#ftm support

gofund.me/8ce23792

I am trying to raise money for my top surgery. This surgery mean so much to me and will be life saving. So if anyone could donate and/or share this link, it would mean the world to me. Thank you so much!

So, a couple of weeks ago I got top surgery finally, and I feel great. BUT, there are a few things that nobody warned me about, that I think others should know about who are considering getting top surgery as well.

Now, I know the experience is different for everyone, for example I have an inhumanly strong pain tolerance, so I for the most part wasn't in much pain at all.

ANYWAYS, here's a few things you should definitely be aware of before your transition

WARNING: SOME OF THE THINGS I DESCRIBE MAY BE CONSIDERED A LITTLE GRAPHIC/GROSS. BUT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, I ADVISE YOU TO READ ON

This post is not meant to deter people from getting top surgery, this is just so y'all can get a heads-up on some stuff that I was not made aware of before the procedure, that i personally would have liked to know about before. But despite everything, I can proudly say this was absolutely worth it and I am much happier in my body

If you're taking loestrin or any other type of birth control medication to stop your menstrual cycle, the doctors will tell you to stop taking it a month before surgery, and you won't be able to take it until after your surgery is over and you're able to get up and be active again, as there's a risk of getting blood clots in your legs. But yes, this means there's a high chance you're going to get your period during the recovery. So as soon as you're allowed to go back to doing normal activities, get up and be active, so you can safely go back to stopping your menstrual cycle

You are gonna be itchy. Very itchy. I'd say it's worse than the pain, but again I didn't feel any pain

If you're a side sleeper, the first week is gonna be hell, as you will have to sleep propped up, on your back

During the first week, you're probably gonna have a nearly insatiable appetite. This is because your body needs nutrients to use to heal up those incisions.

The drainage tubes. There's so much stuff about the drainage tubes, so here's an entire mini section about those (don't worry though, the tubes only stay in for about a week)

If you're squeamish, don't look at the tubes, as the blood and stuff sometimes starts to coagulate, and it looks pretty gross

The nurse told me to squeeze the tubes to try to push the liquids into the little bottle things attached to the tubes when emptying them. Be very careful when doing this, as this was one of the only times I felt pain during this process. If you don't do it right, sometimes the fluids will drain back into your chest and it HURTS. Sometimes you'll also feel a bit uncomfortable when you're squeezing the tubes to empty them, and the suction from this will pull more fluids out of your chest.

When they remove the tubes from your chest, it feels extremely weird and uncomfortable. No pain, but it's very common to feel extremely nauseated afterwards, so BE PREPARED. I was on the floor of the medical clinics bathroom for about ten minutes, feeling like I was going to throw up at any moment. Best thing to do once you feel like you can get up, is drink apple juice, as well as water. Trust me, it's great getting the tubes removed, but the nausea is REAL

I don't know how common this is, but I took off the bandaids over where the tubes were removed two days after they removed it, and on my left side where the tube was removed, there was a hole in my chest. If this happens, don't panic. Just cover it back up, and put vaseline on the gauze so when it closes up, the scab doesn't stick to the gauze. I made the mistake of not putting vaseline on it, and it got stuck. But the hole did end up closing up and healing after a few more days.

Once you're able to take off your compression vest for short amounts of time, you're going to notice a very pungent smell, like old cheese. Apparently, this is normal, and it's the smell of all the gunk and stuff. I don't know if this only happens if you choose to get nipple grafts, because for me I noticed the smell seemed to originate there. But yeah, it's apparently normal, and best way to deal with it is to wipe up any dead skin and whatever else is near the area daily to keep it from building up.

Nerve damage. I can't feel anything right below the incisions. It kind of feels like when the dentist gives you anesthesia for your mouth when getting a cavity filled. Except the numbness doesn't go away. I personally don't have a problem with this, as I think it's cool that I am permanently unable to feel anything right below my chest. But I still think it's a good thing to get a heads-up for

I know for some of y'all very masculine FTMs/FTNBs out there, y'all gonna want to flex in the mirror to admire yourself. At least I do. Be very careful, because you've still got large incisions healing on your chest. Flex at your own risk

they are all lightly used due to my family enforcing a ‘don’t break your ribs’ rule where they made sure I could just stay comfortable at home most of the time because I over wore my binder once and my chest had bruises.