My name is Mark. I am a FtM transgender person. I have been on T since March 2011. I got top surgery on May 21, 2013 with Dr. Tholen at Minneapolis Plastic Surgery in MN. All legal documents changed. Hometown is St. Paul, MN but I am currently attending college in Madison, WI.
Legalize Trans* Store <-------- Every time you buy a product using that link, I get 15% of the profits to use toward my transition. This link will take you to the main page, but the website tracks what link you used. Thank you.
http://www.transequality.org/Resources/SSAResource_June2013.pdf
“The new policy allows transgender people to update their Social Security records by submitting either government-issued documentation reflecting a change, or certification from a physician confirming that they have had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition.”
Jenn, in response to your comment on my 3 weeks post-op picture: “Is it still really painful? Or feeling better?”
It’s not really painful anymore. I mean every once in a while I have some pain as the nerves are coming back and if I move too much or something, but most of my chest is numb so I really can’t feel much. It and I am feeling much better. I have a lot more energy and now that I don’t have to wear the compression vest, I feel… Complete. Being able to just wear a t-shirt is very freeing (and a lot less hot than previous summers where I would be wearing several layers on a 90 degree day).
I have a couple more weeks until the grafts are done healing and four more weeks of light cardio/no excess weight-lifting and then I will have zero physical limitations. No sun for 5-11 months (or until the scars are healed).
I have just returned from my most recent post-op appointment. The compression vest is officially off! (Unless I experience some swelling in the next few months, which they said is possible).
My nipple grafts are looking really good (as you can see in the picture I posted before this post) and my incisions are also looking incredible. I am finally able to shower and let me tell you that nothing feels as good as showering for the first time in three weeks. I feel so clean and great. Since the grafts still have a couple weeks of healing left I still need to be very careful with them. I have to gently wash them and gently pat them dry, which is actually a lot less scary than I thought it was going to be. (I was so worried I was going to lose one).
I still have some physical limitations. My surgeon said I could start doing some light cardio and at about 7 weeks post-op I won’t have any limitations. He said no weight-lifting, no running, so push-ups, etc.
They said no being out in the sun as long as I still have some pink in my scars (which will take about 6-12 months).
So, in short, I am healing very well. I go in to see them again in three weeks. Also when I got out of the shower today I put on this v-neck shirt that I bought four years ago — just saving it for when I had top surgery because it went to low and my binders would show. It was great to finally get to wear it.
*I have also added a link to all my top surgery pictures at the top of my blog.
It occurred to me that I never made a post about my last post-op appointment. It went well. Grafts still have a lot of healing to do (as you saw in the picture). Next week should be my last post-op appointment, which is actually kinda scary. I’m nervous to be let out into the world.
I can also shower next week. But my surgeon warned me that my grafts are still very tender. He told me a washcloth would take them right off and a loofa would take them off in chunks. Gross. I don’t think I want to shower anymore. And if they’re that fragile, then why are they letting me live my life. What if I brush up against something? Or am holding my niece/nephew and next thing I know it falls out of my shirt and my dog grabs it? Think of the horrible possibilities. I trust them, though. I’m not that worried about it.
Two weeks post-op with Dr. Tholen at Minneapolis Plastic Surgery in Minnesota. No dog ears. No puckering. Grafts still have a lot of healing to go. But it looks great.
The military currently bans trans service members, but a new memoir could open the policy to scrutiny
You guys I’m not even going to try to hide it… I really smell. Even I am repulsed. I just want to shower. But I still can’t for another week. At least they’re letting me clean my armpits and put deodorant on when I go in on Tuesday. But wow… I feel gross.
I went to the clinic this morning to check for fluid in my chest because my surgeon thought that the watery/sloshy feeling in my chest might be it. I got there and he said that there is no fluid and that it’s probably just my nerve endings coming back. He also commented on how great my contours are looking. Yayyy.
I just got back from my one week post-op appointment. I got my drains taken out and got to see my chest for the first time and I will now tell you about both.
So my drains were sutured in and the nurse had to cut the sutures before she pulled them out. Holy shit you guys I did not know that the drains were that long or looked so gross. Here is a picture of the whole structure. Here is a better picture of the part that was in my chest (the white part). *Neither of these pictures contain any blood or other fluids. They are just off of a surgical supply website.
The first one didn’t hurt so much as it was shocking that I didn’t know what it looked like and she just kept pulling and it was disgusting. The second… I have never felt so much pain in my life. The sound of this drain coming out was similar to the sound of ripping out stitches on fabric. Most disgusting sound to be heard when someone is dealing with your skin.
After that, the nurse left and I started to get really light-headed and I got really pale and was sweating a lot. My girlfriend went out to get her and ask her if she could do something. The nurse came back in and laid me back more and put an ice pack behind my head and I felt so much better.
Then she left and the surgeon came in and he took the bandages that were on the nipple grafts off. (They looked like mini yellow pork bao or something… kinda funny looking). Those were also sutured on and it actually hurts a little when they cut sutures, but whatever. He said the grafts took nearly 100% and are looking really, really good. They still have some healing to do, but are looking great.
Then he left and she bandaged me back up and then I left.
BUT OH MY GOD MY CHEST LOOKS AMAZING. No dog ears, no puckering. You almost can’t even see the incisions in the front (which are usually pretty prominent on FtM patients after this procedure). I can’t wait until I’m fully healed.
