Howdy from SoCal!

[Rob13579]

Hey y'all!

Nice you meet you all, I'm Rob and currently live in Southern California. I've been considering being a nullo or getting a penectomy for a while and have even considered vaginoplasty!

I also love chatting about lots of things, so if you just wanna talk to someone about anything, feel free to reach out! I look forward to chatting and getting to know some of y'all in this lovely little community!

[1smoothguy]

HI Rob

Welcome to the group. Lots of helpful information and people here.

77yo from NJ

1smoothguy

[WheelyFixed]

Welcome to the forum Rob, glad to have you...

What is your current status in terms of any surgeries - have you had an orchie? Scrotectomy? etc?

Hopefully not telling you anything you don't already know, but if you are thinking about a vaginoplasty, you want to think carefully about any other intermediate surgeries, especially if you want more than a cosmetic 'zero-depth' job... Particularly you want to avoid getting a scrotectomy as they use that tissue in creating the new equipment and it is harder to do that if it has already been removed...

Definitely plenty of experience here with the different options, so feel free to ask our opinions about them...

Are you working w/ any of the TG centers in your area? Or are you thinking of doing the 'medical tourism' angle and heading south of the border to Dr. A's clinic?

WheelyFixed

[TheRagingEunuch]

A sincere Welcome to the group.

[Rob13579]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I remember the previous version of the site, so I have done a good bit of research and honestly went to sign on to my old account to catch up with folks, just to realize it got taken down .

Anyway, I appreciate all the tips on surgeries! Currently I have nothing done, and am going to wait at least a few years while I get settled as I just started school and would like to save up some money for the surgeries and to make sure I am as settled as I can be on my decision. Currently I am refreshing my knowledge by reading the WPATH SOC document. I think when I get to it, I'll get the surgeries done in the US, but that will also depend on how the world changes within the next year or so. I definitely will keep in mind that if I go the vaginoplasty route, I should keep extra scrotal tissue for the full depth route, but I haven't fully made up my mind whether nullification or vaginoplasty is the right route. I lean towards the former based on my current view of gender as a construct and how that relates to me.

[WheelyFixed]

Sounds totally reasonable to wait and continue your research and consideration. This is certainly not a decision to rush into!

That said, you didn't say what you are in school for, but it is probably worth considering what your health insurance options are looking like both in terms of career choices and eventual employers, especially if going the SOCv8 route - picking the right coverage can make a big difference in your choice of surgeons and how much it will cost you...

WheelyFixed

[Rob13579]

Yeahhhh, very true. I really like teaching and am currently pursuing my PhD, so I'll likely stay in academia meaning my insurance will be up to the whims of wherever I end up

But it's definitely something I'm going to have to keep in mind when looking at insurance plans. I'm lucky in that my student health plan currently covers gender affirming care so if I decided to while I'm here, it should be covered, but we'll see! I'm interested to see how my plans evolve

[WheelyFixed]

Well from what little I've heard, academia usually tends to be pretty good on insurance coverage. I know both of my GF's parents were professors and seems like they are / were getting really good health care.

WheelyFixed

[Rob13579]

I thin kit depends on where you are, but at my current school the healthcare is really good! I'm not sure how it is for professors, though, but that's good to hear!