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I don’t really have any questions. I just wanted to wish you a quick recovery with lots of hugs 🙂
Thank you ❤️
Only one day post op?! 😮 You look to be healing well already! Here’s to a speedy recovery 🍻
Thank you! ❤️ I’m still feeling lousy, but so far it looks like a best case scenario. I had minimal blood on the wound packing I removed before showering this morning, and I’ve noticed no bleeding since either. I’m already back to wearing normal panties, just with liners, and it looks and feels great to be rid of those two nuisances. 😊
Very nice did it hurt any effect with estrogen afterwards.
I can’t say yet how it will affect my E and T levels, since I already had E and T in line with cis women. HRT got me there quickly, so I don’t expect a dramatic shift.
The pain is more intense than I expected, but it’s still only moderate. The incision site is more tame, but where the spermatic cords were cut is the worst. It feels like one last kick in my now non-existent balls, except the pain doesn’t go away. I’m glad to take taken time off work for recovery. I’m on norco/Vicodin and have been taking that regularly.
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Thanks ❤️ Orchi is an important step for me in deciding if I want vaginoplasty later. I checked out your profile. Did you do orchi first also?
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To add to this, I’m about 1.5 years out and my skin is still stretchy. It’s wrinkly and hugs my body but I think it still has at least 90% of the original skin.
I don’t think this is a major concern. I’d recommend getting a consultation for orchi and asking this specific question. For bonus points, get a bottom surgery consult and ask them the same question. Obviously skip on scrotectomy, since that will minimize the tissue available.
There are also vaginoplasty techniques like PPT that are less reliant on genital tissue.
Low dose topical T and stretching the tissue can help preserve it too if you decide you want vaginoplasty later.
PS: Spiro’s side effects suck! See if you can go on bicalutimide as an alternative T blocker.
That sounds real uncomfortable 😣. How long did the pain last? I'm hoping to schedule an orchi this year but surgery terrifies me
It is, but it’s not awful either. I can get around, albeit slowly, and today is already lots easier than yesterday. I’m expecting tomorrow to be easier and milder, but I expect to be on reduced mobility for at least a week.
If it helps, orchi is one of the milder surgeries for trans people. I would say to go for it. ❤️ If you haven’t had other surgeries before, it’ll also help you gauge your tolerance for surgery and recovery.
Irs not long. Maybe a week, maybe two but it was greatly subsided by then.
In all honesty I believe my orch was more painful than both my zero depth and my canal addition later on. I am of mindset that having orchy when you have gcs is where a lot of pain comes from. Seems the chord cutting combined with that kicked feeling produced the most pain of anything for me.
My zero depth was a breeze, and besides having to take it easy for a few weeks to allow sutures to fully heal, it was a walk in the park. My canal addition - the same except I have wound separation that is extending healing time. That has mostly been the pain I've had to deal with so far on this recovery.
The whole process for all three procedures is definetly uncomfortable. But in the end it was all totally worth it.
This is great information. Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️ I was worried that vaginoplasty would be so much worse for pain.
Don't get me wrong - to each their own or ymmv! I dont believe I have a high pain tolerance at all. This to me wasn't painful - just uncomfortable 😊
How much time did you take off for recovery? 😊
One full week. Today is two days after. I’m still moving slowly, but I’m already feeling well enough to start getting out and doing normal stuff like running errands.
Are they requiring you to limit movement? Like more than the “if it hurts don’t do it”
Reduced activity for a month is expected. No sex, no exercise, don’t lift anything over 10 lb. Restrictions may come off sooner depending on how I’m healing.
🙋🏻♀️Hey 1.5y orchi girl, just wanna tell you your scar will completely heal at 6 months mark 💖 wishing you best luck 💗
Thanks for the tip and support. I love our community and wanted to share my surgery experiences too. 😊
The doc didn’t remove any “excess” skin, did they? Doesn’t look like it, but I always wondered about that
Nope! My surgeon actually won’t do a scrotectomy because he wants people to keep the tissue available for vaginoplasty if they decide they want it later. The recovery is also milder without scrotectomy. Either way, I wanted just the orchi to keep my options open for later.
Thanks. I’m a little older and have more of a teabag sitch going on down there. I’m a ways away from any work, so I was curious
An orchiectomy never removes scrotal tissue, it is literally only the testes and spermatic cord that is removed. A scrotectomy is a seperate procedure that can be performed at the same time, but not usually performed in combination.
Pain from 1 - 10?
Good luck on recovery!
Right now, 4. Not pleasant but not bad. I’m about to take another powerful pain med, ice up, and go to bed. I’m hoping and expecting tomorrow to be better too.
Thanks ❤️
That looks great! Be sure to keep pressure on it for a few days to keep the swelling down, and cycling ibuprofen/acetaminophen every 4 hours helps with the pain. I remember it feeling like someone kicked me with a steel-toed boot and left the boot inside, lol.
I’m glad you haven’t had much bleeding/discharge from the incision area! That’s a really good sign :)
Thanks so much for the tips and the support! I love our community and wanted to add my knowledge to the collective pool too. 😊
That looks very good. I am hoping that my parts down there will shrink so that I don't have a bulge in tight leggings any more. I'm planning Orchi as well and possibly GRS if the shrinkage from HRT wont be enough.
Can I ask you if you had any reduction in penile size with HRT?
Thank you! I’m glad I shared, so I can help others make informed choices. Orchi should remove a lot of the bulk between your legs, and it’s pretty great for both people who’ve fully suppressed their T and who are struggling to do so. For me, my testes were basically shut off and not doing anything, but for others, they can finally get off blockers and give their transition an additional push.
My size hasn’t seemed to have changed much, at least not yet, but I’m also only about a year+ into HRT. Obviously for these pics I’m unaroused. 😅
I want to maintain the tissue in case I want vaginoplasty later, so I make it a point to continue to masturbate (although much less often than before), and I have topical T to combat atrophy, though I don’t use it consistently.
Thanks for the reply :) I'm on E2 Monotherapy for 10 months now and my T is suppressed perfectly. For now I lost 3cm erect and a little less than 1cm flaccid.
Does it feel werid not having a place for the penis to rest on ?
Right now everything just feels a bit swollen and sore, but the penis has internal structures to keep it in place. Either way, my balls will not be missed. 😛
Would you mind saying who your surgeon was?
I was honestly tempted to just ignore your comment for privacy reasons, but it looks like you’re a moderator here that helps maintain the wiki. That’s important work, and I really appreciate what you and others do to maintain that resource.
I had my surgery with Dr Kowalczyk, a urologist in Los Angeles, CA, and my experience has been overall positive. I found him as a referral from my amazing endocrinologist.
I selected him over another doctor, a plastic surgeon and referral from my amazing therapist, because Dr Kowalczyk was dramatically less expensive and I had to pay out of pocket. I also felt that orchiectomy was not so complex where I needed to select only the best I could afford. Dr Kowalczyk also fought (though ultimately failed) to get my surgery approved by my insurance despite the exclusion on my policy, which I appreciated.
The state of trans healthcare in the USA can be really stupid. It really depends on your employer, even if you live in a more progressive state that has protections in place, since large employers have the “self funded” loophole.
Eventually I intend to make a follow up post about my recovery. It hasn’t been a smooth ride, but I’m still very happy with my decision. I’m more than a little scared about recovery if I choose to get bottom surgery though.
Thanks, I'll add this post to the to the wiki in the next update (I'm the only person working on the wiki).
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Happy for you! Did you get a scrotectomy? Any issues going #1 or #2 (bathroom)?
Thanks! My surgeon won’t even do scrotectomy because he doesn’t want people to regret it if they pursue bottom surgery later, but I only wanted orchiectomy regardless for that same reason. Scotectomy has a longer, more difficult recovery too.
No bathroom issues post surgery whatsoever.
It looks like you’re considering orchi and wanting to leave the door open for bottom surgery later, so I’ll add some advice: Go for the orchi, skip the scotectomy, and any credible doctor should be fine for orchi. Don’t endure a long wait list for a simple procedure. See my comment above talking about my choice of doctor.
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