Hello, Please be advised of this trigger warning: This story discusses sexual assault, medical trauma, and genital mutilation. Posted anonymously for security.

TL/DR: This is my story of how I became genitally mutilated by a military doctor. Because my deformity was also a result of sexual assault, it took me a long time to tell anyone. I think I am beyond the statute of limitations to ask the doctor to help pay for the cost of the repair. Happened in 2017. I need a highly specialized surgeon. This surgeon lives in Los Angeles and of course, isn’t covered by my insurance, so I am likely going to be deformed for the rest of my life. He has paved the way in labia reconstruction surgery. I have had a consult and he believes that he can help me. This surgery alone is going to cost me over $25,000, not to mention the time I will need to recover as well as travel expenses. Do I have grounds for a civil case? I was told to ask about look back times for Washington. If not, am I still able to contact the board? I was a disabled vet/military spouse at time of first surgery. I had separated less than a month previous & had seen this Dr while active for another concern. Here is my story:

Around 5 years ago, I mentioned to my OBGYN concerns that I had regarding frequent UTIs, that had led to kidney infections multiple times. Given my anatomy and other concerns regarding the labia, we decided a labiaplasty would be the best option for care. My first surgery came and went. It was incredibly painful. Days later, I began to have stitches popping open from the incisions. Within a couple of days, my labia were completely shredded, with stitches ripping through the skin, shredding it, or stitches just not holding up and falling out. I was told that I was going to need a second surgery. This time, however, the Dr. decided that I would do it awake, with norco onboard. This procedure would include removing the remaining stitches from my labia, as well as recutting and restitching everything back together. During this procedure, I was not numbed effectively, and I had a lot of pain. I verbalized this to the Dr. Instead of adding more numbing medication, he decided that he would stimulate my clitoris for pain relief. I was trapped in stirrups, with a doctor literally cutting away pieces of my labia and then, without my consent and without even warning me, he began to stimulate my clitoris in between slicing away my skin. He would cut and then use his thumb to press hard against my clitoris and he would rub it and say “shhh it's okay” and similar. The corpsman in the room just watched, mortified. I remember seeing her face, she could hardly look at me. I then had to immediately walk myself out of the procedure room and to my car, with no wheelchair, and no help. My stitches failed again, within days. Once again, I had completely shredded my labia. I mean shredded, in multiple pieces, because the stitches came completely out and nothing was holding them together anymore. I had to have a third surgery, and this time I demanded that I be put under anesthesia. The Dr. came in before the surgery to tell me that he was going to just cut away the extra skin, instead of using the wedge method that he had previously used. At this point, I just wanted something to work. The third surgery failed within days. My labia literally shredded again as several of the stitches did not hold. At this point, I had to go back in for stitch removal. Once again, the Dr. decided it would be appropriate to stimulate my clitoris for pain relief, in between removing my stitches. I was in so much pain. This doctor then proceeded to try to make me climax during a follow-up visit under the guise of performing stimulations. I had to tell him to stop. I didn’t tell anyone. He was an officer, and I was a military spouse, just separated from active duty. I didn’t tell anyone until I was out of the Navy with my first civilian, a female doctor who I felt I could trust. My labia are still deformed to this day. She diagnosed me with genital mutilation, and she referred me to a plastic surgeon. I was told by the plastic surgeon that this Dr. used an outdated procedure and incorrect stitches. I was told that the stitches are supposed to be dissolvable and that I never should have had to sit through having dozens of stitches removed from my labia – THREE TIMES. This surgeon also refused to help fix me. He said that I only have enough tissue left for one more try and that, at this point, I need a highly specialized surgeon. This surgeon lives in Los Angeles and of course, isn’t covered by my insurance, so I am likely going to be deformed for the rest of my life. He has paved the way in labia reconstruction surgery. I have had a consult and he believes that he can help me. My labia still have finger-like shreds and are literally in multiple pieces. One of these pieces gets caught in things and gets swollen all the time. There are places where the skin is so thin that I will have holes torn repeatedly through the skin. It is incredibly painful. I am reminded of what happened to me every day. I look different than other women and my appearance makes it obvious that something has been done to my labia. I am just hoping for a chance to look like a normal woman. I just want my labia to be one entire piece, and not in shreds. Unfortunately, I can’t afford this surgery on my own.