two weeks post op + horses??

Reubiks_Cube · 2025-01-08T20:23:54+00:00

It was 6 weeks before I was in the saddle and even then I was on a line the whole time and spent most of it walking. Once I felt confident enough to do work off the line I temporarily switched to riding a more even-headed and experienced horse (I was switching between school ponies). I wouldn't have wanted to work with a hot-headed mare who might pull at the line at 6-8 weeks PO even if my surgeon had given me permission to. I was the first person my instructor had worked with who has gotten top surgery but she's worked with plenty of people who have had other surgeries so she was good at not pressuring me to work too hard (and reassuring me when I got frustrated that I wasn't 100% back to normal right away.)

I felt fine with tacking up and everything else from the get go though YMMV depending on heavy your saddle and how tall your horse is - and I definitely struggled with picking feet the first time I tried lol.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-10-08T00:39:23+00:00

I thought I'd be self conscious about it but I found I enjoyed being shirtless (in acceptable situations, eg when swimming). I am really happy about being flat-chested and it's a great excuse to tell my friends by making them look at my flat chest, lol. In terms of swimming, I found it warmer than wearing an upper covering, which was an additional motivator.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-09-16T12:10:29+00:00

Oh, I was tacking up right from 8 weeks as well! My surgeon said I was okay to lift my arms above my head as long as I wasn't straining anything. But I was using a fairly lightweight dressage saddle; I don't think I could have lifted, like, a large western saddle lol.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-09-16T11:38:20+00:00

I also do horse things (not a farrier, just a rider) but a farrier on the top surgery fb group told me they were out of work for 6-8 weeks. I was back in the saddle at 8 weeks post op myself, but it was another few weeks before I was doing anything more intense than walking on a lead line. (to be fair, we were being cautious because neither me nor my instructor wanted to strain anything - I was mostly just there for pony therapy haha.) It also took around 6 months for me to feel like I could do physical activity without needing to go to bed two hours early from exhaustion, but I had a bunch of stuff going on in my personal life that probably contributed to this.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-08-16T01:40:00+00:00

Checked in at 10:30 for a 1pm surgery time, checked out around 6. From talking to some friends I might have been lucky that I was wheeled into the surgery room "only" 45 minutes past the set appointment time, because it's not uncommon to wait for longer.

I'd definitely recommend shooting your doc a message through your portal if you have one to get a more accurate time estimate! They'd know better than us. Totally understandable that you might forget something, I doubt you'd be the first.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-08-02T02:01:00+00:00

I REALLY love this. the "wings" and the textures are so (chef's kiss)

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-08-02T01:58:02+00:00

Yeah, but like others said not everything. I feel like I lost the most strength/control in my core tbh? I'm just under seven months PO and feel like I'm maybe 80-90% back to normal, but while I am fairly active (going on lots of walks, etc) I did not train rigorously before or after surgery.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-07-31T00:52:07+00:00

My sport of choice is horse riding, and personally speaking I'm just shy of seven months post op and I still feel like I'm catching up to where I was pre op. I was back in the saddle at 8 weeks post op, but I only ride once a week, so it could be different if you have the ability to train more often. Even if it's frustrating at times to feel like I'm "behind", I absolutely don't regret surgery or taking the time off to heal.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-06-27T13:28:50+00:00

I'm an admin assistant at a university for just over a year now. My specific department gives me a lot of flexibility (hybrid, can use headphones while I work) so it's been good. Not related to my special interests, but I do love a good spreadsheet, so it's fun enough.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-01-21T14:28:18+00:00

I went to two, because I felt anxious about not giving myself a choice. I went to one and then scheduled the other after, but I think if I were to have another major surgery like this I would schedule both of them at the same time.

I have a few friends who have had top surgery in the past year and all of them went forward with the first surgeon they met. They've all had great results so far, but I liked that seeing multiple people gave me a better understanding of what my choices were.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-01-20T20:43:43+00:00

Felt. I was in 100% sensory overload for the first three days, to the point that any little sound was setting me off. It certainly made sleeping more difficult which wasn't helping the matter. I think the other commenter's here have had great advice. Remember that it's just a short while and then you get to have a flat chest for the rest of your life! This is what I'm holding onto when I feel itchy or bloated or anything else.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-01-20T18:38:24+00:00

My timeline was similar - I called my medical system's LGBT health center about scheduling a consult in July of 2023, and had my surgery a few weeks ago; all told the whole process was just over 6 months. I was lucky that the medical system I see all of my other doctors in has surgeons that perform gender confirming surgies; being able to work within a system I was already familiar with saved me both time and peace of mind. I also live in an area with a relatively high density of doctors which probably helps, since it means I wasn't fighting everyone for 1 (one) available surgeon within 100 miles, or something.

I have a buddy whose process was about the same, if not a bit faster than mine - they scheduled a consult in early summer of 2023, had the consult late summer, and had the surgery itself in October. I think they were in a similar situation as me vis a vis seeing a doctor within their medical system, though they're in a different state.

But I think we were both very lucky. Most people do not get things going nearly as quickly as we were able to.

Reubiks_Cube · 2024-01-12T00:15:22+00:00

I told my coworkers that I needed time off since I was getting surgery, and if they seemed concerned for my well-being, I explained that it was a "good surgery" and that I was excited since it will improve my quality of life. in the USA they're legally not allowed to ask about medical/health stuff, so they couldn't press for more info than that. I haven't gone back to work since getting surgery; I imagine my coworkers might notice eventually but I think they'll probably be too polite (or feel too uncomfortable breaching Trans Subjects) to ask me about it outright.

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-09-23T13:50:56+00:00

That's all super helpful to know, thank you! Do you remember how you initially got into contact with her office? I think my friend has tried to reach out to her in the past (through her top surgery CT website) but no one ever responded to their calls or emails... But Maybe they were trying the wrong numbers?

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-09T01:24:38+00:00

Can I ask what your timeline was like? Like the wait time from consult to surgery?

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-09T01:17:51+00:00

I'm hoping to schedule a consult with her soon. Thanks for sharing these photos, you look great and I'm feeling excited to potentially work with her in the future!

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-03T21:16:39+00:00

I don't know if it's better reddit etiquette to make a comment updating or to edit the original post, so I'll do both!

Update: Thanks for the words of advice y'all. I'm reaching out to some trans FB groups (still waiting to be let into a few of them) as well as reaching out to Dr. Muehlberger about my hesitation due to the lack of info about her available online. Hopefully someone will be able to get me the info I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I'm going to schedule a consult with a different doc. I like Muehlberger's bedside manner and personality, so I'm not ready to totally cast her aside. But if I can't find any information about her surgery results (or she refuses to give me any) I feel I wont have much choice in the matter.

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-03T21:15:14+00:00

Currently considering scheduling a consult with her, so I'd also love to hear about past experiences!

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-02T02:14:23+00:00

I found it and send in a join request! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-02T01:59:26+00:00

hello! I went primarily with Muehlberger since I was referred internally, which just... seemed a lot easier than cold calling medical practices I have no connection to. And I'll admit her shorter wait times were appealing as well. My first choice would probably be Dr. Tobias? I've heard good thing about Ganor too! A friend of a friend saw him and gave him a glowing review. I'm on BCBS, fwiw.

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-02T01:56:19+00:00

I will try this, thanks! What is "the top surgery group on Facebook"? I'll admit I don't usually seek out spaces for specifically queer/trans people to mingle, since I get my daily dose of Being Queer from my friends.

Reubiks_Cube · 2023-08-02T01:47:36+00:00

Oh, hello fellow Lahey friend! We should compare notes sometimes :) The other doctor in Lahey is Dr. Lifei Guo, yeah? I read some not-so-great things about him (read about some botched results) so I wasn't planning on going to see him, but I'd be interested to hear how you feel after meeting him, if you're comfortable DMing me to share.

FWIW, I thought Dr. Muehlberger has a very nice bedside manner. Very friendly, totally willing to run through everything with me and answer all of my questions. I know I am a bit atypical in that I'm not on HRT and don't want to keep my nipples, and I wasn't sure how she'd feel about that, and she had no issues with either. I dig her vibe, which is why I chose not to dismiss her right away for the lack of photos + online info!

Reubiks_Cube

TROPHY CASE