I hope to make a video to provide a more audible and visual update for those that are following my progress, but yet again, this might fall in to that procrastination category. It might even fall in to the “I don’t like how my hair looks” excuse category.

I’m still on the weekly shots, same dosage of 100mg or something/week.
My scars are doing well, my chest hair is coming in seemingly with the  intention of covering them up.
I’ll do 1 year photos in July.

I still have a bit of soreness in the sides when I reach or overexert and I often feel bruising on the right side [non-visible]. I’m starting to more intensely massage out my scar tissue, as recommended by a friend’s sister who is a massage therapist. I also found information on it here.

Front

Front Close

Left

Left Front

Right Front

Right

Right Nipple

Left Nipple

Time will tell if it is published or not.

“The GLBTA office is a resource office, library and safe zone for ANY student on campus. I have never been a victim of any anti-LGBT threats, abuse or violence in Cache Valley and I hope I never will be, but there are people who have experienced these things for either real or perceived sexual and gender identities. The office and the separate, self-funded USU club LIFE [Love is for Everyone] work to be inclusive, understanding and respectful to anyone that visits or needs information. Information is not forced upon the students or community.
This office in particular has helped provide information requested by family and friends, to prevent suicides, and to make sure that discrimination and harassment are not tolerated on this campus for any reason whatsoever, one of which being homo- and transphobia. Unfortunately, sexism and racism still exist as well, and have their own programs. The Access and Diversity Center bring these groups together.
Like the work done by the Women’s Center or the MultiCultural clubs, the work done by this office deserves student funding. The office is not promoting an agenda and enforces a strict no-hate/bash zone. Everyone is welcome. EVERYONE. The Access and Diversity Center has the opportunity to do a lot of good for the campus and the community.”

Isaac Furniss

Not much to say. I healed up well, I’m really glad that I’m all done with my transition. I’ve also been released from seeing my therapist as I’ve been deemed a stable, high functioning tranny in society.

Enjoy.

Front

Left

Right

Left Side

Right Side

Left Nipple

Right Nipple

Numbness hasn’t gone down at all yet, but my scar tissue has already healed and flattened out quite a bit. I have been massaging the harder spots gently [as it can hurt quite a bit to apply pressure] and I think that has helped.

Chest hair is coming in well, as you may be able to see the bits and pieces from the pictures, but as usual it’s all growing in much lighter in color and slowly darkening. We’ll see how that goes.

Also…the center of my chest is starting to birth sutures. I will try to get a picture when it is visible, but right now it just looks like another hair. Also my chest is becoming hairy, but mostly on the left side.

My experience thus far can be summarized in one word: sore. I stopped taking my prescribed pain medicine [a generic Vicodin] as it was making me nauseous and I finished up my antibiotic [generic Keflex] this latest Sunday. I wrap my chest with the ace bandage as needed to assist with swelling, which has been mild. I also wrap in ice packs to help with soreness and deep tissue bruises that I can still feel. I also have a slight buildup of liquid in my right side, so I’ve been making sure to clean and neosporin the hole where the drainage tube was so that it can continue to drain onto a bandage. I don’t want that fluid buildup to cause any problems and so I am keeping a close eye on it. I also feel a harder line of tissue beneath my scar, which I have taken as the sutures that I can still feel beneath the skin combined with scar tissue. I will follow up on that with Dr. Garramone if it does not soften over the next couple of weeks.

I still have the Xeroform bandages and have been keeping my nipple grafts as clean as I can without really rubbing or scrubbing them so that they can grow new skin underneath and flake off the dead skin on top.

I have been cautious and trying hard not to lift anything too heavy, stretch my arms to reach for anything or lift my arms above my head. Overall, healing is going well, so it’s mostly a matter of patience before I return to my regular schedule.

Now, pictures:

Right

Left

Right Nipple Graft

Left Nipple Graft

Right Side

Left Side

Hormone Dose: 100 mg / week
Method: Injection @ the USU Clinic [alternating to each hip]
Cost: $5 / injection or about $25 / month

I took these photos approximately 2 weeks post-shave. I didn’t jot down the date of my last shave, so it is just an estimate.

Alas, my lovely girlfriend thinks it’s gross. So it all goes under the blade…tonight!

Here are the photos, fresh off the press, of my chest as of this morning.

Chest: Front

Chest: Side

Irritation from drainage tube: Left Side

Left Nipple: Minor irritation

Chest: Center; connected scars to prevent puckering

Right Nipple

Right Nipple: Close-up

Chest: Left angle

Right Side: Under my arm

Nipple Pasties!

Dr. Garramone unwrapped my chest, removed the stitched bandages on my nipples, pulled out the drainage tubes and bandaged me back up: minus the ace bandaging. My adhesive stuck pretty well this last week, and that was a bit painful to remove, probably due to a few of my chest hairs coming back already. He pointed out that he did have to connect my chest scars together, as there was just going to be too much extra skin that could pucker out and look very unnatural later in my healing process.

There is medical tape / bandaging over the horizontal scars which should remain on for about a week. They should start falling off by themselves and if they aren’t by next week I am instructed to remove them gently at that time. The sutures themselves will dissolve or be pushed out over the next several weeks of healing.

Then my drainage tubes needed to come out. He laid my chair back and had me breath in deeply and then exhale hard with my head pointed the opposite direction for each tube. The left one came out without any feeling, but the right one burned and itched quite a bit right away. It burned for several minutes, but feels much better now about an hour later. The instructions for care of these small holes is that I need to keep them covered with a band-aid and neosporin, changed daily. They should close up just fine in the next couple of days.

There were lovely yellow Xeroform Petrolatum dressings sewn on to each nipple and so he had to remove those stitches and bandages one at a time. My instructions for nipple care are pretty precise. I can’t let any shower head water hit them directly for several weeks while they heal. I have more Xeroform bandages, which I will cut a little square off of each day and apply with some neosporin to each nipple. I will then put a large band-aid over each nipple and make sure that it stays clean. The skin will start to peel off of my nipples in the next week and will likely even continue to do so for a couple of weeks. This is the dead skin flaking off with the growth of new cells underneath. Basically the nipples are going to look pretty gnarly for some time. After my Xeroform runs out, I should still neosporin and bandage my nipples daily. Hot.

Movement and exertion should be kept minimal for the next 6 weeks after the date of my surgery. I should not swim, exercise or fornicate until that time to prevent tearing or stretching of my scars. I should try not to extend my arms too far or lift much more than 5-10 lbs for 5 more weeks. So this puts me out of the running until August 26th, 2010. I’ll have to be good until then.

I’ll post the post-op appointment video, as soon as it’s up.

Update: It’s UP.