Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi, So I wanted to ask in this section because I want to really hear from post-op trans, M2F, those who are happy with the results - Can you recommend a surgeon to me?
I'm in Australia so there's next to no SRS surgeons, the common thing to do here is to travel to Thailand and get SRS there. But this is very important. I don't want to do some cheap surgery. I don't want to have the hole closing for no reason even when dilating per instructions, I don't want a bladder or blood infection. I will be willing to travel ANYWHERE in the world for good M2F SRS.

I care very much that I want to get a vagina that is pleasurable, but aesthetically realistic - as similar as possible to a woman-born vagina, the features need to be there, it can't just be a hole on its own. In fact maybe that's what I find most important - I want a CONVINCING vagina. I can't stress that enough.

I've heard Canada has some amazing surgeons. Also the UK. Let me list the two surgeons I've heard good of (if you've had SRS with them pls detail your opinions here):
Mr James Bellringer (UK)
Dr Brassard (Canada)

PLEASE PLEASE If you know anything about surgeons who can give me a realistic female vagina, PLEASE tell me. I want the best SRS surgeon in the world for me. It has to look real.
Thank you

May I express my (perhaps unpopular, polemic) opinion ?
Surely others will answer you differently, based on personal experiences (mostly).
And my personal case also doesn't count (I came out from an Italian surgeon, I'm functional but
horrible to see, my vulva looks pretty everything else than a normal vulva and my V is maybe 10 cm
when fully stretched).
In the past months I did make some search on the Internet for SRS results (read: actual photos) but
I can confess that, even if some results are surely better than others, in NO CASE I could say "Wow !
That really looks good, like a natural vulva!". That said honestly: NO.
Just search for "SRS results neovagina" or such with Google images if you want to make a journay and
understand what I mean. Be aware that most results are not from SRS, but rather from females born
with vulva but without vagina (that's why some of them look so natural ;)
Now the general opinion is that most surgeons excluding those from the Thai school or some from the USA (like Bowers) are butchers to keep off from.
But please keep in mind that most girls will never admit their vagina is not fine, at least not to admit that their efforts and pain was worth to nothing (is a psychological fact), and so most of them will claim that their
surgeon actually did a masterpiece.

Here're some links:
http://www.annelawrence.com/vaginoplasties.html
http://thesexchange.com/ (the Thai school, very huge gallery, the link is not always working)
http://marcibowers.com/mtf/mtf-services/grs/outcomes/

Then you can tell what you want, but I'm not seeing any natural looking vulva.
So the matter is chosing the best the "market" offers us in terms of look and functionality.

(one issue with photos that I had is that most are immediately post-op, and it can take a year - or in my case, more like 2 years! - to settle into its final appearance. It also helps to have seen a gallery of cis vulvas; there are some sites and books out there that do that. I felt a lot better once I could find a dozen pictures of cis vulvas that looked just like mine.)

I went to Brassard. I have since been sent to a gynecologist to obtain a letter for my insurance company that I am a woman in surgical menopause and *need* to be on menopausal levels of HRT despite my age; I assumed the gyn knew what's up, but I got a letter stating she'd found evidence of a hysterectomy! So I'm taking that as proof that even an expert couldn't tell the difference. (I had to call back and ask her to fix the letter. At first she didn't believe me about why. It was funny, if annoying.) I was also in an ER for an unrelated condition with my pants off and everybody again assumed hysterectomy explained the HRT, although there wasn't an internal exam that time.


I'm going to just infodump b/c I'm too lazy to retype all of this. :)  This is more or less the most comprehensive post 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.) If you have any questions I didn't cover, please feel free to ask.



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).


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.

I find this information extremely useful. Even though I am at least 3 to 4 years out at best from SRS if not longer it is nice to be informed. I do have a question as in relation to penetrative sex as sexually I am into men. That is the depth issue. Mind you, I am very new to this and do not have a lot of knowledge on the subject. Let's just say that if ones partner is quite large or long, is there risk of doing damage? Any information here would be very helpful..

Thanks,
Veronica

I don't do men, but my understanding is that once you're fully healed there's no real risk of damage, or at least not more than is likely with a cis woman - it *is* possible to have some minor tearing or chafing, for example, but nothing that would require surgical correction etc. - the main downside is that he'll "bottom out" (reach the back of the vagina).

With that said, lots of cis women have vaginas too shallow to accommodate Long Dong Silver, and there's also the fact that not all of the penis goes inside b/c of things like bones and tummies in the way, so a 6" penis will NOT penetrate to a depth of 6". My personal experiments, using a strap-on so that it's probably *more* likely my wife could get extra length inside than the reverse, is that a 7" "penis" had no problem whatsoever penetrating to maximum depth in what I know from my dilators is a 5.5" vagina.

And speaking of dilators, the largest we use is 1.5" diameter, or nearly 5" circumference. If I ever met a man that big, I'd congratulate him while backing slowly away. ;)

Quote from: Jenna Marie on March 30, 2014, 12:40:05 PM
And speaking of dilators, the largest we use is 1.5" diameter, or nearly 5" circumference. If I ever met a man that big, I'd congratulate him while backing slowly away. ;)

LOL... Yes I think I would do the same... I prefer regular sized men, 6" or so perhaps a little larger, but in the future if I happen to run into as you put it, "Long Dong Silver" I just wanted to know if it could cause harm. Thank you very much.

Thank you Mirian & Jenna Marie for your excellent answers. Mirian - I will look at those websites you've suggested and try to learn more about it all...

Jenna Marie - Thank you so much for the info on Brassard's SRS and your results. To answer your query on what I find to be the best - I care more for looks over depth, as long as the depth is about 5 inches I'm happy, but i really care that it looks real with all the structures present. I'm into both men and women but I don't think this depth will be a problem unless it closes to 4, 3, 2 inches, which worries me.

From what you describe, the pleasure factor sounds excellent for Brassard's SRS.

Personal question: do you need to be uncircumcised for Brassard's SRS? I'm circumcised :(

Are there various types of SRS that Brassard performs and how do I make sure he gives me the SRS that you got? - that includes an aesthetically realistic look with all necessary structures present??? That lubricates a bit too?

What's dilation like for you, does Brassard offer the typical instructions? - x number of times a day dilation for the first year then once a week? How long before you progressed to different sized dilators?

Thank you so much for helping, Brassard is sounding excellent.

Also since I'm way overseas, not anywhere in the Americas, how long will I have to stay in Canada before flying back home? And will I have to dilate on the plane? (o god! what about Scanners & Customs - they'll think dilators are pleasure toys and confiscate them, o no!?)

Quote from: 2124abc on March 30, 2014, 06:12:55 PM
(o god! what about Scanners & Customs - they'll think dilators are pleasure toys and confiscate them, o no!?)

I am not one of Brassard's patients, but I have flown with my dilators in my carry-on luggage with nary a problem.  You will have documents from the doctor that will qualify your dilators as necessary medical appliances, and the fact that here in California (where Brassards dilators are made and sold) they are only about $40US which means if you have to pay customs duties at home, which I doubt with the medical documents, it will not be a whole heckuva lot.  An airport scanner did pick up my dilators, I was asked to open my bag, I showed them to the agent who was quickly more embarrassed than I was when I told him they were medical stents because I had had vaginal surgery!!  All with a straight face.  I giggled like hell when I got out of the screening area.  As I said no problem for me.

2124abc : As far as I know, he only does one version (unless you specifically request that there be *no* vagina created), so you should be OK there. :) And I was circumcised; if someone is exceptionally small, he will do skin grafts from the thigh, but he does warn you beforehand if that might be necessary. Some of what we get is the luck of the healing or possibly nature's gifts, of course; for example, I know someone who got 6.5" from Brassard, and someone else who had nerve damage with him (which is a risk with any surgery, not just GRS).

Brassard does provide a letter saying the dilators are medically necessary, and they generally recommend around 11-12 days in Canada. That's 2 days in the hospital, and the rest in the recovery residence.

Mirian : I admit, now that I took a peek, the sexchange web site photos do *not* look natural or normal. I wonder which surgeons those were? I have not seen very many results that look so anatomically unnatural that I can't figure out which structures I'm looking at, but some of those... I see your point!


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]

Quote from: Vicky on March 30, 2014, 06:30:21 PM
I showed them to the agent who was quickly more embarrassed than I was when I told him they were medical stents because I had had vaginal surgery!!  All with a straight face.  I giggled like hell when I got out of the screening area.  As I said no problem for me.

Lol  :laugh: thanks Vicky, that makes me feel much better  :)

Oh, right, and what's dilation like for me - boring, mostly! It feels a bit weird and stretchy, and there were some stinging pains early on, but it was never particularly painful and within about 3-4 months settled down into a routine of watching TV or reading a book while stuffing that thing into me. It's time-consuming early on, and annoying and boring forever, but 15 minutes per week shouldn't be bad (even the current 2x weekly is fine).

Thank you so much Jenna Marie, that's so much helpful info. :)

I get a little bit confused after reading all the instructions, especially the parts about dilating before I get on the plane home but after leaving the place of residence- like does that mean I have to dilate at the airport? Won't i get kicked out of the lounge for doing that? And I have to stay active on the plane? That's interesting, I don't know how often I'll need to be moving about while trying not to tear anything.

I assume I need to order the last two dilators? That means I need to order them from California and have them shipped to my home country?

Also the dilation times confused me a bit, at the end he says leave minimum two hours between dilations, is that between the sessions of using each dilator one after the other or actually two hours between dilator #1 and dilator #2 etc? (sorry im so stupid)

The angle of the dilator going into the vagina confuses me too, like does it go in parallel to the ground? If so, why doesn't it go upwards (sorry if I've had no experience with actual vaginas before, but I thought the hole goes at an upwards angle?)

Quote from: Jenna Marie on March 30, 2014, 06:42:31 PM
Oh, right, and what's dilation like for me - boring, mostly! It feels a bit weird and stretchy, and there were some stinging pains early on, but it was never particularly painful and within about 3-4 months settled down into a routine of watching TV or reading a book while stuffing that thing into me. It's time-consuming early on, and annoying and boring forever, but 15 minutes per week shouldn't be bad (even the current 2x weekly is fine).

And like does it matter what time you do it, does it have to be the same time every day you dilate like always on the morning or midday, like wondering if sleep affects it?

Can you do exercise without risk of damaging the vagina? Will there be some exercises or stretches (yoga etc or intense swimming, or squats, 4e.g.) that might damage the vagina, later on?

Brassard will supply all four dilators, although you won't need to use the bigger two at first. And the nurses will explain the dilation and demonstrate it for you if you need it - you don't need to worry about the angle stuff yet. They'll walk you through it until you're sure. :) Same thing for all the dilation, really. You'll have it explained until you understand it.

His instructions say to dilate once before leaving the residence, twice if you can manage it. You should not have to dilate while traveling. As for walking, they had us up and walking around 18 hours after surgery, and encourage getting as much gentle exercise as possible. I (slowly, carefully) walked about half a mile the day before I left for home.  As for exercise, he says no lifting more than 10 lbs or exercising too vigorously for the first two months, and after that go by how you feel. Some women are back to their usual routines shortly after; some take months to feel up to it. That's going to be up to you. Once you're fully healed, your vagina will be as sturdy as a cis woman's; you will be able to do any exercise you want. It took me a year to get back to riding long distances on my bicycle, admittedly, but I did get there.

The two hours between is from the end of one dilation session (using all 2-3 dilators) to the beginning of the next. There's no real break between one dilator and the next in a session, except maybe a minute to lube up the next one. I think a lot of us tend to do it around the same times each day just because it's easier to set a schedule, but you don't HAVE to. If you wait too long between sessions, you'll know when you're a bit tight/sore the next time, that's all. I never had any trouble sleeping 8-10 hours, either. If you needed to sleep like 14 hours, you *might* have an issue, but honestly I was so exhausted that I was napping constantly all day plus the 8 hours at night, and never had a problem with oversleeping!


btw, as far as size goes, my wife can't even fit the biggest dilator!  She was sore for 3 days the time she tried, and I used to be pretty well endowed. So I figure we come out of it very well in terms of width - I can comfortably use that size dilator.

O the width will be good, alright! :D - thank you so much. Hopefully I'm not annoying asking too many questions I just want to pick a good surgeon. Brassard sounds amazing. The nerve damage tho, sounds a bit worrying, I hope that hasn't ruined that girl's life somehow, like I thought nerve damage can paralyze you or something, IDK? I'm scared of something going wrong.

So most SRS surgeons require letters from psychs and also that the patient has to have been living full time as a girl for a year or so, just wondering when that year begins? Like how do they know I've been living full time as a girl (i haven't yet btw, I want to be full time girl in a month or so) so do I have to go and see the psychiatrists and say to them "Look, here I am! I'm full time as a girl. Start the yearly timer please, so I can get SRS next year."

Do I say that to them?

2124abc : I'm always glad to help! Oh, and no, the nerve damage is a tiny patch of numbness, nothing serious. It has happened with most surgeons who deal with nerves; even basic plastic surgery has that kind of warning. I think the paralysis kind is when the surgeons are working with the spine; for GRS the biggest risk to the nerves is just that some of them won't come back online in the genital area after being cut or rearranged. But it's good to read all the possible complications going in, just to be prepared.

I honestly don't know how that works in general. My therapist pretty much wrote whatever I wanted on my letter, although at that point she knew I'd legally changed my name about 2 years previously.

Quote from: 2124abc on March 30, 2014, 07:51:00 PM
O the width will be good, alright! :D - thank you so much. Hopefully I'm not annoying asking too many questions I just want to pick a good surgeon. Brassard sounds amazing. The nerve damage tho, sounds a bit worrying, I hope that hasn't ruined that girl's life somehow, like I thought nerve damage can paralyze you or something, IDK? I'm scared of something going wrong.

So most SRS surgeons require letters from psychs and also that the patient has to have been living full time as a girl for a year or so, just wondering when that year begins? Like how do they know I've been living full time as a girl (i haven't yet btw, I want to be full time girl in a month or so) so do I have to go and see the psychiatrists and say to them "Look, here I am! I'm full time as a girl. Start the yearly timer please, so I can get SRS next year."

Do I say that to them?

Hi,

I'm in Adelaide South Australia and there are lots of Aussie girls (and boys) on the site.

Generally to get treatment in Australia you need to see a therapist, most commonly a psychiatrist and they lead you through transition, get you referred for HRT etc and generally help you deal with all the issues that crop up. Most in Australia practice informed consent.
Generally after a year RLE they write the letter, and you need two for Brassard from memory.

To find practitioners in your area try www.anzpath.org there is a list of providers on there.

Otherwise let us now where you are and one of the girls can direct you to someone.

Cindy

Thank you Cindy. I'm in NSW. I have a psychiatrist who was recommended to me by my endocrinologist. I'll ask the endo whether or not the second letter will need to be written by another psych or just the endo himself.

I think based on what people are saying I should see the psych again once I'm living full time, just so he gets an idea of when I have started full time so that way next year or year after he can help me. Since I see the endo more times, he'll know, too, that I will be full time by the next time I see him.

So I think 1 letter from psych and 1 letter from endo will do.

Jenna Marie, the first link that Mirian provided I had actually seen before - that was where I first read of Dr Brassard. Looking at all the pictures for all surgeons, Brassard's results stood out IMMEDIATELY to me as more natural looking than all the others. That is probably why I thought he seemed the best for me.

I think I'm really sure about this doctor, and I read elsewhere that Brassard's practice used to have an incredible SRS doctor who's now retired, who would have taught Brassard the best.

I think when I'm ready I will be getting the SRS and breast implants with Brassard, like I really want the SRS ASAP (in 1 year), you know?, but the implants i read somewhere that I should wait for 3 or more years for the breasts to fully develop. IDK if I should get the implants at the same time as SRS or fly back a few years later for the implants because I don't want my breast growth to be hindered if they hadn't fully developed but I sooo badly want to get rid of this thing between my legs and replace it with a vagina like it should have always been.

I think I'm allowed to post this link: it's not intended for porn usage, it's medical stuff, and it's from
Wikipedia:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomical_description_-_human_vulva.jpg
But of course you will find TONS of female vulvas searching with Google images (please deactivate the
"safe search" option if is active).
Well, aside some expected case by case variability, that's what I mean when I think of a "natural" vulva.
And that is what I would aim for, if I were a surgeon.
Note in particular those little bends on the sides of the inner labias, giving them almost a rhomboidal
(or "cross") shape. That's almost always the case. And also note HOW ACTUALLY a real clitors is
attached to the point where the labia originate ! It's like a little gland with a little frenulus. No SRS
surgeon (AFAIK) recreates it that way.
Usually they tend to make irreal puffy inner labia, in some cases full of erectile material left in place,
which WILL give troubles to the patient upon arousal. And also a definitely innatural-looking clitoris.
(Ironically, in my case the clitoris is the ONLY thing my surgeon made quite well, unfortunately all the
rest is a disaster or almost)
That just said to point out some details I deem worth specifying once for all :)
As for now I think we have to accept the best compromises they can offer us today, in terms of
functionality (depth, sensitivity and orgasmicity) and least irrealistic look :-|

Mirian, sorry to hear about the results of your SRS. But I don't think all SRS (M2F) will produce the most unnatural looking vaginas, Brassard seems to me the best and looks like he can make relatively natural looking ones, which is good enough for me.

Jenna Marie, I literally just remembered something I wanted to ask you (since you've had SRS with Brassard). If I remember you said you are only with women so maybe you might not be able to answer. But I'm wondering like do you need to clean the vagina out, like spray saline water up there?, because when I'm with guys or there's other liquids in there will those liquids/ stickiness stay up there or just get washed out as soon as I need to urinate?

I don't think I never read of any complaints about Brasshard's work here, so you should go quite
safe to him. I envy you a bit though: I would have never accepted to live such a, say, important experience
(both physically and phsychically) oversea and so far from home !
But I think you could still collect more first-hand experiences from Brasshard's patients here.
So... good luck !

Quote from: 2124abc on March 31, 2014, 08:02:23 AM
Mirian, sorry to hear about the results of your SRS. But I don't think all SRS (M2F) will produce the most unnatural looking vaginas, Brassard seems to me the best and looks like he can make relatively natural looking ones, which is good enough for me.

Simply due to the nature of what they are doing, no surgeon can create a perfectly natural looking vulva/vagina.. Some structures are always going to look a little off, on a close inspection. This is due to limitatons in surgical technique and source materials.

I've never seen a pic of a surgically created vulca/vagina that I thought looked perfectly natural.. A better than average knowledge of physiology and some surgical training highlight the 'isues'..

Well, my clit is more or less anatomically accurate as far as I can determine; hooded and connected to the inner labia. I also have no problems with leftover erectile tissue, thank goodness. The impression I have is that I'm well within the range of natal vulvas, and that's enough for me.

As for cleaning, once past the initial surgical period the neovagina will clean itself naturally, just like a cis vagina. Anything left in there (and while I don't have sex with guys, I have LOTS of experience with leftover lube after dilation) will work itself out over the next few hours. Brassard recommends against douching - spraying cleaning solutions in there - after the first two months, since it can disrupt the natural flora of the vagina and cause infections.

Some great info in here. Thanks to all the girls chiming in and especially Jenna for your lengthy and detailed descriptions :)

I was a bit worried too when I saw the part about nerve damage, but now it makes perfect sense!

Time to get this process started! Making a call to Brassard tomorrow

Jennygirl : Happy to help! Since I wrote that all up just the once, I don't mind resharing. :) Good luck, and I hope you get a good date!

Thanks! At this point I'm shooting for late September because I don't want to be stuck inside all summer.

I have read that it takes at least 6 weeks before you start feeling pretty normal again (at least normal enough to go to work)?

Also the dilation schedule would be somewhat prohibitive of a full summertime experience I'm guessing? What do you think? If it's not that big of a deal I might do it sooner.

Thanks again Jenna :D

Jennygirl : I went back to work at 4 weeks; I wished I'd taken at least one more, but I did OK.

As for the dilation schedule, yes, it will pretty much eat your life for the first two months or so. (...I did have a heck of a time balancing that and a job, yep.) It gets easier from then on, but if you want to be active and out and about a lot all summer, I would definitely delay the surgery and recuperation until the fall. I had my surgery in the middle of the summer, and I pretty much didn't venture outside except for work and quick errands until at least mid-fall. Mostly that was just that I tired easily, though, and had to keep up with the dilation and the rest of the aftercare.

Jennygirl, I'm happy for you, it must be so exciting to be making contact with Brassard about the SRS. I can't wait myself to call him but I have to wait a whole year (maybe a bit more) before I can call him...

Jenna Marie, a self cleaning vagina - also self lubricating - it sounds incredible and I'm dying to get one. The next 365 days for me will be going soooo slowly. SRS is all I can think about really. Thank you so much for answering all my questions. I am sure I will be going to Brassard, but I'll continue researching other docs just in case.

Sorry, did you answer my Q about the breast implants, Brassard does them, so did you have them done with him? And should I delay my SRS (o noo!) so my breasts can fully develop, waiting 3 years or more instead of 1 year (on hormones) then have it all done or have the SRS vagina done then go back to him years later for breast implants? (or just get implants done later in my home country?)

I think all the surgeons' vaginas are self-cleaning, to be honest.

Sorry, I skipped the breast implants question because I know almost nothing about it. I ended up 42DDD (so far) from hormones alone; I don't want augmentation. I do hear that it's wise to wait a few years, and I can say that my breasts are still growing at 4 years on HRT, if that helps any. There *was* one woman who was there when I was who had Brassard do implants and GRS at the same time, and she was happy with it, but that's all I know...

Thanks, Jenna Marie, I think I'll get SRS with Brassard in a year and in three or four years (or 5) will fly back to Canada and get implants with him (I don't really think Australian plastic surgeons will do as good a job as Brassard with the latter)

When should I book? Should I book him 5 months before I'm ready (in 7 months from now)? Also, they have a recovery place of residence, right? (like I can't just choose a random hotel for post op, I need to stay at their designated residence, correct? Will I stay there in the days before surgery?)

You *want* to stay in the recovery residence; you don't have to, but there's nurses on duty 24/7 and a fantastic cook. It's not a hotel - it's like part of the hospital, only a bit less "hospital like" and more comfortable. Some people stay there the night before surgery - I didn't, but I don't know how they decide who does and who doesn't. :)

I do think his waiting list is about 5-6 months right now, but I don't know for sure. Good luck, though!

Quote from: Jenna Marie on March 31, 2014, 08:18:58 PM
You *want* to stay in the recovery residence; you don't have to, but there's nurses on duty 24/7 and a fantastic cook. It's not a hotel - it's like part of the hospital, only a bit less "hospital like" and more comfortable. Some people stay there the night before surgery - I didn't, but I don't know how they decide who does and who doesn't. :)

I do think his waiting list is about 5-6 months right now, but I don't know for sure. Good luck, though!

Thank you so much!  :) Good luck with everything & happy days...

If I have any more Qs in the future I might ask here, if that's ok with you, you've been the best help.
Thanks again!  :)

As another Montreal girl I have to say Jenna has it all covered.

Aftercare is the most important thing one has to do. Success will come if you take the time for your body to heal.

Wish you luck. If you do have time before to spend a day in old Montreal and a dinner, it will be well worth the effort. Going there for my 1 year vday dinner.

Isabell

Quote from: 2124abc on March 31, 2014, 07:35:30 PM
Thanks, Jenna Marie, I think I'll get SRS with Brassard in a year and in three or four years (or 5) will fly back to Canada and get implants with him (I don't really think Australian plastic surgeons will do as good a job as Brassard with the latter)

I'd have another look in to the Australian surgeons, at least as far as a BA goes. You seem to have some ideas about doctors and surgeons that aren't quite right. There are 2 surgeons in Aus that do SRS for example.. Neither would be my first choice, but they are here.. And, honestly, any competent cosmetic surgeon can do implants.. A specialist is only required for more interesting cases - like major asymmetry or post-mastectomy reconstruction..

Quote from: kelly_aus on March 31, 2014, 11:38:56 PM
I'd have another look in to the Australian surgeons, at least as far as a BA goes. You seem to have some ideas about doctors and surgeons that aren't quite right. There are 2 surgeons in Aus that do SRS for example.. Neither would be my first choice, but they are here.. And, honestly, any competent cosmetic surgeon can do implants.. A specialist is only required for more interesting cases - like major asymmetry or post-mastectomy reconstruction..

Yeah, you're probably right for the implant surgery, I just heard alot about Australian surgeons using faulty french implants that burst so that's why I wasn't sure.

Hi, everyone. Since this topic's so old I hope you help answer another query I have, well that my parents had when I told them about going to Canada and these are pretty much the questions that are stumping them and they're trying to convince me that going to Canada for this operation is too complicated, but really, the choice is mine.

If you could please help me understand a bit more that would be much appreciated.

1. Being from Australia and going to Canada, if there is a surgical complication, won't there be an issue with my private medical insurance company not being anywhere nearby?

2. If I arrive in Canada a few days early incase of delays, do I need to stay in a residence of my choice or can I stay in the private hospital and then the same after, after surgery how long can I stay in the private hospital before leaving for the airport, or would I have to go back to some hotel?

3. Could traveling on the plane and standing in long lines at airports be painful post op or even dangerous if I get bumped?

4. Could you please remind me, do I need to do dilating in the airport and airplane and if so how would that be possible? If not, will the dilators be safe in the luggage under the plane and what happens if I arrive back in Australia and my whole bag (and the dilators) are gone?

5. Would there be any other issues with being from Australia and having a Canadian operation such as I need to pay extra for Canadian insurance or I get feed or even refused for being a foreigner?

6. Could the cold weather in February or March be dangerous to my new vagina or dilators or to the dilating process while in Canada?

Thank you so much

Quote from: 2124abc on June 12, 2014, 07:57:49 AM
Hi, everyone. Since this topic's so old I hope you help answer another query I have, well that my parents had when I told them about going to Canada and these are pretty much the questions that are stumping them and they're trying to convince me that going to Canada for this operation is too complicated, but really, the choice is mine.

If you could please help me understand a bit more that would be much appreciated.

1. Being from Australia and going to Canada, if there is a surgical complication, won't there be an issue with my private medical insurance company not being anywhere nearby?any major complication will be done by the doctors. I guess you are talking about Brassard?

2. If I arrive in Canada a few days early incase of delays, do I need to stay in a residence of my choice or can I stay in the private hospital and then the same after, after surgery how long can I stay in the private hospital before leaving for the airport, or would I have to go back to some hotel?normally 1day in advanced you would stay at the residence care unit, but there is a B&B that they suggest that would be extra. Its 2 day in hospital and around 8 days approximately in residence care

3. Could traveling on the plane and standing in long lines at airports be painful post op or even dangerous if I get bumped?as anything like that hard to know. Everyone handles healing different.

4. Could you please remind me, do I need to do dilating in the airport and airplane and if so how would that be possible? If not, will the dilators be safe in the luggage under the plane and what happens if I arrive back in Australia and my whole bag (and the dilators) are gone? you keep the dilators with your carry on for just that reason. They give you letters to help in travel. Dilation is needed but it come down to how you can get it done. If you could get 2 in a 24 hr period I think you could bet back on schedule with little trouble.

5. Would there be any other issues with being from Australia and having a Canadian operation such as I need to pay extra for Canadian insurance or I get feed or even refused for being a foreigner?you could by travel insurance if you feel your home insurance coverage. Check your insurance coverage before you travel. And yes anything with foreigner travel is subject to customs.

6. Could the cold weather in February or March be dangerous to my new vagina or dilators or to the dilating process while in Canada? nope had my GCS in April

Thank you so much

hope this helps some

Isabell

Thank you Isabell, that helped very much. I was considering because my parents were convincing me its easier to not go to Canada for the treatment but because I want my adams apple done I wont trust a regular cosmetic surgeon in Australia to do it - I'll go to Brassard for vaginoplasty and tracheal shave :) thank you everyone

Other doctors?

Hi, I just wanted to know have you done research on any other docs vs Dr. Brassard?  For example the ones in Thailand that do the non-inversion/proprietary technique?

Also, how do you get these letters proving you have lived as a female for a certain amount of time?  What if you don't want to do that until after the surgery and are okay with it?

And for those living in California, is there any medical insurance that covers these operations?  Recommended docs to call?

Thank you!

What some have done is use a letter from their FFS surgeon and then once they get to Thailand the surgeons can arrange for you to see one of their psychiatrist. Which takes all of 20 minutes. It's a way people have currently gotten around the whole one year plus rule recently

Quote from: shoko on November 13, 2015, 11:56:35 AM
Hi, I just wanted to know have you done research on any other docs vs Dr. Brassard?  For example the ones in Thailand that do the non-inversion/proprietary technique?

You could have  look here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,193067.msg1721458.html#msg1721458
and here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,193632.msg1726310.html#msg1726310

Thank you, I checked out the links.  I suppose for Thailand that means only if you're having it done there can you go around this requirement.  There has to be another way, in the US or Canada?  I mean, who determines an actual date and how long you've been living as a female?  This is so frustrating

Quote from: shoko on November 14, 2015, 10:11:02 PM
Thank you, I checked out the links.  I suppose for Thailand that means only if you're having it done there can you go around this requirement.  There has to be another way, in the US or Canada?  I mean, who determines an actual date and how long you've been living as a female?  This is so frustrating

The surgeon decides what criteria they use. They don't need psych approval at all, but generally require it (its not 100% though). I may be wrong, but I believe that in general in the USA if you can get a couple of psych's to sign off on it you can get the surgery no matter what. If the psych says its a year then its a year. Its still up to the surgeon though.

Or just go to Thailand. There's excellent surgeons there. Get a foreign psych approval to make life easy as Thai Law requires it. It's a different culture and different legal system. I prefer theirs in this respect.

A small number of people are definitely doing this, so its not impossible. It just not overly clear how they manage it since they don't seem to like talking in public about it. I'm certainly going to do it if I need to.

This is from another posting:
Hello everyone, as others have stated there are no rules just guidelines.  Everyone involved in the process has to be OK with moving forward with SRS at a quicker pace than advised when warranted.

In my case I was suffering 'intense transsexllism' or 'intensely transsexual', gender dysphoria did not play a part.   My condition hampered my work and interactions with society.  Not to mention inability to experience my full sexuality and happiness.  Only real clinical treatment for condition is SRS

....


If you have intense disphoria look for counseling...
and there are helplines...

Um, that was from one of my posts.  I am much better now!
Anne

I'm pretty happy with what I got from Marci Bowers in San Mateo.

The recovery was tough for me...I didn't wear jeans for 5 months after....stuck to comfy sweats and skirts, etc.

As for aesthetics, it looks pretty good....but definitely could be better. I've been back to see Marci like a year later (for further granulation tissue treatment) and she even commented on how she should have done this or that differently lol.

She doesn't have the best bedside manner but she does good work.

I haven't had sex with women since the surgery but I've had sex with 2 men since (one being my husband). It was good enough for them but I feel like guys aren't so picky and both of them knew I was trans beforehand.