I will, with considerable excitement, be heading to Thailand in a little under a month!
About a year ago, when I first started getting serious about having surgery, I found this board absolutely invaluable. The first-hand accounts by everyone here, with a variety of surgeons, situations and personal histories helped me narrow down my choice of surgeons, understand the procedure and recovery, and finally get my act together. So although this is my first post here on Susan's Place, I've already benefited from the community here.
My goal is, in addition to providing a diary of events for the many people in my life who have asked, to answer all the questions I once had, and contribute my own experience with preparing for SRS and Dr. Chettawut to the collection of accounts here.
I'm happy to answer questions - please feel free to ask if there's anything you'd like to know more about. I'll probably write some more as the day approaches. Who here on the forum be with Chett on overlapping days?
Timeline
- I'll be flying into Bangkok on May 3rd, with my boyfriend and his other partner (who I'm also friends with). It'll be a 20 hour flight. O.O. We'll all be staying at the Drusit Princess.
- May 8th, my mother will be flying in, while boyfriend and partner head off to do their own thing for a while (they'll be flying back on the 10th).
- On May 9th I go in for surgery.
- June 2nd, I fly back to the US with my mother. Another 20 hour flight. O.O
Preparation / Lead-upI'm a 29 year old woman living on the west coast. I have a cat, a girlfriend, a steady job and a boyfriend. I've been on HRT for two and a half years, and presenting full-time almost that whole span. I'm lucky to have a supportive family and partners.
I knew I wanted SRS as soon as I realized I was trans - there was never any doubt in my mind about what the steps would be. Hormones, presentation, laser hair removal, voice, SRS... I have several trans friends who are less certain, more exploratory, have a different list... but I knew what I wanted, and so each step has been exactly as rewarding as I'd hoped (except voice therapy, which was super hard and I still struggle with keeping up).
Late 2016, I began researching surgeons and requirements. Initially I was drawn to Preecha, but after further consideration, changed my mind to Chettawat, mostly based on large numbers of testimonials here. I went in search of SRS letters.
The first interview/evaluation for a letter, with Leah Boisen, was exactly I expected - a long session with lots of questions about personal history, the psychologist taking notes on her pad, and then a promise to send the letter within a week or two. She was pleasant and professional. I also asked her for suggestions for a second letter writer - she put out an email on a group she frequents, and several of them contacted me.
The second psycholigist I saw was Meg Manthos. She was also pleasant, and explained that she's been experimenting with shorter SRS letters - which, so far, have been universally accepted by surgeons as still meeting the WPATH requirements. We bonded over our shared ideals, that WPATH is an unnecessary hurdle.
Dr. Manthos's letter came within a week, being one page. Dr. Boisen's letter took more than a month, though to be fair, it happened over the holidays, flu season, and a move. It was 11 pages. I don't recall the exact costs - something like $75-150, far less than a few others wanted to quote me.
With letters in hand, I contacted Dr. Chettawut via the forum on his website. I got a response within 24 hours - though it was initially trapped in my spam filter, and I didn't notice it for nearly a week, despite biting my lips nervously. >.>
May 9th! We communicated several times, getting everything in order (letters, chest-xray, blood tests, flight plans), and I ran around frantically telling work that I'd be gone and asking partners if they wanted to come with. As Dr. Manthos had suggested, her single page letter - which still hit all the points in the WPATH standards - was accepted without comment.
Questions that I wish had been easier to find answers forHow long was the waiting list?
-- I don't know what's usual, but for me, it was only 8 weeks. !!! With my letters and everything else in order, I first reached out to Chettawut on March 14th, and received a response the same day, asking if May 9th would work. Maybe someone canceled, leaving a slot open?
What does it cost?
-- The surgery itself is ~$10k, though there may be a secondary operation requiring an extra $1k. The flight, from the US west coast, is ~$1200 per person. All told, I expect to spend $15k on the trip - though that could be cut down by A) not bringing a companion and B) choosing a cheaper hotel.
How did you decide on Chettawut?
-- Read lots of reviews / diaries here. Find a few surgeons that look good. Examine their websites carefully, then choose one. Read more threads here, to see if it still feels right. :shrug: Fundamentally it all boils down to gut-instinct, informed by lots of reading.
