Look, I'm not saying I'm doing super duper great but I have been allowed to take the compression velcro wrap off a day early because I was losing my mind and kept suffocating in my sleep despite CPAP. Now I'm down to the compression vest that was below and while that still digs into the same spots where my skin is raw and my ribs are bruised, I can breathe and eat and sit and I even took a nap after it was off, bringing the hours I slept since last night to a very impressive three 😂 I can sit in the garden, watch the dogs play and bother our friend while he's trying to work, listen to the wind in the trees and drink my drinks without the constant pain of compression digging into my ribs. I even had a fucking sandwich!

Now that the velcro wrap is off, the pain on my incisions is a bit higher but not too bad. Ribs and skin are sore but have started to heal. Drain sites are still surprisingly painful and tender. The seroma we think I got last night seems to have started to drain by itself. And my pecs stopped spasming when I stopped getting the stretchies once the wrap was off.

I dare to hope the worst pain might be behind me. Tomorrow we get to see how my nipples have fared through all this. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 I noticed my chest is a bit numb on the right side when I reached under the vest to reposition it but it didn't feel like it was completely numb so that bodes well. I also keep getting zaps still so I'm hoping for at least some sensation being regained down the road.

#topsurgery #transMan #transmasc