Hey I’m Micah! He/him pan/ace. Hella single since I live in a place where people are carbon copies of each other. I basically made this blog to vent and/or post about LGBT stuff or anything else secret because a family member follows my main account. Definitely count on seeing lots of positive things and probably some weird vents from me and my life. (Wondering why I reblogged your selfie? Because you’re adorable! Check out the cuties tag!)
god seeing people afraid to id as ace/aro because "what if it is just a phase? what if it is just hormones? what if it is just mental illness? what if I do find "the right person?"" makes me so righteously angry because I promise you, I promise no one in the community is going to revoke your aspec card on account of hypotheticals. if someone told you that then the stupid motherfucker lied to you. you do not look at water and go "well I'm not sure if I should drink this, because if the temperature drops below zero, it'll turn to ice." relax. let yourself just be. drink the water if you're thirsty. because it's water right now. doesn't matter if it'll be ice by tomorrow, or mist by next tuesday. it's water and you can drink it if you want to.
is there anything u wish u had known pre-top surgery? I’m trying to schedule mine next yr and I’m worried I rushed into picking my surgeon even tho I looked at a Lot. I’ve got a list of questions to ask but curious if there’s anything you can think of! Thanks, if u get a chance to reply 🥺
firstly congrats and good luck with your top surgery, i hope the wait goes quickly!!
There were a lot of things i wasn’t expecting about top surgery - not necessarily that i wish i’d known in advance, just that i didn’t anticipate. I wrote a document of them not long after surgery which ill post soon and link back to here :) right now ill go through the main stuff i wish i had known, and any questions i had (under a cut because it got long)
Stuff I Wish I’d Known
Some of this depends on how your surgeon does things. I had 6 days before my post-op appointment w chest reveal.
That first week is tough. Ymmv, but for me it was really hard. I knew that post-op depression was a thing, i didn’t realise what it would feel like. For me it was a lot of being tired and not being able to sleep because of not being able to get comfortable (having to sleep elevated for a few days & pain), so getting more tired and bored but too fatigued to do anything in that classic frustrating cycle. Once i slept decently for the first time i felt human again (nytol is a lifesaver). It’s also tough bc ur sweaty n uncomfortable and u haven’t showered or taken off the post-op binder for a week, and with the dressings and swelling it doesn’t feel like its really happened yet? After chest reveal thats a lot easier
Sometimes moving around you’ll feel something like pull or pop and you get so so paranoid about pulling a stitch i seriously thought id pulled a stitch but its usually like the dressings adhesion or something, you don’t need to freak out. My best friend here was this uk trans fb group because i could search and find years of posts with ppl having the same problems, or ask and ppl would give advice and calm me down, so it’s good to join a community like that ready for if you inevitably get stressed about something (also good for post-op boredom)
You cant use your arms to move. Sounds obvious but like i never realised how much i reflexively rely on using arms to move sitting positions on a bed, and how you need to pay attention to override that impulse.
Peeing after anesthetic is weirdly hard. It really helps if you practise consciously releasing the specific muscles to pee beforehand
I was so hungry. I got fed sure (great food too) but i wish i had taken snacks.
Questions to ask
Im gonna list some stuff that you may already know/have on your list but it might help fill any gaps :)
When are your post-ops? Are they included in the surgery price? Mine were at 6 days (chest reveal) and 8 weeks (normally 6 weeks but my surgeon was on holiday lol) and both included in the price of surgery (which is standard for here i think). Its good to have rough timeframes in advance so you can plan around it.
Ask about revisions - are they included in the price, what is the timeframe you can get revisions for, how you would start the revision process if you need it? Hopefully you won’t need it but its important to know just in case & so you don’t need to worry about it. I think my surgeon got a bit touchy when I brought up revisions but i was just clear that if I’m getting this surgery and paying a lot of money for it i need to know this stuff in advance which as a professional he should be fine with.
Can you have a say in scar shape and/or nipple size? Usually you can, and this is often at the pre-op when they draw all over your chest before surgery. Don’t feel like you can't weigh in - this is your chest. Also even at consultation they might be able to give you an idea of what your scar/s will look like.
If you’re getting nipple grafts, ask about their graft success rate!! I was super stressed about my nipples falling off, but my surgeon said that even though stats say about 10% of nipple grafts r unsuccessful, in practise he sees a much smaller percentage than that, and even ones that do reject often grow back (lmk if u wanna know more what i mean) or can just be easily touched up with tattooing. Also if theres anything they recommend for graft success.
Does your surgeon recommend using arnica? Arnica is a homeopathic remedy for bruising, swelling, and wound healing. There’s differing views on whether it actually works, but in my case i took arnica tablets 1 week before and 2 weeks post-op and i think it really helped. They also tasted nice. Some people use arnica gel to aid healing once you can start massaging.
Where will you be for overnight recovery? Will you be on a ward or in a room? Do you have access to a TV? Do you have access to a plug socket or charging point? Do you get wifi? Chances are you’ll be bored at some point over the time you’re in there, especially if you struggle sleeping. It’s good to know whats available in advance so you can come with things to keep you entertained.
Does your surgeon use drains? You probably already know/have an idea of this bc its something a lot of ppl consider when choosing surgeons, buts its good to know if you don’t. Also, it can change - I chose my surgeon partially because he only uses overnight drains so you don’t have to deal with them in recovery. When i was there i found out he has stopped using drains altogether for smaller guys so i never actually had them (pleasant surprise).
Does your surgeon want you to wear a post-op binder? Do they supply the binder? Post-op binders r a good idea they stop swelling soo much, so even if your surgeon doesn’t recommend it i’d definitely ask if it’d be safe for you to wear one. You can't wear regular binders. If you’re sourcing your own, again trans groups r great bc they can give local recs and lots of people sell/pass on their old ones. I am happy to give anyone recs, but they’re all uk based.
How will you communicate with nurses post-op? Most people don’t live too near their top surgeon, so you’ll probably check-up remotely. I just sent nurses emails of my nips and incisions and anything i was worried about the healing of and they’d let me know if it looked okay.
If you have any conditions/disabilities/illnesses, ask if they’ve ever operated on someone with them/similar before. I have fibro + hypermobility and tbh it was reassuring to hear him talk about experiences other patients with chronic pain had had before and how they coped.
Okay sorry that was really long, but its pretty much everything i could think of question wise! I hope it helps! Let me know if there’s any other questions you have at all :)
Nauzene (anti-nausea tablets - didn’t end up using)
Colace (stool softener - didn’t end up using)
Hall’s Breezers (pectin cough drops - didn’t end up using)
Hygiene:
Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Cleansing Cloths (for wiping down body)
Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (gentle and lightly scented)
dry shampoo
baby wipes
Neutrogena Oil-Free wipes (for wiping oil from face)
witch hazel (for wiping oil from face)
Food
a case of flip-top water bottles
apple juice boxes
ginger ale
mini saltines (easier to eat)
applesauce
bananas
peanut butter granola bars
cucumber
baby carrots
pasta
I hope this helps as a general reference. Obviously, different surgeons may ask for you to purchase different supplies but this is what I found helped me throughout the recovery process.
Today we’re gonna discuss some things about BEING BISEXUAL and clear up a few misconceptions
- Bisexuals are not confused - about their sexuality. (They are probably confused about other things, like picking a singular favorite ice cream flavor.)
- Bisexuals are not just bisexual for attention. They often devise other, stupider ways to get attention from friends. Most of these ways end up backfiring. Please support your dumbass bisexual friends today.
- You can be bisexual even if you’re only attracted to 5% of one gender and 95% of the other.
- You can identify as bisexual even if you have never had ‘straight’ relationships - attraction is the key.
- Bisexuals always have advantage on their rolls as long as they have an ally within 5 feet of the target.
- Bisexuality has nothing to do with whether the person you’re attracted to is cis or not. Bisexuality is not inherently transphobic.
- Bisexuals can be attracted to nonbinary people.
- Bisexuals do not automatically want to have a threesome with you.
- Some bisexuals DO want to have a threesome with you, but not because they’re bisexual. Threesomes are just hot.
- Flip-flopping between which gender you’re attracted to and tearing out your hair every week screaming “AM I JUST FAKING IT…? AM I ACTUALLY JUST GAY/STRAIGHT…?” is 100% a bisexual thing.
- Men have a higher chance of their bisexuality being disregarded. Support your bi dude friends, validate them.
- Bisexuals are particularly weak to Charm attacks, but they can snap out of it if you ask them to pick between two things they like - keep a list of their favorites on hand to frustrate them back into clearheadedness.
- Bisexuals are here. There. Everywhere. Only for today. LIMITED TIME OFFER.
This post brought to you by - your local bisexual.
not going to say anything groundbreaking here lol but I'm a trans guy and (half) asian (filipino) and some of my traits that I feel make me look less masculine aren't actually feminine they're just asian. for example im shorter than most white cis guys (5'7) and I have a rounder face but simultaneously im taller than or the same height as a lot of cis guys in my family and we have the same face shape and stuff. after transitioning I basically look like a clone of my cousin
anyway something something white beauty standards bad just thinking out loud
#i like to think data took him all the way to the brig tossed him in and left#and then came back 60 seconds later and was like ‘i believe i have successfully played a ‘practical joke’ on you :)’#riker loses it & claps him on the back like ‘wow. good job u rly had me going. dont ever fucking do that again’
Perfect.
Actually it’s 73 seconds. Data, knowing something of how human minds work, estimates that Riker will give him 60 seconds to come back (because humans prefer “round numbers”, however arbitrary the units). After 60 seconds it will take 4 seconds for Riker to fully process the conclusion that Data is, in fact, not coming back after all, and an additional 9 seconds to build to the optimum level of anxiety.
I know it’s been a bit and I haven’t upstate in a LONG time it feels like, but I’m back for now! I have a couple comics I definitely want to make and then, as you saw in the post, I have a top surgery date now! So I’ll definitely be making comics about how that goes!
Look out for lots of comics around November 15th!
I have enough money for the surgery itself (I hope anyway!) but getting supplies for after is another story. I made a list on Amazon of things I’d need afterwards and to get everything on the list would be something like $400! That’s like a MONTH of my pay!
If you’re interested in helping out, I made it a wishlist if you’d like to pick something off of it!
The only things I feel is a bit much is I put a lot of button ups on the list when I can just keep re-using the same couple of shirts if need be, so those are less necessary!
But! Plenty of time for me to get those things, I have 1 month at 20 some days left before my surgery date!
I’d love to thank all of you for supporting my comics and sticking around through the rough patches!
And thank you to those of you who already helped fund my top surgery as well! While I didn’t reach my goal with the go fund me, the stimulus checks helped fill in the gap!
germansingergirl
gamechangershow
vaporwave
theartofmadeline
amandla
turnnoffyourmind
