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Dr. Oscar Manrique is a new plastic surgeon at Mayo Clinic who does MTF GRS. I had an initial consultation with him recently and wondered if anyone has had the surgery with him. He is new to GRF, as he admitted to performing 20 of them, but since Mayo hired him, I expect (hope) he is quite good at plastic surgery.

He trained with Dr. Sukit in Bangkok, so he uses the Thai technique of scrotal flaps. He does it differently than Dr. Suporn or Chet, as they use scrotal grafts and Manrique said he uses a scrotal pedicle flap for the vagina and uses the penile tissue for the labia minora. He doesn't specifically build the labia majora at all, as he said it's not needed.

He also discards the extra piece of urethra, rather than using it in the vulvar vestibule, as I believe Suporn does for external lubrication.

Has anyone had GRS with Sukit, since he's Manrique's teacher? If so, can you tell how it turned out? I'm nervous because the technique Manrique describes differs from what I've read about elsewhere online and since he's new, I want to learn more before deciding to use him, even though he's local to me.

If you haven't had surgery with those doctors specifically, has anyone had a similar technique done?

Thanks.
Kelly

Hi there, I know this was asked 2 months ago, buuuut it hadn't been answered and I may have some information. I had SRS with Dr. Manrique one week ago today. Already it's obvious he and those under him did a magnificent job :3 I am 21 years old. I could try to answer any questions you have.

Cheers!

Bella

I recently visited Mayo Clinic and had three consultations, one with Dr. Manrique. He talked about the surgery and mentioned that he uses the left over urethra and mentioned not wanting patients to get hair removal prior to surgery. All in all it felt like they are on the ball and have a good program, even though it's just starting out.

I'm curious what your experiences were like while you were at Mayo, how long you were there, what the post-operative care team is like, basically how was it just after up to you leaving? I'm also curious how you feel now, just..I wanna know everything you feel like sharing :-)

I'll be getting GRS at from Manrique in August, I'm already certain I want to do it, I am just SUPER EXCITED and want to know all the things!

I would also really like to hear about your experiences. I had a consult recently with them as well and we are looking at later this fall.

It was my understanding that they operate as a team and have worked closely with Dr. Brassard.

Is this the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN? which hospital do they use?  Be great to have someone in the upper midwest.

Dr. Manrique at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN!!

This is exciting to hear.  I live in the Midwest and was actually born in Minnesota.  Going back there would be easy and very appropriate. . .  Plus The Mayo Clinic is world-renowned for their healthcare. Its quite an endorsement of his skill that he is practicing at Mayo.

Would love to know all about Dr. Manrique.  Sounds like he may not be scheduling out as far as some. . . Its also interesting that someone here is finally following the style and technique of the Thai surgeons . . .

It's a team of three surgeons performing them. Martinez, Manrique, and Lemaine. They also have a Transgender Clinic operating out of the Endocrinology department.

I called them this morning. Despite my letters from (2) PhD Therapists and my Endocrinologist, 17 years on HRT and 10 years full time, they want me tot see a Social Worker first and then go to their TG Endocrinologist before I can talk to their surgeons. . . . :-( Their repeated explanation was "they're new to this and this is how they want to do it". This means (2) trips to Rochester, MN and 2X I have to ask off work . . . .

I made an appointment in May to see their Social Worker and an appointment in early June to see their TG person. If my first-choice surgeon fails to set a surgery date soon, Mayo will be my first backup . . .

I had letters and time as well. Their program is effectively new, so they're making sure they're completely covered. Given how conservative Mayo can be, I imagine it will be this way for the next few years. I mean, they're still using a patient records system that only allows for a 3 month scheduling window.

I feel your pain about the days off.

Quote from: GSRacer on April 25, 2017, 02:04:15 PM
I had letters and time as well. Their program is effectively new, so they're making sure they're completely covered. Given how conservative Mayo can be, I imagine it will be this way for the next few years. I mean, they're still using a patient records system that only allows for a 3 month scheduling window.

I feel your pain about the days off.

So how far out would you estimate (guess) they are scheduling??

I'm not sure. I know that it's at least 3 months out.

You have to go through their interview process and have your surgery approved before you can schedule a date with them.

Quote from: GSRacer on April 25, 2017, 02:25:33 PM
I'm not sure. I know that it's at least 3 months out.

You have to go through their interview process and have your surgery approved before you can schedule a date with them.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Under 6 months would be wonderful these days. . .  For me, from a work standpoint, next January would be best because its our slow season . . .well maybe jumping through the Mayo hoops wont be so bad. . .  THANKS! for the "estimate"!

You're welcome.

I'm still a bit apprehensive about it because the program is still very new, but I also have faith in their organization. The odd approval process actually makes me believe in it a bit more.

Every appointment I've had has made me feel better, too. They're really trying to have a successful program. I'm hoping for a surgery date in the fall.

Quote from: GSRacer on April 25, 2017, 02:44:52 PM
You're welcome.

I'm still a bit apprehensive about it because the program is still very new, but I also have faith in their organization. The odd approval process actually makes me believe in it a bit more.

Every appointment I've had has made me feel better, too. They're really trying to have a successful program. I'm hoping for a surgery date in the fall.

Yes, their inexperience is a big concern.  But its difficult to believe The Mayo Clinic would not have access to some of the best talent in the world. . . soooooo . . .  I will give them serious consideration. . . .

Here's a page where I'm tracking my experience with mayo.
<Link not allowed here>

I need to update it with my consultation notes and vaginoplasty surgery recovery documentation they gave me.

I've had all three consultations. I have local doctors and letters and everything as well but I have to say meeting with them was awesome regardless and I'm glad I did.

So far every interaction I've had with them has been awesome and I can't recommend them enough. They intend to bring world class trans care to the US and from what I've experienced so far they are doing just that.

I have no doubts about manrique's abilities.

Timing wise, I called in march, had my consultations in April and if I was ready I could probably have my surgery in may or June, but for personal reasons I have to wait until august and they are able to accommodate me. So like, 3-4 months total?

Moderator edit: Members who have a status earlier than "family" are not allowed to share links in a post. However, it can be part of your signature if it is a personal page.

Quote from: asparkles on April 26, 2017, 10:16:37 AM
Here's a page where I'm tracking my experience with mayo.

<Link not allowed here>

I need to update it with my consultation notes and vaginoplasty surgery recovery documentation they gave me.

I've had all three consultations. I have local doctors and letters and everything as well but I have to say meeting with them was awesome regardless and I'm glad I did.

So far every interaction I've had with them has been awesome and I can't recommend them enough. They intend to bring world class trans care to the US and from what I've experienced so far they are doing just that.

I have no doubts about manrique's abilities.

Timing wise, I called in march, had my consultations in April and if I was ready I could probably have my surgery in may or June, but for personal reasons I have to wait until august and they are able to accommodate me. So like, 3-4 months total?

Thanks for sharing! I have been consulting with Martinez, but he had said that all three surgeons would be present for the procedure. I look forward to hearing more about your experience.

That's correct, Manrique said they worked together on the surgeries.

Quote from: asparkles on April 26, 2017, 10:16:37 AM
Here's a page where I'm tracking my experience with mayo.

<link not allowed here>

Thanks so much for all the information.  Mayo's care guide is one of the most detailed I've ever seen . . . . :)

Quote from: GSRacer on April 25, 2017, 02:25:33 PM
I'm not sure. I know that it's at least 3 months out.

You have to go through their interview process and have your surgery approved before you can schedule a date with them.

I met with Dr. M last week.  Closer to 6 months out. 

They said they were 6 months out? I thought their calendars were only open for a 3-month window.

I was actually considering making a new post about my whole experience with Dr. Manrique (my surgery was on March 30th) if anyone would be interested??

Definitely. It would be nice to hear of someone's experience with them.

Quote from: GSRacer on April 30, 2017, 11:09:13 AM
They said they were 6 months out? I thought their calendars were only open for a 3-month window.

I saw him in late April.  He said that that the earliest I could schedule would likely be October.  I'm not saying that this is bad--I just think that if there was initially a very short line, it is catching up with everywhere else.

Quote from: asparkles on April 26, 2017, 10:16:37 AM
Here's a page where I'm tracking my experience with mayo.
<Link not allowed here>

I need to update it with my consultation notes and vaginoplasty surgery recovery documentation they gave me.

I've had all three consultations. I have local doctors and letters and everything as well but I have to say meeting with them was awesome regardless and I'm glad I did.

So far every interaction I've had with them has been awesome and I can't recommend them enough. They intend to bring world class trans care to the US and from what I've experienced so far they are doing just that.

I have no doubts about manrique's abilities.

Timing wise, I called in march, had my consultations in April and if I was ready I could probably have my surgery in may or June, but for personal reasons I have to wait until august and they are able to accommodate me. So like, 3-4 months total?

Moderator edit: Members who have a status earlier than "family" are not allowed to share links in a post. However, it can be part of your signature if it is a personal page.

ASparkles,

Hi and welcome to the site.

Thanks for joining and thanks so much for sharing your experience. However, your status as a new member does not allow you to post links. Doing so violates our Terms of Service # 1 which states:

Quote1. We do not allow the advertising of other websites or chats on Susan's Place, with the exception of the Susan's Place Transgender Web Directory which is listed on the main page of this site. This prohibition includes the chat, forums, and the wiki.

There are seven exceptions:

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This is done for several reasons, the major one being spam prevention. It also helps us to ensure that the sites Susan's Place links are family friendly. To recommend sites for inclusion in the links area, simply find the category that the link best fits, and click the 'Add Link' text at the top of the page. You do not have to be the owner of the website to submit it for listing.

So I pulled the link from there and in the three posts that quoted it. I think it looks like some great information. You might have noticed that you can post a link to a personal page in your signature. I think it would be a super idea for you to do that. Let me know if you need a hand doing it.

I am guessing you did not receive a welcome with some links before. So I am including those links here.
They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment:

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Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna

well, I guess I learned today huh. A forum with rules like this is definitely a place I don't feel welcome in. I'm not advertising anything and that's obvious.

Take care y'all. Mayo's number is on their website, you can google it and go from there.

Quote from: asparkles on May 28, 2017, 09:20:49 PM
well, I guess I learned today huh. A forum with rules like this is definitely a place I don't feel welcome in. I'm not advertising anything and that's obvious.

Take care y'all. Mayo's number is on their website, you can google it and go from there.

It really isn't that deep hahahaha  :laugh: Joanna and Cindy and other moderators here make the experience better for everyone. There are rules and we all have to follow them. Joanna has taken words out of 1 of my posts b4, it happens but it's not that serious. 

Quote from: asparkles on May 28, 2017, 09:20:49 PM
well, I guess I learned today huh. A forum with rules like this is definitely a place I don't feel welcome in. I'm not advertising anything and that's obvious.

Take care y'all. Mayo's number is on their website, you can google it and go from there.

When you have sufficient posts to access your profile, you will discover there is a proper place in it for personal web sites. Placing the URL there allows you to alter it at anytime should it change or should you change your mind about displaying that information. Post lock after 24 hours and you lose the ability to alter them without a moderators assistance. We are willing to alter a limited number of posts, but we are pretty short handed and don't have the time to do a massive number of them.

Hate to revive this one but I'm in the works with Mayo (assuming their surgeon doesn't totally mess up the consult). I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about Oscar Manrique/Valerie Lemaine/ Jorys Martinez-Jorges? It looks like Valerie Lemaine mostly does breast reconstruction but also looks like she does vaginal reconstruction for cis women. The others sound more like common plastic surgeons/microsurgeons.

If you are still subscribed to this thread:

BellaAntiGone: What was your experience with the Mayo clinic?

Welcome to Susan's Place Throwaway. The OP is still with us and was last on the site less than a week ago. It's not uncommon for people to visit the site infrequently as work or life gets in the way of following their post. The way the software work, any post made to this thread will flag all posters to the thread so you will be notified in the "Show new replies to your posts" link. In addition, I am presenting you with your very own copy of the links even though they appear more than once in the thread.

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I've consulted with Dr. Manrique.  My letters are complete and I'm waiting to hear.  I'll give you an idea on the wait times when I've perked through the system a bit more.

rmaddy: What did you find out during your consult with Manrique? Did you get any info on how the results have been so far? I have the impression that Manrique's technique is closer to Brassard's technique than it is to Sukit's technique, is this correct (at least that's what the endo said)?

At this point, I'm waiting to meet Lemaine in person. It sounded like there were some surgeries where 2/3 surgeons were involved. They said they had been doing about 1-2 surgeries/month and were planning on ramping up once they had a chance to track their results.

Quote from: throwaway2615 on August 02, 2017, 09:55:20 PM
rmaddy: What did you find out during your consult with Manrique? Did you get any info on how the results have been so far? I have the impression that Manrique's technique is closer to Brassard's technique than it is to Sukit's technique, is this correct (at least that's what the endo said)?

At this point, I'm waiting to meet Lemaine in person. It sounded like there were some surgeries where 2/3 surgeons were involved. They said they had been doing about 1-2 surgeries/month and were planning on ramping up once they had a chance to track their results.

Dr. Manrique was visibly uncomfortable when I asked about the number of cases that had been done at Mayo so far (at the time, 3).  He has trained with both Brassard and Sukit.  I guess I can't comment knowledgeably on his technique other that to say he does penile inversion supplemented with scrotal skin grafts to add depth.  Like Brassard, he does not recommend electrolysis prior to surgery.

Parenthetically, I think that there is at least one Manrique post-op here on SP.

Quote from: rmaddy on August 02, 2017, 11:05:24 PM
Dr. Manrique was visibly uncomfortable when I asked about the number of cases that had been done at Mayo so far (at the time, 3).  He has trained with both Brassard and Sukit.  I guess I can't comment knowledgeably on his technique other that to say he does penile inversion supplemented with scrotal skin grafts to add depth.  Like Brassard, he does not recommend electrolysis prior to surgery.

Parenthetically, I think that there is at least one Manrique post-op here on SP.

I'm not the post-op one, but hopefully I can help because I've been through all of their initial consultations and will have a date soon.

There are a few quirks with their system. The first is that all of the paperwork for insurance is handled through the transgender clinic while scheduling a surgery is handled by the plastic surgery center. That means there are two fail points rather than one. My social worker left in June and their replacement never sent in my pre-authorization so I don't have a full confirmed date yet. That's just a fluke though.

Like throwaway said, they do surgeries in teams. I'll be with Martinez and someone else. Since their calendar is only open for a three month window, I only have a tentative date in November. Had my paperwork gone through, I might have been able to schedule something sooner.

While they haven't done many surgeries of this type, everyone there is an experienced surgeon who has spent a lot of time preparing for this. I'm a little nervous, but after reading an article in the Rochester news about their first surgery, I feel a little better.

Quote from: GSRacer on August 04, 2017, 07:35:15 AM

While they haven't done many surgeries of this type, everyone there is an experienced surgeon who has spent a lot of time preparing for this. I'm a little nervous, but after reading an article in the Rochester news about their first surgery, I feel a little better.

I agree with you on this.  I trust them to do my GCS.  I am a physician, if that makes a difference.

Quote from: rmaddy on August 04, 2017, 12:57:07 PM
I agree with you on this.  I trust them to do my GCS.  I am a physician, if that makes a difference.

Quote from: rmaddy on August 04, 2017, 12:57:07 PM
I agree with you on this.  I trust them to do my GCS.  I am a physician, if that makes a difference.

I do wish we could get someone to post their experience, though. It's one thing to read an article, and another to learn about how it feels to recover in their hospital or what the staff is like.

Gsracer:I know exactly what you mean, I mean the clinic staff in me experience seemed decent enough and it is the Mayo clinic but then again<phrase removed>...

rmaddy or....anyone with PM privileges, could you please PM BellaAntigone and ask her if she is still willing to do a post about her experience? She mentioned that she was thinking about doing it ages ago.

Moderator edit: please be careful when posting opinions about individuals based on hearsay.

BellaAntigone was last here a couple of weeks ago and might not get a PM unless she visits the site again. As you have posted to this thread the activity will show in her reply list the next time she visits the site.

Quote from: GSRacer on August 04, 2017, 03:34:05 PM



I do wish we could get someone to post their experience, though. It's one thing to read an article, and another to learn about how it feels to recover in their hospital or what the staff is like.

I will post eventually, but i'm in the pre-authorization phase.  Winter some time I assume.  Hopefully Bella will give us an update.

rmaddy: I am also in the works with Mayo. I have a consult with Lemaine next month but experiences are far more useful, no? By default, I assume that every surgeon I speak with is a sociopath (they have one of the highest rates amongst any occupation...). So I always like to check patient experiences to verify that they are not distorting the quality of their outcomes.

Regardless of which surgeon I choose for GRS, I am willing to give my posts especially if I decide to go with the Mayo clinic as there is not as much info. If I go with the mayo, I will likely consent to have my surgery recorded for educational purposes.

I apologize if I have seemed persistent about hearing experiences but my health issues are forcing me to move with haste.

Apparently, one side effect of spironolactone is stomach ulcers....I found out the hard way. To top it off, the mitigations to keep spiro from destroying my stomach lining have reduced my body's ability to absorb spiro and estrogen. So I am on the clock to have GRS before I am forced to cave to an orchie. I have already had to drop my spiro dosage to half of the optimal dose to allow my stomach to partially recover.

I am scrambling to find a surgeon with a shorter wait list who has shown they can deliver good results because I *cannot* wait years. I may be able to get away with a year tops but my testosterone levels are already high and estradiol levels are lower than desired.

Pro tip: If you start to get a feeling like you're constantly hungry- not just a little hungry but like you haven't eaten for days and it lingers even after you've eaten especially if you simultaneously feel full as strange as it sounds...you may be developing a stomach ulcer. It's like a "gnawing" pain.

Belle:

My name is Vanessa and I have a final consult with Manrique on Thursday this week.

I would Love to know about your post op experience and how you feel about the work done.

Thanks

Vanessa

Quote from: Tenny004 on August 20, 2017, 09:28:45 AM
Belle:

My name is Vanessa and I have a final consult with Manrique on Thursday this week.

I would Love to know about your post op experience and how you feel about the work done.

Thanks

Vanessa

Venessa,

Welcome to the site.

Glad to see you jumping right in. Would love to have you go to the introductions category and post. That way we can know more about you.

I do not have the knowledge and experience to answer your question. Sorry. I have asked Belle to post a topic on her experience. I don't think she has but I may nudge her again. It will probably be a separate post.

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Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Jacqui

Hi I was the first patient at Mayo Clinic Rochester Mn in Feb 2017 to undergo bottom Surgery with Dr Manrique and Dr Martinez and Dr Brassard was there for consultation.  I could not praise the surgeons and the nurses enough and the Trans clinic was awesome.  I would be the first again in a second they are so compassionate and caring and really make you feel special.
I am very open so if anyone wants to ask about my experience please do so.