: Seeing results :

Today was a pretty big day for me. This morning I got the splint and stitches taken out of my nose, so I could finally see the preliminary results. At first I wasn't all that impressed, probably because the nose is still a bit swollen and there were all kinds of bruises and scars all over it. But this evening I looked at it again, and I'm starting to really like it. My new nose is narrower, with a pleasing slope on the bridge replacing the bit of hump I used to have, and the tip is a little more well-formed. Once all the scars heal and the swelling disappears, I'm sure it's going to turn out great.

For people who have seen me before, the difference is subtle to be sure, but the important thing is that I like it, and I'm happier with what I see in the mirror. My nose might not be as obvious as my chest, but to me, its as much a symbolic as an aesthetic change that helps my self-esteem and confidence a little everyday.

I also got the stitches taken out from under my breasts this morning, and all my wounds are closing up nicely. Now I have to start doing breast exercises twice a day, moving the implant around in the pocket to loosen things up and make the implant drop down to where it's supposed to be. It feels really weird to have things moving around inside you, but at least it's not painful.

What is painful is continuing to wear this full-body binder around my torso and upper thighs. This afternoon I went out to the mall to shop for new bras and I was barely an hour into it when I started getting lightheaded and dizzy from the binder. Guess I now understand why women fainted all the time back when everyone wore corsets. I managed to get a couple bras, one from Sears and one from Target - nothing fancy, since I expect my shape to change a bit over the coming weeks.