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FFS on October 12, 2016 with Dr Rossi in Buenos Aires

Started by Rhonda Lynn, October 01, 2016, 02:38:38 PM

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Debra


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Rhonda Lynn

Oct 15: 3 days after surgery.

Thanks for all of words of encouragement everyone. Sorry for not taking the time to respond to everyone individually, but I do check the tread and enjoy reading your well-wishes very much.

I'm spending a lot of the day with the compression mask on and then trying to ice as much as I can. Then when I occasionally stop to eat something or make a little order out of the general disarray.

Amanda is lovely coming by each day, checking on me and bringing food from a deli. I haven't had a lot of appetite, but today I had more than yesterday. I also am just feeling really happy and optimistic. Perhaps its the weight of the surgery finally off my shoulders. The bruising and swelling has gone down somewhat around my eyes and seeing is no longer difficult as it was the first day in the apartment (yesterday). Actually, I've been listening to a lot of music and when one favorite song came on I couldn't help but dance a bit - pretty much normal for kooky me.

A tip for those going to have FFS, bring music and audiobooks!! I had not realized that I would be semi blind or icing my eyes for days at a time. Pandora doesn't seem to work down here. Amazon music does though. Anyway, listening is a great way to pass the time while icing and compressing.
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Rhonda Lynn

#22
Oct 16: 4 days after FFS

I started experimenting with concealing and feeling a little cabin fever decided to go out and take a walk. Amanda said that when I did start to go out (she probably meant next week) I look the same as a rhinoplasty patient which people get all the time. I decided "why not?"  It was good to get out. Yes, some people looked I'm sure they must have thought it was either as Amanda said or a car accident or whatever. Nobody cared, the world didn't end.

The color I mixed for the color-correcting concealer was about a clay color. The bruises are very dark blue. Tomorrow I'll try for more pink by adding more yellow - not that it has to be perfect, I'm still swollen and have more stitches than Bride of Frankenstein. But its nice if people don't see the dark eyes at 40 feet. 

http://imgur.com/i5iRSct
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Drexy/Drex

Wow Rhonda even with all the bruising and swelling theres a major change !

Everything
  Louder
   Than
Everything
    Else
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deeiche

Walking around is a great idea, it really helps to get out and about.  Also, going out Mon-Fri everyone is on a mission to get to and from work.  They may notice you, but they are not going to stop and stare, they have their own daily grind to get through.  Have the residents started wearing colors yet?  When I was there I noticed how everyone seemed to wear the same dark/gray clothing.  It was so apparent I even commented to Amanda about it.  She noticed it too when I brought it to her attention.  :-)

Take care and be well.

Quote from: Rhonda Lynn on October 16, 2016, 04:02:41 PM
Oct 16: 4 days after FFS

I started experimenting with concealing and feeling a little cabin fever decided to go out and take a walk. Amanda said that when I did start to go out (she probably meant next week) I look the same as a rhinoplasty patient which people get all the time. I decided "why not?"  It was good to get out. Yes, some people looked I'm sure they must have thought it was either as Amanda said or a car accident or whatever. Nobody cared, the world didn't end.

The color I mixed for the color-correcting concealer was about a clay color. The bruises are very dark blue. Tomorrow I'll try for more pink by adding more yellow - not that it has to be perfect, I'm still swollen and have more stitches than Bride of Frankenstein. But its nice if people don't see the dark eyes at 40 feet. 

http://imgur.com/i5iRSct
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: markie on October 16, 2016, 08:19:54 PM
Wow Rhonda even with all the bruising and swelling theres a major change !

Thank you Markie! I know! I was not expecting so much change, really. Even without being able to see my nose yet and with my chin quite swollen. Each day a little more of my new face emerges and I like what I'm seeing.
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: deeiche on October 17, 2016, 07:37:18 AM
Walking around is a great idea, it really helps to get out and about.  Also, going out Mon-Fri everyone is on a mission to get to and from work.  They may notice you, but they are not going to stop and stare, they have their own daily grind to get through.  Have the residents started wearing colors yet?  When I was there I noticed how everyone seemed to wear the same dark/gray clothing.  It was so apparent I even commented to Amanda about it.  She noticed it too when I brought it to her attention.  :-)

Take care and be well.

Thanks for the advice, Dee.

Today I went out twice. Once with Amanda and then later on my own. Both were short trips. Still, you are so right that getting out really lifts my mood. I'm sure that it must help with the healing.

Tomorrow I see Dr Rossi again.

Amanda says that I'm doing very well. I feel that I am too. There have been a couple of difficulties, like a nagging headache and not much appetite. Both are getting better though. 
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: EmilyMK03 on October 08, 2016, 03:19:07 AM
Rhonda, I think you are doing this for all the right reasons.  It is incredibly liberating for me to look in the mirror now (after FFS) and know that I don't need to wear my hair a certain way or wear makeup in order to feel confident enough to be seen as a woman.

It's going to be expensive, painful, and pretty much awful in so many ways... but it will be sooo worth it!  :)  I'm very excited and happy for you!  Hope you have a safe trip and a quick recovery!

Thank you so much, Emily. I'm so happy for you that you feel liberated by what you see in the mirror. I am starting to feel a little of this too. As I was getting ready to go out on the street today, yes, I had the nose cast and bruises, but my face, OMG, my face is female! No square jaw, no heavy eyebrows. The swelling under my chin, I can tell, is really going to take a while to get to normal, but I know it will be worth waiting for.

Thanks too for saying that I'm doing this for the right reasons. I suspect that some cis friends when they see I've had cosmetic surgery will think it was frivolous. However, I just know that my sense of well-being is going to be so boosted by this.
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: KarmaGirl on October 14, 2016, 06:43:49 PM
Congrats!!! So excited for you! You will see how much a difference and how it can change your life!  HUGS!

Thanks KarmaGirl, I had been trying to keep my expectations low so as to not be disappointed. Now I'm allowing myself to hope for more.
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Blueberry

Congratulations on getting trough the surgery successfully.
You can already see a difference even with all the swollen and bruised tissue.

Dr.Rossi is on the top of my possible surgeon list right now but i was still a bit worried about chosing him but as far as i can see pretty much all accounts of surgery with him are generally very positive.
I won't pester you with any of my questiosn right now as you are recovering but i hoped i could maybe talk to you about your experience later before i make my own trip to buenos aires.

Have a good recovery!
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: Blueberry on October 17, 2016, 07:09:28 PM
Congratulations on getting trough the surgery successfully.
You can already see a difference even with all the swollen and bruised tissue.

Dr.Rossi is on the top of my possible surgeon list right now but i was still a bit worried about chosing him but as far as i can see pretty much all accounts of surgery with him are generally very positive.
I won't pester you with any of my questiosn right now as you are recovering but i hoped i could maybe talk to you about your experience later before i make my own trip to buenos aires.

Have a good recovery!

Hi Blueberry, I would be happy to share my experiences about Dr Rossi. Welcome to Susan's!
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deeiche

Quote from: Rhonda Lynn on October 01, 2016, 02:38:38 PM
SNIP
Oct 19 - Breast Lift / replacement of old implants (mine are 26 years old)
SNIP
I will be sending good thoughts your way tomorrow.

"It's only money, not life or death"
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Sophia Sage

As to those cis friends, well... you might consider making them wait?  Just until everything's settled?  I ran into a married couple at the airport by chance, several months after the work was done.  They didn't recognize me.  I had to re-introduce myself, and the look on their faces as their jaws dropped... but, alas, it was followed by that familiar "we're not actually comfortable with this whole transition thing" look, so I guess they really didn't count as friends.

Several years down the line, I ran into a woman from way back, like the last time I'd seen her was seven or eight years before I transitioned, and now it's the same time after, so she had no idea who was standing before her.  And this time, I just let the past stay in the past, and started a new acquaintance. 

And it's funny, I had dinner with some other transitioners barely eight days after facial surgery, right after I'd gotten back from Portland, and they saw so much more in the result than I was capable of at the time.  Everyone was so happy for me, and that really kept me going as recovery seemed to take just so much time.

It's so hard to tell with all the swelling, and some of it takes several months to subside.  But Rhonda, this really looks like a very good result -- the work around your eyes is already profound.

Give it time.  It settles in slowly.  It's a gift that keeps on giving.  For the rest of your life.

When you finally get to take a shower, pay attention to how the water falls differently down your face.  Three months out, spend some quality time in the mirror -- what you thought were familiar expressions of wonder, happiness, pouting, and so on... will look different.  Play around with them.  Revel in them.

This isn't about being pretty.  It's about being "right."
What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it.
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Rhonda Lynn

Quote from: Sophia Sage on October 21, 2016, 12:15:05 AM
[...]

And it's funny, I had dinner with some other transitioners barely eight days after facial surgery, right after I'd gotten back from Portland, and they saw so much more in the result than I was capable of at the time.  Everyone was so happy for me, and that really kept me going as recovery seemed to take just so much time.

It's so hard to tell with all the swelling, and some of it takes several months to subside.  But Rhonda, this really looks like a very good result -- the work around your eyes is already profound.

Give it time.  It settles in slowly.  It's a gift that keeps on giving.  For the rest of your life.

When you finally get to take a shower, pay attention to how the water falls differently down your face.  Three months out, spend some quality time in the mirror -- what you thought were familiar expressions of wonder, happiness, pouting, and so on... will look different.  Play around with them.  Revel in them.

This isn't about being pretty.  It's about being "right."

Hi Sophia, You're right. I am having a hard time right now seeing the changes through the swelling and bruises. Thanks for the words of encouragement! The healing process feels very slow right now.
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Debra

As I get closer, I'm starting to think that will be the hardest part. Not being upset that I can't see the real changes right away

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Sophia Sage

Just remember, we of all people know how to do patience.
What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it.
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Rhonda Lynn

UPDATE Oct 21: 9 days after FFS, 2 days after Breast Implant Replacement

I had my breast surgery two days ago. It was rather a long wait. There was a rather large protest downtown that caused traffic problems and delays. As a result, my surgery was delayed a couple of hours. Hating to sound like a complainer, only I had been fasting since the night before so waiting in the hospital lobby from 1pm until about 3pm with a headache from low blood sugar was very unpleasant. I was quite poor company for Amanda I'm afraid. She told me at one point that she was hungry for her lunch but wouldn't eat in front of me. I told her that I could not be held responsible for what I might do. :)

Anyway, when I went back to the surgery area, Dr Appiani spent about 10-15 minutes drawing all kinds of precisely measured arcs and lines on my breasts.

Then I went back to the actual surgery room and they started prepping me. Dr Appiani put some Abba music on for me. We chatted a little about the play Mamma Mia.

I noticed several people poking their head into the entrance of my surgical room while I was sitting up getting prepped. Dr Appiani explained that everyone was quite amazed at the result of my facial surgery because they had seen me a week before. An orderly even had my pre-op photos and people were looking back and forth between that photo and my face. Anyway, that was fun and interesting.

Then they had me lay down and I started seeing stars so I knew I would be out soon. When I woke up, I could feel quite a bit of pain in my breasts which I told them about. They gave me an injection right away. I was then wheeled to a room where Sophia was. The same young woman who had cared for me overnight after FFS. This time, however, I could see her!

It was 7pm and the doctor said that I would be released to go home at 10 pm. However, Sophia said that if I wanted to stay overnight in the hospital, it was no problem.

During the next couple of hours, I rested and chatted with Sophia. By 10pm I decided that I was okay with going back to the apartment. It took some time to get checked out and wait for a taxi.

When we got to the apartment it was after 11pm. Amanda met us there and had a new set of medications for me. She made sure that I was settled and then left me to get some rest saying that she would be back the next day.

The next day (yesterday) I definitely was feeling the fatigue of going though two surgeries in only one week apart. Dealing with pain and taking pain killers. Being inside a lot. Looking like a truck had hit me. Having a hard time taking a proper shower because of my nose bandage and now my breast bandages. It was all piling up on me. It's like the half-way point of a marathon. I'm exhausted, but know that there is such a long way to go.

Today, I've determined to go out for a short walk and get some food. I really need to see some sunshine and get some exercise even for a few minutes.

-Rhonda
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MeghanMe

Quote from: Sophia Sage on October 21, 2016, 11:51:14 AM
Just remember, we of all people know how to do patience.

This is somehow one of the most beautiful things I've read about being trans. :)


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MeghanMe

Thank you for all these reports, Rhonda Lynn. I hope you manage some good rest and heal up.

I have a really stupid question about FFS... do they let you keep your hair? :)


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Rhonda Lynn

Here is a photo of me today with some concealer on to hide the bruises

http://imgur.com/cOqUVYM
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