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Time to Face the Music


Guest ashleynikole

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Guest ashleynikole

Heh, like that play on words? Whatever do you mean Ashley?

I just paid my deposit and booked my FFS surgery with Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel for January 15, 2015. Wow, that's 3 months away and it feels like an eternity but it will fly by before I know it. I'm so excited to see a new face. I'm really hoping that I can finally look in the mirror and no longer see "him" looking back at me.

I'm having my forehead contoured as well as hairline advanced and brows lifted, a jaw and chin contouring, lip augmentation (to shorten the upper lip) and a rhinoplasty to help me get a slimmer and more feminine nose to match my new face.

I know it won't fix how I see myself mentally and that I have to learn to love myself as I am, but it will help in getting me closer to my goal of blending in and having a more feminine face and I'm hoping it will go a long way in getting me never mis-gendered again (which shouldn't be hard considering what I'm getting now).

I'm so excited and I will definitely be taking before and after pics and charting my progress through this.

God bless

Ashley

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  • 1 month later...

Well my surgery has been paid for and airlines are booked and hotel is booked. My awesome girlfriend even booked her flight for the first 3-5 days of my surgery because she wants to be there with me. All blood work has been done and physical and labs sent to the surgeon. There is less than 1 month left and I gotta say it's still sort of surreal. Perhaps I won't notice it until 5am on Jan 15, 2015 when I wake up and think....oh crap, what am I doing...hahaha. I'm gonna have to post before and after pics because I've seen the work this doctor has done on other girls and his hand has been very blessed.

God bless

Ashley

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  • Admin

It's got to be tough waiting that last month, AN. It's great that you'll have company when you go. I'm sure you have a lot of preparation between now and then. Nice way to start the new year. Best wishes!

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

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  • Forum Moderator

I'm due for some work down below on Jan.14th. I'm sure you are a bit nervous as i know i am. Bless you and hopefully everything is going to be smooth and healing will come quickly. In the meantime enjoy the holidays. We will both have a new year full of wonder.

Hugs,

Charlize

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  • Admin

Jan. 15 is the second anniversary of my surgery. Seems like a good date for things to happen. If yours turns out anywhere close to as good as mine did, you are going to be one happy chick!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gah!!! Less than 2 weeks and I'll be under the knife.

It just got real because I just removed my last patch before my surgery and can't take any more until after it's all over with. Lord let the next 2 weeks go as smoothly as possible. I'll try to remember to post a very makeup free pre-surgery face shot and we'll see what it looks like when I return.

God bless

Ashley

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Thanks Joann.

Actually woke up this morning with a familiar feeling of my libido trying to reassert itself. Something I haven't felt in MONTHS and honestly wasn't prepared for.

It's only 2 weeks and I can make it so no big worries. It was just weird to feel those feelings of wanting to be pretty and feminine and sexy and pursued being brought on so strong all at once. I need to journal this journey so I can look back on it.

Feeling tense :o:P:lol:

Ashley

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Guest Mickey

That's the way to look at this 2 weeks. It is only 2 weeks and when you compare 2 weeks to the time we waited, before starting HRT, well 2 weeks is nothing. :) You got this. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

"...I'm leavin' on a jet plane..."

Wow, I can't believe it's already here. Tomorrow (actually in just a handful of hours), I'll be getting on a plane and touching down in Boston to see the wonderful Dr. Spiegel. I'm 2.5 days away from having my face rearranged and I must say it's all very surreal. For those of you who follow my blog, I will be posting a 2 part post that will explain what I am going to go through, how I interviewed my doctors before picking one, and then in a month or 2, I'll do a 2nd post that will show side by side pics after most of everything has healed.

I'm gonna see if I can get the doctor to have pictures taken mid-procedure purely out of morbid curiosity as to what my skull looks like, but it's not something I'll share without people actually requesting to see the nastiness...hahaha. I'll try to get back on by the weekend after my surgery on Thursday but there's no telling what all the pain pills are going to do to me so who knows.

Prayers and good thoughts are appreciated.

Ashley

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  • Admin

You gonna hurt there for a bit babe!! I have had a couple of friends go through it recently, and I am glad they feel better about themselves for it. I hope when you see yourself you will feel that is was worth it.

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  • Forum Moderator

We are all here cheering and praying for you Ashley. Best of luck with the surgery. The weather has cleared in the NE so you should have a smooth flight. Be well and heal quickly.

Love,

Charlize

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The flight was uneventful. Here is great shot I got of Long Island cutting across the Atlantic.

JnBwVPI.jpg

Tomorrow is the day and I can't wait to share my experiences with you all even more. Thanks to all for the prayers and good thoughts. I am so excited after meeting with Dr. Spiegel and his staff today. They are so warm and welcoming and pretty much like family. Once he showed me everything he was going to do, in person, I was very confident that everything was going to come out just fine.

I won't be on Laura's for a bit while I rest and heal but I'll be back as soon as I get a chance.

God bless all

Ashley

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  • 3 weeks later...

We'll I was going to wait a lot longer than 18 days before posting my first post FFS pics on here, but tonight I went out to dinner with some friends and when I got home, I looked in the mirror and saw a cute girl staring back at me so I decided if I got a good enough selfie out of it, I would change my profile pic on Facebook and update my status here.

So in the interest of those who have asked...on the left is the day before surgery (Jan 14, 2015) and on the right is tonight (18 days post-op FFS).

10947168_10153578255548327_872497732215710387625_10153605728298327_4957802304136

God bless

Ashley

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  • Admin

Wow! You look wonderful, Ashley. Very, very pretty. Congrats! :welldone::thumbsup:

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

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Guest LizMarie

Absolutely wonderful change, Ashley! I saw you before and you passed in public but this is exactly how FFS should work, subtle individual changes that cumulatively produce a dramatic total change. You are still obviously you, but I'll bet you are a lot more comfortable in your own skin now. ;)

LizMarie's FFS Guideline - Most transwomen do not need FFS but almost all transwomen would benefit from FFS. I stand by that guideline. In fact, my own FFS is getting scheduled for the first half of this year as well. :) (GCS in the second half.)

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