u/Luminaria19

Hi all!

I've seen next to nothing about Dr. Pavone's work on Reddit or elsewhere (e.g. TransBucket), so I wanted to share some pictures and do a quick review as mentioned in my previous post where I talked through recovery supplies.

I had my consult with Dr. Pavone in July 2025. At the time, he didn't seem terribly personable, but was straight to the point of what surgery made sense for my anatomy/what he could do and what the steps would be.  He asked if I was on HRT, I confirmed I was not and had no plans to start.  I already had a letter from a therapist for insurance (Aetna high deductible plan), so the office was able to start prior authorization right away.  I saw a few examples in office of top surgeries he had done in the past so I felt comfortable moving forward, but I also wasn't someone looking for any results more specific than "boobs gone, nipples adjusted to match my chest").  My BMI places me in the obese category, but that wasn't mentioned at all in any of my appointments or conversations with the office. 

One extra note is that I am non-binary and while no one misgendered me directly, I did notice all my paperwork referred to me as a trans man.  This could have been for insurance reasons, so I didn't bring it up with anyone.

In late July, I was scheduled for surgery on April 30th, 2026.  I later found out that my partner wouldn't be able to care for me that day, so I called to reschedule.  My surgery was then moved out to May 28th.

 

I had a pre-op appointment with Dr. Pavone in late March where he was much more friendly, talked me through the day of surgery, and answered my remaining questions.  I had to see my primary care doctor for bloodwork and an EKG within a month of surgery for clearance, so I got that done in early May.

 

Surgery went smoothly and all the recovery instructions I needed were provided verbally and through written communication.  My incisions were covered in steri strips and I had nipple bolsters.  On top of that, was a large foam-ish pad and I was wrapped in ACE bandages.  I did not remove anything until my post-op one week after surgery.

At my one-week follow up appointment, my drains and nipple bolsters were removed.  I was given instructions on how to continue care for recovery and received a large bag of supplies (petroleum gauze and non-stick pads for the nipples, abdominal pads for extra cushion under compression, and ACE wraps).  Another appointment was made for a week and a half later just to check on things.  I had to contact the office before the next as I didn't have quite enough supplies to make it and they prepped another bag for me to pick up free of charge.

I bought a compression vest (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PQJWFCN) during this time and brought it to the next appointment to confirm if I could use it instead of the ACE wraps as they were quite itchy.  The RN approved and also confirmed I didn't need to continue using the abdominal pads for extra compression if I didn't want to.

I met with Dr. Pavone yesterday (June 30) for my second to last check-up. He said everything looked good and I could start scar care and ramp back up into full exercise/activities as I felt comfortable. He said he generally recommends compression for 4-6 weeks, so I could stop wearing the vest if I wanted, but continuing for a couple more weeks wouldn't hurt anything either and could help with any residual swelling.

Overall, I'm super happy. 10/10

Pictures in order: Pre-op, immediately post-op, day after drain removal (June 5), June 13, June 23, June 30

Hi friends!

I just had top surgery at the end of May the short version is that I had DI with nipple grafts from Dr. Lucio Pavone in Illinois and everything has been great. I'll do a different more detailed post about the Dr. Pavone and the office later since it's a shame there's next to no info about him here on Reddit or transbucket.

For now though, I wanted to do a quick "here's what I bought before surgery and here's what was actually useful" in case other folks want some advice.

Things bought:

• Reading pillow: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F4QJGGHT

• Tablet pillow stand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNV2ZNV9

• Bath wipes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLLJNMW6

• Long handle bath sponge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FC2FSB85

• 2x Mastectomy shirt with drain pockets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCS1WJJ7

• 2x XUJI chest binders: Not linking. I got one in medium (front closure) and one in large (side closure) and both were way too small and had to be returned.

• Compression vest: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PQJWFCN

• Scar sheets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C1FZY78

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For the first two weeks or so of recovery, I basically lived on my couch. I have a super comfortable L-shaped couch and posted up in the corner like so: https://imgur.com/a/EBTtnS7

The reading pillow was invaluable here. The couch corner would've been pretty deep when trying to sit up and do things otherwise and for sleep, I'd sink down and rest my head in the corner between the arm and back of the pillow. I'm a side sleeper 100% of the time otherwise, but doing that allowed me to sleep on my back without much trouble.

You can also see the tablet pillow stand in that picture. I would also recommend it or something like it. It held medicine, snacks, my water bottle, and a bunch of other various things through my time on the couch. I didn't use the actual holder bit much, just having a sturdy box of things within reach at all times was useful enough.

I'd definitely recommend bath wipes as well. My shower has a handheld shower-head so I could've used that for some cleaning, but being able to wipe down my body or wash my face whenever I felt grimy was great. Definitely NOT a real shower replacement, but helped me feel much less gross until I could really shower again (after 1 week, I could be in the shower, but I had to avoid getting my nipples wet, after 2ish weeks, I was cleared to let water run over my chest).

Speaking of showers, the long-handle bath sponge... I didn't use this at all. I thought my range of motion would be a lot more restricted than it ended up being. By the time I was back in the shower, I could wash myself without any real issue.

The mastectomy shirts were really nice while I had the drains. I could've clipped them onto other clothes, but being able to just put them in an inside pocket was convenient. I wouldn't recommend them as highly as the other items, but I didn't think they were a waste like the bath sponge was.

The compression vest I kept has been 100% worth it so far. I'm still wearing it. I did end up trying another XUJI (xl this time) and it's okay, but it cuts into my shoulders and underarms a bit a way the TAILONG doesn't. If I could do it again, I'd just get two of the TAILONG.

I can't judge the scar sheets yet as I haven't started using them. Fingers crossed they're winners like most of the other items have been so far! :D

Unrelated to things bought, but I also loaded up my Lenovo Legion Go with games and checked out a bunch of library books for recovery and I wasn't able to do much with either due to fatigue (mental and physical). So keep that in mind when planning entertainment for yourself during recovery. lol

EDIT: Forgot to mention, but I didn't technically need to buy any compression vests. My surgeon's office provided tons of ACE wraps, I just didn't find them very comfortable and wanted to be able to be more independent (vs having my partner mummify me every day).