When I had my orchiectomy(castration) with Dr. Murray Kimmel in Philadelphia, PA in 2007, all I had done transition-wise was remove some of my facial hair with laser hair removal and electrolysis (No estrogen yet). I had never seen a therapist. Dr. Kimmel only required a money order for $2,000 and he would perform the surgery. Since that time, he has closed his practice. I'm wondering what the community here feels about this. I never regretted the surgery. Within a week of the procedure, I lost all the acne I had on my back and arms. That was one of the biggest physical changes, but mentally I felt incredible. Everything was able to be seen so much more clearly.

Personally, I think medical care that brings our body in line with our gender should be an absolute right on the same level as any other medical care. We shouldn't need a therapist's permission to be made whole.

If you look carefully you will find a hint to someone doing it at even a lower cost these days.


*hugs*

I'm sort of lucky in the respect that I have a history of orchalgia on the left testicle.  It's been bad enough at times that it bent me double including the day my wife and I were to light the Advent candle and were sitting on the front row at church.  Plus medical protocol calls for my right testicle to be removed due to a 10x higher cancer risk.  So when my therapist said she would recommend an orchiectomy she was going to refer me to a surgeon.  However my urologist is going to do it and run it through my insurance as medically needed not mentioning transgender at all.

There are still surgeons in parts of the country who will do an orchiectomy on informed consent.  One does them in his office for around $2500.  Another does it outpatient at a hospital for around $5000.  I just worry about a someone with a fetish who later regrets what they did.  As far as transgender people, with screening, I don't see why not.

Quote from: BeverlyAnn on March 06, 2016, 05:20:46 PM
So when my therapist said she would recommend an orchiectomy she was going to refer me to a surgeon.  However my urologist is going to do it and run it through my insurance as medically needed not mentioning transgender at all.

You might tell them if you plan on having GRS later...
there are procedures which leave few scar tissue and leave much remaining tissue.
They might even ask a GRS surgeon.... some are very willing to help.


hugs

Quote from: Laura_7 on March 06, 2016, 05:25:57 PM
You might tell them if you plan on having GRS later...
there are procedures which leave few scar tissue and leave much remaining tissue.
They might even ask a GRS surgeon.... some are very willing to help.


hugs

Laura, I emailed Dr. McGinn's office a few weeks ago.  They recommended a lateral incision which will probably be best anyway.  My right side was undescended as a child and an orchipexy was done.  Over the years it's reascended so lateral will probably help him get better access to it.

Quote from: BeverlyAnn on March 06, 2016, 06:27:38 PM
Laura, I emailed Dr. McGinn's office a few weeks ago.  They recommended a lateral incision which will probably be best anyway.  My right side was undescended as a child and an orchipexy was done.  Over the years it's reascended so lateral will probably help him get better access to it.

Wish you luck and a fast healing.

Here were some hints, you might talk them through with your doc:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,200619.msg1783878.html#msg1783878


*hugs*

Quote from: BeverlyAnn on March 06, 2016, 05:20:46 PM
There are still surgeons in parts of the country who will do an orchiectomy on informed consent.  One does them in his office for around $2500.  Another does it outpatient at a hospital for around $5000.  I just worry about a someone with a fetish who later regrets what they did.  As far as transgender people, with screening, I don't see why not.

Is this typical, though? I mean, yes, I know there are people who have fetishes of being eaten by cannibals (big court cases in Germany over what consent meant in that case). However, aside from some bizarre medical conditions most people flip the **** out if they think a necessary, integral part of their body is about to be cut off. It's part of the reason cis people hate trans people so much because they think we're perverted to remove to them "necessary" parts (to us, parts that don't belong there).

You'd think a simple conversation with the patient would disambiguate why they are doing this. Now, as for insurance companies (if involved), they love to church paperwork, the more the better.