6 weeks post-op from Brassard, AMA.

12
u/[deleted]
Thu Dec 12 09:07:49 2019 UTC
(14 comments)

Hi all. Originally posted this in /r/mtf but thought it could be useful here as well.

I'm finally feeling well enough and like myself again after a grueling but ultimately satisfying first month post-op from bottom surgery, and I'd like to share my experience for anyone who has questions about it or about GRS Montreal and the experience which I am happy to answer. This year has had me focused on coming out of my shell so.. Yay for my first post.

My surgery was October 30th, and while the first 2 weeks felt like absolute purgatory, it was ultimately the best decision I ever made. I had no complications whatsoever (other than constipation which is a given), barely any bleeding at all, and everything is healing beautifully and well and it looks amazing and exactly what I was hoping for.

I've never done any sort of drugs or even had alcohol before which made my tolerance to dilaudid (one of the narcotic painkillers) a very bad experience including nausea, extreme dizzyness and fainting. I took 1 shot of it the day after my surgery and then never again. For the rest of my stay at the Convalescent home and the first 3 weeks after returning home the only painkillers I took were acetaminophen and tramadol together (and then only tramacet and advil when I got home) and those combinations were more than enough for me to manage the pain. At week 4 I was only taking extra strength Tylenol x2 and advil extra strength x1 at bedtime for 1 week, since then I have taken no painkillers and have no pain whatsoever.

Dilating is exactly how you would expect it to be.. Uncomfortable. There's not much to say about it other than don't force it and don't give up. The first 3 weeks took me an hour and a half to 2 hours just for 25 Mins of proper dilating, which is now down to 45 mins for 25 Mins of dilating.

All of the nurses, doctors and other patients were absolutely amazing to me and very helpful my whole stay. I had a nervous panic attack / breakdown on the 5th day after surgery (something I've never experienced before) and was talked down by one of the patient (turns out I had actually been having a panic attack for the whole 5 days since my surgery) and later one of the nurses. They are very understanding and just want to help you.

Ultimately no matter how much reading or prep you do for the surgery nothing comes close to preparing you because your own experience will be entirely unique to you.

I know someone will ask "is the NDA true?" all I can say to that is.. NO!. According to the confidentiality agreement you are simply not allowed to photograph, film or record the other patients, nurses, doctors or interior of the buildings without express written permission. But no where in the agreement does it say you may not share your results with others...

If anyone has any questions I'm happy to answer them.

all 14 comments


5
u/rachel_schrodinger
Thu Dec 12 10:12:39 2019 UTC
(2 children)

Thanks for all the info! I'm current day 2 post-op with brassard

2
Thu Dec 12 17:34:50 2019 UTC
(1 child)

That's great! How are you feeling?

3
Thu Dec 12 17:36:03 2019 UTC
(0 children)

Happy that I now have the proper parts. But the pain and swelling is pretty nasty to deal with.

3
u/lianamtf
Thu Dec 12 14:45:13 2019 UTC
(3 children)

Thank you for sharing! I want to go to GRS Montreal myself, what was the process for consultation and booking like?

3
Thu Dec 12 17:34:29 2019 UTC
(2 children)

It's a little different for everyone and also depending where you live. I cannot really speak to this process as my family doctor did it all for me. All I had to do was fill out a bunch of paperwork. Before long, the clinic contacted me with about 15 questions and 2 forms to complete. After I finished those, it was onto a blood test.

It took about 6 months of going back and forth and waiting before I was contacted again with a surgery date, which happened to be 4 months away. So in all, from the time I made the conscious decision to have the surgery to actually having it was only 10 months. (but could actually have been sooner as I procrastinated a bit on the paperwork)

They offer you a surgery date and I'm not sure if you're allowed to change it or not, you could probably ask for a later one if it's too soon for you, but since I had nothing going on and was more than ready to have I immediately accepted the one they offered.

Each province in Canada has their own program for funding GRS, so the only thing I paid for was the flight there and back...

If you can find a family doctor who is knowledgeable about the process, it is very painless.

2
Thu Dec 12 18:44:52 2019 UTC
(1 child)

Well I’ll be coming from the US so I’ll have to deal with insurance on my side but that’s super promising to hear how quick the timeline worked out for you. Luckily I have family in Montreal that are very willing to take care of me in recovery until I can travel back home, part of why I really want to go there. Thank you so much for your insight and I wish you a great recovery! Liana

3
Thu Dec 12 18:47:29 2019 UTC
(0 children)

Thank you and I hope everything works out for you too! The hardest part can be getting 2 letters from WPATH certified assessors, but I got lucky and both my family doctor and endo were on that short list of approved doctors, so I didn't have to wait at all for that.

3
u/Jcraig1
Thu Dec 12 18:31:39 2019 UTC
(1 child)

In the process of scheduling with Brassard. A few questions:

  1. Do you feel like Brassard has enough support and post surgery aftercare that you could do the surgery without having anybody with you
  2. Does it feel natural and right to have the proper genitals?
  3. How are the aesthetics. Is it normal for brassard patients to go back for revisions like other surgeons?

Thanks (:

6
Thu Dec 12 18:45:59 2019 UTC
(0 children)

Thanks for your questions!

I do not believe it would be possible to travel alone if you live far away. I had to fly home from Montreal and couldn't walk more than 2 mins, so my mom pushed me around in a wheelchair through each airport. Being in the hospital is fine without visitors as the nurses are available 24/7, but if you have to travel far home I would suggest having someone with you. As for home care, I couldn't manage for the first 3 to 4 weeks, my mom was constantly making all of my meals and going to the store for medical supplies because I didn't buy nearly enough beforehand..

It is the most amazing, rewarding and beautiful experience I've ever had. It feels more than right, so much so that I don't really remember what it felt like before. It does feel natural, it feels like it is what it's supposed to be. Even though it's swollen and mobility is limited and I can't do the things I want to yet, just knowing it's there is a constant catalyst for euphoria. If you have the surgery, just wait till you try putting jeans on for the first time.. Pulling them up and just instantly having them sit right on your body.. Not only does it feel more natural and tight than anything ever, it also feels rewarding, like everything is finally how it is supposed to be.

Everyone's result is different, it depends on a lot of things like how much material you have to work with, and how well you take care of yourself. After the fact. I have strictly followed the care routine and basically done nothing but lay on my back and air dry & dilate for the last month, and it has already turned out symetrical and beautiful. I wouldn't change anything about it. My ex says it looks like a "God tier vagina" with perfectly symetrical labia minora & plump labia majora (I'm swollen lol) . So i will take that as a sign that I should leave it how it is. However, I think the after care part plays a huge role in whether or not you need revision surgery. I planned for 3 months away from work and any physical activity besides walking 15 Mins a day. It was the right call. Doing nothing for that amount of time can get to you but it's worth it if you can afford it. The most important thing to do is to take care of yourself. The more you do the better your results will be!

2
u/KnowNothing_JonSnoo
Fri Dec 13 13:55:09 2019 UTC
(4 children)

Did you find pictures of results at all before going to Brassard, I'm in Montreal so he is the default solution but the memes and people around me that decided they wanted to go to Thailand because Brassard's result was not good enough for them stresses me out. I've been trying to find result pictures for a while now and I can't really find any....

3
Fri Dec 13 17:43:16 2019 UTC
(0 children)

No, I purposely did not look up photos because I didn't want to psych myself out. I know a girl here who went to him in May and her word of experience alone was enough for me.

I think that the results you read about online are so drastic because it just varies for each person based on how well they look after themselves.. For people who think brassards results are not good enough are people who are expecting a 1:1 completely natural and perfect looking outcome which is very unrealistic to ask of any surgeon. It takes a lot and from what I've read online about people who's results are a absolutely perfect it is because they had revisions.

I can tell you that the result I got from Brassard even after just 6 weeks has completely blown away my expectations..

I went into the surgery with little to no loss in penile length (I planned that from the start) and have a proper care system set up at home to look after myself. Just these two things combined I think were the reason for my surgery being such a success.

I think that a big part of the problem with people having unsatisfactory results from any doctor is because they think they don't have to follow the care routine to the letter. They go back to work after 3 weeks, they go to the gym or do physical activities way too early, they think they don't have to dilate as much as prescribed.

If you plan to have the surgery, you need to be prepared to take at least 3 months off work to properly look after yourself. Doing so will drastically improve your results. And never, ever stoo or stray away from the routine of care they give you.

It feels like a lot and almost impossible at times in the first few weeks to a month especially with 4 dilations per day.. But it is well worth it....

1
Fri Dec 13 14:48:20 2019 UTC
(2 children)

Look in the wiki for this sub

https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/srs/canada#wiki_pierre_brassard

There's similar for Thai surgeons.

1
Fri Dec 13 15:21:08 2019 UTC
(1 child)

Yeah but most of the links for brassard are either broken or there's like less than one year post op. Like on Trans bucket or something, only the mastectomy pics remains.

1
Fri Dec 13 15:24:21 2019 UTC
(0 children)

I guess I should review it sometime.