job. I just don't know how or where to even start. All of it looks completely impossible and out of reach.

Surgeons require all the money up front because the insurance companies stiff the surgeons from the full amount.

You should check out a Medical Loan.  Many non-trans people have to get these.

Inflation and depreciation of the dollar is why costs go up, even for overseas surgeons.

Your skin doesn't atrophy on HRT, only the testes.  The size of your boy parts have nothing to do with your capability for a great result after surgery.

Just hang in there, you'll get there.

[girl_ashley]

I understand that Suporn is much cheaper than most surgeons. I also have heard there are other surgeons in Thailand who are even cheaper but I don't know how good they are.

I think Suporns cost work out to be on par with US surgeons these days. However that includes factoring airfare and hotel costs. So in the end Suporn might be 15k vs 20k for a North American surgeon. That cost being the surgeons total bill. Factor in say five or less for Thailand.

About those four thousand dollar total surgeons. You only really get one chance to do this. Buyer beware.

I believe this as well, though I think the overseas surgeons turn out to be just slightly less expensive.  But for the difference, I'd prefer to have the capability to see my surgeon for follow-up appointments, be able to speak the same language as my surgeon and nurses, not have a 16 hr plane flight to get there and back, and have my surgery performed in a first world country where there are strict standards for medical care.

[girl_ashley]

I haven't actually. I was under the impression that these surgeons won't even schedule you until they have the money literally in their hands so I didn't think that loans would do much good. Then thanks to the economy my credit score is horrible but I'll look into it. Every person I know personally who is post-op literally lost everything to their transition. Everything. Their hobbies, their prized possessions, everything. Everything got sold, pawned, you name it. Yet we have all these "non-op" trans activists spending so much time talking about bathrooms and non-discrimination laws, blah blah blah, when the real issue is the fact that millions of us can't transition because of money. In many ways I'm lucky to have even been able to get my hormones and hair removal treatments because many can't even do that. If people could actually transition, I don't think our lives would be so damn difficult. Sorry for complaining, I'm just getting really frustrated and depressed over this. I can't go back (nor would I want to) but it seems like I can't go forward either.

This is why we are working on making sure you won't be fired from your job or that you can get hired at a new job so that you can have money so that you can afford these trans services.  It's a very hard fight and we won't let down on it.  Believe me, we're working damn hard on this and I don't want to hear complaints about my blood, sweat, and tears that I expend to try and make this world a better place for all gender-variant individuals.

[sweetie87]

Hi Britney,

It's very depressing if you are ready for SRS but don't have the financial means to go all-the-way immediately. I was in the same boat years ago when I was 19 I wanted to have SRS with Suporn but as a student there was no way I could afford it. Now i'm 24 and have saved up the money over the years and am going under the knife within a couple of weeks. As you see I had to wait many years, but the patience is rewarded as I'm going to the surgeon I want to.

Suporn is less expensive than pretty much any US surgeon and he is on par with Brassard from Montreal, Canada. Suporn will likely increase his prices per 1 jan 2012 (original price increase was planned for 1 jan 2011 then rescheduled to 1 may 2011 and now postponed to 2012). Something elso you have to factor in are the exchange rates USD/THB. The ratio has been very bad recently, but it is getting better now. Considering the 2012 price and including airfare and hotel you will spend slightly over 20K (US$) at current exchange rates, which is a lot of money. Brassard from Montreal is probably cheaper and you will not have to travel so far.

Good luck in making the right decision. I know from experience that waiting for years can be frustrating but it is doable.

Sweetie

[girl_ashley]

Suporn is less expensive than pretty much any US surgeon and he is on par with Brassard from Montreal, Canada. Suporn will likely increase his prices per 1 jan 2012 (original price increase was planned for 1 jan 2011 then rescheduled to 1 may 2011 and now postponed to 2012). Something elso you have to factor in are the exchange rates USD/THB. The ratio has been very bad recently, but it is getting better now. Considering the 2012 price and including airfare and hotel you will spend slightly over 20K (US$) at current exchange rates, which is a lot of money. Brassard from Montreal is probably cheaper and you will not have to travel so far.

Very interesting.  McGinn is only $18.5 K USD for SRS.

[Vicky]

Before I got turned down by Suporn for being too high a risk for his surgical method, they had quoted 544,500 Bhats (Thai Currency) which had been about $17,500 US at the exchange of 30.9 Bhats to $1.00.  Air Fare from US NOT included, and that was JUST the SRS, so other stuff done on a young healthy person would have been more. 

[Tammy Hope]

You know this is all getting extremely depressing. I literally have been on the verge of tears the last few days over this. I don't understand why it is virtually impossible to get this surgery. The standards are completely different from just about anything else. I can go and get a $25,000 car and not pay a penny but simply get a co-signer and agree to a payment plan. I could go to a hospital and get treated for something, pay nothing up front, and then get billed later. Yet these SRS surgeons require all of the money up front in cash. They will not work with you. Some workplaces are starting to cover it in their insurance policies yet the surgeons won't take insurance. We're not just second class citizens but third class.

I really need to get this done but it seems literally impossible. Just a few years ago U.S. surgeons were charging around $10,000 and already are now charging over 20k. That makes it literally impossible to save because by the time you have saved it just keeps getting more expensive and further out of reach. I would really like to know how people here have accomplished this. Worse, I have to get this done because if I don't, the longer I'm on the hormones the more the skin will atrophy and the more likely a medical complication could develop preventing SRS. Obviously I want a good quality surgeon to do a good job. I just don't know how or where to even start. All of it looks completely impossible and out of reach.

count your blessings.

I'm 47, long term unemployed, so broke every utility bill is an adventure, have a spouse and two kids to think about, and have not only no money in reserve but no possessions that are worth a damn thing. if i had to raise $1,000 right now I'd be SOL.

And I'm a lot more "on the clock" than you are age wise. I'm not the only one here similarly situated in terms of cost.

Here's what i decided to do - I'm going into an RN program in the fall. it's another two years of being broke but the nursing shortage is so severe that I WILL be employed afterwords (if not I can just resign from the human race because I'll be an untouchable) and I'll also be making good enough money to save enough for SRS in about 3 years (barring some unknown factor cropping up).

That's what you have to do - get a plan. It might not work out, something might happen, but at least you can "countdown" instead of wondering if the tunnel has no end.

i like the RN idea because (a) the demand is so urgent you can get employed and get highly paid) and (b) it's not as subject to economic downturns.

In any case, and I don't mean to scold dear even though I know I am,  I wish I'd had the faintest hope of even being made right when I was your age, you really have no idea how much better you have it than us old broads who had to spend decades trying to force ourselves into the male role. who spent all that time getting progressively further away, physically, from the girl we knew inside.

If one has to be trans, it is infinitely better to be 18 and trans in 2011 than it was to be 18 and trans in 1981

[sweetie87]

Very interesting.  McGinn is only $18.5 K USD for SRS.

However that does not include labiaplasty which would cost another $4300, whereas Suporn has it included in the price.

[Karynm8621]

Very interesting.  McGinn is only $18.5 K USD for SRS.

Brassard cost me $18.2 USD and it covered the stay in the residence for 10 days, all supplies while there and food plus 24 hour care

Side note, you do not need funds to "book" your surgery. I booked last August and didn't start paying till Feb. It wasn't all due in one chunk either.

[girl_ashley]

However that does not include labiaplasty which would cost another $4300, whereas Suporn has it included in the price.

She doesn't do the outdated "two-stage" technique.  You only need to go once just like you would for Suporn.  So no, the $4300 does not count.

[Megan Joanne]

So far I have just a little over a hundred dollars in the bank, and if, or should I say when I sell all of my belongings I might be able to have somewhere a little over a thousand, that don't even put me close even to an orchiectomy. I got me a long ways to go. Been racking my brains trying to figure out how to earn more money once I sell all of my stuff, its going to be hard enough just keeping up with the hormones once I get back on them.

[Diane Elizabeth]

       I haven't even started looking for a Dr for SRS yet because I don't see me having the money for another decade or more.  Other bills and the rise of the economy keeps syphoning off my paycheck to the point thatI have nothing saved for that "rainy day".    Life goes on until it stops going on.

[Britney_413]

I think I finally have a plan. I'm saving for SRS, not in U.S. dollars but in silver (and gold). My goal is to save 1,000 ounces of silver. Maybe it is a psychological thing but 1,000 ounces of silver sounds more realistic than USD $25,000 or Thai Bhat $500,000. Silver does fluctuate but it provides more security against inflation than any paper currency does. If it drops to $10/ounce, I'd still have $10,000 at the time which may not be enough for SRS but I could just keep buying more and more at that low rate. Now it is at $35/ounce. Suppose suddenly it went up I could suddenly meet the SRS dollar figure needed. I don't have anywhere near the goal of 1,000 ounces, but I'm starting to buy silver each time I get my paycheck. Even an ounce a week could add up. I don't want to save in U.S. dollars because of inflation. It literally makes no sense. By the time I would save $20,000 USD costs would go up, the surgeons would raise their rates, and I'd play an endless catch-up game.

I may go with Suporn but have considered Meltzer because he is local. People considering Suporn may actually want to save in Thai bhats for that matter since that is what it is priced in. These currency conversions can literally either make or break you.

As much as I don't want to wait for SRS, here is my other plan: currently I'm spending a good deal on therapist visits and hair removal treatments. I've had four laser treatments on my full face, one on just the mouth/chin area, and have my first electrolysis session May 9th for the sides and neck. In just 6 months, the hair on my face has significantly thinned out. My therapist is already saying I'm doing "very well" in my new gender role. After I obtain my "one year" letter and recommendation for SRS, she may not need to see me near as regularly or even at all. I may not need so many laser or electrolysis treatments at that time either. All the money I'm spending on those two things I wouldn't have to spend anymore and could then start putting it toward SRS. It sucks but I'm hoping these two plans work. I do not want to keep taking anti-androgens forever.

Yes, I know I'm lucky as some have said as I'm younger than some others here. By me starting early, it has made FFS unnecessary whereas it is often crucial for people who start older. Sadly, if society was more open and accepting (both now and before) more people would have transitioned younger and saved so much money and headache.

[Britney_413]

This is why we are working on making sure you won't be fired from your job or that you can get hired at a new job so that you can have money so that you can afford these trans services.  It's a very hard fight and we won't let down on it.  Believe me, we're working damn hard on this and I don't want to hear complaints about my blood, sweat, and tears that I expend to try and make this world a better place for all gender-variant individuals.

First of all I am not "gender variant." I am a woman with a transsexual medical condition. Second, my issue has nothing to do with a job. I've transitioned in my current job yet they are closing their office soon so I will need another one. I already know several companies in my industry that are "trans friendly" so I'm not concerned about that. I already have my name changed already and plan on changing my driver license gender before I get hired anyway. Many TS people already have jobs. That isn't the issue. The issue is that the economy is so bad right now that even with a job, most people are living paycheck to paycheck and are lucky to be able to save anything for SRS or other transition expenses. It isn't about "non discrimination" laws but money and these days having a job dosn't even get you much money. Third I don't know who "we" is in your context. Do you work for an organization? Fourth, if activist groups really wanted to help people with TS conditions, they would not be worrying about "bathroom bills" but instead try to get this out of the DSM and to be treated strictly as a medical condition, as a disability protected by federal medical and disability laws. If that were to happen, workplaces would be required to give time off for SRS, we would be protected the same as any other medical condition or disability, and insurance companies would have to cover the procedures. Bathroom bills and ENDA are great for non-TS gender variant people but do little if anything to help people with a TS condition. Many of us have changed our names, changed our genders, work full time, but just can't finance the SRS because our condition is still being treated as "psychological" and not "physical."