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Congratulations. Miss Bluebond seems to be one of the best surgeons not based in Thailand, and there are certainly not enough threads and experiences with her being shared.
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I was at that class last month! It was such a wonderful idea, I hope more surgeons start doing it. I felt so much more relaxed on confident about the whole process after they went through the details of what recovery is like.
I get the feeling that Kevin makes recovery so much better. His chipper positivity and upbeat personality must make the stressful times much more tolerable.
Awesome, and congrats!!! You are far braver than I am! XD
First of all congratulations I'm so proud! How bad is the pain? Does it look like a vagina? What's the sensation like to get aroused without feeling a bulge? Do you get phantom pains or itches? Don't answer if you don't want to 😊
Dr. Bluebond is amazing, she did my top surgery and Kevin was there will me every step of the way afterwards. A world class team! Congrats!! 💕
Exciting! I'm just starting transition, but I've already booked my consult with her.
Question: Is Bluebond-Langner doing peritoneal with all patients now? I know she and the leading surgeons are continuing to research it, but is it becoming standard practice?
She didn't always use the peritoneal and I was one of her first patients to use it in November 2017. She then only did it when there wasn't enough material as was the case with me, but with the positive results, she may be using it more now. In either case, it is used as a supplement and not as a replacement of the penile inversion method and is used only in the back of the vagina. I have
now
no issues with lubrication on my own.
Edit: Typo (as noted above)
Yes - that was my understanding as well...given recent comments by Ting and Bowers, I'm not totally surprised that the use of peritoneal may be growing.
In addition to BL, I also have a consult with Ting coming up late this year, and I'll be interested in hearing both their thoughts on this topic and the current state of the science. I'm not going to have surgery until early 2021, so there may be advancements between now and my surgery date.
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Good to know! Thanks for the really helpful info.
I have now issues with lubrication on my own.
Can you clarify what you mean by this? Are you having trouble lubricating, or is there too much fluid?
It was a typo (and it's now corrected) as I was typing the response when I should have went to bed, LOL.
Congratulations!!!!! I'm about 16 months post-op with her and had a very similar positive experience. (and yes, Kevin is also awesome!!!!)
It gets even better later. Just watch out around the 10-14 day period when post-op depression can set in (common with any major surgery) but for me it only lasted a days or two and immediately got better once I was able to restart HRT 2 weeks after surgery. I found that was the critical time to have a good support system and EMDR techniques helped as well.
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All of your posts are what really set me on the path to get a consult with her!
THIS! /u/enigmabound 's posts were really the only resources out there for a long time, and I'm so grateful to her for sharing back when this team was relatively unheard of. Her posts really helped with the anxiety when I was starting to pursue SRS.
Thanks 😃
This is just my way of giving back to the community.
Post-op depression? Why? :( I'm fucking scared of this surgery man :'/
It's often a side effect of anesthesia. Plus you are making major changes to your body. One of things you can do is to research it a little and look for ways to cope ahead of time and just be aware of the symptoms.
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When I was there the hospital offered reiki for free and it also helped a lot.
My date with her is in a little under a year and being as far away from NYC as I am, the logistics is honestly scarier to me than anything else.
How long after surgery are you required to stay in the area (1-hour IIRC) and how did you plan for that?
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Was that at a hotel or Airbnb type set up?
Do you have an estimate on how much your living costs are for that period?
I responded to another comment with more things to think about as far as logistics.
I don't know where you're from, but where we're from cost of living in just cheaper. Things here in general are just more expensive, so that is also something to be prepared for. I also can't give you an estimate, but it's not been terrible but we've also been, as mentioned, eating pretty cheap as far as groceries. We also have to be considering the size of the kitchen in the place we're staying (which is tiny, has a tiny fridge, and no storage) which is driving me crazy and is another thing you may want to consider.
How long was your wait time with her, from consultation to surgery?
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Just to clarify: To what extent does she require hair removal? Thanks, and hope you're doing well!
Wife here :)
The documentation says that she requires either electrolysis or laser. She doesn't use a diagram, exactly. At the consult, she pulled the scrotal skin away from the groin and said to have removal for the all the skin that comes away from the body and also the shaft and a 1-1.5 strip down the perineum. Wife used the diagram from McGinn, which covered about the same area and should be pretty easy to find. Dr. BL also does a follicle scrape during the procedure.
It's dispiriting hearing that (I barely handle facial hair removal and not quite sure whether I can deal with the pain from genital hair removal) -- but, thank you for answering all of our questions! It's so important for information about each surgeon to be available.
The electrolysist that Wife saw had her have her doctor prescribe a lidocaine solution to help with pain. I'm not sure if that helps or not, but there are some options. Definitely worth talking to a laser/electrolysis person about!
And you're all very welcome! It's our responsibility to share our experience to help others!
Lidocaine cream helps, but it's not as effective as I'd have liked. There are some electrologists (McGinn's team in Pennsylvania, Electrology3k in Texas, probably some others) that use lidocaine injections, which are much more effective, and they'll have multiple electrologists working on you at once for a faster clear. It's a good option if you have access to them and can afford it!
Just for another data point for readers of this thread, I had my consult in February 2018 and am scheduled for April 4th 2019.
Yesterday I finished my hair removal! And today is my birthday! I told my electrologist that never sticking an electric needle down there again was the best birthday present ever xD
Jesus christ I want this so bad but I'm absolutely terrified. :(
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I think I'll be alone for it, that's the scary part. The closest thing I've ever had to a surgery was a root canal. I guess I'll just have to get it over with at some point this year. :X
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Don't really have anyone. Would be hard to find someone willing to go.
It may be an option to hire a nurse for a week or two after recovery. And possibly to stay connected to friends via skype etc. And it may be possible to look into it if a recovery in a nursing home may be covered.
How much does insurance typically cover, and what would be the estimated cost WITHOUT?
A close friend of mine is getting this in May, but she hasn't taken any (visible) attempt to get insurance.
Hope everything continues to heal smoothly for you.
(Sorry if this is too personal, but I may be needing to help her pay for it if she doesn't get insurance)
Not to scare you, but I've heard that the insurance is billed for about $160k on average from this team. I'm not sure what the cost without insurance would be, though.
For comparison, I have a small copay (less than $1k) with my insurance (Blue Shield of North Eastern New York). Your friend should really be finding out these details ASAP!
Oh dear god... Thanks.
Many north american surgeons are between 20 and 25 k out of pocket.
Thank you so much for sharing this. As you've mentioned, there is little information out there for her, and it's encouraging to see a growing number of positive patient testimonials about this team!
My SRS is scheduled with her in about a month. I'm so excited! I encourage anyone thinking about SRS to consider this team -- the support staff I've met is amazing, and the results I've seen are fantastic and consistent. The preop class they've started offering was such an amazing resource, I feel very well prepared for this surgery and like I know what to expect. Kevin and Geo do a great job preparing you and answering questions, I've been so happy with the level of interaction they provide.
Some questions for you!
1) Are you planning to share pictures of your result? Don't feel obligated, of course, but there are so few examples of her work available, and this was one of the things that really made me nervous before meeting her and seeing her portfolio in person. (For anyone reading, her results are among the best I've seen, and there are a few examples linked here .)
2) You mentioned also attending the preop class. Was there anything that still surprised you, that wasn't covered in the class?
3) What supplies do they give you on discharge?
4) What time were you discharged from the hospital? (I'm trying to make plans to meet my airbnb host lol)
5) Did they SERIOUSLY not shave you clean before the surgery?? I expected them to do this before applying the bandages, so this is GREAT information to have. How far out from the surgical site do the bandages cover so I can prepare?
6) (For your wife) How were the accommodations in the hospital room? My wife will be with me and she has a chronic illness that makes it hard to sleep and be comfortable. Were the sleeping arrangements problematic at all?
7) Has urination been an issue?
Of course, feel free to skip any questions you aren't comfortable answering.
Please let us know how your recovery goes in the next few weeks as you regain mobility and independence, and thanks again for sharing!
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Thank you both for the answers, I really appreciate your willingess to share! One other question that I'm having is: What is it like to sit when you are discharged? Your wife mentioned that the car ride to the rental wasn't too bad, but is sitting up straight something you can comfortably do?
I'm trying to figure out if I'll be able to comfortably go to restaurants, sit on the couch, etc during the first week out of the hospital, or if I should expect to just stay in bed laying down.
Wife here!
I can answer some of these with more detail.
As far as supplies they give you on discharge, Kevin hooked us up with a ton . Pads (maternity menstrual pads and absorbent pads to have under you to sit or lay, I don't know what they're called), douching supplies (syringes with catheters and saline), paper wash cloths (more comfortable than they sound), gauze and bandages, gloves, a ton of lube. He gave us an entire tote bag full of stuff. Plus, they give you the expensive ( very expensive ) ointment to dilate with so you don't have to purchase it yourself (again, very expensive otherwise, guard it with your life).
Re: shaving: they did shave some, presumably what they needed for actual surgery prep. Shave everything in the groin area, all the way back as far as you can. As she said, the bandages split at the perineum and continued up each glute. I would say more than two inches though and that was by far the most painful thing for her (up until the packing was removed).
The hospital room was better than expected, still a hospital room. They have a pull out couch that's not terribly uncomfortable and easily accessible. I have trouble sleeping in general but I did manage to sleep pretty good and comfortably. The view is also really nice.
You didn't ask this, but an important thing to think about is going to be the logistics of where you're going to be staying post op. Try to be as close to the ground as possible; wife did well will the stairs where we're staying but it was hard and we only had one flight to contend with. Also consider the size of the bathroom where you'll be staying. Post op, you'll need more space to maneuver just to be comfortable, both while urinating and showering. NYC is not exactly known for the spacious bathrooms, just make sure it's a relatively good size (like can stand and stretch your arms out in all the way around lol). Obviously, the closer to the hospital, the better. Although, wife did say that the car ride back here wasn't bad at all..
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I’ve heard before that it feels like your parts are still there but just tied up or in different locations. I’m curious if you have had a similar experience? What’s it like getting used to things being in different places? Can you feel it?
How are things going one month out? I'd love to hear an update. My surgery is next week, so I'm trying not to lose my mind over here :P
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Thanks for the update! I'm glad to hear it's going well for you! If I think of more questions, I'll let you know :)
Hey! I had my surgery last week, and all went well :) I've started doing updates/AMA posts here . So far so good! Dilation is a harsh mistress, but it's doable.
I had another question for ya. How long did it take for your sutures to seal for good, and how long for the stitches to come out? Every time I see an unhealed suture I start freaking out about wound separation and I'm wondering how much longer I'll have to stress about that lol.
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That's a relief -- it good to know that I don't have that long to wait. I've seen some pictures of wound separation around the canal, and it just looks so painful, I'm a bit terrified of that happening. At least I know deep down that I'm just being paranoid lol
Thanks for reminding me. I just added it.
I got really busy lately and am really behind in adding posts to the wiki. I've got a ton of them saved to add later.
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