Surgeons
While researching SRS, I’ve been compiling a list of surgeons in North America. I don’t like admitting it, but going to Thailand (the most common non-NA place I see SRS docs practicing) sort of unnerves me. I like the idea of being somewhere where I understand the culture and can communicate with the staff. Maybe that’s an unreasonable fear (based on the reviews I’m reading of Thai docs, it seems like it is an unreasonable fear) but, at least for now, I’m focusing on North America.
So what have I found? Here’s the list of doctors I’m most actively investigating:
Dr McGinn – Pennsylvania
Dr Bowers – Colorado (but moving to California some time within the next year)
Dr Brassard – Montreal
All three have mostly positive comments from patients, and seem like they have their shit together. (I haven’t been able to find any docs with exclusively positive comments, but I don’t imagine that I will.) I like that Bowers and McGinn are both trans, which gives something more of an emotional connection. I’m also going to own up to my inner sexism, and say I like that McGinn and Bowers are trans women.
Going doctor by doctor…
I like McGinn’s website. In my own (artistic) career, I’m realizing how important that first impression is, and I think she succeeds. I also like how straightforward her info on vaginoplasty is, including an FAQ about orgasms post-surgery, electrolysis, and more. McGinn also prominently lists her prices, something that may seem kind of crass to some but feels very open and honest to me. That’s one of the factors I’m considering, and I appreciate her being blunt about it.
Bowers also has a very functional website, with good information and FAQs. I like that she recommends laser hair removal, which fits with my own experiences of laser. So far as I can tell, she doesn’t list prices (please correct me if I’m wrong!) which I find a little frustrating.
I like Brassard’s website the least. It’s all Flash-based, which I find incredibly obnoxious. I also think the text is unreasonably small, and the design difficult to navigate. He does present good information, though (if you can find it…) including a nice diagram of how GRS works. No pricing information, so far as I can see, and no before-and-after photographs, something Bowers and McGinn both have.
All three are about the same distance from me, 800-1000 miles from Chicago. From the little I’ve looked into it, Bowers is the least accessible by plane, being in a small Colorado town (at least until she moves). McGinn is near Philadelphia, and Brassard is in Montreal, both of which wold be easier to get to/from.
I found some reviews/feedback for McGinn, Bowers, and Brassard at a trans resource site, and they all have similar ratings. Brassard has the most ratings, McGinn the least, which (from what I could gather) reflects how long they’ve all been practicing.
From talking with my therapist, her recommendation was, basically, do a consult with a few different doctors (if financially possible) and choose whoever you click with the most. She was saying that, at the level I’m looking at (i.e. not back-alley doctors) there isn’t going to be an “obvious” choice, so I should go with whoever makes me feel the most comfortable. That advice makes a lot of sense, even though it counters my (unrealistic) desire to always have an “obvious” winner when comparison shopping.
So I’m hoping to start looking into travel possibilities, once my show is done, and try to get some consults within the next few months. Eeek! (I have another post in the pipeline about how all this research is making me feel…)
Themocracy
We must have remarkably similar taste, because these are the three on my list as well. I agree with you that they all seem to do good work, but I’m leery about traveling out for personal consults with all of them. That’s a lot of travel money just to window shop.
FYI… Bowers has recently stated she’s 95% certain she’ll be moving her practice to a San Francisco Area clinic in October of this year. Something to keep an eye on.
Innnteresting. Maybe I’ll wait to visit Bowers. San Francisco (by virtue of having cousins with whom I could stay) would be much easier than Trinidad, CO.
Now that’s just scary. If she moves to the San Francisco area I’ve already told others Bowers moves to the top of my list because I also have family in the area with whom I could convalesce.
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>_>
Are you also considering limitations on getting gender markers on legal documents changed (surgery must be done in the US to get birth certificates changed in IL, I believe)?
I haven’t thought a ton about that, but it’s definitely a bonus of getting surgery done “locally.” I think the Illinois courts recently said that surgery examined by a US doctor – someone who could sign off on it – was also acceptable, but I could be wrong.
One thing that puzzles me: your focus on location. This is, hopefully, the biggest single thing you’ll ever do to your body. The geographic location you do it in should be the absolute least important consideration. Experience of the surgeon, past results, aesthetics, sensation – those are all important things. I’d have gone to Ougadougou if necessary for the best result (not that I’d have found it there). Whether it’s a convenient trip should mean bupkiss.
Likwise, whether Brassard’s web designer is a muppet has zero bearing on the quality of surgery.
My advice, which may not be worth much, is to try to find previous patients of all three and quiz them. However as with new car owners people tend to overrate their satisfaction with their purchase.
Good luck!
Thanks for your thoughts, and talking with past patients is definitely a good idea. That said, I won’t know how their surgery goes on me until after the fact, and from everything I’ve researched there doesn’t seem to be a universal consensus on any sort of ‘best.’ So I do think factoring other things in makes some amount of sense, because I can’t know the future but I can know how comfortable I’ll feel in the US versus in Thailand.
I also realize it sounds like you’ve had surgery. Can I ask where you went, and your thoughts on the results?
I’ll reply on this one privately via email if that’s okay. Look for an email tomorrow.
I’m down to two: McGinn (Whom I met last week when I was in Philadelphia with a friend who had SRS with her), or staying local. Chicago has her own SRS surgeon: Dr. Loren Schechter [http://www.univplastics.com/aboutus/aboutus11.html], whom I also consulted with. I believe my insurance is going to pay for mine, so staying local reduces travel costs and will be in-network, saving me even more. It’s a tough decision. If I was paying out of pocket, with my salary, I’d only be looking at thailand.
Thanks, Molly! I didn’t realize there was an SRS surgeon in Chicago, so I’ll definitely contact Dr Schechter.