FFS with Facial Team

[iKate]

Good luck, you're probably under the knife right now though.

[lisarenee]

That is actually less than what i thought it would be...

That depends on the surgeries. I was quoted for Forehead Reconstruction (with "Microcapillary Transplants" to fill in the edges of my hairline) and a Brow Lift.

[iKate]

That depends on the surgeries. I was quoted for Forehead Reconstruction (with "Microcapillary Transplants" to fill in the edges of my hairline) and a Brow Lift.

Yeah I'm not sure what I'll need. Forehead reconstruction and chin at a minimum maybe.

[Dana88]

Hey guys! A little update! So firstly, I cannot overstate how glad I am that I chose to stay at Jenny's Nest. Having everything organized for you in your preop and recovery is amazing, and the import emotional support you get from being around other girls who are either going through it themselves or have already gone through it cannot be overstated. I wasn't nervous at all before the surgery until the night before. The other girls who were already about a week postop had gone out after dinner for some drinks and I hung back to try to get some sleep the night before my surgery. I suddenly got very nervous and couldn't sleep and then got very emotional. I heard the other girls come back and I went downstairs and immediately started crying. Immediately I had three trans girls embracing me and uplifting me, and helping me through a difficult moment. It was trans sisterhood at its finest. After we all chatted for a bit I was able to get to sleep.

Jenny herself is just such a doll. She's visited me twice already in the hospital. And she always has a comforting word or touch and knows exactly what to say or do to make me feel better.

The surgery itself went very well. Dr. Simon, Capitan, and Bellinga said I had very little bleeding. The day of the surgery, once I woke up, I was a bit out of it and that day was pretty much a blur. Fran, the on staff nurse for Facial Team, is just a dream. He is so attentive to everything. Pain isn't really that bad. Mostly just discomfort and a feeling of pressure. I have lots of numb patches on my face, but they said that's normal. I snapped this photo yesterday when they briefly took all of my bandages off:



Already I am SO thrilled with my results. And I go, if I'm this thrilled now, then I can't wait to see more and more of it reveal itself as the swelling goes down more and more. More soon as I heal up more!

[jenifer356]

Thank you for the update Dana - It is great to hear you are handling it so well

wishing you a speedy recovery
be well
jenifer

[MANDY GG]

Wow looking great Dana

Mandy   

[MANDY GG]

Dana I get more nervous going to the dentist then you did having surgery

Mandy

[Dana88]

So, I'm now back at Jenny's Nest. Still no real pain. Jaw and chin swelling have REALLY set in while forehead swelling has actually subsided a little bit. I feel like there's a brick sitting inside my jaw and chin haha. The worst is actually all the drainage from my rhinoplasty draining down the back of my throat and not being able to blow my nose. They said that should get better over the next few days. They have someone coming at noon to do a lymphatic drainage massage, which I'm very much looking forward to. All of that said, it's still really just discomfort and a feeling of pressure rather than pain. And my forehead swelling has actually started to go down a little bit. I've also already regained some feeling in the center of my forehead. Here's an updated photo from the front, the profile, and 3 quarter view:



Anyway! That's all for now! More soon :-).

[ThaliaNyx]

Wow, you look great!

[Dana88]

Wow, you look great!

Thanks! :-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[iKate]

Somehow one of the things that scared me away from FFS was Lynn Conway's account of it and how it would be a gritty ordeal with constant pain during recovery. Now your experience seems to be the exact opposite which is good.

FT is coming for Philly trans health this year so I may book a consultation with them.

You're looking good, even so early in recovery and the result seems so natural. That's what I'd like to go for, maybe after 2 years on HRT (I reach one year Dec 1).

[deeiche]

The experience could easily be an age related issue.  A little over 6 weeks ago I had full Type III FFS with a bunch of soft tissue work and I looked like I'd been hit by a train the first 3-4 days, but I also just turned 57.  I believe Lynn Conway was over 60 when she had Type III FFS.  FWIW, the pain really was not that bad, then again I may be blanking it all out.  ;-) .

Somehow one of the things that scared me away from FFS was Lynn Conway's account of it and how it would be a gritty ordeal with constant pain during recovery. Now your experience seems to be the exact opposite which is good.

FT is coming for Philly trans health this year so I may book a consultation with them.

You're looking good, even so early in recovery and the result seems so natural. That's what I'd like to go for, maybe after 2 years on HRT (I reach one year Dec 1).

[iKate]

The experience could easily be an age related issue.  A little over 6 weeks ago I had full Type III FFS with a bunch of soft tissue work and I looked like I'd been hit by a train the first 3-4 days, but I also just turned 57.  I believe Lynn Conway was over 60 when she had Type III FFS.  FWIW, the pain really was not that bad, then again I may be blanking it all out.  ;-) .

True that. The pain and loss of feeling are my big worries.

Lynn also had hers in 1999 with Dr Ousterout. Back then things were somewhat different.

[Dana88]

True that. The pain and loss of feeling are my big worries.

Lynn also had hers in 1999 with Dr Ousterout. Back then things were somewhat different.

I think there are two major things at play. One for sure is age. Dr. Simon in fact said how he's always impressed 'how quickly the young girls bounce back.' My left eye was completely swollen shut when I woke up from my surgery. By the time I left the hospital 48 hours later, it had reduced to the same minimal swelling I had above my right eye (that said, I also wore the ice mask RELIGIOUSLY those first 48... I weirdly liked it... A lot... Dr. Simon had to tell me to stop wearing it haha). The second part is that Facial Team doesn't do much soft tissue work. They really only work on the bone. They'll do some soft tissue work if you really really want it (one of the other girls at Jenny's had a face lift in addition to her FFS, and one had a blepharoplasty, but this seems to be the exception not the rule). Other surgeons, like Zukowski (who I'm not knocking at all, he ended up in my top two choices and it came down to him or FT), does much more extensive soft tissue work as part of his standard procedure, which makes swelling and recovering from said swelling far less predictable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[iKate]

That's interesting. Dr O I believe was the pioneer of the type 3 reconstruction. I guess I'll have to ask them (FT) about the pain when I see them next year.

[Dana88]

That's interesting. Dr O I believe was the pioneer of the type 3 reconstruction. I guess I'll have to ask them (FT) about the pain when I see them next year.

I will say re: pain. I was told by EVERYONE who went to FT, it's not painful, just uncomfortable. I did NOT believe them. I thought that was just impossible. At least so far, turns out it is true. I've had zero pain thus far, just some generalized discomfort and numbness.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[deeiche]

You look great.

I think there are two major things at play. One for sure is age. Dr. Simon in fact said how he's always impressed 'how quickly the young girls bounce back.' My left eye was completely swollen shut when I woke up from my surgery. By the time I left the hospital 48 hours later, it had reduced to the same minimal swelling I had above my right eye (that said, I also wore the ice mask RELIGIOUSLY those first 48... I weirdly liked it... A lot... Dr. Simon had to tell me to stop wearing it haha). The second part is that Facial Team doesn't do much soft tissue work. They really only work on the bone. They'll do some soft tissue work if you really really want it (one of the other girls at Jenny's had a face lift in addition to her FFS, and one had a blepharoplasty, but this seems to be the exception not the rule). Other surgeons, like Zukowski (who I'm not knocking at all, he ended up in my top two choices and it came down to him or FT), does much more extensive soft tissue work as part of his standard procedure, which makes swelling and recovering from said swelling far less predictable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I'm sure bone work only would make it "easier".  I'm older and had a lot of sagging face issues going on too.  Below is a list of the procedures I had done during an 8.5 hour surgery.

Type III forehead reduction ( coronal incision )
Outer orbital rim shaping
Reduce corrugator muscle
Eye brow lift
Rhinoplasty including reconstructive nasal valve
Upper lip lift
Jaw contouring
Chin osteotomy, reduce height add bone paste for additional 2mm projection
Upper Blepharoplasty
face lift
neck lift
lipo filling
    under eyes
    cheeks
    upper lips
    nasolabial folds

Right before I left I also had FUE hair transplants done too.  So I've put my face and body through a lot of stress.

[Dana88]

You look great.

Yeah, I'm sure bone work only would make it "easier".  I'm older and had a lot of sagging face issues going on too.  Below is a list of the procedures I had done during an 8.5 hour surgery.

Type III forehead reduction ( coronal incision )
Outer orbital rim shaping
Reduce corrugator muscle
Eye brow lift
Rhinoplasty including reconstructive nasal valve
Upper lip lift
Jaw contouring
Chin osteotomy, reduce height add bone paste for additional 2mm projection
Upper Blepharoplasty
face lift
neck lift
lipo filling
    under eyes
    cheeks
    upper lips
    nasolabial folds

Right before I left I also had FUE hair transplants done too.  So I've put my face and body through a lot of stress.

Thank you :-). Every day I'm a little less puffy looking.

Yeah that's A LOT of work at once. I did:

Forehead Reconstruction

Mandible and Chin Contouring

Chin shortening and sliding genioplasty (The genioplasty was a last minute tacked on procedure. After doing my cat scans the surgeons saw that most of my chin projection came from the lower part of my chin which was going to be removed. So they decided it would be best if they moved the projection of my chin a little forward at the same time as the shortening to make sure the forward projection was retained, but the result should be, and right now looks to be, a chin that's shorter but with the same amount of projection I had previously).

Rhinoplasty

So for me it was all bone work. I didn't touch my soft tissue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Debra]

Yay I'm glad you're doing well! Looking great! Interesting thoughts about JUST doing bone stuff and not soft tissue.

I'm still going back and forth about ever doing FFS. Forehead shave and nose work is all I'd really want but I worry it might out me at work.

[Dana88]

Yay I'm glad you're doing well! Looking great! Interesting thoughts about JUST doing bone stuff and not soft tissue.

I'm still going back and forth about ever doing FFS. Forehead shave and nose work is all I'd really want but I worry it might out me at work.

Do you work presenting as male or presenting as female?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk