***Mods - In my absence I've forgotten various guidelines of the forum. I believe it's okay to post surgical related questions in this forum but perhaps Safe Haven would be more appropriate. I haven't requested access to that side of the site again yet though. Kindly move my post where you feel it fits most appropriately (just let me know as, if it's moved, I'd still like you have access to it to read any potential comments.)***
Hi everyone,
I used to be a regular on this forum until stepping away to focus on life and my transition more. For those who may remember me, I used to be "dreamer_grl" on here but figure the "2.0" amendment is appropriate.
A few quick updates on my transition status. I don't recall what stage I was at when I last posted here but, currently, I have been on HRT for over 3 years and living full-time for just over a year of that time. I have a couple major surgeries on my horizon such as SRS in December (woo!!), and FFS is in September (so soon!!!). Both surgeries will be done in Montreal and I'm predicting a rough road ahead given how close together they are. But hey, I am almost nearing the end of the hardest parts of my transition which is pretty surreal.
I'm curious if anyone has any experience/comments/information/whatever regarding Dr. Bensimon in Montreal for FFS. I have chosen to move forward with him due to cost and that I'd like to stay in Canada for such a major surgery. During my research with Bensimon, I struggled to find much negative about him. He appears very reputable, has high ratings on various sites and experiences I've read have been quite positive. This reassures my decision, however, a concern I have with him is that he tends to not be as aggressive as, say, someone like Dr. Zukowski in Chicago. He apparently strives for a natural, harmonious look (both are good)...but can be subtle.
This subtleness concerns me a bit as I wonder if his work will be sufficient. We had a consultation and he showed me photos of some of his work, including ones from his site, but I left it feeling somewhat underwhelmed. Whereas photos on Dr. Zukowski's site gave me more of a 'wow' feeling. I don't want to base my thoughts on photos however given how easy it is to edit them.
Despite feeling underwhelmed by Dr. B's site and concerned about his apparent subtleness, as mentioned above, I had a very hard time finding negative reviews on his work and he did make me feel comfortable during our consultation (as comfortable as one can be discussing their face being cut off LOL). So this is why I'm more curious about other people's experiences and input rather than trusting online photos and basing things on the few, albeit positive, reviews I've found.
- May I ask, have you had/Or know someone who's had experiences with Dr. B? Positive and/or negative.
- For those who went with a different surgeon, did you travel internationally? How was that experience? I've wondered about it and what traveling is like with a passport photo that looks like you on your way out of your country...but no longer like you on your way back.
Thank you in advance for any comments.
~Holly
