I'm gonna keep this brief and avoid being repetitive because there are quite a few Chettawut threads around (including calico, jojo etc...). In summary, my experience was excellent. I felt completely comfortable with the staff and the experience was professional and to the point. A few points (random, will add on as i recall):
1. Consultation is brief. He sometimes explains how everything works but for me he said 'i think u did a lot of research' and skipped the technical parts.
2. Additional graft was required for me (and many others - i've never met someone who said they didn't need the graft) - so prepare additional 32,000 baht for this. If you use card (master/visa) there are extra 4%/7% charge i can't recall but it's a pretty significant amount when applied to 32K baht.
3. Driver was friendly and helpful but spoke limited English. But i felt extremely safe and comfortable with him. I only had one driver so far (the same one) but you might meet the 2nd driver on shift. Don't be put off by this. Thai is the official national language. Not everyone can understand English and the reason people actually do learn English is because of the tourism industry. Respect culture and don't see this as a 'negative' / 'omg wtf u don't know english' kind of phenomenon.
4. Pack light for surgery/check in into clinic. Seriously i brought my laptop and all but didn't use it at all. (could differ for you. Poison_ivy was pretty energetic and watched the TV during the 4 nights) I never once watched the TV. I was resting/sleeping throughout and was woken up for food/medicine/cleaning(towel bath)/brushing teeth
5. The recovery room was awesome. I cannot say enough good things about it. It was not exceptionally big but extremely comfortable. The sheets were so clean and soft and smelt really nice. The ability to elevate the bed was also a plus, back in the hotel u gotta lie flat on the bed.
6. They might require you to -walk- 1-2 days post op. To change into another recovery room. I have no clue if everyone has to go through this but they mentioned this as part of 'exercise'. I walked down the stairs with the help of the staff (4?) and felt extremely nauseous.
7. Just recalled (sorry for backtracking) - i read somewhere in the past Dr Chet would ask patients to rank amongst i)depth ii)sensation iii)appearance in order of importance. I think he does not do this anymore. He did not pose this to me and when i tried discussing aesthetics with him - he told me he will try his best because the final result is dependent on individual. I.e. he cannot create a cookie-cutter designer vagina. He also adds that this is the reason for the variety of results in his website. He did not want to mislead patients that everyone could achieve a specific 'look'. So bear this in mind. Because i even prepared ideal pictures i desired (of pornstars duh) but never got to use it haha.
8. Not sure what facilities you have at Dusit Princess. At the cottages u have a mini kitchenette and please stock up lots of eggs pre-op if u are alone. Sri recommends this for the recovery of the wounds. I make hardboiled eggs in the morning (3 a day) and just eat the egg whites and dump the yolk. Not sure if it really helps but I can only trust the team and try. Eggs aren't too horrible to eat anyways. I consume them like a snack. One in the morning, afternoon, evening. You could even go up to 5 eggs i believe.
9.Pack your luggage pre-op. Take the stuff u need out and place them in the non-check-in bags. Lock the damned luggage and leave it already. For me i saw his coming because my luggage was very full and required a lot of energy to close and 'clamp it'. it's a hard shell kind luggage with buckles (no zips). Could differ for you but you get my point. You won't wanna be sitting on your luggage forcing it to close when u are post-op.
10. Take your medicine punctually and follow instructions. There's a reason why they make u take antibiotics before meal (1 hour) and then anti-swelling/painkillers after meal. If you wanna be stubborn and play doctor, or simply lazy then bear the consequences.
11. Dilation did hurt for me a lot when Sri did it for me the first 2 times. Now that i do it on my own, the pain is still there but i feel more in control and how to tackle it. I mentioned this elsewhere - Sri's tip - insert it halfway (that'd be 3' for me) then pull it out again before re-inserting. This releases(?) the pressure within. I have to say it's very helpful for me.
12. On post-op recovery at the room - it depends if you are alone. I wasn't because i share my cottage with poison_ivy. I have to say that it was extremely helpful because we took turns to help each other buy groceries etc. And also ultimately my initial goal - to have companionship and hopefully make time pass faster. Please have someone to go with you if possible. It really does make a difference. I suspect being alone would make u more prone to depression.
That being said, sharing a room with someone can be tricky. I don't consider myself a 'neat freak' but sometimes things like leaving food around/having food crumbs/not keeping or sealing food like cereals do get on my nerves. And it is also because I live in Asia and know how pests are prevalent. Having food around may not 'cause' their existence - but it certainly increases the likelihood of them appearing.
13. hygiene is vvvvvv important. Keep the wound as clean as possible. Even post-op or genetic females get UTI when they use dirty public toilets/don't clean the toilet seats. So please please, don't be stubborn and avoid such unnecessary trouble if you can.
Source:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Urinary-tract-infection-adults/Pages/Causes.aspx
''It's thought the bacteria can spread to the urethra via the anus. For example, if toilet paper touches your anus and then touches your genitals, the bacteria can multiply and move through your urinary tract, causing infection of your:...''
I hope this thread can help those who are going to Chet soon. As mentioned i try to leave out points already discussed and felt that these were some additional observations worth raising. You don't have to agree with everything because we are different and hence heal differently. XX
I've had a pretty similar experience so far, so that's reassuring. Thanks! At the Dusit the rooms are pretty nice, i have a view off the pool. The housekeeping staff are friendly and they bring 2 bottles of water a day and Keep the place looking tidy. The room has a mini fridge and a small kettle for boiling water. There's also a safe and other goodies like a hairdryer. The bed is comfy and there are lots of pillows which I've found useful for keeping myself comfy.
WONDERFUL THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!
IM GOING ON THE 30TH OF JAN
This is very helpful, thanks for sharing.
Update: 14/15 days post op
Dilation on #2 is extremely painful :(
The first time i did manage 4+inches and now my 2nd attempt i can only reach 3 inches.
Sri says it is normal not to be able to achieve full depth with #2 for the first week. What is important is maintaining the depth with #1. #2 and beyond are for the width.
I can only hope it gets better. #1 doesn't hurt for me once it's already in - i just have to hold it for the required time. But #2 even holding it in (stationary) hurts and makes me shrivel up and can't wait to remove it i.e. just holding it in at the 3' mark hurts.
P/s: Additional tip i left out in initial post: for your first dilation which will be done by Sri as well as the removal of catheter, take DOUBLE DOSAGE painkillers. Sri sometimes forgets to tell you this because it's not a life and death important kinda thing but i think it eases your pain. My catheter removal didn't hurt as much as i had expected and i would attribute this to the double tramadol taken.
In any case, consult/confirm with Sri whenever unsure.
Thank you for sharing about your experience, and congratulations!
I am scheduled for next year - 9 months away. So really get a lot out of reading the experiences of others.
Update: post op day 15
dilation went better. with painkillers taken before.
#2 went in up till 4''. wound is healing well according to Sri and as she always says ''shape looks good'', not sure what she means haha i guess they are settling down into a more normal shape. The staff at the clinic chatted with me during my follow up and told me another girl who had follow up didn't heal too well because she smokes.
Another tip i recalled: drink lots of water, but also juice. Specifically, pineapple juice. That helps with swelling. Fresh juice/pineapples would be ideal but if not get the packaged ones. The brand i always buy is ''Malee'' - available in supermarkets.
Update: post op day 16
feeling a little sore/pain from external stitches, cos i was walking at the mall downtown for a few hours. guess i exerted myself a little too much. Sri recommends walking ~30 mins a day as light exercise. Thing is sitting is uncomfortable and no way am i gonna be in bed for months lying down...zzz
the pain was also worsened cos i recently started on dilator #2. hope it gets better as i will return to work soon (sitting most of the time).
i also cleared my some questions with Sri and i thought it may be helpful:
- alternatives for QC/KY lube can be done only after 3 months. at least that's what they recommend.
- douche 1x a week post op 1 month and 2x a week after 2 months post op
-any form of scar gel/oil/lotion - post op 1 month (caveat is wounds must all be closed and stitches shouldn't be visible)
-urine flow will not be a straight flow and it's normal (this is different from what i read though) but it seems like they are saying it's inevitable your inner thighs/butt gets pee most of the time. just gotta wipe it...any experience on this? i was hoping after it settles down the flow would be less messy cos i always pee in public toilets without actual butt contact (i.e. squats) and it can get messy if the urine flow is not straight...drips down my thighs...
- i asked about daily hygiene without them coming in to clean us (With the swabs) every morning and she says it's fine - ideally try to do a quick shower after dilation (what i have been doing). i know the lube inside would drip/come out together with pee, but still i was thinking all the mess inside not cleaned on a daily basis....mmmm
-method to wash vagina for initial post-op: create foam with soap (or already foaming types) and place gently in contact with external vagina. no fingers spreading or entering the cavity. then wash it off. i would recommend something antiseptic and something that foams well. For eg. the Cetaphil wash is so mild it doesn't foam at all, that would be tricky although i would think its mild and sensitive enough for the area.
LASTLY: i wanna ask those who've gone through SRS. How long did u take to revisit your endo to get bloodwork/readjust the dosage? Is there like a ''blackout window'' where your body readjusts itself first (say for the first month)? Or is it like post SRS, immediately it's 0 testosterone? Am planning to visit my endo to adjust my dosage. Am currently on estrogel daily to help with the cold sweats (which have mostly gone away).
P/s: Leaving Thailand tonight. It's been a wonderful journey. Thanks to all who've helped in one way or another.
hi all, seems like this thread is not as active - but i do hope someone (Especially those who've been to Chet can help)
at 3 weeks post op: i seem to have lost about 0.25 - 0.5'' of depth. always a few mm away from the 6'' mark on the number 1 dilator. not worried about this, but question 1: is it normal that i'm still unable to reach 'full' depth with #2? I can at best reach 4.5'. Some days 4''.
Question 2 and the more urgent question: can someone shed some light on necrosis? during my stay there, Sri said one side of the vaginal wall had 'black skin' which was '50/50' (meaning might require a minor surgery to touch up before i leave). I suppose that was necrosis but in the end the follow-up rendered that i did not need any additional surgery and that the 'black skin' was renewing and going away.
Now, when i shine a light trying to peep at what's inside (without spreading or anything) i can see that one side of the vaginal wall is having some sort of whitefish/yellow skin. Is this normal? I'm getting worried because i'm already back home and there's no one to reassure me :(
I emailed the clinic too but still awaiting a reply. In the meantime i really hope someone can shed some light :(
P/s: i take all the medicine religiously and just ended the course of antibiotics today.
thanks in advance!
I'm pre-op, but maybe get a dialator that is an intermediate diameter between 1 & 2?
Of course, talk to your Dr about the apparent restriction and the intermediate size...I don't know about coloration, but if you can feel contact with that side, it should be ok.
Yes, bigger dilator = less apparent depth, especially early on. (This is because some of the skin is going to stretch around the diameter rather than fully extending, if that makes sense.)
Yellowish/whitish skin is also usually normal; do a search for "fibrin" and see if that looks familiar, but it also could be dead skin - which is *totally normal,* part of wound healing is shedding the leftover dead cells.
Thank u so much Beth and Jenna for the help. It reassured me a lot.
I said i lost depth because apparently number 1 couldnt reach the full 6" anymore. Or that i am subconsciously cautious of forcing it after reading about fistula. In any case a few mm away to 6" is ok with me as long as everythig inside heals good.
Thanks again and any other further comments would be appreciated too.
Hi monamtb, thanks for your detailed reply. i appreciated it.
i was supposed to douche on my own today (being exactly 1 month post op) but i did not because i was down with a UTI 2 days back :(
no idea how and where i got it, because i do pay attention to hygiene. but my guess is not changing the pads frequent enough.
in any case my review with my GP is in 2 days and i was prescribed antibiotics. i just hope everything goes well...i read about how it could develop into kidney infection and i've to be hospitalised and stuff and i really don't want that.
amazing that you even get to increase depth and width, since i lost some. until now i'm only comfortable with #1, and #2 goes in up till a few mm short of 5 inches. i have not begun #3 due to the UTI but my personal thought is that as long as i maintain depth with #1, increasing width can wait.
Sri did tell me too that most Chet girls purchase bigger dilators. Well, i just can't appreciate it now i guess since i can't even handle the ''small'' Chettawut ones ^.^