FFS - seven different surgeries performed concurrently

I wanted to wait at least a month post-op before writing my review, just to make sure there were no unforeseen hiccups. However, now that it’s been a bit more than that, I can definitively say that my experience getting FFS with the Spiegel Center has been a wonderful one. To be sure, I was extremely nervous going into it—it’s your face after all! I researched all the surgeons I could who accepted my insurance, and read extensive reviews on each of them. They all have good and bad reviews, but I found that I liked Dr. Spiegel’s results, and so eventually I landed on him.

Uzma, the patient coordinator I worked with, was nothing but kind to me when I first called to set up my consultation. In fact, she has been an absolute angel throughout the entire process; I have worked with many different healthcare professionals since I began transitioning in 2018, and have been blessed to have had mostly good ones, but Uzma’s genuine kindness and interest in my comfort and happiness went above and beyond. We even shared a tearful moment when I last left the Spiegel Center to return home, knowing that my life had been permanently changed for the better and that I was now off to live the rest of it. I seriously cannot say enough good of her.

I had less direct interaction with Dr. Spiegel himself that wasn’t brass tacks, but he’s the surgeon, not the patient coordinator. It is clear he is a very busy man, and based on other reviews I have read, I think that does tend to turn some people off. However, on the days he was scheduled to be with me (my pre-op and post-op appointments, and especially the day of my surgery itself), he was very nice, patient, and easy-mannered, especially when answering any questions I had.

Most importantly, though, Dr. Spiegel really is a world-class surgeon. I had seven different surgeries performed concurrently—seven! FFS is a major surgery, and waking up from it was not fun. The days and weeks after were not fun. I looked like bloated corpse that had washed on shore and had already been picked at by the seagulls. I couldn’t really talk, or chew, or drink without major assistance for the first few days. What everyone will tell you prior to FFS, and Uzma and Dr. Spiegel implored me to remember, is that patience is absolutely vital. I have ADHD and thus a tendency to hyperfixate on things, and so when I saw ANYTHING worrisome with an incision or swelling or whatever else on my face, it was extremely challenging for me to not fixate on it with pessimistic anxiety. However, the thing about patience is absolutely true—things really do get better day by day. At just over a month out, I still have at least a year or so before I am fully healed, but already I am in absolute shock at the changes in my face as the swelling has gone down. It’s seriously incredible! All the little things add up, and when I look back at what I looked like before surgery, it’s honestly a bit overwhelming. There was dysphoria I had internalized to such a degree I wasn’t even consciously aware of it, and now that the things causing it are fading or outright gone, it feels like a weight has been lifted from me. So, am I happy with the work that was done to me? So far, I can give an emphatic “yes.”

I should also note that the other members of the team—the anesthesiologist, assistants, and so on, were extremely nice as well and helped me feel comfortable on the day of my surgery. It’s a little freaky getting strapped to a table and knowing your face is going to be sliced off and rearranged once you are knocked out, but they made me so relaxed I didn’t even fully realize it was happening until they woke me up.

I’ll update this again around the 6 month mark when I have more “developed” pictures, as even in the last 48 hours there has been major changes/improvements to my swelling. However, the attached before/1 month after shots should give an idea of the progress that has been made.