surgeons

[Teri Jean]

I am at the point in my transition where I need to pick a surgeon for my GRS. I have looked at Dr. Bowers and Dr. McGinn and also Dr. Murphy. Please advise as to your experiance and the Dr. you chose. Thank you all

Teri

[Katesback]

Take a pick or spin the dice. The problem with asking this question is that it is the same as asking what motor oil to use in your car. There could be a debate that goes on and on.

I have a few tips.

1. Pick a doc that is known to be doing the surgery often and with a decent number of opperations in his past. Simple enough.

2. Two ask yourself how much you want to pay. Some doctors charge less for the same service. YES THE SAME JOB. SRS is not exactly rocket science comparred to say FFS which is where I suggest girls get REAL pickey.

3. Pick a doctor based in reasonable expectations. I did not pick my doctor because of his personality. Heck I was sleeping through the event. I also did not pick a doctor based on if they themselves are TS.

4. Five look at the pictures of thier work. If you are REAL you will know where to look.

5. Finally if you like a doctor and are willing to pay his price then at that time ask POST-OP girls who have went to him if it all worked out.
You have to be careful though since many of the girls will be all gung ho about thier doctors and you have unreasonable stories of perfection and such. Asking if they had any issues is a good question and one that can get to the point.

I NEVER endorse my doctor. I am wise enough to know that any of the big name doctors will do a good job! I am also wise enough to know that some will do the same job for a lot less money. I said it twice because personally I dont think a lot of TS girls have tons of money for surgery. Also I always suggest saving the bulk of your funds for FFS if thats in your future. Since it is for most of us (even though at the time some of ya read this you wont agree, remember I know better) the best money we could ever spend to live in society in the least noticible way.

Theres my two cents. I realize some will not agree with me and thats fine, if there is one thing I learned working with trans girls is that most of what they hear goes in one ear and out the other.

Katie

[Teri Jean]

Thank you Katie. I agree with you in that surgery is what it is and many will give their opinion in favor of their docs. I am looking for the obvious of aftercare and the cost. I had back surgery a decade ago and that surgeon was almost rude but he had the best hands going for micro surgery and yes the snooze was just that. Take care and thank you again. Teri

[luvSophia]

Personally I am going to Thailand because of the costs and to the specific surgeon I chose because of very strong recommendations. I have met Dr. McGinn though and I know several women who went to her for their surgery. All of them highly recommend her. As far as aftercare is concerned pretty much any surgeon you choose is going to be too far away for routine checkups. I plan on relying on my local healthcare system.

[Teri Jean]

Thank you Sophia. I think a lot of the decissions are made buy cost and location. If you have the resources and live in a vicinity where the commute is shorter then one will choose not to travel. If the cost was more of a concern I would be flying to Thailand also. As far as the after care it is more the immediate care more than the longer term care. Thank you for writing. Hugs Teri

[Frances]

How come so few Americans consider Dr. Brassard as an option? At least, that is my impression from this site. I may not be true of the trans population in general.

[EnglishRose]

How come so few Americans consider Dr. Brassard as an option? At least, that is my impression from this site. I may not be true of the trans population in general.

My therapist speaks very highly of Dr. Brassard. She's had happy clients that have gone to him.

[Zenith]

I don't have the energy to get into a debate here, but I talked to Dr. Bowers at length about the different surgeons and they most certainly DO NOT all use the same technique.

Some require a second stage labiaplasty (not listed as a requirement, but will be needed for appearance), some "....put tissue through a grinder...", and some end up with "....cheesecloth...." in place of a layer of squamous epithelium as a lining.

You owe it to yourself to get as much information as possible and realize that cutting corners here is a bad idea. Your sensation, urinary function, bowel function, sexual function, appearance to partners and yourself, susceptibility to infections, etc... are all on the line here and there are no guarantees even with the best surgeons...go into this informed...

[Jorja]

Hi Teri,
If you do not want to travel to Thailand, then there are three that I recommend. Dr. Bowers, Dr. McGinn, and Dr. Brassard. In no particular order. There may be others but I have not heard much about them. Dr. McGinn did my srs and she did a wonderful job. I had no problems afterward and healed nicely. Had I been local to her area, I am told that the aftercare is top notch. I am very happy with what she has done. I believe Katesback has a valid point in spending your money for the FFS because the results will be the most visible to others. Do not be in a hurry to pick a doctor. Learn all you can about them and thier previous results.

[Frances]

[...]some "....put tissue through a grinder...", and some end up with "....cheesecloth...." in place of a layer of squamous epithelium as a lining.

That sounds scary. Is that a fact?

[CharleneT]

How come so few Americans consider Dr. Brassard as an option? At least, that is my impression from this site. I may not be true of the trans population in general.

You know, we do tend to discuss only a few of the docs that do SRS. World wide there are a fairly large number of surgeons trained for this. I think each group tends to concentrate on those that they hear something about, often the reports of their friends. Maybe it is a geographic thing ? Are most of the TS folks on this board from the US ? I've heard good reports about Dr. Brassard, although only a few.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

You did not mention Dr. Toby L. Meltzer in Scottsdale, Arizona. I plan to go to him. My sister, Monica had her surgery several years ago by him and she swears by him.

I think Kaitlyn Michelle just had her surgery performed by Dr. Meltzer. She says that she is completely satisfied with all of her experience.

I am sure that there are a lot of excellent surgeons out there -- and maybe a few not so good.

Surgery is big time stuff - and it pays to investigate fully before you have it done by just anyone.


JoAnne Wheeler Bland

[luvSophia]

How come so few Americans consider Dr. Brassard as an option? At least, that is my impression from this site. I may not be true of the trans population in general.
Personally, I have heard nothing but good comments about Dr. Brassard. However, travel to Canada is not possible for me and finances pretty much dictate a trip to Thailand.