Hi Y'all,

I'm Zoey I've been a trans woman for 10 years now. I started at age 16, for hormones at age 18, and legal name change at 19. Whew time flies. Well finally after 10 years soon to be 11 years I found out my husbands insurance Anthem pays for the srs and breast implants. I have already got approved and scheduled for surgery for May 8th (pending on if any cancellations to be bumped up)
My questions are for people who have already had the surgery/smarter than me haha
1)How freaking nervous were you? I'm a train wreck with nerves right now.
2)What was the biggest change after the surgery? (Mentally)
3)Does the decrease in testosterone change you at all?
4)I've had laser and electrolysis done and my stubborn German hair growth just wont quit on my face. After the surgery with the decrease in testosterone is it more likely the hair will respond better to either laser or electrolysis?

Thank you and I can't wait to meet and chat with you all. [emoji3590] Happy Holidays


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@zbrooks
Dear Zoey:
     I am so happy to read your introduction story.   Starting hormones like you did when you were in your teen years is a wonderful thing, you are quite fortunate in that regard.  Your future surgeries coming up next year will certainly be a big event in your life.   Certainly it can be a quite nervous time for you.   As you post here on the forums you will be able to exchange thoughts and comments with others that are experiencing the same things.
     
     I see that you have just joined Susan's Place and this is your very first posting on the Forums.
I am most pleased that you had decided to join the Susan's Place site and the Forums.

    This is the right place for you to be to find out what others may have to say that may have been in your circumstances and with your questions and concerns.
    There are a lot of members here that will be able to identify with your situation as you continue to feel free to share it.

    I also want to warmly WELCOME you to Susan's Place. 
You will find this a safe and friendly place to share with others and to read about others similar trials, tribulations, and successes.

    As you are certainly aware you can share with others and involve yourself with some give and take with other like-minded members.  When frustrated or if you have successes you can share it here if you wish and receive support from others and offer support to others. ....
     ***There is a very good chance that you might find that you will make some new like-minded friends here. 

    Please come in and continue to be involved at your own pace.
   
    There is information and important LINKS that I have included below.   You will find information about the site that will help you navigate around and best utilize the features here.   
Please look closely at the LINKS in RED, answers are there to many questions that new members ask.

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place.
Danielle

Here are some links to the site rules and stuff that all new members should be familiar with:
 

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)	Cautionary Note
Reputation rules	News posting & quoting guidelines	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy	Membership Agreement

@zbrooks 
Oh, and another thing, Zoey,
Would you please make a point to stop by
the Introductions Forum to tell more members about yourself.

Your introduction there will permit other members here to know of your arrival... and you can expect more sharing of thoughts with other members... an as you get more involved in exchanging comments on various posts other members will be along to offer their thoughts and comments in response to any of your specific questions and concerns..

Now, after all of this Official Greeting stuff just for you Zoey 
I will let you have your thread back !!!! .

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place,
Danielle

Welcome.

From what I've heard you did it right.  Laser is more effective on hair before you mess with hormones, as you want as much contrast as possible. 

Hi Zoey,
   It was an amazing experience. I had bad physical dysphoria before the surgery. I was a nervous wreck worrying something would stop my surgery. I decided I would try to soak in the experience, look for everything positive and not focus on anything negative. It turned out that I really cherished that period of my life. I loved going in to the surgery and  I had a very personal feeling of being complete afterward. My confidence was boosted. I haven't had one moments regret. Of course, everything does not go perfectly. There was discomfort, but it wasn't too bad. There are risks but doctors should let you know this. I sometimes just reach down there because some times I can't believe its real. It makes me feel calm and at peace knowing it is now as it should always have been.
   After surgery, they usually cut estrogen dose because  you don't need as much without the T to fight. I noticed no change in hair growth. Good luck!
Moni

Hi HappyMoni,

I'm glad your experience went well [emoji4] the doctor said I can't work at least a month but in my job that is almost impossible. I was thinking about doing 2 weeks off and 2 weeks working from home. Do you think after 2 weeks after the surgery you were able to walk a little more and not sleep all day?

I heard the hair growth is a tricky thing. I heard low testosterone people will respond better to laser and see results faster. Idk at this point I feel like I'll be a bearded lady for the rest of my life. Electrolysis is expensive when "sedated" so I don't think I want to do that again. I guess after the surgery I'll try my luck with laser again thanks to Groupon lol


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Hi Zoey, welcome to Susan's Place, I'm Jessica!  While I haven't had srs at this point, I have had 50 years of testosterone poisoning that gave it's full wrath on my facial hair.  My T is now substantially reduced after about a year and a half of hrt and has resulted in marked reduction of body hair.... but salt and pepper still seasons my face.  Electrolysis, on a frequent basis, is working for me.  I am retired and have the luxury (??) of having multiple sessions each week.  This gets to the 'root' of the problem as it will catch more hairs in the "anagen" phase which kills it.  My period of the anagen phase is about 1-2 months before entering the catagen, then telogen phases.  Everyone is different when it comes to that.  I've only started in regards to the thousands of hairs I need removed with but 25 one hour sessions under my belt, but there has been success as the thermolysis technique is concentrated on my chin and upper lip, the more sensitive areas in my case.  I have gotten novocaine injections that have created a time that I have actually snored while being zapped.
So being a bearded lady the rest of my life is less certain than I had thought at first.

I see you have been greeted by our lovely Northern Star*Girl @Alaskan Danielle , she provided some links to very helpful tips and rules to live by that will make your experience here the best you can have.  Give them a look see, you won't be disappointed!

Good luck, and again welcome to Susan's Place! 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Hugs and smiles, Jessica

This is general for surgery.  I've only had an orchiectomy which is pretty minor.  I've had non TS major surgery and my thoughts are this.

You have people working on you that spent a large part of their life learning this and they are skilled so don't panic.   You do have to be a proactive patient so if you have lots of pain thats not the way its supposed to go so speak up.  Speaking up means noting things that are odd like excessive bleeding.  I guess I'm simply saying speak up and don't be ashamed to press the buzzer to get a nurse.  I know some parts of the US are uncomfortable buzzing for help. 

A month to recover actually sounds about right.   Some of this will be in the hospital.  I think its this.  If your taking the narcotic pain pills you need to be home *Not driving.  And in regards to these pills?  The are constipating.  Have Colace, Senekot and Mirilax at home and take all three.   Then Pray they work!  Don't get into a jam where the pharmacy is closed and your out of meds.  Be sure someone is helping you by picking up refills and not letting them run out.   And since you will probably be a bit zonked out see if you can prearrange for your husband to be in charge of not letting your meds run out.

Stay ahead of the pain.  Don't let it get bad then take the meds.  You can get behind the curve.   Sleeping at first (for me) required taking two pills and I found that the relief lasted a little under the 4 hours they say to wait between doses.  I was told late that taking the next 2 pills 15 minutes early wasn't a serious problem.   Better then being in awful pain for half an hour.   *Do double check with your doctor.

After the Orchiectomy your Testosterone may tank so low it becomes abnormaly low for females.  I realize this next suggestion will curl hair and make some people flip but...  I think for the best HRT having the Testosterone at a normal female level has benefits.  Having a sex drive I've learned requires some testosterone so when your endo does labs discuss that.

This is a quote from Lynn Conway's site but I think its so spot on - "Being on testosterone is like being on nicotine: One's nerves are always jangly and on edge, one is quick to temper, always ready to spar with others. But suddenly after SRS that "nicotine" was totally gone. Being only on estrogen, it seemed like I was sipping Gran Marnier instead. All the girly feelings were tremendously heightened, and there was a sweetness and an inner glow in my body that brought a continuous smile to my face. Have you ever noticed how all around the world young women smile and young men frown? It's not cultural. It's because of the dramatic difference in body feelings between being on lots of estrogen as opposed to being on lots of testosterone. "

Belated Congrats on your wedding and upcoming surgery and best wishes for a quick recovery.

Quote from: zbrooks on December 11, 2018, 05:01:50 PM
Hi Y'all,

I'm Zoey I've been a trans woman for 10 years now. I started at age 16, for hormones at age 18, and legal name change at 19. Whew time flies. Well finally after 10 years soon to be 11 years I found out my husbands insurance Anthem pays for the srs and breast implants. I have already got approved and scheduled for surgery for May 8th (pending on if any cancellations to be bumped up)
My questions are for people who have already had the surgery/smarter than me haha
1)How freaking nervous were you? I'm a train wreck with nerves right now.
2)What was the biggest change after the surgery? (Mentally)
3)Does the decrease in testosterone change you at all?
4)I've had laser and electrolysis done and my stubborn German hair growth just wont quit on my face. After the surgery with the decrease in testosterone is it more likely the hair will respond better to either laser or electrolysis?

Thank you and I can't wait to meet and chat with you all. [emoji3590] Happy Holidays


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Hi PlainJane,

Thanks a lot for your insight. Yeah luckily my insurance is having a home health aid with me for 2 weeks after the surgery so that I can recover easier.

I've heard that you may end up with very low testosterone and you may need to take some to have a healthy life (sex) everyone is different. I have a lot of testosterone and the blockers I've been on for 8 years have had little effect it seems.

I am most nervous because of my aggressive hair growth on my face that after the surgery I'm the hospital I'll be unable to shave and I'll look like a bearded lady while I'm the hospital and that brings out self conscious inner me and it's scary.

My endo doctor said she's going to adjust my meds before surgery but I don't think that's a good idea because I think once the surgery is over I should probably get blood work done to see where my levels are and then adjust them.

Side note: I have psoriasis and I take a shot in my tummy every other week. I'm concerned that I'll be miss a dose and that my skin will break especially on my new vag given it's an open wound and psoriasis loves attacking those.

I'm not a religious person but I do appreciate prayers [emoji3590]


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Welcome to Susan's Place. Now the doctor normally lets you out of bed two days after surgery. If so, walk as much as you can within the limits set by the doctor. If you do this, you will probably be able to take care of your basic needs after the first week. I returned to work two weeks after surgery (stupid move) and I needed about 12 hours a day of sleep though you might find you need less working from home. I was able to do shopping and caring for myself at two weeks.

If your doing desk work from home and can take a nap or dilate when you need it, you should be able to work at two weeks. Figure on about 6 hours of work a day at first and as time progresses, you will be able to do more. If you have to put in a full day of work, you should see if it's possible to get additional time off.

I had 6 days of bed after surgery which made me really weak when I was permitted to leave bed. When I found that had been reduced to two days, I thought weakness wouldn't be much of a problem however I have seen several people after their surgery and they weren't much better off than I was. Figure a month to 6 weeks where you will be physically limited. After that, you  should be able to return to a normal schedule.

Hi Dena,

Thanks a lot!

I'll be off 2 weeks for the surgery and then after those 2 weeks I'll be working from home. I'm thankful that I'm an office manager and can do pretty much every thing from home.
But I do want to try some days to head to the office even if I only make it to the parking lot I want to try and get myself there.

The doctor said I'll be on strict bed rest for the first 3 days and then I'll depart the hospital and be at my hotel for a week and do a follow up with her at her office before heading home. (She's in Philadelphia whereas I'm in Columbus Ohio)


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Quote from: zbrooks on December 12, 2018, 11:08:42 AM
Hi PlainJane,

Thanks a lot for your insight. Yeah luckily my insurance is having a home health aid with me for 2 weeks after the surgery so that I can recover easier.

I've heard that you may end up with very low testosterone and you may need to take some to have a healthy life (sex) everyone is different. I have a lot of testosterone and the blockers I've been on for 8 years have had little effect it seems.

I am most nervous because of my aggressive hair growth on my face that after the surgery I'm the hospital I'll be unable to shave and I'll look like a bearded lady while I'm the hospital and that brings out self conscious inner me and it's scary.

My endo doctor said she's going to adjust my meds before surgery but I don't think that's a good idea because I think once the surgery is over I should probably get blood work done to see where my levels are and then adjust them.

Side note: I have psoriasis and I take a shot in my tummy every other week. I'm concerned that I'll be miss a dose and that my skin will break especially on my new vag given it's an open wound and psoriasis loves attacking those.

I'm not a religious person but I do appreciate prayers [emoji3590]


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Your very welcome.  I have had to deal with heart problems and cancer surgery so I guess I've had experience with some of the things that go wrong.  I seem to be a magnet for drama.  Like running out of pain pills (And Sunday the pharmacy is closed)  The constipation thing was really bad and my GP was horrified that no one told me about this. 

Religion versus Faith reminds me something one of the Beatles? said.  Something to the effect -  "Jesus is cool.  Its just some of his followers who are thick in the head that bother me."  I had a conversation with a goon and the short version was "Do you really think Jesus would say F you!  Your gay! or Trans or ________"  Anyhow I'm saying a prayer for you and anyway glad I was able to contribute something useful.

Quote from: zbrooks on December 12, 2018, 05:29:07 PM
Hi Dena,

Thanks a lot!

I'll be off 2 weeks for the surgery and then after those 2 weeks I'll be working from home. I'm thankful that I'm an office manager and can do pretty much every thing from home.
But I do want to try some days to head to the office even if I only make it to the parking lot I want to try and get myself there.

The doctor said I'll be on strict bed rest for the first 3 days and then I'll depart the hospital and be at my hotel for a week and do a follow up with her at her office before heading home. (She's in Philadelphia whereas I'm in Columbus Ohio)


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I can think of two female GCS surgeons in Philly. If you are using McGinn, she will want dilation five times a day. That was the case for me with her. I am older than you so recovery will probably  be quicker  for you. Still, dilation 4 times a day, shower, eating, and being tired from recovery pretty much takes up the day. I worry you may be pushing it.
Moni

Quote from: HappyMoni on December 13, 2018, 07:20:44 PM
I can think of two female GCS surgeons in Philly. If you are using McGinn, she will want dilation five times a day. That was the case for me with her. I am older than you so recovery will probably  be quicker  for you. Still, dilation 4 times a day, shower, eating, and being tired from recovery pretty much takes up the day. I worry you may be pushing it.
Moni

I totally agree!

HappyMoni,

The doctor is Dr.Rumer she was the only one close enough to take my insurance and I like her technique of not needing laser or electrolysis down there.

I do agree I might be pushing it a little. I'm an office manager and I have to keep the place running some how. I gave myself two options. Either work from home (easy I'm just at my computer monitoring everything making sure nothing goes wrong) or work for 4 hours a day in the office. Given how certain I am about how I'll be walking and being comfortable I took the second option off the table.

I'll be laying in bed with my laptop keeping everyone on track. Not hard work thankfully and I don't need to be at my computer all that often either. Might be a perfect time to make a margarita. Lol

Hi Zoey
I can certainly feel your anxiety regarding surgery. I don't think the anxiety is about the surgery itself, but the anticipation of waiting.
I remember I had a six month countdown clock. At first, it felt like each day took a week to countdown, but then before I knew it, I was saying "next week is my surgery."
I had my surgery in Montreal. I had been there a couple years before for tracheal shave, so I sort of had an idea of the place. And, I had met Dr. brassard then, who ended up being my GCS surgeon. He's such a nice man...so caring.
I think what made my surgery so great was the staff. They were amazing.
Even the morning of my surgery I wasn't nervous...Course I was hopped up on meds.
Funny, lol, I always recall when I had my surgery at 8am, was on Facebook at 10:30.
Equally amazing, was the recovery house following surgery. Great staff! I recovered so fast that I went home two days early.

You'll be fine.

☺️

Zoey, are you locked into going with Rumer?

Thank you for your kind words Nina [emoji3590]


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HappyMoni,

I'm not sure. She's the only one I found that my insurance approves near me. I have a surgery date and the insurance company has fully approved.

I know she has terrible bed side manner and aftercare but I know this going in, but her surgery technique is actually beautiful and I'm excited for it.

Anthem is having a home health aid help me recovery that has been trained with assist trans patients.


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