But, he didn’t always feel that way. The surgery was the most painful thing he'd ever experienced, Basil says. And he wasn't prepared for that, because he's never heard any other trans man talk about the pain. "You're supposed to come off as a really happy person after getting surgery and just be grateful for it, which I am. But, I would like to tell people that you have to be really prepared," he says. "It was unbelievable, the pain that I was in for a month and a half." While he's thrilled with the results of his bottom surgery, it was a long process to start feeling better. And he wants other trans men to know what they're getting into. So, Refinery29 asked Basil to keep diaries before and after his surgery. Follow his journey (in his own words) below.