My FFS with Dr. Cardenas: June 21st, 2014

[Roni]

I am soo happy for you Roni, sounds like you will see great results and thanks to you and Jgirl for solving the type III forehead mystery with Cardenas lol, now I am so excited to see your results, even though I'm not going to Cardenas, like you and Jgirl, I am fully transitioned for years now and spent quite a while on hormones and this is more of a finishing touch than a kick start like many others use it for, that's why I get so interested in the results for girls like us.

I hope you will be sharing pics with us, happy healing Roni and hugs your way x

Yep! Cardenas has done an excellent job on my forehead from what I can see so far. My eyebrows might be a little too high for my liking. They are definitely more feminine but I've always been more a fan of lower-set brows. But my brows aren't a deal breaker or anything, and I'm sure once the swelling is gone, my brows should lower into a place I'm more comfortable with.

Congrats Roni!!

Can't wait to see the results! Sounds like you are already very pleased which is excellent!. Keep that up and you'll be recovered in no time!

Thanks Jenny! Recovery is going well. The pain and discomfort have gone away. Right now it just feels like a general numbness all over my forehead area, but I am slowly but surely regaining feeling in the areas operated on.

My sense of smell/taste still hasn't regained though, and I am getting increasingly worried that they might not come back! Rare result for those who have undergone rhinoplastys, but it's definitely happened.

I am so happy for you, Roni! You can't believe how much you have helped me and others.

Your experience, as I mentioned, is very valuable.

Keep us posted and God bless.

Congrats Roni, and have a speedy recovery.. Can't wait to see the new pics.

Thanks, girls! I am glad to be of help to those seeking FFS in the future. Pics definitely coming soon!

[Jennygirl]

Roni, just fyi- my eyebrows dropped probably a good 5mm total after brow lift and it took about a month maybe two. So I'm sure you'll be good there.

Also, as far as the smell thing- that happened to me, too. It's totally normal to have loss of smell for a while. I even had some loss of movement on one side of my nose that really scared the s*** out of me. But it all came back a-okay

Sounds like you are doing great to me! Keep drinking lots of water and prop that head up during sleep to speed the healing!

...and then of course PICS once you are feelig up to it

[jgirl76]

Roni, I'm so glad to hear that your type III procedure went well, and I'm glad to have been able to help you make a decision based on my experience with Dr. Cardenas. If your longer term outcome remains positive I may still return to Dr. Cardenas to revise the type I procedure he performed on me with type III. Thank you for sharing your experience and excited to see your results!

[Roni]

Roni, just fyi- my eyebrows dropped probably a good 5mm total after brow lift and it took about a month maybe two. So I'm sure you'll be good there.

Also, as far as the smell thing- that happened to me, too. It's totally normal to have loss of smell for a while. I even had some loss of movement on one side of my nose that really scared the s*** out of me. But it all came back a-okay

Sounds like you are doing great to me! Keep drinking lots of water and prop that head up during sleep to speed the healing!

...and then of course PICS once you are feelig up to it

Thanks for the reassurance, Jenny!

The swelling around my eyes is going down and I feel like my eyebrows are slowly settling where I want them to. Either that or I'm simply getting used to their new higher position.

I talked to the doctors over at Dr. Cardenas' facility and they assured me I will be able to smell and taste once they remove the cast in and around my nose. Apparently I had undergone a more invasive form of rhinoplasty, one that didn't only change the external tissue of my nose, but also the soft bones and hard bones inside (or something along those lines, not too term-savvy here).

The way my swelling seems to be going down, I should have pics on here by next week hopefully!

[bad reputation]

Hi Roni, I hope your healing process goes well.

[Roni]

Hi Roni, I hope your healing process goes well.

Thanks dear!   

[Roni]

Roni, I'm so glad to hear that your type III procedure went well, and I'm glad to have been able to help you make a decision based on my experience with Dr. Cardenas. If your longer term outcome remains positive I may still return to Dr. Cardenas to revise the type I procedure he performed on me with type III. Thank you for sharing your experience and excited to see your results!

I didn't see this message for some reason the first time. So glad that you're back!

When did most of your swelling disappear to where you could present in public without looking like a balloon? Haha.

[Celia0428]

Roni, I am so happy to see that everything is turning out so well and you are happy with your results!

[Roni]

I was told today that at 6am PST tomorrow (8am here in Guadalajara), my nose cast and tubes will finally be removed! I cannot wait to see how my nose turned out, sans the swelling!! If my sense of taste doesn't come back by the end of the day tomorrow, I think that will warrant a little bit of worry from my end, but keeping my fingers crossed!

And thanks Celia, honey.

[Roni]

Update 3
Some pics included in this update!

So this morning I had my nose cast and the tubes inside my nose taken out. I was able to see my nose for a momentarily second before they re-bandaged it. My nose is now considerably thinner all around, and sharper at the tip. Definitely a more aesthetically pleasing and feminine looking nose, but I wasn't jumping up and down upon seeing it. I think it will require me just a bit more time getting used to.

I also regained my sense of taste partially. There are certain foods I can taste, and some that I can't. Sometimes my taste comes back completely, only for it to disappear again 10 mins later. Pretty weird.

I have put together a comparison picture of my forehead results to showcase type III. Note that my forehead and face in general are still very swollen. I was able to see my x-ray's today and it's crazy how much swelling there is around my forehead still. So my forehead's final result should actually appear flatter than in the pics below.

Sorry for the bad pic qualities and lighting. I am still at the recovery house in Guadalajara and this was the best I could do for now (did this on an iPhone). After my swelling subsides and I am back in the US, I will provide some proper post-op pics (including full face) similar in quality to my pre-op pics I first posted when making the thread.

[INgrid Alicia]

  ... OMG .. You are free from that horrible bones.. CONGRATS!!!! c:

[jgirl76]

WOW! What a difference Roni! I wish Dr. Cardenas did that for me...  Incredible. You must be feeling so happy! XOXO

[Roni]

... OMG .. You are free from that horrible bones.. CONGRATS!!!! c:

Yes, free from those caveman bones, indeed! 

[Sybil]

Hi Roni,

I'd like to ask, did you opt to add any procedures since your initial list? I'm not sure, but it looks like you maybe had a lip lift?

And congratulations on the results, they look great so far!

[Roni]

WOW! What a difference Roni! I wish Dr. Cardenas did that for me...  Incredible. You must be feeling so happy! XOXO

I am! The forehead looks even better in person.

[Roni]

Hi Roni,

I'd like to ask, did you opt to add any procedures since your initial list? I'm not sure, but it looks like you maybe had a lip lift?

And congratulations on the results, they look great so far!

Nope, no lip lift! Probably just the sizes of each pic are different, that or the swelling.

[Janae]

He did an amazing job wow... 

I'm starting to wonder if I'm a type III now.

Congrats Roni, Thnx for sharing.

[Roni]

So I'm in Dallas at the moment, waiting for my connect flight to California.

Little funny story to share. My passport currently still states male, and has my old male photo from three years back, despite me being full-time female for quite some time now. Anyways, on my way to Guadalajara last week, I was called ma'am 100% of the time, until airport security looked at my passport, giving them a chance to do a double-take on the way I looked. I never faced any problems in customs, presumably because they had assumed I was MtF.

Now on my way back to the US after surgery, I had to be pulled aside TWICE to undergo lengthy security checks, once in Mexico and once in Dallas, basically both airports I've been to so far. Nothing quite feels as nerve wrecking as hearing them announce on the PA, for all in the airport to hear: "(Insert my full birth name here), please report to security at Gate X." The checks involved officials asking me question after question, my items, body, and clothing having to be checked, because I could not pass as my birth gender at all. 

I hated that they scrutinized me so much, but at the same time passing as your true gender feels amazing!! FFS was so worth it! I wonder how LA airport officials are going to react when I land there in four hours, lol.

He did an amazing job wow... 

I'm starting to wonder if I'm a type III now.

Congrats Roni, Thnx for sharing.

I don't think you'll know for sure until your consultation with your surgeon. In my case I don't think I was necessarily type III---just that Dr. Cardenas agreed to perform type III because I requested it. If I was going to pay for forehead surgery, I wanted it to look the best possible so it was Type III or nothing for me.

[crowcrow223]

Now, your full-time profession is what? is WHAT? is giving me face.

You're giving me face and some real fish realness!

The eyebrow work he did on you is absolutely exquisite and I want to eat your eyebrows. For realz.

WWEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRKKK

Looking so femme and fabulous I can't process it!

[Roni]

Hard to believe that was me on the left a MONTH ago. What I did since then: reshape brows, cut + dyed hair, and of course, FFS.

Exact same outfit and makeup then and now.

Swelling is subsiding fast! Once my cast is off as well, proper pre-op and post-op pics will be posted here.