Hello from Ontario, Canada

[WheelyFixed]

I agree that the wait for appointments can be frustrating, all I can suggest is to try and get onto as many appropriate 'waiting lists' as you can, and see who comes through first...

I also suggest that in some ways thinking about the psych appointments as being sort of like job interviews in that the WAY you answer questions can be as important as what you answer... I am not in any way suggesting lying, but rather that you think about the sorts of questions the shrink is likely to ask and how to answer them in ways that fit with what is in the WPATH document... I may have been lucky in my experience, but I had two short sessions w/ shrinks that my TG doc referred me to (which presumably meant a strong favorable bias...) and I think I got a very positive response because I could relate my desire in terms that were in the SOC... It probably also didn't hurt that I mentioned spending a lot of time here on EA as evidence of having really done my 'homework' on understanding all the consequences...

Good luck on finding folks to help on the next steps...

WheelyFixed

[Hisgoodson (imported)]

Thanks for the advice. Playing the numbers game with waiting lists is a great idea - didn’t think of it that way but it makes a lot of sense. Have been facilitating myself with the SOC, both for alignment, and also to test my own assumptions about my feelings as well.

The content here has been immensely useful. It was my initial readings (of both clinical and personal natures) that led me to confirming my feelings and moving to action so quickly. Why there was no hesitation. Everything just “rang a bell” for me. And at 60, I have enough life experience (as well as less “living” left) that I didn’t need to do any more questioning.

I appreciate your interest in my journey. Hopefully the medical system will move to include this procedure soon. In Canada the backlash against many social issues is beginning to build - as in many other countries - so I can only pray that I will still have the opportunity before legislations change to satisfy populism.

Still no daily awareness of my genitalia beyond urinating/cleanliness, etc, and still no sex drive or interest in sex. So, that’s what…3 or 4-months now since I’ve actually started being mindful of these things?

Blessings to you.

[WheelyFixed]

Thanks for the kind words, and I certainly hope you can get the medical system stuff resolved, good luck with that part of things!

WheelyFixed

[Hisgoodson (imported)]

So, now that some months of living with, and preparing my heart for this decision have passed, I feel myself beginning to want to move from being “passive” about waiting for the medical system to catch up for nullification surgery to actively taking a next step and making something happen. As such, I am seeking advice, experiences and opinions regarding possible scenarios, before I reach out to the surgeon again.

His clinic, and my province currently cover orchiectomy and scrotectomy procedures, but not penectomy. So, the question I am considering is whether I can have those procedures done now, and if so, whether that will preclude me from nullification surgery when it becomes available?

Likewise with having a penectomy as an intermediate step, if that becomes available before nullification. And, if I did all 3 in stages, whether nullo would still be required.

Part of why I want nullo is to get rid of everything all at once, plus the aesthetic aspect of it. But I can’t find any pics in my research to compare it to nullo.

Anybody here considered the same thing, or gone down the same path, and if so, can you share your opinions or experiences?

Blessings ��

fOrchiectomy

Scrotectomy

[WheelyFixed]

Not as expert as some of the folks that have had full nullification, but my understanding is that there is no particular problem with doing any of the surgeries as separate stages (obviously orchie has to come before scrotectomy...)

I have no desire for a penectomy, and because I have to cath there are definite reasons not to, but have had the orchie and scrotectomy...

The only major concern I've heard is that if a person has a goal of doing a full MtF transition, getting a scrotectomy can limit what can be done in the way of vaginoplasty since that usually 'recycles' the scrotum skin for part of it, however I don't think that is a concern for you from what you've said...

WheelyFixed

[Hisgoodson (imported)]

Thanks for your reply. No vaginoplasty etc aren’t a concern. I identify as a eunuch now and what I am aiming at is penis, testicles and scrotum gone, with no evidence of it having been there or sexual parts. I also do not want to maintain and “stimulation” in my genital area. This for me is about the elimination of genitalia to match the elimination of sexual desire that has already progressed.

In reading my note, I see that I could have been more clear, so let me try to put a sharper point on this:

- I don’t know what the “finished” orchiectomy and scrotectomy look like after healing. I’m just not finding that info online. Right now, it seems like a good option to at least take a first step, and I presume that for a senior man the evaluation thresholds are probably lower because the whole “procreation/sexual quality of life” questions become moot. Also (importantly) as the winds of economy, healthcare privatization, and sociopolitical shifts gather strength here, at least I will have those procedures done if the medical system changes course.

- in case penectomy becomes available for coverage before, or instead of, nullification coverage, I don’t know what a “finished” penectomy looks like after it’s healed. How do all of those 3 procedures done separately look, so that I can compare the end result to nullo? Is it the same, or is it a stump and a lump?

- our public health care system limits access to procedures and resources, so my concern is that if I do this in stages, whether I will be blocked from “finishing the work” once nullification becomes available - or whether that question itself is irrelevant because the result will look the same.

Just to be clear - my desire for nullification surgery *is not* aesthetically-driven. It is to be rid of the parts. But like anything else in life, if you’re going to make the effort, why not aim at the results you want, versus just whatever you can get?

And I’m just trying to do my homework to have an informed conversation with the surgeon, because if he says yes to the o/s procedures I don’t want to end up having boxed myself into the wrong decision…

[Hisgoodson (imported)]

So, I found a new resource - a directory of service providers for gender reassignment, etc, who provide the services required to fulfill the steps for qualifying for government funding of procedures - which as been *extremely* useful and encouraging.

It turns out there are a number of them within just blocks of my home and work and one is literally across the street. It must be in one of the little street level storefronts that I walk by everyday, but since I’m oblivious in my routine it just hasn’t caught my attention.

So that’s exciting and I can’t wait to get started! I have to admit that I started to get discouraged in my initial searches by the number of dead URLs, and waiting list times of what I did find so I put the validation process on hold for the time being - no nullo coverage, no rush. But if orchie/scrote does end up being a viable first option then I can get on with it.

[WheelyFixed]

Thanks for the clarification on your goals - although they are pretty much what I had gathered from your earlier posts... I don't have any (in)decent sources for 'results photos', it is one of my minor regrets that EA doesn't allow them (though I can understand why they don't) both because of an interest in seeing what others have done and wishing I could get informed opinions about the results of my own surgery... I've looked at a few other sites that claim to be about photos, but it is obvious that there has been an awful lot of 'photoshopping' which makes all the posts questionable...

In terms of results, there is a lot of variation, depending on both the skill of the provider and the patient's desires... However the basic orchie & scrotectomy essentially leaves you with a penis that has little or nothing under it... Once fully healed, you don't have much of a scar, and what there is basically looks like that 'seam line' you already have.... My penis was never big when not erect, and has now shrunk to the point where it is almost internal, but the shaft skin and remaining scrotum actually stick out further so I have a sort of 'G.I. Joe bulge' with a hole in it where my penis is hiding. (it takes moderate effort to fish it out so I can cath...) My understanding is that with a penectomy, how much of a lump you get depends on how much of the shaft the doctor removes - which is a negotiation between you and the surgeon... In most cases they also do a 're-route' to move the urethral opening down to near your anus, more or less a female position, just so you can pee more neatly...

I have no idea about what the insurance / health care aspects are, but as far as I know, if you go through the SOC v8 process once, it is pretty much going to cover you for any work you have done, whether all at once, or in stages - or if it doesn't, the process is not as bad the second time around as you will already have the diagnosis and so on.

Sounds like good progress on finding a provider that can help you out... Is that list just local to your area, or is it a wider area list that could possibly be shared to help others that are looking?

WheelyFixed

[Friage01 (imported)]

Everything just “rang a bell”

for me. And at 60, I have enough life experience (as well as less

“living” left) ...

Profile says you are 48.

[Paolo]

Profile says you are 48.

Oops! Well, maybe it's just looking ahead.