Your recovery at Asclepiade

GrS Montréal offers you a tailored recovery, after your genital surgery, in its private convalescent home called l’Asclépiade, a concept unique in the world.

It is in an intimate and warm environment that you can rest and take the time to get back on your feet before going home.

A recovery at l’Asclépiade takes approximately seven to ten days, depending on the type of surgery. As this house is adjacent to the Centre Métropolitain de Chirurgie, the transfer from one facility to another is easily done from the inside, most often by walking.

Once you have settled at l’Asclépiade, a treatment schedule will be established with you. The staff is on duty seven days a week, day and night, and available to assist you, answer your questions, your concerns and provide care. Your medical follow-ups with the surgeon are also easily made, thanks to the proximity of the facilities.

If you have had a vaginoplasty with a vaginal cavity, it is during your stay at l’Asclépiade that the vaginal mold and the urinary catheter will be removed if the healing goes as planned. The nursing staff will take care of your surgical wounds as well as your dilations, if necessary. You should know that depending on the surgery you underwent, the length of your postoperative care will vary. The staff will take advantage of your presence at l’Asclépiade to teach you how to do your own care. This is a very important step that will lead to your complete healing. You will need to dilate the vaginal cavity up to four times a day for the first month. The frequency of dilations will decrease over time, but will still need to be continued for the rest of your life. The staff of l’Asclépiade will guide you in the familiarization of this crucial step for the success of your operation.

The healing process takes about a year. During this period, you will first notice discharge from your wound, regardless of the surgery you underwent. It’s normal. You will need to learn how to clean the wound and do it carefully every day. You will also notice swelling. This, too, is normal. It could even last beyond six months. As for the colour of your organs, it can take up to a year to stabilize.

If you have undergone phalloplasty, you will learn not only how to care for and clean your wounds, but how to do exercises needed to restore the suppleness of the skin of the arm or leg on which a flap of skin was taken.

Your recovery at l’Asclépiade will also be a time to learn how to manage pain. Please be aware that it varies greatly from one person to another. Thanks to the presence of doctors and nursing staff, the medication will be adjusted according to the level of your pain. Taking your medication regularly, applying ice, and resting are the keys to fast and successful healing.

Without being necessarily complex, the postoperative care that you will learn to master during your recovery at l’Asclépiade is of the greatest importance. Some people even compare the first month of care to a full-time job!