Hi,
Next week I'll be making a final decision on doing GRS this summer with Dr Chettawut. I had initially planned on going to Dr Brassard in Montréal but he is now fully booked until mid-September which is too late for me. 
Apart from his reputation, what I liked about Montréal is that the flight from Europe is relatively short, about 6 hours versus close on 12 hours for Bangkok.
However, I am planning to stay in Bangkok for 3 weeks after the surgery, both because this is what Dr Chett's team recommends and because it gives me that much more time to recover before attempting the long trip home , door to door probably about 18 hours.
Happily the money I save by going to Chett rather than Brassard would give me the means to pay for a flight in business class which is a lot more comfortable than economy so that will no doubt count too.
Anyway, I'd be interesting in hearing from ladies who have been through the experience to get a feel for what the return trip is like.
Other than that, assuming I confirm, I expect to be in Bangkok from the 15th August until the 11th September and would be very happy to link up with anyone else who plans to be there.
Hugs
Donna 

Hey Donna,

I just wanted to wish you well with your surgery and the flight.  Sounds like you are in for quite a flight!

P.S.  Hope all is well with you. 

Have a safe trip, sweetie. And I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery. *hugs*

Oh, and don't forget the flight socks.

Congrats Donna it looks like I'll be taking one of those long flights before long too.

Donna,
Glad you have a date set, i am a little upset i will not be able to spend some time with you here in montreal 

Knowing how things feel down there if you can get where you can get the pressure and pulling off between your legs and the stitches. That is the hard part, getting as flat as you can will take a lot of the pressure off your surgery site.

Not sure if you want to attempt dilations in the airplane toilet but maybe you can find some clean area at the airport? That is going to be hard getting your time in but you will find a way.

I so wish you the best on your surgery and speed in healing.

Hugs
Isabell

Hi LTL (still no decent name??  ) & Sephirah
Thank you both and yes...it has been quite a while hasn't it? To answer LTL's question, the last few months haven't been easy for me, mostly on the work front where I knew I was in difficulty. Anyway, in spite of my best efforts, I am out of work end July and it is very hard for me to believe that my transition is not part of the story. Happily, after a very rough patch, all is not doom and gloom and over the last few weeks, an interesting alternative professional project has started to take shape in my mind. The other positive is that that I finally have the time to get my GRS done, the very last step in a very long journey. I'm delighted to able to do it but scared to death about the surgery itself. Chett says he needs 6.5 hours compared to 2.5 hours for Brassard. With two long surgeries already behind me I distinctly remember just how bad you feel coming out of a long anaesthesia but, against that, I guess I can also say that I remember how quickly we put it behind us.
Anyway, decision in principle is already taken and I expect to pay the deposit next week....
Hugs
Donna

P.S. Sephirah. Thanks for the tip on flight socks, effectively a no brainer!

   

I flew home from Suporn after close to one month post surgery, which is about his standard timeframe. While it was not at all comfortable, I don't think I would have been comfortable at any point at that stage I flew economy class; if you fly business, esp in a lay-flat seat, you'll be fine. A lot of pain meds, the donut cushion... heaps of us do it. And no, there is no need to dilate at all until you get home, even if you (like we did) get a 12 hour layover in Doha lol. So that 12 hours was more like 24. But Dr Suporn said it would be fine, and lower risk than dilating in an unsanitary space, and it was. So bottom line is that one or two months out, EVERYTHING was horribly painful, but you grit your teeth and get through it. Good luck!

Quote from: Donna E on April 25, 2014, 01:49:30 PM
Hi LTL (still no decent name??  ) & Sephirah
Thank you both and yes...it has been quite a while hasn't it? To answer LTL's question, the last few months haven't been easy for me, mostly on the work front where I knew I was in difficulty. Anyway, in spite of my best efforts, I am out of work end July and it is very hard for me to believe that my transition is not part of the story. Happily, after a very rough patch, all is not doom and gloom and over the last few weeks, an interesting alternative professional project has started to take shape in my mind. The other positive is that that I finally have the time to get my GRS done, the very last step in a very long journey. I'm delighted to able to do it but scared to death about the surgery itself. Chett says he needs 6.5 hours compared to 2.5 hours for Brassard. With two long surgeries already behind me I distinctly remember just how bad you feel coming out of a long anaesthesia but, against that, I guess I can also say that I remember how quickly we put it behind us.
Anyway, decision in principle is already taken and I expect to pay the deposit next week....
Hugs
Donna

P.S. Sephirah. Thanks for the tip on flight socks, effectively a no brainer!

   

Call me Mattie for now.

I am so sorry to hear about the work issues (I know the feeling), but I am glad that you are finally able to get the surgery done.  Maybe in the future it will be seen as a blessing in disguise and you can move onto bigger and better things.  I hope that's the case. 

My friend had surgery with Brassard and I believe she used twilight anaesthesia, at least she said she wasn't fully put out.  She said she didn't even remember much of it at all other than the very beginning.  Personally, I would want to go under, but maybe that's an option if you have the will power.

Quote from: GendrKweer on April 25, 2014, 01:53:59 PM
I flew home from Suporn after close to one month post surgery, which is about his standard timeframe. While it was not at all comfortable, I don't think I would have been comfortable at any point at that stage I flew economy class; if you fly business, esp in a lay-flat seat, you'll be fine. A lot of pain meds, the donut cushion... heaps of us do it. And no, there is no need to dilate at all until you get home, even if you (like we did) get a 12 hour layover in Doha lol. So that 12 hours was more like 24. But Dr Suporn said it would be fine, and lower risk than dilating in an unsanitary space, and it was. So bottom line is that one or two months out, EVERYTHING was horribly painful, but you grit your teeth and get through it. Good luck!

Hi,
Yes I'll actually be flying with Lufthansa (direct flight to and from Franckfurt) which provide lay-flat seats in business and it's a direct flight so, barring accidents, no 12 hour layover to worry about...

Quote from: learningtolive on April 25, 2014, 01:56:37 PM
Call me Mattie for now.

I am so sorry to hear about the work issues (I know the feeling), but I am glad that you are finally able to get the surgery done.  Maybe in the future it will be seen as a blessing in disguise and you can move onto bigger and better things.  I hope that's the case. 

My friend had surgery with Brassard and I believe she used twilight anaesthesia, at least she said she wasn't fully put out.  She said she didn't even remember much of it at all other than the very beginning.  Personally, I would want to go under, but maybe that's an option if you have the will power.

Thanks Mattie. I really loved my job so apart from practical issues about started anew at my age, there was a huge sense of loss regarding the job  itself. That being said I have more or less digested it and am now  focusing on finishing up as well as I can and creating an alternative future.
Regarding anaethesia I was aware of the method used by Brassard and like both that and the short duration of the surgery. However I don't believe this option is on offer with Chet who has his own methods. His results look very good though and he is hugely popular with the French TG community.
Hugs
Donna

P.S. Should I understand that have had problems with the job you got last autumn?   

Quote from: Heather on April 25, 2014, 01:29:09 PM
Congrats Donna it looks like I'll be taking one of those long flights before long too.

Thanks Heather and BTW, your profile photo, which I hadn't seen up until today, is really cute. Do you already know where you are planning to go?
Hugs
Donna

Quote from: Donna E on April 25, 2014, 02:29:33 PM
Thanks Heather and BTW, your profile photo, which I hadn't seen up until today, is really cute. Do you already know where you are planning to go?
Hugs
Donna

Thanks Donna I'm planning on going to Thailand early next year it looks like. I got an idea what doc I'm going with I'll say more once I get a confirmed date which I hope to get in the next month.

Remember to get up and walk around - I drove, but they reminded us OFTEN that blood clots in the legs are a concern (for anyone on a long-distance flight, actually, but the risk goes up post-op) and it's important to maintain circulation.

I had my SRS 1 of March this year at Chett and was back to work at the 27 of March. I had a very smooth transition with no complications so far apart from a sore vagina when dilating. I don't think I could have cut the recovery in a faster pace. I would say 5 weeks is minimum. This is definitely the operation of your life and you don't want to jeopardize the result by forcing your recovery.

I started my preparations one year in advance by daily exercises and bicycling to my job (20 km) to get me in shape for the op. I quit alcohol, (have never smoked), quit junk foods, ate lots of fruits, juices and vegetables etc. All that was under my control and still I must say, this was a tuff ride both fysically and mentally to say the least. The good thing for me apart from the op-result was I cut my weight by almost 25 kg.

Hi Monica,
That's very interesting feedback and a remarkably fast return to work based on what I have heard from most people who talk about 2 to 3 months. Anyway, in my own case, I'm out of work at the end of July and can afford to take  2 to 3 months off without any problem. I'll be self employed afterwards with a project which will initially have me working from home so I should be able to recover in very good conditions.
I'm also in very good health and will have 3 weeks to prepare for the surgery (20th August) after I finish my present job so I don't see any problem there. Just as well as this will be my third very long surgery in the three years from July 2011 to August 2012 ie. more than 7 hours each time. It does take a bit out of you... Probably better I don't lose 25kgs though, as I presently weigh in at just over 72kgs for 183cms.. 
Since you were also with Chett, is there anything in particular you'd like to say about the experience?
Thanks!
Donna

Quote from: Donna E on April 25, 2014, 02:20:06 PM
Thanks Mattie. I really loved my job so apart from practical issues about started anew at my age, there was a huge sense of loss regarding the job  itself. That being said I have more or less digested it and am now  focusing on finishing up as well as I can and creating an alternative future.
Regarding anaethesia I was aware of the method used by Brassard and like both that and the short duration of the surgery. However I don't believe this option is on offer with Chet who has his own methods. His results look very good though and he is hugely popular with the French TG community.
Hugs
Donna

P.S. Should I understand that have had problems with the job you got last autumn?

It's complicated.  I was a temp twice (seconded run ended a week ago) and was supposed to be promoted permanent full time until a hiring freeze blocked it.  Right now, they are apealing for the position and will likely get it as long as they prove they've increased revenue for a 3 month period.  So, I have a 6 week or so wait to find out.  But that's life and the both of us will be okay in time.

I really hope everything goes well.  You've been such a helpful person in my early transition and it's nice to see you again.  I wish you nothing but the very best!

Quote from: learningtolive on April 26, 2014, 05:01:59 AM
It's complicated.  I was a temp twice (seconded run ended a week ago) and was supposed to be promoted permanent full time until a hiring freeze blocked it.  Right now, they are apealing for the position and will likely get it as long as they prove they've increased revenue for a 3 month period.  So, I have a 6 week or so wait to find out.  But that's life and the both of us will be okay in time.

I really hope everything goes well.  You've been such a helpful person in my early transition and it's nice to see you again.  I wish you nothing but the very best!

Mattie
I've often heard it said here that transitioning is one of the most intense roller-coaster experiences a person can go through and my last few weeks would certainly meet that description as I went from very deep despair to fairly optimistic again now. I guess you can buy into that too and hopefully also into the belief that if you can handle it, you come out of it all a better and a stronger person.

In my own case, what I initially perceived as an unmitigated disaster is little by little becoming to look more and more like an opportunity:

- to get my GRS done, booked for the 20th August this morning with deposit already paid!
- to write a book I've been thinking about for quite some time and recently started.
- to set up an independent business around a few ideas that I've had in mind for a while too.

Since you mention some of our earlier exchanges I distinctly remember telling you that when things are going badly, to gain a sense of perspective, it is always good to keep in mind all the people around the world who have to deal with far more hardship than any of us. I had to do a bit of that myself in recent weeks but it actually worked and end of the day, if we want to be happy, we have no other choice than to play with the hand we were dealt and try to make the best of it.

Warmest best wishes!
Donna

 

Hmm. I was back to work in 4 weeks, and I hear most people around me talking about 4-6 weeks. The Thai surgeons might be more demanding recovery-wise, though.

(I do wish I'd taken one more week before returning, but I *could* manage it, I just was exhausted by the end of every day for a few more weeks.)

Jenna,
Chett uses a technique that is more like Supporn than Brassard. Scrotal tissue is used to form the vagina while penile tissue is used to form the labia. I guess this is more complex than the penile inversion technique and also certainly explains why the surgery lasts about 6 hours versus 2.5 hours for Brassard.  It probably also explains why recovery takes longer. Anyway, as I now have the time, a few weeks more or less is not going to make much of a difference.

As a follow up to my own original post, a bit of information for other future long distance travellers. Having spent a few hours looking around the web since yesterday, I got a business class return with Air France/KLM from Strasbourg to Bangkok (through Amsterdam on the way out and through Paris on the way back) for just over 2000€ ie. just a little over double the price in economy but with a much, much higher level of comfort, notably the 180° reclinable seats.

For a long flight after surgery which makes sitting a very uncomfortable experience plus risk of DVT, I think the extra 1000€ is a very good investment.  For GRS Chett is also 5000€ less expensive  than Brassard (8000€ versus about 13000€), so not only does this difference allow me to pay for the upgrade, it also pays for BA surgery.

Now I just have to keep focused on work for the three and a half months that remain before heading off,  with serious bouts of butterflies already every time I think about it..