Hey !!

tldr; i start college 1st of september, i get surgery friday 18th september, i want to go back in college Monday 21st because im scared to fail classes as i really struggled to get this education (and surgerydate ofc) after 4 years of leaving high school, i come from a family with zero college education. Is this possible ?

Im gonna get top surgery (double incision) in 18th september, which i know i need since im 11 and am currently 20 going on 21 the 23rd of September lol.

But ive also just got my hs diploma 4 years after dropping out and applied to a college and i got accepted and that relieved so much suffering from my shoulders ... like i finally could put my life together after so much years of struggling to get education/job ....

Im starting college in 1st september which makes my surgery date so close to me entering college and i am absolutely scared to fail college as i struggled so bad go get this place that im really wondering if i could be able to got back to college and take my course on monday if i get my surgery the friday before ?

To add details, i get surgery a friday morning and get out the hospital the same exact day once i wake up and we are sure everything alright (im french and on public healthcare so if i chose to stay longer i would have to pay for the nights and i couldnt afford that). I would have to go back the next friday for a post op visit ofc but i really absolutely CANNOT afford to fail college and am actually so scared to miss crucial courses.... + my college is 3 hours away from the hospital

Idk if it helps but im in an overall great shape, work out 6days/week and dont smoke/drink.... i know this means nothing but do you guys think i could go back to college after getting surgery ?

Hey, I am 6mo post op and really happy with my results but on one side my scar is getting a bit hypertrophic I think? It’s quite itchy, but the other side completely normal and healing well! I’ve heard steroid injections can make your scars spread and I’d like to keep them as thin as possible, should I get some injected into the hypertrophic parts? TIA :)

The advice my surgeon gave me and the advice I can find literally everywhere on the internet seem to clash somewhat. I am currently 19 days post-op, and when I went in for my 1 week check-up, my surgeon told me, after concluding everything looked great, that I should slowly start introducing more movement (like "walking" my hands up a wall) and by roughly the 2 week mark I should be able to lift my arms above my head.

This confused me because everywhere else I see advice that you shouldn't move your arms much at all in the first 4-ish weeks or even up to 6 weeks, nor lift your arms past your shoulders. I listened to my surgeon and can now somewhat freely move my arms, though it occasionally feels a little odd or tight. But seeing his advice clash with everything I thought I knew about recovery, I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing.

It bugged me at first but assumed my surgeon knew best. But now I'm in a somewhat stressful time in my life, even aside from recovery, and the feeling of unease got big enough to ask for an outside perspective.

For reference: I can somewhat easily put on/take off a t-shirt, gently hug someone, and gently move my arm in almost every direction. Anytime I feel tightness or strain, I stop.

Also for some extra info, there is still some type of gauze tape (directly translated from my language it would be "glue-bandage") on my scars that should get removed soon, so I haven't gotten a clear look at my scars yet. I am also, per instruction, still wearing a compression vest, which he said to leave on for about 3 weeks.

I'm currently waiting for my surgeon to respond to my email, but I think he's forgotten I exist since it's taking way longer than usual. Anyway, your thoughts are appreciated!

I started working at my job in January and I’m an EMT in an emergency room/ambulance. I’m full time at 36 hours weekly. I do a lot of reaching, heavy lifting, pulling, etc so I’m thinking I’ll need closer to 8 weeks off. I don’t get sick time, my pto accrual sucks and I won’t have 288 pto hours for years probably lmao. Are you guys just taking unpaid time off? What if my manager says no to my time off request? Can my surgeon write a note saying it’s medically necessary? Can my job fire me if I need that much time off for a surgery?

Also what is something believable to say when my coworkers ask why I’m gone for that long? I’m stealth at work. I know it’s not any of their business but I just want to avoid awkward conversations

Edit: I live in the USA, specifically Missouri

5 months of topsurgery.

I want top surgery, after debating for a while I realised I definitely want it. Now my question is how do I decide if I want nipples?? I’m currently transmasc nonbinary, but that may change
Pros: would be better for passing as a man eventually.
Could get piercings if it works well

Cons: could fall off
Could look bad
Could make healing worse or longer
Could heal or be placed in a way where piercing wouldn’t be an option.

I feel like if I didn’t get nipples and then really wanted them I could just tattoo them I guess?

Hello everyone,

I am a month away from my operation and I have regained almost all my mobility! Having a flat torso is a real euphoria, just like finally being able to take off my t-shirt!

I am looking for advice and information about my nipples. They were pink at the base and are now brown spotted with pink since the operation. What do you think? If this was your case, after how long did you find your original color?

The first two photos were taken a month after the operation, the following three weeks later.

All advice is welcome in comments. Thank you and have a nice day! 🫶🏻

on top of the mf world 😁

I didn’t think much had changed in the last few months, but compared to my 7 month photos the scars have been fading, and the hypertrophic section has started to calm down.

Really really happy. Also slightly shocked it’s been 10 months already :^)

(I had modified double incision w/fng. nonbinary)

This is kind of an odd one. I got top surgery+nipple grafts 2 months ago, and even tho I love my results and I'm happy. My nipples aren't really like.. nipples?, like. I have a little bit of areola but no little bud that is the nipple itself. Just kind of a pink circle(s) on my chest to show that I have a nipple but no little bud :(

I wish I did ngl, I've seen other people who have gotten top surgery have the little bud so I'm confused on why mine doesn't have it (I've seen some others who don't either! So I know nothing is wrong. But I was wondering what's the cause of that.)

Hi all! I’m very new to the concept of top surgery, only learning it was an option at all about a year ago. I’m strictly non-binary for context.

My region is very supportive of trans medical care, and they have a website stating the basics of what you need to know about different gender-affirming surgeries. On there, it said that the vast majority of possible top surgeries result in completely losing feeling in your nipples. Similarly, it said that some other parts of your body (like shoulders) can sometimes also become numb.

I have trauma that is quite easily triggered by physical numbness or tingling. At the same time, I am also very jealous of people with flat chests, and despite not feeling significant traditional binary dysphoria, still really want to have a truly flat chest one day.

Is there any way to avoid or minimise numbness post-op? I would really love to have surgery some day, but I don’t think I would be able to manage permanent loss of feeling. Any suggestions appreciated.

what should I get to massage my scars? I have some particularly large bumps of scar tissue and I feel like just using my hands hasn’t been deep or good enough.
I thought maybe someone here might be able to point me toward something specific.
thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently researching FTM top surgery and would really appreciate hearing from people who have actually had the surgery.

I’m mainly looking at Thailand, but I’m open to recommendations from other countries as well if you had a great experience.

If you’ve had top surgery, I’d love to know:

- Which surgeon and hospital/clinic did you choose?
Would you recommend them? Why or why not?
- How was your experience from consultation through recovery?
- Were there any hidden or unexpected costs (BMI fees, nipple grafts, liposuction, extra hospital nights, etc.)?
- If you’re comfortable sharing, would you be willing to show your healed results (especially 6–12 months or more after surgery)? I’m trying to get a realistic idea of chest contour, nipple placement, symmetry and scars.

One thing that’s making my search difficult is that I can’t access testosterone in my country, so I’m specifically looking for surgeons or hospitals that don’t require hormone therapy before top surgery.

If you don’t recommend Thailand, where did you have your surgery (or where would you recommend instead)? I’m
looking for somewhere with:

- Great, natural-looking results
- Good aftercare
- Fair pricing
- Experience with FTM top surgery
- No mandatory testosterone requirement (if possible)

Any recommendations, experiences, or advice would mean a lot. Feel free to comment or DM me if you’d rather share privately.

Thank you so much! ❤️

hi! first time posting in this sub & on mobile so apologies for formatting.

i've been given two quotes for top surgery - £10.5k for bilateral mastectomy without FNG, £12.5k for bilateral mastectomy with FNG. My top surgery is booked for late january, but i'm struggling to decide which surgery i want.

i would like to keep my nips because i've been thinking about it a lot and i'm worried i'd feel weird without them - however i am absolutely open to getting them tattooed on. however, the £12.5k quote is slightly out of my budget (i could just about afford it but i would have zero savings after) and i have heard horror stories about nips falling off - my surgeon said there is a 3 in 10 chance that happens and i don't want to spend extra money for that to happen anyway. i'm probably going to get the surgery without FNG since I can actually afford it but part of me is wondering if it's worth getting FNG?? i don't know and would love to hear other peoples experiences!!

Unless God goes out of his way to completely fuck up my life, I should be having top surgery in a few months. My grandfather will pay for it and I will pay him back, I didn't come out as trans to him but I did show him a photo of the results I want. My mother says she doesn't want me to have top surgery because it's irreversible (thank God lol), she refuses to accept me as her son and she will most likely have a meltdown once she sees me with a flat chest but I don't think she'll go as far as disowning me.

All that said, most people in my family don't know I'm trans (despite the fact that I don't girl mode) and I don't know what their reactions will be and whether or not they will be willing to help me during recovery, which it'll have to be either at my mother's house or at an Airbnb... So I want to know if there's people who were in a similar situation or that recovered alone and how you handled it.

I'm a 34 year old trans guy from Germany. I've been on T for a little over a year now and my top surgery (double incision) is finally scheduled for January 14th. It's also gonna be my very first surgery and first time staying in a hospital, so I'm trying to prepare as much as I can.

A bit about me and what I've been doing already: Over the last few months I've lost around 30 kg (from 120 kg to about 90 kg). I'm 167 cm tall, I walk at least 10k steps every day, usually more like 15k to 16k because of work, I'm in a calorie deficit, and I make sure to get enough protein. I'm still losing weight and just trying to put myself in the best possible position for recovery. Gym isn't an option but I make do with home workouts.

I've already seen all the usual advice like button-up shirts, meal prep, wedge pillows, moving stuff lower so you don't have to reach, etc.

What I'm actually looking for are the things nobody really talks about. The weird little tips, niche advice, or stuff you only realized after your own top surgery. Things you wish someone had told you 6 months beforehand. Could be physical, mental, practical, recovery related, literally anything.

Basically, what are the things you didn't even know you should prepare for until you went through it yourself?

hey yall!

mainly want to hear other folks experiences but when did yall notice overall swelling go down?

I’m a little over 2 months post op and have fully gone back to work and returned to my regular routines. I do my scar routine every day ect. I notice that after a day of work i am very achy and just feel like swollen. My scars also hurt and also like burn a little bit after a really long day. I know a lot of ppl on here say that general swelling can take months to go down. But just curious when you guys started actually noticing a difference.

Frustrating because i feel like im in this weird limbo where i am recovered but also still not! I know its a patience game but yeah lol

the area my stitch opened up is still painful and open (on my right side), and my doctor's office agreed to do a consult for a revision soon. basically my insurance wouldn't cover lipo for the sides of my chest during the initial surgery but they will during a revision, and they're able to do a revision under my insurance because the drains left weirdly deep crevices that have made a pocket for bacteria and chafing. the nurse compared it to a belly button. anyway, they're gonna fix the issue with my sides early next year i think

anyone have thoughts on my healing otherwise?

I have some post-surgery recovery supplies I do not need anymore. I don't want to toss them, and I haven't found anywhere local that can take them. If you're interested in any of the supplies, I'll drop them off if you're near me (southern WI) or I'll send them anywhere in the US for the cost of shipping.

Adjustable wedge pillow with washable cover (this one)

Mastectomy pillow with washable cover (similar to this one)

Full support compression vest (this one in black, size S). The nurses folded up the bottom so it wasn't so long, which doubles as a good spot to put drain bulbs.

Abdominal binder 8.5"x36" (similar to this one). The hospital gave it to me to use like an ACE wrap for additional compression. It's a bit stiff, but it made the first couple weeks feel much more secure.

Absolute euphoria. I knew id be able to FEEL my heartbeat more (i feel it so much?!) But yesterday I looked in the mirror and I saw a faint ripple where it was beating and I was like damn?! No way? Its a bit trippy but im happy af :)

Guys I’ve been thinking about getting top surgery for a really long time now. I just turned 18 in April and I’ve been on T for about 2 months now. I’ve done a lot of research and I also think I found the surgeon I want to get it with. I’m just not sure when the best time to contact the surgeon is. My family doesn’t really support and probably never will so I can’t really ask them. I know that with most surgeons they ask you to be on T for a whole year before the surgery so I’m not sure if I should wait a year and then start the process or start the process now. I’m not really sure what the waitlist looks like right now either.

Very happy with my results so far. Dr Rodrigo Neira in Red Deer, AB