GCS and BA with Dr. Ley on 21 Feb 2019 - Jessica_Rose

[steph2.0]

Thanks @Kendra !!!

My pre-op went well. Received my goodie bag which included a robe, cotton underwear, Ensure, sanitary napkins, ice pack, hand mirror, travel pillow, specimin container, catheter, soap, irrigation syringe, lubricating jelly, a bottle of magnesium citrate, bacitracin ointment, hibiclens, hand sanitizer, some over-the-counter medications, and some strange tubular acrylic things. I guess I'll figure out what those are for soon enough.



One of the nurses took some photos of my breasts from five different angles, then Dr. Ley came in to discuss tomorrow's events. She will start with the BA, which should take about 1.5hrs. Next they will reset the room and get to the vaginoplasty, which should take 3 - 4 hours. She had me disrobe to check things out, then became speechless for a few seconds. She was amazed by my hips, said she was jealous, and then said 'it was meant to be'. She checked out out my existing equipment and said the electrologist had done a great job, then said there was plenty of material for her to work with. The pre-op took about 1.5hrs, and Dr. Ley was smiling all the way through. The pre-op would have been shorter but we discussed some additional work I may have done when I return for my labiaplasty.

Susan and I are back at the hotel and I have started loading up on liquids. Only about 18 hours to go...

Huge hugs, Jessica! I'm so excited for you I can hardly stand it!

Stephanie

(C'mon September! Seven months and 5 days...)

[jill610]

Looks familiar! Have, uhm, fun tonight [emoji90][emoji90][emoji90]

"Material" hehe glad to hear you may not need grafts, I didn't but was kinda looking forward to the tummy tuck that goes with it!

Good luck [emoji3590]

[Jessica_Rose]

Thanks @Steph2.0 ! I am pretty sure you must be lying down for this.

@jill610 , yes, this will be one of those rare moments in my life when I will not be full of sh*t.

I am going through all of the directions again to make sure I will have everything I need for tomorrow, which really isn't much. It is easy to get distracted once I start thinking about what is going to occur!

[jill610]

Hang onto those, will come in handy after you get back home in a few weeks. Especially the after hours information.

[Jessica_Rose]

12 hours to go. The magnesium citrate laxative is not too bad. It has an extremely strong citrus flavor, but no weird aftertaste. I expect the effects will make themselves known soon. Even though I have not eaten all day, I don't feel hungry. Susan is worried, but I have assured her that everything will be fine. I am starting to get a bit nervous, not about the surgery, but about the changes it will mean in my life. I will be entering a new world.

[jill610]

12 hours to go. The magnesium citrate laxative is not too bad. It has an extremely strong citrus flavor, but no weird aftertaste. I expect the effects will make themselves known soon. Even though I have not eaten all day, I don't feel hungry. Susan is worried, but I have assured her that everything will be fine. I am starting to get a bit nervous, not about the surgery, but about the changes it will mean in my life. I will be entering a new world.

Jessica, you will be fine. Try and get some sleep if you can. I had set alarms on my phone so I could catch some catnaps in between the doses. It's going to be a long night with all those laxatives... just wait for the suppository.

[Jessica_Rose]

The suppository is about 30 minutes from now. So far the clean-out has not been too explosive, but Susan is having a hard time going into the bathroom once I leave!

I am texting with my sister-in-law right now, and having an email exchange with a nephew. Neither of them know where I am or what is happening tomorrow. It seems odd that tomorrow will be a momentous day in my life, and none of my relatives will probably ever know about it.

[jill610]

That's a tough one for sure. All of my family, close friends and some coworkers knew, but since I had FFS at the same time everyone else just thought I was getting that done (HUUUUUUUGE effort to get that covered including lawyers and such).

And really, can you blame Susan for not wanting to use the bathroom after you [emoji1750]‍[emoji3601] [emoji23]

[Jessica_Rose]

About two dozen of my co-workers know, but I expect word will spread soon enough. Only one person at work knows about my BA, if others don't notice it I'll be upset!

I went to bed around 11:00pm last night. A car alarm, and my colon, woke me up at 1:30am. I'm not very tired, and even though my stomach feels empty, I'm not hungry. Susan is asleep, which is good because her day will be much longer than mine. We need to be at the surgical center by 5:30am, so I should have plenty of time to shower once my intestines decide they are empty.

Today doesn't seem real. Other than being awake so early, it just seems like any other day. After decades of dreams and endless wishes, I am only a few hours away from finally having what I should have been born with.

[Jessica_Rose]

Well now I know what happens when a countdown ticker hits zero, it starts counting up!

Fresh out of the shower and ready to go. My stomach feels queasy, I expect it is a combination of being empty and my nervousness. I will be waking Susan up in a few minutes. Although I will continue reading posts for a while, this will be my final post before surgery. I will post again as soon as I am coherent enough to let you know that I have permanently switched teams. I wanted my first post to be special, and I have been working on it for quite a while. It is typed in to my cell phone and ready to post, hopefully it will still be there when I wake up this afternoon. Surgery should take 5 - 6 hours.

I hope all of you have a fantastic day, I know mine will be. See you later...

[jill610]

Good luck!

[Jessica_Rose]

His mind fraught with pain.
Protecting her all his life.
In darkness she waits.

Consumed with anger,
He sensed his end approaching.
He must set her free.

He shared his secret.
Gentle light now bathed her soul.
She began to grow.

Soon she became strong.
For her to bloom, he must fade.
His silent goodbye.

Surgery finished.
Reminders of him are gone.
His journey complete.

Her soul emerges.
Painful memories recede.
She is free to be.

Awake from her sleep,
Her mind and body align.
Her eyes open wide.

At last, I am she.
A new world beckons me on.
My journey begins.

[steph2.0]

His mind fraught with pain.
Protecting her all his life.
In darkness she waits.

Consumed with anger,
He sensed his end approaching.
He must set her free.

He shared his secret.
Gentle light now bathed her soul.
She began to grow.

Soon she became strong.
For her to bloom, he must fade.
His silent goodbye.

Surgery finished.
Reminders of him are gone.
His journey complete.

Her soul emerges.
Painful memories recede.
She is free to be.

Awake from her sleep,
Her mind and body align.
Her eyes open wide.

At last, I am she.
A new world beckons me on.
My journey begins.

Her friends cry with joy.

[emoji3590][emoji3590][emoji3590][emoji3590][emoji3590][emoji3590]

[Jessica_Rose]

I am woman.

I began waking up about two hours ago. My throat is still scratchy, it feels like my bra is three sizes too small, and my crotch feels as though it has a slight rug burn. My pain pump is hooked up, and supper just arrived! Crackers and chicken broth, a veritable feast!

[Dena]

If you think your going to be hungry tomorrow, at least call your breakfast order in tonight. After things get going, they will call you if you don't have your order in on time so it's best to get it in early.

Congratulations on your surgery and from now on, things will only get better though you may remember the airway for a few days.

[Donica]

Gosh I can't believe I missed this whole thread Jessica! Congratulations! Yes you were a women before your surgery but more so now. Speedy recovery. I have your thread bookmarked now.

Big hugs girl.

[Kendra]

Jessica Rose, Congratulations!!  And what a post this afternoon - you have me in tears reading that.

Of all your many accomplishments, I know you have a completely different perspective on life now.  I certainly do.

I mentioned this on my list a couple weeks post-op, but I recommend order all 3 meals each day when you call your food order in - makes things easier.

Now I hope you can get some really good rest.  And enjoy the dreams... mine were pretty wild the first couple days from anesthesia working its way out.

[Jessica_Rose]

Thanks everyone!

My throat is feeling better, and my new entertainment center is just little sore, but that pressure bandage on my breasts is really uncomfortable. Susan has gone back to the hotel, I did get nauseous earlier, but the nurse gave me something that cured it quickly. They are also already giving me solid food! I had a turkey sandwich for supper. I will probably go to sleep soon.

[Lacy]

Thank you for keeping up updated Jessica! I am so happy for you. It is good to read that your surgeries went well and that your recovery seems to be on track.

I imagine that the reality hasn't fully kicked in, and the drugs still have you in a "higher" state!

How does Susan seem to be doing? You mention she was having a bit of a time saying goodbye to your previous mechanics. I hope she is doing okay with the new and improved Jessica!

Lots of Gentle Hugs!
Lacy

[Jessica_Rose]

Susan is taking this much better than I expected. She was worried about something going wrong during surgery and all week expressed a great desire for it to be over with. Just prior to surgery I mentioned that we would need to do some shopping for a suitable replacement, and she was laughing about it. I said now she would never again worry whether or not I had a headache, or if I was in the mood, or if I would last long enough to take care of her needs!!

I am getting some rest, and whenever I wake I hit the magic button for another round of happiness. I'm reasonably comfortable now, just some lingering tightness in my chest.