I had my FTM peri-aeriolar top surgery on March 31st, 2018 at Hahnemann University Hospital in…read morePhiladelphia, PA by Dr. Kathy Rumer. I made the appointment by phone probably a month earlier, and I had my month post-op check-up yesterday and my results look fantastic. TLDR AT THE BOTTOM!
Dr. Rumer's office is situated in beautiful and green Ardmore, PA. I drove from NJ - two hours each way to her office each time because I was dead set on my decision. I had done plenty of research, based on a "dream" that one day I would be able to afford to have my chest look like her before and after photos. Maybe four or five years later, I took a chance on that dream. I decided to take a risk on my gut to see if Dr. Rumer was compatible with my insurance - the worst thing they could say was no, right? Turns out that she was tier 2 with my insurance, which was Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey - surprising for a PA surgeon, yeah? But I sure wasn't complaining, they paid half of the surgery cost.
Something that really spoke to me about Dr. Rumer is how involved in the transgender community she is. COUNTLESS people - both FTM and MTF - have their consultations/check-ups, etc done right here at this office. She also regularly presents at the Philly Trans Health Conference and does around 150 top surgeries a year, she's a member of WPATH, she was *****AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER FOR OVER A DECADE***** LIKE NO BIG DEAL OKAY so basically this lady is no joke. I wanted someone experienced, so she definitely had that box checked for me.
Her office can hold your hand the whole way through if you need it (I know I did, as I was doing this on my own) - the packet you get as an e-mail attachment before your pre-op appointment will be your Holy Scripture that will get you through any trouble you're having. It breaks down everything you need to do at certain stages before your surgery and puts it super simply - your full medication restrictions, addresses and phone numbers of associated facilities, important dates, FAQs, step by step like a checklist. I took a marker and marked everything off one by one so I wouldn't miss anything.
Upon entering the adorably PA building, you're greeted with a beautiful, clean, air conditioned, chic waiting room with marble, stainless steel, and black leather accents. Small and quaint with lots of gorgeous windows, a large plasma screen TV, and a rack of current and relevant magazines. Dawn will probably be there to greet you, and Dawn is an absolute sweetheart. She is your best friend and guide to the office - she will be speaking on the phone with you, e-mailing and keeping in contact with you and she knows a lot, so ask any questions you have, all you have to do is call. If she doesn't have the answer, she will find it for you.
I ended up needing to return to the office a number of times for check-ins due to an issue I had while I was healing, so Dawn and the rest of the staff saw quite a lot of me. The amount of care and compassion that I received from not only Dr. Rumer, but her whole staff have been nothing short of absolutely amazing. 5/5 would recommend. Solving the issue that I had was not at all fun, but Dr. Rumer and her nurse's aides were very professional and assuring. I trust the aerospace engineer. Getting this surgery done can be scary, especially if you've never had a major surgery before - so it's really nice to know that I had access to such a fantastic and knowledgeable support system from the beginning all the way to the end of my journey.
TLDR:: Experienced, caring, professional, clean office, amazing staff, involved in the community, insurance-taking, crazy cute Philly accent, aerospace engineer Dr. Rumer could not come any higher recommended by me. I would recommend this doctor's office to ANYONE who might be considering where to get a surgery done. 11/10.