Well, over a year has gone by, so I figured I'd update this thread.
Speaking to my original concern that my face was done changing at 5 weeks: I was partially correct. It definitely has changed since then in some ways. My chin is much more narrow than it was. My nose is a little different. But overall, it's not enormously different. At 5 weeks, I was probably 85% there.
I'm still not 100% happy with the results. My nose is huge. There are weird angles in my face which look either male or just ugly depending on your perspective. Even if I do look like a girl, I look like a homely girl. :-(
All that being said, apparently I look female to *other* people. I almost never get misgendered, even close up. I've made friends who have no idea I'm trans (or if they do, they're not telling me!). I've been on dates where I haven't disclosed the secret. So, I guess the surgery was successful on some level!
I'm not sure what to think about Dr. Spiegel. I've talked to him several times about my concerns, and he hasn't exactly been receptive. I find him really dismissive. He actually told me that I should find a boyfriend so I'd feel better about myself!
He said there's no more surgery he can do (though he did do some minor adjustments to my nose). This speaks to his highly conservative, minimalist approach. It's disappointing.
One thing, though, I really fault him for is one of the things he said during his "sales pitch" at the initial consultation. He basically told me that I'd be beautiful; he said "you won't believe how much attention you're going to get!" Sorry, but this was a flat-out lie. If he had been more honest, maybe I would've talked to some other, more agressive doctors.
Dr. S is OK, but if you go to him you have to expect very conservative changes -- regardless of what he may say.
-anna
