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Things to know before SRS

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  • Hi!

    A few moons ago I spoke to someone who was up for SRS who asked me for some tips and information and I figured I'd post some of my tips here in case anyone is interested.
    These are just some practical tips, I leave the medical stuff to the people who know about them =)

    You will be spending a lot of time lying on your back, probably almost an entire week at the hospital and even more when getting back home so the tip is learn to sleep on your back. I am/was used to sleeping on my side and pulling my knees up a bit and spending so much time lying flat on my back gave me serious back pain. In fact, the pain in my back was far worse than anything that had to do with the surgery.

    Build up some muscles, especially legs and abs.
    When you are able to move around a bit after surgery you will need to use these muscles more than you are used to and they will be seriously weekend from spending so much time in a hospital bed . I know most TS don't like to build up any muscles but if there is a time to get some, it's before surgery.
    Also, get in shape. You will be weak after suregery and even a few weeks after coming home, you will still get tired really quickly from doing everyday things like shop for groceries and go for walks.

    Buy lubricant as you will be doing a lot of dilating.
    First, go and put lots of it in your shopping bag. Then go back to the shelf and get twice as much as you first planned for. No matter how much you buy, you will eventually use it up. I like the silicon based ones as they aren't as messy as the water based but to each their own.

    Buy sanitation pads.
    You will need them, you will need lots of them and you will need them for a long time.

    Buy comfy cotton underwear.
    You will be sore, swollen and possibly in and out of pain. Comfort comes before looks now.

    Take care of that ass.
    Sitting down will not be something you will do a lot of for the first week(s) after suregery. Get one of those rubber rings pregnant women sometimes uses to sit on. Believe me, it will come in really handy.

    Rethink your morning ritual ahead of time.
    You will need a lot of more time to get ready for your everyday life and if you can start working 50% and then move up in time, this will help in finding your morning ritual and get back to an everyday life.
    Different surgeons have different dilation schedules but you will probably be put on 30-45 minutes in the mornings to start with. 30 minutes means even more time in practice since you need preparation time and clean up time too. The problem is that you don't just ”do it”, there is a lot more to it than just waking up, placing the dilator where it belongs and wait for 30 minutes. Plan for at least an hour of extra time added to your morning routines for this. There is no room for cheating here, sorry. In fact, for a while after surgery you will feel that dilation is your entire life.

    Also, I found a rather nice page on the internet that might get you some ideas about what to expect and perhaps ask you surgeon about. http://www.intelleng.com/zen.html . A little warning, it's not entirely safe to read at work for instance.

    Hope this was interesting to someone.... =)
      June 14, 2008 6:09 PM BST
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  • Wow thanks a lot for the info.

    Not sure I seen anyone put it so well before. Thanks




    Stephenie
      September 29, 2009 12:52 PM BST
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  • This post has been identified as spam and removed. To advertise on this site, please contact [email protected].


      December 21, 2010 10:02 AM GMT
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  • Because it may take awhile to delete the above post, I would like to add additional information about the doctor mentioned above. First off you get what you pay for and the prices this organization has mentioned are 50%less than reputable known and well reviewed doctors. Most Thai doctors are charging in the $1800 range for a tracheal shave.

    Before anyone jumps on a "deal" for any surgery related to transition, checking out the doctor thoroughly is a must. With internet access there is no excuse not to do thorough research. Dr. Saran, the surgeon above was an associate of Dr. Preecha. Currently, there is very little information available on Dr. Saran because simple enough, he does not have a track record. Next is a very close friend of mine had her SRS with Dr. Saran in November 2009 and has yet to experience orgasm. Also after her surgery she experienced severe swelling in one leg that at times had her worried she may lose her leg or life. They should be able to easily check their records to figure out who I am referring to. Every doctor is going to have surgeries that don't go perfect so I don't want to suggest Dr. Saran is bad, only that he does not have a sufficient track record at this time for a prospective client to make a fully informed decision about.

    Hugs,
    Marsha
      December 21, 2010 10:54 AM GMT
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  • 252
    Excellent point, Marsha. Always use a doctor with a proven track record. My personal criteria, if you hear time after time, post-op girls raving about someone, maybe that doctor is pretty good. Then start doing some research. I am a big believer in word of mouth when it comes to surgeons, but it never replaces personal research.

    I have heard nothing but good things about Marsha's SRS doc, Chettawet. She obviously listened to word of mouth and did her own research. That post above, I hope will be removed soon. My synonym for that kind of doc is not kind.

    Z
    I am the itch, after it was scratched.
      December 21, 2010 1:06 PM GMT
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  • this persons profile was deleted, and obviously they have rejoined to place another advert, the original was in the general forums. Its highly suspect.
    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
      December 21, 2010 1:57 PM GMT
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  • I have removed the offending spam. If they want to host a forum on GRS or FFS or suchlike, they are welcome to contact me. Likewise, if they'd like to advertise on the site properly, they need only drop me a line.

    However, it is unacceptable, not just here but on nearly every forum on the web, to join simply for the purposes of placing a blatant advert.

    If anyone knows any of these doctors personally, could you explain to them the correct etiquette for using internet forums.

    Thanks and hugs, Katie x
    Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next without any loss of enthusiasm!
      December 21, 2010 3:23 PM GMT
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  • I doubt any reputable doctor, surgeon or any other proffesional person, would just spam a site with adverts, most reputable proffesional people have their own sites.
    Cristine Jennifer Shye.  B/L.  B/Acc
      December 21, 2010 3:35 PM GMT
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  • As someone who will hopefully be going through SRS in the near future I found this very informative.

     

    Thank you.

     

    Sarah. x

      April 10, 2014 5:02 PM BST
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  • The initial advice in the first post of this thread is very good advice indeed for anyone who is due to have surgery. Plan ahead because everything will take you longer than you expect. 

    Every woman is beautiful, some show it with their faces, others show it with their hearts.
      May 7, 2014 3:50 PM BST
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