How to Manage Surgical Expectations
Your surgical expectations aren't realistic—but you don't know it yet. Dr. Z breaks down how to assess whether your gender affirming surgery expectations are rooted in reality or dangerous fantasy.
Here's the problem: your subjectivity is embedded in those expectations. You spend hours on social media watching other people's surgical outcomes—and you're selecting results that fit your fantasy while disregarding everything else. People who had amazing outcomes rush to social media to share. People whose surgeries went wrong? They stay silent. You're saturated with outcomes that aren't the majority, stepping into confirmation bias without realizing it.
Reality check: How old are you? Is your body healthy enough to recover? Is your surgeon top-tier or someone with minimal experience? Are you comparing yourself to a 20-year-old's results when you're 60 with decades of testosterone? Write down objective facts about YOUR circumstances—your age, health, surgeon qualifications, financial limitations. Take your surgeon's promises and bring them down a notch. If you're okay with THOSE results, move forward.
Watch to understand why post-surgical depression hits hardest when expectations were unrealistic, how social media warps your perception of outcomes, and why your responsibility as an adult patient includes vetting your doctor and considering worst-case scenarios.
