During the 2016 Presidential Election, I could not bring myself to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. I chose to cast my vote for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson. Some say I threw away my vote or wasted it, but I disagree. I voted my conscience and in good faith I can not stray from my own personal morals or values and vote for either of those candidates. I'm the one that has to go to bed every night and live with my vote and I can say I sleep very well at night knowing I didn't vote for either of those two monsters.
To be completely honest, I didn't know enough about Trump to vote yes for him. I wasn't sold on his speeches or what he was selling. I didn't know where his true loyalties were at or what was truly important to him. Furthermore, his public rallies left much to be desired of a potential Presidential candidate, however, even I did not think he would claim victory as he did. His childish antics, were somewhat hilarious at the time and to be completely honest and transparent, I thought he was the instigator that America needed to push back from something I call liberal saturation overload.
On the flip side, I knew way too much about Hillary and there was no way in Hell she was ever going to get my vote. She's a fraud, a phony, a liar, she's gotten people killed, and everyone around her ends up murdered or dead under mysterious circumstances.
Liberal saturation overload in my mind is what I call when liberals shove everything down your throat, LGBT, women's rights, gun control, political correctness (to name a few) and they are relentless in doing it and never let up with their agenda. People in America were sick of it and they fought back by voting. I'm typically fine with some sorts of liberalism, it's NEEDED in this country to maintain a balance, however when the balance is skewed heavily to one side it becomes a problem and that's what happened on November 4th, 2016.
America decided it had enough of the liberal agenda being forced down their throat and Donald Trump was elected President.
In the background though, sits Vice President Mike Pence. Mostly unnoticed by the liberals, he quietly does his job, rarely speaking out, rarely commenting on anything. Instead he lets Trump do all the footwork, and letting him doing all the talking and provoking. That's after all what a Vice President usually does.
In my lifetime and my experience dealing with people, the mouthy ones aren't the one's that you need to worry about. It's the quiet ones you have to be concerned with and I think this situation is absolutely no different.
Liberals, Athletes and Hollywood elites alike have disgustingly called for the assassination of the President of the United States. Kathy Griffin photoshopped herself holding Donald Trump's severed head in her hand. Even a Democratic elected representative from Missouri called for Trump's assassination.
Likewise, many politicians on both side of the political spectrum have called for the impeachment of Donald Trump.
However, having looked at the history of Mike Pence as the Governor of Indiana, I think to assassinate or impeach Trump would be a very grave mistake with horrific consequences that none of could fathom.
Pence's Anti-LGBT hatred burns within him much like the fire that burned within Adolf Hitler for his disgust with Jews. Pence wants to rid America of all sexual deviants, and gender non-conforming individuals. Now I know that being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender does not make us sexual deviants or gender non-conforming, but that's not how Pence views it.
Pence is a very religious man with very steadfast beliefs and he takes every the Bible very seriously and considers it the handwritten book of God, even though it's really nothing more than a collection of fictitious fairytales and bedtime stories in my opinion. He takes the parts in the Bible that speak about the condemnation of homosexuality very literally. He believes life and love consist of one man and one woman. Anything else is a deviancy in his mind and one that needs to be eradicated from the American lifestyle. Women should submit to men, Men are to be leaders and they are to marry and have children and continue the family lineage. That's Pence's ideals of the American Family. There is no room in his mind for anything else.
It's impossible to know 100% exactly what any person is truly thinking, but Pence's actions support many of my statements.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2015/03/lambda-legal-fact-checks-indiana-governors-statements-on-this-week-interview/
Does that mean he necessarily wants to "kill" or "murder" LGBT people? No. Does that make him a genocidal maniac? No. I don't know that about him, but to be honest...I'd rather not find out and I'd rather my LGBT brothers and sisters alike not have to find that out either.
Let's not fool ourselves either though by giving Mike Pence the benefit of the doubt. The alignment with Trump was by blatant design.
By putting Trump out front and running as the Vice President he can sit back while Trump does what he wants and says what he wants [more like directed]. Trump can inflame the masses, get everyone worked up, pissed off and mad as hell and if someone takes Trump out...Pence becomes the President by default and is now free to carryout his disgusting Anti-LGBT policies and wage his war as he sees fit. If Trump is impeached, he can likewise do the same.
Trump has a long history of dealing with LGBT people, people of color, he dated a black woman, he allowed Jenna Talackova who is a transgender woman to compete in his Miss Universe contest when he had no obligation to do so. Am I defending Trump? No, I certainly am not, but what I AM saying is that Trump's actions do not make any sort sense based on his history of being a very accepting individual and a businessman. Racism, sexism, anti-LGBT hate and religious bigotry do not bode well for business in any sorts.
This is why I think Pence is the man in the background quietly pulling strings, and directing Trump what to do and what not to do. There has to be some sort of incentive for Trump to go along with Pence's plans and wishes, and what that is I do not know. Perhaps Pence has some sort of leverage or evidence against Trump and at this point all I can do is speculate.
Either way, it's not good for us, it's not good for America. So I implore EVERYONE out there to stop calling for the assassination of Donald Trump and I implore you to pray, hope, wish that he isn't brought up on impeachment charges.
Instead, I implore you to get out and educate people, talk to people, get people mobilized to vote, help them get them registered to vote. If they don't have a way to get to the polls, get some friends together, rent a van or a couple vans and make sure you help pick them up get them there and get them home. The only way to stop this machine is to VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE. We must take back the mid-terms in 2018 and then take back the Presidency in 2020. There is no AND, IF or BUT's about it. WE MUST NOT FAIL.
If you still feel the need to wish death on someone, call for their assassination or impeachment...then by all means, please aim that vitriol at Mike Pence...because American can NOT afford for him to become the President of the United States because if that happens, I fear what WILL happen if he does and I fear for America and every LGBT individual in this country. Mike Pence is the REAL threat and he is WAY worse than Donald Trump could ever hope to be.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Transgender Purge
The Purge Of Transgender People From American Life Has Begun
If ever the FRC was to have a chance to drive transgender people out of public life, this is it.
Two years ago, the Family Research Council (FRC), an Evangelical Christian anti-LGBT hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), published a road map laying
out a plan to morally legislate the transgender community in the US out
of existence. I wrote about the danger posed by this plan in January of
2016 in an article titled “And Then They Came for Transgender People,” deliberately echoing the words of Martin Niemöller.
Today, the FRC has unprecedented access to the White House according to its President, Tony Perkins. Evangelical leaders associated and aligned with the FRC routinely pray in the Oval Office over President Trump, who keeps them as his closest allies. Five members of Trump’s evangelical executive advisory board, including the founder of the FRC James Dobson, signed the Nashville Statement.
The Nashville statement dictated that transgender people should not be
tolerated in society, and that anyone who tolerates them is not a
Christian.
If ever the FRC was to have a chance to enact their plan for transgender people, this is it.
President Trump poses with Evangelical leaders, including representatives of the Family Research Council
The
evidence shows they are taking advantage of this relationship, and it
has resulted in an unprecedented regression of transgender rights. Heidi
Beirich, the intelligence project director of the SPLC
described the situation: “If anybody is winning big-ly from Trump’s
policies, its these folks, right? It’s the anti-LGBT hate groups and
their various allies among conservatives.”
Thus,
let’s take a look at the steps the White House has taken so far to
enact the Family Research Council’s five-point plan to attack a small,
vulnerable, minority with already limited legal protections.
1. States and the federal government should not allow legal gender marker changes.
This
is the area where the least has been done. The most important places
for transgender people to change their gender markers at the federal
level are on their passports (issued by the Department of State) and with the Social Security Administration.
President
Trump has yet to nominate a permanent commissioner to the Social
Security Administration, and the acting commissioner is a career civil
servant. Should the administration nominate someone aligned with the
FRC, the current lenient policy could be endangered.
The
State Department is headed by Rex Tillerson who, as CEO of
Exxon-Mobile, steadfastly refused to implement corporate LGBT
protections until it was mandated by an Obama Administration executive order. At the time, Exxon had the lowest corporate equality score in the history of the index. However, Tillerson’s State Department has reportedly struggled with dysfunction, unfilled positions, and low morale. State has often been sidelined by a White House seemingly intent on conducting foreign policy on its own.
Thus,
in an organization struggling to achieve many of its primary functions,
minutiae such as policy governing changing gender markers on birth
certificates seems to be a low priority. This could change, however, if
Tillerson resigns (as has been rumored), and is replaced by someone more ideologically aligned with the FRC.
2.
Transgender people should not have any legal protections against
discrimination, nor should anyone be forced to respect their identity.
One of the first acts of the Trump Administration was the Departments of Justice and Education revoking Obama era protections for transgender students. The DOJ also dropped its lawsuit against North Carolina,
despite the state passing a law there preventing all protections for
LGBT people. The Trump / Session Department of Justice has additionally
argued in court that sexual orientation is not protected by Title VII. This affects most transgender people, since they are usually seen as LGB either before or after transition.
In February the Trump administration leaked a draft executive order
which would have granted sweeping religious exemptions to Obama
Administration executive orders protecting LGBT federal employees and
contractors. Substantial pushback ensued, and a much weaker version was
issued several months later. There has been a continued push by the FRC to issue an executive order like the leaked first draft.
In the end, though, the protections for LGBT federal contractors have been effectively gutted. On March 27th Trump signed an executive order
that nullified an Obama administration initiative to ensure that
federal contractors complied with labor and civil rights laws forbidding
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Trump
has installed people with long histories of anti-LGBT statements in
many top appointed positions in the Federal government. This includes Sam Clovis at the USDA, Jeff Sessions at DOJ, Ben Carson at Housing and Urban Development, Sam Brownback to the UN, John K. Bush, Damien Schiff, and Amy Coney Barret to the judiciary, Mike Pompeo at the CIA, Betsy DeVos at Education, Jim Bridenstine at NASA, and Tom Price , Roger Severino, Charmaine Yoest, Teresa Manning (who was a legal counsel at FRC), Valerie Huber, and Katy Talento at Health and Human Services (HHS).
Additionally,
Trump’s appointee to the Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch, appears
to be innately hostile to the idea of inherent human rights for LGBT
people unless specifically enumerated by law.
In an unpublished opinion he concurred with the argument that letting transgender people use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity is a threat to public safety. He was also one of the judges in the 10th Circuit in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, where he decided that companies should have the religious right to discriminate against classes of employees. At the Supreme Court, he has already argued that states have the right to discriminate against LGBT people, because they are not specifically protected by federal law.
Thus, a court with one more Trump appointee like Gorsuch is unlikely to halt whatever the federal government decides to do to transgender people.
In an unpublished opinion he concurred with the argument that letting transgender people use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity is a threat to public safety. He was also one of the judges in the 10th Circuit in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, where he decided that companies should have the religious right to discriminate against classes of employees. At the Supreme Court, he has already argued that states have the right to discriminate against LGBT people, because they are not specifically protected by federal law.
Thus, a court with one more Trump appointee like Gorsuch is unlikely to halt whatever the federal government decides to do to transgender people.
3. Transgender people should not be legally allowed to use facilities in accordance with their gender identity.
The
agency with the most power to do this at the Federal level is the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which regulates working conditions
of federal workers, and to a lesser extent contractors. Currently, the
OPM has a policy protecting transgender federal employees and contractors.
The Trump administration nominated George Nesterczuk to the top
position at OPM, but he withdrew his name from consideration on August
2nd 2017.
The
withdrawal of support from transgender students by Education and
Justice is the most direct attack to date on access to public
facilities. However, if the Trump administration were to appoint someone
affiliated with the FRC like Kay Cole James
(who headed OPM under President George W. Bush), to run OPM, it would
be a clear signal of intent to impose a more hostile policy.
4. Medical coverage related to transition should not be provided by the government, or any other entity.
The
Trump administration has done a great deal to ensure transgender people
cannot access health care. They have appointed people who oppose all
transition related care for religious reasons (Tom Price, Roger Severino, Charmaine Yoest, Teresa Manning, Valerie Huber, and Katy Talento) to top positions at Health and Human Services. They have reversed the Department’s position on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act,
which was previously interpreted to prevent discrimination in health
care against transgender patients (i.e. their organization now takes the
position that there is nothing illegal about discriminating against
transgender patients).
This
has potentially devastating consequences including: a religious right
to refuse care to patients, a right to verbally abuse them through
misgendering, and subjecting them to conversion therapy. One in six
hospitals in the US are now Catholic owned, and in some states 40% of
hospital beds are in Catholic hospitals.
Additionally, the Trump administration has ordered that new medical care for transgender service-members will cease. In 2015, OPM ordered that Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans
would no longer be allowed to exclude transition related health care
for transgender federal employees. This could change quickly if the
administration installs an anti-LGBT director at OPM.
5. Transgender people should not be allowed to serve in the military.
This
is by far the most publicized attack by the administration on the
transgender community. On July 26th 2017 President Trump tweeted that
“transgenders” would no longer be allowed to serve the military “in any capacity”. A month later the White House issued a formal order
to the Pentagon to end medical treatment, force out existing
transgender service members, and forbid transgender people from joining
the military. The DoD was not consulted, and Secretary of Defense Mattis had defended the policy allowing transgender people to serve. White House officials went on the record stating that this policy decision was purely political to score point with mid-Western voters.
The OPM is responsible for issuing most security clearances.
If they were to refuse clearances to transgender federal employees and
federal contractors, it would effectively complete a purge of the
federal service of transgender people.
Conclusion:
Where
possible, the Trump administration is doing almost everything they can
to implement the Family Research Council’s strategy. Where they are not,
it appears to be because they have not put people in place to implement
it yet.
Deciphering
how far this goes will depend greatly on who the next Director at OPM
is. OPM controls policy for recognizing gender changes, access to
facilities, FEHB plans, and security clearances. Watch this nomination
process carefully; it is likely to signal how far this administration is
willing to go to appease a group bent on cultural genocide.
Also, watch for Kennedy’s retirement. There’s a high probability that his replacement
will be ideologically indistinguishable from Gorsuch regarding
transgender people, given ultra-conservative organizations are doing the
vetting for the Administration. Thus, it’s unlikely that the courts
will do anything to intervene after Kennedy retires. As a result, the
Trump Administration, and the FRC, may wait until Kennedy has been
replaced to implement the worst of their agenda (such as revoking
passports and security clearances) against the transgender community.
Finally,
keep an eye on Rex Tillerson. If leaves, and is replaced by a
FRC-approved ideologue, passports are in danger. This is a red-line
from a historical perspective. If the US State Department revokes the
passports of people who have changed their gender markers and demands
that they be surrendered, it’s a sign that the government doesn’t want
transgender people to escape what happens next.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Transgender in the Military
Last week, the WORST thing that could happen for the Transgender community, happened.
First was President Donald Trump taking to Twitter to announce a full reinstatement of the ban on transgender individuals serving in ANY CAPACITY in the armed forces of the United States.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-announces-that-he-will-ban-transgender-people-from-serving-in-the-military/2017/07/26/6415371e-723a-11e7-803f-a6c989606ac7_story.html?utm_term=.0c5afaccd3cb
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
Donald Trump cites that "the military cannot accept the burden of higher medical costs and the “disruption” that transgender troops “would entail.”
Actual costs are estimated between $2.6 million and $8.4 million per year for transgender healthcare, which includes gender reassignment surgeries, breast implants, penile implants, hormone therapy and gender identity therapy.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cost-of-medical-care-for-transgender-service-members-would-be-minimal-studies-show/
To state that there is a burden there is completely and unequivocally FALSE.
The US Government gives out millions of dollars in cash enlistment bonuses AND GI Bill benefits in return for those wishing to serve. I won't minimize the importance of education, but let's face the fact that there are NO stipulations of any kind on how the GI Bill benefits are spent. The service member receives a check in the mail and how they spend it is their business. With no stipulations, there's no standard set for fraud. It's their money.
I've heard many first hand accounts of veterans spending their GI Bill on vacations, home remodeling, cars and performance parts, furniture, a down payment on a new house and a myriad of other things that this money truly never was intended to go towards. There is no accountability with this money, so using Donald Trump's own logic that he tweeted out, is this not financially BURDENSOME to the US Government? This is after all, taxpayers dollars at work and as taxpayers we have a RIGHT to know how this money is being spent and that it is being spent on what it was intended for.
Another argument I've heard is "I don't want my taxpayer's dollars going towards these surgeries". Well, ok then...often times when a person enlists in the military, the US Government offers them a choice of either a cash enlistment bonus or GI Bill benefits to be used towards college. Enlisted members use that cash for whatever they want. A new home, a car, pay off debt, strip clubs, pornography, vacations, cruises and some just blow it all on useless junk, alcohol and who knows what else, but no one has a problem with that. It's only a "problem", when someone wants to use it for gender reassignment surgery...then suddenly it's the biggest issue on the table.
Yet another argument I've heard is "They [transgender individuals] only want to join to get their surgeries." Ok, so? People join the military for a multitude of reasons. I myself, wanted to get away from the town I grew up in. I hated it there. I wanted out. The military was a way out. Others want the cash enlistment bonus. Others want the GI Bill benefits so they can go to college. Nothing in this world is FREE. Most people always wants something in exchange for a good or service. It's the way the world works and there's nothing wrong with that.
You don't go to work every day because you feel like you should, you go to work to collect a paycheck in exchange for your time and dedication so you can support your lifestyle and pursue the things you love. In addition to this, you might also feel a sense of "contributing to the economy and workforce" by doing your part. Many military service members feel a sense of duty and patriotism to their country to serve and that's all fine and noble, but I have yet to hear of any service member ever turning down a cash enlistment bonus or GI Bill benefits (it's very plausible it has happened), let alone their paycheck out of sheer "patriotism".
The narrative in Washington is to "Drain the Swamp". Well, if it is to be drained, then drain the whole thing, don't just do it half-assed and attack a group of people under a false pretense to justify banning them from military service to self-serve your own bigoted agenda.
Even more troubling is that fact that General Mattis had ordered a six month study on the effects of transgender individuals serving in the military and that report was not due until December of this year. Why did Trump feel the need to "tweet" this news out, when a study was under way?
LGBTQNation.com speculates that it was to support funding for his new border wall.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/trump-sold-transgender-troops-win-funding-miles-border-wall/
The good news here is that this WILL NOT go uncontested. I expect opposition at every turn by the ACLU, members of the Senate and House.
Rep. Scott Peters has filed legislation to block Trump's ban
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scott-peters-trump-military-trans-ban_us_5978b642e4b0e201d57a591f?section=us_queer-voices&utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_source=qv_fb&utm_medium=facebook&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000050
Many other politicians on both sides of the political spectrum have voiced their support for the continuation of transgender military personnel serving in our armed forces.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/07/republicans-giving-trump-finger-supporting-transgender-rights/
And finally, 56 retired Generals and Admirals have issued a statement that military readiness would be negatively impacted if this ban were to be implemented.
http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/56_Generals_and_Admirals_Warn_Trump.pdf
At this point in time, it is unclear what will in fact happen next. The President's tweet is NOT a law, it is not a directive, it is not a lawful order. He will have to sign and issue an executive order for it to become official, which he has yet to do. Once he does, I suspect it will face stiff opposition across the board.
What does this mean for the 15,000 estimated transgender military personnel currently serving? No one really knows. Will they be discharged from service? Will they be allowed to continue serving until their enlistment period is over? Will they be grandfathered in?
One could argue that if a service member can be punished for breaching his/her contract and court-martialed, then in the event that were discharged from service, that would constitute breach of contract on behalf of the US Government and could open themselves up to a myriad of lawsuits and legal challenges. However, it does say in your contract you can't sue the US Government and you give up all your rights to become property of the US Government to use as they desire. Very interesting legal questions arise out of this indeed.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
FFS
There are a couple types of FFS surgeons. Basic makeover surgeons and technical FFS Surgeons.
FFS stands for facial feminization surgery or the feminizing of a male face by using surgical means.
Many surgeons will claim to be "Board-Certified in Plastic Surgery". They can claim this and that and promise you the world and sell you on a surgery. This is not a bad thing nor is it a good thing. It merely depends on the needs of the patient.
If you have a very masculine forehead and pronounced brow bone and male chin, jawline, big nose and will need extensive work and reconstruction...you do not want to go to your run of the mill local board-certified plastic surgeon. Why? They can't do the extremely technical and invasive procedures necessary to make your face feminized and passable. You'll be throwing money away. You'll spend $10,000 and then after the surgery, you'll be unhappy with the results and you'll go spend another $25,000 - $35,000 to pay someone to try and fix it.
This is YOUR face for the rest of your life. You want to be sure that YOU are going to be happy
with it.
For those types of procedures there's maybe 7-10 surgeons in the entire world TOPS who can do aggressive facial feminization work.
Type 3 Forehead Reconstruction FFS Surgeons
Jordan Deschamps-Braly
San Francisco, CA
Dr. Deschamps-Braly is the understudy of Dr. Douglas Ousterhout, who is the godfather of FFS and he recently retired.
Dr. Marcelo Di Maggio
Buenes Aires, Argentina
Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel
Chestnut Hill, MA
FacialTeam in Spain
Marbella, Spain
Dr. Parag Telang
Mumbai, India
Dr. Eric Bensimon
Montreal, Canada
Dr. Lazaro Cardenas
FFS stands for facial feminization surgery or the feminizing of a male face by using surgical means.
Many surgeons will claim to be "Board-Certified in Plastic Surgery". They can claim this and that and promise you the world and sell you on a surgery. This is not a bad thing nor is it a good thing. It merely depends on the needs of the patient.
If you have a very masculine forehead and pronounced brow bone and male chin, jawline, big nose and will need extensive work and reconstruction...you do not want to go to your run of the mill local board-certified plastic surgeon. Why? They can't do the extremely technical and invasive procedures necessary to make your face feminized and passable. You'll be throwing money away. You'll spend $10,000 and then after the surgery, you'll be unhappy with the results and you'll go spend another $25,000 - $35,000 to pay someone to try and fix it.
This is YOUR face for the rest of your life. You want to be sure that YOU are going to be happy
with it.
For those types of procedures there's maybe 7-10 surgeons in the entire world TOPS who can do aggressive facial feminization work.
Type 3 Forehead Reconstruction FFS Surgeons
Jordan Deschamps-Braly
San Francisco, CA
Dr. Deschamps-Braly is the understudy of Dr. Douglas Ousterhout, who is the godfather of FFS and he recently retired.
Dr. Marcelo Di Maggio
Buenes Aires, Argentina
Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel
Chestnut Hill, MA
FacialTeam in Spain
Marbella, Spain
Dr. Parag Telang
Mumbai, India
Dr. Eric Bensimon
Montreal, Canada
Dr. Lazaro Cardenas
Guadalajara, Mexico
Dr. Suporn
Thailand
Dr. Chettawut
Bankok, Thailand
Dr. Bart Van de Ven
Antwerpen, Belgium
Dr. Harrison Lee
Beverly Hills, CA
New York City, NY
DR. M.F. NOORMAN VAN DER DUSSEN
Dr. Suporn
Thailand
Dr. Chettawut
Bankok, Thailand
Dr. Bart Van de Ven
Antwerpen, Belgium
Dr. Harrison Lee
Beverly Hills, CA
New York City, NY
DR. M.F. NOORMAN VAN DER DUSSEN
Belgium
Dr. Barry Eppley
Carmel, IN
(Note: Currently there are NO surgeons capable of doing type 3 forehead reconstruction surgeons in the state of Colorado).
These surgeons do what is called a Type 3 forehead reconstructive surgery. It is serious craniofacial and suborbital surgery. Major reconstructive of forehead, brow and eye sockets. Not every transgender woman will need this type of work, but many will.
Susan's Place has an excellent thread on the types of surgeries and the differences in the male and female skulls.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,202486.0.html
http://www.virtualffs.co.uk/Forehead.html
Dr. Deschamps-Braly's website discusses exactly what craniofacial surgery is and consists of.
http://deschamps-braly.com/craniofacial-surgeon-san-francisco/
If you pass very well, you already have soft features, a naturally feminized face and you need a few subtle minor changes such as a little smoothing, some rounding, raising the eye lids, raise the eyebrows and some other light cosmetic surgeries then a board-certified plastic surgeon will do you just fine and there is no need to go find a surgeon capable of type 3 forehead reconstruction.
Denver has two board-certified plastic surgeons that can handle these types of surgeries.
Type 1 Facial Feminization Surgeons (here in Colorado)
Dr. Terrance Murphy
799 E. Hampden Ave.
Suite 540
Englewood, CO 80113
Phone: (303) 788-8400
info@murphyplasticsurgery.com
http://murphyplasticsurgery.com/
Dr. Andrew Wolfe
Golden Complex
725 Heritage Rd #100
Golden, CO 80401
Cherry Creek Facility
501 S Cherry St #900
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (720) 279-1926
https://www.thecenterforcosmeticsurgery.net/cosmetic-surgeon-wolfe.cfm
There is a type 2 forehead reconstruction surgery as well. All three types are explained here.
http://www.noormanvanderdussen.com/feminization/forehead-recontouring.html
No one can tell you who the right surgeon is for you. You have the links and the information above, it is up to you to decide what it is exactly that you need, do several consultations, look at their before and after results, ask questions, do research and figure out what questions you should be asking during your consultations to figure out everything and then you choose the best possibly surgeon for YOUR NEEDS. All surgeons will have pro's, cons, positive reviews and negative reviews and complaints. It's like buying a car.
This is a pretty good read on the different types of FFS surgeons, how to evaluate their qualifications and abilities and make a sound decision.
http://facialfeminization.surgery/index.php/ffs-history/
This quote comes from a person who had FFS with the wrong surgeon, spent a bunch of money and then had to turn around and spend a bunch more to get it fixed.
NOTE: The opinions in the quoted section directly above do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or beliefs of the author of this blog. This quote was posted to show the seriousness and criticalness of selecting the proper FFS surgeon. The views on Dr. Murphy are the author of the quote's and strictly their own.
Furthermore, the author of this blog has no opinion on Dr. Murphy himself as the author of this blog has never received treatment from him and does not wish to engage in any commentary that could be considered slanderous or libelous terminology or be engaged in any defamation of Dr. Murphy's character or business practice. The only statement the author makes in regards to Dr. Murphy's abilities is that Dr. Murphy DOES NOT do Type 3 Forehead Construction which is a FACT.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Carmel, IN
(Note: Currently there are NO surgeons capable of doing type 3 forehead reconstruction surgeons in the state of Colorado).
These surgeons do what is called a Type 3 forehead reconstructive surgery. It is serious craniofacial and suborbital surgery. Major reconstructive of forehead, brow and eye sockets. Not every transgender woman will need this type of work, but many will.
Susan's Place has an excellent thread on the types of surgeries and the differences in the male and female skulls.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,202486.0.html
http://www.virtualffs.co.uk/Forehead.html
Dr. Deschamps-Braly's website discusses exactly what craniofacial surgery is and consists of.
http://deschamps-braly.com/craniofacial-surgeon-san-francisco/
If you pass very well, you already have soft features, a naturally feminized face and you need a few subtle minor changes such as a little smoothing, some rounding, raising the eye lids, raise the eyebrows and some other light cosmetic surgeries then a board-certified plastic surgeon will do you just fine and there is no need to go find a surgeon capable of type 3 forehead reconstruction.
Denver has two board-certified plastic surgeons that can handle these types of surgeries.
Type 1 Facial Feminization Surgeons (here in Colorado)
Dr. Terrance Murphy
799 E. Hampden Ave.
Suite 540
Englewood, CO 80113
Phone: (303) 788-8400
info@murphyplasticsurgery.com
http://murphyplasticsurgery.com/
Dr. Andrew Wolfe
Golden Complex
725 Heritage Rd #100
Golden, CO 80401
Cherry Creek Facility
501 S Cherry St #900
Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (720) 279-1926
https://www.thecenterforcosmeticsurgery.net/cosmetic-surgeon-wolfe.cfm
There is a type 2 forehead reconstruction surgery as well. All three types are explained here.
http://www.noormanvanderdussen.com/feminization/forehead-recontouring.html
No one can tell you who the right surgeon is for you. You have the links and the information above, it is up to you to decide what it is exactly that you need, do several consultations, look at their before and after results, ask questions, do research and figure out what questions you should be asking during your consultations to figure out everything and then you choose the best possibly surgeon for YOUR NEEDS. All surgeons will have pro's, cons, positive reviews and negative reviews and complaints. It's like buying a car.
This is a pretty good read on the different types of FFS surgeons, how to evaluate their qualifications and abilities and make a sound decision.
http://facialfeminization.surgery/index.php/ffs-history/
This quote comes from a person who had FFS with the wrong surgeon, spent a bunch of money and then had to turn around and spend a bunch more to get it fixed.
"Oh my, where to start with this...
How about the basics?
Your face is the SINGLE MOST VISIBLE PART OF YOUR ENTIRE BODY. Within a fraction of a second, it's possible for people to determine whether to gender you as male or female just by looking in the area close to your eyes. Your face will NEVER BE HIDDEN in the same simple way that we can hide other aspects of our bodies or personalities. Genitals and other parts of our bodies can be hidden under clothes. Our voices and mannerisms can be altered. We can hide baldness under wigs. But none of that matters if WITHIN A FRACTION OF A SECOND SOMEONE HAS ALREADY DECIDED THAT YOU'RE MALE BASED UPON YOUR FACE.
It follows that the face is the most important area of many MTF transitions where accepting anything other than the best surgical results possible is utterly foolish.
Consider my case: I initially went to a local board-certified plastic surgeon for my FFS. I thought that staying in my home city would make life easier, and I found someone who claimed to have done trans work before and who managed to convince me of his skills during a couple of consultations. The price was good - about half of what FFS would normally cost - and extra savings were to be had by avoiding travel, time away from home etc. What's not to like?
In fact, the guy I chose was almost identical in background to Dr Murphy.
Woke up from surgery and was instantly disappointed. The hairline advance was clumsy. The brow lift was good, but because the surgeon wasn't able to perform a "type 3" procedure and only did a "type 1", my brows looked stupidly high compared to the prominent brow bone that was still there. My nose was lovely - he did a great job with that. And we didn't even touch my lower face, which he thought was feminine enough already. Be careful about listening to plastic surgeons. They're very, very, very good at (1) making you feel slightly bad about the way you look, and (2) telling you their services are the best way to fix it. Salespeople through and through.
My brow ridge was still obvious. My eyes were still deep-set and very masculine. But I convinced myself that it was a good result, and told everybody that I was happy with the outcome. In reality, it was a thorough disappointment and I felt deep down like I'd wasted my time and money. Within two months of surgery, I was already getting in contact with the actual FFS surgeons in the US to arrange consults to fix what had been done.
And a year later, I had surgery with one of the big name FFS surgeons who could actually do a "type 3" forehead reconstruction, along with correcting/enhancing some of the stuff that the first surgeon didn't do well or didn't do at all. Lower face, for example. Lots of bone work that the local board-certified surgeon told me didn't need to be done (probably because he couldn't do it). Am I pleased with the result? Yes, most definitely. Now that I've had a proper "type 3", along with significant reshaping of my orbital rims to get rid of the deep-set look in my eyes, and along with lower face work, I look far more feminine than before. Removing deep-set eyes requires invasive forehead bone work, not just soft tissue stuff like a brow lift and eyelid work (which most certainly won't solve the problem). And this is the kind of work that the average plastic surgeon who works on stay-at-home moms (who already look female) just never encounters in his or her surgical career. FFS is not the work of a generalist. You need a specialist.
My costs? The first surgery was about $10,000. (This was a while ago.) The corrective real FFS was about $25,000. So a total spend of about $35,000, including travel and related expenses for the second FFS. Had I gone to the proper FFS surgeon initially, I'd have spent about $30,000 because my nose had already been done and didn't need correcting the second time. So a slight extra expense, but two face surgeries SUCKED, as did the year of utter misery while I resented my stupidity for ignoring the common-sense advice of almost everybody in the trans community.
The choice of surgeon is CRITICAL. A generalist like Dr Murphy can't possibly be experienced and trained in FFS techniques, at least not to the level that the actual FFS surgeons in the US are. Look at his website. He spends his days doing mommy makeovers, boobs, liposuction, and mini facelifts. At a guess, I'd say he does a trans patient maybe once every couple of months - at most - and even then he's not doing actual FFS, but rather applying general, simple, and ineffective soft-tissue procedures to transwomen's faces. A dedicated FFS surgeon will have done hundreds, if not thousands, of transgender patients, many of which will include significant bone reconstruction.
A typical board certified plastic surgeon making a living from stay-at-home moms WILL NOT DELIVER RESULTS comparable to the likes of Spiegel, Zukowski, Deschamps-Braly, Lee, or FT.
Ok, let me temper that a little. If all you need is a nose tweak or a brow lift, then yes, a standard board-certified plastic surgeon will probably be good enough. But if, like the OP in this thread, the issue is BROW BONE and/or JAW BONE, it would be a complete waste of time and money to go to a surgeon who is incapable of performing those procedures!
Take a look at Dr Murphy's results on his website. They're really not very good at all. You can clearly see that at best, all he's been able to do are very minor alterations. The underlying bone structure - particularly the foreheads - are identical in the before's and after's. His work has had, at most, a rejuvenating effect. The feminizing effect of his work is non-existent. This is the same result that I had when I went to a normal plastic surgeon first. I looked slightly different, but zero percent more feminine than before. And this is facial FEMINIZATION surgery. The goal is to look more feminine, and Dr Murphy (and probably almost every other non-FFS surgeon) just can't perform the underlying work necessary to make people look more feminine. They don't know what they're doing. In fact, the only feminization I see in Dr Murphy's before's and after's is that he's used the trick of taking before's with no makeup or wigs, and after's with makeup and wigs. It's as if he hasn't operated on the patients whatsoever, other than raising one woman's eyebrows to a slightly unnatural position. From an objective standpoint, these results are very poor! Subjectively, I'd say they're pathetic.
So with FFS, you get what you pay for. To get good results costs money, it takes time, and it takes the effort of going to where the good surgeons are. It's a very specialized field, and while the usual arrogance of plastic surgeons might cause them to all claim they can perform FFS, in reality there's only a handful of surgeons worldwide who can actually deliver on their promises on a consistent basis. Driving distance should NEVER be a factor. Every city in the US has board-certified plastic surgeons who will claim that they can feminize your face. The fact that Dr Murphy is seven miles away from where the OP lives shouldn't even enter into the equation. FFS, like SRS, is probably going to involve almost a couple of weeks away from home and a trip on a plane. Based upon his results and based upon my own experiences with a very similar surgeon, I'd say that every dollar spent on Dr Murphy will be wasted.
Why did this thread cause me to re-register and dive into what will undoubtedly become a bit of an argument? Because the suffering that my useless first FFS caused still stings to this day, and I strongly believe that it was unnecessary and caused in part by my own misguided belief that board-certified meant "good enough" and that staying local was important. And the OP's thought process is frighteningly like my own. It's an expensive mistake waiting to happen. And it's well known that there's very few people who are willing to speak ill of their surgeons and admit that they had poor results, so it's no surprise that his patients in Denver are all saying that they love his work. If I was a patient in one of his before's and after's, I'd be banging on his office door asking for a full refund!
I'm deliberately not mentioning who my first FFS surgeon was, nor who I went to after that to have it all done properly. I'm not promoting any particular surgeons, and won't divulge this information. It's not important to the message in this post, which is to take FFS extremely seriously, to realize that it's very specialized and complicated surgery that only a few surgeons can perform competently, and that the face is the number one most important aspect of getting gendered correctly.
Want to avoid getting whispered about in doctor's waiting rooms? Get proper FFS, not some budget version by a local doc who talks a good game but clearly won't fix the problem."
NOTE: The opinions in the quoted section directly above do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or beliefs of the author of this blog. This quote was posted to show the seriousness and criticalness of selecting the proper FFS surgeon. The views on Dr. Murphy are the author of the quote's and strictly their own.
Furthermore, the author of this blog has no opinion on Dr. Murphy himself as the author of this blog has never received treatment from him and does not wish to engage in any commentary that could be considered slanderous or libelous terminology or be engaged in any defamation of Dr. Murphy's character or business practice. The only statement the author makes in regards to Dr. Murphy's abilities is that Dr. Murphy DOES NOT do Type 3 Forehead Construction which is a FACT.
Speech Therapy
This is a set of documents I obtained from the Veterans Administration Health System while I was in transition. I did Speech Therapy through their Speech and Audiology Department.
You can download the .pdf file here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqk0i4d4d3lcnk4/VoiceTherapy.pdf?dl=0
You can also purchase Calpernia Adams' Finding Your Female Voice Speech Therapy Program. It has a .pdf and a disc of audio files. She gets good results with this audio disc. The link to buy the disc in the pdf file below.
http://www.genderlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/voicebook020.pdf
There's a few computer programs that will help you measure the pitch, resonance and db level of your voice.
Praat for MAC
http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_mac.html
Praat for Windows
http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_win.html
Here's a link that tells you how to use the program effectively.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,150142.0.html
Note Frequency Table
https://www.seventhstring.com/resources/notefrequencies.html
http://sail.usc.edu/~lgoldste/General_Phonetics/Week10/Formant_Analysis/index.html
You can use PitchLab to check the pitch of your voice on your mobile phone
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symbolic.pitchlab&hl=en
https://appsto.re/us/aNMRR.i
Speech therapy has limitations, but it will help teach you to feminize your voice to an extent. However, once you stop seeing gains, that's it; you're maxed out on any further progress. If it is acceptable to you, then you will need nothing further.
If it is not acceptable, you will need surgery to have your vocal chords altered to produce a feminine pitch.
There are many known surgeons that can do vocal chord surgeries, but I'll list the most prevalent three.
Dr. James P. Thomas, MD.
909 NW 18th Ave
Portland, OR 97209-2324
thomas@voicedoctor.net
http://www.voicedoctor.net
503-478-1845
866-766-1994
Dr. Toby Mayer, MD.
416 Bedford Dr, Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
info@bevhills.com
http://www.bevhills.com
310-278-8823
800-854-8823
Dr. Michael C. Haben, MD
980 Westfall Road
Building 100, Suite 127
Rochester, NY 14618
http://www.professionalvoice.org
585-730-8151
You can download the .pdf file here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqk0i4d4d3lcnk4/VoiceTherapy.pdf?dl=0
You can also purchase Calpernia Adams' Finding Your Female Voice Speech Therapy Program. It has a .pdf and a disc of audio files. She gets good results with this audio disc. The link to buy the disc in the pdf file below.
http://www.genderlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/voicebook020.pdf
There's a few computer programs that will help you measure the pitch, resonance and db level of your voice.
Praat for MAC
http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_mac.html
Praat for Windows
http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download_win.html
Here's a link that tells you how to use the program effectively.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,150142.0.html
Note Frequency Table
https://www.seventhstring.com/resources/notefrequencies.html
http://sail.usc.edu/~lgoldste/General_Phonetics/Week10/Formant_Analysis/index.html
You can use PitchLab to check the pitch of your voice on your mobile phone
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symbolic.pitchlab&hl=en
https://appsto.re/us/aNMRR.i
Speech therapy has limitations, but it will help teach you to feminize your voice to an extent. However, once you stop seeing gains, that's it; you're maxed out on any further progress. If it is acceptable to you, then you will need nothing further.
If it is not acceptable, you will need surgery to have your vocal chords altered to produce a feminine pitch.
There are many known surgeons that can do vocal chord surgeries, but I'll list the most prevalent three.
Dr. James P. Thomas, MD.
909 NW 18th Ave
Portland, OR 97209-2324
thomas@voicedoctor.net
http://www.voicedoctor.net
503-478-1845
866-766-1994
Dr. Toby Mayer, MD.
416 Bedford Dr, Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
info@bevhills.com
http://www.bevhills.com
310-278-8823
800-854-8823
Dr. Michael C. Haben, MD
980 Westfall Road
Building 100, Suite 127
Rochester, NY 14618
http://www.professionalvoice.org
585-730-8151
Friday, April 14, 2017
Surgeons
There's a great deal of surgeons to choose from when it comes to picking someone to perform your surgeries for Female Facial Feminization, gender reassignment surgery, Adam's apple shave, vocal chord width reduction, body shaping, breast augmentation, dual breast mastectomy, phalloplasty and other procedures.
What is the right choice? How do I make that choice?
Well I can't specifically tell you what the right choice is or isn't. You have to figure that out for yourself. I can tell you how to go about it, but I can't make that decision for you. So here's what I did.
When I was in the process of selecting a surgeon for my gender reassignment surgery, I also knew I wanted to have my breast augmentation at the same time, so that helped me narrow it to surgeons that were able to do both procedures. The reason for this is I didn't want to go back and have to pay for anesthesia and hospital costs a second time. Two birds, one stone.
When I first began transition, insurance was not available to me, so I had originally planned to go to Thailand and see Dr. Kamol or Dr. Preecha for my GRS and BA surgeries.
However, after I moved to Colorado in 2013, the laws here changed and insurance companies began selling trans-inclusive plans on the Colorado Exchange (Connect for Colorado) that allowed transgender individuals to have their surgeries covered. This changed everything for me. I no longer had to go overseas to get these procedures done. Following this change, I began researching surgeons here in America. My top choices were originally Dr. Christine McGinn in New Hope, PA, whom I say featured in the documentary "TRANS" and I have to be honest, I was in awe of her beauty, her personality in the documentary and I had a pre-determined mindset that she would be my surgeon. I also had selected Dr. Toby Meltzer in Scottsdale, AZ and Dr. Marci Bowers in San Francisco, CA (formerly in Trinidad, CO). Later, I added Dr. Kathy Rumer to the list after talking with another transwoman online who told me about her. I did my research on all 4. I had a lot of difficulty getting hold of Dr. McGinn for a phone consult, plus she didn't take insurance at the time (this may have changed since then). I did eventually get a phone consult with her and I was very disappointed with her phone demeanor. Maybe she had an off day, but she seemed off, distracted and I didn't feel like what I was asking mattered or was even heard. That's not what I needed in a surgeon.
I did a phone consult with Toby Meltzer, but I was not impressed by his phone demeanor either, not to mention his waiting list was at minimum of 2 years and I really felt more like a source of income to him than a patient who's needs were important. Dr. Marci Bowers was much the same way and her waiting list was 3 years and I couldn't wait that long.
In January of 2015, I reached out to Dr. Kathy Rumer's office and scheduled a phone consult. When I talked with Dr. Rumer, she was SPOT on the money about everything I asked. She was well prepared for my answers, she was friendly, courteous, open and explained everything in great detail but keeping it from getting too lengthy or technical. During our conversation, I felt something with her that I didn't feel with the others when I spoke to them. She felt like a familiar friend, someone I had known for a long time even though I had never even met her. She was on the same page as me, she was tuned in to what I wanted, she listened to me, to my needs and that meant the world on me. I had found my surgeon. I had also done a lot of research online about her, and complaints were few, praises were high. Everything I looked at in regards to her, I liked. My excitement grew. A few months later I scheduled an office consult and flew to Philadelphia in early December of 2015. The visit went very well. She answered all of my questions, she was so warm, caring, compassionate and friendly. I haven't been let down by her yet and she did a great job, and as of 7 weeks post-op, I am very satisfied with my results, although there is much healing left to do.
These were the things that were important to me to have in a surgeon. You are trusting your LIFE, your health and your future to this person. This includes your future sex life. The ability to have sensation, feeling, orgasms and sexual pleasure is in their hands. You want to know that this person cares about you, your well-being, your health and your ability to enjoy the life of a woman that you have sought for so long. You can't afford to make a mistake.
So do your research, ask questions, talk to former patients of surgeons and ask about their quality of care, personal relationship with that surgeon, aesthetic results, form and function (orgasm, sensation, ability to pee, etc). Most of all trust YOUR instincts. Not someone else's word that refers you. When you connect with the person that is to be your surgeon, you will know.
Choosing the wrong surgeon to save a buck or two can mean the difference in having all those things or having to go back for multiple revisions, fixing errors and mistakes, or even worse, being stuck with no sensation, no ability to orgasm, paralysis in your mons pubis region, a caved in vagina that closes up or gets a bad infection.
There are FAR too many surgeons for me to list individually on this blog, so I'll just include a convenient link to make it easier for you to find their name, location and contact information.
http://www.transhealthcare.org/usa/
Currently, there are NO surgeons in the state of Colorado that perform gender reassignment surgery for male to females or female to males. You can expect to travel out of state, have to get airfare, hotel and other accomodations, so factor this into your budget if you plan to have GRS anytime soon.
Dr. Terrance Murphy does do top surgeries for both M2F and F2M transgender people as well as FFS and other cosmetic enhancing procedures. He is very highly regarded by the transgender community here in Colorado.
Dr. Terrance Murphy
799 E. Hampden Ave.
Suite 540
Englewood, CO 80113
Phone: 303-788-8400
info@murphyplasticsurgery.com
http://murphyplasticsurgery.com/
What is the right choice? How do I make that choice?
Well I can't specifically tell you what the right choice is or isn't. You have to figure that out for yourself. I can tell you how to go about it, but I can't make that decision for you. So here's what I did.
When I was in the process of selecting a surgeon for my gender reassignment surgery, I also knew I wanted to have my breast augmentation at the same time, so that helped me narrow it to surgeons that were able to do both procedures. The reason for this is I didn't want to go back and have to pay for anesthesia and hospital costs a second time. Two birds, one stone.
When I first began transition, insurance was not available to me, so I had originally planned to go to Thailand and see Dr. Kamol or Dr. Preecha for my GRS and BA surgeries.
However, after I moved to Colorado in 2013, the laws here changed and insurance companies began selling trans-inclusive plans on the Colorado Exchange (Connect for Colorado) that allowed transgender individuals to have their surgeries covered. This changed everything for me. I no longer had to go overseas to get these procedures done. Following this change, I began researching surgeons here in America. My top choices were originally Dr. Christine McGinn in New Hope, PA, whom I say featured in the documentary "TRANS" and I have to be honest, I was in awe of her beauty, her personality in the documentary and I had a pre-determined mindset that she would be my surgeon. I also had selected Dr. Toby Meltzer in Scottsdale, AZ and Dr. Marci Bowers in San Francisco, CA (formerly in Trinidad, CO). Later, I added Dr. Kathy Rumer to the list after talking with another transwoman online who told me about her. I did my research on all 4. I had a lot of difficulty getting hold of Dr. McGinn for a phone consult, plus she didn't take insurance at the time (this may have changed since then). I did eventually get a phone consult with her and I was very disappointed with her phone demeanor. Maybe she had an off day, but she seemed off, distracted and I didn't feel like what I was asking mattered or was even heard. That's not what I needed in a surgeon.
I did a phone consult with Toby Meltzer, but I was not impressed by his phone demeanor either, not to mention his waiting list was at minimum of 2 years and I really felt more like a source of income to him than a patient who's needs were important. Dr. Marci Bowers was much the same way and her waiting list was 3 years and I couldn't wait that long.
In January of 2015, I reached out to Dr. Kathy Rumer's office and scheduled a phone consult. When I talked with Dr. Rumer, she was SPOT on the money about everything I asked. She was well prepared for my answers, she was friendly, courteous, open and explained everything in great detail but keeping it from getting too lengthy or technical. During our conversation, I felt something with her that I didn't feel with the others when I spoke to them. She felt like a familiar friend, someone I had known for a long time even though I had never even met her. She was on the same page as me, she was tuned in to what I wanted, she listened to me, to my needs and that meant the world on me. I had found my surgeon. I had also done a lot of research online about her, and complaints were few, praises were high. Everything I looked at in regards to her, I liked. My excitement grew. A few months later I scheduled an office consult and flew to Philadelphia in early December of 2015. The visit went very well. She answered all of my questions, she was so warm, caring, compassionate and friendly. I haven't been let down by her yet and she did a great job, and as of 7 weeks post-op, I am very satisfied with my results, although there is much healing left to do.
These were the things that were important to me to have in a surgeon. You are trusting your LIFE, your health and your future to this person. This includes your future sex life. The ability to have sensation, feeling, orgasms and sexual pleasure is in their hands. You want to know that this person cares about you, your well-being, your health and your ability to enjoy the life of a woman that you have sought for so long. You can't afford to make a mistake.
So do your research, ask questions, talk to former patients of surgeons and ask about their quality of care, personal relationship with that surgeon, aesthetic results, form and function (orgasm, sensation, ability to pee, etc). Most of all trust YOUR instincts. Not someone else's word that refers you. When you connect with the person that is to be your surgeon, you will know.
Choosing the wrong surgeon to save a buck or two can mean the difference in having all those things or having to go back for multiple revisions, fixing errors and mistakes, or even worse, being stuck with no sensation, no ability to orgasm, paralysis in your mons pubis region, a caved in vagina that closes up or gets a bad infection.
There are FAR too many surgeons for me to list individually on this blog, so I'll just include a convenient link to make it easier for you to find their name, location and contact information.
http://www.transhealthcare.org/usa/
Currently, there are NO surgeons in the state of Colorado that perform gender reassignment surgery for male to females or female to males. You can expect to travel out of state, have to get airfare, hotel and other accomodations, so factor this into your budget if you plan to have GRS anytime soon.
Dr. Terrance Murphy does do top surgeries for both M2F and F2M transgender people as well as FFS and other cosmetic enhancing procedures. He is very highly regarded by the transgender community here in Colorado.
Dr. Terrance Murphy
799 E. Hampden Ave.
Suite 540
Englewood, CO 80113
Phone: 303-788-8400
info@murphyplasticsurgery.com
http://murphyplasticsurgery.com/
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Recovery
My first 3 weeks home after recovery were pretty intense and difficult. They were the hardest part of the entire surgery and recovery process.
After returning home from surgery on Friday March 3rd, 2017, I had plenty of helpers coming and go, people to visit with me for emotional support, but not always exactly on the dates and times that I needed it. Several times, I got a little sad and lonely, but I never went very long without somewhere coming by to visit or help out.
The first day home was nice. I didn't really have anyone there, it was quiet. My apartment complex ladies came up to visit me. I was able to walk and get around, but very very sore. It was unpleasant, I used my pain meds to take the edge off, I slept a lot, I ate the good food I had prepared and put in the freezer before I left (15 tupperware containers full of food).
I won't go into detail of every single day, because I don't quite remember every single one of them, but for the most part, I watched movies, I slept, I dilated 4 times a day, I showered frequently and I played on my phone. There wasn't much else I could do.
A week after I got home, Melinda drove me to the county courthouse so I could file the motion to change my gender marker on my birth certificate. I ran into some issues with the court clerk who tried telling me that because I changed my name in another state, that the Court didn't have any jurisdiction over my birth certificate. Sorry, that is not the case. I requested a manager and we got it all sorted out. That lady had no clue what she was talking about. The only way a Colorado Court won't have any jurisdiction to change a birth certificate is if you were NOT born in Colorado. Name changes have nothing to do with anything. As long as the name change was legal and you have a court certified order of the name change with you, then there is no issue as all Courts recognize official court orders from other cities and states. That's how our Justice system works. That lady got dressed down by the Judge for not doing her continuing education. So I went before the Judge, and swore in and answered the questions and she signed off on it and it was done. I went home happy that all I had left to do was get a new copy of my birth certificate.
I tried to go to the St. Patty's Day parade but a friend wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get to go. I sat at home bored and disappointed. I've never been to a St. Patty's Day parade or celebrated or anything. That Monday I know I over did it completely. The 13th I got up early, dilated, showered and then took the car downtown. This was the first time I had driven since before my surgery. My bottom area hurt quite a bit when I sat in the seat. I brought a cushion that helped some, but not very much. I got down to the Social Security office early, stood in line and was about 10 people back. At 9 am, they opened up and I went in got my number and only waited 10 minutes. I changed my gender marker in the system and got a receipt and then I left. From there I opened up a safety deposit at a nearby bank and put some documents in, then left. I drove to the Dept of Public Health building a few miles away and spent about 30 minutes in there waiting to get my new birth certificate. It was an awesome moment when I got my new birth certificate. I was legally a female according to the state of Colorado. No state can ever make me use a male bathroom again. Period. EVER.
Afterwards, I went to the grocery store, grabbed a few necessities, stopped and snagged a large french fry and a Shamrock shake from McDonald's (I usually don't eat there, but fries and shamrock shakes sounded so wonderful) and I went home.
I got home, dilated and then a visitor showed up to keep me company for awhile. Later that evening, everything went to hell in a hand basket. I couldn't pass a bowel movement, I was backed up and it wasn't coming out. I was constipated. I started taking some docusate, dolculax and metamucil. About 4:45 pm, I finally had a bowel movement after 2 1/2 days of not having one and it was the most brutal, horrifying pain I have ever felt. A sharp, constant pain. Being constipated and having hard stool had irritated internal hemmorhoids. We all have them, but most of don't know we have them...until they become a major problem. I sat on the toilet and I cried for a half hour because it hurt so bad. My pain level was a 9.5 on a scale of 10. Finally I drug myself back to bed, and I laid there but the pain was awful. I was also dehydrated which didn't help matters any. About 8:30 pm, I couldn't take it anymore and went to the hospital. They were useless and couldn't do anything for me. Couldn't give me any painkillers since it would further irritate the issue at hand. I went home and did my best to sleep. Got up the next morning and did some research and went to the grocery and got high fiber foods. Blackberries, raspberries, oatmeal, peas, carrots, broccoli, wheat bread. For a week solid I ate jello, bomb pops, soup, and the aforementioned foods, scrambled eggs and applesauce. It was better than the alternative. My stool was liquid for 2 weeks, but that was ok by me. Better that, than to have that brutal pain again. A week later I got into the doctor's office only to be told there wasn't much that could be done and that I just needed to modify my diet by adding more fiber.
Melinda and her Mom took me to celebrate the day I now recognize as my birthday (the day I legally changed my name). We went and got Mexican food. The doctor said I could eat whatever, just add fiber daily and drink metamucil 3 times a day. After a week of being on a soft diet, real food was GOOD to eat. Also had a banana cream pie for dessert at home.
The second and third week, I was sore as I can ever remember being. I felt like someone had stretched all my muscles between my legs and drew them tight like a rubber band. I never thought that feeling would end, but it only lasted about 14-17 days. I was sure glad when it stopped.
Melinda took me to one of my therapist appointments and then her Mom took me the following week.
At the end of that week, I was on my own. I was out walking, getting exercise, doing things around the apartment on my own. I didn't need any help with much of anything. I still didn't have all my energy, but I could drive, run errands and get around pretty good. Melinda still checks in on me from time to time.
The soreness and hemmorhoids were the worst part, and I'm well past that now. I've been doing little things around the apartment. I can cook, clean, do laundry, wash dishes and what not.
I was dilating 4 times a day for the first 4 weeks and it was wearing on me a lot, but I'm now down to 3 times a day and it is so much more manageable than 4 times. At the end of May, I'll reduce to twice a day.
I had my 6 week follow-up via Skype last Monday. Everything is healing as it should, there are no complications or setbacks. I do have some granulations deep in the vagina which are causing some mild burning and light pain when I dilate so I have to go see the gynecologist at the beginning of the week and have silver nitrate applied to the granulations to remove them.
I have full sensation in my clitoris (which this really excites me). I've been granted permission by my doctor to self-explore, but not to use any sex toys or have any sexual penetration. Exploring my new clitoris the other night was amazing. I almost achieved my first female orgasm but not quite. I was sooooooo close! It felt completely amazing too. I've had some vaginal sexual sensations from dilating so there's pleasurable sensations there too.
I'm feeling much better, I have more energy and I'm able to go longer without sleeping. However, I am trying to get as much rest as possible, exercise and have a balanced day.
I was also able to call my high school and get my transcripts updated with my legal name and I should be getting a copy in the mail in the next few weeks. I am still working with Jostens to get my HS Diploma reprinted with my legal name as well, they just have to verify with the school. The cost is $30.00
So that's how my recovery has been. First 3 weeks home were the worst. After that, it's all pretty easy sailing. I'm enjoying the time off work, getting things done and doing some things that I want to do while I have the chance.
On April 12th, I will be approximately 7 weeks post-op. Getting close to my time to go back to work. I don't have to be back till the end of May, because I made sure to leave myself adequate time to recover physically and emotionally after the surgery, but I see no need to take that entire time off if I'm able to work and can do my job without pain. So I'll probably be going back to work in early May.
So in closing, I probably won't update this post because there's not much to report with recovery. Most of my recovery is done. Scars have to heal, dilation will continue, but the worst is over, the hard part is behind me, the rest is day to day stuff, taking care of my body and my new vagina and breasts and enjoying being a female.
The novelty hasn't worn off. I don't expect it will until everything's fully healed and I've gotten to enjoy it sexually a lot and explored it to it's full potential. If it never wears off that's ok with me too. :)
After returning home from surgery on Friday March 3rd, 2017, I had plenty of helpers coming and go, people to visit with me for emotional support, but not always exactly on the dates and times that I needed it. Several times, I got a little sad and lonely, but I never went very long without somewhere coming by to visit or help out.
The first day home was nice. I didn't really have anyone there, it was quiet. My apartment complex ladies came up to visit me. I was able to walk and get around, but very very sore. It was unpleasant, I used my pain meds to take the edge off, I slept a lot, I ate the good food I had prepared and put in the freezer before I left (15 tupperware containers full of food).
I won't go into detail of every single day, because I don't quite remember every single one of them, but for the most part, I watched movies, I slept, I dilated 4 times a day, I showered frequently and I played on my phone. There wasn't much else I could do.
A week after I got home, Melinda drove me to the county courthouse so I could file the motion to change my gender marker on my birth certificate. I ran into some issues with the court clerk who tried telling me that because I changed my name in another state, that the Court didn't have any jurisdiction over my birth certificate. Sorry, that is not the case. I requested a manager and we got it all sorted out. That lady had no clue what she was talking about. The only way a Colorado Court won't have any jurisdiction to change a birth certificate is if you were NOT born in Colorado. Name changes have nothing to do with anything. As long as the name change was legal and you have a court certified order of the name change with you, then there is no issue as all Courts recognize official court orders from other cities and states. That's how our Justice system works. That lady got dressed down by the Judge for not doing her continuing education. So I went before the Judge, and swore in and answered the questions and she signed off on it and it was done. I went home happy that all I had left to do was get a new copy of my birth certificate.
I tried to go to the St. Patty's Day parade but a friend wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get to go. I sat at home bored and disappointed. I've never been to a St. Patty's Day parade or celebrated or anything. That Monday I know I over did it completely. The 13th I got up early, dilated, showered and then took the car downtown. This was the first time I had driven since before my surgery. My bottom area hurt quite a bit when I sat in the seat. I brought a cushion that helped some, but not very much. I got down to the Social Security office early, stood in line and was about 10 people back. At 9 am, they opened up and I went in got my number and only waited 10 minutes. I changed my gender marker in the system and got a receipt and then I left. From there I opened up a safety deposit at a nearby bank and put some documents in, then left. I drove to the Dept of Public Health building a few miles away and spent about 30 minutes in there waiting to get my new birth certificate. It was an awesome moment when I got my new birth certificate. I was legally a female according to the state of Colorado. No state can ever make me use a male bathroom again. Period. EVER.
Afterwards, I went to the grocery store, grabbed a few necessities, stopped and snagged a large french fry and a Shamrock shake from McDonald's (I usually don't eat there, but fries and shamrock shakes sounded so wonderful) and I went home.
I got home, dilated and then a visitor showed up to keep me company for awhile. Later that evening, everything went to hell in a hand basket. I couldn't pass a bowel movement, I was backed up and it wasn't coming out. I was constipated. I started taking some docusate, dolculax and metamucil. About 4:45 pm, I finally had a bowel movement after 2 1/2 days of not having one and it was the most brutal, horrifying pain I have ever felt. A sharp, constant pain. Being constipated and having hard stool had irritated internal hemmorhoids. We all have them, but most of don't know we have them...until they become a major problem. I sat on the toilet and I cried for a half hour because it hurt so bad. My pain level was a 9.5 on a scale of 10. Finally I drug myself back to bed, and I laid there but the pain was awful. I was also dehydrated which didn't help matters any. About 8:30 pm, I couldn't take it anymore and went to the hospital. They were useless and couldn't do anything for me. Couldn't give me any painkillers since it would further irritate the issue at hand. I went home and did my best to sleep. Got up the next morning and did some research and went to the grocery and got high fiber foods. Blackberries, raspberries, oatmeal, peas, carrots, broccoli, wheat bread. For a week solid I ate jello, bomb pops, soup, and the aforementioned foods, scrambled eggs and applesauce. It was better than the alternative. My stool was liquid for 2 weeks, but that was ok by me. Better that, than to have that brutal pain again. A week later I got into the doctor's office only to be told there wasn't much that could be done and that I just needed to modify my diet by adding more fiber.
Melinda and her Mom took me to celebrate the day I now recognize as my birthday (the day I legally changed my name). We went and got Mexican food. The doctor said I could eat whatever, just add fiber daily and drink metamucil 3 times a day. After a week of being on a soft diet, real food was GOOD to eat. Also had a banana cream pie for dessert at home.
The second and third week, I was sore as I can ever remember being. I felt like someone had stretched all my muscles between my legs and drew them tight like a rubber band. I never thought that feeling would end, but it only lasted about 14-17 days. I was sure glad when it stopped.
Melinda took me to one of my therapist appointments and then her Mom took me the following week.
At the end of that week, I was on my own. I was out walking, getting exercise, doing things around the apartment on my own. I didn't need any help with much of anything. I still didn't have all my energy, but I could drive, run errands and get around pretty good. Melinda still checks in on me from time to time.
The soreness and hemmorhoids were the worst part, and I'm well past that now. I've been doing little things around the apartment. I can cook, clean, do laundry, wash dishes and what not.
I was dilating 4 times a day for the first 4 weeks and it was wearing on me a lot, but I'm now down to 3 times a day and it is so much more manageable than 4 times. At the end of May, I'll reduce to twice a day.
I had my 6 week follow-up via Skype last Monday. Everything is healing as it should, there are no complications or setbacks. I do have some granulations deep in the vagina which are causing some mild burning and light pain when I dilate so I have to go see the gynecologist at the beginning of the week and have silver nitrate applied to the granulations to remove them.
I have full sensation in my clitoris (which this really excites me). I've been granted permission by my doctor to self-explore, but not to use any sex toys or have any sexual penetration. Exploring my new clitoris the other night was amazing. I almost achieved my first female orgasm but not quite. I was sooooooo close! It felt completely amazing too. I've had some vaginal sexual sensations from dilating so there's pleasurable sensations there too.
I'm feeling much better, I have more energy and I'm able to go longer without sleeping. However, I am trying to get as much rest as possible, exercise and have a balanced day.
I was also able to call my high school and get my transcripts updated with my legal name and I should be getting a copy in the mail in the next few weeks. I am still working with Jostens to get my HS Diploma reprinted with my legal name as well, they just have to verify with the school. The cost is $30.00
So that's how my recovery has been. First 3 weeks home were the worst. After that, it's all pretty easy sailing. I'm enjoying the time off work, getting things done and doing some things that I want to do while I have the chance.
On April 12th, I will be approximately 7 weeks post-op. Getting close to my time to go back to work. I don't have to be back till the end of May, because I made sure to leave myself adequate time to recover physically and emotionally after the surgery, but I see no need to take that entire time off if I'm able to work and can do my job without pain. So I'll probably be going back to work in early May.
So in closing, I probably won't update this post because there's not much to report with recovery. Most of my recovery is done. Scars have to heal, dilation will continue, but the worst is over, the hard part is behind me, the rest is day to day stuff, taking care of my body and my new vagina and breasts and enjoying being a female.
The novelty hasn't worn off. I don't expect it will until everything's fully healed and I've gotten to enjoy it sexually a lot and explored it to it's full potential. If it never wears off that's ok with me too. :)
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