This post is for those unsure about UL or meta. I wanted to share with you my experience up to this point. I’m in the UK and my surgeon was Mr Christopher. I had buccal mucosa UL graft stage 1 last year, and in January this year I had stage 2 which was UL hookup through my phallus, scrotoplasty and v-nectomy. Deciding on surgery, I desperately wanted the day-to-day experience of my penis to be functional and also fun. Being able to urinate from my penis was really really important for me but I was hesitant to go for it due to the prolonged staging (with Mr Christopher the full works takes three stages), the increased recoveries and the increase risk of complications. I have autism and have sensory issues that are more easily triggered when I’m tired and/or stressed. I’m ten weeks post op now and I have had some times when I have wished I hadn’t gone for UL. The bulk of my healing has gone really well but I’ve had various complications in this time; infections, voiding blood, some parts taking long time to heal from bruising and swelling and impacting urination. All these massively impacted my mobility and independence. I ended up with a urethral catheter for the past four weeks. My penis and urethra was so uncomfortable with it, and I had blockages and lots of sediment from a uti which my local services were pretty shit at dealing with because “meta is not their area” etc. My sensory issues have been under a lot of stress and even just the very small things like, not being able to roll over or lie on my side in bed, I found increasingly difficult. I was literally counting down the days to the catheter removal and yesterday was the day. I was very nervous because of the severe pain and issues I’d had previously. But, it worked! (So far so good

) Things seem to be settling and now I am actually catheter free! My stream is strong and pain free, my bladder is getting used to working again but is doing well. I am so so happy. Last night I fell asleep on my side for the first time in weeks and when I woke up, I spooned with my partner, again for the first time in weeks. …. All this to say; any surgery and/or recovery may not go how we want it to go. There are risks and we can’t control the outcomes. Meta is major surgery, and if you have underlying conditions or sensory issues, it makes sense to make detailed backup plans beforehand as some people do experience a longer-than-expected recovery. Not everyone will have a good surgery or recovery experience. I’m so thankful for my penis and scrotum, I felt incredibly liberated by the entire surgery from day one post op, including the v-nectomy. I’m thankful as hell that I can pee through my penis but it wasn’t a given. I guess we have to be open to the possibility that the choices we make are the best ones we can, but that we just cannot control certain areas or outcomes. Good luck with your own decision making and I really wish you well


. Feel free to dm if you have any questions.