I think this must be the second thread I create in this subforum, the first one dating from nearly two years, all unsure and scared about surgery.
As some may know from reading me, My country's public healthcare covers a few transition costs. Therapy, HRT, and two surgeries: Breast augmentation and SRS. After one year on HRT (the only requirement here for SRS), I was sent to the surgeon. Right now I only want the BA, but we would also check if physically I was a candidate for SRS.
So, he checked my "donor material" (and for the record, I did not enjoy it. he did it quick because upon being touched there anxiety started to go up), and told me that I am a viable candidate for penile inversion SRS, what they offer. I had enough skin to do an initial 14 cm neovagina, with a maximum depth loss of 3 cm, so I could look at 11-12 cm of depth. Not very cool, but since this is a 3-4 year wait, I can get on the queue and if by that time i still don't have the money for doing it with Chett, that would be my last resort.
We went back to talking about breasts, and we decided to start booking the initial tests for breast augmentation when he says: "Mmm. What do you think if instead of the BA, we also do SRS at the same time. 3-4 years? We are faster than that, and we set priorities on the queue. You could have it done in one year." So, wanna guess what I told him?
"Only the BA... I don't feel ready yet". No matter how many times they tell me that depth is not that important, 11 cm feels too lousy, specially for something you cannot redo. Since I'm banging all of my budget on FFS, I will have to save from scratch for Chett, and that means finding a job first (and the a bit more than a year of saving. It is not that I was not ready (Every time I tuck, every time I look at the mirror... I want it gone), but more like I did not want penile inversion unless there wasn't any other option. If I change my my mind and decide to have SRS with them, I just need to tell any time and the one year wait will begin.
TL;DR: I was offered penile inversion SRS paid by healthcare in one year, but I rejected it since this is something you can only do once in a lifetime and I was not happy with the possible outcome (too little depth), preferring to wait and see if I can save for SRS with Chettawutt in Thailand.
PS: For the record, he is one of the best surgeons in the country, and people from outside the province are trying to get into this gender unit to just have the surgery done with him.
Oh dear, I'm sorry things are hitting some obstacles. I hope everything turns out exactly how you want because you deserve the body that you need.
Right now I don't know if I am feeling sad and wanting to cry or trying to reassure myself that I did the right thing about what I really want, and how I want it. I just said no to an opportunity most of my friends would kill to have, not being able to remotely afford any kind of surgery, even if the results won't be as optimal as with other surgeons using far more advanced techniques.
My mind is spinning too fast to extract anything useful from it right now.
Question i have is don't they do extra depth with a thigh skin graft. I know that's what Brassard does and others.
Isabell
Quote from: mind is quiet now on June 13, 2014, 09:57:18 AM
Question i have is don't they do extra depth with a thigh skin graft. I know that's what Brassard does and others.
Isabell
He just went to say that cis vaginas are 9-12 depth. That would be hiding the fact that they dilate and the uterus an cervix will retract during intercourse, while a neovagina is already stretched to what it can offer. I may ask him for a graft the next time I see him (the BA is proceeding), but he won't consider it, since his guidelines consider my depth "ok".
Apparently, there may be a possibility of requesting a colovaginoplasty instead of penile inversion. It is still covered, but we all know the risks, issues, oddities and increased recovery time.