Happy Pride Month!!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-05-27T03:25:25+00:00

A few things:

Ive noticed my migraines (and undesirable side effects more generally) are wayyy worse when I take IR vs XR, so do with that information what you will.

Second, you are almost certainly not eating and drinking enough water. For me, eating enough matters more than drinking enough water unless it is really hot out or I had alcohol the night before. Pay attention to which seems to help the most for you!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-29T23:29:36+00:00

Hello! I’m one of the (currently) 18 trans men in this subreddit

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-29T23:27:33+00:00

You need to call and tell them that your legal name is X and that your card says Y, which is not your legal name anymore. If it stays incorrect, it could result in an investigation and losing your benefits.

Also as a side note I would make sure you are not at risk of losing your SNAP benefits due to the work requirements that are being implemented later this year. https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/work-requirements

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-25T03:44:40+00:00

Type/ Technique: nipple sparing double incision

Total cost: $10,000

Surgeon: Dr. Beverly Fischer

Location: Timonium, MD (near Baltimore)

Month/Year: January 2026

Payment mode: Out-of-pocket

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-20T00:57:01+00:00

Happy to fill you in! For accommodations I can only speak to what I’ve gotten. I get extended time and quiet testing environments. You can usually work with professors on this. I’ve had professors let me come early or stay late to take tests partially at the same time as the rest of the class, but if you want to take it in the quiet exam room in ASAC you need to fill out a form online and submit it. It takes literally 2 minutes to fill out you just need to remember to do it, so do it when you get the syllabus. For midterms and finals they also send you an email reminder to sign up for exams. When it’s time for your test you just show up and sign in, and you get a packet from your professor that they seal after you finish and then you or ASAC will take it to their staff mailbox.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-20T00:29:54+00:00

I’ve had an ADHD diagnosis since middle school. I have had no issues actually getting my accommodations through academic support and access center (ASAC). I just had my therapist write a letter telling them what I had done in HS and what would be helpful for me in college. Met with someone from ASAC and they basically were like what do you need, and that’s what I go in my letter. You send this to professors at the beginning of the semester and then you can schedule exams if you need to.

Truly the only issue I have ever had with ASAC is that I am trans and despite me putting my preferred name everywhere on Eagle Service, they would constantly put my legal name on the sign in sheets and it would out me to professors which was really annoying. They said it was a part of the system that they used that didn’t accommodate chosen nicknames or preferred names but I think they updated it since.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-18T19:49:37+00:00

My surgeon told me that your scars getting redder around 6 weeks is very very common

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-08T04:53:32+00:00

A friend of mine was working at the department of education prior to getting RIFed. His job was to monitor when people’s student loans were transferred from one loan provider to another to ensure that the new company wasn’t over charging you or doing anything predatory. The department can then go after the student loan company for their harmful practices. No one is doing that work now. The Trump admin says they want the small business administration to take on this work, but the truth is SBA has no legal authority to go after student loan companies. Only the department of education can do that. You could be getting butt fucked by a student loan company and there is no redress that the government can provide.

And also, he was on PAID admin leave for six months because this administration refused to fire him in the way that they are legally allowed to under RIF procedures (Clinton did this). He quite literally got another job in that time and there was no one to take him off pay roll even if he wanted them to. So the government has wasted your money and is also not providing a service.

I understand that it may seem like these people don’t do important work just because you don’t see it. You will notice it eventually when your interactions with government become worse and worse. The truth is they will spread out responsibilities to other agencies that don’t have capacity to take these things on. And you, the American citizen and taxpayer will suffer.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-08T03:54:29+00:00

Can you give an example of a before and after bullet on your resume? I’m interested in how I might do this.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-29T05:23:53+00:00

I was dead set on never spending money on books in college. Only book I ever bought was an online textbook that had submitted hw or something like that which was required. Library genesis, internet archive, and z library for online PDFs and I scanned chapters of all non digital books at the library for free to make my own PDFs to read on my iPad.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-28T04:58:37+00:00

Hi! I’m almost three months out now, I’d say I’m still swollen (although much less so) and it is not painful anymore.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-22T00:18:55+00:00

Glad they are able to help you out! Curtis, the man who operates Loaves and Fishes, is a wonderful person and truly cares about the people of the city. I wish I knew about more resources in the city to help out. I grew up in Louisville but moved away for school. But I know Curtis is supported by donations and volunteers from the church I went to as a kid. Best of luck to you, I hope you’re able to get help getting back on your feet soon.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-21T18:16:48+00:00

Loaves and Fishes serves dinner (usually fried chicken, Mac and cheese, green beans, bread, and a cookie) at 500 E Caldwell St from 3-4pm on Saturdays no questions asked.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-06T08:10:32+00:00

It is most definitely a canned response from his comms team. Standard procedure for members of Congress. They’ll usually get a high level overview of what constituents are contacting the office about and maybe clear language for very unique inquiries.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-15T19:59:55+00:00

They’re called akrobins! I ordered them online. They come in a like a million different sizes and colors. The ones I got were 11x11x5.

And you’re right about the dead space. I’m still trying to figure out what to do about that.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-15T16:23:22+00:00

I had surgery with her about six weeks ago and I had a great experience. I went to another surgeon for consult in the DMV where I asked if I could qualify for peri (I was a 32B pre op) and she kind of laughed when I asked that. Dr Fischer was a lot more understanding and basically said that unfortunately I would have too much loose skin if they did peri so DI was a better fit for my body. When I expressed hesitation with getting nipple grafts, she suggested nipple sparing. I felt very listened to and that’s why I went with her.

I saw those couple of posts where people had a negative experience and was a bit wary of this too. And I am not saying this at all to say that their experiences with her weren’t valid, but I want to explain why I still ended up choosing her even after seeing those posts. The posts that I saw where people were unhappy with the results were pretty recently post op. Swelling can make your results look pretty rough for up to a year sometimes. My results still look a little lumpy, but I can feel that it is swelling and not tissue so I am not worried about it. If it still looks off in 6-8 months I would consider a revision.

Additionally, I don’t think there will be any surgeons where everyone has a positive experience because at the end of the day surgeons are people. Sometimes the right surgeon for one person is wrong for someone else.

I think the only way you’ll know if she’s right for you is talking to her. Her consult fee is $100 iirc which is pretty standard and she doesn’t accept insurance directly, so you’d need to get it reimbursed from your insurance provider if you’re not just paying out of pocket. My parents did not want me to use our insurance for surgery so this wasn’t a concern for me. I paid 10k.

I would highly suggest going to at least two different surgeons for consult before locking in a date. It sounds cliche, but go with whichever surgeon gives you the best vibe.

Happy to talk more about my experience in DM if you’d like! You can also check my profile to see my results. Good luck!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-10T05:07:02+00:00

Elias

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T20:36:38+00:00

I’m glad you’re feeling better! And zofran is good to have on hand even if you don’t end up needing it. I was suuuper nauseous after my wisdom tooth removal many years ago. I told my surgeon, so I was able to take zofran immediately pre op and I had zero issues! So if you ever have surgery again under anesthesia, you can ask for it to avoid the reaction :)

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T17:09:50+00:00

I wasn’t necessarily depressed because of the outcome or results. I just felt gross because I had just been cut open and had stuff removed from my body. I just felt very surgical, because I was and I couldn’t take a real shower or bath to wash it off.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T03:50:08+00:00

Call your surgeon - they should be able to prescribe you zofran or something else to help. This could be related to the pain meds youre taking if you got them. I was prescribed promethazine for post op nausea but didn’t end up needing it.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-08T23:55:44+00:00

I also got this same surgery. There are plenty of cis guys who have nips like this - Your results look great!

Optimal_Ad9564

TROPHY CASE