Back from Thailand

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

My friend Caroline and me went to Chonburi,Thailand to have SRS by Dr. Suporn.Mine was on Jan 14,hers on Jan 16.the long plane trip was a pain, but after we got there everything went pretty smoothly.Because of my age the hospital wanted me to take a "stress test", which some of you may be familiar with. To test your heart,walking on a treadmill.I had to pay extra for it, which worried me because one I had about 10 years earlier at Touro Informary cost $4500.At the hospital in Chonburi,same procedure, the cost was $130.Quite a difference. Modern hospital. ironically,even though I was almost 65 and Caroline was 48,she is the one who had all of the problems.Bleeding around the catheter,she had to wear it for a week after leaving the hospital, and then a week before we left she had to go back into the hospital for a skin graft because Suporn was worried about some serious granulation.But we left Thailand on time on Feb 28. We had a very pleasant time, hotel was nice, big free buffet breakfast included in price of room.We were checked every day by someone from the clinic, andonce a week went in for inspection by Suporn.Large quantity of supplies were included in cost of surgery. Also two excursions while we were there, one for a day at Suporn's lovely beach house,the other to a tourist attraction,some gardens with an elephant show and Thai dances.The first group of dancers entirely trans girls.Of course we met a number of Suporn's other patients from Europe and the Americas,plus a couple of Chinese girls.In the grocery department of the Phoenix department store we were helped by a tall woman in her '30's who was trans.Chonburi not being a tourist area we say very few other Westerners except Suporn's patients and their families.Easy to get around in the imediate area, as English language signs on most buildings and many people spoke English

As many others have said, Suporn does beautiful work,and both of us are very satisfied with our new vaginas.The dialation,of course is the most aggravating part of the whole thing,but that is part of the price that you pay.The trip home was not as uncomfortable as we had feared, though a boring nuisance like the trip over.Suporn is a very nice man and very conscientious about making sure everything is perfect(he gave up his Saturday to operate on Caroline the second time,because he was not quite sure it would heal on its own).So things in general worked out about as well as you could reasonably hope.Dialation for the first two or three months after(except for the first month when you are numb) is painful because the scar tissue is trying to contract, but now it is becomming easier,thank God. By the way, in the local newspaper we saw an ad for SRS for $1200.I don't think that I would want to entrust myself to a doctor willing to work THAT cheaply!

[VickySGV]

Congratulations Cindy, and to your friend. You two bracketed me on your dates (I was Jan 15), but mine was here in California. The after care on surgery is a real pain, long after the surgery itself has begun to heal and starts to look right. At five months though, its about time you came back and told us about it. It would have taken some of the pressure off me and Meagan in letting the soon-to-be's in on what it is like.

[Guest Kaylee234]

Congrats to both of you! I'm glad to hear that Dr. Suporn is such a professional regarding his work. He's on my short list of choices for when it's my turn.

So, the plane ride is a full day, give or take a few hours, right? On the trip back do you have to dilate on the plane?

And $1200? Wow... yeah, sounds legit

~ Kay

[Guest NatashaJade]

Congrats!

I'm one of those weird folks who actually kind of likes to dilate. Granted, I'm down to 15 minutes a day, four days a week. But it's this little affirmation of what I have that I did not before.

And $1200 for GRS? I'd be exceptionally wary. As with anything, you get what you pay for and some things are worth paying more for.

[Guest Strong]

CONGRATS, i WISH i WAS WITH YOU BOTH,

Strong

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

The plane trip is at least a full day, depending on time between connections.We took China Air,very nice with pretty good meals.Of course cramped in economy,as all are. Suporn told us to dilate with our fingers if we got the chance.Not exactly practical to do otherwise.Missing just one day is not disasterous.Only real bad experience was coming back, in LA airport encountered nasty customs agent.big black guy with a chip on his shoulder.He asked Caroline if we were married,which we of course were not( I was waiting in back of her),and she said no.When I came up he asked if I knew her(since we were both from New Orleans),and I said yes,we were traveling together.He got angry, called Caroline back and accused her of lying to him, which she had not. He made us go through the line where they search all of your luggage("suspicious characters"). A real pain! Fortunately the people who did the search were much nicer.

Suporn really takes care of you,they take you on a couple of excursions while you are there,and you are only a block away from the clinic.Two 7-11's near by,also a large Mall with a deaprtment store with a large grocery department,Pizza place and KFC nearby,in addition to several local eating places.Very convenient.Bus service to Bangkok and other places,terminal right across the street from the hotel.

You can't drink the tap water,or use it for douching.Hotel provides a bottle of water each day.Various ways to get additiional water,which you will definitely need.

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

Forgot, thanks to all of you for the good wishes.Hope that you all can get yours soon,and have no more trouble than I did

[KathrynJulia]

I wouldn't wish a $1200 SRS on my worst enemy. yuk I'm glad that your surgery was everything you could hope it to be. Welcome back and thank you for the report. We all benefit when we share surgical information. Being an informed consumer keeps the $1200.00 Quacks from getting his back alley surgicals talents on one of us. Someone like that would mess up an autopsy. Kathryn

[Guest CindyLouCovington]

My endo,Dr. Brandi Panunti at Ochsner,who is the primary trans specialist in the New Orleans area, looked at my vagina and said that it was beautiful.Caroline showed hers to a bunch of the girls and they were awestruck,as one said'Wow, now you are ALL GIRL!".Which just confirms what most people say, that Suporn is a real artist,and a true perfectionist.

[Guest LizMarie]

Congratulations, Cindy!

From what I've heard, when Dr. Suporn is good, he is very, very good.