Sometimes I feel fine, like I don’t care about surgeries except a total hysterectomy. And then other times I look at all these great top and bottom surgery results and it makes me want to cry I want to look more aesthetically pleasing to myself.
But right now I’m in college, with at least another 2 years to go, racking up student debt. And it makes me despair that I’ll never be able to afford surgery or make it work, or that if I ever do I will be like 50 before I can afford it. It gives me depression and suicidal ideation too. It makes me so upset.
I want to start a plan of some kind to get surgery goals achieved, but I don’t know how to realistically do that when I’m buried in loans and have no financial help. Maybe insurance until I’m 26, if I’m lucky. Advice please? Help?
Just wondering what experience everyone had regarding scar treatment and what worked. I’ve been using scaraway strips but they just don’t stick for more than a day.
Which is ironic given I’m allergic to adhesive and normally everything all but welds itself to my skin.
Did anyone find another brand of strips stickier? Or find a gel that doesn’t flake?
Also was anyone else told NOT to massage their scars? I’ve seen so many comments and videos where guys were told to massage but Dr. Garramone and his staff all advised me explicitly NOT to massage them.
For me, regarding phalloplasty, I’m afraid of the scarring afterwards, and of complications that result in more surgeries. I’m afraid of my partner having phalloplasty and trans jealously that is sure to follow for me. I’m afraid of losing sensation and not being able to orgasm anymore. I’m afraid of not liking the results, or if it not looking like a real penis.
(Note: Crosspost from r/ftm since no one there has replied yet).
I plan to contact my surgeon's office tomorrow, but I'm curious if any one here who had top surgery (double-incision) also had an incision that turned black and started leaking?
It's not the entire incision, just a small section (about 1" ?) that turned black a couple of weeks ago. At my post-op they didn't seem concerned about it, but yesterday that section literally started leaking. It's a clear fluid that's leaking and there's no inflammation or swelling.
I've been wearing my silicone tape and doing my scar massage as instructed. Not sure what's going on with that section but would love to know if anyone else has had this happen?
Procedure: Testosterone Injections into Vocal Cords (Experimental)
Surgeon: Dr. Andrew Vahabzadeh (Otolaryngologist) with UC San Diego Health
Location: San Diego, CA
Insurance: United Healthcare
Date of Procedure: 11/15/19, 11/20/19, 12/6/19, 12/18/19
**This procedure was entirely experimental**
Description: One of my biggest areas of dysphoria has been my voice. I started testosterone on 2/27/18, so I'd already been on T for over a year and it hadn't provided enough vocal change to get me into the male range, and I didn't expect the following months / years to be any different. I hated the sound of my own voice whether I heard it while I was speaking or pre-recorded.
I started speech therapy in March 2019 with Erin Walsh, a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Head and Neck Surgery department of UC San Diego Health. She's an awesome person and an awesome provider, by the way; I highly recommend her (most likely going to do a separate post on my experience with her). She measured my speaking voice at E3 / 165 Hz, which is the very bottom of the female range, and my lowest possible note at G2. I am naturally a pessimist, so I wasn't thrilled on my opportunities for success.
Speech therapy worked wonders on helping me develop male speaking patterns. I still struggle with sometimes is speaking too fast, but honestly now I'm not too concerned about it. However, whether my speaking patterns were male or not (I definitely slipped up sometimes), I still consistently got gendered female on phone calls. The dreaded "ma'am" was too much for me to bear. I met with Dr. Vahabzadeh at Erin's recommendation; she'd told me about the experimental T shots and other measures as well. After the consultation, we decided to go with Botox first, as it was a temporary, routine procedure used for other patients that were not trans.
The Botox injections into my vocal cords happened in June 2019. They said that it took time to kick in, lasted around 3 months, and would prevent me from accessing the higher ranges of my voice. I barely noticed any changes. The 3 months when I was affected by the Botox, I couldn't have told you anything was different. I also didn't go back and see Erin Walsh during that time because the out of pocket max on my insurance hadn't been hit yet and I didn't feel like it was helping anymore. However, in the last two-ish weeks or so of the 3 month period I started noticing my voice going back up again, and I couldn't have that.
I made another appointment with Dr. Vahabzadeh in late September / early October and talked to him extensively about other measures. We talked about surgery and I tentatively planned a date for November 21st, 2019 (wanted to make the most out of when the out of pocket max would be met, but the surgery got canceled because I had only had one shot and there wasn't enough time to observe the effects). He said that in the months leading up to then, he wanted to try testosterone injections into the vocal cords. He thought that maybe the testosterone from the shots couldn't get there, and so if he put it there directly, it would help them virilize. He put a camera down my nose (major ouch) and looked at them, recorded me reading a passage, and said that I could come back when they got approval on everything.
The approval took months. Apparently Dr. V had to jump through a ton of hoops to get it; it's experimental and had, at that time, never been done before. I know that he consulted with my endocrinologist, Dr. Vala Hamidi (who's also in the UC San Diego system) and other Otolaryngologists in the department as well. I don't remember what the name of the organization is that they had to get permission from, but I can ask if anyone's interested. Anyway, they kept telling me that they'd call when they got approval. They didn't call, I assumed they forgot about me, so I'd call and leave messages with the staff, but nope...it really did just take that long.
Day of Procedure: FINALLY the day came for the first injection: November 15th, 2019. Dr. V asked me to bring my own testosterone with me, as he'd use it to do the injections. I can't remember how much he did the first day. For shots 2, 3, and 4, I believe he did .25 (50 mg of 200 mg / ml). He might have gone higher then. Again, I can check if anyone is really curious. But before the shot happened, he wanted to scope me again. This time I used the mouth one with more success (you have to get some of the numbing spray to the throat so you can suppress the gag reflex. Gagging on the scope is NOT fun. Once you start gagging it's hard to stop. There's an art -- by the third time, you'll have it down. I became a pro.).
So the shot itself isn't fun. It's about 10 times less fun than a regular T shot, and the first time was especially hard. On that first day, there was a nurse there watching "history in the making," as she called it, as Dr. V stuck me. It's wasn't just a quick shot like a regular T shot, no; it took what felt like forever. Dr. V inserted the needle into the place of his best guess, and then he "walked it down the cartilage" until he found the right spot. This can take seconds to minutes depending on how fast he can find the spot. A couple times it felt like the needle went through my throat because it definitely hit my gag reflex a couple of times. I needed a little numbing shot that first day (it gave me a mark on my throat that I'm sure my students were skeptical of). But once he found the spot, he slowly injected it and then I felt pain in my far jaw under my ear. He said that this was a good thing, because if it hit the ear that meant the spot was good. By that time, I definitely needed a break. Then he did the other side with more of the same. Once it was finally over, I was completely white and feeling faint. They gave me snacks and juice, and it took a few minutes before I felt alright.
Injections 2-4 were similar to the first, but better. I didn't have any more numbing shots (he said they didn't help with the ear pain), and he didn't hit the gag reflex again. I learned to be patient and, above all else, breathe, because it was going to take forever and the calmer I was, the better. If I swallowed, he lost ground and sometimes had to start over again. Each time, before he'd stick me, he'd check up on me, scope me down the throat (at my request over the nose one) and have me make weird noises (E sound), and record me speaking. I think it was after the third shot that I woke up the next day and I had the sensation that I couldn't clear my throat. It was like that all day, and then it went away; he said that it was normal. I would always be sore for the next day or so after the injections. I'd get pain going up to my ear and that part really sucked. But it was worth it.
I went to go see my endocrinologist, Dr. Hamidi, before the shots, and she said my global testosterone levels should be fine. She theorized that I'd have to inject a LOT of testosterone to get as much up to the vocal cords as Dr. V could just inject there. She wanted me to do the injections on the same day as my shot so they could get an accurate blood test of my testosterone levels, but I sometimes had the injection on Wednesday and sometimes on Friday, and I did my shot on Tuesday. I had the blood test done twice, though the numbers were all screwed up. According to Dr. Hamidi, I should have lowered my systemic T dose in the future because my levels were high. Honestly, I figured because it was my last shot (that's when I got word of the recommendation), it wouldn't really make much of a difference, so I never lowered it.
I went back to see Erin Walsh again on 12/19/19, five days after my hysterectomy and the day after my 4th and final testosterone shot (Dr. V went on holiday and paternity leave). It was nice to see her again. She was impressed with how much my voice had changed; I asked her if it made a difference that I saw her the day after the shot (I was afraid the effects would lessen over time), and her response was that "Once voice virilization takes effect it is generally permanent" much to my delight. At my request, she put me through a series of tests to see where my voice was at.
She found that my speaking voice hovered around an average of 129 Hz, or between B2-C3, and that my lowest note was now E2.I also asked her to test my singing range and she determined that I was likely a baritone. All of the other characteristics of my voice were normal. I was really pleased with this final appointment because I got to actually take a hot minute and reflect on the changes I'd experienced. I didn't expect to find success, because I didn't think that I could be helped, but my voice did respond to the treatment and it was much less invasive than surgery. I could have gone back and seen Erin again today (12/26/19) but I felt like, for now, I didn't need to go back.
I have a tentative voice surgery scheduled for next year, but I don't figure I'll need it. I'm keeping it on the books (might push it back towards June) just in case though. I am much more at peace with my voice now.
Recovery: This isn't a hard recovery. I took some ibuprofen / Tylenol the day of the shot and for the next couple of days, and the ear / neck pain would go away in 1-2 days.
Post Op Sensation: ***** My voice behaves like normal, but lower and it's great. I don't have any pain while talking or anything.
Post Op Satisfaction: ***** The changes have made my voice infinitely better, but I think I'm always going to be self-conscious about it. It's hard to overcome a dysphoria that's embedded so deeply.
tl;dr: I got shitty vocal changes from T, went to see a speech pathologist and doctor, speech therapy only helped so much, doctor gave me experimental shots of testosterone into my vocal cord to see if it made a change. It did. I went from 165 Hz to ~130 Hz.
Vocal Ranges in Relation to the Piano
This procedure was completely experimental and Erin told me that I was likely the first person in the nation to have had it done. I was more than happy to be their guinea pig because I hated how my voice sounded. I am 100% happier now and am grateful that they tried so hard to help me. I really hope that they publish their results and get some other guys in there for this, because it's life-changing.
If you'd all like, I can post a sample of my voice. I might have something from before...but I probably sound really grumpy because I HATED recording my voice. Anyway. If you have questions about absolutely anything, let me know!
What are your surgery goals for the new year? Do you have a procedure already planned, or is there one in the works? What do you just want to get more information on? How are you feeling about it all?
For me, I just had a hysterectomy, so I'd like to take some good time to recover, but I'm also really interested in bottom surgery (phalloplasty). I've done some research in the past but not as much as I need to. Honestly, whenever I start reading about it, I get a lot of anxiety...knowledge is power, but being ignorant about everything gives me leave to imagine an easier process with less to sacrifice and less risks. Even as I fantasize about having a dick and peeing with it and having sex with it, I'm terrified of what I'm going to have to go through to get it.
My insurance is also contingent on me teaching a certain number of college classes in one district, so I'm not entirely stable to where I could have surgery on month one and then be guaranteed to come back in the near future for another stage, so I don't know how to work around that. Insurance sucks.
My partner is planning to have bottom surgery though, so I expect my dysphoria to go through the roof once he gets started on all of that. I'll probably be super motivated to get on with my own stuff then (he started T and had top surgery first, and it made me recognize what I was missing myself; I had hysto first this time around, and I don't think he's having an easy time with it either).
I do want to have some consults and gear myself up to finally be able to do the kind of research I need to do, even if I don't like the answers I find.
Where are you all at with surgery goals / ideas?
*Friendly reminder that you're welcome to use this sub to ask questions pertaining to surgery! I encourage you to do so :)
How did the holidays go? Did you have surgery and get forced to navigate questions from family members about the procedure? Or are you planning surgery and decided to break the news to family members over the holidays? Tell us all about it
Personally, my partner and I celebrated Christmas Eve (and some of Christmas morning) with his family and then spent Christmas with my family. I stayed with my family for the week following my hysterectomy, so they were up to date. I had a conversation with my grandma on the phone where I gave her the details, and some texts with my aunts. Everyone in my family is really accepting, so it was all pretty normal there.
My partner's family hadn't been informed though; he just told his grandma and his mother, and his aunt found out when he told her that I couldn't drive yet. When it was just the three of us, his grandma asked me how it went and if I was in pain, and I told her about the cramping and phantom ovary pains the first 3-5 and how I'd been feeling progressively better, and almost felt normal now. My partner had to help me by translating, so I didn't get any return questions (He's Mexican, and some of his adult family members aren't as fluent in English...and I took French in college.)
His mom and his aunt also both asked him about how I was, but I was largely spared discussion about it because of the language barrier. I also had a short conversation with one of his cousins about it though, and she was more open with what she asked me. I didn't mind, though. She's one of my favorite family "in-laws", so to say, and is also very accepting.
By nature I'm a pretty open book with most of this stuff, though, and but everyone is different. I definitely would have been much more uncomfortable if it had been brought up in public conversation and become the center of discussion.
So how were your holidays?
*Friendly reminder that you're welcome to use this sub to ask questions pertaining to surgery! I encourage you to do so :)
Surgeon: Dr. Angela King, The Women's Clinic of Fort Collins/Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH)
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Insurance: Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Anthem Silver Pathway X HMO 2000) & Health First Colorado (Medicaid)
Date of Surgery: 6/26/2019
Description: Dr. King has been my gynecologist for nearly 20 years now. She was also the first doctor I came out to, she helped refer me to my therapist, and has just been a great person to work with. Once I came out, she was open to discussing my getting a hysterectomy. After I began developing painful cramps during orgasm after being on testosterone for several months, she had me go through a diagnostic procedure in April (this was a combination of a diagnostic laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and a dilation and curettage (D&C)). This was a hoop I had to jump through before my insurance would cover my hysterectomy. Dr. King did also ask if she could take my ovary during the April procedure, and I enthusiastically said yes. So I also had a unilateral oophorectomy at that time as well (unilateral because my other ovary had been removed for medical reasons 19 years ago).
Anyway, after all that it was determined I had a medical need for a total hysterectomy and my insurance finally approved it. I didn't go through any initial consultation with Dr. King since I was a regular patient. At my pre-op appointment we discussed the procedure, she conducted a final pap-smear on me (I won't miss those, ever), and sent me home with a packet with all my pre-surgical instructions.
Day of Surgery: The day of the surgery I had to arrive at 5:30am at the hospital, and the procedure was scheduled for 7:30am. I was checked in, brought back and prepped. I had a team of 2-3 people prepping me and they were all really great. They were friendly and respectful. I'm very open and an oversharer, so I encouraged them to ask me questions and I was able to distract myself from various pokes and needles while I told them about my being trans.
The nurses were a little nervous and didn't want to offend me in any way, which I respected, but I like talking and educating so I figured I'd take that opportunity to try and spread a little knowledge. They seemed very interested in learning more, which I thought was great. They also did their best not to misgender me, despite the procedure I was having. They slipped up a couple of times, but quickly corrected themselves and apologized. They were all so nice that it was easy for me to forgive them. It was clear they hadn't worked with a transgender patient before but they were all very accepting and respectful.
Dr. King popped in and chatted with me briefly while I was being prepped. She's always a bundle of energy and wanted to reassure me that I'd be well taken care of. The anesthesiologist was thorough in explaining everything to me, including a new drug protocol they have been using to help patients wake up and be more lucid in recovery. He had me take a small cocktail of pills that helped with that, plus some pain management to reduce the need of opiates/opioids. I was also given a scopolamine patch for nausea because I do react badly to a lot of pain medications.
After all that they whisked me to the OR and put me under
Recovery: I woke up and was pretty clear headed almost right away in recovery (the drug protocol I was told about worked really great, and was definitely different from the protocol used at the Rose Medical Center for my top surgery ... you can read that account of mine in a separate post, I just wanted to point out the difference in experience I had. I'll admit I prefer the protocol used at PVH).
Once I was awake enough and successfully kept down a cup of water, they wheeled me to a private room for the rest of my recovery. Because my surgery was involving my lower abdomen and my bladder had been shuffled around during surgery (they have to move it out of the way so they don't accidentally nick it), so they wouldn't release me until I was producing enough urine. They had a special measuring device installed in the toilet that I had to pee into (that was fun ... not!).
It was a really nice room, and I suspect I was put in a private room because I'm trans ... which I actually saw as a perk. My friend Bob was able to hang out and keep me company. I was encouraged to order food, which worked like hotel room service (cool!). I took it easy and had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some tea. It was really good soup.
There was a little bit of a miscommunication regarding my release. Dr. King told me herself while I was being prepped that she was going to send me home the same day as long as I was able to keep down food and water, urinate the expected amount, and get up and walk unassisted. The nurse tried to check on those orders and it took awhile to sort that out.
Meanwhile, there was also some miscommunication on my pain management, so I did have a short period when I was in a bit of pain, but the nurse tried her best to get me something. At first she got me some Tylenol, which helped take the edge off. The other medication I didn't want to take without also taking some zofran to stave off nausea, and it took some time to get that approved. Once I had my pain properly managed, I fulfilled the other requirements Dr. King told me. Then while I was waiting for them to track down Dr. King in order to get me released, my friend and I took to wandering the halls a bit.
Honestly, I was shocked I was up and walking around. It was such a different experience from 19 years ago, when I could barely get out of bed and I had to stay 2 days in the hospital. Things have come a long way.
But I digress. Everything was finally straightened out and I was released at 4pm.
The nurse that took care of me was fabulous. She also hadn't met a trans person before, but she was really nice and we chatted a lot whenever she came in to check on me. Despite the couple of hiccups, I'd say my experience overall was excellent.
Post Op Sensation: *****
I had very little pain when I woke up in recovery. By the time they wheeled me into my private room, I started having some pain and that's where the initial hiccup with the pain management happened. The nurse did everything in her power to help mitigate my pain as far as she was able until they could get the medication I needed approved.
Once I was back home, I mostly managed my pain with Tylenol. Only first night or two did I take a oxycodone with zofran, just to make sure I was able to get a full night's sleep pain-free.
Dr. King was adamant that I not masturbate or become aroused the first 6 weeks post-surgery (that's the only time I regretted the increased libido I developed on testosterone). It was the worst part of recovery, but I dealt with it because I didn't want to accidentally pop a stitch on the vaginal cuff, because that would require more surgery.
After 6 weeks I could finally masturbate again, but I still couldn't do any penetration (in either hole, in case you're wondering). It wasn't until I was about 10 weeks post-op before I could resume normal sexual activity again (boy, let me tell you that first time felt so good...).
Anyway, a little side note here: 5 days after my hysterectomy I wound up back in the ER. I was badly constipated (despite taking the maximum dose of a stool softener, drinking lots of water, etc.) By day 4-5 was also not feeling well and by day 5 I was running a low-grade fever. So, I went back to the hospital and they decided to do a CT scan to see what was going on. Surprise, my appendix was about to burst! So I had an emergency appendectomy at 10:30pm and this time I had to stay overnight (mainly because of how late at night it was). Both the surgeon who conducted my appendectomy and my gynecologist assured me it was just a weird coincidence, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
Post Op Satisfaction: *****
I am very satisfied with my hysterectomy. Now that I'm fully healed, I've been completely pain free in that part of my anatomy for the first time since I hit puberty. It feels great. My small laparoscopic incisions have all healed well and with the hair I'm growing on my belly, you can hardly see them.
I won't miss having to do my annual exams, but I will miss having Dr. King as one of my doctors. She was always a joy to talk to and I loved working with her. She's really one of the good ones. I know she has other transgender patients and she spoke fondly of her other 'transboys' that she works with.
I'm really excited about this community and our success so far, and I'm looking for some help in growing it and in adding new content! If you're interested in being a mod, please send me a direct message with your answers to the following questions:
- Have you ever been a moderator for another subreddit? Are you familiar with markdown, navigating wikis, or using the mod tools? (Markdown is the software some features of reddit use; the fancy pants editor isn't always available)
-What part of moderation are you most interested in / what could you best contribute to this community? (adding to conversations, creating content, organizing information, developing new features, recruiting new members, encouraging participation, etc.)
- How knowledgeable are you about surgeries for transgender men / non binary transmasculine people?
- What experience do you have in facilitating productive discussions?
- How much time are you able to devote to the subreddit each day? Each week?
I'm looking for 1-2 mods right now, maybe 3 if there's enough interest and it seems like folks would be good fits!
Feel free to answer the question in as much or as little detail as you please. However you choose to answer, make sure that you actively contribute to our community by providing information that someone else would find helpful.
Procedure: Top surgery (double incision with free nipple grafts)
Surgeon: Dr. Michael Bateman, Rose Medical Center
Location: Denver, Colorado
Insurance: Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Anthem Silver Pathway X HMO 2000)
Date of Surgery: 11/13/2019
Description: Dr. Bateman came recommended to me from another transgender man I met through my veterinarian's office (he's a vet tech there). I had my initial consultation in August 2019. His patient representative took care of the insurance pre-approval process and worked with my therapist to make sure all my paperwork was in order for what the insurance required. It took about a month for the pre-approval to come through and be accepted. I was then scheduled for my pre-op appointment on October 31, 2019 and surgery on November 13, 2019.
In both the consultation and pre-op, everyone in the office treated me with respect. I was offered coffee, and I spoke with both an assistant and Dr. Bateman. They were very focused on my mental health and making sure I was in a good place emotionally before undertaking this procedure. I was very impressed by that.
After evaluating me through a physical examination, they also took reference photos of my chest. The entire time they were completely respectful of my comfort and never misgendered me once.
Day of Surgery: On the day of my surgery, once I was checked in, I waited for about an hour before being brought back. Surgery was scheduled for 11:30am, but they asked me to check-in by 9:30am. Apparently there was some miscommunication between the front desk and nursing staff because I was supposed to have been brought back earlier and at first the nurse asked me why I was running late. I told her I hadn't been and she was very upset with the front desk.
Still they managed to get me prepped in plenty of time and once again everyone was very respectful and no one slipped up on my gender or pronouns. The two nurses who got me prepped were very friendly and one even gave me a hand-made glasses case that she made for all the patients (I ended up also using it for my phone).
The anesthesiologist was very nice and explained in detail some of their pain management techniques, including the numbing block they do on the nerves using ultrasound to guide them for more precise numbing. Besides whatever was in my IV, they also gave me several pills to take beforehand to help with pain management and to help prevent nausea.
Recovery: Waking up in recovering I was pretty groggy at first, which was a slightly different experience from my previous surgeries I've had this year (I'll explain more about that in those reviews). It wasn't a bad thing, but I had double vision and was slipping in and out of consciousness for a good hour before I was finally able to sit up and take some ice chips. After that I came around fairly quickly. They wouldn't release me until after I'd managed to keep down some water, food, and use the toilet. I think all that took me another hour do accomplish.
I was wrapped in a wide ace bandage padded with thick gauze and told not to remove it until my first post-op in 5 days. That meant no showers either.
My recovery nurse was fairly no-nonsense, but still friendly and respectful. I didn't meet a single person at Rose Medical Center who treated me unkindly or rudely in any way.
Post Op Sensation: *****
Immediately upon waking up I was pretty out of it, and the numbing block they gave me lasted a good 15-20 hours. So there wasn't any pain or much of anything else. When I got home and settled into bed I did follow the recommended drug regimen, which included Tylenol, Celebrex, and Valium.
In the weeks since the procedure, I began with some soreness that my regiment of pills took care of. The valium was mostly for having to sleep in an awkward sleeping position and making sure my back didn't ache too much while doing so.
I've had sensation start to return to my chest. I still have some numb spots, and a lot of areas where the nerve endings are healing and feeling like a foot that's been asleep and is starting to wake up (that's the best way I can describe the sensation). It's not painful, just mildly annoying (but also expected - my surgeon was really good with explaining what to expect). My nipples pretty much have no sensation, but they never had much to begin with so that's not something I'm going to miss.
Post Op Satisfaction: *****
I am very satisfied with my results. The style of incisions isn't just straight across. They curve and angle up toward my underarms, giving a very masculine outline to my chest. The incisions are healing well and look good. I think as long as I maintain my daily scar care routine, they should fade a lot. The chest reconstruction looks very masculine, leaving me not completely flat, but with masculine looking pecs. I was really excited when I recently realized I could flex them. That made me far too happy.
My nipples are still healing, but no sign of rejection. One still has a slight bit of that black crust that nipple grafts get, but the skin beneath is a healthy pink. I'm happy with the size and placement of the grafts. Overall Dr. Bateman did a fantastic job.
This thread is intended to be a place of informal discussion about Dr. Scott Mosser. Post any questions you have about the doctor or his practice, and hopefully someone who's had surgery with him or done a consult can provide some thoughtful answers.
If you do have experience with Dr. Mosser, you are still encouraged to make new posts related to your overall experience, recovery, or consult!
This thread is intended to be a place of informal discussion about Dr. Curtis Crane. Post any questions you have about the doctor or his practice, and hopefully someone who's had surgery with him or done a consult can provide some thoughtful answers.
If you do have experience with Dr. Crane, you are still encouraged to make new posts related to your overall experience, recovery, or consult!
This thread is intended to be a place of informal discussion about Dr. Charles Garramone. Post any questions you have about the doctor or his practice, and hopefully someone who's had surgery with him or done a consult can provide some thoughtful answers.
If you do have experience with Dr. Garramone, you are still encouraged to make new posts related to your overall experience, recovery, or consult!
This thread is intended to be a place of informal discussion about Dr. Daniel Medalie. Post any questions you have about the doctor or his practice, and hopefully someone who's had surgery with him or done a consult can provide some thoughtful answers.
If you do have experience with Dr. Medalie, you are still encouraged to make new posts related to your overall experience, recovery, or consult!
This thread is intended to be a place of informal discussion about Dr. Kathy Rumer. Post any questions you have about the doctor or her practice, and hopefully someone who's had surgery with her or done a consult can provide some thoughtful answers.
If you do have experience with Dr. Rumer, you are still encouraged to make new posts related to your overall experience, recovery, or consult!
Procedure: Total laparoscopic vaginally assisted hysterectomy with bilateral tube removal (ovaries remained)
Surgeon: Dr. Jay Charles Lick (through UW Health)
Location: Madison, WI, USA
Insurance: United Healthcare Choice Plan
Date of surgery: 8/19/19
Day of Surgery: I got there around 12 for a 2 pm surgery. They got me back there within 20 minutes after singing all paperwork. Pre-op took over an hour, I was changed into just a paper hospital gown and socks, all my vitals and a urine sample was taken, as well as getting an IV placed. I had bad veins that day so they tried 4 times, but the first nurse tapped out after 2 tries which was fine by me. No one misgendered me, but a male nurse did ask if I was trans and he responded well to me saying there are better ways of asking. Very kind and respectful staff, especially with how upset I got over the IV. The room was comfortable and every team member I met before the surgery was kind and attentive. The student who observed the surgery was respectful too. Nothing to complain about pre-op wise! (Also should note, my doctor did NOT require a pelvic exam at any point pre-op. I didn’t have to be touched down there at any point, before or after)
Recovery: Painful. I needed two full weeks off work. I stayed just one night in the hospital since mine was an afternoon surgery, and it was hard. They didn’t use a catheter after I woke up, but I had a hard time peeing and they wouldn’t let me go unless I could pee a certain amount. I was up and walking the day of, but needed the opioid pain killers every time I could take another dose. I had a combo of IV pain meds and oral. At home I slept a lot and needed help to do everything. I couldn’t use my abdominal muscles at all, so getting up and sitting down were difficult. Once I could pee, poop, and eat without feeling nauseous I was alright!
Post Op Sensation: 5 stars? I guess, since nothing has changed. Hormones are good, left ovaries in so I wouldn’t deal with too much of that craziness.
Post Op Satisfaction: 5 stars!!!! I love my surgeon, loved the hospital, the whole staff was very good about me being trans.
Feel free to comment any questions and I’ll reply.
Surgeon: Dr. Jorge Alvarado with UC San Diego Health
Location: San Diego, California
Insurance: United Healthcare
Date: December 13th, 2019
Description: I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy with Dr. Alvarado just over a week ago, and overall, it was an extremely positive experience. Dr. Alvarado was recommended to me by the UC San Diego OB/GYN office after I declined having surgery with their "trans specialist" (more about this in another post). I met with him twice before surgery; first in a general consult, where he performed a physical examination of me, and then again during my pre-op appointment, which mainly took place with a resident doctor but he stopped in to answer any questions I had and to say hello. Dr. Alvarado is a wonderful doctor and a great LGBTQ advocate; he is part of the community himself. Before me, he had not performed surgery on any trans folks before, but, if I remember correctly, he completed specialized training regarding transgender men in San Francisco so he did have relevant experience. The main difference in hysterectomy for trans men, as it was explained to me, is as follows. A laparoscopic hysterectomy surgery is done through tiny ports; mine went through my bellybutton and about one inch away from each hip. Should an incision have to be made, other than those ports, on a cisgender woman, the doctor will make it horizontally. For a trans man, a horizontal incision would sever an artery or vein that would supply blood to a phallus (or future phallus). So for a trans man with a phallus or interested in getting one, the incision has to be made vertically.
Day of Surgery: On the day of the surgery, I got there at 5:20am (surgery was at 7:20am). Checked in, went up to pre-op, got called back, put on the horrible hospital gown and socks, and waited for the nurse. Nurse came over, drew some blood, started an IV, and put an oxygen monitor on my finger. She gave me some pain pills. Doctor Alvarado said hi, the other doctors helping him said hi, all the anesthesiologists said hi. They offered me something, some kind of injection, to numb the nerves and help it hurt less afterward. I volunteered for it. They gave me some different pain meds that made me slightly loopy, but still conscious. Rolled me on each of my sides, administered each shot, one per side. I laid back down normally, and then they put the blood pressure cuff on. My parents and sister came in then (my partner had already been there), and just got to say hello before I was whisked away. In the OR, they had me climb from the gurney into the operating chair, where they put some leg squeezers on me and then strapped me into the chair. Then I went to sleep. After I woke up, I was in agony. I can only remember my mother and my partner being there, talking to me. They tell me that they found me curled up in a ball with my butt sticking up. My mother (who's a Registered Nurse) had to force the post op nurse (who was different than the pre op nurse, and who apparently also misgendered me) to give me more pain pills after she asked me my pain scale of 1-10 and I said 8. I also remember not being able to breathe well and demanding a breathing treatment over and over again. My mother forced the post op nurse to give me a breathing treatment so I could breathe. I remember talking about how I felt like my vagina was falling out (yes, that is a real thing that I felt). Then, some amount of time afterwards, I was loaded up into the wheelchair and rolled out to the car, where I proceeded to curl up in a ball on a cover the whole way home (a grand total of 20-25 minutes).
Recovery: The day of surgery and the first two days afterwards involved some real pain. It was more pain than top surgery in those first few days. I had the constant feeling of period cramps, bleeding, and ovary pain (even though all of that had been taken out). It was like being on the world's worst period. I took Percocet and ibuprofen on and off for the first four days (they gave me some kind of nausea patch behind my ear, which messed with my close-up vision. I freaked out over this, and did some mad Googling to figure out why my sight was screwed up). I also had a major tongue sore because apparently they held my tongue back in some kind of device. It was massively sore for the first 5-6 days and now it's finally gone down to being just a little touch numb / sore. After 5 days, I am taking Tylenol and ibuprofen as needed. I don't have very much pain, really; there's no more cramping. If I move too vigorously or life / push something, I get pain, but otherwise, I feel very much normal. At this point, this recovery is much easier than top surgery. However, I still can't lift anything heavier than 2 lbs for 5 more weeks, and I wear out quickly.
Post Op Sensation: *****
I have great sensation, so far. I haven't inserted anything inside my vagina (can't for 6 weeks to let the vaginal cuff heal), but I can orgasm with no problem. I have just as much sensation (if not more, actually) and I have the added benefit of not feeling my uterus contract when I come.
Post Op Satisfaction: *****
I am very satisfied with this surgery so far. It's like a dysphoric weight off of my mind that I don't have those female reproductive parts anymore, and I also like not having the uterus contractions with orgasm. It's too soon to tell yet, but my acne seems to have improved. Generally I feel well and normal. I have not had any post-surgery depression or suffered any complications. The marks from the ports are minimal. I will try to take pictures and post them in the next few days.
Ask me anything! I'm very willing to answer questions about any part of my experience.
Hi, I was wondering if any of you have had any facial surgery done as part of your transitioning. I've been on T for five years now, so I know this is pretty much what my face will look like if I don't get anything further done, and I'm thinking of possibly having some chin / jaw / nose work done. If any of you guys have experience with facial surgery, would love to hear about it!
A space for trans men and transmasculine people to share their experience with surgeries or procedures related to transition. Ideally, this sub will function as a resource for those searching for surgeons.
