How was your experience, even if it was at the old recovery house in the past and for all new ones
Was brassard indepth? Or vague? about answering your questions.
Was brassard around post op just to see if you were ok?
Any extra input positive or negative would greatly be appreciated!
The experience was great, the staff is amazing. If you need to talk or a shoulder to cry on they are there for you. Between Allan's goofiness and Carol saying "poo poo pills" in her heavy french accent.
Brassard was very good with answering any questions I had, even the nurses were good.
Brassard was there every other day checking up on people. On my last day he did a checkup and I ended up crying and he sat down and talked me. He is a very humble man.
Only complaint I had was they knew I was diabetic but the food options at time were not overly diabetic friendly. I later found out that if I paid extra I could have had custom meals.
Overall it was a good experience...like family.
Quote from: pkmvancouver on July 27, 2010, 05:12:13 PM
The experience was great, the staff is amazing. If you need to talk or a shoulder to cry on they are there for you. Between Allan's goofiness and Carol saying "poo poo pills" in her heavy french accent.
Brassard was very good with answering any questions I had, even the nurses were good.
Brassard was there every other day checking up on people. On my last day he did a checkup and I ended up crying and he sat down and talked me. He is a very humble man.
Only complaint I had was they knew I was diabetic but the food options at time were not overly diabetic friendly. I later found out that if I paid extra I could have had custom meals.
Overall it was a good experience...like family.
lol I really wanna meet this "Allan" guy!
Did they have guys holding you up on your first walk, or wheel chair transfer vs weak girls?
I was sick the first few days. But if I recall my first walking attempt was stand up and almost faint, there was 2 people helping me up and holding me. My second attempt there was 2 once again, but once I got walking and holding onto the IV stand I was fine. When they wheeled me back to the recovery house (the guy was cute, Chris is his name). Allan followed me up the stairs in case I needed help up the stairs.
Allan rocks! he sings and dances and has an uncanny ability to put smiles on peoples faces.
Quote from: pkmvancouver on July 27, 2010, 07:55:35 PM
I was sick the first few days. But if I recall my first walking attempt was stand up and almost faint, there was 2 people helping me up and holding me. My second attempt there was 2 once again, but once I got walking and holding onto the IV stand I was fine. When they wheeled me back to the recovery house (the guy was cute, Chris is his name). Allan followed me up the stairs in case I needed help up the stairs.
Allan rocks! he sings and dances and has an uncanny ability to put smiles on peoples faces.
lol i dont want my stitches to split if he makes me laugh to hard!
laughing isn't too bad, it's those random sneezes that sneak up on you, OUCH!!!!
Allan isn't there anymore, other than that I can only echo the other ladies comments.
Wendy
Allan isn't there anymore, that is a shame. He created such a good vibe there.
Quote from: pkmvancouver on July 28, 2010, 09:42:32 AM
Allan isn't there anymore, that is a shame. He created such a good vibe there.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
lol oh wells I speak french so ill make them Joke around :P
Hi Sara... My surgery was when they still had the recovery house. Staff was great... food was great... all good.
Surgery was less than satisfactory. I understand they don't require electrolysis anymore. I strongly urge you to have electrolysis anyway. I didn't and I now regret that decision. Use your imagination as to the results.
Good luck.
Quote from: cher_m on August 09, 2010, 02:58:23 PM
Hi Sara... My surgery was when they still had the recovery house. Staff was great... food was great... all good.
Surgery was less than satisfactory. I understand they don't require electrolysis anymore. I strongly urge you to have electrolysis anyway. I didn't and I now regret that decision. Use your imagination as to the results.
Good luck.
how long ago was that, they have a new recovery house right beside the hospital now.
Quote from: SaraR on August 09, 2010, 03:08:22 PM
how long ago was that, they have a new recovery house right beside the hospital now.
2004. Yes, I've heard about the new place. When I went, the recovery was in a 10 bedroom mansion on a small island shared with another house with a single lane bridge to the mainland.
I have some other problems too, but may have something to do with my own physiology. So there's no mistake, I like Dr. B. He's an artist, for sure. A couple months after coming home, I had to see a urologist (pretty common uti after srs). That initial consultation was interesting. I told the doctor I was trans and he said, "You mean you want to be a man?" lol. His reaction to seeing my vagina was, and I quote, "It's beautiful!"
Before I traveled to Montreal, I was concerned about not having enough time to adequately do 3 or 4 recommended scrotal electro sessions. I
really wanted the moved up date they offered and asked to speak to Dr. B before consenting to the new date. He assured me, by phone, that the cauterization process he does on the skin in the or prior to surgery would prevent hair regrowth. Clearly, it didn't work for me. Trust me.... you DON'T want that. Now, unless he's changed to an inverted penile procedure, I strongly urge you to have electro first. Think of it as cheap insurance.
As for your original question though, I can't imagine anyone providing better after care in the 10 days following srs than what I received from Dr. Brassard's staff.
I rather go without the electro session down there, I have enough of my face! lol they do indeed have a new recovery house right beside the hospital now! Ill post the most pics I can.
Quote from: cher_m on August 09, 2010, 03:50:11 PM
He assured me, by phone, that the cauterization process he does on the skin in the or prior to surgery would prevent hair regrowth. Clearly, it didn't work for me. Trust me.... you DON'T want that. Now, unless he's changed to an inverted penile procedure, I strongly urge you to have electro first
This concerns me! Ive had no eletro down there. Cher did you resole the issue if so was it hard to resolve?? Dr Brassard says hair removal isn't necessary but I DONT WANT HAIR IN MY VAGINA!
I'm a Brassard girl and as recommended I didn't have any electro in that area prior to surgery. It's been almost 6 years now and there'd hasn't been any regrowth at all.
Steph
Quote from: Steph on August 20, 2010, 07:03:52 AM
I'm a Brassard girl and as recommended I didn't have any electro in that area prior to surgery. It's been almost 6 years now and there'd hasn't been any regrowth at all.
Steph
OMG Thanks Steph!! This is good news. :) Any others Brassard girl care to share their experience it would be appreciated.
Quote from: Steph on August 20, 2010, 07:03:52 AM
I'm a Brassard girl and as recommended I didn't have any electro in that area prior to surgery. It's been almost 6 years now and there'd hasn't been any regrowth at all.
Steph
Quote from: Jessica.C on August 20, 2010, 07:53:54 AM
OMG Thanks Steph!! This is good news. :) Any others Brassard girl care to share their experience it would be appreciated.
I'm really curious about this too. The info they sent says you need to be hair free for a year or something before surgery if you do get any work done down there, and I can't wait that long! I just sent my stuff in to them and hope to schedule asap.
Quote from: mija on September 04, 2010, 12:49:05 AM
I'm really curious about this too. The info they sent says you need to be hair free for a year or something before surgery if you do get any work done down there, and I can't wait that long! I just sent my stuff in to them and hope to schedule asap.
Awe How EXCITING!!! ;D
Quote from: mija on September 04, 2010, 12:49:05 AM
I'm really curious about this too. The info they sent says you need to be hair free for a year or something before surgery if you do get any work done down there, and I can't wait that long! I just sent my stuff in to them and hope to schedule asap.
That is curious. He may have changed his procedure. I just dug out the info package I received from his office back then to confirm, and this is what it said:
QuoteELECTROLYSIS
Hair removal on external genitals before male to female reassignment surgery is debatable.
Hair baring skin on the penis shaft base with the one step technique stays outside the neo vagina. The skin that will become the internal lining of the new female genital area is the rest of the penis skin, scrotal skin, and a small "perineal flap" (a one square inch of skin that is located one side above the anal margin on the midline). If you want a perfect hair free vagina, you need to be sure that no regrowth of hair has occurred on the area for at least one year after you have finished electrolysis or laser. Even then this does not guaranty that no hair will ever grow.
The hair root are either killed or weaken by electrolysis or laser. Those only weakened will regrow. During surgery hair roots are killed with cauthery on the scrotal skin that is used as a graft (not on the "perineal flap"). During surgery, the hair roots that were only weakened are less visible because they are much smaller than those found in untreated areas and could be missed by the surgeon and regrow later. For this reason, in our experience, expeditive laser or electrolysis treatments are worse than not having hair removal at all. In fact, we can get most hair roots during surgery if they were not weakened. Regrowth after our surgery is possible but very sparse.
If you want no regrowth at all, you will have to face hours of pain having hair removed and a one year none growth period.
At this time, we do not feel that hair removal is indicated.
AS I mentioned I have had no regrowth except in those areas where I wanted the hair to grow.
Steph
I'm a Brassard girl Class of January 2010 ;D and I havn't had any regrowth.Part of the reason I went to him was because he didn't reqiure hair removal.I had laser on my face and that was enough for me ::)
Ashley
Quote from: juststarting on September 04, 2010, 08:20:19 AM
hair removal.I had laser on my face and that was enough for me ::)
Ashley
Me Too, If you think the face hurts you should try the
hands and feet! :icon_yikes:
Almost done with my arms just had the first treatment to the legs about five more to go,.. if im lucky
I did have some problems with hairs showing up, despite the promises made by Dr. B's clinic. Not that they have caused any problems or infection, as best I know.
They started showing up during dilation and about a year or so after my GRS. They are very small, and look pretty foreign to the area.
I believe this is kind of a hit or miss proposition. For me, if I had to do it over, I may have had the electrolysis prior to the GRS. This however, would have been an extra investment of time, money and discomfort. Whether you do this trade off will be up to you.
Thnx Jessica I'm so excited it's been a long time coming :)
For the girls that had no regrowth it's really encouraging but I wonder if it's just the individual and a little bit of luck? Perhaps the same person that had an easier time at electro/laser would also have no regrowth post-cauterization and vice versa? My electrologist said the only way for her to get them post-op would be with laser...which is scary in itself since I'm a horrible laser candidate. Regardless I'll probably have to take my chances.
I'm sorry that happened to you Julie. What happens if one of them gets infected? Is there a surgical procedure?
I'm not aware that anything can be done post-op. That's why I think it might be worth doing just to be sure.
Infections? I'm not aware of anything except your typical yeast infection. Those have been handled with douching, and special care with wiping and cleaning-you're typical stuff.
Dr. Brassard said me if not necessary have a hair removal before srs, because cauterize hair by hair and not recommanded electologis before srs.
Dr. Brassard performed my GRS a while back and all I can say is wow! From start to finish it was a smooth process! He is an amazing Plastic Surgeon, not only did he take the time to answer the questions that I had, but he ensured that my after care was amazing. Honestly, it was like staying at a 5 star hotel with nurses that look after your every need. After care for me was a very important part of my healing. Dr. Brassard even called me multiple times when I got back to NY to help answer the questions that I had. Prior to booking my surgery date, I met with different surgeons in the US, UK and Thailand. I decided on Dr. Brassard because I was so impressed with my consultation and tour of the after care facility! My results are amazing and I did not have any complications. There is nothing but great things I can say about Dr. Brassard and his practice. I recommend him to any one that might be considering GRS in Montreal.
XOXOX
Gia