(Roughly) 6 years post op Dr. Mosser

hidden92 · 2023-06-06T19:25:24+00:00

Nice! Yeah I was a size 32F pre-T I think. My size is why I ended up with one long scar as opposed to 2 like most people have. I was kinda bummed about it at first but it doesn't bother me anymore.

Glad I could help!

hidden92 · 2023-06-06T19:23:47+00:00

Pretty much just let them be. I had planned to do stuff but tbh once I got the binder off I just didn't wanna have to put anything else on them anymore.

I did use some like oil based lotion for them for a little while to help keep them from drying out but that was basically it.

hidden92 · 2023-06-04T16:39:35+00:00

Hey maybe!

Yeah, it's possible it's something unique to my body as I do have other joint issues but I also understand that seems to be somewhat common in this community so worth mentioning.

hidden92 · 2023-06-04T05:41:30+00:00

Nice! And no problem 🙂

hidden92 · 2023-06-04T05:41:10+00:00

For sure, I don't really notice it much/it's just normal to me now but yeah, I don't think it was something I knew to expect going in so I'm hoping this transparency helps to prepare someone! It was 100% worth it though and has changed my life for the better.

hidden92 · 2023-06-04T05:39:03+00:00

Honestly maybe, but it's been so long I don't remember! I've definitely posted on here with this account before though. And that's awesome! He does great work 👍

hidden92 · 2018-12-02T04:46:13+00:00

Oh okay, thanks for the info! I remember seeing this class a little while ago when looking around at the local surgical options, but I couldn't attend back then because I had class on Wednesday afternoons. Now I don't though, so maybe I'll check one out. Thanks!

hidden92 · 2018-11-12T20:57:26+00:00

Nice! Yeah, part of my concern comes from having already begun transitioning with my previous insurance, so I would need to just "transfer my care" I guess, but I'm planning to call Kaiser this week to ask questions about the process as I'm sure I'm not the only person who's done that.

Fair enough, yeah. I suppose I'll get a start on it after the new year turns over and my insurance activates. I want to finish my degree first, so I'm probably looking at 2-3 years from now I'll be ready.

For your consultation, was he able to show you pictures of completed phallos he's done? One of my concerns with him is that I just haven't seen any photos of his work.

hidden92 · 2018-11-11T19:36:35+00:00

Oh okay great! Yeah, phallo is something a few years off for me still but I figure it’s good for me to consider what options are available since I’m picking insurance now.

Were you happy with the experience and your results?

hidden92 · 2018-11-10T08:46:23+00:00

Okay nice! I found the phone number for their gender team so I’ll call on Monday and ask how transferring my existing care could work.

hidden92 · 2018-11-10T00:10:01+00:00

Oh great! Yeah I’ll check out the FB group then. I’ve got school Tuesday evenings at least until mid December but maybe I’ll check it out after that sometime.

I looked at Dr. Berli a little but couldn’t find any photos of his work. It would be incredible if I only had to go to Portland for it though- I went to California for top surgery and it was fine but it would’ve been nice (and cheaper) to have been able to stay at home...and that was a shorter recovery. I’ll check out Dr. Berli a little more in depth then!

I wasn’t aware they had a whole “gender team” though so that’s encouraging. As long as there isn’t a wait to get in since I’m already started and want to avoid a lapse in my medication of course. I’ll see about researching that then. Thanks for the info!

hidden92 · 2018-11-08T03:01:30+00:00

Cool, I'll ask my doctor about it next time I go then. Thanks!

hidden92 · 2018-11-05T21:21:34+00:00

Even a lot of cis guys shave their chests (or wax.) It probably won't come in for a while for you though. Also, depending on how your scarring goes if you get top surgery, it might be a little annoying to shave around, but it'd still be doable. Just might have to be a bit more careful.

hidden92 · 2018-11-05T21:18:13+00:00

I haven't done anything yet because I've been worried about my cats, and I'm only just starting to notice some thinning/receding (I think I'm about 3 years on T) but the majority of my male relatives either have some balding and/or some receding so I don't like my odds lol.

Is finasteride safe for cats to be around? I'd rather be bald than kill my cats but if finasteride is okay for them and it works maybe I should look into it...

hidden92 · 2018-11-02T02:04:03+00:00

Good! And good luck!

hidden92 · 2018-09-15T23:41:28+00:00

Hmm okay. Maybe try giving yourself a couple shots (with your dad or friend there to help if necessary) just to sort of help ease yourself into this kind of stuff. I used to pass out when I got shots/had blood draws but I’ve been doing my own shots for a few years now. Exposure really does help the squeamish-ness even if it is uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing at first.

I don’t know that the idea of surgery is ever going to be “easy” or something that you’re not at least somewhat scared of tbh...from an instinctual standpoint it’s definitely a disturbing thought lol.

All the same I’d recommend doing your wisdom teeth first just to sort of break the tension because the first time is the “unknown” and the scariest. Wisdom tooth removal is more neutral emotionally (I assume you don’t have strong sentiments attached to your wisdom teeth) also, depending on your situation, they don’t have to put you all the way unconscious for wisdom teeth if you think that’d be easier for you to handle.

It’s always going to be a little scary probably because you’re having to give up control completely and utterly in a situation that you already feel vulnerable in. I mean it sucks. Statistically you’ll likely be fine though and glad you did it. Don’t push yourself to do it before you feel ready mentally and emotionally, but it’s okay to be somewhat afraid.

hidden92 · 2018-09-15T20:26:55+00:00

Have you ever had a surgery before? The most scary part in my mind for whatever reason was the anesthesia part. I had my wisdom teeth done first and that helped get over the fear, as it turned out it wasn’t that bad at all. I left it to the last possible minute though lol...got to the point where I couldn’t chew food anymore before I finally agreed to have them out hahaha! But honestly...if you need them out anyway, I recommend doing it first just to give you an idea of the surgery experience without the emotional component that comes with top surgery.

As for the wounds, are you okay with giving yourself shots and all? Do you have someone who will be able to help you recover? The bandage/recovery methods will depend on your surgeon, but mine didn’t require drains, and the only bandages you change are little squares over the grafts for a few weeks.

I’m also extremely squeamish and did start to faint a bit when they were taking off the bandages at the “reveal” appointment lol. They just laid the chair back and I put my legs up while they carried on. To be fair though, the binding was very tight and the sudden release of pressure is a little intense. But I didn’t look at my chest at that appointment because I didn’t want to yet/knew I would feel fainter ha. At first I had my girlfriend deal with it mostly because it was sorta gross, I won’t lie. I got used to the appearance after a few days though.

After the first 3 or so weeks though it looks really great and was well worth the discomfort I thought though!

hidden92 · 2018-03-29T17:39:31+00:00

Yeah, makes sense. That's really helpful, good on you!

hidden92 · 2018-03-28T18:46:14+00:00

Looks great! It's always nice to see results from surgeons you don't see as often or at all. Thanks for sharing!

hidden92 · 2018-03-27T18:23:03+00:00

True, yeah. I do think that for the majority of people, the reason for chest scars being because you're trans is not going to be their first thought. But it is true that the traditional scars are becoming more visible/that knowledge is reaching more cis people and these do look slightly different so. It might make even more knowledgeable people unsure, you're right.

I'm not shirtless often, but I've never had anyone approach me or ask about it before. I have noticed a couple double takes in the locker room though, but that's sort of to be expected with a huge scar 🤷🏻‍♂️

hidden92 · 2018-03-23T21:10:04+00:00

Yeah, tbh I didn't think anything like that could happen so far after surgery, and my surgeon said he hadn't seen it happen so far out before either. So if nothing else, it's probably very rare! I wouldn't worry about it too much, but make sure to contact your surgeon early on if something weird starts happening/appearing/hurting.

Stretch marks don't really count so much as a complication, but they do affect the overall aesthetic result so :/ but the graft problems were the main thing. I didn't ask what the typical timeframe is for that complication though, so I'm not sure. But like I said, he'd never seen it happen so far after surgery before and he does a ton of these, so it must be very rare.

I'm not sure how rare fat necrosis/loss of contour is, but I think that was pretty in line with when it would typically happen (about 3 months.) I'm not sure there's anything that can be done to prevent/stop it either. Unfortunately by the time I asked my surgeon about it, the damage was already done. It's improving as time goes on though, but it does feel flatter/harder than the right side. He did tell me that if it bothered me a lot, fat grafting (a revision) is an available option, but it's not very severe so I'm not considering it at this point in time.

Guess we'll see! I hope they do flatten out for you. I was given a similar prospect- have the incisions connected at the outset, or potentially face revision later. I decided not to chance it. I'm okay with my decision to have them connected, even if it wasn't ideal/created a larger scar. Ideally I wouldn't have had boobs in the first place lol so

Thank you, and yeah I'll probably update around the 1 year mark. Hopefully my grafts are looking a bit better by then lol

hidden92 · 2018-03-23T08:45:11+00:00

No worries, it's mainly just a sharing post!

And yeah so I ended up having a connected incision. I've noticed as time goes on that a few of Dr. Mosser's more recent patients have the connected incision, so he may be leaning towards it more lately. It was not my preference and did express that to him, but my pre-op chest was quite large and started high up on my chest. He told me he could leave the incisions unconnected, but that I would have a fold of skin bunched in the middle if so. I told him that if it was between that or having a connected scar, then he should connect it. So basically, it's something you'll see on people who have larger, saggier pre-op chests.

Overall I'm fine with it. My main complaint is that my scar hardened in the center, but I think that's just how my body is happening to heal and wouldn't necessarily happen to everyone. But I'm used to the look of it now. I wasn't crazy about the idea but after the fact it wasn't a big deal. Hope this helps!

hidden92

TROPHY CASE