You already look so beautifulš¤©
thank youš I feel really good about it and the swelling is only gonna decrease more and more over time
I had FFS 3 weeks ago with Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez at NYU Langone. I had brow, orbitals, cheek implants, mandible reduction, genioplasty, and lip fat grafting.
So far Iām really happy with my results. Recovery has not been as difficult as I thought it might be, but itās still tough. Thankfully I have a lot of time off from work. The hardest part has been the mental challenge of staying patient and watching the small changes add up. I canāt wait to see how I look in another month, 6 months, a year out :)
Happy to answer any questions!
edit: I also had rhinoplasty! lol idk why I forgot to include it
And hereās a before pic for reference https://i.imgur.com/4YAKpa5.jpg
Your recovery is looking great and I can definitely see the changes! Really happy for you!!!
thank youā¤ļøā¤ļø
Wow! Huge changes! Unbelievably envious and happy for you! ā¤ļø
You were honestly pretty before too!
Thanks:) I think so too. But itās amazing how much of a difference surgery has made my mental health
Iām so happy for you! I can imagine so. Personally, Iām having FFS for myself as I actually pass as I am now, but unfortunately not to myself. My brain instinctively knows thereās too much skull growth in some areas. Iām dysphoric everyday. I avoid looking at myself in a mirror, reflections, and I wonāt take photos of myself. Itāll be nice to be free of that.
Did you take in photos of yourself pre puberty and photos of your parents? Iām wondering if that will help the surgeon a bit.
I didnāt but you totally could. I actually didnāt really know what I wanted and just trusted the doctor, who did great.
Yeah, Iām sure since it was a great surgeon. I kind of want to get everything done since itās all covered.
Not everyone needs everything, which is something I learned along the way. I have friends who just had jaw work for example. But I pretty much had everything except trach shave
Youāre very wise, I do see your point. One thing I am on the fence about is cheek augmentation. What Iām worried about is not getting it done only to get older and start to look masculine due to low facial fat. Idk if that makes sense. Iād rather just get it done. Iām only 29 but face lift is covered and Iām hoping the surgeon will go to bat for me and say itās medically necessary (itās not, lol).
Something to discuss with your doctor for sure. I also had hesitations about cheek implants but went ahead with them and so far Iām happy with it. But ya, who knows what thatāll look like in 10, 20, 50 years lol
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How would you rate the pain at each interval in the photo? What areas hurt the most?
My FFS is in a little over a month so I'm trying to set my expectations appropriately.
Great question. Day of, in the hospital, pain was literally around a 2-4 because I was on oxycodone. When I got home, I started taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen on a 3 hour rotating basis, and took oxy before bed. That kept most of the pain away. Iād wake up every 3 hours the first few nights to stay ahead of the pain.
At 1 week, I still had pain but it was very manageable. I was off oxy after night 3 and still rotating the other two. The pain kind of moved down my face - at points Iād feel some acute pinch in my brow, at the top of my nose. Later it moved into my cheeks and finally my chin. It might last for less than hour, when it was present. By this point I was eating mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and other soft foods.
At 2 weeks most of the pain was gone. I was still rotating the pain meds, but I was able to sleep through the night. Iād wake up in the morning with some pain, but after taking more meds it would go away for the day. At this point I could eat any solid food, as long as it fit in my mouth. Sandwiches were a no go because my jaw just wouldnāt (and still wonāt) open wide enough. However, I was able to have a whole Thanksgiving dinner :)
At 3 weeks, I have no pain besides for minor jaw muscle aches, but itās barely noticeable. Maybe a small spike every couple days. Iām taking ibuprofen twice a day, not for pain but it helps with the swelling.
do you know which proceedure or what exactly caused the eye blood vessels like that?
I assume the orbital reduction. At my postops (have had 2 so far) they said itās all normal and will fade over time. I still have some redness in my eyes but itās reducing slowly.
What are some hardships so far?
I just wanted to thank you for submitting this post. I am 7 days post FFS and was getting really depressed. After seeing your changes in 3 weeks, it makes me much more upbeat. The swelling sucks!
Oh I get it. Hang in there <3 every time I looked in the mirror Iād involuntarily say āoofā out loud. It gets better! And the changes truly take up to a year to fully settle. But the first couple weeks of swelling are terrible
so natural!!!
thank you:) thatās why I chose Dr. Rodriguez, heās amazing
If you'd be willing for me to ask, how long was the wait-list? And what was the time between the consultation and the actual surgery date?
I like the natural look as well, hence why Rodriguez is currently on my list to call! I'm in north country NY, so I have a couple choices that are closer, but I've only heard good things about him overall, so the drive might be worth it!
I called initially in like November 2021? Couldāve been October. They got me a consult for March 2023. I called them back each week for the next 3 weeks and they had a cancellation in May 2022. You gotta call back to get the cancellations. After the consult, I had to get insurance and therapist letters in order. Due to some complications it took longer than necessary but I was done by August, and then got the surgery date for November. So I guess it was about a year from the initial call to getting surgery, which is really good actually!
That's really good timing! Thanks for the info!
Omg you look amazing for 3 weeks!
How was your hospital experience? If you were admitted / overnight, which hospital were you in? How do you feel about Dr Rodriguez at this stage of the game - bedside, explaining how it went, what complications happened etc? I know you mentioned a reasonable recovery thus far, and you're still swollen, just figured I'd ask for a pulse check
I stayed overnight at NYU Langone on 1st and 34th. Rodriguez is an amazing surgeon but he is also very to the point. He made sure all my concerns and questions were answered, and I always felt taken care of. But he doesnāt waste any time - my consult, preop, and postop time with him were both really brief. His staff are great and the NYU hospital staff were (mostly) really wonderful.
Still, the hospital experience couldāve been better. After surgery, I was in the recovery ward from about 2:30pm - 1:00am waiting for a room to open up. That was an absurdly long wait. Thankfully I was too doped up to care that much. I had three different nurses over that time period who gave me very personal attention which helped immensely. Also, they let my mom stay by my side the whole time even though it was against the rules.
The nurse in the actual room was not nearly as good. They wheeled me over, down an elevator, and as soon as I got in bed I told her I was gonna puke. She meandered away and returned with a basin only after Iād already yakked, trying to keep it together (poorly) with my blankets. I wish she moved quicker. That was really unpleasant. She was also very slow to respond when I needed more pain meds or the bathroom throughout the night. Yes, I have empathy bc it seemed like she was the only nurse on duty for the whole floor (!!!!) but I mean, Iām recovering from major surgery.
I forgot to mention, one of the residents who participated in the surgery checked on me twice in the recovery ward and once in my room. That was very kind and he was really sweet! I didnāt see Dr. Rodriguez again until my first postop appointment.
Thankfully no complications (yet!).
sounds very similar to my SRS experience at Sinai. Good, but clearly overworked clinical staff.
šš
Oof the 1 week one is rough š Looking very good though, I hope my result will be just as good :D
Ya it was really rough lol. I tried to prepare beforehand, telling myself Iām gonna look really fucked up for a while before it settles down, but it was still hard to see myself like that
All worth it though, you look fucking amazing!
Totally worth it! Thank you ā¤ļø
This is very encouraging!!! (from someone in the recovery phase)
Could you see the first couple of days? How did it affect your eyes they looked very red. I am just wondering because itās kind of one of my fears
Yes I could see! My eyes definitely got hit hard lol but I could see just fine. I still have some red in my eyes but itās fading. My right eye was very swollen the first couple days, but I could see out of it even when it looked shut from the outside.
Ah okay awesome!
Do you mind sharing what insurance plan you used for this?
I fortunately have a special Cigna plan with excellent trans coverage.
It's great to follow your story. I'm about to do my FFS but I've already postponed it 3 times. I'm feeling like a coward because I'm so afraid of the surgery, which is what made me postpone it. I'm afraid of the surgery, because it's a long surgery, right? It would basically be the same procedures as you did I think (I would do forehead, nose, jaw and chin). But for some reason your post made me calmer. Maybe because you've just done it and now you're waiting for the result, simple as that. I create many fears in my head with this surgery... But I need
Itās scary! I had a lot of anxiety leading up to surgery. Before this Iād never had any surgery, never even broken a bone. Itās normal to be scared of a major surgery. I did have a couple major freak outs about 2 weeks before surgery. And itās long, yes, I was under for like 5 hours? Recovery is drawn out but now that Iām looking and feeling a lot better, Iām so so so happy that I went through it all.
What helped me leading up to it was my therapist, and many talks with friends who had had FFS already and were long healed. Everyone reported similar fears. Also, preparing all the materials and everything Iād need. Most importantly, you need a good support system for the first 7-10 days post surgery, the first 4 days especially.
And it is all so worth it. FFS is truly life changing and itās only been 24 days for me. lmk if you wanna talk more <3
Many thanks for the reply. You sure made my day better, alias, my days. And it also made me have courage again and start a new appointment to schedule the surgery.
Ahhh youāre so welcome! May I ask who youāre going to?
Ahhh youāre so welcome! May I ask who youāre going to?
Oh yes. I will operate with Facial Team Brazil
Didnāt know they had a Brazil branch but facial team is great! Good luck with everything babe ā¤ļøā¤ļø
Are the cheek implants more on the cheekbone or more on the cheek itself?
I believe theyāre on the cheekbone directly
Girliepop! I saw your pics on google but had no clue that was doc Rodriguez!! I just got mine done about 2 weeks ago and have been scouring the internet for his work so thank you very much for your gorgeous results!
My wife is getting FFS in a few months and I wanted a visual timeline to share with her. Thank you for posting your progress! You look so incredible and this makes me very excited for my partnerās journey!
Date I ask the cost? And covereed by insurance? I think it looks š
Iām so curious how itās coming along!
https://i.imgur.com/VEPODf6.jpg this is me on new years (with makeup)
almost 7 weeks post op
You look beautiful. How long did you take off work?
Thankfully I had 5 full weeks off :) I work for a tech firm with pretty supportive policies
Thatās wonderful! I just started a new job that has health insurance with full trans inclusive insurance. FFS is specifically covered.
Iām wondering since itās definitely medically necessary if Iāll be able to take short term disability or FMLA.
Any thoughts? How did you take your leave, in a similar way as I typed above or through PTO?
My company has 12 weeks of paid medical leave, and I think thatās before short term disability. Itās separate from PTO. I had to get a few forms filled out by the surgeonās office, where they wrote their recommendations for a recovery timeline (5 weeks). Thankfully my job just signed off on it too. I have a friend who went to the same surgeon, but they only got 2 weeks off.
Thatās very generous. Maybe mine does too? Lol Iāll have to ask HR. Kinda waiting to ask HR until I get things more setup. Idk if that makes sense?
Anyways you look beautiful. Iāve been on HRT for 4 years, but have known that I needed FFS for myself for more years than I can count. Kinda doesnāt feel real that itās going to happen for me, and soon too! Lol
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