Mel's Top Surgery
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Hello!
As some of you already know, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, I am scheduled to have peri-areolar top surgery with Dr. Rachel Bluebond Langner at NYU.
Peri-areolar top surgery is a form of medical transitioning and a procedure that removes breast tissue to reduce the size and flatten the appearance of the chest.
I have experienced dysphoria related to my chest since I was 12 years old. Gender dysphoria is the anxiety and distress that many trans people experience in relation to their body or sex assigned at birth. It is difficult to explain what dysphoria feels like. For me, dysphoria means that since puberty, I have felt deeply distressed by the increased size of my chest. Over the years, I have tried minimize its appearance through binding, oversized clothes, slouching, and exercise -- to try to avoid being misgendered. Despite this, I still experience significant discomfort with my body everyday.
I have been actively contemplating top surgery over the past several years to reduce dysphoria and to experience a sense of at-homeness in my body. The past couple of years have been filled with preparation, especially since last June, when I met with Dr. Bluebond-Langner for my consultation and was approved for surgery. I have been deeply lucky in this time to have the support and affirmation of my partner, family, and friends.
I am also very privileged that University of Arizona's student health insurance covers many gender-affirming procedures, including my top surgery. Still, there are many financial costs that will remain after this coverage, including:
- deductible payment and co-insurance payments for my surgeon's fees and hospital fees (Dr. Bluebond-Langner requires a 1-night hospital stay post-op)
- a hotel for the night before my surgery
- co-pays for pre-op and post-op care (at least 7 more appointments)
- transportation costs to travel to and from NYU from Philly
While I have been trying to prepare for these costs through adjuncting extra classes while working on my dissertation, the financial reality of this necessary surgery is still very daunting. Asking for help here is really hard, but to try to minimize the stress that I will experience during recovery, I am asking for help in off-setting some of these costs from my communities. Any little bit can seriously help to chip away at these expenses and make them much less scary.
Your support truly means more than I can adequately express here. Thank you, thank you, thank you <3
"You're more than just neither, honey. There's other ways to be than either-or. It's not so simple. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people who don't fit." - Leslie Feinberg (Stone Butch Blues)
As some of you already know, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, I am scheduled to have peri-areolar top surgery with Dr. Rachel Bluebond Langner at NYU.
Peri-areolar top surgery is a form of medical transitioning and a procedure that removes breast tissue to reduce the size and flatten the appearance of the chest.
I have experienced dysphoria related to my chest since I was 12 years old. Gender dysphoria is the anxiety and distress that many trans people experience in relation to their body or sex assigned at birth. It is difficult to explain what dysphoria feels like. For me, dysphoria means that since puberty, I have felt deeply distressed by the increased size of my chest. Over the years, I have tried minimize its appearance through binding, oversized clothes, slouching, and exercise -- to try to avoid being misgendered. Despite this, I still experience significant discomfort with my body everyday.
I have been actively contemplating top surgery over the past several years to reduce dysphoria and to experience a sense of at-homeness in my body. The past couple of years have been filled with preparation, especially since last June, when I met with Dr. Bluebond-Langner for my consultation and was approved for surgery. I have been deeply lucky in this time to have the support and affirmation of my partner, family, and friends.
I am also very privileged that University of Arizona's student health insurance covers many gender-affirming procedures, including my top surgery. Still, there are many financial costs that will remain after this coverage, including:
- deductible payment and co-insurance payments for my surgeon's fees and hospital fees (Dr. Bluebond-Langner requires a 1-night hospital stay post-op)
- a hotel for the night before my surgery
- co-pays for pre-op and post-op care (at least 7 more appointments)
- transportation costs to travel to and from NYU from Philly
While I have been trying to prepare for these costs through adjuncting extra classes while working on my dissertation, the financial reality of this necessary surgery is still very daunting. Asking for help here is really hard, but to try to minimize the stress that I will experience during recovery, I am asking for help in off-setting some of these costs from my communities. Any little bit can seriously help to chip away at these expenses and make them much less scary.
Your support truly means more than I can adequately express here. Thank you, thank you, thank you <3
"You're more than just neither, honey. There's other ways to be than either-or. It's not so simple. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people who don't fit." - Leslie Feinberg (Stone Butch Blues)