A letter to Anne Lawrence, 29 March 2002
Dear Anne,
I thought I'd take a few minutes and write about my wonderful experience in Bangkok with Dr. Preecha. I've been hearing some contrary opinions so I felt it appropriate to highlight my own adventure. I had originally planned on GRS with Dr. Preecha in the summer of 2001, but due to several unforeseen events I had to postpone it until December. However, I did get a chance to meet the doctor in May 2001 when he was here in DC for his son's college graduation. Dr. Preecha took time out of his busy schedule to come by the office where we chatted for an hour or so about a number of things, GRS included. He is a very engaging man and speaks excellent English. After our brief discussion, I was convinced that I had made the correct choice for my surgery.
Throughout the fall of 2001, I was in constant contact with the doctor and his chief nursing assistant, Eddie Chaichana via email. We settled on the procedures I would have, the costs involved, how long I should plan to stay in Bangkok and myriad other details. Once I had my flight plans solidified, Eddie sent me directions where he would meet my partner and me at the airport. Unfortunately, after almost 24 hours of travel, I managed to misread Eddie's instructions and wound up looking for him in the wrong place. Once I bothered to read the signs, I figured out that the "Meeting Point" Eddie described is a physical location in the Bangkok airport and in fact that's where he was waiting for us. On the way to the hotel Eddie explained to me and to another American woman who was also having GRS, that we would be going to the hospital the next evening, Friday, for surgery on Saturday afternoon. We had originally planned on having surgery Friday, but considering our travel fatigue, we were just as glad to have the extra day.
The next day, at our request, Eddie arranged for a trip to two Buddhist temples and the Gem Market before our visit to the doctor. We had a marvelous time, took a bunch of pictures, picked out some jewelry and had the best vodka tonics ever. And all that before 3:00 in the afternoon! Our driver was the best and he drove a Mercedes minivan so we traveled in style.
After we returned to the hotel, we walked to the Chollada Clinic to see the doctor. I was more than a little skeptical as we wound our way past street vendors setting up for the dinner crowd. The odors wafting through the air were unpleasant and unfamiliar and I began to wonder just what I had gotten myself into. But as usual, Dr. Preecha dispelled my doubts as he greeted me warmly, and said how glad he was that I was finally able to come see him. He showed me the horror pictures that I'm sure he uses to cull out those who think GRS is a simple and quick procedure. Since I had already done my homework and talked with several post-op women I know, I think I had a very realistic idea of what I was doing. Hey, none of this happens by magic. This is a complex surgical procedure designed to remove an external organ from your body, create an opening where none existed before, reroute your plumbing, and redirect nerves to provide sensation to a place constructed out of part of something else. It isn't pretty and it isn't easy. If it were either of those, it wouldn't cost thousands of dollars to do, require months to heal, and demand constant postoperative care and maintenance to avoid major complications. And that's true no matter who does it - Meltzer, Schrang, Brassard, Menard, or whoever.
Anyway, after the brief discussion, I handed over my pre-op tests and my physician's statement, had a brief physical exam and was pronounced "ready." Eddie escorted us back to the hotel where we checked out, packed our things into a van, and headed over to the hospital. Eddie explained that Dr. Preecha no longer uses Bumrungrad hospital unless he has to since it has become very crowded and the quality of service has deteriorated. So we were going to the Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital (BNH), which is a little older but has far better quality of service. Check in was a breeze, unlike American hospitals, and my room was a very pleasant surprise. I've been in several hospitals over the years for a variety of reasons, but BNH has by far the nicest regular rooms I've seen. There was even a couch that the nurses made into a bed so my boyfriend could stay with me until after surgery at no extra cost. We walked to dinner at a local restaurant, ate some terrific Thai food, strolled around a bit, and then went back to the hospital. We slept late, had a great breakfast, walked around the place a while, read a little and then it was time for prep. I took a pill and don't remember much of anything else until later on that night when I woke up thirsty and still a little dopey.
I had no headache or nausea from the anesthesia, hardly any pain from the GRS, but my arms and chest were a very different story. Luckily I was ready for this, since I knew from friends that AM is far more painful that GRS, especially when the doctor goes in through the armpits and places the forms under the muscle. In fact, if not for the pain from the implants, I would have been up walking in no time. As it was, I did get out of bed on Sunday, the day after surgery, and shuffled around a bit carrying my bag full of catch bags. I made it a point to get out of bed as much as possible over the next few days to walk in the beautiful garden/courtyard just outside my window. The weather in Bangkok in December is very nice, though somewhat hot. Temperatures were in the low 90's but there was no rain and lots of sun. I spent as much time as I could outside while I was at the hospital. And the nursing staff was just the best. Even with the language barrier, we had no trouble communicating with each other. I learned the Thai words for yes, no, hello, thank you and you're welcome and made an effort to use these as often as possible. I also smiled a lot, which I have found really helps. As a result, my stay in the hospital and the care I received were superb. All in all, BNH far surpassed any hospital I have been in here in the States. And the doctors even came by to see me fairly regularly! Something I know from experience does not happen in many American hospitals.
A word about Eddie Chaichana who is Dr. Preecha's head nurse and pretty much coordinates everything concerning the Western patients. Eddie obtained his formal medical training on a full scholarship in a nursing school in Austria. And though he is from a poor village in the north of Thailand, he knows his way around Bangkok extremely well. Bangkok is a huge city 60 miles across with a population of over 8 million. Without Eddie as our guide and advisor, we would have missed out on so much and not had the wonderful experience we did. He wrote directions for Mike in Thai to give to cab drivers so he get where he wanted to go with little trouble. He also explained the Skytrain, Bangkok's metro, which we used to get around the central part of the city. Eddie also arranged several tours for us after I was released from BNH so that we had the opportunity to explore and savor what may very well be our only opportunity to visit this richly historic country. Unfortunately, Eddie will be leaving Chollada Clinic later this year to perform his mandatory military training and to enter a monastery for several months. Since all Thai men are required to attend military training, Eddie is going to get his done early. After that, in honor of his parents, he will attend a monastery where he will study Buddhism. Once he has finished with these endeavors, he is going back to medical school in Austria after which he plans to return to his home village to provide medical care to the poor people there. We learned all this from Eddie because we treated him as the professional he is and because we are interested in learning the differences between our culture and his.
I can go on and on about all the wonderful things we experienced in Thailand but that will take up too many pages. We took over 10 rolls of pictures during our travels. I was released from BNH on Thursday, 5 days after GRS, and though I was tired and a little sore, we scheduled a tour for Friday, another for Saturday, and spent all day Monday sightseeing too, including almost 2 hours sitting on a hard wooden seat as we were paddled around the Floating Market. I didn't go to Thailand just for GRS, I also went to see a part of the world I may never get an opportunity to see again.
Of course, GRS was the motivating factor and I am very pleased with the results. As I have already said, I experienced little or no pain from GRS. At this point, less than 4 months after surgery, I am dilating with the largest stent in the Intelligence Engineering set, which is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I have 5 1/2 inches of depth and expect to gain a bit more as time goes by. I have had no problems or pain with either urination or bowel movements. I have sensation where I am supposed to have it, the swelling has all but disappeared, the stitches have dissolved, I am working out again and I intend to start bike riding as soon as the weather permits. In addition, either Dr. Preecha or Eddie has provided very clear and timely answers to my many email questions.
Based on my experience and the results to date, I would recommend that anyone seeking reasonably priced, quality Gender Reassignment Surgery should consider Dr. Preecha. Much like everyone going into this, I had no idea what to expect or what the results might be. I have heard and seen too many horror stories concerning each of the major GRS surgeons here in the States, in Canada and overseas to take any of this for granted. Moreover, my own brush with death during a routine toe operation has given me more than my share of skepticism when it comes to any surgery at all. In my case, Dr. Preecha was an excellent choice and provided a level of care and quality that surpassed my expectations.
Sincerely,
Jan Gabrielson