I am scheduled for FFS and an oriectomy with Dr. Cardenas down in Guadalajara for August 1st. I just can't believe this HUGE step is happening. My wife is accompanying me and we will be staying in a rest and recovery hotel that takes care of EVERYTHING. So no extra stress.
For FFS I wanted to look as natural as possible. I used Virtual FFS and felt the money was worth it. She guided me away from surgeries that she showed would not help or look too unrealistic. It was nice to send Dr. Cardenas my pictures and hear him recommend the same procedures.
So I am planning:
1. A scalp advance with hair implants 3-4 months after surgery to get that wonderful hairline
2. Brow lift with bossing, which is great because I need some of skin lifted off of my eyes, though the bossing was not necessary. It is however, in the cost of the brow lift so why not?
3. Rhinoplasty to get a deviated septum taken care of as well as get that nice slopped nose
4. Chin reduction and shaping, which is probably the one feature on my face that I have never really liked
5. Liposuction and a little body contouring around the love handles. These will not go away. I lived in the Outback of Australia and dropped down to 128 lbs, had a 28" waist (I am 5'10") and still had that damnable love handle
6. Oriectomy
It is a lot but I want to get the pain out of the way. I have gone through 4 psychology readiness evaluations and they have all cleared me for this. It was encouraging to hear from my last doctor say, "Yeah, that sounds like a good thing for you at this point. A letter is no problem". Especially considering how many disappointments be transgendered can be.
The physical changes are important, don't get me wrong, but for me, and like HRT, it is a physical, concrete way of saying goodbye to a life I never wanted.
BTW, anyone who has worked with Dr. Cardenas, can you PM me?
P.S. My dad, who scared me as a child and kept me from ever coming out to my family for years, cried when I told him. He cried because he was so sad that his "daughter" had suffered so much. All my life I dreamt about having my dad love me like that. He was so supportive that he said that whatever money I need I can have for surgery and that he was proud of his daughter.
