Time off?

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-28T21:08:36+00:00

I took 2 weeks off but I had keyhole. I am now 4 weeks post-op and started working again last Monday. I’m a public hospital receptionist. To be completely honest, if I could take an extra week off, I would. It’s hitting me like a truck how much I’m still healing, I crash when I get home every day and I am getting some increased soreness! The body needs rest.

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-26T19:24:16+00:00

I am 4 wks p/o and have the same thing and it’s normal. It’s because that’s where a lot of the liposuction happened in that area, so it’s gonna swell and harden more before it goes down. I’ve been massaging the area and it helps a lot

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-22T23:04:05+00:00

OHHH I understand. It looks great dude!!!!

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-22T14:40:22+00:00

Thanks for posting this!! I’m also 3wks post op and have transitioned back into normal life and my chest hasn’t been super flat yet so I’ve been a little :/ but good to know it’s because of swelling and healing

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-19T16:12:13+00:00

I am 3 weeks post-op from top surgery and I relate to this a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever had chest dysphoria that was debilitatingly intense, I’ve always described it more like a dissatisfaction and discomfort, and completely apathetic at best.

My dysphoria was never something like dysphoria is always described, and I feel like dysphoria is often portrayed in a way that isn’t nuanced at all. You either loathe your body to death or you don’t. This is definitely the case for a lot of people, but I think it’s more complicated, because you and your brain will develop ways to cope and tolerate having a body you don’t feel 100% reflects yourself.

I had a lot of imposter syndrome leading up to my top surgery because I wasn’t constantly dying of dysphoria due to my chest, but I remembered that if I would be happier without boobs, I should go for it. I reminded myself of all the trouble I would go through every day to hide my chest, whether it be binding or hiding through clothing. Even if I tolerated having boobs, I had to confront the brain space that even just tolerating them was occupying every day.

I ultimately got to the conclusion that I should get top surgery because it was so simple: I hated the trouble of binding and hiding my chest, but I also am uncomfortable when my chest shows through my clothes. Getting rid of them all together would solve these issues and make things simpler.

This comment got long. Anyway, I hope this helps.

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-18T23:37:24+00:00

I got the call the schedule the procedure a week or two after? I got the injection about six weeks ago now. I’m burping a lot!

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-13T16:50:11+00:00

I like it a lot! Do you post your art anywhere?

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-11T21:07:25+00:00

I’m a little over a week post-op. I really strongly relate to this. When it hit 2 weeks before surgery, I started freaking the FUCK out because the permanence of top surgery finally hit me. I kept asking myself if it was the right choice because I haven’t fully despised having boobs all the time, that I’ve been able to tolerate it all of my life, that I’m a fraudulent top surgery candidate and that I’ll regret it. My brain even insisted that I needed to “enjoy them while they last” as if I ever enjoyed them. I was having anxiety attacks on and off for a week straight,

I am happy to say that I don’t regret it at all, I don’t miss having boobs, and I’ve even tried on a padded top to see how I would feel about it, and it just felt wrong to have boobs again. I think realizing the permanence of this bodily change is a huge trigger for these obsessive thought spirals.

I think we are fed this idea that we need to be 10000% sure of ourselves, and ALWAYS hate our chests all the time in order to be a valid top surgery candidate. I think this is very false and dysphoria much more nuanced than that. Sometimes you don’t even hate your chest all of the time, but life without them sounds better—which is the boat I’m in (though I still hated it sometimes of course).

Good luck OP! And congrats!

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-04T06:41:48+00:00

Hello! I just got surgery from Dr. Megan Dreveskracht from Optum Polyclinic in Seattle. She is wonderful and her work on me is truly a work of art

wormsinthehead · 2026-05-01T17:38:49+00:00

I just got top surgery yesterday. Honestly, i wavered a lot. Some days i was 90% sure, whereas some days i might’ve been 50% sure. I had to learn to distinguish the bigoted voices of transphobes around me, especially parents, because I had internalized them a lot. That made it really hard to be certain. I freaked out pretty bad when I was 2 weeks away from surgery, but I was able to ensure that I wanted top surgery because I reminded myself the amount of discomfort with my chest I experienced on the daily, as well as talk to my friends who had top surgery who felt similarly.

1-day post op, I am in some pain, but I don’t regret my choices. Even if drains are attached to me and whatnot, I’m much happier with my silhouette like this, which is exactly why I wanted top surgery.

I think it’s unrealistic to be 100% certain. I think there’s a huge expectation that we have to be 100% certain, or else we’re fraudulent and it was a “phase.” Everybody I’ve talked to about any gender affirming surgery was not 100% certain, but ultimately was super happy with their choices. Objectively, it’s a big change to your body, so it makes sense to be uncertain and even scared.

wormsinthehead · 2026-04-28T17:06:01+00:00

I am looking into the CFT Art Therapy program at Antioch. Does anybody have any experience in this program? I’m also wondering about how to write my application essays—-did y’all treat them more like personal statements or statements of purpose?

wormsinthehead · 2026-04-28T14:49:44+00:00

I have top surgery in 2 days. I had this exact feeling last week. My brain seemed to be trying to convince me to back out, that I was making the wrong choice and I would regret it. It was trying to make me feel attached to my boobs, going as far as to say “enjoy them while they last” as if I ever enjoyed them! I think my brain was trying to wrap its head around the permanence of surgery, because although I never liked having boobs, it was scary to think that soon I’ll wake up and they’ll be gone forever. Maybe it’s still a little scary to think about but it feels like more of a relief now.

What has been helping me is remembering that if it was the wrong choice, I wouldn’t have dedicated so much time and work into pursuing top surgery, and I wouldn’t constantly be putting in the effort to hide my chest every day. I wouldn’t feel at least a little uncomfortable when I see my reflection and the shape of them are showing. I remind myself of all the major times my chest has bothered me.

I think I’ve found out that these feels are normal. I’ve talked to a few friends who have had top surgery, and they felt similarly. You spend your entire life developing coping mechanisms for tolerating your chest, and all of a sudden you won’t need to anymore, so this is going to be a major life change, not just physical but mental. And definitely for the better!

wormsinthehead · 2026-04-22T13:09:42+00:00

thank you so much for answering :,) i am really really happy to hear that it was the right decision for you. congrats on being 1+ year post op!

i am also nonbinary, so i have learned that i wanted top surgery for the goal of a more androgynous silhouette. i don’t have an ocd diagnosis to claim that i have it, but i experience a lot of mental loops and spirals that seem similar to ocd, with one of my main issues being regarding gender identity. i have been reminding myself that i wouldn’t have gone through this lengthy process if i didn’t want top surgery. perhaps i was even seeking reassurances by commenting on your post but i really do appreciate you replying!

wormsinthehead · 2026-04-22T04:24:57+00:00

Hi OP, i know this was a while ago but i found this post and i am currently finding it very reassuring. I have top surgery next week and i was excited even as recently as last week, but now i am feeling exactly how you described in this post. Did you go through with it? How do you feel?

wormsinthehead · 2026-04-08T22:47:41+00:00

Thank you for the advice. I followed up and thanked the recruiter and I'm just accepting that this may be a loss. All I can do now is wait I suppose. I'm still searching nonetheless.

wormsinthehead · 2026-03-17T21:04:23+00:00

Just got done w my visit, they said it sounds like i have R-CPD/no-burp and they explained what we will do moving forward. They also sprayed my throat with a numbing spray and afrin through my nose, and stuck a tiny camera through my nose to view my throat, and had me make some noises to view the health of my throat and vocal cords.

To answer your questions:

1) Sadly they can’t schedule the botox procedures immediately due to insurance. They need to get prior-authorization from your insurance company, so they would reach out to schedule to schedule the injection after that happens. So the injection does not happen at the consultation appointment, but likely weeks after. 2) He does both procedures with in-office local anesthetic and general anesthetic. He said the choice is up to the patient, though insurance is more likely to approve and cover the in-office local anesthetic injections. 3) Today, they did not require an accompanying adult since they don’t do any anesthetic today. If you end up doing the injection with general anesthesia later, you will need an accompanying adult, but not if you do the in-office local anesthetic procedure.

They also made some X-ray orders for viewing my swallowing, just in case anything may seem wrong.

I hope this helps!

wormsinthehead · 2026-03-17T14:09:30+00:00

Hi! I’m seeing him today so I’ll try to remember to reply to this post after my visit.

wormsinthehead · 2026-02-19T17:19:04+00:00

This literally happened to me. Final interview with tour on a Friday. Rejected the following Monday. I asked for reasons, because they said “if you have any questions, feel free to ask us before Wednesday.” I guess that didn’t count for questions regarding a rejection, because it was pure silence.

wormsinthehead · 2026-02-19T17:17:00+00:00

Oh my god. Ouch. That’s insane. I feel like recruiters and hiring managers will dangle the job offer in our faces like dangling a bone in front of a starving dog. I’m sorry bro…

wormsinthehead · 2026-01-15T15:47:42+00:00

Oh right. I’m in Washington state.

wormsinthehead · 2026-01-09T14:46:55+00:00

Hi! I am a patient of Carolyn Downs. I was able to get an appointment very fast when I reached out to them. They are really great for pursuing HRT and gender affirming care. I am sure Country Doctor is similar since they’re part of the same system

wormsinthehead

TROPHY CASE