There are many surgery prep documents out there that focus on the physical and material aspects of the surgery itself and recovery. The ones from the Gender Confirmation Center by Dr. Scott Mosser may be a good place to start. Their language is on the medical side, but it still offers a helpful roadmap — they have one for what they call breast augmentation top surgery, and one for what they call chest reconstruction top surgery. Check them out, and ask your network for more — there’s a treasure trove out there, and that prep is certainly important.

However, it’s not the only prep that matters. This piece will cover some of the more emotional, intangible parts of surgery recovery support, like how we relate to one another and care for our recovering loved ones. Remember that surgery is a temporary disabling event. If your loved one is already disabled, post-surgery care specific to their disability/disabilities must be considered in addition to our guide below.

Read more on Autostraddle.