Your experience of recovering from surgery in hospital will depend on lots of things, including the procedure you’ve had, your specific health needs, and the policies and procedures of the surgical team and hospital. However, this page gives some general information on what you might expect from your hospital stay.
The length of your hospital stay will depend on the type of surgery you’ve had, the surgical team, how quickly you’re healing, and whether you experience any complications whilst in hospital. You won’t normally be discharged (checked out of hospital) unless you’re in a stable condition, can walk (or move using your mobility aids if you have them).
| Type of surgery | Out of bed | Discharge |
|---|---|---|
| Body recontouring | Same day | Same day |
| Breast augmentation | Same day | Overnight |
| Facial surgeries | Same day | Same day |
| Hysterectomy (Laparoscopic) | Same day | Same or next day |
| Hysterectomy (Abdominal) | Next day | 5 days |
| Mastectomy | Same day | Same or next day |
| Metoidioplasty | Next day | 2 days |
| Orchidectomy | Same day | Same or next day |
| Phalloplasty (Stage 1) | 5 days | 7 days |
| Phalloplasty (Stage 2 and 3) | Next Day | 1 to 2 days |
| Tracheal shave | Same day | Same or next day |
| Vaginoplasty | 3 days | 6 days |
| Vocal Surgery | Same day | Same day |
| Vulvoplasty | 3 days | 4 days |
Eating and drinking
Most hospitals have set mealtimes. You’ll be asked to make your meal choices based on a menu – you’re likely to have very few choices if you’re vegetarian, vegan, have dietary needs based on your religion or have food allergies and intolerances. It’s important to communicate any dietary needs with staff when you arrive in hospital – this is helpful for your whole hospital stay, but particularly important on your first day because you might not have had the opportunity to order your first meal after surgery.
Most hospitals will allow you to bring your own food, but be aware that they might not be allowed to reheat it for you. Check with hospital staff before opening any foods containing nuts, as there may be patients with very sensitive nut allergies on the ward.
Hospital lighting
If you can’t get out of bed, you might not be able to turn the lights on or off. Use the call bell to ask a member of hospital staff to turn the lights on or off if you’re in your own room and don’t have a visitor there to do it for you.
If you’re on a ward and the lighting is too bright or too dim, ask a member of staff if there’s something they can do about it. Most hospital beds will have a light beside them, so that will help if the lighting is too dim.
A lot of hospitals use fluorescent lighting and some people struggle with this. If this is something that impacts you, ask a member of hospital staff and they might be able to do something that would help.
It might also be good to prepare strategies for dealing with it in advance – for example, wearing a cap, wearing sunglasses, using an eye mask.
Noise
Hospitals can be quite noisy with the sound of people talking, things being moved around, doors opening and closing, machines beeping and whirring, and potentially the noises of people being in pain or ill.
This is less of an issue for people in their own room, but it’s still a factor.
Wearing noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs can be helpful for anyone trying to sleep, but can be especially useful for people who find noise difficult to deal with.
Hospital beds
Hospital beds are adjustable and usually have a special remote control for you to adjust how much you want to sit up or lie down and how much you want to raise or lower your legs. It can take a while to get comfortable, so experiment with the settings.
If you’re raising the bed to sit more upright, it can be helpful to shuffle along the bed so your bum is right next to the part of the bed that folds – doing this will make you less likely to slip down the bed when you’re adjusting it.
For most surgeries you’re likely need to sleep on your back – at least for the first night. Some people say that adjusting the bed so they’re sleeping with a slight bend in their knees can help with this.
People who have had mastectomy or some types of facial feminisation surgery might be asked to sleep slightly upright – follow the instructions of your surgical team in relation to this.
The area around your bed
Some hospitals offering transition related surgery only have individual rooms for patients, others have mainly wards with a few individual rooms.
Trans men and women can expect to be on a ward that aligns with their gender. Non-binary people can ask to be the ward that feels most comfortable for them – a men’s ward or a women’s ward.
If you’re on a ward, there will be a curtain that you can ask to have pulled around your bed – the curtain ought always to be closed when your wounds are being checked or if you’re being given a wash. If the curtain is open when you don’t want it to be, ask someone to close it – you don’t have to have it open if you don’t want to.
Some hospitals will try their best to give trans patients an individual room. The specific ward or room will depend on what’s available on the day of your operation and during your hospital stay. If you feel that you’re not on an appropriate ward, speak to a member of staff about it.
Whether you’re in a room or on a ward, you’ll have a space in hospital that is specifically for you. There are are likely to be plug sockets near your bed – you’ll be able to plug your phone in, but don’t unplug anything before asking a member of staff first.
It’s typical for you to have a table on wheels that you can pull over your lap in bed. The height of these tables can be raised or lowered. It’s a good idea to have this close to your bed or slightly over you most of the time so that you can reach everything you need without help.
There’s normally also a padded chair near the bed that you’ll be able to sit in when you’re able to get out of bed.
Most hospital beds have a call button that you press when you need help from someone. Make sure you always have it in easy reach – normally you can attach it to the bed – and remember to take it with you if you’re sitting out of bed and in your chair.
TV and entertainment
Some hospitals have individual TVs for patients – sometimes you have to pay to watch them, so check what the arrangements are before going into hospital if this is important to you. People in individual rooms might have a normal TV in their room.
Visitors
Hospital visiting policies will vary, but they often have fixed times of day when visitors are allowed. They typically have specific rules about how many people are allowed to visit at once (typically a maximum of 2 people at your bedside) and about whether children are allowed to visit.
They don’t usually allow pets to visit – this is for hygiene and safety reasons. If you’re in your own room, they’re more likely to be flexible with visiting times and the number of people that they will allow to visit.
It can be useful to have found out about visiting times and policies before going into hospital so that you can let your friends and family know. If you’re going to be in hospital for several days, having a visitor can add some variety into your day and can also provide you with a source of emotional support.
Some hospitals allow visitors to bring in plants and flowers, and others do not – so encourage your visitors to check before bringing any in for you.
If someone is planning to visit and you don’t feel well enough to see them, it’s ok to say let them know that you’re not up to it, they ought to understand.
Although it will vary depending on the surgery you’ve had and the hospital you’re in, there are certain things you can expect from any hospital stay.
Observations
You’ll be visited by a nurse or healthcare assistant several times a day and they’ll check your temperature with a thermometer in your ear, your blood pressure with a blood pressure machine, and your pulse and blood oxygen levels using a pulse oximeter. These checks can be as frequent as every hour for the first 24 hours after surgery, but they will become less frequent as time goes on.
Wound checks and ward rounds
You can expect a nurse or possibly a doctor to check your bandages and healing at least once a day, depending on what surgery you’ve had. A doctor from the surgical team will usually visit you once a day – sometimes this will be on their own or sometimes it’ll be with other doctors and nurses from the surgical team.
They’ll be able to let you know how surgery went and if you’re making good progress with your healing. This is a good opportunity to ask them questions – you might want to write them down in a notebook or in your phone in case you forget.
If you’ve had surgery on your genitals and are worried about people looking at them, remember that the people looking at them are healthcare professionals and, with their specialism, they’ll have seen hundreds of people’s genitals before.
Physiotherapy
If you’re in hospital for more than a day or have been in bed for several days, a physiotherapist might visit you. They’ll do some exercises with you to prevent blood clots and to help you maintain your strength and range of movement in your legs.
If you’ve been in bed for several days, they might help you get out of bed for the first time and help you practice walking and going up and down stairs (if that’s relevant for you). If you’ve had phalloplasty, there will be additional exercises depending on your donor site.
If you need to speak to a member of staff
If you need to speak to a doctor or nurse at any other time, that’s ok – use the call bell.
Medication from home
It’s important to bring your medication from home with you to hospital (and tell the hospital staff that you have it with you). Some hospitals will ‘check in’ your medication and give it to you as required – this is so that they can add it to your medical charts so that they know exactly what medication you’ve had and when. Other hospitals ask you to keep your medication with you and take it as and when you normally would.
Washing
If you’re in your own room, you’re likely to have an ensuite bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. If you’re on a ward, there will typically be a shared toilet and a shared bathroom with a shower in it. They typically have accessibility features such as grab rails and a red pull cord for the call bell, but if you have specific adaptations in your bathroom at home, let them know at your pre-op appointment. This will increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to use toilet and bathroom facilities that are accessible for you. Hospitals will usually supply you with a towel and a flannel.
If you’re unable to get out of bed to have a wash, a nurse or healthcare assistant might offer to give you a flannel wash. Baby wipes are also useful in these circumstances. When you are ready to have a shower, this might be with assistance from a nurse or healthcare assistant. It might make you feel awkward or self conscious, but remember that this is their job and they’ve seen lots of naked people before.
Drains
Depending on your surgeon and the type of surgery you had, you might have a drain (or two drains) – this is a tube which comes out of your body near to where your operation was.
The tube goes into a portable container that can be hooked onto your bed whilst you’re in it and carried around when you’re out of bed. People normally say that having a drain removed feels weird but is not painful – it’s normally over very quickly.
Having a cannula
The cannula in your hand might be kept in after surgery if you have a PCA (patient controlled analgesia) button, are on a drip to replace fluids, or are being given other intravenous (through your veins) medication. It doesn’t normally hurt, but it might if you knock it or catch it on something.
If you’ve had your cannula for several days it might start to feel sore and your hand might be bruised. If it’s hurting, let a nurse know – they might be able to put it in a different vein, in your other hand, or take it out completely.
If you’re given medication with a syringe directly into a cannula, it might feel cold and you might feeling a coldness spreading up your arm. This usually passed very quickly. If it feels painful or very uncomfortable – let the nurse know.
The cannula is held in place with medical tape, it might hurt when the tape is removed to take the cannula out. This is likely to be more painful than the removal of the cannula itself, which is normally quite quick and painless.
Preventing blood clots
Hospitals normally take a number of steps to try and prevent you from getting blood clots. You’ll normally have to wear your compression socks until you’re able to regularly get out of bed and walk around.
You might be given an daily anti-coagulant injection.
It’s possible that you’ll have intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices on your legs – these are things that go on each of your legs and alternate between inflating and deflating, giving a massage like experience on your legs. People give us mixed reports about their experiences with these – some people love them and some people hate them.
Pain and pain medication
Everybody’s experience of pain is unique. Some people find surgery less painful than they expected it to be, others find the opposite.
The pain medication will depend on your medical needs and on the surgical team and/or hospital. Initially you might be given Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA), which means you can press a button and it’ll give you a dose of medication (such as morphine). PCA devices are set up in a way to prevent you from overdosing. If you are given a PCA device, it’ll normally be for 24 hours. After that, paracetamol and ibuprofen are typically enough.
If the pain medication isn’t helping or isn’t helping enough, tell a nurse and ask if there are any changes that can be made. If you notice that the pain is getting worse rather than better, tell a nurse.
Other medication
As well as your own medication from home, pain medication and anti-coagulant medication, you might be given other medications. If you weren’t given antibiotics during surgery, you might be given a course of antibiotics to take. Other medication will depend on your individual medical needs, how you’re feeling and how you’re healing.
What if I can’t get out of bed?
If you can’t get out of bed to go to the toilet, you’ll be given a bed pan to poo into or a urine bowl or bottle to wee into (if you’ve not got a catheter). Some staff might make assumptions about whether you need a bowl or a bottle – it can be useful to specify what you need when you ask them for one.
What if I can’t do a poo?
After having a general anaesthetic, and especially if you’ve been on morphine or other medication in the opiate family, it’s very common to be constipated. If you feel like you need a poo but nothing is happening, ask a nurse for something to help with it. They might give you ‘stool softening’ medication or a laxative.
Will I need a catheter?
| Surgery type | Catheter? |
|---|---|
| Body recontouring | N/A |
| Facial surgery | N/A |
| Hysterectomy (laproscopic) | Removed same or next day |
| Hysterectomy (abdominal) | 1-2 days |
| Masculinising mastectomy | N/A |
| Metoidioplasty | 7-10 days |
| Orchidectomy | N/A |
| Phalloplasty (stage 1) | 5 days |
| Phalloplasty (stage 2) | 1 week in new urethra plus 3-6 weeks suprapubic catheter |
| Phalloplasty (stage 3) | N/A |
| Vaginoplasty | 5 days |
| Vocal surgery | N/A |
| Vulvoplasty | 3 days |
What if I’ve got to use a catheter?
If you have a catheter and are unable to get out of bed, the a member of hospital staff will empty your catheter bag when it is full.
Some people find that having a catheter feels a bit strange or uncomfortable, and other people experience bladder spasms because the catheter is irritating their bladder. Some people say it feels like they need a wee all the time. It’s important to drink plenty of water to reduce the risk of this happening and to help prevent infection. Cranberry juice is also said to be useful in preventing urinary tract infections.
If you are in pain due to your catheter, tell a nurse – you might be able to have some medication to help reduce the spasms.
Once you’re able to get out of bed and walk to the toilet, they might remove the catheter. Different people have different experiences, but catheter removal is usually fast and painless – it might feel a bit weird but will be over very quickly.
It can feel awkward or uncomfortable to have someone emptying your catheter bag and checking or removing your catheter, but remember that the person doing it is a professional who has done this many times before and has seen people’s genitals many times before.
If you’ve had a catheter and it’s removed whilst you’re still in hospital, they might ask you to do your first few wees into a bowl so they can measure how much came out. A lot of hospitals use a bladder scan (an ultrasound probe placed on your abdomen) to see if you’ve emptied your bladder as much as they’d expect you to.
If you have had a catheter in your urethra, your first few wees might be ‘interesting’. This is because there can be swelling in your urethra which causes your wee to spray in lots of directions rather than in a steady stream. This will settle down in time.
If you’ve had genital surgery and do not wee through a penis yet/any more it can be useful to have a funnel or STP device – this helps you to direct your flow and avoid getting urine on your dressings. In an emergency, a paper cup with a small hole poked through the bottom will do the trick.
Leaving hospital with a catheter
If you need to keep the catheter in for longer – typically for people who have had stage 2 phalloplasty or metoidioplasty – then you’ll either keep using a catheter bag or move onto using a flip flow valve.
A flip flow valve is what it sounds like – you aim the end over a toilet and turn the tap-like valve on it when you’d like to have a wee.
Having a catheter can make you feel like you always need a wee, so it can be hard to tell what is a genuine feeling of needing to go. However, you’re likely to tune into your body and will get to know if you genuinely need a wee or if your bladder just feels a bit strange.
If you’re using a flip flow valve, remember to open it and have a wee before sitting down to have a poo – our bodies naturally try and wee when we’re having a poo, so having already emptied your bladder can reduce the chance of urine coming out of places it shouldn’t.
If you are using a catheter bag, you might have a leg bag and a night bag. The leg bag is usually smaller and can be attached to your leg, the night bag is usually bigger and is kept on a stand or attached to your bed overnight. It’s important to keep your catheter bag lower than your bladder is so that urine is able to flow along the tube and into it. When the bag is full, empty it over the toilet.
It’s important to keep your catheter tube, bag and the area where it enters your body (whether through your urethra or through your abdomen) as clean and dry as possible. Use hand sanitiser or wash your hands before touching anything associated with your catheter.
You’ll find more information about catheters and catheter care on the Bladder and Bowel UK website.
It’s normal to feel extremely tired after surgery and it might be hard to concentrate on anything. This is in part due to the anaesthetic, but also because your body is working hard to heal. You might have aches in unexpected places, feel bloated, constipated or nauseous.
You might also be getting used to your body being in a different shape – even if you can’t see if under all of the bandages.
After most transition related operations, you can expect swelling and bruising. Swelling can take a while to go down, so don’t assume that the particular part of the body is going to look that way forever – for example, your genitals might initially be very swollen and red after lower surgery.
If you’re in pain or think you’re going to be sick, use the call bell and tell a nurse. You might have a sore throat for a couple of days because of the tube that was in your throat when you were under anaesthetic – cough sweets and hot drinks of honey and lemon can help with that.
Unless you’re told otherwise, keep your dressings clean and dry. If they do get wet, dirty or have blood or other fluid soaking through them, tell a member of hospital staff – they might need to change them for you.
Most hospitals will encourage you to get up and out of bed as soon as possible. Follow their instructions around this. Don’t overdo anything and take everything slowly, but a slow walk around the room or the ward can help with healing as well as with constipation if you’re experiencing it.
It is normal to experience a whole range of emotions after surgery. These might all be mixed up together or might happen at different points during your recovery. Of course, feelings of euphoria are very common – these feelings can be exaggerated by any powerful painkillers you might be taking.
Post-op depression is also very common – this often happens between 3 and 5 days after surgery and is something that doesn’t just happen to trans people. You’re tired, your body has been through a lot, there might have been a lot of anxiety and/or excitement leading up to surgery.
You might be constipated, unable to be as independent as you usually are, might feel overwhelmed by tubes, wires and people, and/or might feel a bit lonely. If you’re able to have visitors, they can help with this.
If nobody is able to visit you, having a video call with a friend or family member might help lift your mood. Think of the things that make you feel good – it could be a little bit of chocolate or a favourite film, these small pleasures can help you get through this stage.
Some people report questioning whether they’d made the right decision having surgery. For the vast majority of people, this is a fleeting thought or feeling that passes and is linked to post-op depression. If you’re still struggling with these thoughts a month after surgery, it would be worth seeking some counselling so that you’re able to talk about these feelings.
As with everything else on this page, your experience in hospital will depend on lots of things. This table gives examples of what you might be able to expect, but ask your surgical team.
| Surgery type | Dressings |
|---|---|
| Body recontouring | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Facial surgery | Gauze and bandages over your wounds. Maybe compression straps to reduce inflammation. |
| Hysterectomy (laproscopic) | Dressings covering your wounds. Possibly a gauze pack in the vagina. |
| Hysterectomy (abdominal) | Dressings covering your wounds. Possibly a gauze pack in the vagina. |
| Masculinising mastectomy | Tight compression for 2 weeks, with tape on the incisions after that until fully healed. |
| Metoidioplasty | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Orchidectomy | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 1) | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 2) | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 3) | Dressings covering your wounds. |
| Vaginoplasty | You’ll have a pressure dressing. This will feel tight and possibly uncomfortable and is typically removed on day 2-4. The vaginal pack will stay until day 5. |
| Vocal surgery | A dressing over your incision. |
| Vulvoplasty | You’ll have a pressure dressing. This will feel tight and possibly uncomfortable and is typically removed on day 2. |
As with everything else on this page, everybody’s recovery will be different and will depend on lots of things. This table gives examples of what you might be able to expect, but always follow the instructions from your surgical team.
| Surgery type | Other info |
|---|---|
| Body recontouring | You can shower from day 5. |
| Facial surgery | Typically you can shower after 2 days. Sleep at an elevated angle at first. |
| Hysterectomy (laproscopic) | You can shower the day after surgery. |
| Hysterectomy (abdominal) | If the team uses a drain, this will be removed while you are in hospital. You can shower the day after surgery. |
| Masculinising mastectomy | You can shower after bandages have been removed – typically 2 weeks. If the team use drains, these will be in for 5-10 days. Sleep at an elevated angle at first. |
| Metoidioplasty | You’ll be given mouthwash to use if you’ve had a graft taken from your mouth. Can shower on day 7-10. |
| Orchidectomy | You will need to wear supportive underwear. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 1) | If you have radial forearm phalloplasty, your arm will be kept raised. Your penis will be propped at a 45 degree angle. Hourly doppler scans of your penis for the first 24 hours, every two hours for the next day. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 2) | You can shower from day 2. |
| Phalloplasty (stage 3) | If you’ve got an inflatable erection device, you will be asked to keep it inflated for 2 weeks. |
| Vaginoplasty | You can wash from day 2 and shower from day 5. You’ll be shown how to dilate and douche on day 5. |
| Vocal surgery | You won’t be able to talk, laugh or cough for the first few days so prepare to communicate non-verbally. Can shower the next day. Sleep at an elevated angle at first. |
| Vulvoplasty | You can shower on day 2. |
If something is physically wrong
Talk to a nurse if you are in pain, feel sick, are constipated or just feel like something’s not quite right (for example feeling very hot or there being blood coming through your dressing). They will be able to check that there’s nothing to worry about and take action if there is. They might be able to give you medication to help with any pain, nausea and constipation.
If you’re struggling emotionally
It is normal to experience a wide range of emotions after surgery and during a hospital stay. Talk to someone about it – a member of hospital staff, one of your visitors, or have a video call with a friend or family member.
If your needs are not being met
It’s important to say something if your needs are not being met. This might be your dietary needs, your communication needs or your access needs. Raise the issue with a member of hospital staff, or ask a friend or family member to speak to them for you.
Explain what the issue is and how it is impacting you. Discuss what can be done to change things for the better. If things don’t improve, you can ask to speak to the Ward Manager.
The behaviour of other patients and their visitors
Everyone has the right to feel safe in hospital. If the behaviour of another patient or a visitor makes you feel unsafe or worried, ask to speak to a member of hospital staff and explain what the issue is.
The behaviour of members of staff
If you feel that a member of staff has behaved inappropriately towards you, it’s important to raise it as an issue. This includes if it was not intentional. Speaking up will hopefully prevent it from happening to you or anyone else again.
For unintentional incidents, such as accidental misgendering, you may feel confident enough to correct them in that moment. In cases of intentional discriminatory behaviour, report the issue to the ward manager in the first instance. The hospital ought to have an anti-discrimination policy and you can expect them to tell you what action will be taken.
What if an issue isn’t properly dealt with?
If you’re not happy that an issue you’ve raised has been properly dealt with, you can complain. If you’re staying in an NHS hospital you can do this via PALS. Find the relevant Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Private hospitals ought to have information on how to complain on their website.
A ‘complication’ is any unwanted and unexpected result of surgery. Complications can happen during surgery or at any point during recovery. It could be that a doctor or nurse notices that there’s an issue, or that you notice it yourself. If there’s something that doesn’t look or feel right – ask a medical professional to have a look at it.
The types of complication you might have will depend on the type of surgery you have. When talking you through the consent form for surgery, your surgeon should have told you about the possible complications you could experience.
Different things might happen depending on the type of complication you have:
- Watching and waiting – to see if it will heal on its own.
- Antibiotics and/or specialist wound care.
- Going back into surgery – for example, if you’ve got a blood clot.
- Surgery to repair the complication at a later date.
On your last day in hospital, you can expect one of the surgical team to come and see you to confirm that they’re happy for you to go home. A lot of hospitals will discharge you in a morning, however there might be a bit of waiting around. Make sure the person going home with you has plenty of time and has not parked in a short-stay space!
A doctor or nurse will check your wounds and might change your dressings. You’ll be given instructions on how to care for your wounds and information about what you can and can’t do during recovery.
If you’ve had vaginoplasty, the nurse might observe you dilating to check that your confident with it.
Some hospitals will give you dressings to take home with you, most will give you painkillers, and some might give other medication such as antibiotics.
You ought to be given a discharge letter and you can ask for a sick note from the surgical team if you need one.
You might be booked in for your follow-up appointment(s), or be told when you’ll be contacted about it.
Some people can feel pressured to leave hospital before they’ve got all the information that they need. Whilst it is important to recognise that someone else needs to use the bed, it’s also important to make sure you have everything you need for a good recovery.
Before you leave the hospital, make sure you have asked about:
- Emergency contact details. Who should you contact if there’s an issue when you’re recovering at home? What’s the best way of contacting them?
- What does normal look like? It will be useful to find out what you can expect your experience of healing to look like, and what potential issues you should look out for.
- Dressing changes and wound care. How do you do it and how often? Can you change them at home or does a nurse need to do it? Are there any specific dressings you need to use? You can also ask the hospital to send you home with some dressings.
- Showering and having a bath. When can you have one? Can you get your dressings wet?
- Post-op appointment. When and where will it be? Or how will you arrange it?
- Medication. Are they sending you home with any medication? If so, how often should you take it? If not, what pain medication do they recommend you should take and is there any pain medication you should avoid?
- Catheter care. If you’re leaving hospital with a catheter, ask a nurse to explain how you change your catheter bag and/or use the flip-flow valve. Ask them to confirm when you can have the catheter removed. You can also ask the hospital to send you home with catheter supplies such as a night bag, a spare leg bag, a catheter stand, and/or a spare flip-flow valve.
- Dilating and douching (for people who’ve had vaginoplasty). You are likely to be sent home with lubricant, dilators and a douche. If you haven’t been given them, ask for them or ask where you can get them from.
- Arm sling (for people who’ve had radial forearm phalloplasty). You are likely to be sent home with a sling to help keep your arm raised against your chest. If you haven’t been given one, ask for one or where you can get one from.
- A letter for your GP. This will typically say what procedure(s) you’ve had done and what support (if any) you might need. If you’re not given something like this, ask the hospital to confirm that they’ll be sending it to your GP.
- A sick note. It might be that the surgeon will e-mail this to you, but it is worth checking this arrangement before you leave the hospital.
To find out more about the hospital you’ll be staying in, take a look at the hospital website.
Other sources of information include:
- About your orchiectomy
- Gender Affirming Hysterectomy
- Phalloplasty – What is it, risks, benefits
- Parkside Hospital – Vaginoplasty
- Phallo.net
- Metoidioplasty.net
- TopSurgery.net
- MTFSurgery.net
- Bladder and Bowel UK website
- You can find more PDFs and websites about surgery in the Surgery section on genderarchive.org.uk.
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Parts of this page are based on information originally posted on genderkit.org.uk with permission.
A disclaimer: TransActual do not provide medical, health, or legal advice. The content of this page is intended for information purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a medical professional. It is not a substitute for advice from a legal professional. We strongly suggest you consult a healthcare professional or legal professional for specific advice about your situation. TransActual do not advocate or recommend the purchase of any specific product and we do not endorse or guarantee the credentials or appropriateness of any health care provider, any product or any provider of insurance and legal services.
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