Heya everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well. The reason I am writing this post is to tell everyone about my experience with Dr. Spiegel at the Spiegel Center in Boston, Massachusetts. To sum it up quick right away in case you want to save yourself some reading, I am very happy with my results and would definitely recommend him to anyone who is considering having Facial Feminization Surgery in the US.
To go a little more in depth, my experience with Dr. Spiegel and his staff was very positive. When I first started corresponding with the center I talked with Kat Stalzer, and she was amazing to work with. Very helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and she would always get back to me the next business day. Unfortunately, I do not think she works there anymore but I'm sure whomever took her place will be just as great. After I made the decision to go with the Spiegel Center, I set up a consultation with Dr. Spiegel over Skype. He was very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. I felt very comfortable talking with him, and he answered all of my questions putting all of my concerns to rest. The consultation costed $150 which is put towards your surgery if you choose to go with the center. During the consultation he let me know what procedures he recommended then within the next week they had sent me a surgery quote.
In the quote the recommended procedures he listed included: Forehead Contouring with scalp advancement & browlift ($13,125), Rhinoplasty ($13,770), Mandible Contouring ($10,200), Cheek Implant ($4,490), Lip Lift ($5,755), Cheek Implant BSM Medium ($800), Operating Room ($3,800), Anesthesia ($1,600), and Recovery Charges ($700) for a total of $54,240. The only thing I changed was that I decided not to get the cheek implants as I did not think they were necessary and to bring the cost down a little. My final quote was $48,000. There is a non-refundable 30% deposit that is required in order to book surgery, which I did pay in order to secure the date of August 3rd for my surgery (which was about 6 months away). The rest of the cost for surgery is due four weeks before the surgery date, but I paid it a few months after my initial payment just to make sure everything was taken care of sooner rather than later.
There were a few other tests and labs that I needed to have done in order to ensure that I was healthy enough for surgery, which had to be paid for out of pocket. I also decided to stay at an airBnB for a little over a week to recover after surgery, which costed $1,624.85. I had to stop my hormones two weeks before surgery, and was able to resume them two weeks after surgery. This was very rough for me, because my dysphoria and depression soars whenever I am off hormones for extended periods of time. Electrolosys also had to be stopped six weeks before surgery and I wasn't allowed to continue it until two months after surgery. Since I live in Wisconsin I decided to drive there with my mother and her boyfriend.
When I first got to Boston I met with Dr. Spiegel and he went over surgery and went over post op care as well as answered anymore questions we had. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight the day of surgery, and when I arrived at the hospital they did all of the surgery prep then walked me to the operating room. The procedure took 5 hrs if I remember correctly, and everything went really well. After surgery the pain I remember most was my sore throat due to the breathing tube that was put in. My face was really swollen and it took me a little while before I felt well enough to get up and walk around, which I highly recommend doing as soon as you are able. I only needed to stay at the hospital for one night after surgery and was able to walk to my ride the next day.
Since it was August it was very hot out, but fortunately we had A/C at the airBnB. I would also recommend that you choose a surgery date in fall or spring if you are able. During the week before my post op appointment I tried to get up and walk around as much as I was able, which really helped with the recovery process. Meals were pretty boring and I wasn't allowed to eat any solid foods during that week; I got sick of applesauce and yogurt really quick during that week =P. Stool softener is also a must as the Oxycodone they prescribe you for the pain makes digestion difficult, but I was able to stop taking the Oxy and softener about five days after surgery. The sooner you feel good enough to get off from Oxy the better, as it caused a lot of issues with me for me sleep and digestion.
At the post op appointment, Dr. Spiegel took off my bandages and took out the staples in my head. One thing I really regret was not taking any Oxy before this appointment, as that was one of the most painful experiences of my life. The most difficult thing I have to do is massage my nose everyday for a year, and it especially hurt for the first week after the appointment. After that he gave more post op instructions and we left to return home to Wisconsin. There was some minor complications about a month after I got home. Because he needed to reshape the bones in my face, it caused a minor infection which I had to have a dental surgeon address by putting a few tubes in my mouth to drain some fluids and also prescribing some antibiotics. It costed about $500 to take care of that. Another hidden cost was the hospital bill that I received from my insurance for my overnight stat at hospital. It totaled to about $3,400 if I remember correctly, which was the copay I was responsible for through my insurance.
As soon as I am able I will put up a profile picture so others can see how my results look now. As I said before I am very happy with my results and I now feel a lot happier, less dysphoric, and safer in public. This surgery has allowed me to pass better in public, and has eliminated people misgendering me in public. I hope that one day insurance companies will finally see the importance and necessity of procedures like these, so that others will also be able to afford these life changing procedures. Take care everyone, and if you have any questions about my experience please feel free to post below, I'll do my best to check and answer them as soon as I am able. =)
