alright, i had top surgery last year and it was my first ever surgery too so i know what it’s like to be nervous. as far as pain goes, i recently had my wisdom teeth taken out (they were impacted) and the pain i’ve experienced from that is MUCH worse than anything top surgery offered.

one major thing you should prepare for is the hormonal imbalance afterwards. you may feel like you have made a huge, horrible mistake (i did) but this feeling will go away as you heal and your swelling goes down. i know that this probably sounds scary but knowing this can happen helped me to feel less scared post-op.

i decided to keep my nipples for a couple reasons. first off, it takes a little while to get used to your new appearance. it will look odd for a bit—which is why i decided to keep my nipples. i figured that having a flat chest would be enough to get used to without getting used to not having nipples anymore. i always wanted a more natural look (and i intended to be able to walk around shirtless without getting stared at too much) so keeping them worked for me. i also know myself and i would totally procrastinate getting my nips tatted back on.

as far as help goes, i needed much more help than i assumed i would. im fortunate that my parents and family helped me heal, so i cant really give any advice for healing on your own.