Topic: Kathryn's Chronicles

[Northern Star Girl]

@KateR
Dear Kate:
Yes indeed, I imagine that you are very excited and can hardly wait for your appointments.

December 2nd will arrive faster that you think it will.  Be excited, be prepared, and ask lots of questions aimed at your doctor and of course you can post and look at other posts on the forums that may be pertinent.

Please keep us all updated but only as you feel comfortable sharing.

HUGS and best wishes.
Danielle

[KateR]

Well it's hard to believe that next week I go to New York to meet with Dr. Bluebond-Langner.

I had to scramble to adjust the trip because I have to do a covid test as soon as I arrive, and give time for the results to come back.  So that turned an in-and-out trip into a 3 day affair.  Oh well.  Delta was able to accommodate me with no change in fare.  I guess that was the advantage of buying a first class ticket.  The hotel is all messed up.  Now instead of being next door to the office, I'm 7 blocks away.  Not a big deal.  It is a nuisance though.

I wish I could say I was excited.  However I'm anxious.  I'm anxious about traveling in this Covid era, and this will be my first time in New York as Kate.

I'm not sure which I'm more nervous about.  For my travels I'm taking separate travel clothes that I will change out of when I arrive at New York and put in a sealed plastic bag.  I also have a box of 4 layer real surgical masks that I will wear during the trip which I will change after each flight.  I also added vitamin C and D supplements to my diet to hopefully boost my immune system should I be exposed.

As for presenting as Kate, the original hotel was a full service Westin. Now I'm in a Residence Inn so I also have to think about food as well as getting back and forth from the hotel to the hospital and Dr. Offices.

Ah Covid.  I don't believe I shared here about my daughter being infected. It seems she was infected at work by selfish <not allowed> more concerned with the mild inconvenience of wearing a mask than helping to protect others.  Yeah I've been pretty angry about the whole thing. 

So as of today, my daughter is in day 6 and seems to be recovering.  She works for the state of Missouri and because she clearly caught the disease at work they put her on administrative leave at full pay and benefits.  So that was very helpful to her.

Fall is here.  The trees are changing, the leaves are dropping, and the house is automatically changing between heating and cooling as the morning lows are now in the 40s (above 0 for Danielle ;-) ) and in the 80s for afternoon highs.   I still have the problem where the two systems start fighting each other and the downstairs system will be heating and the upstairs system is cooling! So far it's only happened once since I upgraded the thermostats to multi-sensor thermostats.  That's what I get for building a big 2 story house with an open floor plan, and wanting the balcony view of the great room.

That's pretty much it from here.  Stay safe and healthy!


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[KateR]

Well in the COVID era things change in a hurry.

I thought I was able to successfully adjust to the late Covid test requirement, until I started thinking about food.  I couldn’t come up with a reliable way to make sure I could eat without breaking quarantine.  Transition is expensive as is without running the risk of adding a $2000 fine.

Since Dr. RBL offered to make this a video visit, I changed to video and scheduled to meet her in person on 12/15/20.  I’m assured that I can set a surgery date after the video visit as all my paperwork is in.  NYU is scheduling into December of 2021.

The only reason I’m pushing is because if the administration in Washington doesn’t change this year, I think it’s going to become a whole lot tougher on the Trans community.  I’m also motivated because Oklahoma won’t let me change my gender marker until I’ve completed GCS.


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[Wendi]

I hope all goes well with your appointment and that you're able to get your surgery scheduled.

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[KateR]

Today’s a great day!!!

I have a surgery date; Friday Oct 22, 2021.

It’s a year away but I’m exstatic!


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[Wendi]

Today’s a great day!!!

I have a surgery date; Friday Oct 22, 2021.

It’s a year away but I’m exstatic!


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Congratulations! I know you'll be ready.

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[Northern Star Girl]

@KateR
Dear Kathryn:
I am so very happy for you... even though it is a year away you will be amazed how fast your surgery date will be upon you.
This gives you something to look forward to in the new year!!!
A you have been doing, please keep us all updated as time goes by.
HUGS, and best wishes... stay safe, stay healthy.
Danielle

Today’s a great day!!!

I have a surgery date; Friday Oct 22, 2021.

It’s a year away but I’m exstatic!


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[KateR]

Hi all

It's been a colder day in Oklahoma, however it was a day where I finally got permission to clean out a bunch of brush that was in a drainage easement and tearing my yard up every time it stormed.

I'm tired and I hurt.  So I crawled in our hot tub and I took some time to think.  I kept asking myself "why" untiI got to a very unsettling answer.

I'm trans.  I have no doubts about that.  I've got surgeries scheduled.  The first one I need for me.

When I started this transition I was looking in the mirror to see Kate.  I only occasionally / rarely saw her.  Today, I look in the mirror, I see her about half the time.  It's not necessarily makeup or a cute dress, although I love how I look when dressed / dolled up.  Many times its the everyday woman I see.  There's the maintenance of a home to be done.  Those days, there's no makeup and the hair is a bit messy. Yet she's there; looking back at me.

But the GCS!  Is it for me?

Well not necessarily.  At least not now.  I really don't look much at my birth defect.  So why am I pushing?

I'm pushing to appease my oppresive government! I'm pushing to comply with the bigotry they've legislated into the rule of law that says I have to do GCS in order for them to recognize me as I see myself.  I'm pushing to get this done before my oppressive government changes the rules on me and takes away what insurance blessings I have.  In the end it's all a pretty <bad> reason to put myself through a half day of anesthesia and surgery and a month of recovery.

I'm in a committed relationship.  It's a lesbian relationship that I've been in for almost 25 years.  As long as we're together I'm happy usuly as I currently am.

With that understanding, should something happen that separates us, and I find a man that can truly love a fiery and fiercely independent Kate, I can see myself wanting to share my body with him.  So yes, I want GCS to make that option a possibility.

Yet, we're / I'm not in this relationship yet.


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[Pammie]

Hi all

It's been a colder day in Oklahoma, however it was a day where I finally got permission to clean out a bunch of brush that was in a drainage easement and tearing my yard up every time it stormed.

I'm tired and I hurt.  So I crawled in our hot tub and I took some time to think.  I kept asking myself "why" untiI got to a very unsettling answer.

I'm trans.  I have no doubts about that.  I've got surgeries scheduled.  The first one I need for me.

When I started this transition I was looking in the mirror to see Kate.  I only occasionally / rarely saw her.  Today, I look in the mirror, I see her about half the time.  It's not necessarily makeup or a cute dress, although I love how I look when dressed / dolled up.  Many times its the everyday woman I see.  There's the maintenance of a home to be done.  Those days, there's no makeup and the hair is a bit messy. Yet she's there; looking back at me.

But the GCS!  Is it for me?

Well not necessarily.  At least not now.  I really don't look much at my birth defect.  So why am I pushing?

I'm pushing to appease my oppresive government! I'm pushing to comply with the bigotry they've legislated into the rule of law that says I have to do GCS in order for them to recognize me as I see myself.  I'm pushing to get this done before my oppressive government changes the rules on me and takes away what insurance blessings I have.  In the end it's all a pretty <bad&gt reason to put myself through a half day of anesthesia and surgery and a month of recovery.

I'm in a committed relationship.  It's a lesbian relationship that I've been in for almost 25 years.  As long as we're together I'm happy usuly as I currently am.

With that understanding, should something happen that separates us, and I find a man that can truly love a fiery and fiercely independent Kate, I can see myself wanting to share my body with him.  So yes, I want GCS to make that option a possibility.

Yet, we're / I'm not in this relationship yet.


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Babe that’s complicated!
Gender vs sexuality is a complicated equation!
I found, when I found myself that my sexuality had also changed (or not, my shadow self was straight and so am I!) but realising and living in your true gender can impact sexuality I imagine
Wishing you enlightenment!


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[KateR]

Good morning!

OH what a difference a year can make!

This time last year I sunk into a depression.

I didn't know if I could keep my health insurance, and I felt like all was lost with my transition.

This year, I have surgery dates, and I just completed my annual enrollment for my health insurance and while my costs went up nominally I'm still under $1000.00 per month for the premium (albeit just barely.)

I'm also actively getting myself back to losing weight.  I guess the good news on that is that I was already down 20 when the quarantine hit.  That means I'm just starting over from where I was before.  I lost the weight once.  I can do it again!

Yes, oh what a difference a year can make.


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[KateR]

Good morning:

Not much going on today.  Just waiting for Mother Nature to decide where she wants to draw the freezing line.  It's raining right now with a temperature of 35 (+35 F for my friends up north. ;-)). Will I just get rain, or will I get Ice and a little snow.  We shall see.


I'm still really sore from my trip & fall on Saturday.  So between my soreness and the weather it looks like a good day to sit on the sofa with my honey sipping on hot Irish cream chocolate!

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[KateR]

You know sometimes a very good girlfriend can be your worst influence.  Jessica, on the right in my profile photo took me into White House Black Market  once.

Well last week the holiday flyer came in the mail.  I finally looked at it today.

$300.00 later I finally said enough. 


They do have really cute stuff.....


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[KateR]

Well we dodged the worst of the snow & ice last week.  One morning we had just a little glaze that melted off very quickly (even though we only got to like 34 that day.)


Got hammered hard last night for holloween. The golf course here got together with our little city and decided we were the official holloween destination complete with the city police out doing traffic control!   $50 worth of candy still had us closing up shop before 9:00 PM.. I don't think I have ever seen cars lined up for a quarter mile on our street before.

(Our street is a big 2.4 mile long circle.)

Patty & I do up holloween pretty good.  She and I both dress up in costume, and we have some animated whitches that we put in the yard.  So we're a bit of a destination home for some of the children. (I swear we had one group of kids come through 3 times last night!)

Some of the homes here changed hands and, frankly, I only know the neighbors for maybe 5 or 6 houses on either side of us.  However, we had a friend come in from Joplin to watch the chaos and she got to talking to some of the parents that came through.

As the conversation progressed it appears that at least one of the newer families here only knows that 'a couple of WOMEN live here.'

Granted I havent come out and said I'm transitioning, but I'm not hiding it either. 

Yup, I enjoy the affirmation!


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[Wendi]

Well we dodged the worst of the snow & ice last week.  One morning we had just a little glaze that melted off very quickly (even though we only got to like 34 that day.)


Got hammered hard last night for holloween. The golf course here got together with our little city and decided we were the official holloween destination complete with the city police out doing traffic control!   $50 worth of candy still had us closing up shop before 9:00 PM.. I don't think I have ever seen cars lined up for a quarter mile on our street before.

(Our street is a big 2.4 mile long circle.)

Patty & I do up holloween pretty good.  She and I both dress up in costume, and we have some animated whitches that we put in the yard.  So we're a bit of a destination home for some of the children. (I swear we had one group of kids come through 3 times last night!)

Some of the homes here changed hands and, frankly, I only know the neighbors for maybe 5 or 6 houses on either side of us.  However, we had a friend come in from Joplin to watch the chaos and she got to talking to some of the parents that came through.

As the conversation progressed it appears that at least one of the newer families here only knows that 'a couple of WOMEN live here.'

Granted I havent come out and said I'm transitioning, but I'm not hiding it either. 

Yup, I enjoy the affirmation!


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I'd take that as a compliment Kate. They acknowledged that a couple women live there. You must be passing pretty well. Congratulations

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[KateR]

Well somewhere since I last posted, I found some poison oak or something —- the hard way.

Been living on Benadryl, calamine, and zinc oxide.  I honestly can’t remember the last time I got into any poison ivy and such. It has to be at least 20 years.

Hey the good news —- the fence line between my neighbor and I is finally cleaned out.  The fence is not on the property line but over a couple feet.  Of course they didn’t give a (choose your favorite obscenity) how I felt about the matter.  They finally agreed to let me clean it up including taking out the never maintained shrubs and plantings.   It all looks a thousand percent better now!  Except for my poison ivy or oak or whatever.

Last week I had my cardiac evaluation and was cleared for FFS.  During the conversation the nurse told me she thought I was already beautiful.   I fought to hold back tears.  Since then I’ve been misgendered a couple of times.  I have to admit where before I could shrug it off now it pisses me off...  yeah I’m doing FFS!

One of the things that came up is the need for a visual field test so that insurance will cover blepharoplasty.  Back to KC on Monday to get that done.  The suggestion is to stuff my competitive nature in my pocket. Apparently I need to flunk the test?  But I don’t want to cheat....

Danielle it’s fall in Oklahoma. We go from freeze warnings to 75 F.  No wonder I’m constantly repairing brick and concrete.  ;-)


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[Northern Star Girl]

@KateR
Dear Kate:
When I lived in Connecticut for a few years while going to college the best thing I found for Poison Ivy and Poison Oak, of which there was plenty of it to accidentally get into, was Ivy-Dry.

If you can not get it locally you might want to try getting some of it online to try.



                                      https://ivydry.com/

HUGS,
Danielle

[Wendi]

I always got poison ivy really bad when I was a kid. I found arid extra dry roll on helped dry it out and ease the itching. The other thing I did was took a cotton ball and dabbed it into Clorox and put it on the poison ivy. It really dried it out.

Good luck getting rid of it.

Hugs

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[KateR]

Well it’s official.  All three of our daughters have Covid in their families.   Any thanksgiving get together for us is officially cancelled.

So It’s going to be smoked ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and some type of pie for Patty & I.

I’ll probably also get a zoom meeting going sometime that day.


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[Northern Star Girl]

Well it’s official.  All three of our daughters have Covid in their families.   Any thanksgiving get together for us is officially cancelled.

So It’s going to be smoked ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and some type of pie for Patty & I.

I’ll probably also get a zoom meeting going sometime that day.


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@KateR
Dear Kathryn:
Oh no !!!!!  I trust that your daughters and their families will be OK.   
For sure you did the right thing by canceling your family Thanksgiving get-together.

You can still make your Thanksgiving holiday special with your Ham dinner for yourself and Patty. 
Certainly a Zoom video call or Facetime would be a wonderful thing to do since you can't get together.

Wishing you and Patty well.... stay safe and stay healthy.   
HUGS and best wishes,
Danielle

[KateR]

Well yesterday I had to make a hastily scheduled run to Kansas City.  I needed to get a visual field test done because insurance requested it in order to consider covering the blepharoplasty portion of my upcoming FFS. 

It would only be covered if I flunked the test - what ever that means.

Anyway, it’s done.  Now we wait.


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