Drag queen Myx Chanel bares realities of gender-affirming surgery recovery

The “Drag Race Philippines” Season 3 queen opens up about pain, fatigue and the emotional payoff of feeling at home in her body.

“Drag Race PH” S3 queen Myx Chanel is giving her fans an unprecedented, deeply authentic look into her gender-affirming surgery recovery.

In a series of candid vlogs documenting her healing process, Myx details the realities of undergoing both a mammoplasty, commonly known as breast augmentation, and a chondrolaryngoplasty, or tracheal shave, on the same day.

Reflecting on the immediate aftermath, Myx admitted that the first 12 to 18 hours after being discharged were the most difficult, primarily because of the extensive work done around her chest muscles during the breast augmentation. While she noted that her high pain tolerance meant she wasn’t experiencing searing pain, she did feel immense, localized heaviness and soreness.

She likened the sensation to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) after a full-body workout, jokingly saying, “Para akong may bote ng C2 litro sa dibdib,” to describe the sheer weight she felt in her chest.

During this vulnerable window, Myx was entirely dependent on her friends even for simple movements, such as lying down or sitting up.

By her fifth day of recovery, the entertainer shared more of the complex realities she wished she had known before going under the knife. She explained how frustrating it can be when your body simply doesn’t work the way you’re used to, with extreme fatigue and sleepiness setting in as her body redirects its energy toward healing.

She also shed light on the less-talked-about side effects of recovery, including developing red, itchy rashes from being bound in tight compression bandages 24/7. Even simple, everyday actions like laughing, sneezing, or coughing became incredibly painful.

Myx was also candid about the visual progression of her results, reminding her audience that surgical sites will “look weird before they look pretty.” Embracing her signature humor, she compared her fresh, high-sitting chest to “siopao na nakapatong sa ating dibdib,” accompanied by expected yellow and purple bruising.

Despite the temporary loss of independence and physical toll, the emotional payoff has eclipsed the pain. After cleaning her incisions and finally looking in the mirror, Myx smiled, noting that feeling more at home in her own body made every ache worthwhile.

Fully embracing her true self, she confidently declared the procedures to be “one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”

Equal rights for LGBTQIA+ Filipinos remain stalled in legislative limbo. Critical measures such as HB 9929 (or the “Sharmaine Bill”) and HB 5474 (or the “Cagandahan Bill”) aim to streamline administrative processes for transgender, intersex, and non-binary citizens seeking to update their legal names and gender markers. 

Meanwhile, the nationwide “Right to Care” Bill, modeled on groundbreaking ordinances in Quezon City and San Juan, would grant same-sex couples vital medical proxy rights. Yet, despite their significance, none of these protections have become law. Compounding these legal barriers, gender-affirming healthcare remains largely inaccessible and excluded from national insurance coverage, burdening the community with exorbitant costs and systemic neglect.

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