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Facial Feminisation Surgery in Phuket
Facial Feminisation Surgery in Phuket August 2011
Basic Information
3 ½ weeks in Phuket. Travelled on Thai Airways via Bangkok. Approx $1,000 for the return flights.
I stayed at Baan Suan apartments 3 minute walk form the hospital entrance, although the hospital was happy to chauffer me each time if I preferred. The hospital also arranged for a driver from/to the airport at their cost a 30 minute ride each way.
Baan Suan cost 900 BHT/day about $30 for their best room. It is basic, but it is a large room & kept very clean, fully serviced every day. It has a microwave, sink & fridge, but you have to buy all your own crockery/cutlery etc. Not the place to stay if you want luxury accommodation, but absolutely ideal for what I wanted.
Operations performed Op 1 Forehead contouring/lower eyelid surgery/lower facelift. Op 2 Nose reduction with skin graft from ear to turn the nose up at the end, & deviated septum repaired/trachea shave. Total cost 570,000 BHT, about $18,000. Not cheap, but much cheaper than Australia.
The 2 ops were planned to be a few days apart, but in my case were a week apart, as explained later under additional information.
Surgeon Dr Rushapol. Terrific surgeon & not at all intimidating. Although he is always busy he makes the time to answer all your questions at every stage. I would definitely recommend him.
Anaesthetist Dr Pachira. She did a wonderful job for me in Op 1, & again I would recommend her, although don t expect to see her outside the operating theatre.
I had a different anaesthetist for Op 2, after which I was left with 2 throat infections, cut lips on either side of my mouth, & mouth ulcers. I am not mentioning his name but I do recommend you ask for Dr Pachira instead!
Co-ordinators Helen Peachy is the main co-ordinator for overseas patients, working 5 days/week. A terrific help to me during my stay. Yvette is the other co-ordinator but only works 2 days/week.
Hospital accommodation You stay in a single private room, on a par to Greenslpoes or Sunnybank Hills in Brisbane, with ensuite facilities, fridge, TV etc. Do not expect too much on the TV. There are English channels, but not much. Anyway, if like me, you will not be up to watching too much TV.
Nights in hospital 4 nights after Op 1, & 2 nights after Op 2.
After each op you spend the 1st night in the intensive care unit. This is their standard practice, & ensures that you are well looked after when you need it most.
Several follow-up appointments for stitches to be removed & dressings too, as well as treatment for the throat infections.
Whilst in hospital Dr Rushapol visits you each day.
Nursing staff cannot do enough for you, as long as you ask. Some have limited English, but if you are patient they will work out what you want, or find someone else to assist. As in all hospitals they are busy but they do their best.
Food 2 choices of regular diet for each meal. Plenty to eat more than I could manage – & good quality, but cold! Meal times of 7.30am, 11.30am & 4.30pm take a bit of getting use to.
All x-rays/blood tests etc prior to surgery are included in the price, as were post op meds. Be prepared to swallow I was taking 20 + pills/day at 1 stage! My blood transfusions were also included in the price.
There was an issue over the payment of treatment of my 2 throat infections following Op 2. In the end the hospital covered ½ the cost, leaving me $250 out of pocket, which I claimed back on my travel insurance.
For more information about Pukhet International Hospital visit http://www.plastic-surgery-phuket.com or e-mail info@plastic-surgery-phuket.comAdditional Info
The morning after I arrived in Phuket I met Dr Rushapol for a pre-op consultation. The procedures were already agreed well in advance by e-mails, but he was happy to answer all my last minute questions, & make clear what would happen in the theatre.
I was admitted the following morning & went to theatre. Op 1 lasted 10 hours. I went down at 10.30am & did not regain consciousness until 9pm.
I was so exhausted for the next 36 hours that I was too tired to even ask for more pain relieving meds. I was receiving IV meds in any case.
After 36 hours I was fully conscious. This was the worst few hours for me after Op 1, as I knew how terrible I had felt & was aware I had another op in a few days.
It was explained to me by Dr Rushapol that I had lost about 30% of my blood during the op. The next day I was given a unit of blood in a transfusion, followed by 2 more units the day after. My next op was put back 3 days to allow me time to recover & for my blood count to increase. I was discharged on the Sunday night for 3 nights.
I was re-admitted on the Wednesday for Op 2 which lasted 6 hours. I awoke at 7pm & was semi-conscious till about midnight. When I woke at 7pm I had to learn to breathe through my mouth, as my nose was packed with wadding. This had been explained to me in advance, but it still came as a bit of a shock when emerging from unconsciousness. My recovery period was much better this time & I was keen to return to my room early the next morning.
24 hours after surgery Dr Rushapol removed the wadding. For some patients this can stay in for up to a week. For 3 hours after the wadding was removed I could breathe normally. My nose then blocked like when you have a bad cold, but still preferable to the wadding! You have no drains after rhinoplasty so be prepared for seepage down the nostrils for the next week!
Dr Rushapol explained that due to the vocal chords becoming exposed he removed only 90% of the tracheal cartilage. If he hadn t told me I would not have known. The trachea was not visible & this was clear just 1 day after the op.
In terms of the nose Dr Rushapol confirmed that he had shaved the bridge of the nose, repaired my deviated septum, & grafted the cartilage from my right ear to the tip. However, whilst the results of the other surgery were a clear success from the 1st time I looked in the mirror, the nose actually looks bigger after surgery. It takes 2 weeks for this to reduce, so be patient.
Dr Rushapol then went away for a 3 day break, which I knew about before my visit.
I was discharged the following day, but had a very sore throat, not near the trachea area. I should have asked someone to look at it before I was discharged but I did not do so. Within 24 hours I was back at hospital in great pain. I had an infection of my uvula at the back of my throat, & my mouth was cut on either edge, & I had a large mouth ulcer in my mouth.
For the next few days I was on IV antibiotics as an outpatient. Swallowing, eating & drinking were all very uncomfortable. Only when they learnt from swab results that I had 2 separate infections were they able to treat me effectively, with 2 separate sets of antibiotics administered at the same time.
Stitches were removed on the Thursday 8 days after Op 2. There was still some time yet before the face fully healed, but it was good to have the sutures out. The suture nurse was very careful & gentle & did not hurt me once.
The hospital also carried out a laser treatment on my facial hair whilst I was there (Coolglide long pulse laser) a few days after my sutures were removed. This cost an additional 6,000 BHT, about $200, & the treatment took 1 ½ hours. I was left with laser burns which took 4 weeks to fully heal. I had previously had 5 sessions of IPL in Brisbane without any effect to my skin, so I was taken aback by these burns. The treatment was certainly effective in removing hairs, but beware it is very painful!
I would definitely recommend the Phuket International Hospital & Drs Rushapol & Pachira, for facial feminisation procedures. The journey has been a painful one at times, but one which I am very pleased to have undertaken.
I did also have a free consultation with Dr Sanguan, the GRS surgeon, whilst I was there, & he conducted a full examination. He has booked me in for next year for GRS & breast enlargement at a cost of 430,000 BHT, about $14,000. Clearly I would not be going back there if I was not very happy with my experience this time round.
I hope this information is helpful to people considering facial feminisation surgery, & if you want more information please send me a message.Martine September 2011
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