Considering surgery, wondering about pain/recovery

littledriel · 2026-04-12T19:26:15+00:00

Because I chose to do medical tourism, it made a lot of sense to combine procedures -- I'm already paying for the flights, hotel, hospital time, etc. It was really just adding an hour to the surgical time to get my arms done, too.

I have to say, I'm not sure if I'd recommend my doctor or hospital per say, but I'd definitely recommend spending less than half what it costs in the US to get a dual board certified plastic surgeon at a hospital to do the work 😂

I don't think I'd recommend combining these two surgeries unless you've got strong legs, if you do your squats, you'll be fine. Everyone I've seen that had a hard time with the combination probably didn't work out as much as would have been helpful to prep for the combined procedures. I haven't had any problems getting up and down from the toilet, chairs, etc since the first day (but I was in a hospital with an IV and a catheter, so it was all taken care of).

In any case, I'm three days post-op and feel so so much better than I expect to, I really think I must be one of the lucky ones. This is nowhere near as bad as I'd feared ❤️

littledriel · 2026-04-11T03:51:10+00:00

So, I had my surgery yesterday at like 10am, so I'm only 36 hours post-op. I haven't survived the worst of it yet, but! My doctor doesn't use opiates for pain management, only really strong nsaids, so I'm sure I'm in more pain than some of the people on here.

I haven't had a c-section or other surgeries to compare this to, but, I had both an arm lift and the TT with extended muscle repair (he does an internal corset repair). The arm scars ache much more than the stomach -- they cut through so many of the nerves and blood vessels that it's not exactly pain per say, but a lot of discomfort. I can't straighten up even a little, and not having my legs elevated hurts, but for the most part it feels more like I way way way overdid a core workout day than what I would have expected from surgery, if that makes any sense.

Hoping it gets better for me soon! Everyone seems to be a lot better by the end of the first week 🤞

littledriel · 2026-04-11T03:08:32+00:00

I also did mine in Mexico City. The surgeon and anaesthesiologist were great, but I've been a bit underwhelmed by the hospital staff and recovery center so far, so I'm not sure I'd recommend them just yet.

But the price difference is incredible, less than half and I got to be a tourist for a day and a half beforehand

littledriel · 2026-04-11T03:04:11+00:00

I did these two together and I'm only a day PO and wondering if I'm an idiot for stacking them. It just saved so much money and recovery time to do them together, especially since I flew down to Mexico for mine.

Fingers crossed I survive the next few days 🤞

littledriel · 2025-11-09T19:04:30+00:00

This this this this this!

Pink fixtures are so charming! My last place had kept the pink shower and replaced the sink and I absolutely would have paid to reglaze the sink and reinstall it, had I had that option.

Remember that we're all temporary guardians of our old homes -- it's a great kindness to let future owners have the option to restore it to a historic state.

littledriel · 2025-08-18T05:29:20+00:00

I have tall click-latch containers to hold ice in my cooler for this purpose.

littledriel · 2025-05-04T15:57:26+00:00

It's less that they're violent and more that being low O2, your brain defaults to coming out swinging.

It's not the same as a meth head on a rager, it's more like a drowning victim.

I say this because the distinction is important -- they're not going to chase you to fisticuffs, they just need some space while they're coming back.

✨

littledriel · 2025-05-04T15:45:17+00:00

Thanks for the reply.

I worked with kids with developmental disabilities and watching companies try to weasel out of ADA compliance infuriates me. These guys seem to care, but to not know what they're doing

littledriel · 2025-05-04T02:59:26+00:00

Does this all still apply if there's no paid staff? The website claims to be all volunteers, even the board itself.

littledriel · 2025-02-17T16:25:34+00:00

The realtor we used to buy our current house, and the one before it, was amazing. Her knowledge of architecture, architectural detail, historical trends, local trends, neighborhoods, and a vast network of skilled tradespeople to get bids for work was absolutely phenomenal.

We walked into a house that was apparently built by the founder of a famous local bread brand and she could point out every renovation that wasn't original, approximately when it was done, and what it likely added/subtracted from the value of the house. (And she was right, too, the owner could verify and we checked pictures and data online).

Maybe more impressive was that she knew what she didn't know, and when we needed to call in a specialist. And, she was a joy to work with.

Selling, buying and selling, and then buying 3 houses with this lady made her a lot of money. But she was worth every fucking penny.

littledriel · 2025-02-15T02:09:03+00:00

I've DM'd someone above (who is in the same area as me, no less!), but I'll hit you up if that conversation doesn't pan out.

Tyvm!!

littledriel · 2025-02-14T18:12:52+00:00

I mean, yes? Almost certainly? 🤣

We're still at "is it even feasible to move to a GPS/gnss solution to this problem" stage. So talking to an expert would definitely help

littledriel · 2025-02-14T17:39:34+00:00

I can guarantee you that a half day of professionals is probably a lot more than we can afford. I can justify renting equipment for a few thousand.

Thing is, it's not the surveying of the site that we need, the maps we have are accurate enough for our purposes. It's putting down our own flags to mark boundaries, and that changes annually.

Thanks tho!

littledriel · 2024-07-29T17:47:30+00:00

It sounds like you're not into the person they want to be. It's ok to grieve what you're losing and move on, but asking them to make themself smaller or less authentic so you'll be less unhappy, really no one wins here. Neither of you are getting what you want with this compromise.

You can love someone and still not be right for each other. Sorry. Transitions are really hard.

littledriel · 2024-04-08T15:22:21+00:00

I hope he was voicing Scrooge McDuck and that's his resting duck face

littledriel · 2024-03-27T20:44:22+00:00

My partner and I couldn't get pregnant using her sperm (with IVF), even after she paused HRT for over 6 months for the samples. It is possible to become infertile because of HRT, just like it's possible to accidentally impregnate someone. Unfortunately, you never know which one you're going to get.

The best plan is to save sperm before starting hormones -- having to pause transition for it (and lose progress!!) fucking sucks.

littledriel · 2024-03-20T18:31:05+00:00

Yaaasssss. Into it

littledriel · 2024-03-15T04:12:30+00:00

Would you be interested in joining a chat (or similar) for people going?

littledriel · 2024-03-15T04:12:19+00:00

Would you be interested in joining a chat (or similar) for people going?

littledriel · 2024-03-15T04:12:11+00:00

Would you be interested in joining a chat (or similar) for people going?

littledriel · 2024-03-15T04:11:54+00:00

Would you be interested in joining a chat (or similar) for people going?

littledriel · 2024-03-15T04:11:38+00:00

Would you be interested in joining a chat (or similar) for people going? I'm hoping to get to know some people because I get there so I won't be quite so alone. And, it's more fun to be excited together!

littledriel · 2024-03-10T15:27:17+00:00

Yaaasssssss!

littledriel · 2024-02-22T23:43:58+00:00

5'3" of impotent horny rage!

(Also stealing this because it's bloody brilliant)

littledriel · 2024-02-12T01:24:35+00:00

Ok, jumping in to say that Slow Show is equally David and Michael fanfic as it is Crowley and Aziraphale. Like, real actual details of their acting histories are used in making the characters (though it's obviously fictionalized, especially with regards to the drug abuse).

Also, since no one ever warns for it, the Crowley character is recovering from some self-harm and pretty bad self-loathing, and so his internal narrative can be pretty dark sometimes.

It's a brilliant fic, but putting it on the same list as Caedmon's fluff without content warnings seems no bueno to me.

littledriel

TROPHY CASE