My journey to FACIALTEAM and Jenny's Nest for FFS in Spain...

Great video & much appreciate all of the information you have shared. So good to see the real world view of what things will be like for any one interested in going to FT. You seem thrilled with the results & rightfully so. Just noting that as it is always great to see a happy ending. 

Quote from: AlexisRene on September 17, 2017, 01:52:22 AM
Great video & much appreciate all of the information you have shared. So good to see the real world view of what things will be like for any one interested in going to FT. You seem thrilled with the results & rightfully so. Just noting that as it is always great to see a happy ending. 

Thank you AlexisRene! ... Yes, I was extremely happy with the results and head swelling/fluid lessens over time, thinning the face, improving the results. Since surgery had some fillers for cheeks... I may consider fat grafting or some such but nothing planned yet. Here I am a week or ago at about 6 months...



My aging details are a little reduced in the above photo due to low light and cellphone but the gist of the cheeks/face thinning may be evident. I'm also working on hair and small things. I'm at a stage where I assume I never pass but I like making strides... today I can mam'ed on the phone where the phone is usually "misgender central" for me... to no fault of anyone else. LoL ... so small steps with blinders on. Thanks for watching, touching base on the video.

Ashley so awesome.  Glad you gave us the not pretty parts we will have to go through to find the real us underneath. 
I am thinking going to Thailand but the cultural changes will be a factor regardless.
And you look so pretty.

Quote from: JulieOnHerWay on September 18, 2017, 12:52:37 AM
Ashley so awesome.  Glad you gave us the not pretty parts we will have to go through to find the real us underneath. 
...

Thank you Julie! ... so glad you had a chance to see the vid!

Quote from: JulieOnHerWay on September 18, 2017, 12:52:37 AM
... I am thinking going to Thailand but the cultural changes will be a factor regardless. ...

I feel Spain had cultural changes but I enjoyed them. I feel if you find a surgeon that is well-matched to you, you like the results you've seen, what you've heard, interpersonal interaction with the doctor(s) and have a great feeling about it, I wouldn't let travel or cultural changes get in the way... unless you fear safety issues due to cultural changes, of course... but I can't imagine such issues where trans FFS surgeons reside. I'd suggest to enjoy the cultural changes during recovery.

I agree with some others... the "before" leaving for FFS time is the toughest... flying there, surgery, and recovery was something of a vacation. Maybe not for everybody but I found it to be that way. I also now understand the wisdom that travel should not be a deciding factor when choosing a maxillofacial FFS surgeon. My plane trip there felt like it went by in minutes... I found it offering me much needed relaxation and decompression. I think the return can be a little tricky because you want to protect yourself amidst a lot of airport/plane activity ... so I found myself spending more energy during the return on being vigilant to watch for opening overhead bins, people's elbows or what have you.

And thank you for the kind words.

Best of luck figuring out your destination.... I wouldn't let distance or cultural differences get in your way of your primary choice unless you have unique destination-related safety or other genuine concerns.

Hi Ashley,

   That was quite the film. You went through a lot in having the FFS done. Documenting it was well done also. If no one told you yet the bird flower in a Bird of Paradise and they are a very unique flower and as you saw  very pretty as were some of the other flowers you showed. So why does Ricochet need medications. He looks like a well loved cat.
  Your FFS results look very good and makes you prettier than you did before going I thought you looked pretty good in your before pictures. Thanks for making the film and sharing it with all of us here at Susan's.

Hugs,
   Laurie

Dear Ashley,

thanks a lot for the clip! I've just returned from Facial Team, had my consultation there last Friday.

May I ask, how the heck did you film yourself all the time? Or did it somebody else? That must have been quite a hassle! Even while talking with Dr. Simon you still filmed the scene! I was way too excited to even be able to do several things at the same time....

Remembering my consultation I was hardly able to even think about taking a picture of somebody or myself, except one with my sweetie Sonja who took care of me in such a lovely way.

Let me ask, it seems like you had a kind of 'consultation' or premiliary examination just before your surgery. Did you have your very first consultation via Skype then?

Ashley I am with Laurie on your looks.  i liked the before just fine but the after is so cute too.
At this point my going to Thailand is a dream...fantasy?  But we will see.  I am semi-retired so that gives me some flexibility with time so I am thinking of effectively moving to Thailand for 6 months.  Set up housekeeping and go to transitioning with a lot of procedures over that time and still have time for local assimilation. 
Because of Thailand is not only a TS accepting society their medical tourism industry has them offering many services that I need in very good facilities at very good prices.  The idea of being able to go as a non-passing woman and just be another Westerner is a wonderful thought.  Just another face in the crowd.  Not harassed or bothered.  Just going about my business.  Which will be to adjust my looks from front to back and top to bottom into as sexy 63 yo woman as they can and I can afford.  I think I can afford a lot with $50K and 6 months.  I may not come back or I visit often. Guilt pleasure wanted - weekly spa visits and daily massages.
And at the end of the time, spent a week or 2 in Phuket.  Ahhhh...walk a beach in a 2 piece bikini.  OMG a bucket item for sure.

Quote from: Laurie on September 18, 2017, 03:32:01 AM
...  That was quite the film. ...

Thank you for watching it Laurie... it has more meaning to share it with others. I first debated sharing it, then did so privately, and putting up publicly was a huge step... funny... a huge daunting bridge crossed with the click of a Post button.

Quote from: Laurie on September 18, 2017, 03:32:01 AM
... You went through a lot in having the FFS done. ...

I can wholeheartedly say... you ain't kiddin!

Quote from: Laurie on September 18, 2017, 03:32:01 AM
... the bird flower in a Bird of Paradise and they are a very unique flower and as you saw...

Thank you for pointing that out... when I shared it privately someone else pointed that out to me as well... it was suggested I might consider adding a little popup window explaining it was a "Bird of Paradise" but I opted to keep my ignorance in full bloom.

Quote from: Laurie on September 18, 2017, 03:32:01 AM
... So why does Ricochet need medications. He looks like a well loved cat. ..

He has the obstructive variant of HCM... Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). You hear of HCM as being not unheard of with cats so Ricochet's HOCM is a variation of that. He takes heart meds 12 hours apart, morning and evening.

Ricochet has been there with me throughout my transition. He is just a lovely charming guy... been thinking of adopting a friend for him but not sure if he wants that... it can be stressful for a cat whose owned a home to see a new arrival... yet there's times when he seems like he'd like a friend. I've been thinking of fostering and doing a slow introduction of a cat friend for him... not sure... but it's been on the mind. I hear slow intros w/scent exchanging works well with cats.

Thank you for the kind words on the FFS results.

Quote from: Saskia_F on September 18, 2017, 09:00:09 AM
... thanks a lot for the clip! I've just returned from Facial Team, had my consultation there last Friday. ...

Hi Saskia, thanks for watching the vid... and congrats on your consult!

Quote from: Saskia_F on September 18, 2017, 09:00:09 AM
... May I ask, how the heck did you film yourself all the time? Or did it somebody else? That must have been quite a hassle! Even while talking with Dr. Simon you still filmed the scene! I was way too excited to even be able to do several things at the same time....

Remembering my consultation I was hardly able to even think about taking a picture of somebody or myself, except one with my sweetie Sonja who took care of me in such a lovely way. ...

I am relatively new to vlogging/videography when interacting with others... As a newbie, it can be a pain at times to manage the cameras... but that's part of the no-pain-no-gain thing... I like the art form ... I think with any art or craft, there's always grunt work of some kind. Life has such tasks and we generally don't think about it. For example, doing the dishes... imagine if you're having a critical life discussion with an SO while you're doing dishes... well... you're able to do the dishes and hear your SO and respond vigorously, all while doing the dishes. Doing the dishes is not as much of a pain as the first time you ever did them, but it's always a little tedious... it's a task we'd like to avoid but it's got to be done. If you're having an interaction with your SO while doing the dishes, you don't really think about the dishes beyond the bare minimal required so with cameras I feel it's like you have to go through the initial pain to get used to it like doing dishes. I personally think capturing footage is the most difficult part... that's what you're referring to.

Vlogging can present challenges for someone who is generally shy or doesn't want to bother others... I tend to keep to myself so vlogging challenges my introversion. Once footage is captured... then I can become an introvert and get in front of the computer and put it all together... that latter part can be grueling but it doesn't challenge the introversion... so vlogging/videography seems to challenge me a lot of a ways, including socially. Unless I'm a nature photographer, it seems difficult to do unless I'm willing to interact with others. Thank you for asking me about this... it was good for me to answer this so I could see this very answer!

Quote from: Saskia_F on September 18, 2017, 09:00:09 AM
Let me ask, it seems like you had a kind of 'consultation' or premiliary examination just before your surgery. Did you have your very first consultation via Skype then?

I had Skype'd with them 3 times in 2016... like Jan, Jun/Jul... and sometime in the fall like Sep/Oct. When arriving in 2017, I felt I already sort of knew them... we had already worked out I was getting forehead and likely chin but I'd never met Dr. Simon before... that consult was my first time... so he was just formally looking over my case based on actual CT Scans... when you do Skype, it's informal with pictures... when there, as you know, it's with CT Scans... so the real consult is always there in Spain... either before surgery or if you go there specifically for a consultation. I think all consultations without CT Scans (i.e., Skype) are preliminary/informal.

Yeah... you know I had agonized over so many FFS-related things for like 3 or 4 years... by the time I got there in 2017, I had no concerns... so I knew what I wanted and could easily say "yes", "yes", "sounds great", "yes" ... ... Take my word for it... that was night and day compared to where I was at a year prior... by the time I got there I had gained a lot of faith in their work so wasn't worried.

Quote from: JulieOnHerWay on September 18, 2017, 10:16:46 PM
Ashley I am with Laurie on your looks.  i liked the before just fine but the after is so cute too.
At this point my going to Thailand is a dream...fantasy?  But we will see.  I am semi-retired so that gives me some flexibility ... Thailand is not only a TS accepting society their medical tourism industry has them offering many services that I need in very good facilities at very good prices.  ... I think I can afford a lot with $50K and 6 months.  I may not come back or I visit often. Guilt pleasure wanted - weekly spa visits and daily massages.
And at the end of the time, spent a week or 2 in Phuket.  Ahhhh...walk a beach in a 2 piece bikini.  OMG a bucket item for sure.

I know Thailand is well known for SRS, especially Suporn... but I don't know much about the FFS there... I hear Suporn does FFS... Did you have doctors in mind? If you start a thread on it some others here may have info ... or maybe you already have a set plan. (?) Anyway, best of luck with it... sounds like you're going to give yourself a gift.

Thanks for the compliments on the before photos... I don't disagree... I did not hate my old self... I just didn't want to be in denial of treatment that would improve my life simply because I could rationalize something livable without that treatment... that gets to be gamey and hypocritical... it can also be tied to not making one's own decisions in life... so I did what seemed like the right thing.

Ashley THANK YOU for making this information available.  By providing this you are helping many people with their decisions - myself included.

Quote from: Kendra on September 23, 2017, 05:15:24 PM
Ashley THANK YOU for making this information available.  By providing this you are helping many people with their decisions - myself included.

Thank you Kendra... that is lovely of you to say... a big hug to you and best of luck with all of your journey-related decisions!

Ashley you look lovely hon!! Thx so much for putting this together. Many of us are considering fascial team for FFS and your very well put together video has certainly helped. I have FascialTeam in my top 3 at this point and have my 1st video consult next week.

Its so great so see people achieve there goals and Hon you look so Happy. I can only hope my results are as good as yours.

Bet you it feels very empowering now that you have had the surgery.

Thx Again Huggs Niki Marie

Quote from: Niki Knight on September 24, 2017, 06:42:20 AM
Ashley you look lovely hon!! Thx so much for putting this together.  ... Bet you it feels very empowering now that you have had the surgery.

Thank you Niki ... Yes I think that's right... there's a sense of empowerment in that I sense much more latitude and comfort in expression and it becomes more and more meaningful as I see the changes get better.

I find myself more in more in the zone of not worrying so much about my read of others' read of me. I also find that, when living life, doing day to day activities/work, I have a sense of myself as a female person and not a transwoman per se... as if I'm in touch with what's always been there and it's very real and a lovely place to be. The clutter from years of boxing myself elsewhere is moving out of the way more and more. All of that gives me more confidence to work on my voice which I've been doing more often, pretty much daily. So there's not only a sense of more latitude but a domino effect that helps to push other things in place, push me forward some more.

There are some nice surprises too... I took an ID photo the other day and was truly astonished... joyful... made me so happy to see it... it was me... a lovely lady with a lovely smile... I was not looking at another person... it was me and I could appreciate that person... I could see everything, the struggles, the HRT, the procedures, all of that.

Best of luck with your search for your FFS destination. It took me about 3 years within which there was a bit of agony, overthinking... I moved forward once I realized I was seriously "incremental or nothing." Once I got that, I stopped considering the big lists of procedures (to do all at once) and just did things one by one, letting my sense of things after those steps drive things forward to the next thing.

Anyway... thank you so much for watching the vid and letting me know your thoughts.

Shame on me for taking so long to get a chance to watch this.

Big hugs to you (and Ricochet!) for doing this. It's really generous and brave of you to show yourself going through something so difficult. Thanks for sharing. 

I would have done a video, but 47 minutes of me talking would have had everyone peeing their pants laughing.

Right, Laurie? 

Hugs, Devlyn

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on October 15, 2017, 06:58:45 PM
Shame on me for taking so long to get a chance to watch this.

Big hugs to you (and Ricochet!) for doing this. It's really generous and brave of you to show yourself going through something so difficult. Thanks for sharing. 

I would have done a video, but 47 minutes of me talking would have had everyone peeing their pants laughing.

Right, Laurie? 

Hugs, Devlyn

Well you are ummmm entertaining Ruffian

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on October 15, 2017, 06:58:45 PM
... I would have done a video, but 47 minutes of me talking would have had everyone peeing their pants laughing. ...

Don't knock yourself so easily... There are some places where that ability is a treasured talent.

Thank you for your kind words... I have to say that was the short version.  The hardest part was trimming parts away... it's an emotional ride to do that to say the least... but I had to realize folks are living lives and barely have a chance to stop to see a 5 minute video much less a 50 minute video... I decided to keep it at about 50 because I figured the folks watching it would be the one's planning or thinking of a trip there ... I know I would have watched the entire thing had I been thinking about traveling there and someone else posted the vid. Folks with casual interest can skip etc.... so I just kept it there... The fact that you made it through the video is too much, so sweet of you... so thank you for that... a big hug to you thanks Devlyn! ... and friendly "scratching post scratches" from the 'Chet. 👩😸

I watched your video again and switched my Skype consultation to an in-person consultation.  I'm confirmed in Marbella November 22.

Quote from: Kendra on October 22, 2017, 12:32:51 PM
I watched your video again and switched my Skype consultation to an in-person consultation.  I'm confirmed in Marbella November 22.

Hi Kendra, sorry for the delayed response, had not checked in in a bit. We're past the date... did you go? How did it go? You may have a thread on this so I'll look. Congrats on everything, moving forward!