Quote from: veniamviam on February 29, 2016, 05:42:00 PM
got nothin for ya, 'cuz those nipples look fine to me, alexander, but i have joined the wonderful world of post-op as of like an hour ago (dr medalie, in cleveland). he was absolutely fantastic, standing shirtless in front of someone other than my partner actually didn't feel weird. the anaesthesiology staff were wonderful, my nurses were great, just all around a great experience. currently i'm parched and a little sleepy, with just a little soreness along where i'm thinking the internal bits of the drains are sitting (based on where he drew the prelim incision lines). currently waiting to get my script for pain meds filled, but i don't think i'll have to use them for a little while yet.

honestly i feel so great. never have to wear a binder again, weird tubes in my armpits, really chalky dry mouth. 10/10 would wholeheartedly recommend (but we'll see how i feel tomorrow after trying to sleep ^__^)

dr medalie is absolutely incredible! i had surgery with him.... 6 months ago now. crazy how time flies by..

five days post op


six months post op
*this is me on saturday, before starting to eat clean and work out again


six months post op
*this is me today, just two days after starting to change things around


i starting using cocoa butter two or three weeks after surgery (as soon as i was allowed to) and i did that twice a day until recently... i got lazy and starting doing it once. i'd also like to add in that the stretch marks on the left are because of my previous chest (dd, maybe ddd)

you're looking great! your nipple placement looks so fantastic and your scars look nice and thin. i've got to wait until monday for my Big Reveal, but i'll post a picture as soon as i'm able. seeing your progress has made me even more eager to see!

on a related note, since i lost some significant weight between my initial photos and this morning (50lbs overall) so i took new before pics, i wanna ask: does having a 'before' and 'after' set that are pretty close make the change feel more significant to y'all? also, i know that obviously i'm not allowed to post the before photo here, but can i post a link here to a b/a photoset when i post update pics? one of the things that really helped me was the guys on transbucket who did put before pictures, and i know a lot of guys come here to see results to help decide where and if they want surgery.

Surgeon: Robert Anooshian (through Kaiser San Francisco).
Where: San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
What: Double incision w/ free nipple grafts
Time: one month post-op

One month after surgery




Incisions look much better already.  Still a little creased toward the drain/armpit ends but getting better.

At the one month follow-up, the doctor told me I don't have to wear that vest anymore, and don't have to put bandaids over the nipple grafts anymore.  He said no more restrictions of any kind - I can swim or whatever. 

Been exercising since three weeks post-op but am gonna hold off on weightlifting for a little while longer.

Range of motion is much improved but reaching overhead still feels like I'm stretching, so I don't do it. 

The greatest struggle now is dealing with the silicone scar sheets, which peel off. 

I've tried three different kinds of tape from the drug store to keep them on.  Had to go with the heavy-duty cloth tape, which has scratchy edges and hurts to pull off, but at least it doesn't peel off while I'm out in public so I have to go mess around with it in the men's room. 

The tape I am using now works fine but I'll be really happy when the kelocote gel arrives in the mail. 

Trying to decide what to do to keep the sun off of the scars. Shirts don't provide full UV protection but I don't want to get sunblock all over my clothes or to smell like sunscreen all day either.  Maybe I'll use the white cloth tape over the scar gel when it's sunny out.  I don't really want to buy high-UPF fabric just for this, and can't wear that all the time anyway. And sunny season is just beginning in this hemisphere. 

Do you all use sunblock on your scars all the time? 

How long until the hooks from the stitches fall out? Dr. G said up to 3 weeks buuuut mine are still in. Most of them at least. A couple fell out the other day when I was changing the bandages, but there are a couple that hurt when I touch them and I'm afraid they might be getting stuck. Feel like I'll need to call his office soon. Any ideas?

Quote from: AlexanderMiles on March 03, 2016, 02:05:22 PM
How long until the hooks from the stitches fall out? Dr. G said up to 3 weeks buuuut mine are still in. Most of them at least. A couple fell out the other day when I was changing the bandages, but there are a couple that hurt when I touch them and I'm afraid they might be getting stuck. Feel like I'll need to call his office soon. Any ideas?

I asked my doc and he said it depends.  Just said that if they poke out and are bothering me to cut off the end that's poking out and if needed put bacitracin and a bandaid over it. 

Wikipedia chart shows a range from 7 to 200 days depending on the materials http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suture_materials_comparison_chart

Surgery date: 29 Feb 2016
Surgeon: Dr Medalie

Just had my post-op appointment where my drains got pulled (not bad at all, just a pinch on the right side and a mild burning sensation on the left) and I got to see my post-op chest for the first time. I am literally so happy I almost cried then and there—my chest is flat! I have basically no bruising (the nurse was very impressed), just a little bit of yellow. My nipples are nice and scabby, with plenty of bacitracin gooping 'em up at the moment, but the size looks really good and I'm pretty happy with the placement (I'll get a better judgement when I get my shower tonight, as I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror instead of just looking down, but it looks really good). I'm really pleased with the angle of the incisions, too—since I'm stealth and trans visibility is becoming more and more of a thing, I was worried about getting ID'd by someone based on 'typical DI scarring' (even if other surgeries leave very similar scarring). My incisions are very lateral on my chest, with the medial ends stopping just about under my nipples, running about 50-60° angles. The numbness is pretty weird, but that should fade out in a few months. Still ten more days in this best, but after that, I've got total freedom with what I wear for the rest of my life and I couldn't be happier about it I didn't get a chance to snap a picture when I was at the appointment, but I'll take a picture when I shower tonight and post it so I can show y'all what I mean about the angles (and what one week out looks like ^__^).

So I got home last night and immediately got in the shower (and what a nice shower that was) so I'd be all nice and clean so I could take this picture:



My left nipple (left in photo too) is a bit oval-shaped, but I honestly couldn't care less so long as both grafts take. From the time this picture was taken to the time I changed the dressings this morning (~12 hours), they're already looking better, and I'm a pretty quick healer so hopefully everything'll go smoothly. I'm not sure if they look un-even in the photo, but they're actually very level in person, I just have pectus carinatum and it's difficult to photograph so there's some optical illusion going on.

(Here is a link to the tumblr post that includes pre-op comparison pics, taken a few hours before surgery.)

Congrats on your healing so far! You don't at all look like you had surgery so recently! You're a lucky one. I've never honestly seen DI scars like that before, but they look very even.

2 weeks post-op, "keyhole"/periareolar with Dr. Beverly Fischer (Timonium, MD)

I suffered a hematoma on the left side as soon as I got out of surgery. Right drain came out at 9 days, left drain at 13.

FINALLY got my second drain out yesterday (2 weeks for the left side). When I had my checkup the day after surgery, my entire left side was a purple-black bruise. Pretty upsetting, but after the first week, it healed almost completely (I only have a small bruise line under my left breast, I'm honestly not sure how the rest of it healed so quickly, it was BAD!) My left side is very swollen still, but the right side's as flat as can be (you could see the drain from my right side showing through my skin, kinda weird). Finally got to shower today, and took the tape off my nipples. My drain from my right side ended up being defective (they believe the whole box they were shipped was full of defective drains). The seal around the top of the drain was leaking, so it would immediately inflate again when I would squeeze the air out; I actually watched it leak blood when I would squeeze it from the tube. Let me just say how LUCKY I am that the defective drain was NOT on the hematoma side. I would have had to immediately go back into surgery.

Nipples are a good size (almost a little too small, but I'm sure they'll look bigger once scar tissue starts to settle in). The right one looks like it's a perfect circle, and the left one looks pretty close, so I guess it's pretty good overall. There's still so much swelling, I can't tell exactly how good the placement of my nipples are yet. :/ I think they're where they should be?

As far as recovery, I didn't take any pain pills (they prescribed me percocet, which makes me vomit endlessly, so I tore the script up immediately). The first few days, I was cursing every time I had to stand up from the bed or the couch, but other than that, it really wasn't painful at all. I'm at 2 weeks and already feel like I can do pushups (but I'm gonna wait just a few more days, just in case). I can drive my stick perfectly fine by now, and can reach and stretch almost as well as I did before. The worst part really is being trapped in this binder for so long. With my scoliosis, it's killing me. There have been a few times where I've just barely turned in the wrong direction at the wrong moment, and fell to the ground crying in pain, trying to clutch my poor back. I'm waking up almost all night long every night because I want to sleep on my side and can't. The first week and a half I was ok with it, but I guess now that my body's gaining strength back, I want to lie in all kinds of positions.

I have my next appointment in 2 weeks. Hopefully I don't have to drive back up there before then; I still gotta keep an eye on this left side and make sure it doesn't need to be drained further. Fingers crossed!

three weeks (and one night) post op, and things are looking pretty good. apologies for the cruddy lighting quality of the pictures--that's what living in the dorms'll do for ya. pictures, in order: my chest, my left side, and my right side.







i know the lighting doesn't make it easy to see, but things are for the most part looking really good. on my left side (second pic) i think the top half of my scar is longer than the lower half, weirdly enough, so everything's looking rippled and odd, and i hope that flattens out soon (it's only been three weeks, so i know things'll only get better from here). the darkness of my right nipple is a scab right in the middle, which i hope falls off soon bc that is kinda gross to deal with (though way less gross than the initial scabbiness, let's be real here). the lighting makes my right side (third pic) kinda hard to see, but the scar looks fantastic already. i scar really well, and even for me, it's coming along great. there's a dog-ear type thing at the sternum end of that side, which i hope flattens out really soon so i don't need any revision on it. [i have an eating disorder and my brain likes to hyperfocus on that small pucker of skin as a massive area of fat despite me knowing otherwise. idk man. brains are weird.]

i'm wearing scar strips today for the first time, but they didn't stick terribly well so i wound up taping them on this morning. pretty sure that's because i massaged my scars with cocoa butter (as per medalie's instructions) not long before they got put on, so hopefully they'll stick better in the future. i've been using the cocoa butter for about four days on the left side and six on the right (since the surgical tape came off) and have been back and forth on using vaseline and cocoa butter on the nips since i was allowed to stop bandaging them (last bandages were wednesday night, so five days).

no pain to speak of, for the most part. i'm back to sleeping on my side full-time (have been for over a week now, only had discomfort the first night), and aside from mild twinging whenever nerves reconnect or whatever is happening, the only pain i've had at all is when i'm little spoon with the boyfriend and his arm happens to settle right along my scar and even that's pretty mild. so, feeling really good. itching to get back to the gym for anything other than treadmill use and slowly stretching my arms/shoulders so i get range of motion back in the meantime.

Congrats!

surgeon was dr. medalie in cleveland! other than having little to no sensation around my nipples, and on them, i'm beyond happy with my results. i would choose him without hesitation if i had to have surgery again...

pre op


eight months post op

Palexander - Your chest and scars look great! What kind of scar treatment did you use? (I'm 5 weeks post op with Dr. Medalie)

Quote from: Nick S. on May 05, 2016, 05:31:49 AM
Palexander - Your chest and scars look great! What kind of scar treatment did you use? (I'm 5 weeks post op with Dr. Medalie)

thanks man! i did cocoa butter twice daily for 5 or 6 months, and then i went to once a day. i didn't massage the scars like some people, just rubbed it on (took a few minutes) and went to sleep. make sure you go shirtless/wear a white shirt because it'll stain your clothing

Hi everyone, I was wondering from those who are 1 year + post op: 
Is it normal to have numbness not necessarily on the nipples but rather the surrounding areas of the chest?  I had my left side messed up along with an unfortunate dog ear that not only looks ugly but more importantly hurts and I don't even have to touch it. I could be moving my left arm in a certain way and it would get triggered. 

Quote from: trumi on May 06, 2016, 10:03:16 PM
Hi everyone, I was wondering from those who are 1 year + post op: 
Is it normal to have numbness not necessarily on the nipples but rather the surrounding areas of the chest?  I had my left side messed up along with an unfortunate dog ear that not only looks ugly but more importantly hurts and I don't even have to touch it. I could be moving my left arm in a certain way and it would get triggered.

1 year, 3 weeks post op. No numb zones, but I do have spots that still feel tender. They're mostly in the middle part of my chest just above the incisions. No sensation whatsoever in my nipples, but they can feel cold which is kind of cool. No pain or soreness though. I have to specifically touch the tender spots to know that they feel tender.

Is it possible for you to go back and see your surgeon? If the dog ear is causing pain, it's not a cosmetic fix and would be medically necessary for them to fix it for you. And from what I understand, dog ear correction is much easier than the initial procedure. I think the numbness is pretty normal, but having pain and not having full range of motion at over a year post-op is not right.

Finally post-op! Got to the hospital 6:30 this morning, and they sent me home at 12:30pm! No compression vest or ace bandages, just drains and dressings. I'll post pics later!

Quote from: tjack77 on May 13, 2016, 09:44:39 PM
Finally post-op! Got to the hospital 6:30 this morning, and they sent me home at 12:30pm! No compression vest or ace bandages, just drains and dressings. I'll post pics later!

Congrats and take it easy

Thanks RaptorChops, now I just need to figure out how to post pics lol

So as of today I'm 11 weeks post-op (Medalie, in Ohio) and have been less than diligent about scar care. (I need to be more diligent. My left nip looks weird.) Wanted to post some update pics! In order it's my right side, left side, and the obvious front shot.







I'm really happy with how everything's coming along... except my left nipple. I don't know why it's so pale in the middle, and with the ring around it that matches the other nipple, I'm vaguely worried about having mucked something up and neglected them somehow? (Also, how does one even explain two different-coloured nipples? Plus the odd shape of the left one. Right one's perfect though, so at least there's that!)

I don't do much to my scars, because I'm crap : P I meant to be super diligent about things and wear scar strips all the time and whatnot, but at this point I'm just doing cocoa butter massages when I remember to. So like one to three times a week, on average. It's a good thing I scar really well, but I wish I could fix my left nipple : / I don't wanna go in for a revision on it, and it's probably just being slow to heal, but I wish I knew what to do to help things look better.