Community Conversation => Transitioning => Gender Correction Surgery => Topic started by: teeg on March 03, 2014, 10:42:34 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: teeg on March 03, 2014, 10:42:34 AM
Post by: teeg on March 03, 2014, 10:42:34 AM
I started a topic about the waiting times for surgeons and how soon I might be able to get SRS. I meet all the criterea like real life experience, letters, insurance/financial, etc., and waiting for the surgery is becoming a bit of an issue.
I settled on Dr. McGinn, but it seems her waiting list just for a consultation is 5 months. While this isn't deal breaking, I'd still like to see if perhaps I could get the same or similar surgery sooner.
Is there some kind of list of surgeons who are good in terms of aesthetics and functionality? I'd like to stay within the US or NA. I've seen Dr. Brassard's name mentioned a handful of times, as well as some others.
Who might you all suggest I check to see their waiting lists?
I settled on Dr. McGinn, but it seems her waiting list just for a consultation is 5 months. While this isn't deal breaking, I'd still like to see if perhaps I could get the same or similar surgery sooner.
Is there some kind of list of surgeons who are good in terms of aesthetics and functionality? I'd like to stay within the US or NA. I've seen Dr. Brassard's name mentioned a handful of times, as well as some others.
Who might you all suggest I check to see their waiting lists?
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: mrs izzy on March 03, 2014, 12:26:39 PM
Post by: mrs izzy on March 03, 2014, 12:26:39 PM
Dr. Brassard, Dr McGinn, Dr Bowers, Dr Leis all do the same one step type of GCS
Dr. Brassard is around 4 months schedule, Bowers i think i heard she is 10 months or so and Dr Leis?
Lots of luck on your search. I know waiting is always hard but trust me it does go by so fast.
Isabell
Dr. Brassard is around 4 months schedule, Bowers i think i heard she is 10 months or so and Dr Leis?
Lots of luck on your search. I know waiting is always hard but trust me it does go by so fast.
Isabell
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: teeg on March 03, 2014, 12:58:14 PM
Post by: teeg on March 03, 2014, 12:58:14 PM
Quote from: mind is quiet now on March 03, 2014, 12:26:39 PMI've seen mentioned that there are different types of methods for the surgery... is there one method that could be considered, "the best"? Which one is that and who does it?
Dr. Brassard, Dr McGinn, Dr Bowers, Dr Leis all do the same one step type of GCS
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: Jenna Marie on March 03, 2014, 04:21:15 PM
Post by: Jenna Marie on March 03, 2014, 04:21:15 PM
I'm going to just infodump b/c I'm too lazy to retype all of this. :) This is more or less the content of a very long PM I put together for someone with questions about Brassard. (As for who's "best," it depends on your priorities! I thought Brassard was b/c I prioritized sensation and looks over depth; for someone who cares more about depth, he's NOT an ideal choice.)
reposting more or less the gist of my PM, with some edits to make it comprehensible with the OP's text removed :
In fact, I had essentially full sensation - clitoral, labial, and internal vaginal - from the moment I woke up from surgery. This was a downside during the initial days, as you can imagine, although the pain wasn't all that bad.
Yes, I am easily orgasmic. It took a bit of effort to relearn my body, but my first orgasm was 3 weeks post-op in a dream, so clearly the nerves all worked fine and it was my brain getting in the way!
Not sure about prostate sensation. I didn't ever experiment with prostate stimulation pre-op, so I wouldn't necessarily recognize it post-op. I do have an area of highly erogenous sensation in roughly the equivalent spot to the "G-spot," which I have been told is likely the prostate.
I am fully sensate inside my vagina. Again, not orgasmic from vaginal stimulation alone, but it's NICE.
Never any numbness, either.
In fact, the pain was less and ended faster than I'd expected. It was still probably 3-4 months before I wasn't a *little* sore after a long day, but less than a month before I was almost 100% pain-free.
Yes, I have labia majora which are aesthetically correct and properly located. Mine are pretty puffy, but I also had tremendous, ridiculous swelling right after (even the nurses were shocked), so I'm not convinced it's all gone away YET.
Ditto the labia minora. They're fairly small, but that's not atypical.
Yes, I have both a fully (extremely!) sensitive clitoris and hood. Incidentally, both the clitoral hood and labia minora have the inner portion lined with leftover urethra, which is mucosal tissue that is light pink and moist just as in cis women, a detail I appreciate.
Yes, my urethra is correctly positioned and functional. It's just barely distinguishable from the vaginal opening (ie, directly above), which matches what I see in my wife and on anatomical diagrams. There were some issues with spraying early on because of the severe swelling, but everything works fine now.
My vaginal opening is also correctly placed and looks normal.
I did not do hair removal, and have had no hair regrowth except in areas where I would expect it (pubis, outside of the labia majora).
I'm going to repost Brassard's schedule from the informational packet he sends patients. Right now, I'm doing twice weekly for 15-minute sessions with the largest dilator, tapering down slowly to once a week. He leaves the "tapering" period up to the patient, and I'm going more slowly than many.
BRASSARD'S OWN INFO FOLLOWS :
Post operative dilation and douching instructions
Dilations
Healing after a vaginoplasty lasts one year. Keep in mind that the
success of this surgery depends on maintaining the length, girth and
depth of your new vagina. To achieve this, you need a set of 4
dilators and respect the instructions below. Do not stop dilations
without advising your surgeon. Stopping dilations will cause the loss
of the vaginal canal and is irreversible without further surgery (skin
grafts or bowel transposition).
Relaxing
Relaxing is the key step. It will make dilations much easier. Taking
ten slow deep breaths before beginning is one good way to get rid of
tension.
Angle
After you have localized the vaginal opening with a mirror, insertion
should be made for the 2 first inches with a slightly downwards 15°
angle. Do not go directly towards the rectum. After that the angle
should be corrected so that the dilator becomes almost parallel to the
bed while trying to aim at the navel.
Pressure
Insertion should always be gentle and slow. When the dilator is
inside the vagina for the entire length, apply constant not forceful
pressure. Gaining depth by applying more pressure is not advised.
Dilation instructions
Wash your hands
The first day of your dilations, the attending nurse will show you
every step of the process.
- Hold dilator #1 like a pen
- Apply about one teaspoon of lubricant gel on the tip of the dilator
- Insert at a slight downward angle for the 2 first inches
- Leave dilator inside 5 minutes; remove slowly
- Repeat with dilator #2 for 15 minutes
The second day of dilation can be more difficult because of swelling
that sets inside the vagina during the night. It is perfectly normal.
Be patient.
You should gently and frequently wipe out the gel that is coming out
at the bottom of the vagina.
Wait 3 months before having intercourse.
DILATION SCHEDULE
At the residence
You should dilate 4 times per day.
Day of traveling
You should at least dilate once before leaving the residence. If you
have time, dilate more that once before your departure. Even if you
have a long day of traveling and you cannot dilate for hours, you
should plan on doing at least one dilation when you arrive at home.
Please be active on the plane. Walk as much as you can.
Home
Resume your schedule as soon as possible.
At home, you should dilate 4 times per day with, #1, #2 for 5, 15
minutes for one month.
Dilate 3 times per day with #1, #2, #3 for 5, 10, 15 minutes for two months.
Dilate twice a day with #2, #3, #4, for 5, 10, 15 minutes for 3 months
Dilate once a day with #3, #4, for 5, 15 minutes for 6 months.
Slowly increase the interval of time between each dilation until you
reach one dilation per week with #4, for 15 minutes for the rest of
your life.
If you have difficulties with a bigger size dilator, wait before you
are comfortable with this one before using a bigger size. You can go
back to a smaller size and increase the frequency for a few days.
CARE FOR DILATORS
Wash the dilators after each use with non-abrasive antibacterial soap
in warm water and dry thoroughly. Do not wash them in the dishwasher
or clean with alcohol. This could damage them.
While at the convalescence home, the dilators are kept in Hibitane,
Dexidin 4 or Hiciclens 4 to find in pharmacy. 25ml of solution in
one gallon of demineralised water) Use one or the other solution.
After 2 months, store them in a clean and dry place between dilations.
In two months, stop: vaginal douche, soaking your dilators and sitz bath.
The Polysporin cream is for 10 days.
Maintain at least 2 hours intervals between dilations (from the time
you finish one and the time you do another one, 2 hours minimum.
[End of surgeons' own info]
5" of depth as far as I can determine. I'm content with that. I started with 5.5" but that half inch may have been swelling for all I know.
No serious complications aside from one stitch that pulled out early but healed cleanly. I did have a reccurring soreness and a need to massage/stretch the scar tissue around 3 months post-op, which I've been told is normal for any surgery (not just GRS).
I did have a devil of a time with the catheter, though. Again, bladder spasms are harmless and common, but that was AWFUL. I was so glad to see that go.
He offers free revisions for the first year but I was happy. It's quirky/not identical to other vulva I've seen, but hey, that's normal!
As a final note, I also do self-lubricate somewhat, and can "squirt" at orgasm on occasion. (But I have a female partner; my experience with penetrative sex does not involve men, if that matters.) All in all, I'm very satisfied.
reposting more or less the gist of my PM, with some edits to make it comprehensible with the OP's text removed :
In fact, I had essentially full sensation - clitoral, labial, and internal vaginal - from the moment I woke up from surgery. This was a downside during the initial days, as you can imagine, although the pain wasn't all that bad.
Yes, I am easily orgasmic. It took a bit of effort to relearn my body, but my first orgasm was 3 weeks post-op in a dream, so clearly the nerves all worked fine and it was my brain getting in the way!
Not sure about prostate sensation. I didn't ever experiment with prostate stimulation pre-op, so I wouldn't necessarily recognize it post-op. I do have an area of highly erogenous sensation in roughly the equivalent spot to the "G-spot," which I have been told is likely the prostate.
I am fully sensate inside my vagina. Again, not orgasmic from vaginal stimulation alone, but it's NICE.
Never any numbness, either.
In fact, the pain was less and ended faster than I'd expected. It was still probably 3-4 months before I wasn't a *little* sore after a long day, but less than a month before I was almost 100% pain-free.
Yes, I have labia majora which are aesthetically correct and properly located. Mine are pretty puffy, but I also had tremendous, ridiculous swelling right after (even the nurses were shocked), so I'm not convinced it's all gone away YET.
Ditto the labia minora. They're fairly small, but that's not atypical.
Yes, I have both a fully (extremely!) sensitive clitoris and hood. Incidentally, both the clitoral hood and labia minora have the inner portion lined with leftover urethra, which is mucosal tissue that is light pink and moist just as in cis women, a detail I appreciate.
Yes, my urethra is correctly positioned and functional. It's just barely distinguishable from the vaginal opening (ie, directly above), which matches what I see in my wife and on anatomical diagrams. There were some issues with spraying early on because of the severe swelling, but everything works fine now.
My vaginal opening is also correctly placed and looks normal.
I did not do hair removal, and have had no hair regrowth except in areas where I would expect it (pubis, outside of the labia majora).
I'm going to repost Brassard's schedule from the informational packet he sends patients. Right now, I'm doing twice weekly for 15-minute sessions with the largest dilator, tapering down slowly to once a week. He leaves the "tapering" period up to the patient, and I'm going more slowly than many.
BRASSARD'S OWN INFO FOLLOWS :
Post operative dilation and douching instructions
Dilations
Healing after a vaginoplasty lasts one year. Keep in mind that the
success of this surgery depends on maintaining the length, girth and
depth of your new vagina. To achieve this, you need a set of 4
dilators and respect the instructions below. Do not stop dilations
without advising your surgeon. Stopping dilations will cause the loss
of the vaginal canal and is irreversible without further surgery (skin
grafts or bowel transposition).
Relaxing
Relaxing is the key step. It will make dilations much easier. Taking
ten slow deep breaths before beginning is one good way to get rid of
tension.
Angle
After you have localized the vaginal opening with a mirror, insertion
should be made for the 2 first inches with a slightly downwards 15°
angle. Do not go directly towards the rectum. After that the angle
should be corrected so that the dilator becomes almost parallel to the
bed while trying to aim at the navel.
Pressure
Insertion should always be gentle and slow. When the dilator is
inside the vagina for the entire length, apply constant not forceful
pressure. Gaining depth by applying more pressure is not advised.
Dilation instructions
Wash your hands
The first day of your dilations, the attending nurse will show you
every step of the process.
- Hold dilator #1 like a pen
- Apply about one teaspoon of lubricant gel on the tip of the dilator
- Insert at a slight downward angle for the 2 first inches
- Leave dilator inside 5 minutes; remove slowly
- Repeat with dilator #2 for 15 minutes
The second day of dilation can be more difficult because of swelling
that sets inside the vagina during the night. It is perfectly normal.
Be patient.
You should gently and frequently wipe out the gel that is coming out
at the bottom of the vagina.
Wait 3 months before having intercourse.
DILATION SCHEDULE
At the residence
You should dilate 4 times per day.
Day of traveling
You should at least dilate once before leaving the residence. If you
have time, dilate more that once before your departure. Even if you
have a long day of traveling and you cannot dilate for hours, you
should plan on doing at least one dilation when you arrive at home.
Please be active on the plane. Walk as much as you can.
Home
Resume your schedule as soon as possible.
At home, you should dilate 4 times per day with, #1, #2 for 5, 15
minutes for one month.
Dilate 3 times per day with #1, #2, #3 for 5, 10, 15 minutes for two months.
Dilate twice a day with #2, #3, #4, for 5, 10, 15 minutes for 3 months
Dilate once a day with #3, #4, for 5, 15 minutes for 6 months.
Slowly increase the interval of time between each dilation until you
reach one dilation per week with #4, for 15 minutes for the rest of
your life.
If you have difficulties with a bigger size dilator, wait before you
are comfortable with this one before using a bigger size. You can go
back to a smaller size and increase the frequency for a few days.
CARE FOR DILATORS
Wash the dilators after each use with non-abrasive antibacterial soap
in warm water and dry thoroughly. Do not wash them in the dishwasher
or clean with alcohol. This could damage them.
While at the convalescence home, the dilators are kept in Hibitane,
Dexidin 4 or Hiciclens 4 to find in pharmacy. 25ml of solution in
one gallon of demineralised water) Use one or the other solution.
After 2 months, store them in a clean and dry place between dilations.
In two months, stop: vaginal douche, soaking your dilators and sitz bath.
The Polysporin cream is for 10 days.
Maintain at least 2 hours intervals between dilations (from the time
you finish one and the time you do another one, 2 hours minimum.
[End of surgeons' own info]
5" of depth as far as I can determine. I'm content with that. I started with 5.5" but that half inch may have been swelling for all I know.
No serious complications aside from one stitch that pulled out early but healed cleanly. I did have a reccurring soreness and a need to massage/stretch the scar tissue around 3 months post-op, which I've been told is normal for any surgery (not just GRS).
I did have a devil of a time with the catheter, though. Again, bladder spasms are harmless and common, but that was AWFUL. I was so glad to see that go.
He offers free revisions for the first year but I was happy. It's quirky/not identical to other vulva I've seen, but hey, that's normal!
As a final note, I also do self-lubricate somewhat, and can "squirt" at orgasm on occasion. (But I have a female partner; my experience with penetrative sex does not involve men, if that matters.) All in all, I'm very satisfied.
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: GendrKweer on March 27, 2014, 08:12:52 AM
Post by: GendrKweer on March 27, 2014, 08:12:52 AM
I would caution against selecting/rejecting a surgeon based on wait time.... You get only one chance at this, so if you have to wait an extra month to go with the surgeon you really want, that would be my preference. Good luck!
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: Caisie Breen on March 29, 2014, 09:22:46 PM
Post by: Caisie Breen on March 29, 2014, 09:22:46 PM
I had my original procedure performed by Dr Juan Nguyen, here in Portland,Oregon. I ran into complications and am now having a revision surgery performed by Dr Tolby Meltzer in Phoenix Arizona. From what I've learned about Dr Meltzer, I wish that I had used his services for my original surgery. Anyway, Dr Meltzer has a great reputation.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: Vicky on March 29, 2014, 11:59:59 PM
Post by: Vicky on March 29, 2014, 11:59:59 PM
My surgeon (Bowers) was listed above, and I have no hesitation in recommending her.
You will be given a firm date about 10 to 11 months out from the date of your deposit or insurance confirmation, but if you opt for cancellation fill in like I did as well, you could get it before the confirmed date. I had been 10.5 months out, but got it in 7 months. I am a happy girl, but I never want to go through that again.
You will be given a firm date about 10 to 11 months out from the date of your deposit or insurance confirmation, but if you opt for cancellation fill in like I did as well, you could get it before the confirmed date. I had been 10.5 months out, but got it in 7 months. I am a happy girl, but I never want to go through that again.
Title: Re: Who should I choose for my shortlist?
Post by: MadelineB on March 30, 2014, 01:29:35 AM
Post by: MadelineB on March 30, 2014, 01:29:35 AM
Be sure to ask Dr McGinn's office to put you on the waitlist in case of cancellations, and express your willingness to travel on short notice. I did, and three weeks later they called me to say the doctor would hold Skype consults that weekend for the waiylisted folks. By then I had decided to go with a Thai doctor whose procedure better fits my anatomy than the North American style would have so I released my place on the wait list, but if I had wanted I could have had my surgery with McGinn in the same time frame.