December 28th

[caleb727]

hey guys!

i'm officially scheduled for top surgery with dr. johnson in springfield, mass. on the 28th of next month! that's only six weeks away!

i'm so incredibly excited, but i have a question...
i would be travelling to new jersey the day after the surgery (a relatively short trip, only 2-3 hours)... do you think that would be a problem, or would there be little to no pain with the pain killers?

thanks for your help

cale

[Carson]

Congrats!

I wish I could help with your question but I haven't had surgery yet. A lot of guys say that the pain isn't that bad though so I'm sure you will be ok.

[M.Grimm]

Congratulations!

Are you going to be traveling by car? An across the chest seat-belt might be uncomfortable, as will sitting for that long unless you have a really comfy seat (reclining a little might help). Be sure to stay on top of your pain meds. If you're going to have drains, you'll need to be careful of those. It can also be difficult getting in and out of a vehicle without help, and you won't be able to really carry anything.

Pain probably won't be the issue so much as just being kind of out of it as you shake off the anaethesia. But you can probably do it just fine if you're careful and plan ahead for your condition.

[caleb727]

I'm gonna probably be nestled in the backseat lying down on some pain meds, so hopefully it won't be too painful... another question: do you think when I start next semester a month after surgery that I'll be able to carry a backpack? I've already set it up so I can bring my laptop to all my classes so my bag will be lighter, do you guys think that'll be enough?

[Michael Joseph]

Congrats!! Thats so soon! I live in mass and i had no idea there was a top surgery surgeon around here. Ive done research, but I planned on having to travel to at least PA, but that would be sick if I could be so close to home. Please let me know how it goes.

[M.Grimm]

Hmm. My surgeon told me I could lift very light things 4 weeks post-op. But I couldn't really do any serious lifting/movement until 6 weeks post-op. The main problem here is you do not want to shift those healing tissues too much or stretch any scars. Moving your arms to shrug a backpack on might be a bad idea, due to this, aside from the weight issue. Could you compromise and just have a light notebook for your first 2 weeks of classes?

[caleb727]

Michaeljay: yeah, dr. johnson is really a sweetheart... you can check out her results at transbucket and she was the surgeon for skylarkeleven (if you know who that is)... from what i've seen, her results are excellent

M.Grimm: i might have to just deal with it and get a rolling backpack (it wasn't even cool in middle school lol, but not hurting myself would be worth it) or i can maybe convince a friend in each class to carry it for me... we'll see how it goes!

one last question: in terms of post-op care, is it possible for any surgeon/doctor near you to remove drains or does it have to be the initial surgeon? i would much prefer to stay in new jersey and get them taken out there then to travel with them in twice. opinions?

[kyril]

caleb - try a messenger bag
http://bikereviews.com/2010/01/timbuk2-classic-messenger-bag-2010/

(reason for this is that there are multiple ways to wear it, either on one shoulder or across the chest, depending on what's most comfortable, and there's also usually a handle to carry it like a briefcase - also you don't have to stretch to get it on, and if it's easier you can unhook/rehook the strap to put it on without having to slide into it. And no matter how you wear it it won't pull your shoulders back and stretch your chest like a backpack would, or rub under your arms where you might have drains or healing wounds from the drains.)

[caleb727]

hey, thanks! that's a really good idea, i hadn't even thought about that.. i already own one but my logic was that it would brush against my underarm and cause irritation, but i think i may be able to pull that off

[Michael Joseph]

Michaeljay: yeah, dr. johnson is really a sweetheart... you can check out her results at transbucket and she was the surgeon for skylarkeleven (if you know who that is)... from what i've seen, her results are excellent

Ok cool! ya hes one of my favorite guys on youtube. Ill def check out some of the results. Im excited to learn of this!

[caleb727]

yeah, sky's a really cool kid, he and i went to school together for a while, and now he's transferring back here so that's great.. having a trans friend is really nice, especially since he has actually been through surgery with her.

anyway, the only other ftm top surgeon in MA i know of is Paul Costas, but i haven't really done any research on him.

[M.Grimm]

You should contact your surgeon and ask that question about the drains. My surgeon had me return to him so he could check my progress as well as remove my drains. So I think it'll really depend on what your surgeon prefers.

[Arch]

Great news, Caleb.

I, too, echo what has already been said about the backpack. Only four weeks after surgery, you still need to be quite careful if you want to minimize scarring and discomfort.

I suspect that you will be fine on the drive because the meds will make you sleepy and you'll still be woozy from the anesthesia. You might not be perfectly comfortable, but if it's only for a couple of hours, that's not so bad. I had an hour-long drive directly after my surgery--practically the minute I woke up--and I was in and out and didn't care about much of anything.

I was really glad to crawl into bed when I got home, though. Er, until I remembered that I would have to sleep on my back for several weeks. Definitely not a win.

[Michael Joseph]

yeah, sky's a really cool kid, he and i went to school together for a while, and now he's transferring back here so that's great.. having a trans friend is really nice, especially since he has actually been through surgery with her.

anyway, the only other ftm top surgeon in MA i know of is Paul Costas, but i haven't really done any research on him.

Ya I talked to him a little bit on youtube, and he said he was transeferring back to his old school. I guess right now hes really close to me. Thats awesome though to be going to school with another ftm. Ive never even gotten the chance to meet another transguy.

[Michael Joseph]

And, ill have to do some research on the other surgeon too, I didnt know there were any in mass, nevermind two!