My FFS experience with Dr. Zukowski on Sept 10, 2016

[EmilyMK03]

I had FFS with Dr. Mark Zukowski in Wilmette, IL (a Chicago suburb) on September 10, 2016.

These are the procedures I had done:

• Feminizing browlift with 3-dimensional frontal bone contouring including the orbital rim, frontal sinus and temporal lines of fusion with disruption of central depressor muscles and forehead height reduction with scalp advancement (minimum ½ inch centrally and ¾ inch in lateral recession)
  
• Traditional upper eyelid blepharoplasty
  
• Tracheal shave with central neck plication
  

I had a feminizing rhinoplasty with Dr. Zukowski back in January, and I was extremely pleased with the entire experience.  So of course I wanted to go back to him for the additional FFS procedures I felt were necessary.  I also live just 30 min driving distance from his surgical center.  Being able to go through the difficult post-op recovery process in the comfort of my own home was and is important to me.  The short distance also makes it easy for me to visit Dr Z for consultations and follow-up visits.

I really like Dr. Zukowski.  His educational background, training, and experience are impressive.  My sister is a medical doctor, and she said Dr. Z's resume looked good (which is posted on his website).  He has many years of experience doing FFS procedures.  And he's a very friendly guy; very down-to-earth, despite being extremely intelligent and smart.  I like that about him.

Dr Z's post-op aftercare is also amazing, and I think among the best of all FFS surgeons in the world.  For out-of-town patients staying at a nearby hotel, Dr Z will personally visit them in their hotel room in the days following surgery, instead of making them come into his office.  Since I was recovering at home, he called me to check on me the day of my surgery, and the day after that too.  When I had a question about a medication, he answered the phone immediately - I didn't get a nurse or voicemail.  I spoke to him directly (or rather, my friend did on my behalf, since I was not feeling too well on my first day post-op).  At every post-op visit to his office, both after my rhinoplasty and after my most recent FFS, I have seen Dr Z himself.  Every time, he personally examines me, talks to me, and allows time to ask as many questions as I want.  This is unlike some other famous surgeons who leave all the post-op visits to their interns instead.

I just want to get that out of the way first, because I really like Dr Z and his work.  I also love his office staff, who always remember me by name as soon as I walk in the door and are always so friendly to everyone!  (and no, I did not get paid or get a discount for writing any of this, LOL)

This is already getting kind of long, so I'll write more about my actual surgery and post-op recovery process in subsequent posts.  But here is what I looked like before my FFS on Sept 10.  It's not the best picture, as I'm not very photogenic and almost never take selfies, but I thought this photo does a good job of showing my brow bossing and hooded eyelids (which were corrected in my recent FFS)

[cej]

Thanks for posting this! I'm looking forward to hearing more about how it went. My FFS is on Sept 30, which is coming up fast!

In the other thread you said your scalp advance was 3/8 inch, but in this one you said 1/2 inch centrally and 3/4 inch on the sides. Which was it? I'm guessing you're quoting an invoice here and the actual advancement was closer to 3/8 inch.

I have some recession and I'm thinking about how aggressive I want to go.

[Rhonda Lynn]

Hi Emily!

It's so nice that you were able to have your FFS with a surgeon that you felt comfortable with and one that is close to home.

Rest up and focus your energy on healing!

Hugs,
Rhonda

[EmilyMK03]

In the other thread you said your scalp advance was 3/8 inch, but in this one you said 1/2 inch centrally and 3/4 inch on the sides. Which was it? I'm guessing you're quoting an invoice here and the actual advancement was closer to 3/8 inch.

Good catch!    Yes, I just copy/pasted from my surgery estimate sheet.  Well, one of them anyways, lol.  I had multiple consultations with Dr Z and went through multiple iterations of what I wanted to have done.  I just couldn't decide!  haha!  To answer your question, I actually don't know if it was 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch centrally because, well... a 1/8 inch difference between the two is so small, does it even matter?  However, I'm assuming it was 1/2 inch, because that is what the "final" estimate sheet said.  Also, Dr Z ended up not doing a scalp advance on the sides.  He decided upon closer examination that it would look more natural if he just made a shorter, central incision and advanced only that portion.  It would also be better for recovery, as I'd have a smaller hairline incision scar to heal.  I consented to that, and as I look at my hairline now, I agree he made the right decision.  I'm very happy with how my hairline looks now!

Ok, so going back to all the iterations on possible surgical procedures... before this FFS, I passed pretty well.  In fact, my mom and my sister told me NOT to get any more FFS.  They said this after seeing me in person and being seen with me out in public.  They said that I look fine.  My sister even said that I already look more pretty than her (and she was being honest).

But, my brow bone, although not too prominent, bothered me every time I looked at myself in the mirror or in photos.  It just felt like such a masculine feature to me.  I understand that some cis women have brow bossing too, BUT it is extremely rare amongst Asian women.  And as an Asian woman myself, I wanted any sign of brow bossing to be gone.  I wanted to look like an Asian woman.

Now, that brings with it some other questions because the standards of beauty between east Asian countries and western countries are different.  Even among Asian countries, standards of beauty are different (for example, beauty standards in Korea are slightly different from Chinese standards, which are different from Japanese standards).  Feel free to watch YouTube videos to see and hear all the differences in standards of beauty, lol.  But if I had to summarize very briefly I'd say that, Asian beauty is more about looking young and cute, while western (American) beauty is more about looking glamorous and sexy.

I'm 100% Korean by blood, born in South Korea.  But I'm also a naturalized US citizen, and I love America too.  I'm proud to be both Korean and American.  And I embrace and adopt, what I believe, to be the best of both cultures.  So I was really conflicted on what surgical procedures to get.  Did I want to be beautiful in the eyes of Asian society, or American society, or a mix of both?  And if a mix, what kind of mix, and "how much" of each?  LOL!  There were so many complicated questions that I had to consider and ask myself! 

In the end, I just decided to keep most of my natural features and simply remove the masculine features.  To me, that meant the forehead work, and the adam's apple removal.  And at first, I didn't think I needed or wanted the upper eyelid blepharoplasty.  Unlike most other Koreans, I already had a double eyelid at birth.  (Most Korean girls are born with a monolid).  However, I am turning 40 yrs old next year, and I've noticed that as I've gotten older, my eyelids have slowly started to become more hooded.  And as a result my double eyelid was effectively going away.  I wanted to preserve the look of my eyes as I get older.  Also, I felt that since I was getting forehead work done, the upper eyelid should be worked on too, since the entire area is just kind of "connected" together.  I didn't want my hooded eyelids to get even worse due to the nearby forehead work.  So I later made the decision to add in the upper eyelid blepharoplasty to the list.

One thing I did not do, was any sort of chin or jaw work.  I just didn't think it was necessary.  But something that I DID think might be necessary was buccal cheek fat removal.  But I struggled with that decision too!  I agonized over this one for a very, very long time.  I have a lot of buccal cheek fat, and sometimes it makes my jaw look wide.  It certainly gives me more of a round-shaped face instead of a heart-shaped face (the latter is considered more beautiful in Korea).

The final decision on the buccal cheek fat removal was made by me, just a week before my surgery.  It was Labor Day weekend, and I spent the Saturday with my mom.  Just the two of us!  (BTW, I have been full-time for several months) We went to the Art Institute of Chicago, the nearby annual Chicago Jazz Festival, and shared an entire day together enjoying art, music, food, and drink.  And we talked.  A lot.  Seeing her that day, I realized that my mom also has a lot of buccal cheek fat too.  And she told me how she struggled with her own self-image as a younger woman because of it.  But she eventually came to accept it, and encouraged me to do so as well.  She said the unique feature makes us look younger.    And, as we took selfies together that day, I realized that we look so much alike!  I decided I don't need to look super pretty or anything like a model.  I realized it was more important for me to look like my mother's daughter.  I sent those selfies of my mom and me to Dr. Zukowski, to give him an idea of what my mom looks like, and to take that into consideration when doing my surgical procedures.

Whew!  Ok, I'm sorry that this is taking so long to write and soooo verbose, but I feel that the decision-making process in deciding what surgical procedures to get were, in many ways, the most important aspects of my FFS surgery experience.  So I wanted to share all that information first!

[EmilyMK03]

Pre-surgery prep:

When I had my rhinoplasty with Dr. Z on January 9, 2016, I did not arrange for a 24/7 post-op caregiver.  I had a friend who drove me to that surgery and back home.  He also stayed with me until 9 PM the same day of surgery to make sure I could take care of myself.  He drove me back and forth to follow-up visits for the next week too.  And it all turned out ok.  Although it wasn't easy, I could manage to take care of myself without too much trouble.  It was "just" a rhinoplasty, after all.  I figured that I could do the same thing this time around, not arranging for a full-time caregiver, since I was "only" getting 3 surgical procedures done.  That was a huge mistake!!  More on that later...

My FFS surgery was on Sept 10.  I wanted to get into top physical form to improve my chances at having a successful surgery and recovery.  So, beginning at 6 months before this surgery, I increased my cardio workouts which were previously done 3 times a week.  I increased it to 6 days a week.  That usually meant running (my fav cardio workout) for 30 min in the mornings.  I also increased my strength training regimen to 3-4 times a week, 30 min at a time, in the evenings, doing squats, lunges, hip abductions, twist crunches, leg lifts, and even push-ups.  I am 5'7" and got down to a very lean 125 lbs.

About 1.5 months before surgery, I felt like my weight was a little too low, given my previous experience with my rhinoplasty (I lost weight during my post-op rhinoplasty recovery period).  So I decided to increase my weight a bit by eating more (not junk food, just more calories of healthy foods).  I also increased the duration of my cardio workouts, running for 45-50 min, 6 days a week.  I got to about 130 lbs.  One week before surgery, I stopped taking HRT as instructed by my surgeon.  Since that included spironolactone (a diuretic), I immediately gained a lot of water weight.  I was at 135 lbs when I stepped into the operating room.

Something else I did in the weeks before surgery was mental prep.  Dr Z provides a huge binder full of information regarding pre and post-op care for his patients.  He also provides a DVD.  I studied both as if I was taking a final exam.  I committed everything to memory, so that I would know instinctively what to do during my post-op period in terms of what medications to take, how much, and when to start and stop each one.  I also created a "cheat sheet" with a summary of what I felt were the most important points to remember.

I felt I was more than ready when I arrived for my surgery at 6:00 AM on Sept 10.

[EmilyMK03]

Day of surgery:

When I arrived at the surgical center, Dr Z was already there.  So was the anesthesiologist.  And the 2 nurses (it seemed like one nurse was the primary nurse, and the other was in training).  Everyone was already there, and I was the last to arrive at 6:00 AM, lol.  I was told to arrive by 6 AM, by the way!

I signed a bunch of final consent forms (stuff that I had already read about earlier, but I reviewed them again anyway).  Dr Z and I spoke privately about the procedures he was going to do, to confirm we agreed on everything.  And we had a final group meeting with everyone in the same room to discuss any final concerns or issues.

After that, I undressed, put on the hospital gown, compression socks, and walked to the operating room.  I laid down on the OR table, and the anesthesiologist inserted an IV needle into my hand.  I felt really cold and started shivering, so they set up a heater to blow warm air under my gown.    I started to feel warmer, and then... nothing.  I guess the general anesthesia went into effect because I have no memory of what happened after that.

When I woke up, my nurse was next to me.  I didn't feel any pain, but I was of course groggy.  I also really needed to pee!  My nurse said that I could just relax and it would go out naturally, because I had a catheter (I was informed by Dr Z before the surgery that I would have a catheter inserted for this surgery, unlike my rhinoplasty, which was a much shorter surgery).  I asked my nurse how long I had been recovering in this bed after surgery before I regained consciousness.  She said about 2-3 hours.  I asked how long the surgery itself was.  She said about 3-4 hours, which was in line with what I was told before the surgery.  I said I just wanted to rest for a while longer.  She said it was no problem.  They were calling my friend to let him know to come pick me up, so there was no hurry.  After a while, she took out the catheter.  I didn't feel anything when she did.  I peed again, this time into a portable, plastic urinal, so that I wouldn't need to get out of bed.  Still no pain.

By the time my friend arrived an hour later, I felt ready to go home.  My nurse helped me get dressed into the loose garments I had worn that day.  She also cleaned and sanitized the portable urinal and gave it to me in a bag to take home, in case I needed it.  Dr Z stopped by to tell me that the surgery went "perfectly".  I was helped into a wheelchair and taken to my friend's car.  The drive home was 30 min, and it was not a problem.

[EmilyMK03]

First week of recovery at home:

As soon as I got home from surgery, I realized just how helpless I was.  I could barely see anything due to my eyes being swollen from the blepharoplasty (I was warned about this before surgery, in the big binder of information and the DVD, but I foolishly didn't think it would be this bad, since I only did my upper eyelid).  Even though I had no chin or jaw work done, I could barely open my mouth to speak.  I didn't expect a trachea shave would make it so difficult to open my mouth!  But I could talk a little bit, at least.  The anesthesia was starting to wear off too, so it really hurt when I had to pee (due to the catheter that was in there previously).  I started the pain medications right away when I got home.

Before my surgery, I had given my friend the cell phone numbers of my mom and sister, both of whom live an hour away from me (in different households, of course, since my sister has her own husband and kids).  My mom also told me, before surgery, that if I needed her help, to call or text her.

The pre-op instructions made it very clear that a blepharoplasty would result in swelling of the eyes, and it was very important to keep an iced cold gauze over the eyes, continuously, for the first 72 hours.  I realized that with my poor vision and limited strength, I couldn't do that myself.  I asked my friend to call my mom and tell her that I would need her to stay with me overnight, and probably for a few days.  My friend took care of me until the evening, changing out the iced gauze on my eyes every 30 min until my mom arrived.  He told my mom about all the medications and care I needed to be given and the exact timings (the nurse had given both verbal and written instructions to my friend before we left the surgical center.  These instructions were selected pages from the pre-op preparation binder).  He also showed my mom the notes he had taken, so she could continue where he left off.

My mom stayed with me all night, tirelessly changing out the iced gauze every 20 min.  In fact, for the first full 72 hours, she took meticulous care of my eyes, placing a fresh iced gauze on my eyes every 20-30 min for 3 days in a row!  She also used Q-tips dipped in water to clean the blood that kept coming out of my eyes.  She administered my medication.  She went to the store when she could, and bought apples and watermelon.  She made home-made applesauce.  She cut the watermelon into tiny pieces so I could eat it.  And she bought and made all sorts of other soft foods that were also delicious.  She stayed with me through that Saturday evening.  She stayed with me all day on Sunday too.  She stayed with me all day on Monday too, taking the day off work.  Also on Monday, she drove me to my first follow-up appointment.  Dr Z removed the bandages covering my entire head, examined me, and said everything looked normal.  He placed new bandages around my head which were not as constrictive.  That felt much better.

On Tuesday morning, my mom had to go back to work, but she said she'd return in the evening.  My mom told my sister to take over for the day.    So, my sister cancelled all her appointments (she's a medical doctor), and spent the entire day with me on Tuesday.  By this point I was able to talk pretty decently, and see ok, even though my vision was still blurry.  Seeing my sister, eating together, and talking to her really lifted my spirits.

My mom continued to stay with me through Thursday evening, going to work during the day on Wed and Thur, but staying with me in the early morning and evenings.  My next follow-up appointment was on Friday, and my mom and sister would be out of town on a family vacation that was planned in advance many months ago (the vacation included my mom, dad, and sister's family).  I was told many months ago (when I came out to my family) that I would be excluded from this family vacation because my father could never accept my transition... which is kind of why I scheduled my surgery for around the same time, to reduce the hurt of missing out on an important family event....

My mom and my sister have really come a long way in a very short time to accept and support my transition, as you can see by their actions.  It wasn't easy though.  At first they could not come to terms with my transition.  It took many months.  And I think there's still a long ways to go before full acceptance (plenty of mis-gendering and dead-naming still happening, but it's not malicious).  But I'm glad that by the time my surgery happened, they were ready to help.  And I think the surgery itself kind of made my transition all the more "real" to them.  But my relationship with my father is a different story.  He has not spoken to me in months.  He did not send me any "get well" wishes during my recovery.  And still he has not.  Not even a simple text message.  But oddly enough, I'm not mad about it, instead it makes me sad.  Very sad.  I love him.  Throughout my life, he was a great father to me, and I wish we could reconcile somehow.

During my recovery period, I cried a lot.  But not from the physical pain.  The physical pain was manageable with the prescription pain medication.  The tears and heartache were from the emotional pain and strain of my relationship with my dad, and how much I know my dad is hurt by all this.  I was his only son and his first-born child.  Also, I was the first-born child and first-born son of my grandfather on my father's side.  I was to carry on the family name, which is soooo important in Korean culture.  If you didn't know, Korean culture is not accepting of gays and lesbians.  The majority of Koreans say that homosexuality is "unacceptable".  Tolerance for transgender people is even worse.  With my transition, I have brought terrible shame to our family...

They say that post-op depression is real.  It was real for me after my rhinoplasty, and it was real for me this time too.  Although I'm generally a positive person, it was still difficult to keep from having sad thoughts, such as my relationship with my dad.  This, even with the bedside support of my friend, mom, and sister.  So if you're going to have surgery, please be prepared for the post-op depression.  And the nightmares while sleeping.  That's all very real.

Anyway, back to my 6-day post-op appointment.  It's Friday, and the rest of my family is going on vacation.  I'm still taking prescription medications, so I can't drive.  My same friend drove who drove me to surgery and back, agreed to drive me to this appointment as well.  Such a great friend! 

[EmilyMK03]

Second week post-op

At my 6-day post op appointment, Dr Z removed all the bandages covering my head.  The bruising under my eyes was still really bad.  The bruising was especially bad under my left eye.  (oddly enough, it was also really bad under my left eye after my rhinoplasty).  But based on my previous rhinoplasty experience, I am not worried about the bruising.  I know that I'm a very slow healer, and it'll simply take longer compared to most other people for my bruising to go away.  But the bruising did eventually go away completely last time, and I'm confident it will be the same this time too.  But I know it's going to take seemingly forever again! (even when I get simple cuts and bruises in everyday life, it takes forever to heal... I'm just a slow healer, ugh).

My neck was also badly bruised.  I didn't expect so much bruising on my neck from a trachea shave.  Then again, I did also get the neck plication, so I suppose that's a contributing factor.

My vision at this point was also still very sketchy.  I had trouble focusing on any text for more than a few minutes at a time.  It strained my eyes.  So I spent a lot of time during my first week just lying in bed and listening to music, with my eyes closed.  This is why I am writing about my post-op experience so late.  I just couldn't see well enough for long enough to write anything decent during the first week and a few days after that.  BTW, it is really boring to not be able to use your vision to see a phone screen or computer screen or a TV screen or even to read a book for a full week.  Soooo boring!  I'm glad I have a large music collection and an internet streaming radio box that kept my mind from wandering.

At my 9-day post-op appointment, I'm still not feeling great about driving.  So my friend drove me again.  Dr Z removed the sutures in my eyelids.  That felt much better.  My neck was still very swollen, so Dr Z gave me a compression garment to wear around my head that also covered my neck.  It looks like this:


I was instructed to wear this compression garment for 16-18 hours a day to help reduce the swelling in my neck.  I was also instructed to do massages on my neck, orbital rim, and forehead, to help reduce swelling and shape the soft tissue.  The compression garment is super uncomfortable to wear!   But it was necessary.  Dr Z told me to wear it until our next appointment.

At my next appointment (13 days post-op), Dr Z checked the swelling in my neck.  It had gone down significantly.  I was actually surprised at how dramatic the change was.  He said that I should still wear the compression garment for another week, but just for 6 hours a day.  That's a lot easier to do, since I can just wear it while sleeping.  The bruising on my neck had also decreased dramatically, although it was still really bad under my eyes, even after 13 days.

My vision was still kind of blurry, especially for text and a lot more for objects that are far away.  When I asked about this, Dr Z said that it's because my eyeballs are still swollen, but it will gradually get back to normal.  Ok, that made sense to me. Thankfully, the eye strain was not as bad at this point.  Still, I needed to take frequent breaks while on the computer and use lots of eye drops (I love being on the computer, so this was and is very difficult to endure, lol).  Because I wasn't confident with my vision, I asked my friend to drive me to my 13-day post-op appointment too.  What a reliable friend! 

My next appointment will be at the 20-day post-op mark.

Today, which is 14 days post-op, I am still feeling quite weak physically.  I try to take 20 min walks outside daily, but it's hard and I get tired easily... even after being in top physical shape before my surgery.

And the amount of time it's taking for my vision to fully get back to normal is also frustrating.  I didn't expect it to take this long.  I considered the blepharoplasty to kind of be an "add-on" surgery, but it has turned out to be by far the most difficult aspect of my recovery.  I spoke recently with a friend who also had FFS, and she said she "chickened out" from having a blepharoplasty done.  From her work in the medical field, she knew of all the swelling and difficult recovery from the procedure.

But overall, I am happy with the results.  My forehead looks perfect, just like my mom now!  And it was the main thing I wanted to get from this FFS.  My adam's apple is gone.  The blepharoplasty has really opened up my eyes and made them look very pretty.  I am glad I had it done, despite the pain and discomfort.  (BTW, I have had laser eye surgery done twice, once in 2000 with a perfect result, and again in 2012, again with a perfect result.  The first time with LASIK and the second time with PRK.  My vision had deteriorated since my first laser eye surgery).

I know it will take some time for all the swelling to subside.  It's still currently just 14 days post-op.  I remember when I had my rhinoplasty, I wasn't completely happy with my nose at 14 days.  It looked better after 1 month.  Then it looked better after 3 months.  And even after 8 months, I could notice improvement in my nose's appearance as the swelling still settled down.  It takes a long time for swelling to subside, and daily massages as instructed by Dr Z are important.  I know this because of my previous experience with my rhinoplasty.  And I'm sure that it will be the same this time around too with my most recent FFS surgery.  So I will be patient and continue to be diligent with my aftercare for the best possible final result, which I know is still many months down the road.  But I'm already VERY happy with how I look.  It's only going to get better!!

My weight has dropped too.  As I said in an earlier post, my weight was 135 lbs just before surgery.  It is now 124 lbs after 2 weeks post-op.  I think part of that is because I resumed HRT (spiro makes me lose water weight), but part of it is also because I just don't have much of an appetite when I'm resting all the time.  Plus, when all you're eating is soups and yogurt and stuff like that, it's difficult to gain weight.  I need to make a conscious decision to eat more, so that my body can get the nutrients it needs to heal effectively.

I think this will be my last update for a while.  And I'm sorry for not posting more photos, but I'm actually a very private person.  Even writing this FFS account has been kind of uneasy for me.  But I've really, really benefitted from reading about the surgical experiences of other TS women on these forums, and I want to pay it forward by sharing my own experience too.  And I know that reading the accounts of other women who undergo SRS will be very helpful to me when it comes time for me to get that surgery too.

When I feel like my bruising has subsided enough, and the swelling has gotten down to a decent level, maybe I will post an "after photo"... maybe.

Thank you for reading!! 

[Rhonda Lynn]

Hi Emily,

Your organization in getting ready for your FFS is so impressive it's inspiring. I thought that I was doing pretty well in my own prep, but you've taken it to a whole new level!  It's admirable and I expect you'll overcome the challenges of transition one by one in the same methodical way.

It was interesting reading your thoughts about standards of beauty within different cultures and how this influenced your decision on your approach to your own procedures. One thing that I thought about was contemporary versus classical standards of beauty especially with regard to body shape. For example, I was looking at the Venus de Milo which was long considered the ideal in terms of beauty. By today's western standards she would be far from ideal in terms of her body shape. Perhaps this seems like a random observation but it does help to prove that standards of beauty are heavily influenced by culture and are not set by some absolute.

It's very sweet that you decided to look like your mother's daughter.

I hope that you are getting your energy back. Perhaps when you are able to start eating more of your normal diet that will help.

Anyway, I'll be sending healing thoughts your way.

Hugs,
Rhonda

[EmilyMK03]

Thanks Rhonda!  I agree that beauty is so subjective, which makes the decision-making process for FFS so very complicated and yet so very personal at the same time.

Only 17 days until your own FFS though!  How exciting!  I'll be sending positive vibes your way! 

[cej]

Thanks for sharing this! (I got your private message but I can't respond yet because I haven't posted enough on this forum... so here I am, trying to generate 15 posts worth of content.)

I've been off spiro for 9 days in preparation for surgery and have gained about 5 pounds. I was worried that my weight was spiraling out of control, but hearing about your experience made me feel better about it.

I've experienced a bunch of other subtle changes that I think are related to going off spiro. The most noticeable ones have been smell related. I'm getting a blood test today just for fun because I'm curious where my levels are at compared to what I think they are at.

[Debra]

wow lots of info, thanks for sharing!

[EmilyMK03]

I forgot to mention that Dr. Z requires all of his patients to get medical clearance from their primary care physician before surgery.  This includes a full physical exam, lab tests, and even an electro-cardiogram (EKG).  When I had my EKG, my doctor said that there was a minor anomaly.  So we did another EKG, and again, same minor anomaly.  He said that for anyone else, he would just let it go since I was very healthy otherwise.  But since I told my primary care physician that I was having this exam as medical clearance to undergo surgery with general anesthesia, he decided that an echo-cardiogram should be done, just in case.

The echo-cardiogram revealed a Right Bundle Branch Block, which must be a congenital heart defect as I've never had any health issues.  My doctor said it was ok though, and that as long as I maintained a healthy lifestyle, it shouldn't be a problem.  He sent the medical clearance letter to Dr. Zukowski.

Now, that was all before my rhinoplasty.  And since my rhinoplasty was only 8 months before my additional FFS surgery, Dr Z and I agreed that I didn't need to do all those tests again.

[LauraE]

Oh, my goodness. You were already so beautiful, at least from what i can see in your pre-picture, so i can't imagine needing anything more.

Laura

[EmilyMK03]

Oh, my goodness. You were already so beautiful, at least from what i can see in your pre-picture, so i can't imagine needing anything more.

Thank you for the nice compliment!  I still saw reminders of my male face whenever I looked at myself in the mirror, or in my photos, and that caused me to be dysphoric.  So for me, this surgery was needed... and successful! 

[Ok2BHuman]

You look great. Your surgery was a major success and I'm so happy to hear that you are happy with the results. I just spoke with Cole and will be having a consult with Dr Z soon. I was in Wilmette before when Belle did the mass clearings for my facial hair issue. Now, over a year later I want Dr. Z to get rid of my brow bone and hair advancement. I'm essentially having the same procedures you had. I need a breast revision because I have an encapsulated L implant and a ruptured R implant. During the consult I hope to find out if all this is possible at one surgical visit.
I have heard that Dr Z is very reasonable when it comes to FFS. If I may can I ask how much it costs to have the hairline advance and brow bossing?

Thank you,

Christine

[EmilyMK03]

Update:  I am now almost 6 weeks post-op.

I still have a tiny bit of bruising under my left eye, but some concealer and makeup does a pretty good job of covering it up.  And I still have some swelling in my neck, but it's not too bad.  And I'm NOT experiencing any more pain at all and haven't been for a few weeks.  I am almost back to full strength!  I started running again a week ago, and I'm gradually building back my physical stamina.  My weight fluctuated a bit during my recovery, but I'm back to a steady 125 lbs again.  I'm feeling great!!

Here are a few before and after photos.  I think they underscore the importance of forehead & brow work in feminizing the face.  As I said, I wasn't really having trouble passing before FFS, but now there is absolutely no doubt that my face looks completely feminine.  I now feel confident enough to stop wearing a wig, despite my natural hair still being so short!! 

Before FFS:


After FFS:

[Sophia Sage]

What a fantastic, striking result! 

We live in an age of wonders.

[Rhonda Lynn]

Congratulations on a beautiful result, Emily!

[Ellement_of_Freedom]

Amazing result!