Michaela's Epic Journey & GCS Question

[Rebekah]

It's been awhile since I last posted.. I think it was December.. So much has happened since last, I am not even sure where to begin. Insurance was a pain in the neck but i finally got it after quite some battle... DHMH had to finally step in and overturn the insurance denials. Wrote all my own appeals, spent thousands of hours on the phone, got advice from free state legal, got help from a Maryland Senator, called the states attorney's office as well as the state's insurance commission and got the help of the DHMH director and finally won.

SRS is officially set for John Hopkins on August 31, in about 25 days with Dr. O'Brien-Coon. I am patient number #1, the first since 1979 at Hopkins. I feel so privileged to be that first. Of course, my surgery is 7 am in the morning and I have to be there 2 hours before for registration and prepping, which means I am going to have to get up at 3:45 AM just to get there on time from my house. At least I won't be dealing with much of any Baltimore Traffic at that hour..   I will be in the hospital for 5 days. It has been quite the battle to get here...   

Tuesday is my full preoperative evaluation. I have already had my second consult with the co-surgeon, who is the urologist part of the team.. Dr. Arthur Burnett..

I have also been privileged through amazing donations raised by friends of mine without my knowledge, to begin Electrolysis.. Thus far, in the past couple of months, since May 27th I have been able to get 33 hours of Electrolysis in. Rounding about 3 hours per session, once a week and at least 2 days of 4 hours sessions. My entire face as well as eyebrow shaping and getting rid of the unibrow. Going with the Sexy Thin style.. 

So far that has been about $2500.00 and I have had at least 2 clearings of the face. Very little is growing back at this point. She is excellent at her job... Of course she has been doing it for 40 years and was part of the electrolsys board here in Maryland. And she works lightening fast..

I have also started the process of breast augmentation, having my first consult with Dr. Corral. I tried so hard to sneak it in before the SRS, but at the time I had my consult, he had a date of Aug. 21 for surgery which was 10 days before SRS and I didn't want to risk my SRS surgery as the SRS surgeon said he would want 6 weeks of healing before doing the SRS. So we plan on doing the breasts augmentation 6 weeks after SRS.

Getting the Gummy Bear Cohesive Silicone implants. Funny I already received the instruction manuel and warranty to them that comes in a sleeve packet that looks like a car manuel..   10 years or 50,000 miles, rotations optional..    Joking on the 50,000 miles and rotation part thought...   

After trying on the 600ccs and the 750ccs we both thought the 750ccs was the best look on me. Which will give me a natural fuller shape D cup with my frame. He will of course order the 600 and 800 just in case during surgery, one or the other be needed...     

Can't really think of anything else at the moment... It has been a whirlwind around here... I do have a SRS surgery question, but I will ask it in a minute...

So yeah, things are getting real around here... And very solemn as the date is getting closer and closer....

So that is what has been happening to me.. now for my question...

I am not scared of the surgery at all or even having second doubts... I want this 100% and more than life itself... But I do have a question for those who are Post-Op..

I've been told now by several Post Op girls that the real extreme pain of the surgery comes from the Booster Packing that is left on for however long your doctor determines (mine will be for 5 days). They said it left them in tears and the reason is that the booster packing is sutured to your inner thighs until you heal enough for the packing and catheter comes out. So every time you sit or try to walk it rips and tears at the suture attached to your inner thighs... And they expect you and encourage you to sit up, and move around and walk during those days...

That sounds down right dreadful and what scares me the most... One Post Op girlfriend said she had to lay on her side the entire time to aleve pressure from the booster packing..

So my question is, there is any other way they can do the booster packing without the sutures attached to the inner thighs? Are there any other methods? One friend who went to Thailand said she didn't have any suturing to her inner thighs and that it was just stuffed in, by Dr. Suporn.. But I want to hear from others... What other methods can I go to the surgeon and ask about other then suturing to the inner thighs??

Blessed Be
Michaela

[Dena]

I have seen it done and it's suturing the labia together. There is another way to do it but honestly I don't think you want it done that way. My surgery was preformed by Dr Biber, one of the pioneers of the surgery and he placed a wire in the packing. The wire was routed out the top of the vagina, dodge a few critical bits of anatomy and came out your belly just above the public hair line. Some gauze held the whole assembly in place until it's time for the packing to be removed and it leaves a small scar right out in the open. Over the many years after my surgery, it has faded but for many year I had a red mark about half an inch in diameter were the wire came out.

Just shoving the packing in isn't going to work without something holding it in place. You will understand when you start dilating as coughing, sneezing or giggling will cause the dilator exit rapidly if you aren't holding it in place. Even if you are just relaxing, the dilator will want to slip out slowly and needs to be held in place with around 4 pounds of pressure.

[warlockmaker]

I have not heard of this stitching the booster packaging to the inner thigh. I think I have a fair amount of knowledge on this as I have a charity foundation for Asians for srs. I also know that the surgeons in Thailand do not do this. It makes no sense. Maybe someone else can explain this as I would be interested.

I had 3 surgeries at one time , ffs.srs, and ba. No pain. Some stitch tears due to being over active did cause 3 wks of dull pain. Now fully active and orgasmic.

[Laurie]

Hi Michaela,

   I'm Laurie. I started HRT about the time you last posted so we haven't met online before. I just wanted to say hi and to wish you well on your surgery. Good luck and have an uneventful recovery.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[warlockmaker]

I think the modern technique anchors the end at the tip, not exactly sure how this is done but essential. I am not aware of any surgeons stitching it to the thighs or vagina to keep it in.  I know all I had was the packing for 5 days. Alot of packaging inside what I thought was something akin to a large condom. You cannot cough it out as its held in place by the surgical bandages. Dena always provides answers that shows her depth of experience. I dont think the procedure today are the same for the reason she mentioned.

In any case, my hopes for you, a pain free and successful surgery.

[Rebekah]

Hi warlock maker, thank you for your responses can you describe this more modern technique of attaching and Suture during it to tip so that I can take this information to my surgeon. Which tip and how? Can anyway it sounds a lot better than suturing it to the inner thighs.

Anyway it's very nice that you do with this charity and fundraising for the girls in Asia really wish there was something like that here in America. I had to fight tooth and nail to get bottom surgery and I'm supposed to get the top surgery approved. But those two are the only things that are covered by my insurance company which is Maryland Medicaid. And as I am on Medicaid I can't really afford other procedures. I'm actually disabled and unable to work due to rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

But there's so much more that goes into transitioning. Such as hair removal which I've had to spend close to $2,500 right now that which was actually raised by friends who did a secret collection of donations for me as a gift. But facial hair removal is going to cost far more money than $2,500 and I only have enough for another two sessions front from them of course there's two sessions being three hours a piece, but still not enough to finish up which could take up to a hundred or more hours and I've only had 33 hours today. Facial reconstruction and very much other procedures even tummy tucks for those of us that have been unable to lose around their stomach sinceI had a surgery when I was 8 which is done serious damage to that whole area and cannot be fixed without a tummy tuck and looks like a Beer Gut belly which I don't even consume. The kind of surgery I had there when I was 8 could be an equivalent to a C-section for a woman and therefore you know how those kind of damage to the stomach muscles can be. Even butt lift and shaping and hips augmentation. Tracheal shave and even voice modification surgery. All of these things can be so absolutely necessary for one to be transitioning and most of these are considered by W path to be absolutely medically necessary but not only does my insurance not cover it but no Medicaid Insurance here in Maryland covers those kinds of procedures of any kind just to that I'm getting which are important but isn't everything that is needed for transition and one who doesn't have money and cannot work or save up the money which saving up the money can take a lifetime because they're so expensive for surgeries it is just an absolute insane system that we have and it just makes everything so much harder. Or sometimes impossible. So it would be nice if there was some kind of Charity donation program here in America that can give money for these kinds of procedures for someone that are unable to pay for such and most likely unable to work to get such procedures like I. It just seems for me sometimes an impossible task for me to truly be passing since I had so much testosterone poisoning since puberty without these extra procedures which I'll never be able to afford.

So how did you get into running a charity donations for Asian tgirls? How did you start it even and how would one start such here in America?

I think the modern technique anchors the end at the tip, not exactly sure how this is done but essential. I am not aware of any surgeons stitching it to the thighs or vagina to keep it in.  I know all I had was the packing for 5 days. Alot of packaging inside what I thought was something akin to a large condom. You cannot cough it out as its held in place by the surgical bandages. Dena always provides answers that shows her depth of experience. I dont think the procedure today are the same for the reason she mentioned.

In any case, my hopes for you, a pain free and successful surgery.

[Rebekah]

Hi Laura,

Thank you so much, it has been an extremely long journey for me and I am finally thankful that this part is finally coming to an end as well as the ba in 6 weeks after. I won't have to fight insurance companies anymore or deal with all the craziness that I've had to deal with over the past year.

And yes I am absolutely so excited happy and thrilled and I just am now waiting sometimes impatiently and anxiously for the next several weeks until the day arrives. I'll have to do some kind of celebration for it not only this year but here on out each year as an extra birthday type of Celebration.

Thank you for dropping by and saying hi and introducing yourself it is so much a pleasure to meet you and hope we will have much further Chit Chats and good conversations and fellowship.

Again thank you and hugs back to you,
Michaela

Hi Michaela,

   I'm Laurie. I started HRT about the time you last posted so we haven't met online before. I just wanted to say hi and to wish you well on your surgery. Good luck and have an uneventful recovery.

Hugs,
   Laurie