An Aussie Girls GCS Story

[LizK]

Heya Liz. With you current attitude and approach, I don't foresee any issues for you. You've got this.

Keep smiling
Faith

Thank you faith I appreciate your support.

Liz

[sarah1972]

Squeeee! Liz! The countdown has started! 9 days to go. So happy for you!

I fully understand not sleeping well... I am 143 days away and even I have had a night without sleep about it...

You got this! I am sure you have everything packed and arranged!

Please take good care of you the next few days! Hope you can catch up some sleep!

Hugs,

Sarah

[LizK]

Squeeee! Liz! The countdown has started! 9 days to go. So happy for you!

I fully understand not sleeping well... I am 143 days away and even I have had a night without sleep about it...

You got this! I am sure you have everything packed and arranged!

Please take good care of you the next few days! Hope you can catch up some sleep!

Hugs,

Sarah

Thank Sarah

Not long for you either...you getting excited about it yet??..it has taken me quite awhile to become excited...Meryl and I were discussing packing today and discovered we need new suitcases so its off to get some tomorrow. But apart form that I think I am pretty right...I will probably do a test pack over the weekend to ensure I can get everything in that I want....I have had lots of great advice on what to take and I am open to more if someone has it to give LOL


I don't intend to do too much but enough to keep my weight where I want it and avoid getting sick LOL


Take care

Liz

[sarah1972]

I am usually not someone giving advise , but this one has to be. It also applies to dilators....

[Nicole70]

9 Days

I have a very quiet week ahead...I will catch up with the walking wounded sometime during the week. I know Nicole is pretty busy but you never know, she might find some time to join us with any luck. Other than that as far as I am aware everything is in place...I actually think I have even completed all my purchases...it feels like all I have done for the last month is spend large sums of money LOL even that's done!!


Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive...

Liz

Hi Liz,

I have a birthday breakfast with one of my friends hopefully Wednesday morning and my hair done on Thursday morning, should be able to slip out at other times workload allowing [emoji16].

Nice update Liz, it's good you are feeling good [emoji16]

Nicole

[LizK]

Hi Liz,

I have a birthday breakfast with one of my friends hopefully Wednesday morning and my hair done on Thursday morning, should be able to slip out at other times workload allowing [emoji16].

Nice update Liz, it's good you are feeling good [emoji16]

Nicole

Hi Nicole

Great, would love to catch up if it works out. I have been busy all day with the mundane stuff of life buit will send you a txt when we have worked out what we are doing..

Take care
Liz

[Michelle_P]

Liz, I'm glad to hear you are ready with a week to go.  A calm, quiet period before the hospital stay is a blessing. Enjoy!

[LizK]

8 Days

Up and out for a walk after about 5 hours sleep. I was really lacking the motivation to go today but got myself out the door by 6:10am and completed my 5ks. Came home grabbed the dog and walked him about a 1km which was enough then back home to have some breakfast.

No decent coffee this morning I turned on our coffee machine and got smoke pouring out (instead of frothy milk)along with an acrid burnt smell...RIP the coffee Machine...its only 3.5years old but I would have to say its probably made somewhere around 9000 cups of coffee. That is probably a pretty good effort by that little machine...Meryl is going to pick up another one for us today. Most likely the basic version but at least we will be able to make decent coffee again.

So after a terrible cup of instant coffee and breakfast I got into the house cleaning and have just finished those chores now. I am about to have some "lunch" and chill for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow I will go get the new suitcases as I have to go get my scrip filled for the bowel prep...apart from that I will be keeping a low profile and out of harms way.

It felt great to be walking my last Monday prior to surgery, with only another 2 workouts before the final weigh in on Saturday. I am hoping to return to walking sometime in January in prep for my hip op in March/April. IMy hip is fine if I can keep it moving in a straight line but when it rotates either left or right it cause me distress...in fact for the first time ever it literally bought me to tears on Friday night the pain was so intense and lasted for about 2 minutes (instead of the normal 20 to 30 seconds) at maximum level and then slowly subsided over the next 15 minutes....it happened again this morning after getting ready for my shower. Prior to this when I have rotated my hip it has never been as painful as it is now, nor the discomfort lasting as long as it did...I am going to be taking it very easy for my last two walks. Other than this issue with my stupid hip I feel physically fitter than I have for as long as I can remember.


The ongoing physical changes from lack of HRT continue, which include, increased terminal facial hairs, lack of motivation, lack of drive and increasing irritability to name a few...   This too shall pass 

I have been thinking about my surgery in positive ways trying to banish the negative thoughts that periodically flood my idle mind. I dispel them just a quickly and replace them with positive thoughts about how good this surgery is going to be for me...its going to hurt and be uncomfortable but as @Moni pointed out in one of her posts that will all be soon forgotten. The idea that I am actually having surgery seems strange and fanciful that this is even happening...but its not and it is happening LOL


Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive... 

Take care

Liz
 

[LizK]

Liz, I'm glad to hear you are ready with a week to go.  A calm, quiet period before the hospital stay is a blessing. Enjoy!

Thank you Michelle

I think you are very right...I would like to go into the weekend with nothing left to do except put my stuff into a suitcase and enjoy the weekend with my family. I will have about 3 hours on Monday morning when I get to Melbourne and that will be my last time being able to please myself for the next 8 days. I intend to have a really nice long leisurely breakfast while I wait for the time to tick up to my admission.


Take care

Liz

[LizK]

I am usually not someone giving advise , but this one has to be. It also applies to dilators....

Oh heck...that really made me laugh hard...I didn't see it until I picked up my notifications on Tapatalk...lucky for me we can't buy tasers here...LOL

Thanks for the laugh

Liz

[Northern Star Girl]

Thank you Michelle

I think you are very right...I would like to go into the weekend with nothing left to do except put my stuff into a suitcase and enjoy the weekend with my family. I will have about 3 hours on Monday morning when I get to Melbourne and that will be my last time being able to please myself for the next 8 days. I intend to have a really nice long leisurely breakfast while I wait for the time to tick up to my admission.

Take care

Liz

@liz K
Dear Liz:
I am certainly enjoying your daily updates and seeing how you are methodically preparing for your big event.
 
You certainly have most everything lined up for a smooth trip to your surgery day... 
...your planned long leisurely breakfast while waiting and anticipating your admission sound like a good thing to do.   

You have a great attitude about all of this...
I am eagerly following every update and am also looking forward to your post surgery updates.

Thank you for keeping all of your followers up to date with your well thought out plans.
Hugs,
Danielle

[davina61]

Marked it on my calendar so will be thinking of you, think I am making up your excitement myself (if you see what I mean) wishing its all straight forward . HUGS and XXXXXXs

[LizK]

@liz K
Dear Liz:
I am certainly enjoying your daily updates and seeing how you are methodically preparing for your big event.
 
You certainly have most everything lined up for a smooth trip to your surgery day... 
...your planned long leisurely breakfast while waiting and anticipating your admission sound like a good thing to do.   

You have a great attitude about all of this...
I am eagerly following every update and am also looking forward to your post surgery updates.

Thank you for keeping all of your followers up to date with your well thought out plans.
Hugs,
Danielle

I am getting wound up now...lord knows what I will be like by Monday!!! So for me I think it is important to try and reduce the amount of self induced stress. I can feel my irritability increasing each day. I am not sure if that is due to lack of HRT or nerves or a combination of both. I am trying to keep this week as low key as possible....thanks for the kind words

Marked it on my calendar so will be thinking of you, think I am making up your excitement myself (if you see what I mean) wishing its all straight forward . HUGS and XXXXXXs

I unbderstand what you mean perfectly and thank you Davina for the support. II really appreciate it 

[LizK]

7 Days

Its actually 6 days till I leave for Melbourne...excited!!!....maybe just a little bit

Had a short night last with my hip driving me out of bed at 4am...I managed to doze for nearly another hour but by 5am my day had begun. I have been looking around social media sites since then.

Meryl went hunting for a coffee machine on her way home from work last night and between her being on the ground and me on the internet we scored a replacement model coffee machine for the same price as a new basic model. They had limited stock of this slighly older model (same as what we just blew up) Nespresso Lattissima for $279...normal retail $5-600. Works a treat!!

Not much on today. Organise some suitcases that a friend has offered to lend me, catch up for a coffee and chat. I might go and get my script filled for the bowel prep and the antibiotics. Even that is not urgent as I am sure I will be over at the chemists again before I go...I probably need to think about doing a packing list so I don't forget any of the creature comforts I want to take with me...


I am generally feeling physically flat but ok. I need to watch my hydration as I suspect it has not been up to scratch over the last week. I know I will be back on HRT next week so that will certainly alleviate some of the physical stuff  but that also won't be an instant fix and will take a good few days for the levels to rise and reverse the physical stuff...so be it.


I am creating a texting group which includes not only my family but a few friends some of whom are on this board. This group will be the one that Meryl will text updates of my progress until I can do it myself on probably Wednesday or Thursday depending on when I get out of ICU. Not much else to say today...if anything exciting happens I will be sure to jump on and tell you all...its Tuesday already this week is flying along. I had all these things in my head I wanted to to do before I left for Melbourne that I still may get to but I don't feel the urgency to do any of it.


Until the next update..

Take care

Liz

[Kirsteneklund7]

7 Days

Its actually 6 days till I leave for Melbourne...excited!!!....maybe just a little bit

Had a short night last with my hip driving me out of bed at 4am...I managed to doze for nearly another hour but by 5am my day had begun. I have been looking around social media sites since then.

Meryl went hunting for a coffee machine on her way home from work last night and between her being on the ground and me on the internet we scored a replacement model coffee machine for the same price as a new basic model. They had limited stock of this slighly older model (same as what we just blew up) Nespresso Lattissima for $279...normal retail $5-600. Works a treat!!

Not much on today. Organise some suitcases that a friend has offered to lend me, catch up for a coffee and chat. I might go and get my script filled for the bowel prep and the antibiotics. Even that is not urgent as I am sure I will be over at the chemists again before I go...I probably need to think about doing a packing list so I don't forget any of the creature comforts I want to take with me...


I am generally feeling physically flat but ok. I need to watch my hydration as I suspect it has not been up to scratch over the last week. I know I will be back on HRT next week so that will certainly alleviate some of the physical stuff  but that also won't be an instant fix and will take a good few days for the levels to rise and reverse the physical stuff...so be it.


I am creating a texting group which includes not only my family but a few friends some of whom are on this board. This group will be the one that Meryl will text updates of my progress until I can do it myself on probably Wednesday or Thursday depending on when I get out of ICU. Not much else to say today...if anything exciting happens I will be sure to jump on and tell you all...its Tuesday already this week is flying along. I had all these things in my head I wanted to to do before I left for Melbourne that I still may get to but I don't feel the urgency to do any of it.


Until the next update..

Take care

Liz

Hi Liz,
             the atmosphere is electric with anticipation. So fantastic to have your story to read as a budding transwoman myself - thanks so much for putting it out there.

I think about your current life everyday and I hope I can make it there too.

My thoughts are with you.

Sending hugs and best wishes through the ether,

                                                                       Kirsten. x

[LizK]

Hi Kirsten

Thank you for the support. I have put my story out there for the reason that I had difficulty finding any recently documented  Aussie girls journey but I guess in the whole scheme of things there are not that many of us...I know when you are on this board it seems like we are abundant but the reality is we are rare. 

I hope that someone gets some benefit from this even if its only ..."OH gee I am feeling the same way...so its nothing to panic about" I have accomplished what I set out to do and that is to have at least an impact on one person and help them through a tough time. I hope I can provide some useful information as well as insight for those coming along behind me. 

Take care

Liz

[LizK]

6 Days

Slept Ok last night, about 4.5 hrs and was up by 5am this morning. Off for my walk after a real battle with motivation but I did my 5ks and headed home where Meryl was getting ready to go to work. Will spend this afternoon taking it easy. Tomorrow is mow the lawn day as io am not walking.

Picked up my suitcases...the bright pink one was assigned to me  ..not gonna lose that one in a hurry. The pink one was the larger of the two and she seemed to think I need more room...huh ...the cheek of her. To be honest I probably will fill it LOL


Two thing happened this afternoon of interest. The first being I got a call from an old work colleague I knew when I was nursing. She is a nurse trainer and is putting together the subject materiels for the courses she teaches...could I help out on an ongoing basis with my knowledge of Trans stuff? We talked generally for about 2 hours touching on all sorts of stuff. She has aked me to write my upcomming         experiences of being nursed as a trans patient and she will contact me after xmass to do a podcast interview with me as part of this, along with written questions she wants me to answer.

I received the enivetable TXT from my Father wanting to Skype...how coincidental that I spoke to my older brother the other day. I have not responded to him and I don't want to respond to him. I was just going to ignore it like it never happened. I don't want to be going into surgery feeling upset and cosumed with anger for them. I do not want to spend any more time on this but I just can't ignore it as it won't just go away....for the moment I am going to ignore it.

Did I say that coming off HRT sucks...  not sure if I mentioned it or not .....As I said to Cindy yesterday "At the time when you need to be on top of your game physicall and mentally they make you stop one of the things that helps you to be yourself. Go Figure....


Take care

Liz

[Jessica]

What happened to "Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive..."
I kinda like that from you.

Hugs and smiles, Jess

[Northern Star Girl]

@LizK           cc: @Jessica
Dear Liz:
I am with Jess, what did happen to your great statement?

"Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive..."

Please, think positive thoughts... you are on a very exciting part of your exciting journey.   
You have so very much to be thankful for.

Hugs, and well wishes,
Danielle

[LizK]

What happened to "Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive..."
I kinda like that from you.

Hugs and smiles, Jess

@LizK           cc: @Jessica
Dear Liz:
I am with Jess, what did happen to your great statement?

"Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive..."

Please, think positive thoughts... you are on a very exciting part of your exciting journey.   
You have so very much to be thankful for.

Hugs, and well wishes,
Danielle

Ladies what can I say its been one of those days and leaving the line out is more indicative of my day than you would believe

I am feeling all of those things you ask, however I have been totally distracted today and I will tell you girls a story if you promise not to tell anyone else.  LOL

Off I go for my walk this morning, thinking about next week, along with several other things. I arrive at my local park and set off at my usual ambling pace. Setting the music going, I get about 20 foot only and I am having difficulty getting the car key into the small pocket of my 3/4 exercise leggings. Irritated I look down, noticing for the first time something doesn't quite look right...actually for that matter, something doesn't feel right...where is that darn pocket...what?? its on the left...at the back????OH NO..... I look down and realise as I am looking, not only do I have my leggings on inside out, but they are back to front as well...I skulked back to the car and swapped them in for the right way round.

That little story is indicative of my day ...I have been very distracted and simply forgot, so will fix it here


Feeling Good, Feeling Healthy, Feeling Positive, Feeling Ditzy.....

Take care

Liz