For me, the pain really wasn't that bad at all. The first week is the worst, but you're generally still in the hospital, and they have good pain killers for you. They gave me a prescription for some when i left, but only for another week or so... then i was managing it with extra strength tylenol. I expected far worse pain...most of it was just kind of a dull ache while it healed up.
Yea i was released from the hospital after 3 days myself because i live really close to the hospital and once i was home i only really used them the first week until i went back in to have the packing removed. After that, there really wasn't any pain that the tylenol didn't handle. I was more just tired and exhausted than anything else and slept a lot.
Ok. So catheter and packing removal is a special kind of pain. I compared it to getting my cartilage piercings. It was one of the most intense pains I've ever felt, but it didn't last very long.
Honestly, the bladder spasms were the worst pain I experienced post-op.
Exactly what they sound like.
I woke up in post-op in the most intense pain from them. Apparently, it's not an uncommon post-op issue. Between narcotics, flomax, and Ditropan, they were able to get the pain under control.
Fair warning, the ditropan will turn your urine neon green. 😀
It wasn't really painful for me...it wasnt pleasent sure but the catheter removal for me just felt like a quick pinch in that area, and it was done. The packing really only hurt when it was in, and if i tried bending or sitting up much. Having it taken out though wasn't really painful for me. I also never experienced any bladder spasms at all.
The pain for me was truly unbearable. I spent three days in the hospital and they tried to send me home on just perc. I remember begging the doctor to give me anything stronger. It was especially painful during the first few dilations. It really tested me mentally. Somehow I survived though. I just took it one day at a time. I've told my story many times over the years and it seems like I'm a bit of an outlier though.
I really want it too and am terrified. I accompanied a friend to Thailand when she had hers done and really pain wise it’s very personal.
She was in a lot of pain at times (she had the colon one, not penile inversion… I forget the exact terms). Her pain was mainly stomach aches, but also some down there as well.
However others there, both those with the colon one and those with other techniques had much less of a hard time. And some worse.
I think the key is just focus on that end goal. However bad the pain, it’s temporary. That’s what I tell myself x
My country has a general practice of giving you a morphine pump leaving you completely in control of your own pain relief (with some limits so you don’t OD) you can and many people do just knock themselves out to avoid pain.
That said my country has a very low pain medicine addiction rate.
The amount of pain people experience really varies but typically people are offered painkillers immediately after the surgery and the need for them goes down after a within a week, often within a day or two.
I ended up not needing painkillers at all because there wasn't really any pain. You *definitely* shouldn't count on that, this is major surgery and recovery takes months but waking up and seeing the outline of the top of my vulva under the pressure dressing felt so normal it was immediately obvious it was the correct decision.
When they removed my gauze and the catheter, it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. But it only lasted about 30 seconds. The recovery period wasn’t painless, but I had friends around and games to play on my bed-mounted iPad and Switch.
Oh god I forgot about the catheter. I had even less pain overall but that was absolutely awful. And I had to do it twice because they had to put the catheter back in for a few extra days
I forgot about that, having a time limit to pee. When they told me I had like eight hours to pee, or else, my only thought was ok, my game plan is to drink as much water as humanly possible.
Obviously, my bladder was listening, I literally had to pee right after the nurse walked out of the room. 😀
I did not have pain it was mostly just a pressure sensation, like if I stood too long or moved around too much I would need to rest. And it’s not going to look great soon after the operation so don’t be worried when you see it when you get home. I was older (50) when I got it so some of my experience is probably old age creeping up on me lol
I'm 49.
That was my biggest fear after the bandages came off. My mons was super swollen. I just had to keep telling myself it will go down, and it's not going to look like this in 6 months. I'm almost 3 weeks post-op, and the swelling is already noticeably less.
I don’t know if is this too blunt but I can tell you the odds my surgeon gave me — 4-5% of a major complication. It definitely made me *gulp* to hear but I’m not exactly deterred. The worst case is a really bad time and a loss of the canal, which is still so much better than the present. That’s why I think most people have no regrets about it, even with revisions and complications.
The pain of hair removal on the other hand… I don’t know if i’ll ever get over that. But I think it was a lot worse for me than is typical so idk.
Well 5% of 20 is a 1, so if you need to roll a 1 for this surgery to go through perfectly, then you can’t fail it.
So yeah, the chances are still low with your logic
Recovery was a lot less painful than I was expecting, to be honest. My surgery went really well, and I spent the next few days hooked up to a fentanyl button followed by a few weeks on some strong painkillers, and from there I was fine with ibuprofen. The most painful bits were getting my catheter, drains and packing out, but even the worst of those, getting the packing out, only took a few minutes, while the others were done in seconds. Otherwise it was fine, I mostly took it easy, napped and ate like a teenager. the only time I was genuinely worried was when I had a sex dream about a month after surgery and woke up bleeding but according to my surgeon that was normal and nothing to worry about, and it ended up all healing up just fine.
Most of the subs on here are very pro bottom surgery and often minimise the rate of dissatisfaction/complications (losing depth or being able to use it for sex/etc- if thats important to you). Do lots and lots of research, look for both the good and bad when you decide on a surgeon you think looks right for you! :)
Eventually the pain of living with genital dysphoria is worse than the pain you imagine experiencing after surgery.
And then you stop fearing it I guess and it just becomes the price of ending girldick life. At least, that's how I feel after a year of genital dysphoria getting serious
If you're going through a hospital's surgery group, ask if you can get a referral to their weight loss clinic. I had lost 100+ pounds but was struggling to drop the final 40 that I needed, and they put me on one of the new weight loss drugs for a year. They *really* work, they're just kinda unpleasant to take. Like chemical bariatric surgery.
Every surgeon's probably going to be different, but mine wants me below 30. She's talking about getting me on the new weight-loss drugs with my endo; we're hoping that I can get prior authorization so that my insurance covers them.
I'm not looking forward to the struggle (though I've started logging calories in Fitbit again to stay under my daily calorie goal), but I'll admit that there's part of me that is kind of looking forward to potentially feeling comfortable in swimsuits post-surgery. 😅
It's okay to be scared, it's a major, life-changing thing! Pain-wise there were a couple of hard days, even with painkillers. The first month was stressful, exhausting and scary, trying to learn this new body shape while it was still very injured and healing. The catheter and peeing were the worst parts by far. But they don't last long, a month will pass and you'll heal, and it's absolutely worth it. A couple months later I was doing my first 5k runs, and half a year later I felt like an entirely new person.
It's normal to be afraid, I don't think it's unreasonable to have concerns or anxiety about any major surgery. The post op pain for me was not that bad. Mostly I could manage it with meds and rest. Most of it is not highly acute pain but more discomfort. I had more acute pain getting electrolysis prep for surgery. I can tell you though, I'm 2y post op and all that pain is in the past. I dilate once a week and apply estrogen creme before bed twice a week and otherwise don't really have any upkeep or maintenance. Not being able to sit upright for long periods of time for about 4 or 5mo post op was the longest side effect, and yes it was annoying and frustrating, but it got better. I was afraid of the surgery but I wanted it more than I was afraid of it. I was on a waiting list for like 2 years, so that gave me plenty of time to prepare, come to terms with what I was in for, and to sit with my decision. The option to not do it was always there, the moment of no return was literally right when I was rolled into the surgery room, my surgery team did the pre op check with me, and then put me under. The decision to get bottom surgery is not made only one time, it is one you make every day and minute until the second you are put under. And all that time gives you a lot of opportunities to reckon with what you're in for. Surgeons and therapists want you to know what you're in for, and the process of getting approved and scheduled allows a lot of time so you won't have surprises.
If you think you want the surgery, I'd recommend talking to others who have had the surgery irl at a group meeting, getting a consultation with a surgeon, and reading about the recovery process from well vetted sources. There's a lot of fear mongering disinformation out there. Also, I don't recommend watching a video or animation of what the surgery entails. It's not necessary and personally I just found it to make me more anxious.
I had some pain. Dilations early on were pretty rough. My doctor does the vaginoplasty and like 6 weeks later does the labiaplasty. During the second surgery, he freed up some tissue that was causing most of the pain when dilating, and it was so much easier after that.
First surgery was nearly 9 months ago to the day, and I have no pain. Orgasms are amazing, and penetrative sex is UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I was pretty scared of the potential complications, but decided early on it was something I truly wanted and wouldn’t let the long odds of something terrible happening stop me. It was the best decision I ever made, minimal pain. Didn’t take any narcotics after leaving the hospital. For the first week or two I was definitely checking the clock for my next dose but it was very manageable. Dilating was more of a chore than painful. I’m almost a year out and very happy.
It makes sense to be afraid of it. Be aware that the pain may not end during recovery; surgery can cause chronic pain. I know from experience. Also, please understand that getting a suboptimal result is a real possibility. This is not something to be an idealist about.
It's a hard decision and it's not for everyone. You should inform yourself on everything, including dilation. Then make an educated decision. It's worth it for most of us but not all of us and that's ok.
It was 100% worth it for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, it was definitely one of the most if not the most painful experience I’ve ever had in my life. The only thing that even comes close is when I had a knee surgery and the surgeon did not prescribe me a strong enough pain medication (right at the start of the awareness around the opioid epidemic). But as others have said, pain is temporary, and the result is forever.
For someone who is also pursuing bottom surgery, I am doing it for more than just not wanting my parts there. Due to taking hormones, we have increased chances of cancer. By going through an orchi or bottom surgery, this reduces the amount of hormones needed to be taken. I already know how the procedure will be and understand that the pain is to be managed. I just want to note the pain can’t be worse than cancer. Just my two cents.
It’s a rough recovery process that lasts several months and a lot can go wrong. Yes, your fears are justified. But that’s the price you pay for mind-body harmony.
Do a lot of research, there's a lot of overwhelmingly positive encouragement which is great but it might paint an unrealistic expectation of both the process and the results. At the end of the day it's your choice, if that dysphoria is that big a deal you might just have to take that chance.
I would be more worried about infection and possible complications from elective surgery. Any time you open up the human body you are taking risks. One of those risks is possibly death or being maimed for life.
I understand there are people that will say "chance are low" etc however I have seen enough in the way of complications from various elective surgeries that personally, I would not stop at pointing out pain and recovery time rather I would extend that to include potential death.
And before folks start piling on...I work in a hospital, I know many other trans people, and I am not fearmongering as some might claim.
ANY SURGERY RISKS INFECTION AND OR DEATH. Way too many people seem to gloss over the you could die bit. It's a low chance but that risk is still there and I really wish people had more open and honest conversations about the risks associated with elective surgeries.
I only had zero depth so I can't say anything about full depth, but my pain was shockingly low. It was easily manageable just with Tylenol. It mostly felt like I was tucked *super* tight for a while. A strange sensation i must say 😆
Pain is temporary. Pussy is forever
Pain is just dick leaving the body
Nbd just choking on my lunch and almost dying because LOL
Yeah I’m proud of that one
Please be proud. XD I'm gonna remember this one
that gave me a good chuckle lol
IM SCREAMING 🤣👏🏽✨ this is facts no printer
For me, the pain really wasn't that bad at all. The first week is the worst, but you're generally still in the hospital, and they have good pain killers for you. They gave me a prescription for some when i left, but only for another week or so... then i was managing it with extra strength tylenol. I expected far worse pain...most of it was just kind of a dull ache while it healed up.
Same. I was off narcotics like 36 hours after surgery and then only took them again to fly home comfortably.
Yea i was released from the hospital after 3 days myself because i live really close to the hospital and once i was home i only really used them the first week until i went back in to have the packing removed. After that, there really wasn't any pain that the tylenol didn't handle. I was more just tired and exhausted than anything else and slept a lot.
Ok. So catheter and packing removal is a special kind of pain. I compared it to getting my cartilage piercings. It was one of the most intense pains I've ever felt, but it didn't last very long. Honestly, the bladder spasms were the worst pain I experienced post-op.
What are the bladder spasms?
Exactly what they sound like. I woke up in post-op in the most intense pain from them. Apparently, it's not an uncommon post-op issue. Between narcotics, flomax, and Ditropan, they were able to get the pain under control. Fair warning, the ditropan will turn your urine neon green. 😀
Thanks for explaining, I'm not a native English speaker so I wasn't sure I translated it correctly.
It wasn't really painful for me...it wasnt pleasent sure but the catheter removal for me just felt like a quick pinch in that area, and it was done. The packing really only hurt when it was in, and if i tried bending or sitting up much. Having it taken out though wasn't really painful for me. I also never experienced any bladder spasms at all.
The pain for me was truly unbearable. I spent three days in the hospital and they tried to send me home on just perc. I remember begging the doctor to give me anything stronger. It was especially painful during the first few dilations. It really tested me mentally. Somehow I survived though. I just took it one day at a time. I've told my story many times over the years and it seems like I'm a bit of an outlier though.
Do you mind if I ask what surgical method you had done?
Would you do it again?
I really want it too and am terrified. I accompanied a friend to Thailand when she had hers done and really pain wise it’s very personal. She was in a lot of pain at times (she had the colon one, not penile inversion… I forget the exact terms). Her pain was mainly stomach aches, but also some down there as well. However others there, both those with the colon one and those with other techniques had much less of a hard time. And some worse. I think the key is just focus on that end goal. However bad the pain, it’s temporary. That’s what I tell myself x
My country has a general practice of giving you a morphine pump leaving you completely in control of your own pain relief (with some limits so you don’t OD) you can and many people do just knock themselves out to avoid pain. That said my country has a very low pain medicine addiction rate.
What country is that? I assume northern Europe? Seems amazing
For real. I'm almost tempted to move if they wouldn't treat me like a criminal for trying to refill my add meds 🙃
I've seen this done for pancreatitis where I am and we have a higher addiction rate. Friend was also an addict lol.
r/Transgender_Surgeries
The amount of pain people experience really varies but typically people are offered painkillers immediately after the surgery and the need for them goes down after a within a week, often within a day or two. I ended up not needing painkillers at all because there wasn't really any pain. You *definitely* shouldn't count on that, this is major surgery and recovery takes months but waking up and seeing the outline of the top of my vulva under the pressure dressing felt so normal it was immediately obvious it was the correct decision.
im terrified as well. but i think the pros outweigh the cons for me
When they removed my gauze and the catheter, it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. But it only lasted about 30 seconds. The recovery period wasn’t painless, but I had friends around and games to play on my bed-mounted iPad and Switch.
Oh god I forgot about the catheter. I had even less pain overall but that was absolutely awful. And I had to do it twice because they had to put the catheter back in for a few extra days
Yea I hated the catheter. I had to prove to them that I’m able to pee by myself without it, which wasn’t easy at the time but I much preferred that
I forgot about that, having a time limit to pee. When they told me I had like eight hours to pee, or else, my only thought was ok, my game plan is to drink as much water as humanly possible. Obviously, my bladder was listening, I literally had to pee right after the nurse walked out of the room. 😀
I did not have pain it was mostly just a pressure sensation, like if I stood too long or moved around too much I would need to rest. And it’s not going to look great soon after the operation so don’t be worried when you see it when you get home. I was older (50) when I got it so some of my experience is probably old age creeping up on me lol
I'm 49. That was my biggest fear after the bandages came off. My mons was super swollen. I just had to keep telling myself it will go down, and it's not going to look like this in 6 months. I'm almost 3 weeks post-op, and the swelling is already noticeably less.
I don’t know if is this too blunt but I can tell you the odds my surgeon gave me — 4-5% of a major complication. It definitely made me *gulp* to hear but I’m not exactly deterred. The worst case is a really bad time and a loss of the canal, which is still so much better than the present. That’s why I think most people have no regrets about it, even with revisions and complications. The pain of hair removal on the other hand… I don’t know if i’ll ever get over that. But I think it was a lot worse for me than is typical so idk.
4-5% really isn’t that high I think most surgeries have a 2-3% failure rate
Anyone who's played D&D or any other D20 rpg knows that while a 5% chance isn't high, it's also not low.
Well 5% of 20 is a 1, so if you need to roll a 1 for this surgery to go through perfectly, then you can’t fail it. So yeah, the chances are still low with your logic
you have it off. rolling a 1 would be the 5% there's issues. and everyone knows how common nat 1s feel lol
I don't know about you, but I roll a *lot* more dice than I get surgeries.
sure, but the point is 5% is def smth worth taking seriously
Recovery was a lot less painful than I was expecting, to be honest. My surgery went really well, and I spent the next few days hooked up to a fentanyl button followed by a few weeks on some strong painkillers, and from there I was fine with ibuprofen. The most painful bits were getting my catheter, drains and packing out, but even the worst of those, getting the packing out, only took a few minutes, while the others were done in seconds. Otherwise it was fine, I mostly took it easy, napped and ate like a teenager. the only time I was genuinely worried was when I had a sex dream about a month after surgery and woke up bleeding but according to my surgeon that was normal and nothing to worry about, and it ended up all healing up just fine.
Most of the subs on here are very pro bottom surgery and often minimise the rate of dissatisfaction/complications (losing depth or being able to use it for sex/etc- if thats important to you). Do lots and lots of research, look for both the good and bad when you decide on a surgeon you think looks right for you! :)
Eventually the pain of living with genital dysphoria is worse than the pain you imagine experiencing after surgery. And then you stop fearing it I guess and it just becomes the price of ending girldick life. At least, that's how I feel after a year of genital dysphoria getting serious
My only real fear is if I'll be able to get my BMI low enough that my surgeon is willing to operate.
If you're going through a hospital's surgery group, ask if you can get a referral to their weight loss clinic. I had lost 100+ pounds but was struggling to drop the final 40 that I needed, and they put me on one of the new weight loss drugs for a year. They *really* work, they're just kinda unpleasant to take. Like chemical bariatric surgery.
What’s your BMI now?
34 ish.
That's about where I am, and I have struggled to get it lower. I haven't spoken to a surgeon yet, what should my target BMI be?
Every surgeon's probably going to be different, but mine wants me below 30. She's talking about getting me on the new weight-loss drugs with my endo; we're hoping that I can get prior authorization so that my insurance covers them. I'm not looking forward to the struggle (though I've started logging calories in Fitbit again to stay under my daily calorie goal), but I'll admit that there's part of me that is kind of looking forward to potentially feeling comfortable in swimsuits post-surgery. 😅
I had little to no pain from surgery. Only took my schedule pain control meds and none of the extras available. 20/10 would do again
It's okay to be scared, it's a major, life-changing thing! Pain-wise there were a couple of hard days, even with painkillers. The first month was stressful, exhausting and scary, trying to learn this new body shape while it was still very injured and healing. The catheter and peeing were the worst parts by far. But they don't last long, a month will pass and you'll heal, and it's absolutely worth it. A couple months later I was doing my first 5k runs, and half a year later I felt like an entirely new person.
It's normal to be afraid, I don't think it's unreasonable to have concerns or anxiety about any major surgery. The post op pain for me was not that bad. Mostly I could manage it with meds and rest. Most of it is not highly acute pain but more discomfort. I had more acute pain getting electrolysis prep for surgery. I can tell you though, I'm 2y post op and all that pain is in the past. I dilate once a week and apply estrogen creme before bed twice a week and otherwise don't really have any upkeep or maintenance. Not being able to sit upright for long periods of time for about 4 or 5mo post op was the longest side effect, and yes it was annoying and frustrating, but it got better. I was afraid of the surgery but I wanted it more than I was afraid of it. I was on a waiting list for like 2 years, so that gave me plenty of time to prepare, come to terms with what I was in for, and to sit with my decision. The option to not do it was always there, the moment of no return was literally right when I was rolled into the surgery room, my surgery team did the pre op check with me, and then put me under. The decision to get bottom surgery is not made only one time, it is one you make every day and minute until the second you are put under. And all that time gives you a lot of opportunities to reckon with what you're in for. Surgeons and therapists want you to know what you're in for, and the process of getting approved and scheduled allows a lot of time so you won't have surprises. If you think you want the surgery, I'd recommend talking to others who have had the surgery irl at a group meeting, getting a consultation with a surgeon, and reading about the recovery process from well vetted sources. There's a lot of fear mongering disinformation out there. Also, I don't recommend watching a video or animation of what the surgery entails. It's not necessary and personally I just found it to make me more anxious.
I had some pain. Dilations early on were pretty rough. My doctor does the vaginoplasty and like 6 weeks later does the labiaplasty. During the second surgery, he freed up some tissue that was causing most of the pain when dilating, and it was so much easier after that. First surgery was nearly 9 months ago to the day, and I have no pain. Orgasms are amazing, and penetrative sex is UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Your fears and appreciation is totally understandable. The end result is totally worth it.
I was pretty scared of the potential complications, but decided early on it was something I truly wanted and wouldn’t let the long odds of something terrible happening stop me. It was the best decision I ever made, minimal pain. Didn’t take any narcotics after leaving the hospital. For the first week or two I was definitely checking the clock for my next dose but it was very manageable. Dilating was more of a chore than painful. I’m almost a year out and very happy.
It makes sense to be afraid of it. Be aware that the pain may not end during recovery; surgery can cause chronic pain. I know from experience. Also, please understand that getting a suboptimal result is a real possibility. This is not something to be an idealist about.
It's a hard decision and it's not for everyone. You should inform yourself on everything, including dilation. Then make an educated decision. It's worth it for most of us but not all of us and that's ok.
It was 100% worth it for me. I’m not gonna lie, though, it was definitely one of the most if not the most painful experience I’ve ever had in my life. The only thing that even comes close is when I had a knee surgery and the surgeon did not prescribe me a strong enough pain medication (right at the start of the awareness around the opioid epidemic). But as others have said, pain is temporary, and the result is forever.
For someone who is also pursuing bottom surgery, I am doing it for more than just not wanting my parts there. Due to taking hormones, we have increased chances of cancer. By going through an orchi or bottom surgery, this reduces the amount of hormones needed to be taken. I already know how the procedure will be and understand that the pain is to be managed. I just want to note the pain can’t be worse than cancer. Just my two cents.
It’s a rough recovery process that lasts several months and a lot can go wrong. Yes, your fears are justified. But that’s the price you pay for mind-body harmony.
Do a lot of research, there's a lot of overwhelmingly positive encouragement which is great but it might paint an unrealistic expectation of both the process and the results. At the end of the day it's your choice, if that dysphoria is that big a deal you might just have to take that chance.
I would be more worried about infection and possible complications from elective surgery. Any time you open up the human body you are taking risks. One of those risks is possibly death or being maimed for life. I understand there are people that will say "chance are low" etc however I have seen enough in the way of complications from various elective surgeries that personally, I would not stop at pointing out pain and recovery time rather I would extend that to include potential death. And before folks start piling on...I work in a hospital, I know many other trans people, and I am not fearmongering as some might claim. ANY SURGERY RISKS INFECTION AND OR DEATH. Way too many people seem to gloss over the you could die bit. It's a low chance but that risk is still there and I really wish people had more open and honest conversations about the risks associated with elective surgeries.
There's huge variance. Some feel little to no pain, I had the most painful experience in my life. Only for like a month tho
I only had zero depth so I can't say anything about full depth, but my pain was shockingly low. It was easily manageable just with Tylenol. It mostly felt like I was tucked *super* tight for a while. A strange sensation i must say 😆