Apologies in advance- I am not much of a forum/social network personality, but I scoured through everything I could find before surgery, and now I want others to know what my experience is with a procedure I have not seen discussion of:
I am presently in recovery from a first stage of total genital reconstruction with Dr. Rian Maercks of Miami, FL. The plan initially had been ambitiously to do all reconstruction in one sitting, but I had gained weight and as a result the donor tissue was not as pliable as anticipated, so it was agreed to do it in stages. I think some things should well be emphasized for the men in my position who are considering more conventional versions of this treatment:
I am and have been for the most part pain-free, opiod-free, and mobile throughout this process. My perception of surgery-related aspects has mostly been at times pressure, stretching, and general weakness, but not pain. As a result, while a few pain pills were taken in caution, to head off possible developing pain, it never became an issue and their use ceased.
While I am not about to go for a hike, I have been able to be on my feet and have indeed walked to some degree every day, including the day of surgery. I stayed overnight for observation and so that things could be easily resolved in the morning, but after I was released I walked around a pharmacy and was in and out of a car multiple times, a family member having graciously agreed to help me get around.
Despite my suspicion that I laid on something wrong while rolling around the night after surgery, I have living tissue between my legs, a more-than-welcome sight. This tissue will be further reworked to achieve the desired aesthetic result; Dr. Maercks is seeing me regularly and gauging when would be ideal to make the next move.
The office and Dr. Maercks himself are wonderful. I came from very far out of town, and with not a lot of city sense, and everyone has worked with me to make it an environment and experience I have no trouble navigating. The office staff is kind, the observation nurse was a joy to be around, and Dr. Maercks manages both to be friendly and personable while also devoted to and absolutely confident in his craft.
- - - - - - - - - It is my goal to update as the process moves forward.
In the mean time, you can look up the SCIP flap on micosurgeon.org to get an idea of the donor site.
Dr. Maercks discusses his technique on the relevant page of his website, which is where I became so interested.
Hi Cecil! Welcome to Susan's Place! I'm Jessica, a transgender woman. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us! It will give hope to a number of transgender men here. I'm glad things are going well with your transition.
I see your new here, so I'll post some links that may help you get better acquainted with the site.
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Thank you for the welcome, Ms. Jessica!
From reading through the forum and its rules, I know this to be a wonderful, well-regulated place for discussion.
I'm glad you find it inviting. It is a family atmosphere here, where we all try to help each other. It's all the better with you here!
Hi. I read over his website and I am very intrigued. Were you able to view pictures of completed phalloplasty's? And what are the accommodations like for an out of towner?
CMD042414,
He had not secured permission for pictures to be shown to patients at the time I went in, but they are forthcoming.
Travel I can readily offer my observations on:
There are a lot of motels, hotels, hostels, and airBnB type places close by, and pharmacies/convenience stores within easy walking distance of his office. Within driving distance is anything you could be after, or at least that I was. The drivers here are generally aggressive and may not use turn signals, so you'd want to keep an eye out--especially if you don't tend to drive cozy with the bumper of the car in front of you.
I so far have been utilizing one of the number of hotels within a couple miles of the practice, along the same street and on the same side of the street. I walked it before surgery, but am taking the bus now as there are multiple buses that go straight along that path, and there is a bus stop directly in front of his building.
I also thoroughly appreciated a ride-sharing service here called Flitways, which allowed me to schedule a pick-up to coincide with my flight number long in advance of the trip.
And how long do you stay in the area? Number of stages?
It depends, I suppose, on the number of trips you are potentially willing to make. Initially, it had been planned as a one-stage process and I wanted to head out within a number of days. However, as we watch things and analyze stage cutoffs, I am sticking around a while rather than running the risk of wanting to come back for anything in the near future.
Cecil, welcome, congratulations, and thank you for sharing this great information. Everyone helps build this site through their contributions, and you are a heck of a carpenter. See you around!
Hugs, Devlyn