How Good is Dr Suporn?

Local time: Thursday, 1.12pm

I've been asked a few times how the surgery went and how I feel about it. And at least one person thought that SRS equated with simply having the penis cut off. :P I'm not going to post pictures - you can find those easily enough on the Web and on Dr Suporn's website. So, two and a half weeks post-op, here's some observations:

• The inner and outer labia are clearly distinct. There's still swelling and my haematoma which is preventing the labia from sitting naturally closed, but as it bleeds down this is improving daily. The overall external appearance looks like it will be very natural.
• All surfaces look natural in skin tone and texture, including the clitoris and the smooth "moist" appearance of the inside of the labia minora.
• Clitoris, urethra, and vaginal opening are positioned naturally and analogously to a natal female. Urination isn't a clean stream yet but this is expected at this stage of healing. No problems with "trapped" urine or cleanliness.
• Still lots of swelling around it, but there is a hood over the clitoris and frenulum under it. All very natural. Definitely sensate too, though currently uncomfortable due to the swelled labia irritating it.
• There are two areas in the labia which will require minor corrective surgery due to stitches having come out prematurely. Purely cosmetic. Dr Suporn gives the impression that this will only take a moment and not add any significant healing time.
• Pubic hair growth/density across the vulva does not appear to be abnormally stretched or pulled.
• Lots of bruising around the surgical site and buttocks, which seems to be typical of any sort of surgery (I could swear the surgeons beat you up during anaesthesia). Suture lines seem to be coming clean with very minimal scarring.
• At this stage there's only some minor discharge, which is apparent after dilation. Very little bleeding, and no real pain other than a dull ache or when standing and moving about a lot.
• Currently dilating to 6.5 inches with a 31mm dilator. I guess the final depth will be around 6 inches, which is typical of natal females and considerably more than I'd have obtained with a penile inversion procedure.

So my overall opinion? Well, it's easy to see why Dr Suporn has the reputation as an SRS surgeon that he does. The cosmetic, sensate, and depth results look like they'll be excellent, and there's been no complications. The clinic has also provided useful nursing care, transport, medical supplies, and other information which seems to be part of the whole Dr Suporn "package". I'm very glad I made the choice I did, and absolutely certain I would have been less satisfied remaining in Melbourne for my surgery.

On the other hand, Aikchol Hospital, despite supposedly being one of the best facilities of its kind around here, is a far cry from what I'm accustomed to in Australian medical care. A couple of points from my own experience:

• There's... mold growing in a big patch on the ceiling in front of the air conditioner vent. I'm pretty sure this would be a big no-no in an Australian hospital.
• The air conditioner was inconsistent, which sometimes made it very confusing to diagnose my fever (aside from being generally uncomfortable).
• The strategy for preventing infection seems to be to deliver a constant stream of antibiotics.
• Some slightly questionable nursing practices where the standards of cleanliness and hygiene just aren't quite what I'm used to. I'm pretty sure that on at least one occasion I was swabbed with a cotton Q-tip which went back into the bottle before swabbing me again.
• General little details where the nursing could be better, like the cannula in my left hand not being taped down securely and eventually clotting shut (it actually ended up being re-taped three times and came loose anyway). Because of the clotting, I took my final couple of injections in the buttocks instead of through the cannula.
• Slightly worrying handling of the urine bag connected to the catheter. More than once, a nurse half-tripped over it. At one point an S-hook was provided to hang it off the bed, but it was too low anyway and remained sitting on the floor.
  
• Renovation upstairs. This meant a lot of hammering and banging during my waking hours, which is really less than ideal when you're trying to recover from surgery. On the flipside, it might mean much nicer rooms for future patients. The nurses did offer earplugs, mind you.

So, the overall experience is a mixed bag, but Aikchol isn't nearly so bad that it would be a factor for consideration in my choosing Dr Suporn.