A Tough Decision

[Guest krisspykriss]

Well I got my quotes on FFS. I can get everything I need done at once for $19,500 or I can start with just my nose for $6,700. It will take almost all the money I have saved to have it all done. OTOH, I am making a decent return where it is at. Maybe I could take it slower and increase my savings more than cost go up? Then again medical costs are going up quite a bit every year. I just hate to not have a decent amount of savings in case of emergencies.

[Guest NatalieRene]

I'd say cut any costs you can so you can save a little more and hold off a few months to save some excess money up. The costs shouldn't go up too much in six months and you'll be able to have some buffer money in savings.

[Guest angie]

My goal is twenty thousand to get everything I wish to have done.

I am hoping that when I make my trip to Bangkok I can have it

all done in one fell swoop.It will mean a boat load of pain,but it

will be one big pain,then only recovering and waiting for the bruising

and swelling to go down to see the results of my under taking.

I would like to see the woman of my minds eye,looking back at me

in my mirror.

Angie

[Guest viv]

Well I got my quotes on FFS. I can get everything I need done at once for $19,500 or I can start with just my nose for $6,700. It will take almost all the money I have saved to have it all done. OTOH, I am making a decent return where it is at. Maybe I could take it slower and increase my savings more than cost go up? Then again medical costs are going up quite a bit every year. I just hate to not have a decent amount of savings in case of emergencies.

Hi hun,

I have said in the past my opinion is you dont need any work doin. You said you have a "strong" jawline ( think that was it).

Well , your the boss here and your gonna get done what you want. So, if* I* were in your position and the ffs was a certainty, then

I would go and get the whole nine yards **dun n dusted**. If your working forget re worse case scenario , wont happen.(money)

I read in your posts your an intelligent woman and you will make the right decision ....I would want to look as girly as possible soon

as possible, all the best to ya girl, Luv, viv

[Guest Emily_MI]

Well I got my quotes on FFS. I can get everything I need done at once for $19,500 or I can start with just my nose for $6,700. It will take almost all the money I have saved to have it all done. OTOH, I am making a decent return where it is at. Maybe I could take it slower and increase my savings more than cost go up? Then again medical costs are going up quite a bit every year. I just hate to not have a decent amount of savings in case of emergencies.

If you do not mind me asking, but where are you having it done?, I am looking at FFS as well and narrowed it done to a few so far.

[Guest Emily_MI]

I consider myself lucky, I talked with a FFS Dr and I need work done on my nose, a bit on my Brow and also a bit for my jawline. I really do not have any profoun *Male* characteristics so all in all when I get my FFS it will not be too bad. I can't wait honestly until I can get this done which I know will still be awhile but everyday that goes by gets harder and harder to look at my current self and just want that part of me gone.

[Guest AshleyRF]

I still can't decide if I want to do FFS or not. I don't think I need it to be passable at all and anything I had done would be purely a vanity thing. I'm not saying that my face is perfect... far from it. I just don't know if I want to spend that kind of money on something that is going to fade anyway eventually. No matter how beautiful you are now or after FFS... in 25 or so more years, when old age catches up to you..... there isn't much cosmetic surgery can do for age.

[Guest angie]

Nooooooo...

But a little will go a long way with me to take me to the next level

of my idea of my beauty.I am soon to be fifty four,if I can be totally

passable for a few thousand dollars,I would like to enjoy getting old.

Big Smile,

Angie

[Guest krisspykriss]

If you do not mind me asking, but where are you having it done?, I am looking at FFS as well and narrowed it done to a few so far.

Indianapolis, Indiana by Barry Eppley.

[Guest AshleyRF]

If I were in my early 20s and single, yeah I could see spending that kind of cash for beauty, but seeing as I'm in my early 30s (I know that's not old), married, and told quite often that I'm "very pretty" already... I just can't really see spending that kind of money to try to chase perfection when I know that I still wouldn't be completely happy with the end results. I mean, it's not out of the question for me. I still may end up getting it if I ever get to the point where I can easily afford it, but right now, my SRS is the most important surgery for me. I'm so ready for that surgery.

[Guest Emily_MI]

For me I want to do everything right and be the best Woman that I can be, so being passable is really a must for me. Which I know is VERY expensive but well worth it from a lot of the FFS before/after pictures I have seen. I do not want to hide away and feel that I cannot go outside at all because of the repercussions of not passing. Unfortunately we live in a world where appearance means everything. So when I do come around in getting FFS it will probably end up being Dr. Spiegel or Dr Douglas Ousterhout.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

SRS yes, but vfs, ffs, bas I consider all optional. I am going to get the big one done then think bout the others. My face has rounded out nicely on its own and several of the other features are softening too... who knows maybe srs is the only one I actually need

[Guest angie]

but right now, my SRS is the most important surgery for me. I'm so ready for that surgery.

Meeeeeeeeeee Toooooooooooo Ashley!

I am almost to the point of where having SRS has become an obsession.

By a little FFS I mean,Upper and lower eyelid lift,a forehead lift to remove

the expression lines,and to have that huge scar removed on my chin, that's it.

But it is my oh so desired corrective surgery that will make me complete at long last.

And is all I really want or need,then I can finally be at peace with mind body and soul.

Angie

[Guest krisspykriss]

For me, being treated like a woman by everyone is more important than the goodies downstairs. It is a personal preference. My is to look like an attractive woman first, then be a woman down there. I would feel odd if I had the woman goodies but still looked like a guy in drag. It would not give me what I need. 99.9% of the people I meet are not going to ever see what is down there, but everyone I meet will see my face. It is not like I am going top drop my drawers to prove I am a woman. So it doesn't matter so much to me.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Meeeeeeeeeee Toooooooooooo Ashley!

I am almost to the point of where having SRS has become an obsession.

By a little FFS I mean,Upper and lower eyelid lift,a forehead lift to remove

the expression lines,and to have that huge scar removed on my chin, that's it.

But it is my oh so desired corrective surgery that will make me complete at long last.

And is all I really want or need,then I can finally be at peace with mind body and soul.

Angie

You want to talk obsession, there are two reasons for the move back to Canada. My surgery and Lyne's. I know I will have longer to wait for my surgery but I can get the govt to pay for it.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

For me, being treated like a woman by everyone is more important than the goodies downstairs. It is a personal preference. My is to look like an attractive woman first, then be a woman down there. I would feel odd if I had the woman goodies but still looked like a guy in drag. It would not give me what I need. 99.9% of the people I meet are not going to ever see what is down there, but everyone I meet will see my face. It is not like I am going top drop my drawers to prove I am a woman. So it doesn't matter so much to me.

OMG Kriss there is no way youd be seen as a dude in drag, you are already quite pretty. I have found that passing is 80 to 90% attitude and 10 to 20% equipment

[Guest Donna Jean]

I consider first things first!

And first off, I'm a woman....so that is my main goal money wise...

Afterward a little FFS would be fine...But, the SRS takes precedence!

Huggs!

Donna Jean

[Guest Charlene_Leona]

Hon You look wonderful now, yes you may feel you need ffs to pass but I think from your pic's that your already passing. All I want and really need done is the SRS to me that is vital for my piece of mind and to keep myself alive. IMHO I think allot of T-Girls go wrong thinking they have to look like a runways model. They are only 2% of the female population, my goal is to be just a normal woman on the street. I'm already there and I don't get clocked or harassed as I am now and thats just from three years on HRT and having the orchiectomy done 16 months ago. Get your SRS done once you have gotten rid of the boys you will be surprised what you will look like in a short period afterwards. Don't waste your money.

Charlene Leona

[Guest nova]

I guess, just looking at it (FFS) from a practical standpoint -once you've decided to do it yes or no- two things I considered, (besides cost) were: What was cosmetic vs getting rid of male characteristics like brow bossing, high forehead/hairline, chin, etc. and then, how long would I be on the operating table--how many procedures can be done in one operation. I don't know what the difference would be between an 8 hour operation and 12 hours, but I felt that 8 hrs was enough (just in case things didn't go as planned and it turned into 12 hours anyway). I decided in my case that things like cheek implants, rhinoplasty, etc, were more cosmetic than necessary, but a few years down the road . . . who knows. If your'e getting bone re-contouring done then you'll get a little 'lift' as a bonus because the skin has to be re-draped over the new contours. I'm 'course tuned" now, and later I will probably get "fine-tuned'.

Dr. Osterhout announced he is retiring in a year or two, and he probably has a waiting list, so . . . --Nova (still recovering but it was worth every penny!)

[Guest krisspykriss]

Donna and others make a good point that passing is more attitude than anything. However, there is passing to people you pass in the mall, at a store, in the street etc and then there is passing while interacting with them. If and when I get made by a salesclerk, I see no big noticeable reaction and I I often second guess whether she really did make me or not... the vast majority of the time. They still call me ma'am. Like yesterday I was buying a hat at Dress Barn, and the woman asked if i was interested in getting a prefered customer card of some form or another (I just heard 15% off all purchases). She needed my ID and a creditcard. She had to call a number and referred to me as ma'am, and "Miss Christopher -------" If she didn't know beofre, she knew now. Her attitude changed not one bit. In fact small talked with me more about the small town I lived in. That is how it usually goes. They don't care even of I am made and i am not sure how often I do really get made and how often it is my paranoia. I look like a woman, act like a woman, talk like a woman, who cares what my birth certificate says sort of thing.

I do though get obviously"made" too often for me, not all the time, not most of the time, and not when people are busy doing walking the mall, or eating dinner at a restaurant. I get made most of the time when a guy thinks I am attractive Then when him, his friends or his girlfriend get a closer look at me, I get made and I hear the words "That's a guy." It isnt the first glance that gives me away. It is the closer inspection I get because I am kinda attractive. I am not a model by any means, but I am cute. I think that makes it a little harder for me to pass 100% of the time. Actually I have been getting hit on men a lot more lately, and I find it to be a double edged sword. On the one hand it makes me feel attractive, but on the other I get that closer scrutiny as well that I sometimes fail at.

Maybe I worry about it too much. I know it bother me though and makes me second guess how well I am passing and how well my transition is going.

[Guest AshleyRF]

Donna and others make a good point that passing is more attitude than anything. However, there is passing to people you pass in the mall, at a store, in the street etc and then there is passing while interacting with them. If and when I get made by a salesclerk, I see no big noticeable reaction and I I often second guess whether she really did make me or not... the vast majority of the time. They still call me ma'am. Like yesterday I was buying a hat at Dress Barn, and the woman asked if i was interested in getting a prefered customer card of some form or another (I just heard 15% off all purchases). She needed my ID and a creditcard. She had to call a number and referred to me as ma'am, and "Miss Christopher -------" If she didn't know beofre, she knew now. Her attitude changed not one bit. In fact small talked with me more about the small town I lived in. That is how it usually goes. They don't care even of I am made and i am not sure how often I do really get made and how often it is my paranoia. I look like a woman, act like a woman, talk like a woman, who cares what my birth certificate says sort of thing.

I do though get obviously"made" too often for me, not all the time, not most of the time, and not when people are busy doing walking the mall, or eating dinner at a restaurant. I get made most of the time when a guy thinks I am attractive Then when him, his friends or his girlfriend get a closer look at me, I get made and I hear the words "That's a guy." It isnt the first glance that gives me away. It is the closer inspection I get because I am kinda attractive. I am not a model by any means, but I am cute. I think that makes it a little harder for me to pass 100% of the time. Actually I have been getting hit on men a lot more lately, and I find it to be a double edged sword. On the one hand it makes me feel attractive, but on the other I get that closer scrutiny as well that I sometimes fail at.

Maybe I worry about it too much. I know it bother me though and makes me second guess how well I am passing and how well my transition is going.

You are just be paranoid. Trust me, the furthest thing from a guys mind once he finds himself thinking that you are attractive is that you might have once been something different. He is usually only thinking "how can I get that hot chic in my bed". If you are being flirted with/hit on by people, then you are passing perfectly, but honestly, none of us will ever pass to everyone in the world. There are some people who will just look at you and know. Usually those people are transgendered themselves or have been around transgendered people enough to know the "clues" to look for. The way I know that I pass is that I've been in the company of several trans people, spoken face to face with them on several occasions and I when I finally ended up telling them, they were completely shocked. The entire time they only saw me as a lesbian woman (because I was with my wife). The other story behind that was that one of the trans people who didn't have a clue about me, I had no clue about him either. He saw me as a lesbian woman and I saw him as a gay male.

Face it girlfriend, you are just a beautiful woman to the entire world.

Hugs

Ash

[Guest Kayliegh]

Before you decide on FFS, make sure you've been on HRT for at least a year.

You don't know how the hormones will "enhance" your features and, if you have FFS too early, you could be throwing $$$ away!

Kayleigh