Courtney's life begins here, redux

[Lori Dee ✅]

Yikes! 😬

The lesson being that you still need to be careful?

It takes a bit to purge the blood thinners from your system. Please be careful!

[Courtney G]

I had my first electrologist visit since January today. I hated having to grow my facial hair out but I was happy to get started again. This is going to be a long road but I really need that hair gone.

My electrologist had her scheduled "mommy makeover," with breast implants a couple of weeks prior to my FFS surgery. Her body looks great. I felt a real bond with her as we discussed our surgeries (we haven't seen each other since before we both went under the knife). The best part? We're going to Victoria's Secret together next week to get fitted for bras. I'm going to treat myself to a couple of nice bras, maybe a few. I can't wait. I'm particularly looking forward to the experience of doing this with a cis woman. Feels very validating

I just received a $500 invoice for my recent mammogram. My wife looked at the bill and said it's most likely because they billed it as "diagnostic" rather than "preventative." So that's something else I have to work on.

I filled up my Honda today and was stunned to see the total: $67. This has to end.

[davina61]

Good job you dont live in the UK as it would be double that for fuel!!

[Gina P]

   It will be interesting to see what the bra sizing comes up with?. I have tried several times to measure mine and the last time came up with a 42 D. Someday I will, or should go for a professional fitting.
  The price of gas is troubling. I saw a big truck filling up with diesel on Monday $300. Thankfully I don't have 2 work trucks to fill twice a week like back in 2022 when prices were almost $5 a gallon. Retirement does have its benefits.

[Dawn Kellie]

I drive a large diesel pickup it won't be seeing a fill up for a while.

[Courtney G]

The thing is, this fuel cost crisis could have been avoided. In 2022, we had supply chain issues as we were getting over the COVID crisis, then Russia invaded Urkaine. This time, it was all the fault of U.S. leadership.

@davina61 I'm sorry. Just know that a very small minority of Americans support this madness. It (the entire regime) will end soon, if we don't start WWIII first.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Good job you dont live in the UK as it would be double that for fuel!!

One of the things I had a difficult time adjusting to in Germany was that gas was sold by the liter and not by the gallon. The price looks cheap until you realize the per-gallon price is four times that amount.

😬

[Courtney G]

The maga talking point in response to the high cost of fuel is "it will end soon." The instability we caused in the global supply chain won't end soon, though. I always track their talking points and what's weird as heck is that they all parrot the same things, like they're plugged into some sort of misinformation mainframe. That's how we got to the crazy place we're at.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I always track their talking points and what's weird as heck is that they all parrot the same things, like they're plugged into some sort of misinformation mainframe.

You have no idea. I have a video from several years ago that proves it.

[davina61]

Diesel just went to £1.99.9 a litre, worst bit is the government take £1 of that price in tax so they wont do anything about it as its filling their pockets.

[Dawn Kellie]

Im at $6.85 a gallon

[Courtney G]

You have no idea. I have a video from several years ago that proves it.

Yup. I've seen it. So-called "local news" that's owned by huge conservative-run corporations.

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

The highest gas and diesel prices in the USA are on the west coast states Washington and California because those states have the highest state gas taxes that add  $$$$ to each gallon that is pumped into your fuel tank.  Just do a quick google search of gas and diesel prices and compare those states fuel prices with Idaho, Louisiana and Texas.

[Courtney G]

It so happens that "high taxes" is the #1 deflection I see from magas in response to the gas price situation, but taxes isn't what drove the prices up 30% over the past few weeks.

Funny, I was just talking with someone about the "sales tax" rationale yesterday.

[Courtney G]

Besides, those blue states with higher taxes help fund all of the assistance for residents in red states, where poverty rates are higher and more folks depend on aid programs. That's social democracy at work.

[Courtney G]

The visit with the surgeon went well yesterday. He's very pleased with the speed at which my recovery is occurring. We scheduled phase 2 for October but I'm on the list for an earlier slot, which could  be around August. While I really want this finished right away, I realize that this gives me a chance to make some progress with my electrolysis.

Phase 2 is expected to include the following:

1. Revision rhinoplasty/septoplasty. The surgeon who originally did my septo/rhino left my nose crooked and the tip drooping, as well as excess tissue, which made the tip of my nose a little bulbous. But I guess what's more egregious is that he never really did the septoplasty. I went to him with a deviated septum and badly curved cartilage at the end of my nose and despite telling me he'd fix that (twice!) he never touched it. My new surgeon is going to remove the curved portion and install a brace using donated cadaver cartilage.

2. Lip lift. A common different between male and female faces is that women show more of their teeth when they smile. I'm not blessed with the type of lip/teeth/smile geometry that our beloved Danielle has, so this might help a little.

3. Fat grafting. He'll "fill" out my face shape using fat transfer

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Glad to hear that everything is healing as it should. That's positive news for sure. Hope that you can get in sooner and finally get your nose sorted. I'm interested in a lip lift too, but will only get it done when I have breast augmentation as otherwise too expensive! Be interested to see the difference it makes too when you finally get it done.

Charlotte 😻

[Gina P]

   Sounds awesome, Courtney. You forgot to mention the name of the former nose surgeon, Boris Paskhover. Perhaps others will avoid him. Great salesman, poor surgeon. Did my nose as well, to which I am less than pleased with the results.
   Not wanting to beat a dead horse but to the gas price situation. Every time there is a war, fire, spill, change in politics, etc. The price of gas goes up and the oil companies show record profits! Only 30% of US oil comes from outside the country and most of that is from Cannada. The government can regulate milk prices but the oil industry runs unchecked.

[Stottie Girl]

The visit with the surgeon went well yesterday. He's very pleased with the speed at which my recovery is occurring. We scheduled phase 2 for October but I'm on the list for an earlier slot, which could  be around August. While I really want this finished right away, I realize that this gives me a chance to make some progress with my electrolysis.

Phase 2 is expected to include the following:

1. Revision rhinoplasty/septoplasty. The surgeon who originally did my septo/rhino left my nose crooked and the tip drooping, as well as excess tissue, which made the tip of my nose a little bulbous. But I guess what's more egregious is that he never really did the septoplasty. I went to him with a deviated septum and badly curved cartilage at the end of my nose and despite telling me he'd fix that (twice!) he never touched it. My new surgeon is going to remove the curved portion and install a brace using donated cadaver cartilage.

2. Lip lift. A common different between male and female faces is that women show more of their teeth when they smile. I'm not blessed with the type of lip/teeth/smile geometry that our beloved Danielle has, so this might help a little.

3. Fat grafting. He'll "fill" out my face shape using fat transfer

All sounds good Courtney. Must be costing you a fortune!

I'm glad I'm happy with my nose, what you are describing makes me shudder like fingernails on a blackboard! You're a brave soul!

[Courtney G]

Sounds awesome, Courtney. You forgot to mention the name of the former nose surgeon, Boris Paskhover. Perhaps others will avoid him. Great salesman, poor surgeon. Did my nose as well, to which I am less than pleased with the results.

I decided to look up reviews for him again yesterday, having not checked since last year. I was surprised that there aren't more bad reviews, that his reviews are generally good. Does he do substandard work on trans people because he knows they're less likely to draw attention to themselves by complaining? I don't know.

Not wanting to beat a dead horse but to the gas price situation. Every time there is a war, fire, spill, change in politics, etc. The price of gas goes up and the oil companies show record profits! Only 30% of US oil comes from outside the country and most of that is from Cannada. The government can regulate milk prices but the oil industry runs unchecked.

You really hit on something here. Oil is traded internationally, all over the world. Supply chain disruptions (such as this war) drive up prices due to the supply and demand thing. That's obvious.

But unchecked capitalism (with the help of things like Citizens United, which irrevocably tilted campaign contributions in favor of corporations) will ALWAYS funnel all of the wealth to the top. As the founding fathers believed (and America writ large) until Reagan came into power), the federal government must act to create checks and balances that prevent the wealthy from exploiting the working class. That and management of national defense should be the two primary goals of the fed. Otherwise, the wealthy ALWAYS take more and more from the proletariat. It's why we have Roosevelt's national parks and FDA, Nixon's EPA and OSHA, Henry Ford's 5 day work week and so on. It's why we have social programs, why we've operated as a social democracy since the 1930s, why we need it more than ever. These were advancements of the federal government's effort to advocate for tax-paying Americans. This is NOT what a certain group of people currently want. They want to bring back robber barons. It's just that now they run the oil industry, social media and healthcare.