I live in Ontario, Canada and about a year ago had my CAMH appointment for approval for my lower surgery. I got a approved around August and have ever since been struggling to work with Dr. Brassards people to get a consult. After some miscommunication about required additional documents (other than the ones from CAMH and the Ministry of Health/OHIP) and delays due to my file being moved from the pre-op tem to the clinic office and then the delay of the holidays and hat not. I finally got phone appointment with Dr. Brassard because the staff said that I should talk to him on the phone instead of having to come in for the consultation. I had to wait a month for the call and then they called last minute to reschedule to today.

He called me today and I asked him some questions, but he said he could not answer them without an in person consult, which I completly understand but then why did we even bother with the phone call? I spoke with a guy from Alberta who had his surgery a few years ago and he did not need a consult. I prefer to have one but what makes me frustrated is the difficulty I have had with this office. I am extermely patient but I am getting really frustrated.

Has anyone else had this problem? I have now scheduled an appointment for May 3rd (they only had two spots available because they are very busy one next week which is not possible because I do not have a car and I have to arrange trasnportation and because of work and then the May 3rd date.

So now I have to wait for that, I already have put my surgery on hold for years due to other family members health and needing to help them but now I feel like it will never happen.

I also gained weight back that I lost prior to my other surgeries and I know that can be a problem. When I mentioned that I was planning on a metiodioplasty and enquired about a mons resection on the phone with Dr. Brassard he mentioned in a way that because of my weight a phalloplasty would be better. (not in those exact words but that is how it came accross). I am just so fed up with how things are going. I am grateful for everything I have but I just do not understand why it is so difficult.

I already know I would not be satisfied with a phalloplasty I do not like the procedure and have given this years of consideration.

Does anyone have any advice or has anyone had similar experiences? I feel like I should be looking at other surgeons at this point but OHIP does not cover travel costs and I cannot afford to fly to the USA or Europe and have no car. Honestly, I don't want to go to the USA especially with the current political climate and the issues I have heard that can happend surrounding travelling as a trans person across borders and in airports.

I also want to note that I had my chest surgery with him and did not have these issues. I know things change and they are busier now but I am not even covering some of the other deatils about the exchanges I have had with the staff trying to get things in order just to get an appointment for this surgery.

Basically I have been waiting 6 months for a consultation and now have to wait another month and a bit for a real one.

It is a bit ridiculous IMO. Part of me feels this is directly related to that fact that I am overweight but I am not sure what their angle is if this is the case. I have also read that some people with OHIP funded surgeries are having a hard time getting stuff scheduled.

Sorry to hear that you've had trouble getting clear communications from GRS Montreal. This is not uncommon. I imagine that once a patient, you would get faster responses from them. (I would hope so.)

My understanding is that Dr. Brassard will not do a mons resection, and he has weight restrictions for surgeries.

6 month waits for consults is pretty standard.

There's some movement happening with getting metas performed in Toronto but that's not rolling yet.

Thank you for your reply Joshua,

I guess I am really more frustrated that they wasted my time and Dr. Brassard's time for a phone call that was unnecessary. I had to book time off work to specifically have a quiet private place to talk only for him to say he can't answer my questions. I almost had an in person consultation in November 2016 but they said that I could just do a phone call and that an in person consult was not necessary and then it took them a few months to get back to me with the date for the call. Now it is necessary apparently and now I have to arrange transportation which isn't easy for me because
of the time of the appointment. I will probably need to take the train or bus because I do not have anyone who can take me or a credit card to rent a car. If I take the bus or train I will have to go early and have a lot of time before after arrival at the station until the appointment or leave where I would have only just enough time to get to the appointment and on the way back I would be cutting it close to missing the train/bus back or have lot's of time to kill.

I feel that if he doesn't do Mons resections and/or my weight is an issue, they should be straight forward with me. I am overweight but the BMI index that they go by does not account for muscle or other factors like I walk everyday, eat healthy, have normal blood levels, don't smoke and rarely drink.

I am kind of surprised and frustrated because I did not have these issues when I had my chest surgery there. I got my paperwork in and my consult and then I got my surgery date it was straight forward. Now it seems way more complicated and I understand the surgery is different and I may be overreacting but I have a lot of other things going on in my life. I am finding it hard to stay centered and is causing me additional anxiety and depression that I wasn't having until dealing with them.

I wish I had my surgery when I wanted to in 2013/14 and then this all would have been over. However, I had a lot of personal events over the past 3-4 years that prevented me from being able to do that.

I'm just starting to lose hope that I will ever get it done if I don't have it done soon due to many issues.

Sorry, I really need to vent this because I feel like I need to.

I try to be patient and reasonable and the personal reasons that delayed my surgery I know are not their fault but at the rate at which things are going I am not sure if I will have my surgery within the deadline that was given by the OHIP.

I am glad to hear that there might be another option for Canada for meta at some point it would be nice to have another option. I think they have doctors that are good at what they do in Montreal and I have heard from other people who had surgery there and did not have these issues and they were overweight as well.

Sorry to hear that you've had trouble getting clear communications from GRS Montreal. This is not uncommon. I imagine that once a patient, you would get faster responses from them. (I would hope so.)

My understanding is that Dr. Brassard will not do a mons resection, and he has weight restrictions for surgeries.

6 month waits for consults is pretty standard.

There's some movement happening with getting metas performed in Toronto but that's not rolling yet.

I would be frustrated too!! That phone "consult" does sound like a waste of time. My understanding is that an in-person consult is required for both meta and phallo at GRS Montreal.

Don't lose hope! This is just a bump in what can be a pretty long road.

If GRS Montreal causes delays that push you beyond OHIP's deadline, you can appeal that. Not your fault, theirs.

In the meantime, you might find it helpful to try and get one thing toward surgery accomplished in a given time frame, say weekly or daily. For example, work on a list of things that you'll need after surgery. Regularly working on the small details gives you some forward motion even when the big aspects are stalled.

Thank you for your kind words. i really appreciate that and your advice. i will give that a try.

I would be frustrated too!! That phone "consult" does sound like a waste of time. My understanding is that an in-person consult is required for both meta and phallo at GRS Montreal.

Don't lose hope! This is just a bump in what can be a pretty long road.

If GRS Montreal causes delays that push you beyond OHIP's deadline, you can appeal that. Not your fault, theirs.

In the meantime, you might find it helpful to try and get one thing toward surgery accomplished in a given time frame, say weekly or daily. For example, work on a list of things that you'll need after surgery. Regularly working on the small details gives you some forward motion even when the big aspects are stalled.

You're welcome! It's a technique that I've been using with some success in my long wait for surgery funding.

Here I am over a year later and still trying to get surgery booked. I have been trying to lose weight and have been having very little success. Dr. Brassard wants another consult after the one last year. I don’t know if I should keep trying or give up.

I don’t think my surgical option have improved and I don’t have the means to travel to another country for surgery and I don’t want a phalloplasty because I don’t like the technique.

I’m just ranting I don’t expect anyone can offer any advice or help me. Just feeling frustrated and down.

Feel free to rant, Devin!! The restrictions and wait times are a heavy load to bear and it's totally OK to be fed up with the process.

I don't know if GRS Montreal has a specific BMI restriction (I think they do) but it's weight restrictions are common for meta because of the impact on surgical results. Meta cocks can be buried with extra weight, and as mentioned earlier, I don't think GRS Montreal will incorporate a mons resection into the surgery to improve/prevent that.

How much weight does Dr. Brassard want you to lose? Have you sought out any professional help for this? Doing it alone can be really hard, but even one appt with a professional trainer can help you reach your goal faster. There can be a lot of science involved! My recollection is that YMCAs can be pretty cheap for one-time visits and their trainers are free.

I'm a big fan of walking and body weight exercises. These cost nothing, require no equipment and are very effective when done consistently. Diet optimization plays a huge role also and can also be done for free, with some online research.

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but just wanted to let you know that you're being heard and understood!

I hope this road starts to speed up for you soon!
Joshua

I was trying to find this post again because I still haven't had surgery and have come almost full circle 3 years later. to him wanting a consultation again.

My funding expired last time and I reapplied because I still want the surgery.

I forget how much he wanted me to lose. but I think at least 30 lbs. I am still trying to get surgery but haven't lost much weight.

I have heard some bad stories about Dr. Brassard's results and am wondering if I should even go with him.

Feel free to rant, Devin!! The restrictions and wait times are a heavy load to bear and it's totally OK to be fed up with the process.

I don't know if GRS Montreal has a specific BMI restriction (I think they do) but it's weight restrictions are common for meta because of the impact on surgical results. Meta cocks can be buried with extra weight, and as mentioned earlier, I don't think GRS Montreal will incorporate a mons resection into the surgery to improve/prevent that.

How much weight does Dr. Brassard want you to lose? Have you sought out any professional help for this? Doing it alone can be really hard, but even one appt with a professional trainer can help you reach your goal faster. There can be a lot of science involved! My recollection is that YMCAs can be pretty cheap for one-time visits and their trainers are free.

I'm a big fan of walking and body weight exercises. These cost nothing, require no equipment and are very effective when done consistently. Diet optimization plays a huge role also and can also be done for free, with some online research.

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but just wanted to let you know that you're being heard and understood!

I hope this road starts to speed up for you soon!
Joshua

Dig enough and you'll find that pretty much every surgeon has patients who didn't have a satisfactory experience and/or outcome. Have you had the chance to speak with any patients of Dr. Brassard? Extra points if you can have some of those conversations in person vs. online. In my experience, people are just a tad more honest offline. Do you have access to any kind of bottom surgery support group in your area?