Note: Dr Garramone's office was in a different location at this point. See his website for a current address, staff, and contact info.
After 5+ years of not so patiently biding my time, top surgery didn't seem like it would be just a nice thought anymore because I had gotten notice that some money I was owed would go into my bank account soon! I had thought about top surgery pretty much non-stop since coming out, and it was surreal that I could finally actually take that step! The only really hard parts were waiting for the money to come in and finding a therapist in a short time who would write my letter after only one session.
On August 21 2010, I emailed Dr Garramone's staff, as well as other surgeons, just to ask about recommendations for mobility aides while recovering from top surgery. One thing lead to another, and on the 30th, Dr Garramone's staff emailed me saying that they had scheduled a phone consult for September 9th! At this point, the money for surgery still wasn't in my bank account, but I figured a consult would be free, so no loss if it turned out he wasn't the surgeon for me. By the 9th I finally had the money and I didn't have to worry about having to explain that bit! One of the requirements for a phone consultation was sending him pictures of my chest - one facing right, another left, and center. When I did speak to Dr Garramone, he pulled up my pictures and suggested that the best route for me was a double-incision with free nipple grafts. I was really relieved when he said this and he was relieved that I agreed with him! My chest wasn't especially big, but there was enough skin and tissue that I knew the keyhole procedure would leave me very disappointed.
We also talked about my disability stuff because I use forearm crutches 98% of the time, but would be impossible while recovering from surgery. While on the phone with me, he referred me to a website where his practice purchased wheelchairs, and that was really fucking awesome that he went to the trouble. Renting a wheelchair wound up not being necessary for me after all, but it still meant a great deal that he looked that up while I was on the phone. Before I knew it, he had me on hold and one of his staff suddenly came on and greeted me very warmly. At this point, my mind was on auto-pilot and when she asked when I'd like to book surgery, my brain couldn't process that I was finally able to answer that question! I asked if the doctor had any openings in January, because I had to make sure I had enough time to plan, and had zero interest in making anyone sacrifice winter holidays with their loved ones. She listed off Tuesdays and Thursdays and the only date that stuck out through what felt like fog in my brain was the 11th. Brigett (the person I was speaking to, and sadly no longer works for him) took down my information and the $500 fee, which counted towards my surgery cost. I then later got an email confirming all the important dates, and I kept staring at it in disbelief because it was finally happening!
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Olex volunteered to be my nurse, which worked out really well in terms of logistics and travel expenses. He was the only local friend I felt I could truly trust with putting up with and taking care of me. A few non-local friends stepped up, but for a variety of reasons, those plans fell through.
Booking the flights came next after I finished paying for surgery. I decided it would be easier on me if Dr Garramone's office took out $1000 per day until surgery was fully paid for. $1000 being the spending limit on that debit card made other areas of my life a little interesting for a few days, but it definitely beat not getting the money in on time! When I was able to look at flights, I picked Jetblue mostly because they were the only airline I could think of at the time.
At some point around this time, I ran into Jess Dugan at an event. He's been taking pictures of me for one of his projects since pretty much the beginning of my medical transition, and I told him we should definitely plan something after my surgery. Then somehow we decided he should come along to Florida to take pictures of the first few days of my actual recovery!
Dr Garramone's pre-op packet listed recommendations for hotels. I picked this Extended Stay America location because it was all I could afford. The only good side to it was the 7-Eleven across the street, but otherwise it was merely okay, bordering on sketchy. If you're considering getting top surgery and planning to travel for it, spring for something in an ideal location if you're able.
Finally came my appointment with my primary care doctor. All she had to do was test my blood work and fax the results to Dr Garramone's office. If you're considering top surgery, your doctor does NOT have to give you a PAP smear to give you clearance. If you don't have a history of major problems below the belt, but your doctor is still pushing it, you are allowed to get your labs done by somebody else.
After everything lined up in my favor medically, Olex and I had to play the waiting game, and I kept track of the days using a dry-erase marker on my bathroom mirror. Olex's wife had to rent a car on the day we were leaving anyway, so she happily drove us both to the airport because she's super awesome. They'd also bought me a hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts, which was very sweet of them. Thankfully, going through airport security took only a few minutes, so we had plenty of time (two hours or something, if I'm remembering correctly, because we were so sure security would be a huge pain in the ass) to get a bite at Johnny Rockets and relax. We landed in Fort Lauderdale around 8pm and Jess arrived about an hour later. We exited the airport through this door that gives you compliments. "You look GREAT today!" and "Hey! Nice shoes!" That alone was totally worth the trip!