Hey all,
Does anyone know of a place where SRS is both good and not out of reach?
Case in point: I've waited 5-6 years for SRS already and there doesn't seem to be an end to the wait. Bowers is my first choice, but I will probably be a grandma before I can afford her (and I don't have children!) so I've given up on that.
I'm thinking around 10K. Any ideas?
I think you might want to research some of the Thai surgeons, those less famous, of course... I think that you can still get SRS there for under 10k, but from less known "names" :)
"Agrees"
At that price range, it can only be Thailand and still end up with a decent result.
I have all but given up on getting an SRS. It just isn't in the cards for me right now or in the near future. But I am thinking more along the lines of getting an Orchie. My therapist recommended a local surgeon that does both. $1500 isn't that bad and I don't have to leave the country. I can recoup at home. No Hotels, cost savings. No plane flights, another cost savings. So if I can raise that amount I will go that way.
Don't get me wrong I want and need SRS, but I can not see it in the near future. I would need to win the lottery, need money to play. Or get a rich sugar Daddy or Momma. But I will just have to be happy with the here and now.
Janet
My therapist once said, "If you can afford to buy a new car you can afford to pay for surgery." Unless you are living at poverty level, you should be able to afford the $18,000 for GRS. A new car is at least that right now.
If you look at your income and where your money is spent, how much of what you spend is on needs? We need a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes on our back. If we're taking trips, buying "toys", eating out, etc, is that more important than GRS? If it is, then you'll have to wait until your priorities change.
And remember, you get what you pay for. This is your body and you will have to live with the results of the surgery the rest of your life. And if you have complications, the costs may go up, even past what a reputable surgeon charges. Don't skimp on your life. It isn't worth it.
Julie
Quote from: Julie Marie on January 07, 2009, 03:40:25 PM
My therapist once said, "If you can afford to buy a new car you can afford to pay for surgery." Unless you are living at poverty level, you should be able to afford the $18,000 for GRS. A new car is at least that right now.
If you look at your income and where your money is spent, how much of what you spend is on needs? We need a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes on our back. If we're taking trips, buying "toys", eating out, etc, is that more important than GRS? If it is, then you'll have to wait until your priorities change.
And remember, you get what you pay for. This is your body and you will have to live with the results of the surgery the rest of your life. And if you have complications, the costs may go up, even past what a reputable surgeon charges. Don't skimp on your life. It isn't worth it.
Julie
Well, no, I
can't afford a new car. In fact I've
never had that much for a new car or anything. I agree that there's always something you can do to save money, but that car comment seems to assume having 18K disposable income is the most common thing in the world.
I appreciate your suggestions, as extreme attrition would be the only way to get there, but just because someone cannot afford quality it doesn't mean they don't desire it or are "skimping".
I am already living bare bones. I have a tough time making rent each month. And a second jod is almost not possible, with school and a full time job. If I did not have to pay the ex spousial support then maybe, but she gets half of my paycheck.
Janet
I don't know a lot of people who can afford a new car right now. I'm pretty sure that like a friend of mine (an economist) says "You've already bought your last car, you just don't know it yet." A lot of people have trouble making rent, foreclosures at record high numbers, as are auto repos. Times are hard and getting harder for most people and the end is not even close to being in sight yet. Nor is the bottom.
The new car comment was only to point out that for some, their priorities, not their financial situation, prevents them from getting what they want. I'm well aware of the present economic situation and that not everyone makes enough to save money for surgery or to even get a loan for it.
But I do know one girl who said there was no way she'd ever be able to afford surgery and she was very distraught over that. A few weeks later she sent me pics of her brand new Mustang convertible. When I called her on it she said she could afford car payments but didn't have the cash for surgery. She didn't have $18,000 laying around but she still got the Mustang. ::)
I once adamantly believed there was no way I'd ever have the money for surgery unless I sold my house. I still have my house and was able to 'find' the money to pay for surgery.
Julie
I am hoping to come to that point. I am tired of this paycheck to paycheck. That is why I went back to college. I am hoping to get a better position with better pay.
Janet
Yes its tough having this over your head,
I don't actually have an education, Ive charmed, persuaded, worked my ass off to a high paid job.
All i suggest is every penny does count however silly it seems, my purse change in a year alone came to just over 1K last year. It all went into a jar then a savings account.
Ohh Jane if you are stuck for Thailand names, pm me.
Sigh. :(
An orchi for me it seems. Even something like 10k is way out there when you're not earning dollars or pounds.
Mina.
Quote from: mina.m->-bleeped-<-ie link=topic=53141.msg329798#msg329798 date=1231424132
Sigh. :(
An orchi for me it seems. Even something like 10k is way out there when you're not earning dollars or pounds.
Mina.
:'(
Have you considered moving to a country where SRS is free . Think Canada.
Quote from: Diane on January 08, 2009, 05:37:23 PM
Have you considered moving to a country where SRS is free . Think Canada.
Hehehe. Have a look at the criteria one has to meet to immigrate to Canada. ;D
Mina.
Quote from: mina.m->-bleeped-<-ie link=topic=53141.msg329798#msg329798 date=1231424132
Sigh. :(
An orchi for me it seems. Even something like 10k is way out there when you're not earning dollars or pounds.
Mina.
I know :-\. That was one of the reasons I, to use Vanna's wording, "charmed, persuaded, worked my ass off" into emigrating to the US .
QuoteI know :-\. That was one of the reasons I, to use Vanna's wording, "charmed, persuaded, worked my ass off" into emigrating to the US .
LOL. And a charmer you are. :P
Mina.
Quote from: mina.m->-bleeped-<-ie link=topic=53141.msg330148#msg330148 date=1231512162
QuoteI know :-\. That was one of the reasons I, to use Vanna's wording, "charmed, persuaded, worked my ass off" into emigrating to the US .
LOL. And a charmer you are. :P
Mina.
lol ::blush:: ;D
Walk a mile in somebody else's shoes before you judge them.
Mina.
Quote from: mina.m->-bleeped-<-ie link=topic=53141.msg330523#msg330523 date=1231580761
Walk a mile in somebody else's shoes before you judge them.
Mina.
Very good points
But you will get blisters in my shoes :)
I don't think Blanche was judging anyone. I think Blanche was speaking to the conundrum of being born with GID and trying to fit into a world where men are born with penises and women are born with vaginas.
We all know that there are women who were born with penises and men who were born with vaginas, that goes without saying.
But we (as a collective) tend to exist on the outskirts of that world, surviving on tidbits of "acceptance" that have been cast over the wall.
Ya know. I guess the whole moral of the story is DON"T GIVE UP !! It you want something bad enough you can do it. Never let anyone tell you you can't or it's not possible. And above all else don't say to yourself that you can't do it. In life we all have times where we say its just not possible. But we still manage to find a way. Or if not, we just didnt want it bad enough. And it doesnt matter how much or how little we earn there are always thing that seem out of reach. Maybe just at different levels of cost, but we all see it . So please, dont give up. Just keep trying.
Even travelling to Thailand & getting GRS there can be very expensive. I know I had my GRS with Dr. Sanguan. It isn't just the surgery fee but everything that comes along with that. Plane tickets, hotel if someone's going with you, food & extra money if there's an emergency whilst you're there. I've heard dr, Kamol & the Samui clinic in Thailand are cheaper but don't know anybody that's gone to them.
Post Merge: January 22, 2009, 03:38:25 PM
The Samui clinic's awfully cheap but I don't know if their fees are current.
http://srsthailand.com/pages/srscosts.html (http://srsthailand.com/pages/srscosts.html)
In the US we have a lot of costs built into health care, not the least of which is malpractice insurance. The regulations here are more stringent than in most other countries, thus the additional cost. I've heard great things about Thailand but I've heard horror stories too. Allowing money alone to dictate where you go for the surgery is like buying a parachute because it's the cheapest one you can find.
This is major surgery! People have died. A friend of mine almost did and she was in the hands of a highly respected surgeon. It wasn't the surgeon's fault though. My friend had a condition nobody saw before the surgery that caused her to hemorrhage. She says if she had gone to a less qualified doctor she might not be here now.
On the orchi route, while I realize that will stop T production it could also leave you with insufficient tissue to work with when you have GRS. The longer you wait between surgeries, the worse that situation could get. T-blockers aren't the perfect solution but they cost less than an orchi and you lessen the risk of insufficient tissue at GRS time. When I did the math it made more sense to me to wait til I had the money for GRS.
Julie
Quote from: Julie Marie on January 22, 2009, 06:06:49 PM
In the US we have a lot of costs built into health care, not the least of which is malpractice insurance. The regulations here are more stringent than in most other countries, thus the additional cost. I've heard great things about Thailand but I've heard horror stories too. Allowing money alone to dictate where you go for the surgery is like buying a parachute because it's the cheapest one you can find.
This is major surgery! People have died. A friend of mine almost did and she was in the hands of a highly respected surgeon. It wasn't the surgeon's fault though. My friend had a condition nobody saw before the surgery that caused her to hemorrhage. She says if she had gone to a less qualified doctor she might not be here now.
On the orchi route, while I realize that will stop T production it could also leave you with insufficient tissue to work with when you have GRS. The longer you wait between surgeries, the worse that situation could get. T-blockers aren't the perfect solution but they cost less than an orchi and you lessen the risk of insufficient tissue at GRS time. When I did the math it made more sense to me to wait til I had the money for GRS.
Julie
About sums up how i feel on the whole thing too. Patience and save money for the right surgeon for you.
If someone told me that the only factor they were looking at in deciding where to have their surgery was being cheap or merely impatient, then I'd say they were being unreasonable. However, this is not the case for me.
I'm 30 and I don't want to be in my 40s before I can begin to feel right about my body. Of course one can even start transition in their 40s and beyond and live a full life, but I was lucky to be able to start at 25, so I want to make the most of my good fortune and hard work. In life, time is the only currency we have that matters really. While I never expected the ease of a 2-4 year transition from start to finish like some fellow brothers and sisters, I'm not letting fate and/or circumstance dictate where I'm supposed to go or how long I'm supposed to wait unless devoid completely of options.
As for success and horror stories, all surgeons have them really and it's a matter of carefully weighing multiple factors in deciding where to go. I'm confident that, supportive friends and common sense can win the day :) (*)
In regards to having an orchiectomy, I read one can tell the doctor beforehand one wishes to save tissue for SRS and they will keep that in mind. I used to think it was more of an option, but honestly when I go for surgery I want to get done what I need to get done. There's a lot of things I want to do in life that have nothing to do with transition and me being pretty body dysphoric, I know that won't be completely off my mind until I have it done. Being forever on Spiro is not an option either as it wouldn't be very healthy.
PS:
Oh, and US healthcare is... US healthcare ;)
(*): No, I didn't mean "financial support".
Heeeey everybody!! So, who in here ordered the cut-rate vajayjay??
Hiya folks! This is Crazy Auntie Annie for Doctor Nutso's Bargain Blowout Surgery Emporium!! Listen up y'all, if you call right now you can get in on our One Time Special Double Daily Oh-My-LAWD-Somebody-Fill-Her-Rit'lin Price Sticker Ripper Romparoo!! And I hope you have us on speed dial y'all, because the first 100 callers qualify for our Special Early Bird Bell Ringer!!
...DING!!
Okay are you ready for this!? Listen up people... if you are one of the first 100 callers we'll throw in a second one of equal or lesser value absolutely free!! WOW, now there's a value you don't want to miss!!
I don't understand the health insurance system in the USA, but it doesn't cover you?
In Australia if it's judged a medical need it's covered to some extent.
Sorry Girls, ;) I have a spare bedroom for refugees
Cindy J
Post Merge: January 28, 2009, 03:27:01 AM
And a set of steak knives :D
Quote from: CindyJames on January 28, 2009, 03:24:56 AM
I don't understand the health insurance system in the USA, but it doesn't cover you?
In Australia if it's judged a medical need it's covered to some extent.
Sorry Girls, ;) I have a spare bedroom for refugees
Cindy J
Post Merge: January 28, 2009, 03:27:01 AM
And a set of steak knives :D
Lol Cindy
This thread makes me feel so awesome inside that I want to launch fireworks at myself...
QuoteI don't understand the health insurance system in the USA, but it doesn't cover you?
The U.S. does not have a heath insurance system. There are many corporate private companies each with their own rules. Then there is the welfare system which many doctors do not accept.
I don't understand the health insurance system in the USA
Oh don't feel bad, as it turns out, nobody does. Despite that every four years or so when people look at changing it we get told its the best system in the world, and since no one here knows much (not that they care) about the rest of the world, its never challenged.
The US ranks 45th worldwide in terms of life expectancy. I don't think you need to say any more about how wonderful the US healthcare system is.
If you can afford it, we have great health services.
The keyword being IF.
Not many can really afford it.
Honestly the way the economy is going, saving money for SRS may need to be backburnered for a bit. If you're like most people I know, just making rent and getting enough to eat while still being able to have comfy things like the internet, is about as lavish as life gets these days.
The prices we have to pay for these surgeries are disturbing. It's even worse if you're FTM (which is great, because if you're FTM, you've probably spent a fair amount of your life being paid 70 cents to the dollar of what an MTF has made--so huzzah!).
It's a very bad system in the US.
Quote from: Jen on January 28, 2009, 01:24:05 AM
Heeeey everybody!! So, who in here ordered the cut-rate vajayjay??
Hiya folks! This is Crazy Auntie Annie for Doctor Nutso's Bargain Blowout Surgery Emporium!! Listen up y'all, if you call right now you can get in on our One Time Special Double Daily Oh-My-LAWD-Somebody-Fill-Her-Rit'lin Price Sticker Ripper Romparoo!! And I hope you have us on speed dial y'all, because the first 100 callers qualify for our Special Early Bird Bell Ringer!!
...DING!!
Okay are you ready for this!? Listen up people... if you are one of the first 100 callers we'll throw in a second one of equal or lesser value absolutely free!! WOW, now there's a value you don't want to miss!!
I can have two vaginas?
And for the price of one? OMG SIGN ME UP NOW!
Quote from: soldierjane on February 01, 2009, 09:23:59 AM
I can have two vaginas? And for the price of one? OMG SIGN ME UP NOW!
Mhm, that's right! If ya want one, then two is twice as good, right?? And remember it's not only cheap but
FAST too! I always like to say Dr. Nutso runs 'em through there like sheep!!
=P
But... um... wouldn't that mean you'd have to start with two... uh... nevermind. ;D
Quote from: tisha on January 21, 2009, 10:16:54 PM
Ya know. I guess the whole moral of the story is DON"T GIVE UP !!
;D ;D The expression is "NEVER GIVE UP"! The saying is on a wristband that I wear all the time & was given to me by the wife of a TG friend!
thailand. possibly chett or saran. my advice? save your money & get it done with someone competent.
Quote from: CindyJames on January 28, 2009, 03:24:56 AM
I don't understand the health insurance system in the USA, but it doesn't cover you?
In Australia if it's judged a medical need it's covered to some extent.
Sorry Girls, ;) I have a spare bedroom for refugees
Cindy J
Post Merge: January 28, 2009, 03:27:01 AM
And a set of steak knives :D
the overall health insurance "system" in the U.S. is a Faux free market.
You have most of the people who are covered covered by private insurance, almost all of it provided through employers (since the 40s when the Government made it financially advantageous to offer health benefits instead of higher pay)
Over the last ocouple of decades more and more of the private insurance has moved into "managed" health care which brings a sort of "mass market" pressure to bear. that is, an HMO will negotiate favorable rates with certain providers in exchange for driving their covered persons towards those providers en mass.
This follows a pattern established by Medicare (Gov healthcare for older folks) of pressuring providers to cat their charge.
Medicaid follows along in a similar fashion.
All this pressure on SOME procedures mean providers have to make up costs in the OTHER procedures.
On top of all this, since no consumer pays for his medical care first hand (well, a few do but not enough to matter) there actually isn't a fre market at all since people have no incentive to be wise consumers. thus they misuse and over use the available services which drives up the cost of insurance which in turn creates more pressure upon providers to keep costs down.
Furthermore, the cost of more burdensome regulation, the cost of legal protection from the lawsuit of the hour, and the cost of drugs (driven up in the U.S. because other countries cap drug prices which means they have to recoup their loses from Americans) All factor in.
The upshot of all this is that about every choice that has been made regarding health care has been made wrong and almost every solution to said problems is doing more of the same and hoping it gets better.
But as it applies to us - what is covered and what isn't is entirely up to the coverage provider and it's VERY rare for an insurer to cover SRS or related treatment and as far as I know the only time the government pays for it is for some prisoners (a crazy mixed up story all it's own)
I know the popular cry is for single payer state funded health care like many other nations have but there are a lot of horror stories about delayed care and arbitrary decisions and so forth that don't give me any faith in that.
I think medical savings accounts of some sort would be the way to go but that said...
If ObamaCare means I get SRS on the taxpayers dime, I'll darn sure sign up!