30 minutes post orchidectomy. Mr Seipp/Spire hospital Wrexham… Super trans friendly 65yo. HRT 2yrs 1wk
After being given the Royal runaround by Nuffield health, even the transgender centre at Bristol declined to perform an orchidectomy, I found the lovely, very professional Mr Seipp at Wrexham, Spire Yale hospital. So incredibly trans supportive, very professional, every member of staff from catering upwards has been amazingly friendly. On a scale of 1-10 for nerves I was 0.5. In the anaesthesia bay I went from fully conscious to waking up seamlessly. No nausea, lightheadedness and only a mild dull ache. I’ve been walking about in my room no problems . I did take a picture but will publish later with one without the dressing. I was driven to the hospital by two marvellous friends on a girls road trip, ABBA (naturally) and Eurythmics on the playlist. They are staying the Ramada hotel 200m away and after coming to see me for over an hour have now hit the high spots of Wrexham 😂
Ball Voyage!
😆 yes, I’ve had a few comments like that 😃
You go girl!!
Thank you x
Awesome, you look sooo happy 😊 wishing you a super speedy recovery x
Thank you x
This post made me happy. Thank you.
Thank you x
Yaaay. Congrats
Thank you x
Congratulations 👏 get well soon!
Thank you x
lookin good girl, hang in there <3 I just had my surgery
Thank you x Congratulations x
Happy Birthday!!
☺️ thank you x
Congrats !!
Thank you x
Glad it all went well. Congrats! 😊
Thank you x
I had my orchiectomy thirty years ago and have never regretted it.
Excellent, so happy for you; as I walked into the anaesthesia bay I said “let’s rock n roll” 😆 I’d researched and considered all my options over the last two years and an orchidectomy at the earliest opportunity (subject to financial constraints) was always the optimal route to satisfy the biggest source of my bottom dysphoria. I ruled out a vaginoplasty for me years ago on grounds of cost, unwillingness to wait four years for an NHS sponsored procedure any and no compelling interest in PIV. A NHS sponsored vulvoplasty in two years is still under consideration which gives me time to decide if that is my end goal. Sorry, rambling 😆 Thank you x
Congrats!! 🎈 🎈
Thank you x
Congratulations!!! Hope the FC finally gets promoted this season. Fingers crossed. Continued success for you both. Cheers.
Thank you x
Congratulations, I am so happy for you. Proof it is never too late.
Thank you x
You look so happy, hope your recovery is smooth :)
Thank you x
so happy for you !!!!
Thank you x
Hope he’s left enough tissue in place for SRS - I see no point in this operation it’s not even commissioned on NHS If you’re HRT is managed correctly your T level is next to zero and also with SRS this is included so why have 2 ops instead of 1 Sorry but I suspect strongly that you’ve been badly let down in your hormones ( HRT) sorry about that
You might not see a point in this procedure but I very definitely do. Not everyone wants SRS, and even if they do not everyone wants a vaginoplasty but a shallow depth vulvoplasty. My surgeon has confirmed that even with scrotal tissue shrinkage there is enough tissue for a vulvoplasty should I want one. I have zero interest in a vaginoplasty.
Heya, would you mind me asking a few questions about this? :)
Fire away ☺️
Thanks!
-How long did he take to get back to you when you sent your inquiry?
-What was his timeline from consultation to surgery?
-Roughly how much did it cost?
-Did he give many options for different kinds of orchis, or just the standard?
Ok, from memory: 1. I rang Spire hospital Wrexham, fantastic, very supportive, nothing at all like Nuffield who basically told me the surgeon ‘doesn’t do transgenders’, even Nuffield Brighton told me politely to fuck off. Nuffield will do SRS but anything else you can swivel. Anyway, spoke to a lovely lady who scheduled a video consult with Mr Seipp, I think the following week 2. The lady at Spire apologised that they had a backlog of surgery and it could be up to 5 weeks before they could schedule my surgery. So roughly from my first contact to consultation 1 week, consultation for referral letter via Gender GP, another week, surgery scheduled 3 weeks later, prior to surgery I had a pre-op assessment at my local Spire hospital. I think so about five weeks from consultation to surgery. 3. Everything rolled up, about £4,000 and that includes a mandatory overnight stay for observation and a load of drugs and dressings for aftercare. In fact I only needed paracetamol for a few days and only think I dressed the wound for two days. Two cis friends drove me there, I put them up in the Raddison I think about 200m from the hospital so it was an unusual girls road trip. They popped in to see me before going out on the town 😄 So from memory - consultation, surgery, referral letter, hotel for friends and petrol call it £4200 4. You know I can’t remember. He certainly was aware I wanted a Vulvaplasty (shallow depth) at a later date (fingers crossed via NHS) we discussed options on that but he also gave me a quote to do that follow on procedure for £10,000 I think
Hope that helps
Thank you very much :)
Oh, I have a follow-up question: was the referral letter mandatory? I sent a request for referral to Gendercare (whom I saw in 2019) but it's been over four months so I'm not expecting a reply soon, and if it's a requirement then I'll probably be unable to go with Seipp.
Yes it is a requirement under the WPATH protocols. So first of all make sure you comply with the WPATH requirements.
https://www.gendergp.com/help-centre/surgery-referral/
GenderGP will probably get a video appointment within a week or so, cost £150.
Providing you tick the WPATH boxes: Contact Shire Hospital Wrexham, they will likely set a video appointment with Mr Seipp the following week or so. You will need to complete a questionnaire, your GP name and address is required but just for records and a post op letter, GP plays no part in this process. Mr Seipp will make you jump through the hoops to confirm gender dysphoria and that surgery is appropriate to your gender affirmation. If he is happy with that he will then ask that you get one referral letter. I think it is Spire who will then contact you to book dates for pre-op assessment and surgery. Oh yes, probably will still need COVID tests, order a kit now, mine came next day! https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
You can pay all in one go, ask to spread it interest free over ten monthly payments or finance it over a longer period.
Mr Seipp will send a post op letter to your GP
You will need to have someone to collect you on discharge, they won’t discharge you to a taxi driver to hop on a train or take you to a parked car. A friend is ideal to take you there and collect you the next day, the Ramada is 200 yards away, I think a Premier inn is less than a mile away. The staff are so lovely ♥️ food is great.
Back home rest up for a couple of weeks, I was mobile and pain free even immediately post op, just uncomfortable. Prepare house, stock up food for two weeks so that friends only need to bring milk etc. Allow for two weeks so you don’t pull any stitches or damage your body whilst it heals.
You will then need a whole raft of blood tests, my GP sorted that out for me, your gender clinic will tell you when you need them and what you will need. The clinic will then assess what your HRT regimen will be.
Good luck 🙂
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