SRS, BA and FFS with Dr. Suporn in Thailand
Hi all,
This is my first post on
susans.org (been reading posts for over a year and thought it was time for me to contribute back).
For anyone considering SRS, BA breast augmentation or FFS with Dr. Suporn in Thailand here is my personal experience doing all three in one visit to Thailand. The Suporn Clinic, staff and Dr. Suporn have been fantastic and my over-all impression is very positive. My wife also added some helpful comments for family, friends, spouse support the patient during the trip to Thailand.
Summary as of Feb. 14th, 2014
I am 4 weeks into a 5.5 week surgical journey here in Thailand.
The 2nd of two hospital stays was completed a bit over a week ago.
My feelings about the experiences so far are very positive and that doing SRS, BA and FFS all in one visit to Thailand was/is difficult. I am really pleased with the results thus far and pleased that so much could be accomplished in one visit. I would only recommend doing three major surgeries like this if one is in decent physical condition prior to surgery. I am 57 and when I left I was exercising for one to two hours, four to seven days per week prior to surgery but was about twenty pounds overweight. Basically in decent physical condition but nothing like an athlete. For me the first two days recovery after the second surgery was close to the maximum effort I would want to attempt.
The Suporn Clinic, staff and Dr. Suporn:
I am so very impressed with the support provided by the Suporn team.
They have considered every detail and provided answers and solutions.
Dr. Suporn is very focused on getting the best possible result for each patient.
His English is adequate for good communication about the procedures and any complications. He focuses on the medical procedures and is not one for long conversations.
Dr Suporn visits each morning during the hospital stay, and checks patients every Monday and Thursday after release from hospital.
The clinic is a pleasant place with air conditioning, free internet, coffee and water. Even if you don't have a scheduled procedure there it's a place you can read a magazine or chat with other patients, or get some advice from the clinic staff.
The Suporn staff / team:
The staff are all very friendly and focused on the well-being and care of each individual.
Dr Suporn has a large and very well trained team able to handle a wide range of issues with low stress for patients.
During both of my hospital visits one of Dr. Suporn's staff stayed the first night in the hospital on a couch near the bed in case there were any problems.
Several of the staff speak good to excellent English and are extremely helpful. They accompany patients to all procedures, outings, and make the daily visits at the hotel. There are additional nursing and office staff who do not speak much English, but they are quick to access others who do.
The clinic provides transport for all medical visits.
About once a week the Suporn staff provide a social outing for patients who are able to handle a day trip. They alternate between
1) A trip to Pattaya to shop, eat, and see botanical gardens, a cultural show, and elephant show and a zoo.
2) A trip to Dr Suporn's beach house to relax in the sun or shade, eat, relax, have a massage
They provide all medications.
The Suporn clinic also provides a giant pile of supplies everything from dialators, lube, condoms, feminine pads, bed pads (used during dilation) all medications, etc. which are delivered to the Hotel room when the patient leaves the hospital. After that, additional supplies and medication can be picked up at no cost at the clinic each day as needed.
Since moving back to the Hotel, a Suporn staff person has checked in each day to verify vital signs, go over what what rehab is to be done that day and confirm the status of medications and supplies.
They also set up appointments to remove stitches, and do checkups as required during recovery.
The Suporn clinic is one city block from the Hotel (which they require all the patients to stay at).
Having all the patients at the same Hotel makes it much easier for their staff to come to each room to check on status every day. Patients normally walk the short distance to the clinic for visits.
If the patient has BA surgery (breast augmentation) the clinic provides breast massage (M-F) during the week typically about 20 minutes with two staff people. The massage is needed to soften chest muscle tissue to create natural breast pockets.
If the patient has FFS they also provide a sun parasol and the staff provide a wonderful service with shampoo, condition and dry patient's hair every 2-3 days at the clinic. They provide the hair assistance to make sure the translated hairs have the very best chance of surviving.
My SRS and BA was on January 23rd, 2014.
After surgery everything looked a bit swollen; overall seemed reasonable for that point in healing process. Since then I have had little to no bleeding.
Healing is going very well. I am learning to deal with all the new female bits which is both wonderful and taking considerable energy and time each day. So far I am really pleased with the results.
My FFS was on February 6th, 2014.
Immediately after FFS surgery I looked and felt like a train hit me.
The amazing part is that after just a few days it was already evident that Dr. Suporn had made some wonderful improvements. A custom protective mask that goes across part of the forehead and down the nose is provided and must be worn during the hospital stay and in the evenings at the Hotel. During the day when the mask is off I can see "me" finally appear and I just cried with happiness the first few times.
Medications:
There are a half dozen bags of meds from Dr. Suporn. Several are optional depending on pain level.
I am mostly using the lowest doses and have not needed the strong pain relievers at all so far. The one exception was for two days when I had back pain. Each medication is clearly labeled with name, dosage and frequency. Every day the clinic staff count the medication to ensure it is taken properly. Additional medication is provided as needed.
Dilation:
Dr. Suporn asks patients to prioritize what is most important for SRS. I said, 1=aesthetics, 2=sensate, 3=depth (lowest priority) my vaginal depth was 16.5cm (~6.5 inches). Currently depth is somewhere between 15.5 and 16.0 cm. Considering vaginal depth was my lowest priority this seems like a very good result.
Dr. Suporn measures the initial depth after surgery and provides goals for the patients maintenance.
Dr. Suporn's initial dilatation schedule is "static" two times per day; medium size; 30 minutes each for two weeks then it switches to dynamic dilation three times a day with medium and large dilators.
15 minutes on medium focused on depth maintenance and 5 to 15 minutes on large with less depth.
Static dilation is inserting the dilator and holding it in place with light pressure.
Dynamic dilation is a combination of 50% static dilation and 50% dynamic dilation which includes a wobble motion which they teach the patient. The patient alternates between the two methods during the dynamic dilation phase. Also during dynamic dilation more than one dilator size is used. This seems to vary by patient. We are given a small, medium and large dilator. The initial recommendation was to use the medium first and large second. Patients are customizing this with some using all three sizes during a dilation session (small then medium then large).
Minor Issues:
I was attempting to cleanse after dilation when the back spasm occurred, likely a combination of strange angle and being in bed so long. The back pain resolved significantly after three days and a couple of anti-inflamatory shots the clinic administered. My guess is that the extended time on my back in the hospital and the extra weight of BA required some muscle re-training I was not prepared for. Focusing on using stomach muscles in conjunction with back muscles helped significantly. As the muscles are becoming used to the new weight distribution and the muscles are getting stronger this problem has completely resolved.
Previously I had a very healthy back without any pain so this caught me by surprise.
My wife is here and has been a fantastic support person. She has back pain from time to time and guided me through a resolution (had she not been there to support me I would have had much more difficulty with this issue).
Money:
Consider exchanging some money before leaving the airport something like $500 US dollars of baht gives you a good start on trip. You can exchange money near the hotel but you will need money soon after arriving and it can sometimes be a problem. We are spending between 250 and 1000 baht/day but are reasonably frugal with our spending. The exchange rate was ~32 baht per US dollar so $15/day per person goes a long ways.
Hospital:
Dr. Suporn has a very nice clinic and also uses several rooms on one floor at a local hospital during surgery stays. The staff at the hospital are very nice. The hospital staff (not part of the Suporn clinic) speak limited English so learning a couple Thai phrases is helpful, though not necessary. I used Google Translate at the hospital twice during my stay.
Internet usage can be purchased for about $10 for 30 days of use. The hospital has internet speed capable of running facetime or skype to talk with family.
Having to be in bed for seven days for SRS was the most difficult aspect; especially difficult on the back. On the fifth day some of the stitches and outer bandages are removed and limited walking is allowed. The fifth day I was allowed to walk back and forth across the hospital room a few times and had a shower. On the sixth day a little more waking was allowed, around the hospital wing . Packing is removed on the seventh day and the Suporn staff transported us back to Hotel.
It is too early to know for sure about the surgical results but things look very promising in all areas (aesthetic, depth, sensation). I am very pleased with the results.
The Community of Suporn patients and supportive family:
Unique to working with Dr Suporn is the fantastic community that builds up between the patients and their family and friends. Since we all stay in the same hotel, we eat together in the mornings, and develop friendships. As each new patient arrives, those already there answer questions about the local area and the surgeries and after care. Dr Suporn does a surgery each weekday, so nearly every day there is a new patient arriving, one going in for surgery, one coming out for surgery, and one leaving to go home. Do sit with other patients and take the time to get to know people. It is a wonderfully fun and engaging group, and so many questions are answered by watching and talking to those going through the process just before you. For those coming along to support the patient, it is great to make friends to go shopping or to meals with, and to visit and share life experience with. We have been here for nearly a month and have met 24 transitioning women and 15 support people from 10 countries. Transitioning women have spanned in age from 22 to late 50s. The common denominator language that most people use is English.
Aftercare Second to None:
Many patients here have been elsewhere for facial surgery (primarily Belgium and Spain) and all of them said the aftercare provided by Dr Support is far, far better than anything elsewhere. Other clinics did a couple of aftercare visits or sent patients home to check in with their providers. No one had the daily visits, the full spectrum of needed supplies, the social outings, the massage and hair care, etc. Every one of the transitioning women here has been very pleased with their care and has great confidence in Dr Suporn.
Thailand people and food:
Thai people use bottle water for all drinking, ice, and food preparation.
The people are in general very nice and welcoming, on the whole my impression of the Thai people is very positive.
Learning two phrases before arriving is helpful (the "Thai greeting" and "thank you").
Also learning that Thai people use gender-specific particles at the end of many sentences was a surprise to me (ka for women, krap for men). Interesting to come to Thailand for SRS and find out that the gender of a Thai person is part of normal language.
The food here is good and quite inexpensive.
Fruit like bananas and purple grapes are very flavorful, some of the best I have eaten.
There are also a few fruits I had not tried before like "jackfruit" and "rose apples" which I thought were delightful.
Many people are hesitant to try the local restaurants because they are open to the air and set up seating on the sidewalks. The food is very fresh and prepared safely, none of us have gotten sick from food in our month plus here, despite eating in local restaurants and buying from the food carts. We buy only freshly cooked food and it's all been delicious.
Many people start out only wanting to eat western food (there is a pizza place, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Swensen's Ice Cream, and Dairy Queen close by, further away McDonald's, Sizzler, Starbucks, etc). After a few days, most are trying and very much enjoying Thai food. The hotel restaurant is quite tasty as well and has western and Thai food. The local KFC has a Thai chicken that we tried once and is much healthier and very tasty compared to the standard American KFC.
Hotel:
The Hotel provides a very nice breakfast buffet in the mornings (included with the room cost). It is easy to eat a large morning meal and not need lunch. They have several dishes with meat and vegetables cereals and yogurt, omelet and fried eggs, Chinese rice porridge with a range of toppings, a salad bar and a fruit bar.
The Hotel has good internet which is included for free if the stay is more than 30 days which ours will be. We are staying in the lowest cost room recommended by the Suporn staff with two beds and the room is adequate (equal to a moderate to medium room in USA). The water comes out a little brown first thing in the morning for a couple seconds and then remains mostly clear the rest of the day. The water is completely fine for showers and washing. Thai tap water is not drinkable so water must be brought to the room for drinking and SRS cleansing. The hotel provides two liters per day per person. The Suporn clinic will deliver cases of bottled water for a reasonable cost. If there is a support person with the patient a coin-operated reverse osmosis station is down the street about two blocks where you can re-fill a giant six liter bottle for about 20 cents (US). Or a new six liter bottle can be purchased for around $1.25 (US).
The room includes a refrigerator, TV, desk and one chair. The TV only has one English speaking channel (happens to be the SCIFI channel which I enjoy.) It may not be the same SCIFI channel seen in the US as it was running very old reruns of the Green Hornet TV series which I found enjoyable. We found the hotel room quite comfortable. The staff are friendly and they have been bringing a nice fruit plate once a week during our stay.
Laundry:
The hotel provides laundry ($1.80 US for a shirt), but it will really add up throughout your visit. If you have a support person (or make a friend of one, which is easy to do) they can take the clothes two blocks down the street and use a coin-operated washing machine for about $0.75 US per load. There is no dryer; clothes hung out in the hotel room dry during the day. We got a bunch of plastic hangers and used the ledge in front of the window to hang clothes for drying about twice per week.
Power:
The power in Thailand is 220V 50Hz and most outlets accept either flat or round plugs.
Devices which are rated 120V to 240V work fine. Devices that require "120V only" require a converter. I purchased a Yhddz 200 watt model YDH200W for about $15 and it seems to work great with our toothbrush. The laptops, ipads, and cell phone chargers were all rated for the voltages and worked great without any adapters. Just check the voltage rating before plugging in something.
Shopping:
There is a small shopping mall just over the cross walk within a couple blocks of the hotel. On the first floor is a 20 Baht Store ($0.75) that has most of the things you might want (hangers, clothespins, wash cloths etc). On the 3rd floor is a grocery store with snacks, laundry detergent, etc.
A large indoor shopping market for electronics and clothing at low prices is a slightly longer walk, and there are indoor and outdoor markets for food, clothing, cloth, and prepared food within easy reach.
A large shopping mall (western style) is available within a ten minute taxi ride of the Hotel.
Prices are very reasonable, and vary by the style of the shop. If you are a bargain hunter, look for the markets and market stalls to buy. Many shops in Chonburi do not carry larger sizes, so you may have some difficulty finding nicer clothing that fits. Tailor-made clothing is available and they will work from photos with cloth you select.
I was careful to listen to the Suporn team "do not go shopping" the first several days after being released from the hospital. While the meds allow one to "feel" good enough to do things, the body really isn't ready for it.
Vacation:
Plan any tourist activities for before your surgery dates. My personal experience is that patients should not expect to travel much if at all around Thailand and the focus needs to be on recovery to avoid stressing the seven hundred-ish SRS stitches. To me focusing on recovery meant getting in only as much exercise as the body is ready for. That may mean walking to elevator and then to the hotel restaurant and back or it may mean walking down the street one city block and back. Expecting to be able travel after surgery seems problematic. Some of the women did far more than I wished to attempt. Often they spent the next day or two resting in bed.
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Personal summary:
Transition surgery is difficult and has been easier for me with my wife providing support.
The Suporn team has been wonderful and I recommend the entire team.
The experience and results thus far have meet or exceeded my expectations in most areas.
My wife and I were both very impressed with the level of care and consideration for all the details large and small.
