GENERAL PREPARATION (PRE-OP)

1.  2  GD certificates from 2 independent psychiatrists.
2.  Research and choose the surgical technique you prefer:
   •   Penile inversion vaginoplasty technique.
   •   Sigmoid colon graft vaginoplasty technique.
   •   Peritoneal pull through vaginoplasty technique.
3.  Write down all the questions and doubts you may have about your chosen technique.
4.  Choose your surgeon. Do not hesitate to ask for the surgeon’s experience.
5.  Check your health insurance  company’s policies in regards to Gender change.
6.  Inquire  your workplace policy around gender corrective surgeries.
7. Discuss post operative care and dilation regime with your surgeon
8. If possible try to arrange privacy for your self, for the dilation process. for eg: if you live in shared spaces discuss it with your house mates and schedule a time slot private for yourself.
9.  Keep at least 20 to 30% extra money than the surgeon’s  quote, as an emergency buffer.

*The following post op planning is best to be done before surgery:

EXTRA PREPARATION (POST-OP)

1. Keep ample time for recovery.
2. Recovery depends on various factors like age, health condition, fitness level, lifestyle etc. Example: an younger patient may recover faster than a older patient from the same surgery, this is however not set in stone, other factors such as fitness level , lifestyle, health conditions also play a factor
3. Always take double the time off  from your work than your surgeon suggests, and also ask for work from home permission for a few months after your surgical leave. Most of the time recovery takes more time than a surgeon estimates. Keep room for complications. Generally for a MTF SRS  at least 1 month to 45 days recovery period is suggested in cases where there are no complications and around 6 months for cases with moderate complications.
4. If possible, try to have at least one loved one with you, maybe a family member or a close friend.  No matter how strong you are , this is a major surgery.  Your primitive brain doesn’t know that you just had the dream surgery that you have been wanting all your life. On the contrary , it thinks some animal has just eaten a part of your body and is in danger.  You deserve the most love and care now, than ever. Especially during the first few days. Day one is the most difficult, as the anesthesia and sedatives  wears off, from there on , it only gets better. Mind you it’s not the physical pain, physical pain can be killed with medications, this is more emotional, just the surgical exhaustion and fatigue.  Each day is better than yesterday. Keep telling yourself that tomorrow will be better  than today.  At this point you need someone to hold your hand and tell you that you are loved and it will only get better from here.
5. As much as you like, It’s not a good idea to binge on Netflix thrillers like Money heist, Squid game etc. during the first week’s post op. These shows are made to give you an adrenaline rush, not something that you want during recovery from a surgical wound. Stress leads to derangement of metabolic and physiological processes which induce perturbations in the inflammatory, acute phase, hormonal, and genomic responses, Hypermetabolism and hypermetabolism result, leading to muscle wasting, impaired immune function and wound healing. Overall , not a good time for Thrillers. rather watch some cooking show, maybe Nisha Madhuulika from YouTube  hahaha.. Get as much sleep as possible, watch something calm  and soothing
6. If possible buy a few thin robes or something easy to wear during the recovery period.
7. For Dilation
   • Arrange a graded dilation kit.
   • Arrange 2 to 3 extra bath towels.
   • Arrange 2 bath robes.
   • Arrange a lot of pillows to support your position during dilation.
   • Buy a good lubricant.
     • Disclaimer: We understand that more appropriate word to use is trans feminine in place of MTF or Male to Female. But our goal is to reach out to people who do not have access or knowledge of these newer and more appropriate terms. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may be trigger by choice of our words. We hope everyone can find something helpful in this post, that is beyond words and tags. Please understand our goal is inclusion and not exclusion.