First bit: Surgery
I'm scheduled for my top surgery on December 30th at 7:30am. It'll be down in San Francisco and performed by Dr. Michael Brownstein. I won't go into all the gory details, but basically it will be a double mastectomy. You can read the specific details on Dr. Brownstein's website.
My parents and I are flying down there the afternoon of the 28th. I'll have one appointment on the 29th to just meet with Dr. Brownstein and go over the details of the surgery with him.
Laura will be joining us on the 30th shortly after my surgery gets over.
The operation typically takes 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I'll be at the hospital for a few hours following the surgery, and head back to my hotel the afternoon of the 30th. I'm told I probably won't remember very much of this day (can't say I'm surprised).
My parents need to head back on the 3rd, but Laura will be down there with me through the rest of my stay.
If everything goes well, I won't see Dr. Brownstein again until January 4th at which time the drain tubes will be removed. Two days after that (Jan 6) I'll see Dr. Brownstein one last time to have the sutures removed.
Laura and I will head back up to Washington on January 7th.
I'll still have to wear a binder for two weeks following the surgery, but after that I should be done with binders for good (Finally!)
Second bit: Documentation
Most of you know already, but I thought I should post it all the same. On October 10th I got my WA state ID to officially list me as male. That makes this my fourth ID this year! It must be some kind of record. Anyway, the next step will be my birth certificate. I'm going to wait until after my surgery to change that as I'll also be able to change the gender marker on my Passport and with the Social Security Office at that time as well.
Right now, I'm not sure where Laura and I are, legally speaking. I think I need to change my birth certificate to list me as male for us to get married, so by default our domestic partnership should still be valid. However, I can't find anything anywhere that actually lists documentation requirements for getting married (and believe me, Laura and I have both spent hours looking).
Third Bit: General Transition updates
My voice is continuing to drop, but at a much slower rate at this point. I have several recordings I need to upload.
Although, I realize this may be TMI, in generally I'm getting hairier. More arm hair, leg hair, stomach hair, well you get the idea. My facial hair is finally starting to fill in as well, which I'm very excited about. I've been taking photos of my facial hair every now and again just to document how it's growing in. I'll post the photos soon. I think they're a little silly looking since I really had almost no hair at all on my face prior to transitioning, but it's fun to see it change. I'd ask you all not to laugh, but I know you all better than that.
I have my last counseling appointment December 8th. I'm also due to have my testosterone levels checked shortly.
Okay, I think that's all for now. I'll try to write more often.
