Wanted to share my experience getting colon vaginoplasty with Miroslav Đorđević.
I am now 1 year post-op.
I decided on colonovaginoplasty because dilation was supposed to be easier and it should have good depth and potentially have lubrication. I went with Đorđević because I heard he is well-regarded, and I also speak the local language.
Overall, I am quite pleased with my results. I haven't had much penetrative sex since the surgery (yet), so there is still room to explore. I do find my vagina to be quite tight. Or rather, the part where the colon is grafted is very tight.
I need to be very relaxed to make it easy for my toys to get through, and some wider ones can't go through at all. Not very happy with that, but it's fine since I do have other toys that do fit. Can't say I have much lubrication. I do masturbate regularly and have no issues orgasming with clit stimulation. My depth is about 17 cm.
I don't have any plans for revisions just yet, though I am interested in what people think of my overall look.
The timeline was as follows:
- Oct 2024: Contacted Belgrade Surgery through email. They responded a few weeks after. This was probably one of the longest times they took to respond. They were usually much faster.
- Nov 24 to Jan 25: I had a call with Đorđević and started aligning with Marta (his assistant) and the anaesthesiologist about paperwork and medical info (had to do a blood test and ECG). Finally, after sorting out my health insurance, I arranged a date for my surgery in late June.
- Apr 25: Had my last GnRHa injection. Also booked tickets for Serbia. Did not have to book accommodation since that was provided by Belgrade Surgery.
- Jun 25: Early in the month I paid for the surgery, a total of 26,600€. According to Marta, if you don't have insurance coverage, you get a 20-30% discount, but you pay full price if you have insurance. The costs cover accommodation but do not cover dilators. You can buy dilators from them or bring your own with you. I stopped using oestrogen patches 2 weeks before surgery, as instructed.
- 2 days pre-op: Arrived in Serbia very late the night before; the taxi was scheduled by Belgrade Surgery to take us to accommodation (not free). The taxi guy was their regular and is very friendly. The next day I went to the hospital to sign some paperwork and have a discussion about the whole process. I was given instructions on my dietary restrictions for after surgery. The apartment we were in was great. Small kitchen and toilet, but nice spacious bedroom and living room, both with air conditioning, which was very much required in hot June/July. The room had lots of spare towels/sheets as well as some useful tools one would expect international trans people in recovery would leave there. Accommodation was in the town centre, while the hospital is a bit out of town, but they do have other accommodations closer to the hospital. Being in the centre, though, meant there were plenty of stores, pharmacies, cafes, and restaurants around me.
- 1 day pre-op: went to hospital again, this time to stay. Had to stop eating and get myself cleaned. At midnight they also stopped giving me water. The room itself was a pretty standard hospital room, and much-needed air conditioning was keeping it comfortable. I was alone in the room, but there was a second bed there, currently empty.
- Op day: Had some more medical checks in the morning and a talk with the surgeon (first time since that initial call). I didn't have any specific criteria for my surgery, but I did tell him that my priority is recovery and only then visuals. Had my surgery around 10am. Approximately 7 hours later I was woken up to have a quick video call with my partner and tell them to come over for a visit. I was pretty much out of it the rest of the day. Very drugged up on anaesthetics, so no pain, but very uncomfortable.
- 1 day post-op: very uncomfortable all day. Since I had surgery on my colon, I was told no food or water until after I start farting again, which would be a sign my intestines are back up and running again. I had a lot of pain in my left buttock. A few days later I will discover an awful bedsore there. I still have a scar a year later. Due to me being extremely weak, I could not properly reposition myself at the time. I also had a bruise in the back of my head; I am guessing it was from the uncomfortable bed I lay in for hours during the surgery. I also got a roommate. She had her surgery shortly after arriving (different type of vaginoplasty). We barely talked with each other during the whole stay since both of us were going through our own personal hells.
- 2 days post-op: despite my best efforts, I could barely stand up and would immediately pass out when I tried. I had a lot of discomfort because I really, really, REALLY had to fart, but it was so difficult to do. After a lot of effort I finally did fart and was allowed to have some biscuits after not eating for 90 hours.
- 4 days post-op: I could finally walk a few steps, but breathing was hard when standing up since my abdomen (my whole body really) was very weak. I was recovering very slowly. However, I had no complications, no bleeding, no infection, etc. I was allowed to slowly expand the variety of food I could eat. My bandages were changed, and I had an opportunity to see my vulva for the first time. It looked like a horror show, and I had to remind myself that this was expected and there is no point worrying about how it looks and just focus on healing. My roommate was discharged on this day.
- 5 days post-op: I was deemed strong enough to finally be discharged. I was wheeled into the taxi and sent off. You could tell the taxi driver is used to driving post-op patients because he drove very slowly and carefully over any road bump. I finally had a shower that day and rested in a proper bed. I was to continue taking antibiotics, probiotics, anticoagulants, and painkillers. I still had packing in my vagina (so no dilating) and a catheter.
- 7 days post-op: I was taken to the hospital by someone from the hospital (not a taxi driver). I had my packing removed and was shown how to dilate. They gave me a set of dilators, but it was the wrong one. I needed curved dilators with a ring for a finger, not straight dilators, of which even the smallest one would absolutely not fit inside at all. It took them the next day to get me a replacement dilator. In the meantime, I tried my best to dilate with my finger.
With colon vaginoplasty, you only need to dilate up to the part where the sigmoid is attached, and I could just barely reach it with my finger. It was very stressful and unpleasant. I was told to dilate twice a day for 40 minutes. I would douche with saline before and after each dilation.
- 10 days post-op: back to the hospital again for a checkup. I was asked if I wanted my catheter out, so I had that done too. It was nice no longer having to drag it around. It was a very new feeling, having to sit to pee.
- 14 days post-op: one final checkup in the apartment room. To clarify, "checkup" means the doctor sticks a finger in your vagina. I have been steadily recovering these last two weeks. I had more appetite and energy. Still weak, but I could somewhat operate on my own for short periods of time. My vagina looked very swollen, and I would feel discomfort and pain. I continued using painkillers this whole time, which helped. The surgery team also filled out the insurance form I gave them, and they gave me a discharge letter in both Serbian and English.
- 16 days post-op: flight back home. It took the whole day, and I was extremely uncomfortable the whole time. The next day I had a lot of dark red discharge as a result of mostly sitting all day. Overall, the costs of being in Serbia for over two weeks were about 1000€, of which almost half was spent on taxis, mostly for my partner to come visit me every day. With plane tickets and a set of dilators included, we spend about 3000€. At this point I might also clarify that I absolutely would not be able to do this without my partner. It was absolutely essential to have someone there to help with my recovery and for emotional support. My partner was basically preparing 5 meals for me each day since I had to eat small amounts at the time (I like to eat a lot otherwise). Do not, under any circumstances, go do this surgery alone. Also be aware that whoever is there with you will see you at your most vulnerable. You will not be pretty, and it will be hard for your partner/family member/friend to see you like this.
- 4 weeks post-op: life was slowly going back to normal. I still had to be careful of what I eat, but I could go on short walks and sit for longer times.
I had a lot of pain between my legs, as if my crotch were on fire the whole time. My nerves were constantly firing as they were recovering. My stitches were slowly starting to fall off as well.
It still looked like a horror show, but I could see the improvements happening over time.
- 6 weeks post-op: went back to work and a regular diet. Could basically go back to living my life, just without any heavy physical activity. I lost a lot of weight in those first two weeks, but I have slowly got most of it back by now.
- 2 months post-op: As instructed, I did not have any sexual activity for the first 9 weeks. I tried masturbating for the first time and managed to orgasm in 20-30 minutes, which was a huge relief. Over the following weeks I slowly explored my parts to see what feels good. I had a stitch right on my clit, so I had to be very gentle masturbating until I had that removed. I would occasionally get some discharge, but that was getting less and less.
Over the following few months I continued with my regular dilation routine. Twice a day for 40 minutes. Eventually I started to only douche after dilating. About 6 months post-op I started to occasionally skip douching and more or less stopped entirely around 10 months post-op. I stopped using pads about 3 months post-op. I would sometimes get thick brown discharge on my dilator after dilation, but less and less over time.
I am now 1 year post-op, and I have stopped dilating twice a day (never missed a day this whole year). Switched to dilating about 3 times a week for now, but will contact the surgery team just to check what they say.
Overall,
my recovery was long and uncomfortable (compared to other girls I know), but ultimately it ended up being very uneventful with no serious complications or chronic pain. I am fine with the scars I have and the overall look of my vulva. I am happy with my ability to orgasm through clit stimulation. I still need to explore penetrative sex more. I have good depth, but here is a very tight ring inside my vagina that makes penetration difficult. Once that is relaxed, it's very easy to slide toys in and out. No lubrication, but lube is cheap, so whatever.
I do not regret getting surgery.
hopefully there's something that can be done.
