Life-changing - never felt so happy and comfortable with my body

I went to Dr. Beck for a gender-affirming (FtM) mastectomy and nipple grafts. I’ve had many experiences with doctors and other clinical practitioners throughout my life, and I’ve never met a team as friendly and guiding as Dr. Beck’s! Whenever I talk to anyone about my surgery, they are always shocked to hear that I chose not to go under anesthesia and instead was awake during my operation. Of course, I was numbed and inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas) throughout the procedure. Honestly, I am glad I chose not to take anesthesia, partially since I didn’t have to deal with the post-anesthesia effects and also because I found the experience much more enjoyable awake. I could speak with Dr. Beck and his team and ask for updates during my surgery. Best of all, I got the chance to see my chest after my surgery was finished before they wrapped me in my chest bandage (my nipples and incision lines were already bandaged first). Not taking anesthesia is never going to be something I’ll regret. It isn’t as scary as it may sound, and there was practically no pain after my chest was fully numbed. Dr. Beck’s team checked up on me and ensured I was all right the whole time. They also did additional things at my request to make sure I was comfortable throughout my surgery. Thanks to not having taken anesthesia, I was back home pretty much right after my surgery was completed. I took my medications as directed, and the recovery pain was pretty much obsolete after just a few days. Many other people I’ve spoken to who desire top surgery expressed worries about having to manage drains, but in my experience, the drains were not very bothersome. I kept them pinned to my bandage most of the time so they’d be out of my way. I got my wrap bandage and drains removed after a week and then wore a compression binder and nipple bandages for a couple more weeks to protect my healing nipple grafts. It’s been over a month since my surgery now, and calling it life-changing is an understatement. I’ve always had terrible gender dysphoria that affected nearly every aspect of my life and made me unable to do things, even the smallest things that my dysphoria deemed “too feminine”. But, because of this surgery, practically all of my gender dysphoria is gone, even in areas where it would seem like having a chest or not wouldn’t make a difference. I’ve never felt so happy and comfortable with my body ever in my life before now. I could not be more thankful to Dr. Beck and his team.