Two days before BA and a wave of emotions.

[islandgirl]

Thanks Moni for your thoughtful response! I look forward to your thoughts as your recovery progresses. I is great to hear from both you and Kendra as you both go through recovery.

Hugs,
Kelly

[Kendra]

> One more thing I learned was getting up without pain. If you use your arms to push up from a sitting position it hurts. If you shift weight back and forth to the edge of the seat and use your legs, it doesn't hurt.

I found what works to get out of bed without relying on arms ...looks funny but eliminates most of the pain.  On my back I position my legs straight up in the air so I'm in an "L" shape, and then swing my legs down while maintaining that "L" shape.  When I swing my legs down the momentum lifts my back upright without using arms.  I do something similar to get out of a chair: set my legs straight out, stiffen stomach muscles and then swing legs down gives me the momentum to stand up without using arms to lift. 

[Sojourn]

Hope you're recovering quickly, and your life and mental health have been positively impacted!!! I just had my first surgery a week ago (Orchiectomy) and I was concerned by how calm I was going on! I just thought that was funny. After the surgery, I was ecstatic! I still am actually! I never expected it to feel so amazing. I just looked at it as a sort of half-measure, you know? I'll probably get a BA (and tracheal shave and finish electrolysis and SRS) later this year or early next year since my insurance is going to start covering BA, trach shave, and hair removal in September. I'm so happy I'm finally making progress in my transition!

[Rachel]

Congratulations Monica, I am very happy for you.

I think you will be very happy with your choice and having boobies.

[HappyMoni]

Hi All,
   First of all, congratulations to @Sojourn on your Orchiectomy. I was calm like you going into my GCS. I was stressed that something would stop the surgery, but I was totally calm with the surgery itself. I would even call that experience fun. I know I'm weird. lol Good luck with your plans, it sounds very exciting. Looking forward to the life changes we need to make, well, they don't happen soon enough. When you get down to the later things in transition, I think there is a certain fatigue that sets in with being uncomfortable and recovery, again. But, I am happy to be able  to live this  dream, and will try not to complain too much. There is a personal aspect to this particular surgery that stresses me. It affects people I love, not just me. Sorry for being cryptic here, but it is not something I care to get into. I only mention this stress because it affects how patient I am as I report on what this surgery is like.
   Today, I showered and ended up with water under the tape. I think I need to be more careful as they say don't soak the area. The bras that you wear all the time seem to rub the same areas and they get sore. I fear an ulcer forming so I have taken pads and inserted them under the bra near the incision. This helped. Half the trick  to recovery is being proactive and stopping some things before they really get started. I also noticed if I try to sleep kind of propped up on the couch, the bra raises up under the breast and rubs. I slept in my bed so I could lay flatter. It helped.
   I thought my boobs needed  some entertainment today so I took them out to a birthday party. It was fun except everyone stood up so long, things started to ache. I guess they don't look too big because someone who I told about the surgery guessed I was going for a B maybe C cup. I will admit they don't look big especially with a large part of them still hanging up above the bra and the compression of the bra.  I think before I get done, I am gonna really hate  these bras. No pain,no gain! I did notice they seemed a little softer today. I think day 3 is supposed to be peak for swelling.
   It is funny to me, but is the truth. What could make this time even more fun? Monday I go to doc's to see about scheduling my  colonoscopy. I'm a lucky girl.
Moni
Kendra, were you on the gymnastics team. I am picturing you 'getting up from a sitting position' with you sticking the landing, both hands in the air, chest boldly forward. Maybe we could make this an Olympic event.lol Thanks Kelly and Rach too. Harley, did you disappear?


Day 4 post-op

[Harley Quinn]

Harley, did you disappear?

Day 4 post-op

Nope, I'm haunting your post. Learning all I can, and keeping mental notes for my own upcoming surgery. I check this one regularly so I don't miss anything. 🙂  I sometimes re-read my posts and question if I say something that could be taken wrong, and delete them if there's any doubt in my mind.

[HappyMoni]

Harley, I can tell from your avatar that you are a real pussy cat. I think it very, very unlikely you will offend me.

[Harley Quinn]

LOL, yeah... I get along famously with animals, they read between the lines and overlook poorly worded sentences. 😂

[Kendra]

> I thought my boobs needed  some entertainment today so I took them out to a birthday party

I can't stop laughing.  Ouch mine hurt briefly when I laugh.  Damn it Moni... 

[HappyMoni]

So I promised some pictures! (Danielle's influence.) I will give  a before body shot which is the bikini picture with no head. I have definitely gained softness (the kind word for fat) through HRT and GCS. As you can see, I am in the middle of the spectrum. My doctor thought that a bigger implant would go well with this. The top was not really filled with my A cup boobs. Maybe there is hope to wear this again, at home at least. I also included some post op pictures. If you look at the one in the white bra from the side on the outside, you can see how high the implants  are. Going to that party yesterday, I felt like all the ribs of the bra showed and it looked like my boobs were more on top of  the bra then in it. I really don't care though, it's temporary. Hey I'm showing a bikini shot on here so why not, I got no judgement! lol









Hope this worked. 

[HappyMoni]

One distance Dr. Basner measured was from collarbone to nipple. It my case it was large, meaning a large area of flatness visible in my  upper chest. If you think of an implant as a Hershey kiss, a small one would still leave this flat area flat. A big wide Hershey kiss of the same height would have a better time breaking up that flatness without being any taller. Of course when you come up with a boob measurement and it says 'double D' you include the extra width of the fat Hershey kiss in that measurement, not extra projection outward. I hope this makes sense. I am starting to feel like this is a good  size for my headless bikini picture, maybe!
Moni

[SadieBlake]

more thing I learned was getting up without pain. If you use your arms to push up from a sitting position it hurts. If you shift weight back and forth to the edge of the seat and use your legs, it doesn't hurt.
I will try to get some pictures up here as you can probably  tell better about how high the implants are and why it is hard to judge how big they will be.
Moni

Ouch Moni, I can relate! I've learned from the three times I've had cracked ribs how to sit up without using or flexing upper body muscles. Hope that's improved.

Great photos! So glad for your getting to this important step! :-)

[Laurie]

  That figures ! Both you (Moanie) and that Kendra getting bigger boobs just to make me jealous. Heck girls can't you slow down some? I mean I haven't even done a thing toward GCS except to debate with myself if I should or not. My gosh even Michelle is racing ahead of me. And now that Harley girl is doing it too. Sheesh! I know you all are doing it to goad me into action and no doubt you are the ring leader in this insipid (rhymes with bicuspid sorta) conspiracy. Any what Does Harvey think of all these modifications? Does he still recognize you. I think Clyde is upset... ether that or the top of the preserve jar is loose I can see some fuzziness growing in there. ( It could mean I need to clean my glasses too I suppose)
  Oh heck, Moineeka, I'm glad you are happy with your new profile. And an updated bikini picture is a must (with head included). Does ya heared me woman? A full on bikini picture, head to toes.

Luvs ya and Hugs,
  Laurie

[Kendra]

Moni your post-BA photos look great!  Already very nice just 5 days post-op and after a couple weeks they will literally settle in. 

[Harley Quinn]

Wow! That's a change. I like the bikini a lot. You'll fill it out well.

[LizK]

Thanks for the update Moni

The pics are great...I am sure things will settle in after a few more weeks and they will feel more like yours.

Take care


Liz

[Kendra]

>  That figures ! Both you (Moanie) and

Did Laurie just sneak a pun in?  I'm gonna tell on her.

[HappyMoni]

  That figures ! Both you (Moanie) and that Kendra getting bigger boobs just to make me jealous. Heck girls can't you slow down some? I mean I haven't even done a thing toward GCS except to debate with myself if I should or not. My gosh even Michelle is racing ahead of me. And now that Harley girl is doing it too. Sheesh! I know you all are doing it to goad me into action and no doubt you are the ring leader in this insipid (rhymes with bicuspid sorta) conspiracy. Any what Does Harvey think of all these modifications? Does he still recognize you. I think Clyde is upset... ether that or the top of the preserve jar is loose I can see some fuzziness growing in there. ( It could mean I need to clean my glasses too I suppose)
  Oh heck, Moineeka, I'm glad you are happy with your new profile. And an updated bikini picture is a must (with head included). Does ya heared me woman? A full on bikini picture, head to toes.

Luvs ya and Hugs,
  Laurie

Did Laurie just sneak a pun in?  I'm gonna tell on her.

Yeah, I think we should just be glad she didn't call us a couple of 'boobs.'

So, today was my one week post-op visit to Dr. Basner. I finally got the stitches out of my head from my hair transplant. Yea, that made it so hard to lay on my back. Lesson learned, more time between stitches in head and boob augmentation.
The doctor said everything looks good. I still have a lot of swelling. Now the surprise, he said I didn't have to wear the support bra anymore. In fact, he said I didn't have to wear one ever again. This made my partner and I laugh. I was ready for two more weeks of wearing that support bra. It had gotten so sore, I was cushioning the bra with sanity pads between the bra and under my boobs. I can sleep on my side now. I can go in the water. The only thing I have is a small strip of tape over my incision. My incisions look so small and so inconspicuous. He was pleased, as was I. He said they write the length of time for the support bra in the post op directions like that because healing is so individual from patient to patient. I asked about massage. He said there was no data to support the idea that massage would prevent capsular contracture. My follow up is in three weeks. It was a very good visit. I feel happy that the restrictions are off. As I look at myself in the mirror, I think that if they get a little bigger when they drop and fluff that would be good. If everything that is high on my chest now comes down, I am gonna be real big. I think 50% reduction in swelling and 50% drop  and fluff would be best. I am now wondering how I will fit into that bikini top. Don't know if I will have to 'pack another bag' to carry all my junk with me. Oh, restrictions I still have are for running and exercise using my shoulders. Everything else is green lighted. I went without a bra from the office. I have found that wearing black does tend to hide the collarbone boobs that I have, pretty good. I hope a little no bra action will help them drop.
One more doctor visit this week to see Dr. McGinn for steroid shots for scar repair. Yeah, and I scheduled a colonoscopy next week. I am nuts. Yikes, promise no pictures on that one though.
Moni
Thanks for posting everyone. Harley the bikini was from Amazon.

[Laurie]

  Now would I call you two the Busting Boobs? You know I love you both and wouldn't ever do that. Nooooo not me.

  Wow it's great you don't have to wear that cropped straitjacket anymore though it sure would look funny seeing you wear those sanitary napkins in the wrong place. LMAO. Perhaps you will demonstrate it for me the next time we see each other. Now you be a good girl (I know that is hard for you) and follow the nice doctor's orders. You wouldn't want to lose one of those expensive jugs would you?

Hugs booby baby,
  Laurie

[Northern Star Girl]

@HappyMoni
Dear Moni:   Wowzers!  Your recent posted pictures are a treat for all of us to see.... and you look absolutely wonderful... 
Your new boobs look very natural on you, you and your doctors did indeed pic the right implant size for your body.

You sound so bubbly and happy now in the way you have posted... true to your name "HappyMoni"

Thank you for letting us all follow along with your happiness.

Hugs and well wishes as always,
Danielle