How long was the waitlist, or the time between your consultation and the scheduled surgery date?

That's a good question - I started HRT in December 2023, and I couldn't have any surgeries until 1 year later (Dec. 2024). I knew I wanted an orchi, so during my first year of HRT I got a letter from a therapist for surgery, and then called up the hospital and scheduled a consultation, which happened probably sometime in the summer or fall of 2024 (sorry, details are a little fuzzy here).

Then I had the orchi scheduled with them for December and I started laser hair removal on the genital region a couple months before the orchi as I started to think a vaginoplasty would be a good idea.

Electrolysis for hair removal started ASAP after the orchi, so that was early February.

So overall the wait was like 6ish months since if I hadn't been so dismissive of my bottom dysphoria and taken vaginoplasty more seriously, I might have done hair removal my whole first year of HRT and then had the vaginoplasty ASAP in December 2024 rather than waiting for June 2025.

Either way, I consider this a pretty short timeline, though I really wish I could have had my orchi when I started HRT in 2023, that insurance requirement to wait a year is blatant transphobia.

Which PIV method did you get? I was looking at a specific method in the northeast and am trying to get an orchi ASAP with a request to preserve some tissue for a specific method, and am wondering if this is the same method. This seems like a VERY short time in the OR.

Honestly I have no idea - I tend to think about getting the best surgeon and then getting whatever method they are best at. Since this surgeon is best at PIV that's what I went with. I wish I had more details about it, because I've never heard of a full-depth vaginoplasty being done in 2 - 3 hours, that's just insane.

Did you discuss personal priorities with your doctor? I have in mind the juxtaposition of sensation vs function vs aesthetics.

In visits before the operation I did ask the PA and nurses about what to expect in terms of sensation, function, etc. I didn't give a lot of input on aesthetics, but that's partially because I've seen his work before and it matches what I would like.

Last one: how big was your grin when you woke up and realized everything was the way it should be?

Leading up to the surgery was so nervous I was making a mistake and scared that it would look awful and I would immediately feel regret. Once I was in my own room and could look at it more closely, despite being the first day I felt this immense relief - like I had just shed a mountain of burden. I was shocked to find that I was so extremely happy with the results, and that led to some happy sobbing.

I've had intrusive thoughts about cutting off my penis since I was a teenager, and my scrotum has always seemed extremely gross to me - I just coped by not taking those feelings seriously, and so in a real way I didn't understand my own bottom dysphoria or how severe it was. Right now at least I just feel so much relief and happiness - and I can't explain why, it just is that way despite not expecting it to be like this at all.