What are /r/Metoidioplasty's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I've been trying to optimize my recovery with each surgery I get and one major struggle for me has been dealing with the SP catheter and the bag. The leg bag doesn't work for me (too small and fills up too fast and it slides down) so I did some research and found this pair of underwear on Amazon. They work amazingly well and hold either a leg bag or 2000ml day bag. Keep all the tubing secure and you can wear normal clothes over top without visible hoses. So much more comfortable- it's been a total gamechanger. Cost me less that $10 per pair. I got the "womens" version because it was less than 1/3 of the price of the "mens" version. They are essentially identical. In the end I ordered a pair of each.

I showed them to my surgeon today and he plans to share the knowledge with future patients.

Highly recommend getting a couple pairs for post-op! I wear crappy boxer briefs under them to catch any wound drainage so I don't get the pocket underwear nasty- then I can wear them two days in a row before washing.

I thought it was all bullshit, but when my wife had her tummy tuck and later a thyroid removal we used Mepitac, and it really worked. I started using it on my scars and there was a reduction in redness and visibility. It's not 100%, but it hastened the fading by a noticeable amount. I was so prepared for it to be total crap, but it worked pretty well on us. We both have fair skin.

We used this stuff: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZF76K7K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are quite a bit more affordable and work just as well.

Antibiotics don't work for me when I get a UTI, so Ive had to resort to home remedies. Ive tried them all, and by far the most useful is apple cider vinegar. I buy apple cider vinegar capsules and take them 3 times a day with a good amount of water. After your symptoms stop continue taking it in the same way for one week just to be sure you got rid of it. Best of luck!

This is the kind I usually get btw: https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Supplements-Vinegar-Fermentation-Capsules/dp/B0001TNCK0/ref=sr\_1\_15?crid=3AP6W9KYW9JYA&keywords=apple+cider+vinegar+capsules&qid=1662502496&sprefix=apple+cider+vinegar+capsules%2Caps%2C322&sr=8-15

I was going to get the Fuzz Gun that Manscaped makes but then I realized it’s the same ones you get off Amazon just in a black shell and twice the price. This is the one I got. Been using it for about 6 weeks and have noticed changes in the right direction. I have some bald patches now and a lot less hair on my scrotum. The hair that grows back is more like arm hair compared to the coarse, wiry pubes I normally have. It’ll take some more time yet- especially on the labia and mons area. But it’s progress.

I found this pillow to be very helpful for car rides/sitting in chairs.

Hard candies to help with dry mouth if you get UL b/c the bladder spasm meds make your mouth dry. Lots of extra abds pads were very helpful for my scrotoplasty. Portable bidet is a good idea. I used a peri bottle. You won’t need the pump or silicone gel for a while so you can probably leave that at home.

My Packing List: - [x] Water bottles - [x] Sunglasses - [x] Cough drops - [x] New shower scrubbie (for pre-op CHG bath if required) - [x] Slip on shoes - [x] Slippers - [x] Disposable underwear - [x] Sweater if cold x1 - [x] Shirts x2 - [x] Shorts I don’t care about x1 - [x] Sweatpants if cold x1 - [x] Socks - [x] Phone Charger (x-long) - [x] Smart Watch charger (useful for timing ice packs) - [x] Pill box - [x] Wet wipes - [x] Ear plugs - [x] Plastic bag for jewelry - [x] Neck pillow - [x] Retainer - [x] Toothbrush - [x] Floss picks - [x] Toothpaste - [x] Hand sanitizer - [x] Wallet - [x] Phone - [x] Keys - [x] AirPods - [x] Everlasting pillow - [x] Rx Meds - [x] Saline spray - [x] Peri spray bottle - [x] Post-op bag to take to hospital for (instructions, clothes, wallet, and phone) - [x] 4% CHG (Hibiclens, if required by your surgeon) - [x] Baby soap - [x] ABD pads - [x] Examination gloves - [x] Neosporin with pain reliever (or bacitracin) - [x] Q-tips - [x] Nonstick gauze - [x] Tylenol - [x] Reusable ice packs - [x] Colace - [x] Miralax - [x] Robe - [x] Juven

The right cushion makes a huge difference- this is the one you want to get. Without it I still can’t sit comfortably. It was close to 6 months before I could sit for more than 15min. If you can, working from your bed reclined is a good option- this table is great for that. For those 6 months I stood or kneeled exclusively since I couldn’t work from my bed.

I also struggle with adhesives and I used a leg strap rather than a patch adhesive to secure my catheter after meta. That way I could also turn it when I was laying on my side so that the catheter ran down the front of my thigh rather than the side, to avoid squishing it.

These worked well for me, the elastic didn’t wear out too quickly. I would usually wear one during the day and then wear it in the shower and change it afterward: https://www.amazon.com/Dale-Medical-Products-Hold-N-Place-Catheter/dp/B00PP8VO8E

From what i know im pretty sure its when they release much of the inner clitoral tissue (like the tissue beneath the skin) and use it to make the phallus.

Article that explains it better: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26744289/

Pics and data tables: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Extensive-Metoidioplasty-as-a-Technique-Capable-of-Cohanzad/fab5ff18081b69b9a2bb8c1b065d52161842e2b8

Yeah, I thought so too. I’ve also wondered if silicon finger sleeves might do the same type of thing. They have both open and closed ended models on Amazon. Closed end example Open ended example

I forgot to include the cushion I use. It’s been awesome and I still use it 8 months post-op.

Hey, I really get where you're coming from. I think it's difficult to effectively categorize discomfort and need when those things are so personal and subjective. Unfortunately, I also think that as trans people there is so much that we are trained to just "get over", "get used to", or "give up" on - especially when it comes to medicalization and surgical options. There's a great book called Hung Jury: Testimonies of Genital Surgery by Transsexual Men (I'll include a link below). It's exactly what it sounds like and includes the written experiences of many different transmen who undergo lower surgery, their need for it, the process, how they felt before and after, etc. It also aims to break down the stigma around lower surgery that seems to be widely perpetuated by the medical community and in turn, also by pre or non-op transmen (the book does a much better job describing this and addressing it). This book helped me pin point and understand my need for lower surgery and helped articulate why it's so important to me personally, and to reevaluate my own previously held beliefs surrounding lower surgery and its outcomes. I guess what I'm driving at is, don't let any one person or institution dissuade you from doing what you need to do to be comfortable in your own skin. If that's waiting until the time is right for surgery, then wait. If that's getting the biggest dick and balls you can, then fucking go for it! It's your body and your decision. I know all of this is so much easier said than done, and I hope I don't come off preachy. I just feel passionately that we should lift one another up to make the decisions we need to make to reclaim our bodies in a way that is comfortable to us each individually. Whatever choice you make, I hope that it brings you peace and fulfillment 🤙

Edit: whoops said all that and forgot to post a link!! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0615692354/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XYzrFbBBZEDD1