[phall0plasty]

Haven’t updated this in forever - I just passed 4 years post op phalloplasty which is wild. I don’t think about it much anymore.

[phall0plasty]

Haven’t updated in awhile but I’m a little over 4.5 months post op inflatable pump. It was definitely the right choice for me to switch from the rod to the pump. Still struggling with things that are out of my control, but overall I’m much happier.

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13 days post op pump - I always forget how mentally taxing it is to have surgery and have to lay around for awhile. Looking forward to being done with surgery for hopefully a long time.

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Pump

Haven’t updated in quite awhile. After almost a year post semi rigid rod removal, I got the pump implant on 3/11/21. I’m currently 11 days post op. Timing wise, I really wasn’t wanting to get the pump until late 2021, but issues with my insurance came up and it turned into a “now or never” type of situation, so I went for it. I’m still dealing with quite a bit of pain and discomfort, but I’m feeling optimistic overall and am hoping that I can get through this implant without any issues. My glans revision that I got during my rod removal has been a massive improvement to me and I’m really glad I had it done. I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on a lot of what ifs, like what if I had gone for the pump instead of the rod and saved thousands of dollars, etc. But at the end of the day, I’m happy with where I’m at surgery wise and that I was able to get to this point, even if it took a lot longer journey than I anticipated. 

[phall0plasty]

Had surgery on 7/14 to get my semi rigid rod removed, a glans revision, and a mons lift. Super happy with the rod removal and glans revision. Pretty disappointed with the mons lift as it didn’t really do anything. I barley had enough skin to do a lift since I’m very thin, but I feel like it was pointless and now I have this ugly scar for nothing. But what can ya do. Looking forward to everything being fully healed so I can enjoy not thinking about surgery for awhile

[phall0plasty]

Hey man I don’t know if you’ve ever answered this before and if you don’t feel comfortable answering it then that’s fine. But I’m looking to get a hysto next year and was wondering if you needed a Pap smear before getting one? I’ve always refused to get one since I’ve never had anything near that area and don’t ever plan on it and I really want to know whether or not I should be expecting to get one.

I was able to get a hysto without ever having to have a Pap smear/any kind of examination in my life. I think it probably depends on your doctor. I found a doctor who had done hystos on trans men before and she also recognized that I was like 19 or 20 at the time and healthy so an examination wasn’t necessary, especially with the added fact that she knew it would be extremely uncomfortable for me. I could be wrong but I feel like in most cases they would examine you beforehand. This doctor even let me skip my post op appointment because she knew it would be weird for me to come back to her office (basically a women’s clinic). I think you could totally tell your doctor how it would make you super uncomfortable and ask if it’s really necessary to be examined beforehand. I went in with the mindset that I would need to be examined, that way I was prepared for whatever had to happen. I totally understand not getting one and not wanting one, but I knew that I may need one in order to have surgery, so obviously I was willing to do so. Hope that helped and lmk if you have any other questions!

[phall0plasty]

Surgery is scheduled for 7/14, 11 days from now. I’m getting my rod removed along with a glans revision and mons lift. My symptoms weren’t going away so my surgeon wanted to get me in ASAP. It was a bit stressful getting everything together last minute, but I have my Airbnb and plane tickets, lab work done, work is notified, and I’m just waiting on insurance approval.

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Anxiously awaiting my next appointment on Friday and trying to figure out when surgery makes the most sense for me. I’m leaning towards the sooner the better, but obviously doing all of this on short notice is a lot

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Just had a video call with my surgeon and esentially I’m having surgery. The only question now is will it be rod removal only, or rod removal to swap with the pump. This will all depend on whether or not my symptoms go away or worsen in the few weeks while on antibiotics. But regardless the rod is coming out, and I feel relieved

[phall0plasty]

feels

Things have changed quite a bit over the last few weeks. Neither me or my surgeon are 100% sure what’s going on right now, but it seems like my semi-rigid rod has partially detached, and this has caused either 1. a ton of irritation that has led to lots of swelling or 2. an infection has been brewing over the last several months. Regardless of what it is exactly, I know for sure that the rod needs to come out, just not sure on what the timeframe is for that. I’ve been struggling a lot lately with feeling super unhappy with everything results wise, mainly because the rod has caused so much stretching and my glans has completely flattened at this point. Everyday life has become a struggle because of how much my dick is getting in the way. I’m frustrated that my surgeon can’t give me more answers right now, but with him being across the country I know that it isn’t always easy to get straight answers when all we have are phone calls and photos. I know that even if the antibiotics help, the discomfort I’m having physically and mentally will not go away until I have the rod out and some other revisions. Sorry to anyone reading this as whiney or complaining, but I’ve just been struggling and feeling really lost in this process, even being 2+ years post op. 

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hi! i saw somewhere back on your blog that your insurance covered most of your phallo expenses, i was just wondering what insurance you had that’ll covered that much?

I have Anthem Blue Cross. Each individual insurance plan is different so that’s not to say that Anthem always covers everything. They covered all except my out of pocket max of $5,000, which also varies plan for plan. Some people could have 1k, 2k, 10k, it all depends.

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I can’t wait to be done with surgery. I’m beyond grateful for where I’m at, but I just want to get on with my life

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Hey! When you first got the implant, you said that you don't have to "milk" your urethra anymore. Is it still like that or did it change back to having drops of pee coming out later?

Unfortunately it changed back. I think it only went away temporarily because the swelling was pushing it all out. I struggle with this a lot now :/

[phall0plasty]

Today I am 2 years post op Phalloplasty and 1 year post op semi-rigid rod. It feels more like 5 years ago than 2. I don’t really have anything inspiring or special to say, other than it feels good to feel normal. I’ve been chatting with Dr. Chen about a glans revision and switching to the pump at the end of this year, so hopefully that all works out. Bummed about more surgery but hopeful that it’ll bring me closer to feeling at ease with my body.

[phall0plasty]

hey, i might be going to chen soon and i just had a question about your arm. we have very similar arms and i was wondering if you needed or requested integra. thanks so much

Nope! I never looked much into it. I’m not sure if they offer it.

[phall0plasty]

Following up the the previous anon, what do you mean by “The rod does not stand straight out, or stand out at all” if you can explain. And, if you’re not comfortable answering this, I totally understand - but you mentioned the implant has helped your girth and that you wouldn’t want to not have that now, how much more girth do you think you got? Was it a significant difference or just a little bit thicker than before implants? I appreciate the answers man!

So it doesn’t stand out straight like an erection on a cis guy would. (Talking about the rod, not the pump just so others don’t get confused). Right after surgery it stood straight out but as swelling went down it no longer does. It’s still firm enough for penetration, but will not stand up on its own. After reading a lot I’ve found this is pretty common with the rod. It’s something I wish I would’ve known beforehand.

And for the girth answer - I honestly have no idea size wise how different it is. I never measured before and after. Wish I had! I have pictures that I compare and it seems pretty significant. The best way to describe it is probably that pre implants my dick looked deflated. And now it’s filled out properly. But I guess the girth was always there, it just didn’t have anything to fill it out.

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Hey man, just curious to know your thoughts on the rod? I’m aware it hasn’t been too long since you’ve had it, I’m wondering why you would want to switch? Likes/dislikes? Sorry, don’t want to step on your toes or make you uncomfortable with questions, but I would love to know! Thanks!

I’ve been very on the fence with how I feel about the rod. I really like that it fills out my dick more. But I’ve found that it just gets in the way a lot. Whether that’s just day to day movements or when I’m working out, sometimes it bothers the hell out of me. A good example is when I’m at the gym on a machine and then I go to stand up and it’s all pushed out and looks like a boner. Or when I go from sitting to standing super quickly. If I’m wearing pants it doesn’t do that, just shorts. But when I have pants it still sometimes just feels like it’s taking up a lot of space in my crotch area. The rod does not stand straight out, or stand out at all really which I didn’t know would happen. I also don’t like that I’m can’t experience the satisfaction of becoming hard, like the pump would. I’m very hesitant to switch to the pump because my girth pre implants was pretty shitty and caused a lot of unhappiness about my dick. So I don’t want to go back to that since it wouldn’t be as filled out as it is now. I know for sure in my lifetime I will switch to the pump, just not sure when because I don’t want to have to go through the time/money/energy of another recovery any time soon. Hope that answered and please remember this is just my *one* experience with the rod, others feel completely different ways too 👍