I had FFS on Monday. I get my nose cast off tomorrow so I'm excited for that.

I had a coronal incision a couple of centimetres behind the hairline, the surgeon said it was fine as I'm young and don't have wrinkles on my forehead to worry about. I have thick long hair too and the scar is completely hidden. My forehead is smaller now with the brow lift, I can barely fit four fingers on it. I'm happy about that too.

Every morning I wake up with swelling around the eyes quite bad, which disappears after sitting up for a few hours. Swelling of the epicanthus doesn't seem to disappear quite as easily. My chin is also quite tender and swollen still.

How long until I will be able to comfortably lay down and won't keep waking up looking like I was stung by multiple bees?

Congrats on the surgery Hon!

I did miss read your post and thought for a second that you typed ' I get my nose cut off tomorrow' - I'm glad it was my dyslexia!

I've no idea how long the swelling takes to decrease but I know Michelle is in recovery as well maybe you can compare notes.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,215456.new/topicseen.html#new

Big Gentle Hug

Quote from: Cindy on September 02, 2018, 05:18:40 AM
Congrats on the surgery Hon!

I did miss read your post and thought for a second that you typed ' I get my nose cut off tomorrow' - I'm glad it was my dyslexia!

I've no idea how long the swelling takes to decrease but I know Michelle is in recovery as well maybe you can compare notes.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,215456.new/topicseen.html#new

Big Gentle Hug

Thank you darling Cindy!

My other question is when does the feeling in the forehead return? I can't feel the left side at all! It's unnerving (literally).

Hi, Elle!   My FFS was on Tuesday, so I am running behind you. 

The first day after surgery I had a cold compress on my entire jawline and my eyes constantly.  This switched to intermittant cold compresses on much of the time, to help control the swelling til day 4 postop.  Now I am to use a warm (hot as I can stand) compress several times a day.

I also have my ACE bandages on almost all the time to provide compression on the forehead and jawline.  This is supposed to help with the swelling, and will be worn until my 10 day followup, at least.

For my surgeon and his techniques, it looks like my swelling peaked about 3-4 days postop, and may be starting to go down a little.

We are continuing to unwrap, clean and change dressings, and rewrap the bandages daily, adjusting for a modest level of compression and comfort.   

I have no idea if any of this helps, but it seems to be common practice and I don't want to experiment with this procedure!

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on September 02, 2018, 05:36:27 AM
My other question is when does the feeling in the forehead return? I can't feel the left side at all! It's unnerving (literally).

I think it took about a year for most of the feeling to return to my forehead (I had a hairline incision, scalp advancement, type 3 forehead reconstruction, and bone removal where the bridge of my nose meets my forehead).  During the healing process I was very cautious, and paid attention to my surrounds to make sure I didn't bump my head into anything.  And I was especially careful when using hot hairstyling tools, even a hairdryer.

Congratulations and best wishes for amazing results and a speedy recovery😊

Yes, up to a year seems normal for regions of skin where the nerves have been damaged or cut.

In my Gender Confirmation Surgery, I had no sensation in the right labia majora or the mons immediately after surgery.  The mons came back after several months, and now at just over 10 months the right labia majora is  becoming sensate.

After FFS last Tuesday, I have no sense of touch in the forehead, the chin, or part of the lower lip.  There is an odd burning sensation near the eyebrows and a little soreness is starting to appear in the region from the cheeks to the chin.  I expect that recovery in these areas will take up to a year.

Meanwhile, I will have to be careful when drinking liquids to avoid embarrassing dribbles. (The least of my concerns right now, really!)

Quote from: Michelle_P on September 02, 2018, 07:29:35 AM
Hi, Elle!   My FFS was on Tuesday, so I am running behind you. 

The first day after surgery I had a cold compress on my entire jawline and my eyes constantly.  This switched to intermittant cold compresses on much of the time, to help control the swelling til day 4 postop.  Now I am to use a warm (hot as I can stand) compress several times a day.

I also have my ACE bandages on almost all the time to provide compression on the forehead and jawline.  This is supposed to help with the swelling, and will be worn until my 10 day followup, at least.

For my surgeon and his techniques, it looks like my swelling peaked about 3-4 days postop, and may be starting to go down a little.

We are continuing to unwrap, clean and change dressings, and rewrap the bandages daily, adjusting for a modest level of compression and comfort.   

I have no idea if any of this helps, but it seems to be common practice and I don't want to experiment with this procedure!

Wow you seem to be doing a lot more than I'm doing. My swelling isn't so bad that I am using any compresses it's just in the morning especially around my eyes...

Quote from: MissyMay2.0 on September 02, 2018, 03:48:19 PM
I think it took about a year for most of the feeling to return to my forehead (I had a hairline incision, scalp advancement, type 3 forehead reconstruction, and bone removal where the bridge of my nose meets my forehead).  During the healing process I was very cautious, and paid attention to my surrounds to make sure I didn't bump my head into anything.  And I was especially careful when using hot hairstyling tools, even a hairdryer.

Congratulations and best wishes for amazing results and a speedy recovery😊

A year? My gosh that's a long time. Thank you for the well wishes. <3

Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on September 03, 2018, 12:47:17 AM
Wow you seem to be doing a lot more than I'm doing. My swelling isn't so bad that I am using any compresses it's just in the morning especially around my eyes...

I think it varies with the details of the procedures done on us and how our individual tissues react.

Last night I had a lot of swelling on the jawline and Masseter area, giving me an insane chipmunk look.  At the same time the vascular insufficiency in my right leg (age and too much desk time in my life) decided to raise heck, so I had a pretty miserable night. 

Laurie has me off my feet and back on the Norco today, so I am much more comfortable. The compression wraps on the jaw and cheeks seem to be helping.  Post-op +6 days...

Quote from: Michelle_P on September 03, 2018, 02:04:39 PM
I think it varies with the details of the procedures done on us and how our individual tissues react.

Last night I had a lot of swelling on the jawline and Masseter area, giving me an insane chipmunk look.  At the same time the vascular insufficiency in my right leg (age and too much desk time in my life) decided to raise heck, so I had a pretty miserable night. 

Laurie has me off my feet and back on the Norco today, so I am much more comfortable. The compression wraps on the jaw and cheeks seem to be helping.  Post-op +6 days...

Oh Michelle you poor thing. My first night after the surgery in the hospital was hell on earth. I couldn't sleep with the drains coming out of my head, the IV (my first time) and those damned nasal packings. I have all the sympathy in the world for being uncomfortable during the healing process. <3

Pretty much all my bruising has disappeared but I can feel swelling in places still for sure. It's tender. Tomorrow morning I look forward to washing my hair for the first time in over a week, now that I can manage to touch the coronal incision without much discomfort.

We must remind ourselves as I did every hour in the hospital bed that night (I didn't sleep even a little), short-term suffering for long-term gain! Although given that you've been through SRS already I'm sure you can manage. I'm having SRS in January. At least I should be able to sleep okay the night after surgery for that, no nasal packing etc.. I hope!