I'm starting to really take a closer look at picking a surgeon and wanted any feedback and input.
I live in Phoenix so Meltzer is appealing on just that note.
It's also my understanding that he is the most experienced of the three.
I haven't seen many recent reviews on him, and the result photos I can find seem to show a lack of definition on the inner labia- even after completing the second stage.
Mcginn seems to have the most natural/cis appearance, but again that is based on the results photos from her site. I also like the idea of using urethra tissue for the erectile properties.
Bowers comes in very close for aesthetics in my opinion, and seems promising. The recovery seems to be quicker than either Meltzer or McGinn. Not a whole lot of other input there.
My priorities are
Aesthetics
Functional sensitivity,
Depth
I believe that I have fairly ample donor material. Non circumcised, tons of foreskin, and lots of stretchy scrotum skin.
Would appreciate any feedback, and any additional information on current techniques being used (versus what results are showing)
~Brooke~
If you search for "A collection of links to photos of SRS results" you might find something of interest.
Quote from: AnonyMs on April 12, 2017, 11:27:14 PM
If you search for "A collection of links to photos of SRS results" you might find something of interest.
Thanks, I saw your recommendation in another post a few days ago. Already done, and very helpful. This is where I stand as of now. :-)
~Brooke~
you might want to add Dr. Kathy Rumer to that list. She is in Ardmore, PA just outside of Philly. She is booked about 6 months out.
I know Meltzer is booked 2-3 years out. Not sure on the others, but I've heard some are at least a year.
I am 7 weeks post-op and just had my first clitoral orgasm. healing is good, thanks are really taking shape. Rumer does not have aesthetics on her website but having seen them in her office, I was very impressed. The woman is an artist and she has the background training to verify it too lol.
some minor complications with swelling, minor pain/burning during dilating but nothing serious.
So far I am very pleased with everything.
http://www.rumercosmetics.com
Thank you! I will definitely look into her!
Good to know she has that artistry for aesthetics.
~Brooke~
None of the above.
Meltzer does a 2 stage procedure, I'm not interested in that, given that the rest of the surgeons doing this have moved on to a single procedure.
I just read in a different post that McGinn requires payment ahead of time, that's a non-starter for me.
I decided against Bowers due to the long wait and the $175 consultation fee required to get onto her wait list.
Quote from: SadieBlake on April 13, 2017, 05:59:07 PM
None of the above.
Meltzer does a 2 stage procedure, I'm not interested in that, given that the rest of the surgeons doing this have moved on to a single procedure.
I just read in a different post that McGinn requires payment ahead of time, that's a non-starter for me.
I decided against Bowers due to the long wait and the $175 consultation fee required to get onto her wait list.
Who are you leaning towards and why?
I can definitely understand your reasoning with the above.
Thanks for the input!
~Brooke~
Heh, not exactly leaning, I have surgery with Heidi Wittenberg in a little under 2 weeks :-).
I was planning on Satterwhite, however by the time my consult with him came up he was booking a year out, and Wittenberg was scheduling about 6 months out. I was and am extra impressed with her experience (less invasive and robotic surgery) and she's probably used devices I was involved in designing.
Drs Crane and Satterwhite had trained her in GCS and approved her to go it alone (she said this surprised her) and fundamentally that was good enough for me.
Quote from: Brooke on April 13, 2017, 04:04:24 PM
Thank you! I will definitely look into her!
Good to know she has that artistry for aesthetics.
~Brooke~
just fyi, she is also contracted with Cigna and does take Cigna Health Ins. (better to use your own plan bought from the market though as opposed to an employer funded plan).
She's also super pleasant, down to Earth and very in touch with her patients needs medically and emotionally. She's very much a people person. I connected instantly with her during our phone consult 2 years ago. The office consult sealed the deal.
Just to clarify about Bowers, to get on her waiting list you need to pay a non-refundable $1000 deposit. The list is approximately 3 years out.
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I went to McGinn 11/15/2016 and am having labiaplasty 5/15/2017 with McGinn at no additional cost. It is a 15 minute procedure.
I had some different anatomy and she use my whole penile gland for my clitoris and will be having a hood made :) I am very happy with how my vagina looks :)
I had 4.5 inches of depth after the operation and have 5.5 inches now. My goal is 6 inches, which I will get.
I have a lot of sensitivity. I just got a new toy and have homework to have an orgasm by 5/15. I now have the correct toy in length, bumps, width and contour. I think I will get an A in my homework.
Thanks Rachel! Can you share anything else that I might not be able to find searching around? Any insights or words of wisdom?
So happy to hear you had a good outcome!
~Brooke~
Quote from: Mia on April 14, 2017, 09:03:56 AM
Just to clarify about Bowers, to get on her waiting list you need to pay a non-refundable $1000 deposit. The list is approximately 3 years out.
The waiting list for Dr.McGinn is probably a little over a year. I say "probably", because I am including the time to book a consultation. I originally contacted her clinic in May of last year, and was told her bookings for consultations were already into February, but that they typically can schedule your procedure within 3-6 months after the consultation. I later postponed my consultation until April, so I would further along in RLE time when I saw her. I had my consultation with Dr. McGinn on April 3rd, and got surgery date of August 8th.
She require a $2500 non-refundable deposit to get a surgery date. She charges $150 for the consultation, which also must be paid in advance. You can use a credit card for both, but the actual surgery and anesthesia fees must be paid by certified/cashiers check at least one month in advance. Hospital fees are billed directly by the hospital at the time of admission. They accept credit cards.
I saw Dr. Rumer that same day. Getting a consultation with her was much quicker. My original date was July 18th, two months after I contacted her office. She charges $100, payable at the time of the consultation. I don't know about the other details, because I had just plunked down my deposit with Dr. McGinn and was really only interested in a BA and hair transplant with Dr. Rumer. When I told her I had an August 8th date, she did comment that's about where her calendar was as well.
~Terri
My BA and GCS was a little less than $30,000. My BA was postponed and I will reschedule on 5/15.
I have low blood pressure and a low heart rate. They thought I had a heart attack during my GCS. My heart rate went to 105 and pulse was 50 to 55 over 30 to 35. I was in the PACU for 1/2 a day then ICU. The ICU cost was $86,450. My GCS and BA cost me about $5,000 and $17.90 for the ICU after insurance.
My word of wisdom is to have health insurance.
All three of the doctors you listed can do great work. I live chose to Dr. McGinn's office. I chose her because of her cosmetic work is very good and she wants an orgasmic outcome too. I also had a very small penis and the penile tissue was discarded (0.75 inches). I started with a 4.5 inch depth and increased my depth to 5.5 inches. She saw me 4 times prior to surgery to review my genitals. Each time she said she thought she could do it and explained my potential difficulties. Originally she was going to use a graph from above my mons and below my navel but in the OR she used my scrotum which was not much material. I am really happy with the outcome :)
I have been to their offices many times and they really have taken car of me.
QuoteMy word of wisdom is to have health insurance.
A lovely sentiment....but what if you're insurance doesn't cover you for the procedure and you're paying out of pocket?
Not having the surgery is a non-starter for me.
QuoteMy word of wisdom is to have health insurance.
When I hear about what happens in the U.S. regarding health costs & insurance, I'm glad I'm Canadian. We don't have to worry about that sort of thing and GCS is covered.
If you have insurance but pay for GCS and a BA and there is a complication (or perceived complication, I was critically low on potassium and other electrolytes) then if there is a complication make sure your insurance will cover you. It would have cost me $86,450 for ICU costs if I did not have insurance.
Regardless of GCS or the BA being covered by insurance a complication can cost, in my case, almost 3 times what the GCS and BA cost.
Quote from: Rachel Lynn on April 16, 2017, 03:19:42 PM
I have low blood pressure and a low heart rate. They thought I had a heart attack during my GCS. My heart rate went to 105 and pulse was 50 to 55 over 30 to 35. I was in the PACU for 1/2 a day then ICU. The ICU cost was $86,450. My GCS and BA cost me about $5,000 and $17.90 for the ICU after insurance.
My word of wisdom is to have health insurance.
As an Australian my first thought on reading this is to never visit the USA for any kind of medical reasons. My second though is to wonder what would happen in other countries, and would any surgeon cover you for this as part of your surgery?
I'm curious as to what the Thai Surgeons would do in this instance. At any rate it is assuredly cheaper should a complication occur. And I am not impressed with U.S vs. Thai facilitation as I'm sure there's little difference there. It sure looks like if you're self funding, that Thailand just may be the wise choice. Good lord...86,000? Our system is tragically broken :embarrassed:
I guess (hope) this kind of thing is not common, as I've never heard of it before. I think Thai surgeons would have some incentive to take care of it themselves due to both the lower costs and they they get a great deal of income from foreigners.
From what I've heard I'd guess Suporn would take care of it himself, as he does that already with revisions even if they require hospitalization. I think this would be more of the same. No idea about the others.
My surgery was done by Dr Ley, a colleague of, and trained by, Dr Meltzer. She was booking at about 6-12 months out as of June of last year, and Dr Meltzer had a 1 1/2-2 year wait iirc.
Three months post-op, I've had no complications or even concerns about scarring, etc. And am orgasmic! I'm going back in the next few weeks for the second surgery (labia minora, clitoral hood, better definition of general appearance).
I would think that the two-stage procedure is better, because this is a major surgery and less work is done during the first operation which enables better and faster healing, while the second operation is mostly external (less intrusive). Not arguing for or against, but just mentioning a potential advantage with the two-stage.
Also, several states in the US have laws mandating GRS coverage. WA and OR are just two that I know about.
My 2¢; do what I did and go to Suporn in Thailand. I'm 6 months post op, have good aesthetics, great sensitivity and 6" of depth. I was circumcised and had previously had a tummy tuck; both are things that reduce your available depth with normal penile inversion. Suporn's technique is amazing, his procedure is cheaper than all three of McGinn, Bowers or Meltzer. I paid 22k for a round trip flight with business class on the way back (worth every penny), a month recovery in the hotel next to the clinic (required) and the surgery itself.
I can PM you photos if you'd like.
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Quote from: AnneK on April 16, 2017, 04:11:35 PM
When I hear about what happens in the U.S. regarding health costs & insurance, I'm glad I'm Canadian. We don't have to worry about that sort of thing and GCS is covered.
BUT GCS wasn't always covered like back in 2005 (in Quebec), when I had mine done in Canada. Had one stage procedure and worked out fine for me. :)
Quote from: nyteshade on April 17, 2017, 01:18:55 AM
My 2¢; do what I did and go to Suporn in Thailand. I'm 6 months post op, have good aesthetics, great sensitivity and 6" of depth. I was circumcised and had previously had a tummy tuck; both are things that reduce your available depth with normal penile inversion. Suporn's technique is amazing, his procedure is cheaper than all three of McGinn, Bowers or Meltzer. I paid 22k for a round trip flight with business class on the way back (worth every penny), a month recovery in the hotel next to the clinic (required) and the surgery itself.
I can PM you photos if you'd like.
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Suporn is my first choice if I can't get my insurance to cover the surgery in US. Sadly it's near impossible to get insurance to cover anything outside the US.
I appreciate the suggestion!
~Brooke~
Quote from: Brooke on April 17, 2017, 04:41:25 PM
Suporn is my first choice if I can't get my insurance to cover the surgery in US. Sadly it's near impossible to get insurance to cover anything outside the US.
I appreciate the suggestion!
~Brooke~
Never refrain from asking your HR/manager or even CEO if they will help cover even if your insurance does not. The truth is that while the answer may likely be no, if you don't ask, it will always be no.
Try mentioning that while insurance does cover some providers it does not offer you the best provider and this is not the type of surgery that can be redone later.
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Quote from: nyteshade on April 17, 2017, 04:52:17 PM
Never refrain from asking your HR/manager or even CEO if they will help cover even if your insurance does not. The truth is that while the answer may likely be no, if you don't ask, it will always be no.
Try mentioning that while insurance does cover some providers it does not offer you the best provider and this is not the type of surgery that can be redone later.
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That's basically the situation I'm in. My insurance covers certain providers, but all of them are unknown. Working on out of network auth issues as of now.
The fact that this isn't a surgery that can't be redone is definitely the reason I'm willing to go to Thailand.
Good advice, thanks!
~Brooke~