Chest Surgery with Dr. Gary Lawton

I am a trans man. For me, having my chest reconstructed via double incision mastectomy with nipple grafts meant more than anything else for my transition. I thought long and hard and did a lot of research about where I would go for this procedure. After looking at www.transbucket.com and asking lots of questions in various FTM Facebook groups and even attending a post-op show and tell at Gender Odyssey, I started asking doctors questions. I e-mailed and called several clinics. I was especially interested in the BIG 3 - Garramone, Raphael, and Medalie. But I also was interested Gary Lawton. The more I researched, the more I realized that there are really a BIG 4 and Lawton is one of the BIG 4. In fact, I'd say that Dr. Lawton is ahead of Garramone and Raphael in some of his knowledge of the transgender community and in the way his staff treats transgender clients and respects names, pronouns and gender identity. After deciding on Dr. Lawton, I went in for my consultation, and I learned that Dr. Lawton has a background in mechanical engineering and his surgical training from Yale - items that inspire the intellectual in me. When I was in Dr. Lawton's office for consultation, he and his staff told me that they operate on an informed consent basis, so we had an interview that demonstrated that I needed and wanted the surgery - no letter from a therapist required. He explained the procedure he would do and measured my breasts to talk about how the procedure would work and when we could schedule it. Within two weeks, I was in Dr. Lawton's operating room, and the nurse that was prepping me was calming and reassuring. She ran the IV, and the anesthesiologist came and visited with me to verify that I understood the procedure. Then, Dr. Lawton came in and drew his marks on my chest. I loved that part because it was the last step before twighlight. Things went quickly and everyone kept me comfortable and calm. I can't speak highly enough of the staff. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I had no adverse reactions to the anesthesia. Some people are nauseous after, but I wasn't at all. Also, I have severe sleep apnea, so the staff made sure that I brought my CPAP machine with me, and they put it on me as soon as I was in recovery so that my sleep apnea wouldn't interfere in my waking up. While I was in recovery, Dr. Lawton came and visited, as did the anesthesiologist. Dr. Lawton told me that he had removed 4 kilos of material from my chest! Pretty soon, the nurses got me dressed and called my partner and her daughter back to tell them all about my post-op care. I felt great. But then there were some drugs coursing through my veins still! The nurse taught my partner how to manage my drain tubes, and we headed home. I slept for quite a while that first day, and we went back to Dr. Lawton for a follow up the next day. Dr. Lawton said that everything looked great, and he taught us how to take care of my nipple grafts with silverdene cream. Dr. Lawton reminded me to take it easy and to rest and to take the series of vitamins that he prescribes that help with healing. I went back a week later and got some of the stitches out and had the drain tubes removed. I realized at that visit that one of the most amazing things about Dr. Lawton's office is that even the receptionist knows me when I walk in. I come in the door, and, as busy as that clinic is, she greets me with an enthusiastic, "Hi, Brandon! How are you feeling?" Dr. Lawton again examined his work and talked about how well I was progressing and about what to expect. He reminded me to continue to sleep on my back in an inclined position and not to do anything strenuous - not even going for walks yet. Lots of sleep and rest and taking vitamins and finishing the antibiotics until they're all gone. It's been 13 days since my surgery, and last night I took my shower without any help for the first time. This kind of little thing helps me feel stronger everyday, but the moment I woke up from surgery I felt more like myself than I have since before puberty. To have a chest that looks to the world the way it has always looked in my mind and that feels like I think it should feel is an amazing experience. While I've been going through this experience, I've been re-watching the series nip/tuck via Netflix. They do a lot of work with trans women on this series, and the doctors (Christian and Sean) are so unrealistic, it makes me laugh. My partner thought I was crazy to want to watch this of all things while I was going through plastic surgery of my own, but it's really helped to see this crazy take on something that was so fun and worthwhile for me. My surgeon, Dr. Gary Lawton, changed my life for the best. I don't hunch over, and I'm not embarrassed to go outside. As soon as I get my energy back and am healed and cleared by Dr. Lawton, I'll be out at the gym and the river taking advantage of my chest!