Hey all. It's time to pick a surgeon as I now have the funds to do it and the letter to go along. I have been doing research for a couple years and I feel like Chettawut is the doctor that has consistent positive reviews, whereas Dr. Suporn has very good and very negative reviews. I was considering Dr. Brassard, but he is $18k whereas Dr. Chettawut is $10k. I don't feel like there is such a strong difference between the two that I should take out additional loans to see Brassard.
What do you think about Dr. Chettawut? And I would especially love replies from those who've been to him!
chett is pretty good overall, keep in mind hotel and food costs when budgeting.
this is the stock email I got when I was in communication with him last year (ignore the price quote).
QuoteThank you for your interest in my service and the provided information.
My SRS technique is non invert penile skin for vagina wall creation. The penile skin will be used mainly for external genital structures (for example: well defined labia minora, vaginal introitus) in one step construction.
The scrotal skin will be used for labia majora construction and then for a skin graft inside neovagina as vaginal wall.
I can complete everything perfectly in one time (functional vaginal depth, good sensation from sensate neo-clitoris/clitoral hood/inner labia as well as cosmetic genital appearance). It is rare that my patients need to come back for any revision or even secondary labiaplasty.
Please note that the length of vagina depends on 2 factors
1. The patient's anatomy.
The vaginal tunnel is created between the rectum and urethra/prostate gland/bladder, if the relation and condition of these structures are normal, you should most likely get normal (5-6 inches) or above normal (6 inches +).
In contrary, if there is any abnormality (like scar or inflammation) between these structures, the depth may be obtained less than the average.
2. Adequate skin graft for lining inside newly created vagina.
The skin graft normally came from left over scrotal skin after being fashioned outer labia. In case scrotal skin graft is insufficiency, the additional skin graft (from either groin or abdomen) is needed (extra fee 600 USD will be charged). So it is wise that prospective patients are aware of this possibility and prepare this extra fee.
For scheduling sex reassignment surgery:
- Email or fax me your SRS recommendation letter from your psychiatrist or license psychologist to +662-742-0845
- Inform me the information as follow:
General info: age, height/weight, health status
Specific info: previous surgery, any conditions or diseases which might have an impact on the procedure.
- Please have the following blood and laboratory tests done 30 days prior to the surgery date
1. CBC (complete blood count and platelet count)
2. Anti HIV (ELISA)
3. BUN &Cr (kidney function test) BUN 7-30mg/dL, Creatinine under 1.2mg/dL
4. PT & PTT (screening test for bleeding tendency due to liver disease) PTT 20-36 seconds
5. FBS (fasting blood sugar) < 110 mg/dL
6. Chest x-ray
The electrocardiogram (EKG) is also required if you're over 45 yr.
The report of all lab tests can be sent either via fax +662-742-0845 or e-mail cset_at_truemail.co.th as jpeg format attached files.
Please note that all your original copy of blood & laboratory reports and the original letter of SRS recommendation must be brought to Thailand.
You must stop taking female hormone, aspirin, vitamin E or anti-inflammatory drug 2 weeks before surgery.
The current price for SRS is 10,000 USD (valid until April 30th, 2009).
Please be aware about the possibility of skin graft insufficiency (if your genital skin shrink or has not good elasticity) and it is highly recommended that all my patients coming to have SRS must prepare 600 USD for extra skin graft fee (either groin or abdominal skin graft) if needed.
You can inform me your preferred date of surgery, I'll check my schedule and try to adjust my schedule to accommodate you.
After you confirm your surgery date, a non-refundable 10% deposit (excluded the wire fee) is supposed to be transferred to my account to secure your surgery date within one week.
Please note that the deposit cannot hold the old price, the rest of your fee will be calculated from the updated price (as posted in my website) at the time of your surgery.
The total stay under my care for SRS is 3 weeks but you need to arrive Bangkok 3 full days prior to the surgery date for bowel preparing process which is very important to the surgery.
It is my policy that the patients need to stay only at the recommended hotel before and after surgery.
1. The Baan Sirirama place and resort. This is a good hotel, the rate per night for single room or twin room is 1,283 THB (around 40 USD, not included breakfast). You can get more info at
http://www.bangkok-hotel.com/ (http://www.bangkok-hotel.com/)
Deluxe
Double (2pax): Airport pick up transfer complimentary All amenities and toiletries supply 1 welcome soft drink sets complimentary per day Daily breakfast buffet for 2 persons Non-smoking preferable room Warm water both at shower and wash basin 1790 per night
Should you have any questions regarding your surgery, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
Dr.Chettawut
I am in England and we have the NHS but as my surgery has been delayed and will be quite expensive I asked the NHS to fund me to Dr Chet but they refused and messed me about for another half-year so when I fianlly got to the London surgeon he said the only thing he can do with me is a big double op at about 4 times what Chet would charge.
My gender clinic actually wrote ' we can only refer to surgeon we know who are Board Certified' Dr Chet is board cert and also a member of the HBIGDA.
Thanks for the replies but has anyone here been to him or know of a close friend who has and what their experience was like? Positive/negative?
one of the chatters went to him a ways back (January 2009 iirc) and was happy with the experience overall (in spite of a minor surgical revision before leaving Thailand).
the biggest problem iirc from his team are from the hospital he uses (don't expect much english, so if you need painkillers you'll need to know the "correct" thai to say).
soemone in my town went to Dr Chet and once back home needed some slight revision but a return to Chet was financially impossible and the local health made real trouble before they were threatened with legal action and finally agreed to fix it.
I have to say that if our local health will happily fix people who have gone abroad and had accidents or trouble then why will they not fix people who choose to go abroad for surgery?
Seems a bit illogical to me but that how the beancounters think.
Hi,
I see that you have not received any answers from someone who has actually been to see Chet, so let me fix that. I had my OP with him in Oct of 07. My total costs were approx 14,500.00 canadian. I had BA as well as the additional skin graft. My total hotel bill including meals if I remember correctly was 900.00. He is good choice of surgeon most competent and well priced. I had no trouble in the hospital as to pain as he will keep you on morphine for the first 2 days after the op. >The only real downside was that meals consisted solely of soup NO SOLID FOOD ALLOWED. I went in on a Tuesday morning and was on the table about 2:30 that afternoon and back in the Siri late Sunday morning. I did have to have a minor revision in his office a week later in which he used a local, I did feel some of the cuts and stitching, but nothing to cause tears.
Post operatively follow his directions to the letter and you will be fine. Dialation! when I got to the stage of using the 1 1/4 stent I found it much more comfortable and pleasureable to use an 1 1/4 silicone dildo and moved from that to an 1 1/2 one. I had my first sex about 4 months post op. Since then I have been bedded ( as I'm not in the least innocent nor a 'Good Girl' ) many times. Non of the guys have noticed anything out of the ordinary to my knowledge.
Oh yeah I guess I should mention that I was orgasmic after about 3 months.
When you get your first look at things down there don't be to upset as its not the prettiest sight to see lol, but in time as the swelling goes down and the stitches come out and the scars fade it is quite nice and 'Way preferable' to what was there before. You will also notice a wonderful smell when your new flora begins to develope. I only dialate once a week now and more if I am horny lol.
Well I hope this has been of help to you,
seawitch
I find it interesting that the reply above did NOT say anything about "letters" - am i to understand that Dr. chet doesn't require the gatekeeper letters?
Dr Chet SAYS he needs letters but once over there who knows? But I'm thinking the recent clampdown over ther will make it more likely that he will need letters.
I did in fact have my letter from the pychiatrist I had seen for the approval for my orchie. I have not looked at Chets site in quite some time but it use to state that if you did not have a letter then for an additonal fee arrangements could be made to see a pychiatrist there in bankock to obtain your letter. I don't know if that is still possible or not now days. The only complaint that I personally have is that my clitoral hood is somewhat tiny and when I'm excited pretty much my entire clit is exposed and it is quite sensative ( not in a painful way however ). Dr Chet had said that he would perform a surgory in his office at NO charge to enlarge it, but the air fare over there is prohibitive for such a minor surgory.
seawitch
Chet will still operate providing you are willing to pay $300 dollars for a psychiatric assessment (which is 10X the going rate)
Quote from: Susan T on August 20, 2010, 07:17:58 AM
Chet will still operate providing you are willing to pay $300 dollars for a psychiatric assessment (which is 10X the going rate)
I lot cheaper than a year of therapy here though....heck, my understanding is a lot of therapists want to see you at least 3 months before writing the letter and that accumulates to well over $300.
I'd consider that a bargain (and moves Dr. Chet well up my list)
However, he will only do this if you have good reason. e.g. you you have documentary evidence that you have been having therapy and been on a prescribed hormone regime but for some reason could not go full time i.e. for employment reasons. The use of his psychiatrist is not simply to get around all of the standards of care.
I was going to go to Chet until I was adviseed by my gender specialist here in the UK that he sees more serious complications from him than any other Thai surgeon. He recommended Preecha or Suporn. In my view Suporn was over priced and the need to achieve anatomically ridiculous vaginal depths was not a priority, so I went to preecha for $8600 Plus $30 for a certificate from his psych because I couldn't get a second referral here
That's the first time I've heard the name Preecha
Would be cool to see a full review of your experience with him(?)
I'd been thinking Suporn (assuming i could afford the travel) mainly because of the reports of really good orgasmic response and sensitivity I'd read.
but that's a VERY attractive price - if Preecha can achieve a similar appearance and responsivness at that price it's a compelling argument.
Preecha is the man who developed the advanced method of SRS used by most Thai surgeons today. Suporn and Chettawut used to work for him until they branched out on their own. Their method are still very similar except that Suporn Punctures the scrotal skin grafts 100s of times in order to make it stretch further for extra depth. However doing so takes a considerable time which will increase the period that you are under general anaesthetic and means that the graft will take longer to heal overall. What you have to consider before deciding on a surgeon is exactly what outcome you want. Suporn will probably be able to give you a depth of 7-8 inches (although that will reduce a little as the skin graft contracts) Others will give between 5 -7 inches. People flock to Suporn (who is undoubtedly a good surgeon) for extra depth. However you should bear in mind that the average depth of a natal female is only 4 1/2 inches so the obvious question is why do so many TSs think that they need 8 and are willing to pay a premium to get it.
Preecha runs the Preecha Aesthetic Institute in Bangkok. It is very large and upmarket when compared to the facilities that Chettawut and Suporn operate from. SRS will be carried out at the Piyavate hospital where I understand Chet also uses the PAI facilities for his patients.
The thing about going to Preecha is that he will not necessarily be the surgeon who operates on you. This has always been the case and a few years ago going to Preecha could have meant that you actually got Suporn Chettawut or Saran etc. In fact Preecha did my FFS while his latest assistant Dr Burin carried out the SRS. I have 7 inches of depth and at everything is in the right place anatomically speaking. At the moment I'm a little too sensitive, but that I am told will settle down over the next few months as everything heals. The Preecha method claims to produce a sensate neoclitoris in almost 97% of his patients.
https://www.susans.org/cgi-bin/tseek/reviews.cgi?id=1459&cid=87 (https://www.susans.org/cgi-bin/tseek/reviews.cgi?id=1459&cid=87)
4 pages: https://www.susans.org/Sex_Reassignment_Surgery/MTF_Surgeons/ (https://www.susans.org/Sex_Reassignment_Surgery/MTF_Surgeons/)
I had a good friend who went to Dr Preecha and didnt even have him perform the surgery. In my opinion i wanted someone who was very repetativa and also good reviews and feedback, i researched for 2 years and Suporn was the most consistant, the interesting thing was there was some negative reviews on him but not from people that had experienced it for themselves, alot of hearsay and just out to bad mouth him for some reason? I ended up going to Suporn and i have amazing results, the man is a genius! He is pricier than the rest and his waiting list is about 9 months, that on its own should give you some sort of an indication how in demand he is....
When researching where to go if given the choice a little over two years ago chettawut was my handsdown favorite; as a choice in physicians, nothing yet has changed this opinion.
My problem is that since that time and now: There is a pattern of daily life that has been established and remained unbroken for almost two years that my pressence is always close by and that each and everyday I am present. There is a child who is going to be very emotional not to see me each time he opens the door and who is just to young to understand, and the adults around here seem to think doctors outside of this country only work with matchettes and rusty pliers. But, all that aside the other side of the world is completely unreachable to anyone that cares about me and the distance is emitting a sense of being powerless and robs them of any thought of coming to the rescue when needed.
We seem to be on the same search for information and if your heart was set two years ago we came to the same conclusion at the same time on physicians, it might be helpful to talk. My plans are for surgery in january unless my family ties me up and throws me in the trunk of my old car.
Quote from: Susan T on August 20, 2010, 11:01:18 PM
Their method are still very similar except that Suporn Punctures the scrotal skin grafts 100s of times in order to make it stretch further for extra depth. why do so many TSs think that they need 8 and are willing to pay a premium to get it.
Quote
This puncturing is technically 'latticiing' in exactly the same way a pie crust is puntured to make it expand to cover a pie.
Suregons puncture skin grafts to make sure the skin does not contract.
I'm going to get a scalp advancment next year and the surgeon will do this latticing to make the scalp cover the MPB and forehead. This youtube shows how the punctures allow skin to stretch: Part 2 - Brad's Surgery- The Skin Graft (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYrw2fYk8U#)
I heard that the suregons started trying for the great depths in oder to cater to those MtFs who had been actively indulging in anal sex and their partners were used to the unlimited depth of the anus.
Hello I feel as though it is my obligation to inform all trans women of my experience with Dr. Chettawut. I will start from scheduling the appointment to the very end it a.k.a. departure from Thailand. These are my experiences and I hope that I'm able to help those trying to make a decision in selecting the surgeon and or having the surgery.
Before deciding on doctor Chett I actually researched him for about five years. Constantly googling reviews and results and experiences. It was either between him or Canada. However we all know that Canada is 2 to 3 times the cost of Dr. Chett. However cost was not an issue for me technique and results Is at the top of my list. Finally I decided to contact Dr. Chettawut' office to schedule my surgery. Several days later Som replied with all the information necessary for me to move forward in the process. I immediately sent my 20% payment via wire transfer with my credit union. Which roughly came out to $2000 US. The total cost for the surgery itself is a little over $11,000 US. I felt with his technique and results he was the right surgeon for me. My surgery is scheduled for July 18, 2017. Once you agree upon a surgery date you were asked to choose one of the three hotels. I selected the vertical suite. It is upscale luck Sharee at a very reasonable cost. I was traveling alone and I booked a one bedroom suite. My room number was 8602. My hotel approximate stay was 27 days and the total cost including room service came out to $1500 US. I am traveling from Honolulu Hawaii, so I knew traveling to Bangkok would be a lot of flying hours. I booked my ticket with Korean Airlines with a layover in Inchon Korea then to Bangkok. Total cost for my flight was under $1000 US. Service on Korean Airlines is amazing the food was pleasantly good.
Anyways back to the surgery. I arrived in Bangkok 4 days prior to my surgery as recommended on Dr. Chett website. The very next day you will have a personal consultation with Dr. Chett. He will examine your private areas and tell you how the surgery will go and what to expect after surgery. At that time he will also advise if you need a skin graft. I paid for my surgery on the day of consultation with my visa credit card. If you plan on paying with your credit card there is a 4% fee that is charged along with the total cost. This is also when the office girls collect your letters of recommendation from your psychiatrist and psychologist. You will review some paperwork and sign some documents before meeting with the doctor. After the consultation with Dr. Chett, he advised me that I needed a skin graft because three years prior I had an orchiectomy which shrank my private part a little. There is an additional charge for the skin graft which is roughly $1000 US. So be prepared and have that extra money when you go on your consult with him.
I forgot to mention there is a driver that picks you up from the airport which is why you need to send a picture of yourself. Once you meet your driver at gate number for he will give you an envelope welcoming you to Thailand and advising you of your consultation with the doctor the very next day. Please be prompt with meeting the driver in the morning.
Being that my surgery was on a Tuesday I had to start the ball cleansing on Saturday Sunday and Monday. The entire weekend with no food only clear liquids and clear food a.k.a. clear soup Jell-O. Having selected the vertical sweet you are across the street from two major malls in Thailand. My favorite of the two was paradise mall. They have a farmers market on the ground level along with a healthy food store which reminded me of whole foods here in the states. That grocery store also imports stuff from the United States so if you were unsure of the Thailand Brian it's best to shop at that location. They have some of the best fruits and vegetables that I have purchased. But please make sure you wash them clean. I did my grocery shopping before my surgery because I didn't know what to expect after. My suggestion would be to purchase frozen dinners. The best brand to purchase is S&P. They are located on the ground level as well I purchase eight dinners for 345 bhat which is less than $20 US. These frozen dinners saved my life and they are so flavorful. Honestly I wish they sold it here in the states. The chicken was my favorite. Going in to Thailand to have my SRS nobody tells you to prepare prior to your surgery. To go grocery shopping purchase two cases of water and juice purchase food for you to eat because he will be bedridden for several weeks. I highly suggest you take a taxi and do your grocery shopping the very next day.
The ball cleansing program is not as bad as everybody says it is. Again everybody's experience is different but my experience was normal. Honestly it felt good to clean my system in the three days that I was given. I did not wake up and run to the bathroom in the middle of the night everything just flowed naturally. Just listen to the doctors orders and you'll be fine don't create your own way of doing things.
July 18, 2017 day of surgery. The driver pick me up at 1 PM. Dr. Chett likes to schedule his surgeries in the afternoon or early evening to better prepare. I arrived at the surgical center and was greeted by Dr. Chett and his team of professionals. You were then escorted upstairs into a room where you will just roll and put on a hospital gown and a hairnet. You will then be escorted into a weight room where you'll be able to watch TV and the nurse will go over with you the after affects following surgery. Dr. Chett Will visit with you one last time as we wait for the anesthesiologist. My surgery actually commence around 3 PM. I was then walked into the surgical room and I met the entire staff including the anesthesiologist. My IV was started on my left hand and the anesthesiologist will speak with you introduce himself and then tell you he will be putting you to sleep now and to relax. Once you are a sweep the anesthesiologist also put in the epidural block for after surgery. It is a small pump that will be placed on your right hand shoulder filled with pain medicine. You do not need to press it to get the medicine it is a slow continuous flow of pain medication for after surgery.
Upon waking up you will hear the anesthesiologist tell you to take a deep breath. You will continue taking deep breath's throughout the evening to get the excess gas out of your stomach. He does give you something so you don't get nauseous upon waking up. I was then wheeled into my recovery room and my legs spread apart with my nurse sleeping right next to me. C the nurse that spent the night with me after recovery was so pleasant. Dr. Chettawut team works so hard to make sure that we are taking care of after surgery. Some don't even see their families because they choose to stay and care for us. The very next day after surgery I had to walk down several stairs into my actual recovery room which I will stay for an additional three days. Also upon me waking up I noticed that I had a catheter in me which doctor said would happen. I felt no discomfort to the catheter in fact I got spoiled having the catheter because you don't need to go up and use the bathroom. Noi was the nurse taking care of me and she was so pleasant. Extremely dedicated to your well-being and Care after surgery. With Noi by my side I knew that I would recover even quicker. She was that ball of sunshine that I needed during my recovery.
The three days that I spent in the hospital I felt absolutely no pain. Upon waking up after the surgery I felt absolutely no pain. A little discomfort, a little tightness but never a pain. Pain was managed so well after surgery. I had an opportunity to sleep on my side which felt extreme good being that you are in bed for several days. Most of the time you are sleeping and you only wake up when they give you your medication and your breakfast lunch and dinner. Which consists of soup and hot chocolate.
The day that I was released from the surgical center and sent back to my hotel the vertical suite was the only day I felt actual pain. You are in bed for four days. And when the nurse gets you up in the morning and tells you to get ready the driver is here. You need to gather all your belongings the nurse will assist you. Get dressed and you were put into the drivers car with your donut pillow. The ride was so painful. That is the only pain I have ever felt during my entire stay in Thailand. No pain with the SRS the only pain was when I was in the car LOL.
Once you arrive at your hotel you are greeted with the wheelchair. The driver will assist you with getting into the wheelchair and it will take you up to your room. You were then tucked in and will be sleeping for the rest if the day. Until your nurse comes the following day. Doctors nurses work from 9 AM to 1 PM. Please be patient there are an extreme amount of patients that they need to see and it is only one nurse most of the time. So just please be patient. The nurse will come she would check on you make sure that you were taking your medication. She will also make sure that you were eating and you're hydrated. Not much to check being that you have your packing in place and your catheter.
About four days later you're packing will be removed and the gauze that is in your new vagina. I was very nervous on the packing removal and the removal of the gauze. C kept telling me that there will be no pain to the removal of anything. She kept telling me remember I told you the most painful part to the surgery is the removal of the drainage. Which to me was not painful when she remove them. So I took her advice listen to her voice as she slowly peel back the layers of gauze. Now for the moment of truth taking off the packing. There is a lot of packing in there and it felt like I was trying to fart. As odd as it may sound it felt like a little farts with no pain. Once everything was removed and both nurses cleaned my new genitalia it was discovered that the bottom of my vagina the skin did not have enough blood supply. The nurse will put dilator zero in to check your depth. She will put some lubrication on the dilator and stick it all the way in. Do not panic this does not hurt it just feels like pressure once she hits the wall. This happens if you were previously overweight or do you have little to no skin to work with. So during recovery I had 2 bright red sores at the bottom of my vagina right near the entrance. To me it didn't mean anything because the nurses assured me that Dr. Chett Will have to do a revision once the swelling goes down. The very next day the nurse will return and you will start your dilation with dilator zero. There is absolutely no pain to dilation I don't care what anyone says. There was no blood after dilation. All it is is just tightness and pressure no pain. Dr. has a very vigorous dilation schedule that you need to make sure you do daily. Three times a day. He will start with dilator zero then you will work your way up to dilator number one. So a week and a half later on August 4 was my postop visit with the doctor. He then explained to me that he will be doing the revision and I will be under local Anastasia. Meaning you are up while he fixes the problem area. Honestly my nerves got the best of me I started crying for no reason. But I told myself to listen to the nurses and my doctor is extremely talented there is nothing to worry about. Dr. cleaned my genitalia removed the old stitches and numbed me. The only pain I felt was the needle. During the revision I felt absolutely no pain no nothing. Noi held my hand laid next to me and told me that I was a good patient and I have nothing to worry about she told me I was beautiful she made me feel like my mom was right next to me. She made me feel like God was in the surgery room passing on that specific message. About an hour and a half later the surgery was over. I had to have the catheter put back in because I had new stitches. Honestly I don't know why people are freaking out about the catheter. Upon them putting it in did not hurt. I also forgot to mention when they removed the catheter it did not hurt either. On both occasions it just felt like you were urinating and it was burning a little. People need to relax about this catheter problem. Are you sure you it is not painful at times it was uncomfortable but for the most part enjoy it you don't need to use the bathroom and stand up all the time just go with it.
Once my revision surgery was complete I was taken back to the hotel talked back in and slept the entire 24 hours. C came to check on me the following day. She removed the packing once again and when she showed me my new lady parts I felt to tears. It was absolutely beautiful. The revision was so successful that I just couldn't stop crying. I had to leave the catheter in for another day because my surgery is too new to have any bacteria on it from urinating. My flight was scheduled to leave on August 8. I was very confident that I will have enough energy to make it through my long two flights. Whatever airline you choose please make sure you make arrangements with them to have a wheelchair service prior to you showing up at the airport and checking in for your flight to come back home. It is very important that you have wheelchair service and please make sure you tip them. The airport is very big and imagining myself walking that distance would be so painful.
My flight back home consisted of two flights Bangkok to Inchon Korea, with a three hour layover. Tenn from Inchon Korea to Honolulu Hawaii. My flight from Bangkok to Incheon was extremely uncomfortable. Make sure you have your donut pillow with you. I just keep telling myself it's a 5 1/2 hour flight take a pain pill go to sleep. Easier said than done the entire flight from Bangkok to Inchon was so uncomfortable for me. However my flight from Inchon to Honolulu was nine hours and was very comfortable. I took two pain pills on that last flight and I took one more foreign a half hours later and I was all good. The moment I got home I took a shower I ate some local food and went right to sleep. Both my parents helped me in so many ways. Oh I forgot to mention I lost about 15 pounds having done my SRS.
Today is one month postop and everything is working perfectly fine. Urinating works perfectly fine especially the spray when he comes out. It tends to leak on my left ass cheek but I understand everything is still trying to mold. My stitches from my revision is almost completely dissolved I have started with dilator number two. So currently I dilate 20 minutes with zero 20 minutes with number one and 10 minutes with number two. This is three times a day. To this very day I have no pain no discomfort and no regrets. It is extremely time-consuming a lot of washing a lot of lube a lot of dilating a lot of resting. Allow your body time to rest and recuperate. Would I do it all again yes I would, Would I recommend Dr. Chett Hell yeah he is the best surgeon that I know of. This is my opinion of course and my results is of a natural woman. And those words came straight from my mothers mouth. She cannot believe the outcome of the surgery.
Please forgive me for my grammar and the spelling of words. Being that this was an extremely long review I am using Siri to type my message. And we all know Siri is not perfect and she spells words wrong. So please read between the lines I don't have time to go back and edit everything. I just wanted everyone to know my experience and what to expect if you were getting SRS with Dr. Chett.
I subscribe everything Live4me wrote, I'm also a month post op in 2 days and everything seems going perfectly, my recovery seems fast, I feel almost good as before! I started a new antibiotici cycle yesterday after I talked vi e-mail with dr Chettawut about a little plump that appeared under my labia stitches in the perineal area, it's nothing to worry about but ha said to start the cycle in order to avoid any infection.. Dilating is no problem and never was! I'm very very happy of my decision! Aestetically is still a bit swelling and some stitches are still visible but I can see the shape is going to have and I like it
There have been plenty of Forum postings. SRS is no longer rocket science, all the best ones use the same basics procedure and certain surgeons claim to have a propriety additional technique. (eg meshing the scrotal skin by Suporn). Practice makes perfect and make sute they have done a few hundred. I wtote about my evaluation of Dr Suporn, Dr Chett, Dr Kamol and at Preecha Aesthetic Institute ( PAI). PAI have 2 surgeons that do SRS as Dr Preecha does not do srs anymore, Dr Sutin and Dr Buren. You can review the details under my postings
Hi Live4me, thank you so much for this post. Just after making up my mind to go with Dr. Chett and making a schedule with him, I came across this message from your heart. It's amazing as I live in Honolulu too. I don't know how to send a private message to you (and I understand a lot of us actually don't want to get bothered in real life). Just want to say hello to you and wish you are recovering well and start getting your dream life on. I will soon join you. Again, thank you so much for all the details of your journey. It's like a great movie and I know I will go through the exactly same thing soon.
Quote from: Live4me on August 19, 2017, 09:17:33 PM
Hello I feel as though it is my obligation to inform all trans women of my experience with Dr. Chettawut. I will start from scheduling the appointment to the very end it a.k.a. departure from Thailand. These are my experiences and I hope that I'm able to help those trying to make a decision in selecting the surgeon and or having the surgery.
Before deciding on doctor Chett I actually researched him for about five years. Constantly googling reviews and results and experiences. It was either between him or Canada. However we all know that Canada is 2 to 3 times the cost of Dr. Chett. However cost was not an issue for me technique and results Is at the top of my list. Finally I decided to contact Dr. Chettawut' office to schedule my surgery. Several days later Som replied with all the information necessary for me to move forward in the process. I immediately sent my 20% payment via wire transfer with my credit union. Which roughly came out to $2000 US. The total cost for the surgery itself is a little over $11,000 US. I felt with his technique and results he was the right surgeon for me. My surgery is scheduled for July 18, 2017. Once you agree upon a surgery date you were asked to choose one of the three hotels. I selected the vertical suite. It is upscale luck Sharee at a very reasonable cost. I was traveling alone and I booked a one bedroom suite. My room number was 8602. My hotel approximate stay was 27 days and the total cost including room service came out to $1500 US. I am traveling from Honolulu Hawaii, so I knew traveling to Bangkok would be a lot of flying hours. I booked my ticket with Korean Airlines with a layover in Inchon Korea then to Bangkok. Total cost for my flight was under $1000 US. Service on Korean Airlines is amazing the food was pleasantly good.
Anyways back to the surgery. I arrived in Bangkok 4 days prior to my surgery as recommended on Dr. Chett website. The very next day you will have a personal consultation with Dr. Chett. He will examine your private areas and tell you how the surgery will go and what to expect after surgery. At that time he will also advise if you need a skin graft. I paid for my surgery on the day of consultation with my visa credit card. If you plan on paying with your credit card there is a 4% fee that is charged along with the total cost. This is also when the office girls collect your letters of recommendation from your psychiatrist and psychologist. You will review some paperwork and sign some documents before meeting with the doctor. After the consultation with Dr. Chett, he advised me that I needed a skin graft because three years prior I had an orchiectomy which shrank my private part a little. There is an additional charge for the skin graft which is roughly $1000 US. So be prepared and have that extra money when you go on your consult with him.
I forgot to mention there is a driver that picks you up from the airport which is why you need to send a picture of yourself. Once you meet your driver at gate number for he will give you an envelope welcoming you to Thailand and advising you of your consultation with the doctor the very next day. Please be prompt with meeting the driver in the morning.
Being that my surgery was on a Tuesday I had to start the ball cleansing on Saturday Sunday and Monday. The entire weekend with no food only clear liquids and clear food a.k.a. clear soup Jell-O. Having selected the vertical sweet you are across the street from two major malls in Thailand. My favorite of the two was paradise mall. They have a farmers market on the ground level along with a healthy food store which reminded me of whole foods here in the states. That grocery store also imports stuff from the United States so if you were unsure of the Thailand Brian it's best to shop at that location. They have some of the best fruits and vegetables that I have purchased. But please make sure you wash them clean. I did my grocery shopping before my surgery because I didn't know what to expect after. My suggestion would be to purchase frozen dinners. The best brand to purchase is S&P. They are located on the ground level as well I purchase eight dinners for 345 bhat which is less than $20 US. These frozen dinners saved my life and they are so flavorful. Honestly I wish they sold it here in the states. The chicken was my favorite. Going in to Thailand to have my SRS nobody tells you to prepare prior to your surgery. To go grocery shopping purchase two cases of water and juice purchase food for you to eat because he will be bedridden for several weeks. I highly suggest you take a taxi and do your grocery shopping the very next day.
The ball cleansing program is not as bad as everybody says it is. Again everybody's experience is different but my experience was normal. Honestly it felt good to clean my system in the three days that I was given. I did not wake up and run to the bathroom in the middle of the night everything just flowed naturally. Just listen to the doctors orders and you'll be fine don't create your own way of doing things.
July 18, 2017 day of surgery. The driver pick me up at 1 PM. Dr. Chett likes to schedule his surgeries in the afternoon or early evening to better prepare. I arrived at the surgical center and was greeted by Dr. Chett and his team of professionals. You were then escorted upstairs into a room where you will just roll and put on a hospital gown and a hairnet. You will then be escorted into a weight room where you'll be able to watch TV and the nurse will go over with you the after affects following surgery. Dr. Chett Will visit with you one last time as we wait for the anesthesiologist. My surgery actually commence around 3 PM. I was then walked into the surgical room and I met the entire staff including the anesthesiologist. My IV was started on my left hand and the anesthesiologist will speak with you introduce himself and then tell you he will be putting you to sleep now and to relax. Once you are a sweep the anesthesiologist also put in the epidural block for after surgery. It is a small pump that will be placed on your right hand shoulder filled with pain medicine. You do not need to press it to get the medicine it is a slow continuous flow of pain medication for after surgery.
Upon waking up you will hear the anesthesiologist tell you to take a deep breath. You will continue taking deep breath's throughout the evening to get the excess gas out of your stomach. He does give you something so you don't get nauseous upon waking up. I was then wheeled into my recovery room and my legs spread apart with my nurse sleeping right next to me. C the nurse that spent the night with me after recovery was so pleasant. Dr. Chettawut team works so hard to make sure that we are taking care of after surgery. Some don't even see their families because they choose to stay and care for us. The very next day after surgery I had to walk down several stairs into my actual recovery room which I will stay for an additional three days. Also upon me waking up I noticed that I had a catheter in me which doctor said would happen. I felt no discomfort to the catheter in fact I got spoiled having the catheter because you don't need to go up and use the bathroom. Noi was the nurse taking care of me and she was so pleasant. Extremely dedicated to your well-being and Care after surgery. With Noi by my side I knew that I would recover even quicker. She was that ball of sunshine that I needed during my recovery.
The three days that I spent in the hospital I felt absolutely no pain. Upon waking up after the surgery I felt absolutely no pain. A little discomfort, a little tightness but never a pain. Pain was managed so well after surgery. I had an opportunity to sleep on my side which felt extreme good being that you are in bed for several days. Most of the time you are sleeping and you only wake up when they give you your medication and your breakfast lunch and dinner. Which consists of soup and hot chocolate.
The day that I was released from the surgical center and sent back to my hotel the vertical suite was the only day I felt actual pain. You are in bed for four days. And when the nurse gets you up in the morning and tells you to get ready the driver is here. You need to gather all your belongings the nurse will assist you. Get dressed and you were put into the drivers car with your donut pillow. The ride was so painful. That is the only pain I have ever felt during my entire stay in Thailand. No pain with the SRS the only pain was when I was in the car LOL.
Once you arrive at your hotel you are greeted with the wheelchair. The driver will assist you with getting into the wheelchair and it will take you up to your room. You were then tucked in and will be sleeping for the rest if the day. Until your nurse comes the following day. Doctors nurses work from 9 AM to 1 PM. Please be patient there are an extreme amount of patients that they need to see and it is only one nurse most of the time. So just please be patient. The nurse will come she would check on you make sure that you were taking your medication. She will also make sure that you were eating and you're hydrated. Not much to check being that you have your packing in place and your catheter.
About four days later you're packing will be removed and the gauze that is in your new vagina. I was very nervous on the packing removal and the removal of the gauze. C kept telling me that there will be no pain to the removal of anything. She kept telling me remember I told you the most painful part to the surgery is the removal of the drainage. Which to me was not painful when she remove them. So I took her advice listen to her voice as she slowly peel back the layers of gauze. Now for the moment of truth taking off the packing. There is a lot of packing in there and it felt like I was trying to fart. As odd as it may sound it felt like a little farts with no pain. Once everything was removed and both nurses cleaned my new genitalia it was discovered that the bottom of my vagina the skin did not have enough blood supply. The nurse will put dilator zero in to check your depth. She will put some lubrication on the dilator and stick it all the way in. Do not panic this does not hurt it just feels like pressure once she hits the wall. This happens if you were previously overweight or do you have little to no skin to work with. So during recovery I had 2 bright red sores at the bottom of my vagina right near the entrance. To me it didn't mean anything because the nurses assured me that Dr. Chett Will have to do a revision once the swelling goes down. The very next day the nurse will return and you will start your dilation with dilator zero. There is absolutely no pain to dilation I don't care what anyone says. There was no blood after dilation. All it is is just tightness and pressure no pain. Dr. has a very vigorous dilation schedule that you need to make sure you do daily. Three times a day. He will start with dilator zero then you will work your way up to dilator number one. So a week and a half later on August 4 was my postop visit with the doctor. He then explained to me that he will be doing the revision and I will be under local Anastasia. Meaning you are up while he fixes the problem area. Honestly my nerves got the best of me I started crying for no reason. But I told myself to listen to the nurses and my doctor is extremely talented there is nothing to worry about. Dr. cleaned my genitalia removed the old stitches and numbed me. The only pain I felt was the needle. During the revision I felt absolutely no pain no nothing. Noi held my hand laid next to me and told me that I was a good patient and I have nothing to worry about she told me I was beautiful she made me feel like my mom was right next to me. She made me feel like God was in the surgery room passing on that specific message. About an hour and a half later the surgery was over. I had to have the catheter put back in because I had new stitches. Honestly I don't know why people are freaking out about the catheter. Upon them putting it in did not hurt. I also forgot to mention when they removed the catheter it did not hurt either. On both occasions it just felt like you were urinating and it was burning a little. People need to relax about this catheter problem. Are you sure you it is not painful at times it was uncomfortable but for the most part enjoy it you don't need to use the bathroom and stand up all the time just go with it.
Once my revision surgery was complete I was taken back to the hotel talked back in and slept the entire 24 hours. C came to check on me the following day. She removed the packing once again and when she showed me my new lady parts I felt to tears. It was absolutely beautiful. The revision was so successful that I just couldn't stop crying. I had to leave the catheter in for another day because my surgery is too new to have any bacteria on it from urinating. My flight was scheduled to leave on August 8. I was very confident that I will have enough energy to make it through my long two flights. Whatever airline you choose please make sure you make arrangements with them to have a wheelchair service prior to you showing up at the airport and checking in for your flight to come back home. It is very important that you have wheelchair service and please make sure you tip them. The airport is very big and imagining myself walking that distance would be so painful.
My flight back home consisted of two flights Bangkok to Inchon Korea, with a three hour layover. Tenn from Inchon Korea to Honolulu Hawaii. My flight from Bangkok to Incheon was extremely uncomfortable. Make sure you have your donut pillow with you. I just keep telling myself it's a 5 1/2 hour flight take a pain pill go to sleep. Easier said than done the entire flight from Bangkok to Inchon was so uncomfortable for me. However my flight from Inchon to Honolulu was nine hours and was very comfortable. I took two pain pills on that last flight and I took one more foreign a half hours later and I was all good. The moment I got home I took a shower I ate some local food and went right to sleep. Both my parents helped me in so many ways. Oh I forgot to mention I lost about 15 pounds having done my SRS.
Today is one month postop and everything is working perfectly fine. Urinating works perfectly fine especially the spray when he comes out. It tends to leak on my left ass cheek but I understand everything is still trying to mold. My stitches from my revision is almost completely dissolved I have started with dilator number two. So currently I dilate 20 minutes with zero 20 minutes with number one and 10 minutes with number two. This is three times a day. To this very day I have no pain no discomfort and no regrets. It is extremely time-consuming a lot of washing a lot of lube a lot of dilating a lot of resting. Allow your body time to rest and recuperate. Would I do it all again yes I would, Would I recommend Dr. Chett Hell yeah he is the best surgeon that I know of. This is my opinion of course and my results is of a natural woman. And those words came straight from my mothers mouth. She cannot believe the outcome of the surgery.
Please forgive me for my grammar and the spelling of words. Being that this was an extremely long review I am using Siri to type my message. And we all know Siri is not perfect and she spells words wrong. So please read between the lines I don't have time to go back and edit everything. I just wanted everyone to know my experience and what to expect if you were getting SRS with Dr. Chett.
Quote from: Julia007 on August 26, 2017, 06:43:35 PM
Hi Live4me, thank you so much for this post. Just after making up my mind to go with Dr. Chett and making a schedule with him, I came across this message from your heart. It's amazing as I live in Honolulu too. I don't know how to send a private message to you (and I understand a lot of us actually don't want to get bothered in real life). Just want to say hello to you and wish you are recovering well and start getting your dream life on. I will soon join you. Again, thank you so much for all the details of your journey. It's like a great movie and I know I will go through the exactly same thing soon.
Hi Julia,
Welcome to the site. Thanks for jumping in and joining us.
Looks like you might have slipped between the cracks and not been welcomed. Part of why you cannot personal message yet is that you do not have 15 quality posts yet. When you do, you can then message. I am including some links at the bottom with info that includes some of those guidelines and rules.
A Cautionary Note:This is a public forum so please [remember when posting that
The Internet Never Forgets, and the various web crawlers and archival sites out may retain information that you post.
We cannot ensure that any information you share on the site will be protected from public view and/or copying or reproduction. This warning is also listed in the Terms of Service listed below.
If you give out personal information on Susan's you are responsible for any consequence.
I also want to share some links with you. They include helpful information and the rules that govern the site. It is important for your enjoyment of the site to take a moment to go through them
Things that you should read
Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,2.0.html) | Standard Terms & Definitions (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,54369.0.html) | Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar) (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,114.0.html.) |
Reputation rules (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,18960.0.html) | News posting & quoting guidelines (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,174951.0.html) | Photo, avatars, & signature images policy (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,59974.msg383866.html#msg383866) |
Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.
With warmth,
Jacqui