Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Wednesday marked my first pre-op visit and learning how to dilate, wheee!! I have 7" and find it a very different sensation. It's not painful just...different. There's a point where I feel like I have to pee as it's going on but that quickly passes. Sit in front of the telly and 15 minutes is up before you know. It is a wee bit on the messy side so be prepared to drip as you walk to the loo to clean.

How long did others here keep using the Betadine to douche after a session? I'm getting a little tired of my ladybits smelling like Betadine.

I had one bout of nocturnal incontinence after the catheter was removed but my mind has mapped my new anatomy and now I'll wake up if I have to pee which is also an entirely new sensation. There's no forcing things like before; instead it's a matter of relaxing and letting nature do its thing. Swelling still has me wet my leg now and then but almost all is going where it needs to go.

Aesthetically it looks like a vagina. Things are swollen but so far all is as it should be. To say I'm overjoyed is an understatement!

Hi, congratulation. I am so happy for you.

I was prescribed an antibiotic which I think I took for two or three weeks. I was never instructed to use a topical antiseptic.


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I will bookmark this thread... 167 days until my first dilation... but who is counting...  They showed me #4 during my consult... OMG, it is hughe!!!!

Quote from: sarah1972 on November 09, 2018, 09:51:33 AM
I will bookmark this thread... 167 days until my first dilation... but who is counting...  They showed me #4 during my consult... OMG, it is hughe!!!!

They gave me #1 which I have named Big Jim and who I am using.
#2 is Big Bob and will be next month. Also given to me as part of everything.
They showed me #3 which I have named Tremendous Tom.

They have a really nice, transparent set for sale I'm going to buy which has One through Three in it.

I doubt I'll ever go to a #4 as I'm at 7" and maintaining already and the thought of a schwantz so big it has an elbow is frightening!

Hahaha! I was already told I need to come up with names for them. I already did get a full dilation schedule for the first year, and you are right, it ends with #3. I guess she wanted to test if a #4 scares me to judge if I would be keeping to the regimen.

Oh - btw... Congratulations on your surgery! Big day for you!

Hugs,

Sarah

Quote from: Wynternight on November 09, 2018, 10:27:12 AM

Quote from: sarah1972 on November 09, 2018, 09:51:33 AM
I will bookmark this thread... 167 days until my first dilation... but who is counting...  They showed me #4 during my consult... OMG, it is hughe!!!!

They gave me #1 which I have named Big Jim and who I am using.
#2 is Big Bob and will be next month. Also given to me as part of everything.
They showed me #3 which I have named Tremendous Tom.

They have a really nice, transparent set for sale I'm going to buy which has One through Three in it.

I doubt I'll ever go to a #4 as I'm at 7" and maintaining already and the thought of a schwantz so big it has an elbow is frightening!

**big hugs**

Thank you!

My diolators are just plain white and they aren't marked so my only frame of reference is eye balling it but I got myself to the point where I can let my vibrator do the job and be a little fun in the process.

I can't say i've Ever felt like I had to pee but it was an adjustment to what arousal feels like.

Congratulations on getting your surgery done. I know it must be a huge load off your shoulders.

Quote from: Wynternight on November 09, 2018, 09:22:36 AM
Wednesday marked my first pre-op visit and learning how to dilate, wheee!! I have 7" and find it a very different sensation. It's not painful just...different. There's a point where I feel like I have to pee as it's going on but that quickly passes. Sit in front of the telly and 15 minutes is up before you know. It is a wee bit on the messy side so be prepared to drip as you walk to the loo to clean.

How long did others here keep using the Betadine to douche after a session? I'm getting a little tired of my ladybits smelling like Betadine.

I had one bout of nocturnal incontinence after the catheter was removed but my mind has mapped my new anatomy and now I'll wake up if I have to pee which is also an entirely new sensation. There's no forcing things like before; instead it's a matter of relaxing and letting nature do its thing. Swelling still has me wet my leg now and then but almost all is going where it needs to go.

Aesthetically it looks like a vagina. Things are swollen but so far all is as it should be. To say I'm overjoyed is an understatement!

Thanks Wynternight

I am only 3 weeks out myself so am ravenously reading anything I can from those who are just post-op. Thank you for the descriptions of peeing and dilating.

Your last sentence in this post is the most heartening to me to know how happy you are post surgery. It is what I seek most of all.

I hope the rest of the recovery goes well

Take care
Liz


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Quote from: NatalieRene on November 09, 2018, 11:45:22 AM
My diolators are just plain white and they aren't marked so my only frame of reference is eye balling it but I got myself to the point where I can let my vibrator do the job and be a little fun in the process.

I can't say i've Ever felt like I had to pee but it was an adjustment to what arousal feels like.

Congratulations on getting your surgery done. I know it must be a huge load off your shoulders.

It is a massive load off. So massive I feel kilos lighter!

Quote from: LizK on November 09, 2018, 01:59:20 PM
Thanks Wynternight

I am only 3 weeks out myself so am ravenously reading anything I can from those who are just post-op. Thank you for the descriptions of peeing and dilating.

Your last sentence in this post is the most heartening to me to know how happy you are post surgery. It is what I seek most of all.

I hope the rest of the recovery goes well

Take care
Liz


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Thank you, Liz. I hope your recovery goes smoothly. :)

Quote from: Wynternight on November 10, 2018, 09:37:41 AM
It is a massive load off. So massive I feel kilos lighter!

OK. Now you are just bragging!  >:-)

I am glad your experience has gone well so far. I am scheduled for GCS in April 2019, so I try to follow threads like this to help me understand what I may have to deal with. Thanks for the first-hand information!

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on November 10, 2018, 10:08:43 AM
OK. Now you are just bragging!  >:-)

I am glad your experience has gone well so far. I am scheduled for GCS in April 2019, so I try to follow threads like this to help me understand what I may have to deal with. Thanks for the first-hand information!

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Wow.. we will both be April girls!  What day if you don't mind me asking?

Hugs, Sarah

Quote from: sarah1972 on November 23, 2018, 08:19:37 AM
Wow.. we will both be April girls!  What day if you don't mind me asking?

Hugs, Sarah

5 April 2019, in Scottsdale AZ with Dr. Ley at the Meltzer Clinic.

I hope you ladies can enlighten me a little bit.  One of these days I want some surgeon to cut around my neither regions, too.
You all seem to travel across the world to have this done.  I am retired and thus on a limited income, and would like to have it done by a surgeon who accepts US health insurances/medicare.
Was/will your surgery be paid for by insurance?  Did you need to go out of network for this?
Florida medicare is funny, because they want to force you to stay in Florida to have the surgery done.  The only surgeons who do this kind of surgery are part of the University of Florida in Miami.  But they seem to have a pretty poor reputation concerning their outcome.

Because I still have time enough to sign on with a different advantage plan, I wonder if I should get a more expensive plan that would pay for out of state surgeries?
Is there a certain minimum waiting time on HRT before you can get the surgery done?  Or is it just how well/poorly you negotiate with the surgeon?

I would really appreciate it, if you could help me a little with my soul searching!

Quote from: Dietlind on November 23, 2018, 09:10:38 AM
I hope you ladies can enlighten me a little bit.  One of these days I want some surgeon to cut around my neither regions, too.
You all seem to travel across the world to have this done.  I am retired and thus on a limited income, and would like to have it done by a surgeon who accepts US health insurances/medicare.
Was/will your surgery be paid for by insurance?  Did you need to go out of network for this?
Florida medicare is funny, because they want to force you to stay in Florida to have the surgery done.  The only surgeons who do this kind of surgery are part of the University of Florida in Miami.  But they seem to have a pretty poor reputation concerning their outcome.

Because I still have time enough to sign on with a different advantage plan, I wonder if I should get a more expensive plan that would pay for out of state surgeries?
Is there a certain minimum waiting time on HRT before you can get the surgery done?  Or is it just how well/poorly you negotiate with the surgeon?

I would really appreciate it, if you could help me a little with my soul searching!

I start with the easy one:

Most surgeons in the Is follow WPATH which requires one year full time and one year HRT before surgery. And two letters from therapist / psychiatrist.

There are three main reasons for travel:
Cost - surgery in some countries is cheaper. Even though I was surprised by the cost for a US surgeon which is much lower than I expected.

Insurance coverage - not all surgeons accept Insurance and it may vary by your carrier on top.

Preference - some people want their surgery done by a specific surgeon with high reputation and lots of experience.


For insurance coverage: first you need to figure out what your plan covers at all. As you suggested you can still switch to a plan which covers surgery. Some insurances put limitations on how much they pay.

For me it was a choice of: reasonably close by and from all I heard pretty good outcome. I also liked her during my consultation. She also has a fairly short wait time which fits my schedule for next year very well. I am starting a big work project mid June and need to be mostly recovered by then.

My insurance for example covers 80% of their set rates for in network and 60% for out of network. If you do not have an in-network surgeon in reasonable distance (50 miles) you can apply for an out of network surgeon to be payed as in-network.

My surgeon does not take insurance but for a small fee they help with all the insurance paperwork and pre-approval. I still have to pay everything upfront and then wait for insurance reimbursement.

Hope this helps,

Sarah

This is probably a topic for another thread, so a moderator may pop in and split this...

There are not many surgeons who have stellar reputations with GCS surgery, in the US you could probably count them all on your fingers. My insurance does not have any in-network surgeons for MTF GCS, so I can basically pick whoever I want. I personally know two ladies who went to Dr. Ley and they are both very happy with the results. Although fairly new at this she was trained and is partners with Dr. Meltzer, who is considered to be one of the best in the US. Most of the well-known GCS surgeons have waiting lists of a year or more, but Dr. Ley is not well-known yet so her waiting list is much shorter. The Meltzer Clinic will work with at least some insurance companies to arrange payment. Most insurance companies will at least partially cover out-of-network surgeons, but YMMV.

This is something I would not leave up to the lowest bidder! The results of the surgery will affect the rest of your life, so you need to have confidence in the surgeon you choose.

Thank you for the information.  I am on Medicare, and as far as I could find out, Medicare pays for the surgery and has a $250 deductible.  But the problem with them is that they want it to be instate.  I have to work on this a little more, but t least I have a point to start now!

Quote from: Dietlind on November 23, 2018, 09:10:38 AM
I hope you ladies can enlighten me a little bit.  One of these days I want some surgeon to cut around my neither regions, too.
You all seem to travel across the world to have this done.  I am retired and thus on a limited income, and would like to have it done by a surgeon who accepts US health insurances/medicare.
Was/will your surgery be paid for by insurance?  Did you need to go out of network for this?
Florida medicare is funny, because they want to force you to stay in Florida to have the surgery done.  The only surgeons who do this kind of surgery are part of the University of Florida in Miami.  But they seem to have a pretty poor reputation concerning their outcome.

Because I still have time enough to sign on with a different advantage plan, I wonder if I should get a more expensive plan that would pay for out of state surgeries?
Is there a certain minimum waiting time on HRT before you can get the surgery done?  Or is it just how well/poorly you negotiate with the surgeon?

I would really appreciate it, if you could help me a little with my soul searching!

I had Dr. Sharman Leis perform my SRS AKA GCS. His website is www.drshermanleis.com/

It was expensive. If I recall the surgery was $20,000 plus about another $5000 for expenses and a place to stay to recover. But he was well worth it and for me at the time I lived in Virginia and he is up in Pennsylvania so it was a easy drive. I took the train on the way back because my ride home had issues.


If you're looking for someone in the continental United States they do exist.

Quote from: Dietlind on November 23, 2018, 06:19:01 PM
Thank you for the information.  I am on Medicare, and as far as I could find out, Medicare pays for the surgery and has a $250 deductible.  But the problem with them is that they want it to be instate.  I have to work on this a little more, but t least I have a point to start now!

I'm sorry if you mentioned this already but what state are you living in?

Quote from: NatalieRene on November 23, 2018, 07:50:59 PM
I'm sorry if you mentioned this already but what state are you living in?

I am in Florida.  Medicare would pay for the guy in Miami (Christopher J. Salgado), but his results seem to be very questionable .  It's only a 3 or so hours ride for me (what are trains?  This modern stuff has not made it to Florida), and I have enough friends that would drive me, but I am scared of the outcome going to him!

Quote from: Dietlind on November 23, 2018, 09:21:38 PM
I am in Florida.  Medicare would pay for the guy in Miami (Christopher J. Salgado), but his results seem to be very questionable .  It's only a 3 or so hours ride for me (what are trains?  This modern stuff has not made it to Florida), and I have enough friends that would drive me, but I am scared of the outcome going to him!

I honestly haven't kept up with the doctors since it wasn't an issue for me but I cannot think of anyone I was considering in Florida. Dr. Leis is up in Pennsylvania so Medicare wouldn't pay. What would happen if you moved for a year? Would they cover you in a new state? If so move to PA, sight see (it's pretty), get your SRS completed and then move back to Florida. ;D

Quote from: NatalieRene on December 19, 2018, 03:39:19 PM
I honestly haven't kept up with the doctors since it wasn't an issue for me but I cannot think of anyone I was considering in Florida. Dr. Leis is up in Pennsylvania so Medicare wouldn't pay. What would happen if you moved for a year? Would they cover you in a new state? If so move to PA, sight see (it's pretty), get your SRS completed and then move back to Florida. ;D

I toyed with the idea of moving to Minnesota for a while (my son still lives there), and use the superior services of the Mayo Clinic, or the great services of the U of M there.  But it is a financial problem.  I own my house here in Florida, and the cost will continue (actually would be higher, because I would have to pay people for maintenance), and would not know what to do with my very large dog during that time.

I think I m pretty much stuck here with the Miami guy, and with thee chance to have a botched surgery, or i just keep my plumbing and try to live with it.
On the other hand, the Miami guy could be OK, because I just want a vulva only, and that surgery is way less complicated and involved compared to a new vagina.  Neo vaginas seem to be the pat of the SRS that cause the most problems.
I am at least a year away from it anyway, and I just have to play the entire thing by ear.  I have no dysphoria about my genitals, they are just there, and some times they are in the way.  I just feel I would look way more finished, if I would have a vulva down there, finished in away I was supposed to be all my live, until somebody decided to do some cutting down there.

Thank you for sharing your post-op experience. Following WPATH protocols, I can have surgery this coming July, yay! My first consult is January 11. Long waiting list. I've been dreaming of this since childhood, so dilation and all the other after care inconveniences will be worth it. Reading about real experience is very helpful.