So I'm trying to figure out who'll be my post-SRS caregiver/helper.  The choice is between my mother and a good friend.  I think my mother would provide better overall care, but my friend would be someone I could be more comfortable around when it came to being naked and in compromising situations (e.g. "Er, can you look at this please?")  My mother and I don't have that kind of relationship.

Maybe it's the case that the post-SRS caregiver/helper typically leaves the room during dilation, nurse visits and doesn't actually see much nakedness and suchlike.  But I can imagine myself wanting to do lots of not-bothering-to-put-a-top-on-and-walking-to-the-toilet-naked kind of stuff, and there being lots of awkward moments, revealing moments, bloodiness, and things they'll never be able to unsee.

Thoughts?  Is privacy and dignity basically thrown in the trash for the first couple of weeks?

Privacy is zero! You are essentially upside down for three hours plus, your private areas are no longer private. Take someone who loves you.

And no one cares when you look like hell, everyone does.

I would also point out that depending on how young/fit you are its not by any means essential to have a caregiver.

I didn't - I was in my early to mid twenties at the time, and yes I was tired and a little sore for a few days, but I bounced back well enough, and after just a couple of weeks was amusing myself by (literally) breaking up rocks for my patio.

I think even now at 55 I could easily go it alone, and indeed would, but then I am fairly determined, and I generally have execptional stamina.

Personally I think the ideal compromise is to have someone "on call" - that is not actually there unless you call them, but available to come when needed.

I suppose it depends on how you and they want to do it. But the best method is to have someone where you can say "Hey, could you shine a light up my crotch and see if that's a loose stitch or something worse." I definitely hit "privacy zero" fast, because keeping up with all the maintenance activities was enough work without also making sure I was public-appearance-ready. Also the nurses would wander in and check stuff whenever, and the recommendation was to not wear underpants unless absolutely necessary so things could "air open," so I got used to both.

(Put another way, my caregiver was my wife, and she joked the other day when she walked in and I was splayed out naked on the bed b/c it was hot that "your crotch pointed at the door reminds me of Montreal." )

Depends where you go and when you leave hospital I guess, I didn't have to show anyone anything by the time I left hospital. Was nice to have someone else do the shopping, cooking etc. Driving my manual car was pretty bad for weeks.

Buy a hand mirror, then you don't have to ask anyone else to look at it. I really can't think of a reason why your care needs to see you naked.

Neither of my caregivers saw any more of me than a casual friend would. I allowed my friend in the consulting room while I was being shown how to dilate because she was curious, but she would have been fine if I'd asked her to wait outside.