It's Tia Anne's turn now!

[Anne Blake]

Greetings All,

I intend this to be an ongoing thread helping me to stay sane (yes Laurie, I agree that is already questionable) during the next several weeks. Some of you may have noticed in earlier postings that I am scheduled to experience gcs on the 12th of September; two weeks two days two hours and forty minutes if anyone is counting.

The old me used to be extremely introverted and kept everything inside, maybe a common trait for those still stifling their identity. I had planned on doing the same throughout this experience but some crazy lady, appropriately named Happy Moni, encouraged me to journal a bit of my story. Thank you Moni girl, you are a good sister and friend.

Over the next several of weeks as my partner and I get ready and travel to Scottsdale I plan to share parts of the journey that brought us to this point and hunger to continue further along with as much of my recovery I can put into words. I look forward to and count on the support that you, my brothers and sisters at Susan's give so freely, to be able to get through this next big step.

Your emotional wreck of a sister,
Tia Anne

[HappyMoni]

Anne,
   I know you are gonna kick butt and take names. I am so happy for you, only wish I could be there to see your face when you are done. I can say that for me this experience is one I will always cherish. I hope you are able to relax and enjoy becoming a butterfly. A beautiful butterfly! Give Deb a hug for me. All my love to you!
Moni XOXO

[Rachel]

Congratulations and I am very happy for you. I agree with Monica, although this part of the path has its moments, I cherish having had the experience and so greatly cherish my new life.

[HappyMoni]

Greetings All,

I intend this to be an ongoing thread helping me to stay sane (yes Laurie, I agree that is already questionable) during the next several weeks. Some of you may have noticed in earlier postings that I am scheduled to experience gcs on the 12th of September; two weeks two days two hours and forty minutes if anyone is counting.

The old me used to be extremely introverted and kept everything inside, maybe a common trait for those still stifling their identity. I had planned on doing the same throughout this experience but some crazy lady, appropriately named Happy Moni, encouraged me to journal a bit of my story. Thank you Moni girl, you are a good sister and friend.

Over the next several of weeks as my partner and I get ready and travel to Scottsdale I plan to share parts of the journey that brought us to this point and hunger to continue further along with as much of my recovery I can put into words. I look forward to and count on the support that you, my brothers and sisters at Susan's give so freely, to be able to get through this next big step.

Your emotional wreck of a sister,
Tia Anne

May I be so forward as to ask for a sanity update?
Moni

[Anne Blake]

Well Moni, yes, just because you asked so nicely.

Today  is Monday evening, this coming Friday my partner and I will begin the drive to Scottsdale. A week from tomorrow is scheduled for surgery. Between now and Friday morning we only have about ten thousand things to accomplish but they are individually small busy work that will hopefully keep me distracted from all that is going on. My partner and I are ready for this while at the same time scared out of our wits; which I believe is a healthy place to be. As mentioned, surgery is on the 12th, I will be in their recovery center for 6 nights and then be staying in a local hotel for 3 more weeks for recovery before driving home.

Dr. Ley of Dr. Meltzer's center will be performing a partial or cosmetic gcs on me. The partial gcs will get rid of all my dangly bits and produce labia and a sensate clitoris but will not include a vaginal cavity. This was a decision that my partner and I made together with inputs from many here at Susan's. Our reasoning was age, risk, difficulties and/or complications of recovery, reduced maintenance combined with the fact that we have no intention of ever using the missing cavity. We are very comfortable with this choice.

Next year I will be turning 70 and have been finding my recovery strength has been diminishing rapidly with age. Two months ago I joined a local gym and have been working with a trainer to boost my core strength and general fitness. I am looking forward to seeing how much the physical training and simplified surgical procedure impact my recovery as compared to what some of the other younger girls have been going through lately. To be honest, some of their stories have me very nervous. If there is much interest, I will continue to post updates as this journey continues to unfold.

A very anxious sister,
Anne

[Laurie]

Tia,

  Let me put it this way... You best be keeping us informed about all that happens and if you cannot then Please have  your partner make an account so she can update us. This  um "suggestion" is not an idle one. Remember I know where you live and have not been on a good hunt in several months.....

  That said Tia, take my hugs with you but save a few for your partner. In fact give her one for me now. I thnk of you two often and hope everything comes off (cough) without a hitch.

laurie

[Anne Blake]

Laurie,

Thanks for the warning but you may just need to pick up Moni and the two of you come on down to Arizona to set me right.

Thanks for your well wishes and my partner thanks you for the hug.

Tia Anne

[HappyMoni]

Laurie,

Thanks for the warning but you may just need to pick up Moni and the two of you come on down to Arizona to set me right.

Thanks for your well wishes and my partner thanks you for the hug.

Tia Anne

If it wasn't for this pesky work thing, I'd be there in a heart beat. I gotta believe you are gonna be just fine. At last Clyde will have a friend in 'doggy heaven.' You know, Laurie's living room. Woof woof!
Moni
Oh yeah, you ain't leavin us in the dark on this one, Girlfriend. 

[Anne Blake]

Moni, I have missed you girlfriend, welcome back.

By the way, I have found the perfect distraction from the craziness of my upcoming gcs, at least for a short while. A couple of days ago the afternoon was disturbed with the explosion of flash bags and teargas grenades as a local swat team dealt with a wanted bad guy that was holed up in a neighbor's house with automatic weapons. I found it difficult to remain focused on my little drama with armed folks running around the streets and snipers out and about. I highly recommend this method of distraction if any of you with upcoming surgeries are getting too anxious.

Anne

[HappyMoni]

Moni, I have missed you girlfriend, welcome back.

By the way, I have found the perfect distraction from the craziness of my upcoming gcs, at least for a short while. A couple of days ago the afternoon was disturbed with the explosion of flash bags and teargas grenades as a local swat team dealt with a wanted bad guy that was holed up in a neighbor's house with automatic weapons. I found it difficult to remain focused on my little drama with armed folks running around the streets and snipers out and about. I highly recommend this method of distraction if any of you with upcoming surgeries are getting too anxious.

Anne

They must have been looking for Laurie.
Moni

[Anne Blake]

Greetings All,

Time for another update.....tomorrow we will head off towards Scottsdale, planning to take three days on the road at a casual pace. We will be following Laurie's favorite route, mostly all back roads wandering around western Colorado, southern Utah and northern Arizona, getting into Scottsdale Sunday in time for pre op scheduled for Monday morning.

Right now, I am using this time as a warranted interruption to packing. I have never tried to pack for a month on the road mixed with the intrusion of recovery and healing. Let's see, that skirt is too pretty to be left behind, and of course I will need that pair of heels....well, we got the important priorities taken care of with getting our nails done this morning. All this dialog is just silly stuff keeping me distracted from actually getting started on something that I am so looking forward to while trying to avoid thinking about at all.....you know, just another normal day like every other day that I've known. I can't tell what exactly it is that has me all up and jumpy about getting on the road and surgery. I have never liked packing for a trip; I used to travel A LOT but the packing part was always difficult. I am so excited about getting to the other side of surgery and actually seeing myself in a mirror as the person that I am, no worries there. Perhaps it may be that I am anxious about something coming up that will disqualify me or postpone it all for some reason or deliverable that I neglected, or, or, or....you probably know what I am talking about, you have probably experienced it yourself.

Well, it is down to leaving tomorrow morning, three days on the road, one day of pre op and fun preparation and then surgery. Moni whined a lot about not eating for a long long time, I just need to go Monday with only clear liquids and Tuesday fasting until surgery at noon, should be a piece of cake, or pie, perhaps a muffin.... The biggest bugaboo about getting ready so far is giving up my little blue pills a week and a half ago, the night sweats have already begun, can't wait for them to let me get back on my wonder drug.

And of course, the mail man just dropped off a jury duty notification for me, I hope that I can put it off enough for my body mods and hopefully name change. That should make for an interesting jury selection interview.

Until next time.
Anne

[Laurie]

Hi Tia,

  I like that you and Deb are going to be wandering down to Arizona. Even though a lot of the way will be desert there is no lack of beauty to be seen along the way. Be safe and enjoy the road. And yes I have wander around the area a little bit though it has been many years. I think the last time was that trip through Estes Park and down to Durango that I told you about. That stretch was pretty nice as I remember. The part where the transmission was acting up wasn't as much fun. But we made it home. I'll be thinking about you two while you are away and will be looking for those updates. I hope that all goes as planned and with a minimum of discomfort to you. I'll have both you and Deb close in my heart.

Laurie

[HappyMoni]

Love you Anne!

[Anne Blake]

Greetings All,

It is time for another update. We arrived in Scottsdale last evening, a day early. My thoughts were that adding a little buffer to the schedule would be helpful, I was getting nervous and that wasn't helping at all. But the real reason is that there is a great breakfast/lunch grill in Old Town that serves a fantastic southwestern breakfast that I had been looking forward to since I arranged my surgery here last May and I only had today to enjoy it as tomorrow is to go without solid foods and it will be a while until I am able to get out on the town again.

We are now firmly lodged in our hotel for the duration, tomorrow morning is pre op and Tuesday mid day is surgery......and yes I will admit to a wee bit of anxiety. My sister had been planning to be down here with us, or more particularly with my partner while I was in surgery and for the rest of the week but she fell and injured her knee so travel was out for her. That sweet lady Dena is trying to arrange her schedule to provide support when possible. I just love it how the brothers and sisters at Susan's are willing to help out in any way they can. This is truly a unique site filled with awesome people.

My partner is currently in hiding, I have been getting so wound up and out of control I am afraid that I am pretty scary company for her. It will be much easier post surgery when I am drugged out of my mind, looking forward to it. Just getting to this point has been an amazing journey, these past few days or weeks have had me feeling completely comfortable being me with very few traces of the old life rearing their ugly heads. It is almost as if I do not need to go in to the operating center on Tuesday, I am feeling so completely whole but I know that if I stopped now the uglies would come back in no time.

Enough for now, I may get a post in tomorrow if I gain any insight from pre op but I expect that it will be Tuesday evening before I have anything to add. And it will be a challenge for you readers to try to interpret any insight from a groggy and stoned old lady.

Until then my friends,
Tia Anne

[Laurie]

Hi Tia,

  I am glad you two made it there w/o difficulty. Now why would you be making Deb go into hiding? You know she only wants the best for you. No you just behave yourself lady. I did look into a visit with you two but I have 2 appointment this wee and another early in the next with not enough time between then to shoot on down and get back in time. Monday it's a visit with my therapist and though I've pretty much come out of a dark place I think I still need to keep this appointment with him. The others are for facial torture and I made these a month ago. 3 sessions in less than two weeks. I'd hate to miss all that fun. lol. I hope Dena and any anyone else that may be in the area can fill in for me. I'm sorry but it does look like I will not be able to come hold Debi"s hand. I wish it was otherwise.
  Do enjoy that breakfast I hope it is worth the trip there to get it. You and Debi will both be in my thoughts.

Hugs,
   Laurie

[Anne Blake]

Laurie girl, I appreciate the thought but I am just happy to see you getting back on your feet after that nasty hit you had to take from loved ones. It is good to see you regaining some strength. Now you need to keep your priorities straight and take care of yourself. We have it in control down here.

Love you girl,
Tia Anne & Deb

[Laurie]

  Thank You Tia.

  Yeah I hope I'm done wallowing in that place though it is still a bit of a sore spot. I talked to my therapist last visit and thought I had a handle on it but I found out otherwise. Some  give the advice that if you find yourself digging a hole, stop shoveling. Wish I had remember it. now what should I wear for my therapy session tomorrow? Decisions decisions.
   Now quit picking on Debi and be nice. Have a good night and a great breakfast. I'll be with you in spirit if I can't be there in person.

Loves ya both,
  Laurie

[HappyMoni]

Anne,
   You look wonderful in the new avatar. Glad you put it up before you got stoned. It wouldn't do to have you putting the wrong new you on there. Good luck tomorrow, Sweetie!
Monica

[Anne Blake]

I find it kind of amazing, it is now less than 17 hours till show time and it still feels unreal. It looks like I will have to see myself in the mirror after the bandages are removed to believe that it is really happening.

This evening is the lovely time of preparation, probably would be tmi to go into the details but the short of it is that it will be a late night with much of it spent in the ladies room....wait, there are only ladies in this room so I need to specify the bathroom.

I met with Dr. Ley this morning for my pre op appointment, the more I get to know her the better that I like her. So far, I am very happy that she was the choice we made. Tomorrow has me getting to the surgical center near 10am and surgery at noon. The plan is to be three nights in recovery and back to the hotel on the third day post op. This is several days earlier than if we had chosen a full vaginoplasty. Dr. Ley discussed the options and benefits of full vs partial and we all agreed that it still makes the best sense.

Now to enjoy the cleansing procedure and try to get some sleep tonight (yeh, good luck at that) and then off to take another step in the journey.

I will post more after I shake off enough anesthesia to find my keyboard.

Anne

[HappyMoni]

Anne,
   It seems like yesterday when we talked and you had no thought at all that you would go for this. Remember?
Monica

What do you and the people in Florida have in common right now? You are both evacuating.