Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I will, with considerable excitement, be heading to Thailand in a little under a month!

About a year ago, when I first started getting serious about having surgery, I found this board absolutely invaluable. The first-hand accounts by everyone here, with a variety of surgeons, situations and personal histories helped me narrow down my choice of surgeons, understand the procedure and recovery, and finally get my act together. So although this is my first post here on Susan's Place, I've already benefited from the community here.

My goal is, in addition to providing a diary of events for the many people in my life who have asked, to answer all the questions I once had, and contribute my own experience with preparing for SRS and Dr. Chettawut to the collection of accounts here.

I'm happy to answer questions - please feel free to ask if there's anything you'd like to know more about. I'll probably write some more as the day approaches. Who here on the forum be with Chett on overlapping days?

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Timeline

• I'll be flying into Bangkok on May 3rd, with my boyfriend and his other partner (who I'm also friends with). It'll be a 20 hour flight. O.O. We'll all be staying at the Drusit Princess.
• May 8th, my mother will be flying in, while boyfriend and partner head off to do their own thing for a while (they'll be flying back on the 10th).
• On May 9th I go in for surgery.
• June 2nd, I fly back to the US with my mother. Another 20 hour flight. O.O

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Preparation / Lead-up

I'm a 29 year old woman living on the west coast. I have a cat, a girlfriend, a steady job and a boyfriend. I've been on HRT for two and a half years, and presenting full-time almost that whole span. I'm lucky to have a supportive family and partners.

I knew I wanted SRS as soon as I realized I was trans - there was never any doubt in my mind about what the steps would be. Hormones, presentation, laser hair removal, voice, SRS... I have several trans friends who are less certain, more exploratory, have a different list... but I knew what I wanted, and so each step has been exactly as rewarding as I'd hoped (except voice therapy, which was super hard and I still struggle with keeping up).

Late 2016, I began researching surgeons and requirements. Initially I was drawn to Preecha, but after further consideration, changed my mind to Chettawat, mostly based on large numbers of testimonials here. I went in search of SRS letters.

The first interview/evaluation for a letter, with Leah Boisen, was exactly I expected - a long session with lots of questions about personal history, the psychologist taking notes on her pad, and then a promise to send the letter within a week or two. She was pleasant and professional. I also asked her for suggestions for a second letter writer - she put out an email on a group she frequents, and several of them contacted me.

The second psycholigist I saw was Meg Manthos. She was also pleasant, and explained that she's been experimenting with shorter SRS letters - which, so far, have been universally accepted by surgeons as still meeting the WPATH requirements. We bonded over our shared ideals, that WPATH is an unnecessary hurdle.

Dr. Manthos's letter came within a week, being one page. Dr. Boisen's letter took more than a month, though to be fair, it happened over the holidays, flu season, and a move. It was 11 pages. I don't recall the exact costs - something like $75-150, far less than a few others wanted to quote me.

With letters in hand, I contacted Dr. Chettawut via the forum on his website. I got a response within 24 hours - though it was initially trapped in my spam filter, and I didn't notice it for nearly a week, despite biting my lips nervously. >.>

May 9th! We communicated several times, getting everything in order (letters, chest-xray, blood tests, flight plans), and I ran around frantically telling work that I'd be gone and asking partners if they wanted to come with. As Dr. Manthos had suggested, her single page letter - which still hit all the points in the WPATH standards - was accepted without comment.

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Questions that I wish had been easier to find answers for

How long was the waiting list?
-- I don't know what's usual, but for me, it was only 8 weeks. !!! With my letters and everything else in order, I first reached out to Chettawut on March 14th, and received a response the same day, asking if May 9th would work. Maybe someone canceled, leaving a slot open?

What does it cost?
-- The surgery itself is ~$10k, though there may be a secondary operation requiring an extra $1k. The flight, from the US west coast, is ~$1200 per person. All told, I expect to spend $15k on the trip - though that could be cut down by A) not bringing a companion and B) choosing a cheaper hotel.

How did you decide on Chettawut?
-- Read lots of reviews / diaries here. Find a few surgeons that look good. Examine their websites carefully, then choose one. Read more threads here, to see if it still feels right. :shrug: Fundamentally it all boils down to gut-instinct, informed by lots of reading.

I guess you've seen this, but I'll link it just in case

http://bambi.site88.net/guide.html

Quote from: AnonyMs on April 12, 2017, 05:49:05 PM
I guess you've seen this, but I'll link it just in case

http://bambi.site88.net/guide.html

I hadn't, thanks! Very useful information in there.

Congratulation :) Hope the best for your recovery, keep us updated!! I'll be there in 22 of July  :)

So, this is my first day off estrogen. Theoretically I was supposed to stop yesterday, the 20th, but I forgot. ^^;; I'll be interested to see how that changes things - I've missed hormones a couple of times in the part, for up to a week, but never before been on Spiro without Esta going along with it.

Other than that, not much to update - I have everything squared away, ready to head out when the time comes. Cat care will be taken care of by the girlfriend, once I give her the extra key I got from the landlord for that purpose. Going over to a friend's house on Sunday to borrow a suitcase for the trip.

I'm excited! Looking forward to things! Going to eat all the street food, in the first few days before I go on the liquid diet. I love Thai food here in the US, so I'm sure it'll be even better at the source.

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on April 13, 2017, 07:32:31 AM
Congratulation :) Hope the best for your recovery, keep us updated!! I'll be there in 22 of July  :)

Good luck to you too!

You might want to reconsider the street food or if you still decide to eat it, limit yourself to well cooked food. Traveling to another country you could get something we call Montezuma'a revenge. Simply put you risk food poisoning  before surgery and it could result in you not being able to make your surgical date. There are enough places you can get safe local food without the risk of street food.

Wow exciting! Chettawut is on my shortlist, so I'll be keen to hear about your experience.  I'm sure it will be fantastic though. :)

Yesteday I did all the laundry. Today I did all the dishes and hang out with the boyfriend. Tomorrow I'll vacuum and clean everything else, and have a date with the girlfriend. Then Monday and Tuesday at work, and then, and then, and then...

Flying out Wednesday evening. Getting closer!

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Thai food in the US has delicious vegetarian options all over the place, right? So it shouldn't be difficult to eat vegetarian while I'm there... sound of research being done... oh darn. More difficult than I was expecting. Definitely doable, just requires more care than I was expecting. Fish and oyster sauce everywhere. That, far more than health concerns, may keep me away from the street food. As one article put it:

"For the most part, vegetarians have to find a way to feed themselves in this city, with streets upon streets lined with food stalls selling almost nothing but "MEAT"."

:sad face:

Hii ;) can I ask if you did hair removal in your perineum?? I never really bothered about it as they are supposed to scrape all the hair roots from the neovagina but now I'm worried about the perineum since in his page he says it's optional and it can also be done after healing but I'm not sure what's best actually.. I think I'll tale the risk  at  this point because I don't want  to cancel my date now... What's your opinion about that??

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on April 30, 2017, 06:26:15 AM
Hii ;) can I ask if you did hair removal in your perineum?? I never really bothered about it as they are supposed to scrape all the hair roots from the neovagina but now I'm worried about the perineum since in his page he says it's optional and it can also be done after healing but I'm not sure what's best actually.. I think I'll tale the risk  at  this point because I don't want  to cancel my date now... What's your opinion about that??

If you don't want to risk having hair in your vagina it's better to have electrolysis before the surgery as stated by Dr. Chettawut on his site. IMO hair removal after surgery is less easy than when it is done before.

I'm thinking of choosing Dr. Chett for my GCS around the end of this year. Love all the feedback. I wish you well. :)

Quote from: Jessika on April 30, 2017, 07:22:01 PM
I'm thinking of choosing Dr. Chett for my GCS around the end of this year. Love all the feedback. I wish you well. :)

Hi! I can't respond to PMs until I have 15 posts here, so sorry about not answering you there. Most of the feedback will be here in this thread, but definitely interested in some correspondence. Soon, soon I'll have 15 posts and be able to answer stuff. *^^*

I didn't actually speak to Chett until I had everything in order, letters and money. My very first email was 'hey, I have everything, when would be a good date?'

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on April 30, 2017, 06:26:15 AM
Hii ;) can I ask if you did hair removal in your perineum?? I never really bothered about it as they are supposed to scrape all the hair roots from the neovagina but now I'm worried about the perineum since in his page he says it's optional and it can also be done after healing but I'm not sure what's best actually.. I think I'll tale the risk  at  this point because I don't want  to cancel my date now... What's your opinion about that??

I haven't done any hair removal in that area. I figure I can wait for everything to heal up and then evaluate if / where I want it done. I have no experience in the area, so I'm inclined to go with his recommendations.

Quote"To address this concern regarding the hair, Dr. Chettawut recommends SRS patients to undergo perineal hair removal before or after the surgery.

The better alternative is to wait and make a decision after SRS at least 6 months if there is any particular area of your external female genitalia which you really need hair removal or not." (bold mine)

Yes that's what I thought.. Can't wait to know how I'll end up, I'm both positive and even ready for the worst!!
You already setted off right? Good  luck   :-*

I swear I posted here last night, but... anyway, I'll be really glad when I have enough posts here that the captchas and captcha questions stop showing up. They're really obtrusive.

I'm in Thailand, and I'm alive. Jetlagged though, very jetlagged. International flying went as as smoothly as expected, with the exception of the vegetarian options for in-flight meals. Inedible. I'm not a picky eater - I'll do basically anything put in front of me if it's not made by killing animals - but not this glop.

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We arrived in the airport, collected my luggage (the other two are only here for a week, they didn't check anything) and exchanged money. That last bit was completely painless - there was a booth right on the other side of customs. Hand them money and your passport, sign the receipt, get a different type of money back.

Stepping out of air conditioning was like being hit in slow motion by a warm wet towel, wrapping around your face and suffocating you. It was 97 degrees yesterday, and promises to be the same for the rest of my stay. Boyfriend's partner is fine with it - she's from the south, and says "it's just like summer should be", but the two of use are suffering a bit. Him more than me. I'll get used to it, but will never be happy. Give me a howling blizzard instead, please. I know how to deal with one of those. ^^;;

As promised, we were met at the exit by a driver from Chett's clinic. He had a sign with my name on it, and the back was a small picture of me to make sure we didn't miss each other. They have you send in one for just this purpose. He didn't speak English, but that was ok - he handed me an envelope, took my luggage, and led us to his car. A half hour drive later, we're at the hotel lobby. We're dropped off there with a nod. Check in was fine, no  hangups.

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First priority: sit down and look out the window.
Second priority: pull out laptop and connect to internet. I'm a lot more comfortable when connected to my exocortex. (look it up if you don't know the word, or don't bother. I'm just being nerdy)

After flopping in bed for a bit (there's one bed, but we're all friends, me, my boyfriend and his partner), we headed over to seacon square to find lunch. The street food, as promised, looked fantastic, and the other people I was traveling with repoted that it tasted just as good. Finding something without meat in it though... we ended up seated at a chain restaurant where I ordered curried rice with an egg (they had pictures on the menu, so we could all just point). It was tasty, and all three of use eating, along with drinks and tax, was 450 bhat - 15 dollars. Still more expensive than the street food (delicious huge omlet thing for 55, ~$2).

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This morning I go in for a first consultation with Chettawut. Will meet the driver in the hotel lobby at 7:00, in about two hours. It's currently 5:09, and I've done all the combatting of jet lag I can do for one night. Feeling pretty good, actually! Just need to take a shower and get some hotel breakfast. See you all later. :)

Great update threewestwinds. Keep updating us. Eager to hear more as I may be doing all of this in the next 6-10 months. :)

May 5th, surgery in four days.

I woke up at 5:30. Timezones are shifting, but not yet completely in sync.

This morning we went had breakfast in the hotel - it was quite tasty, especially the fried rice and the bannana smoothies. Vegetarian food was easy to find, and quite tasty. At breakfast I met the mother of another Chett patient. She also apparently had a 2-month wait, so it seems pretty normal. That girl had surgery on the 4th, it went well. We'll get to meet  her later when she's back at the hotel and no longer confined to room.

I met the driver in the hotel lobby at 8:00. The consultation with Dr. Chettawut was about what I expected - lots of papers to sign, personal information to verify, hand over the two letters, the chest x-ray and lab results all in hard copy. Then wait a while, and go up to meet with Dr. Chett himself. We said the usual polite things, then he had me pull down my pants for a close up examination of the surgical site. He was professional and polite, but still, strange man touching my dangly bits. >.>

I'll need the extra groin skin graft, so an additional $1000. They accepted a credit card for that, but changed an extra 4%. Just a note so no one else is surprised by that.

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Went home (hotel) and met back up with friends. They'd done a bit of wandering, but everything was closed that early in the morning. We went out again wandering, just sort of exploring. There are tons of dead-end streets here - connections are the exception rather than the rule. We didn't find much of specific interest, though looking around the city was exciting. We were in mostly residential areas. There were some very expensive houses.

On the way back, we stocked up on liquids. I'll start my all-liquid diet tomorrow.

Returning to the hotel again (short excursions, we're all still tired), we searched  the internet for something specific to head towards next outing. We found the Night Market, opening at 16:00 and reaching peak traffic at 21:00. We all took a nap while waiting.

Getting to the night market was troublesome. We didn't get the directions quite right, and ended up taking a very circuitous route. But once there...it was fantastic. A huge open-air market, covered with stalls selling everything from street food to t-shirts (so many t-shirts) to nice clothes to watches to instruments to nick-nacks to...

It was big. It was crowded. It as excellent. We wandered it for maybe three hours and saw... about 1/2. If that. Big. I bought a bunch of clothes - a skirt there for 200 bhat ($6), a blouse there for 150, another skirt for 100, three camisols for 100 (total, not each)... it's cheap used clothing prices for cute brand new stuff. Some of it's factory-made, but some also bears the sign of being hand-made. I loved it, and hope to go back again another evening. Highly recommended for anyone staying in the Dusit Princess.

We came back and fell straight asleep.

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May 6th, surgery in three days.

Today we're going to the Grand Palace by cab (our first cab rides), then wandering around on foot to some of the nearby temples.

It's also the first day of liquid-only. I ate jello for breakfast while friends went to hotel restaurant to eat good food. >.> No special instructions for today - tomorrow I start on the laxatives, but today's just 'no food'. Will update again either tonight or tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the good wishes. :)

Hello threewestwinds,

At which hotel do you reside ?
My surgery has been scheduled for next November. I am still hesitating about which hotel to choose among the three ones that are possible.
Is there something as a kitchen in your room ?

Quote from: Lucie on May 06, 2017, 03:10:00 AM
Hello threewestwinds,

At which hotel do you reside ?
My surgery has been scheduled for next November. I am still hesitating about which hotel to choose among the three ones that are possible.
Is there something as a kitchen in your room ?

I'm staying at Dusit Princes Srinakarin. There's no kitchen here, but the breakfast they provide is excellent, and there's good food in the mall nearby.

I love cooking as much as the next girl, but the food here is so good and so cheap that I don't really have much urge to make things myself. Being vegetarian is a bit difficult, but I suspect you wouldn't have much more trouble than I did with any other dietary restrictions (vegan is just as easy as vegetarian, gluten-free looks like it would be trivial).

May 6th, surgery in three days.

After my friends ate breakfast in the hotel (I ate a cup of jello and was sad), we took a cab down to the Grand Palace. Total cab fare was 193 bhat, about $6.50. Half an hour drive.

Once there, we walked through security - brief metal scanner and bag check (they didn't look inside purses, only big bags) - and then paid 500 bhat ($17) each for entry. The dress code is seriously enforced - they will make you buy a sarong if you don't meet it. All of us had dressed appropriately (basically, knees and shoulders covered) though, and passed through without trouble. The Grand Palace was beautiful, and we wandered around for about an hour taking pictures and wishing we could read Thai to know what the description of the murals meant.

After that, we walked around a bit, unsure where to go next. We finally found a big tourist map by the side of the road, and seeing us examining it and pointing, a local came over to help us out. He worked at the temple we were in front of, and was very friendly and helpful. He gave us a pocket tourist map, highlighted a couple of places we should go see, and flagged down a tuk-tuk for us to ride in, explaining how they worked.

Tuk-tuks are little three-wheeled cab thingies specially for tourists that ferry you around downtown. You pick a bunch of stops (in our case four, as suggested by our friendly local), then they drive you to each in turn, point you in the right direction, and wait for you outside. Once you reach the last stop, you pay them 100 bhat ($3). It's pretty unbelievable how convenient it is - downtown Bangkok is huge, and we would never have made it walking (as we had planned).

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Our second stop after the grand palace was Wat Sitram, a temple we hadn't heard of (there are hundreds of temples hereabouts). It was very pretty, and one of the locals again saw us looking at things and came over to talk. It was fun chatting with him, and he showed us seven of the Buddhas, one for each day of the week. I was born on a Tuesday, so mine was the reclining Buddha. No pictures allowed in the temples.

Second stop was the "Thai Factory", a place where they hand make custom silk clothing. They were running a 50% off for foreigners special, and since I already intended to get a bunch of clothing while I was here, it was an easy sale. I spent 8000 bhat ($230) on a beautiful dress, and 300 bhat on a pair of blouses. They took my measurements, asked a bunch of questions about how exactly I wanted everything to look, had me choose out colors and fabric, and told me to come back tomorrow to get a rough fitting done before they put it all together. Wow. Boyfriend and his partner both got suits - 12500 bhat apiece. $420 for custom trailered four-piece silk suits. That is a fantastic price.

Third stop was the Standing Buddha. Boy was he huge. Toes the size of my entire body. And gold. Very, very gold. Again no pictures.

Fourth stop was going to be the Second Palace, but our driver - a pleasant and amusing fellow - asked if we'd mind stopping at the gem and jewelry museum which was on the way he needed to "feed gasoline to tuk-tuk!" :) It was less a museum and more a showroom - I've never seen so many gems and so much gold and silver in one place before. They tried to sell us stuff, but unlike the Thai Factory, we weren't interested.

Last stop - we tipped our tuk-tuk driver an extra 40 baht, since we'd been quite slow at most of our stops - was the Second Palace, which our tickets for the Grand Palace were also good for. Here though, they were even more serious about the dress code. My blouse was a little too open in the back, and one of the friends was wearing pants instead of a skirt. They made us both buy sarongs (only 50 bhat). :/ I understand in my case - not as modest as they'd like, I get that. But women not allowed to wear pants? We bore it silently and didn't make a fuss. Everyone also had to leave their bags and purses in lockers.

The Second Palace wasn't all that interesting, in my opinion. It was a guided tour, with lots of art and jewelry and some history, but nothing to write home about. I mean, it was all pretty, but we were pretty worn out from the rest of our day and bailed out early when the tour moved on to a second building.

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After we cooled down in an air conditioned Baskin Robins (twice the price of buying the stuff from a street vendor, but they had air conditioning, so...), we wandered around a little bit, and found ourselves next to the river. Several aggressive salespeople tried to get us to go on boat tours out to the floating market. Very aggressive sales people. Saying "no thanks" and walking away prompted them to lower their price, but not go away. One woman followed us for literally a block and a half. Bargaining is fun and all, but geez.

We took a cab back to the hotel and crashed, just zonked right out. A really fun day, even if I couldn't eat anything. It all looked so tasty! ^^;;

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May 7th, surgery in two days.

Today we're going back downtown to get fitted again for our respective suits/dresses, then going on the boat tour in the afternoon. Another big day ahead of us!

After that, we get to come home and I take my first dose of laxatives (a weaker variety) and then do an enema. A reminder that I'm not just here to play tourist. ><;

Thanks threewestwinds for the details you gave about the Dusit Princess Hotel and also for sharing your journal.

May 7th, surgery in two days.

Not eating solid food isn't terrible. I was hungry after missing my first meal, but since then it hasn't really gotten any worse. Perhaps it's because I'm skinny and used to an irregular eating schedule, but the worst impact is really social - sitting around while other people eat is the worst thing, or waiting in the hotel room while they go to breakfast.

We took a taxi down to the Thai Factory (what an odd name) to get our clothing fitted. Lots of adjustments to be made - the neck on my dress was way too tight, the under arm too tight, the thighs on the boyfriend's pants too tight, the blouse too loose on the other friend, etc. They'll go back on Thursday (in four days) for a final try-on and adjustments if necessary, but I'll be recovering from surgery then. I'll instead go back on the 22nd (and maybe postpone further, depending on how recovery is). They want you to check in and pick it up at least two days before departure, in case and final adjustments needed.

The proprieter of the shop also asked if we'd like to tip our tailors - straight from his hand into the hands of the people who do the work. We asked what an appropriate tip was, and he said "whatever you feel in your heart, but 200, 500, 1000 baht is very generous." We passed him 2000 for the three of us.

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After getting things fitted, we headed back to the docks for our water tour. There's a sign there, which we hadn't noticed the previous day, warning about strangers offering discounts on water tours, and offering the phone numbers of the Thai tourist police. Well, turns out the very insistent salesmen negotiating with you out front... I was right when I thought something was fishy there. :)

We paid 1500 baht for a 1 1/2 hour tour, with a half hour stop at the 'floating market'. This is obviously a very popular tourist destination - out boat also had a trio of cute Japanese ladies, and on other boats we saw lots and lots of fair skin, sunburns and sun hats.

The boat ride was fun, getting to see Bangkok from ground level, and it was refreshingly cool on the river. The floating market itself though was something of a let down - it had lots of tasty looking food (tummy growl), but nothing else worth mentioning. No where near as exciting as the night market. One of the friends bought a cute stuffed elephant for her grandmother.

On the way back, we asked to be dropped off at a temple the boyfriend had been interested in rather than the docks. At the temple warf, an old lady demanded 10 baht per person debarking - I'm not completely certain she wasn't just someone taking money from tourists, but we paid her and went on our way.

The temple, apparently, was another long-pants + sleeves affair, and wasn't fit to enter in my sun dress, so we wandered around the outside and found ourselves in a maze of twisty little passages all alike. A bit of wandering later, I was starting to sunburn and we'd found a major road. Hailed a taxi and came back to the hotel. Another day successfully accomplished, and if it was a little shorter than the previous one, well, I didn't have calories in my system to recharge with.

Back at the hotel, 17:00, it was time to take the first dose of laxatives. This set was pretty mild, apparently, and didn't trigger anything immediately. At 20:00 I did the enma using a provided little kit of saline solution. Laxative still had relatively little effect on through the night.

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May 8th, surgery is tomorrow.

This morning at 9:00 I took the first half of the bottle of swiff. Ick, so nasty tasting. Oily. I felt fine for about 10 minutes, then... well... let's just say that for the next two hours, I ran to the restroom every fifteen minutes or so, without warning. Chett gave me a bunch of electrolyte packets to mix into water, and instructions to drink a bunch. The powder tastes nice. Next dose of Swiff is at 5:00. I am not looking forward to that.

Not eating didn't bother me much yesterday, but today it's starting to be annoying. I keep thinking of dumplings and gravy - sounds so tasty right now.

I'll try to post again tomorrow morning before surgery. Wish me luck!

Good luck threewestwinds ! I am sure it will go well !!

I hope you the best :) at what time do you have the surgery?

May 8th, surgery is tomorrow.

The first dose of Swiff was tolerable. The second one was terrible. I sat in the bathroom and lost everything, then lost more, then lost more, then went to bed and drank two bottles of water, then back to the bathroom... it finally culminated with my vision going black. I flushed, wiped, staggered out of the restroom, and literally collapsed on my boyfriend croaking "water". Greyed out, came to a few seconds later, drank water, felt better, didn't go to the bathroom for half an hour.

Ick. It was one of the least pleasant experiences of my life. I wonder if it was worse because I'm so thin? Don't know, just... be warned. The lead up to surgery is not pleasant. I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse than this.

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May 9th, surgery is today.

I'm writing this from the clinic, laying in bed. I arrived at 1:30, they had me get into a hospital robe, then lay me down and took my vitals. Then shaved my groin, went over what to expect when I wake up tomorrow, and left me alone with classical music for two hours until the anesthesiologist arrives. ^^;; Hurry up and wait, I guess.

It's quite cold here, but I have a comforter, and not yet to the point where I'm going to ask for a second (though it would be nice).

So here's what they tell me to expect: when I wake up, the anesthesiologist will ask me to take deep breaths, to prove I'm awake and able to breath normally on my own. Then they'll take the tube out of my throat. I should expect to feel sore in the throat - that's normal and will go away in a few hours.

My legs will also feel heavy, almost like they're gone entirely. That's also expected, and please stay still, don't try to move them to prove they still work. My first job is to go right to sleep. There'll be a nurse in the room overnight.

In the morning, I will, with assistance, walk downstairs to my private room - this is partly to verify that my legs still work fine. Other than that, I'm not supposed to move or walk or anything. Once I'm in my private room I'll be allowed to start sipping water, and if nausea permits, drinking liquid foods. I really should have mentioned I'm vegetarian by now, but I keep forgetting. I'll do it when they show up to put me under.

This is really it! No more posts until after the operation. :)

Fingers crossed !

Peace. . . .

I hope all went well. Have not seen an update. Does anyone know if threewinds is ok?

I was wondering as well.  ??? (don't know her just been following the thread)

I am well, all is well, no complications. I just never got around to pulling out my laptop while in the clinic. Am now safely ensconsed back in my hotel room, and will write a bigger update shortly. :)

Quote from: threewestwinds on May 12, 2017, 09:06:39 PM
I am well, all is well, no complications. I just never got around to pulling out my laptop while in the clinic. Am now safely ensconsed back in my hotel room, and will write a bigger update shortly. :)

So glad to see you posting. Can't wait for all the feedback. Dr. Chett is atm 95% my choice. :)

*hugs*

So happy to know that :) Wish you the best recovery :-*

May 9th, surgery is today.

The anesthesoligist shows up at around 4, as promised, says hi, shakes my hand, and they mheel me off to the operating room down the hall. An IV goes in my left arm, and holding my hand, he says ""I'm going to put you to sleep now. Four, three, two, one... ok, you'll feel sleepy now in three, two... going to slee..."

May 10th, day after surgery.

I woke up back in the room I had first laid down in, upstairs but not in the operating theater. HOses coming out of me everywhere. The IV from my left arm, then an epidural block in my lower back (that one hurt a bunch), then three different tubes coming from my swaddled up pelvis. Two of them were drains, occasionally witha little bit of blood, the other was a catheter.

They asked me to breathe deeply, which I did, proving that it was safe enough to remove the intubator from my throat and let me breath on my own. They replaced that with oxygen, a little under-the-nose thingie. I fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke up a bit later, they had me take some pllls, I fell asleep again.

My friends showed up for the first visiting hour, we chatted a bit, I don't remember a word that was said, and I fell asleep again.

They fed me soy milk with something floating in it and hot chocolate. They told me to drink more water, and I tried, but I'm just a very dry person generally. I fell asleep again.

I woke up, couldn't get my eyes to focus well enough to read the wall clock, drank some water, fell asleep again.

... you get the picture.

May 11th, two days after surgery.

Every four hours of so they came back to do one or more of: feed me liquids, tell me to drink more, empty my catheter, feed me pills (lots and lots of pills), ask how I was doing and give me a sponge bath. I did a little bit of reading, but mostly just slept.

Today though, I got soup. Creamed corn or creamed mushroom. I went with the corn. I was tasty, though probably that's just a side effect of not having eaten in nearly a week. Anyway, I scarfed it down... and fell asleep.

Second visitor period went much as the first. They showed up, we talked, I held their hands and got head scritches, then I fell asleep.

May 12th, three days after surgery.

See above. I slept a little less, read a little more, but otherwise it was just more of the drug-dazed same.

May 13th, four days after surgery.

Back to the hotel! At 6:30, they had me get dressed (a slow but surprisingly painless process), had me trundle slowly out the front door of the clinic to their can, and drove me back to the hotel, where I was set into a wheelchair and wheeled up to my room.

I can eat food now! But only light food. Specifically, "small amount of full liquid and soft diet before vaginal packing removal (Cream soup, Cereals, Soft Breads, Pancake, Milk, Scrambled egg))"

The catheter isn't as bad as I'd feared it would be. I just have to be careful moving with it. My friends left today heading back home, but my mother flew in earlier today, so I still have someone here to help take care of me - just a different someone than before.

Sitting up hurts, so I'm spending my time in various stages of laying down. Definitely feeling stronger though - rolling over on one side is no longer a multi- minute operation like it was the first few days post op. Now that I'm back online and cogent, expect me to go back to daily updates for a bit.

Next big medical step is on the 16th, when the vaginal packing gets removed and the nurse starts teaching me how to dilate. Joy.

Glad you are well :)

So happy for you and all the best. :)

I'm glad you made it through, sounds like SRS went well. Hope you have a speedy recovery!  Love you!

I am really happy for you. I sincerely wish you a fast and successful recovery (with as little pain as possible).

May 14th, five days after surgery.

Rough night. I had a hell of a time falling asleep, and finally only managed it around midnight when my mother moved into the bathroom to isolate her snores. I felt terrible about that, but combined with more water, some pain killers and a brief foot rub, I finally got some sleep.

This morning we putzed around with pillows and chairs and positions a lot, trying to see what would work best, before finally deciding that the only acceptable position is either laying on the bed or half-propped up on the bed. No going down for breakfast, even in a wheelchair, for me yet.

I can however eat food again! In limited amounts, but still. Very much looking forward to room service cereal for breakfast. I can get up and waddle around the room on my own if I take it slowly. It mostly feels like my balance is shot, rather than a muscle problem, for what it's worth, though I do get dizzy pretty quick.

The drug schedule is pretty manageable - antibiotics 4x/day on an empty stomach, anti-swelling drugs 3x/day after meals, painkillers as needed. I pain killers have been needed so far. >.> What hurts most is actually my lower back, where they removed the epidural block - I would have expected the cut up bits to be worse, but they're pretty manageable.

Going to lay low today, do internet things and try to drink a lot of water. Take care, you all.

May 15th, five days after surgery.

Slow day today. Again antibiotics 4x/day, anti swelling meds 3x/day, pain killers as needed - in my case yes, needed. I can't sit upright right now. The bandages are sort of like a hard diaper, which means that sitting upright - even with a doughnut pillow - puts too much pressure on still-healing parts. For now all I can do is lay down and prop my head up, or stand and waddle very slowly.

I'm still on a 'soft food' diet, which is much less well defined than the 'clear liquid' one they had me on before surgery. To quote the only instructions given: "You are allowed to take small amount of full liquid & soft diet before vaginal packing removal (Cream soup, cereals, soft breads, pancake, milk, scrambled egg)." (sic)

The nurses stopped by at 11:00, first time I've seen them since I was discharged. They looked at the bandages and surrounding flesh, asked if I'd had any bowel movements (no), and said that I should try to walk around a little to keep my legs in good shape. That answered one of my questions - if I should be staying as still as possible or if I should be moving around.

Tomorrow morning they come back to remove the bandages, and they said that I can have anything I like for breakfast! Sweet!

------

May 16th, six days after surgery.

Thu nurses are going to stop by today to remove the vaginal packing - which means I get my first look at the results! And that I can eat anything I want, and that I can sit upright (if pain allows it), and that I'll soon have to start dilation.

Mostly I'm nervous - so many 'what if's, all along the lines of 'what if it didn't heal right'. Well, we'll know one way or another soon enough!

Six days, May 16th?  It's still May 15th here!  but you were always ahead...  ;D
Glad you can eat now.  Wishin' you waffles.  and eggs!

Can't wait for your updates now and can't wait for my surgery too  :D hope your "unpacking" went well  :)

May 16th, six days after surgery.

Ok, I'm going to be a bit... biological here in this post, because I want to let other people doing / considering SRS know what to expect. If you don't want to read about private parts, this dashed line is where you should stop reading.

------

Peeling away the coverings was a little painful, but in the expected "removing tape from skin which has hairs on it" way, nothing new and exciting there. Underneath, I got my first look at my new lady parts.  They're all purple and bruised, and it's hard to get a good look because the catheter's in the way and I only have a hand mirror.

They're within the range of 'human female normal', but that's all I can tell right now. Again, catheter and bruising. The first look is filled with emotions, but not filled with beauty.

I was giddy. I also still had nurses poking around at me with sterile swabs and rubber gloves. Everything was really sensitive. Not painful, just... sensitive. My brain does not know how to process these nerves yet. There are definitely a lot of nerves on the outsides and on the vulva, but beyond 'lots of nerves', I can't really say more at this point. It mostly didn't hurt.

Removing the packing was the strangest sensation I've ever had. It as all one long cotton strip, stuffed up in me, so the nurse took hold of one end, and, well, started pulling. And pulling. And pulling. There was a lot of it, and it felt so strange, like having my insides slowly pulled out through a hole I didn't have two weeks ago. It didn't hurt until the very end, but pulling the last little bit out made me tense. Not screaming pain, but... more than a medium spank, less than a hard cane is the best way I can describe it. And now you know more about my sex life than maybe you wanted to. Sorry. ^^;;

After unpacking, the nurses took a photo to show to the doctor, then poked around a bit more with sterile swabs, and then began my first test dilation. They had me lay on my back, spread my legs, and relax. Don't feel tense, relaaaaax, don't worry about the fact that we're slathering lube on a plastic dildo and about to see how deep we can shove it in you, relaaax...

Twist and push, twist and push, she put it in, me watching via hand mirror. There was surprisingly little sensation - perhaps there will be more once things have healed better and my brain has rewired more, but almost everything is right around the opening, no feeling at all past the first inch or two. I could feel something pressing into my guts, but it wasn't pleasant or painful... until she reached the end. 6 1/2" is what I've got, ladies, and you'll know when you hit the end of that particular cavity.

It hurt a little, she pressed a little more, took another photo, and told me to mark exactly how deep it was in in my little hand mirror, then took it out. Baby wipes, a sanitary pad, and I'm wearing panties. Without a bulge. It's giddy. It's exciting. It's wonderful.

Well, there actually is still a bulge - I'm all swollen, and the catheter tube is still in place. But you know what I mean.

I took a shower (no baths for the next three months though), walked around the room a bit, played computer games. I'm feeling much more human again after the shower.

-----

May 17th, seven days after surgery. First day of dilation, 15 minutes.

At this point, I can walk around and take care of myself pretty well. All told, it wouldn't have been terrible doing this on my own - ladies considering getting SRS solo, take note. It was nice to have someone fetching things in my first few days post surgery, but I could have done this solo if necessary. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done of it's too scary. You won't be helpless and in pain and alone and... it's just not like that, or at least it hasn't been for me.

After breakfast in the hotel restaurant, I came back and waited for the nurses for my first real dilation (rather than just the test from yesterday). I won't go into the exact mechanics again - on my back, lots of lube, twist and push, easy and almost sensationless until we find the end, except this time with me in control.

Then she had me hold is place for 15 minutes, correcting me every time I let up the pressure a little. It's supposed to stretch / hurt - that's how you know you're maintaining the depth, not letting it slowly close up. She went to go check on another patient, I read a book. She came back, nodded at how I was still holding it at depth (it still hurt a little bit), and helped me clean up.

Now I'm back in bed. I can walk around a bit, take care of things, but if I walk too long, parts of my crotch start to hurt - the exact parts where the stitches are, in fact. So I'm spending a lot of time laying down in bed, even though I mostly feel fine. Probably won't have too much more to write about today - gonna play a lot of computer games, since I'm confined to the hotel. :)

Quote from: Dad on May 15, 2017, 10:09:22 PM
Six days, May 16th?  It's still May 15th here!  but you were always ahead...  ;D
Glad you can eat now.  Wishin' you waffles.  and eggs!

Thanks! Now that the unacking is done, I can eat anything I want - no more dietary restrictions. Mostly that means a ton of fried rice right now. Dusit Princess has some very nice restaurants... but the vegetarian options are a bit limited. At least their fried rice with vegetables and flat noodles with vegetables are fantastic. :)

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on May 16, 2017, 11:30:25 AM
Can't wait for your updates now and can't wait for my surgery too  :D hope your "unpacking" went well  :)

I'm excited for you too, when you get to this point! The whole recovery is turning out to be way easier than I had expected. Seriously, the Swiff was by far the worst part. It's all been uphill from there!

Quote from: Dad on May 15, 2017, 10:09:22 PM
Six days, May 16th?  It's still May 15th here!  but you were always ahead...  ;D
Glad you can eat now.  Wishin' you waffles.  and eggs!

Dad?

Hi and welcome to the site. I am guessing you are monitoring your child's progress. That is so great. I would like to thank you for that on behalf of our site as a whole.

I also want to share some links with you. They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment:

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,2.0.html)	Standard Terms & Definitions (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,54369.0.html)	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar) (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,114.0.html.)
Reputation rules (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,18960.0.html)	News posting & quoting guidelines (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,174951.0.html)	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,59974.msg383866.html#msg383866)

Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna

threewestwinds,

Not really sure how to address you. However, we have been negligent in welcoming you to the site. So sorry.

I am thrilled to see how well your progress has gone. I also want to share some links with you that have all the rules and some welcome info. However, I just posted it.  So if you scroll up to Dad's welcome(is that your Dad, that is so cool if so) please consider it a welcome for you two.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I hope your progress continues as smoothly.

With warmth,

Joanna

threewinds,

Thank you so much for the update. So glad you are doing ok. I am learning a lot since my choice atm is Dr. Chett around the end of this year.

I was going to ask you which hotel you stayed at but you answered that already. :)

Keep us posted and Heal well. :D

Jess

Quote from: Joanna50 on May 17, 2017, 11:59:27 AM
threewestwinds,

Not really sure how to address you. However, we have been negligent in welcoming you to the site. So sorry.

I am thrilled to see how well your progress has gone. I also want to share some links with you that have all the rules and some welcome info. However, I just posted it.  So if you scroll up to Dad's welcome(is that your Dad, that is so cool if so) please consider it a welcome for you two.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I hope your progress continues as smoothly.

With warmth,

Joanna

Thanks for the welcome! I feel like someone already shared those link with me before, but now looking around, can't find it. I've seen them before though, browsing around through the forums. Always amazes me how many people don't read the rules before posting places. ^^;;

I think that's my dad! Not 100% sure, but he speaks like him, and I gave him the link to this thread, and the name's right. :P So probably.

Quote from: threewestwinds on May 17, 2017, 07:20:24 PM

I think that's my dad! Not 100% sure, but he speaks like him, and I gave him the link to this thread, and the name's right. :P So probably.

Thanks for the laugh. Continue to heal well and take care of yourself.

With warmth,

Joanna

May 18th, eight days after surgery. Second day of dilation, 2x 20 minutes.

Again this morning after eating the hotel breakfast (a fantastic buffet of foods, most of it static but some parts changing each day), I settled in for a nurse-guided dilation. I described the exact process in my previous post, so I won't do that again, but will give some less 'mechanical' impressions.

It definitely gets more 'routine' quickly. I'm still a little clumsy at the preparation and insertion part, but given a few days I'll have this down to a science - and uncomfortable, "needs privacy and then hold still" science, but nothing at all to worry about. I read a book again this time, and was more able to pay attention to other things than before.

The rest of the day was pretty standard at this point - I rested, I wrote some, I read some, I played some computer games. Talked a lot over IRC with the girlfriend. Life is good.

------

May 19th, nine days after surgery. Third day of dilation, 3x 30 minutes.

Today the nurse only made a few comments and corrections at my morning session, adjusting  my posture for easier penetration and reminding me to use more lube. Almost always good advice, that last bit. :)

Going down the line - and I'll be doing this intensively for two years, and then still for the rest of my life - dilation will be an annoying chore, a little boring but not that disruptive. I need privacy and stillness, but I'll be able to use a computer one handed, read, type posts, play games, think, make phone calls, talk with my partner... almost anything that can otherwise be done from bed.

So while this will eventually be consuming two and a half hours per day, they won't be wasted. Actual setup and teardown and switching time, unavailable for other things, will be more like 5min, 3x/day. It's more of a scheduling problem than a "I will spend half my waking hours taking care of this organ."

I'm spending a lot of words typing this out now, because when I first got the chart showing 3x/day, 50 minutes each time, for two years, it was really, really worrisome. My very first thoughts were 'what have I gotten myself into', 'I can't keep up this schedule', 'If I do this right for the first three months, what will be cost if I skip the full course and only do it twice per day?'

I'm not worried that much any more. A bit of practice has made it a lot more manageable, and I wish people had talked about this more in previous threads. Dilation is an order of magnitude larger time commitment than the actual surgery. I'll be in Thailand for 720 hours. I'll spend 7300 hours dilating over the next decade. That's a scary big number not to have gotten more discussion in advance.

So... dilation. Big time commitment, bigger than anyone ever told me. It will warp my daily schedule for years to come, and factor into every decision I make of "can I come to this particular event". It'll be annoying, but it's also not nearly as boring as the big numbers make it sound.

I will probably still cheat on my schedule. 3x / day is a lot. I'll try to do it, and I'll be very diligent especially at first but... 2 1/2 hours. Every day. I'm going to be honest rather than optimistic here - I know myself. I'm going to start cheating eventually. 6 2/3" of depth isn't worth that much time to me. I'd be willing to give up some of that to reduce the amount of time spent maintaining it.

A lot of us do really well with 1 or 2, 20 minute sessions a day. I still don't really understand why there is such a wide variation of dilation requirements from one surgeon to another.

I had my surgery with Chet on 22 December, 2015.

I dilated 3 times a day until 7 weeks was up and I was back at work, then twice a day until August 2016. Once a day until February 2017 and now at every 2nd day. Each session is about 1 hour 20 minutes. It is probably too much but I was very small and things were tight, even with a graft. I am now going to try every 3 days and see if things stay the same. I still start with #1 and work my way up but most of the time is at #4. My depth has stayed at a bit over 6.5 inches the whole time.  Yes, a big commitment but Chet's chart is there for all to see in advance. I think everyone modifies the schedule. You just have to be aware of how things are reacting and go back a step if things deteriorate.
All the best.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

PI surgery tapers off on dilation pretty quick and the schedule is livable within 3 months. If the skin is meshed, it's much more likely to create scar tissue which requires intensive dilation to prevent loss of size and depth. Should you see signs that dilation is becoming more difficult, you must step up the dilation schedule to avoid any more loss. Some people don't develop as much scar tissue and and taper off faster but not everybody can.

Quote from: Joanna50 on May 17, 2017, 11:50:07 AM
Dad?

Hi and welcome to the site. I am guessing you are monitoring your child's progress. That is so great. I would like to thank you for that on behalf of our site as a whole.

I also want to share some links with you. They are mostly welcome information and the rules that govern the site. If you have not had a chance to look through them, please take a moment:

Things that you should read

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,2.0.html)	Standard Terms & Definitions (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,54369.0.html)	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar) (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,114.0.html.)
Reputation rules (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,18960.0.html)	News posting & quoting guidelines (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,174951.0.html)	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,59974.msg383866.html#msg383866)

Once again, welcome to Susan's. Look around, ask questions and join in.

With warmth,

Joanna

Joanna, thanks, the "Things that you should read" were very helpful. 
Threewestwinds yes it is me.  I was unsure whether I should post or not, but I wanted to let you know I am here for you and have been following the posts, A is too.  Very happy for you, glad you are OK, I was worried how it was going to go.  We had questions about how it works but have found all the answers we needed, thanks to this site and others.  I'm learning a lot as you go on this journey, thanks so much for sharing. Lots to talk about, look forward to your return and conversations.

Quote from: Dena on May 19, 2017, 07:28:40 PM
PI surgery tapers off on dilation pretty quick and the schedule is livable within 3 months. If the skin is meshed, it's much more likely to create scar tissue which requires intensive dilation to prevent loss of size and depth. Should you see signs that dilation is becoming more difficult, you must step up the dilation schedule to avoid any more loss. Some people don't develop as much scar tissue and and taper off faster but not everybody can.

Quote from: Charley on May 19, 2017, 07:52:34 AM
A lot of us do really well with 1 or 2, 20 minute sessions a day. I still don't really understand why there is such a wide variation of dilation requirements from one surgeon to another.

It's interesting to hear how much variation there is between surgeons - I don't understand either why there's not at least a little bit more consensus, a smaller range.

Dilation first got easier, but after a few days started getting a little harder again - at least the last 1 1/2" did. "Formation of scar tissue" sounds just about right.

To be clear, the 50 minute number comes not from a single stent, but from the recommendation that you always start from a smaller size than you can take. So it's more #1/10 min + #2/20 min + #3/20 min (for example) than it is just a single absurdly long session.

May 20th, ten days after surgery. Fourth day of dilation, 3x 30 minutes.

Surprise, I get my catheter out a day early! The nurses don't work Sundays, so they decided to do it a day early rather than a day late. I wish I'd had warning of that in advance so I could pop one of the pain pills.

The rest of this post is going to be a bit biological again - if you want to know intimate details about sensations and my body, read on. If not, skip to May 21st. :) As always, I share these experiences in detail in the hope that they'll be helpful in informing and setting people's minds at ease if they're considering the same operation.

-----

The first step is removing the tap that's held the catheter tube in place, and (mostly) prevented my from jostling it in my urethra while moving around. This isn't bad, it's just a slow burn from tape being pulled off. I'm used to it, no big deal, though my thigh did twitch a few times.

Catheters, in turns out, are held in place by an expanding ring. When they insert the tube, it has a little ring-balloon-thingie at the tip, which they then inflate inside your bladder. That's why you can't pee it out, no matter how hard you try.

So the second step in removing the catheter is to deflate it. This was sensationless - the nurse attached a syringe to a second hole in the catheter tube (other than the one connected to the pee bag) and pulled out a bunch of clear liquid. I felt nothing at all during this process (other than nerves).

The final step is pulling out the tube. This burns. It burns a lot. Ouch. It's almost exactly as bad as I'd imagined it would be, but no worse. It took probably half a minute, but felt like 5 minutes instead. There's a lot of tubing inside you.

Then, pop, it's free. Throw the bag in the trash can, and suddenly I have no more tubes coming out of me! I'm free! My penis burns. Well, it feels like my penis, even though I don't have one of those anymore. Regardless, there is burning in the groin region. It faded a bit over the course of half an hour, then more overnight. But before that...

I have to relearn how to pee. As another girl warned me, it's messy. Your bits are all swollen and new, still a little raw. You'll piss a tiny bit of blood, but wostly you'll piss all over yourself. It sprayed, instead of a sensible direction, straight up and back - covering my labia and ass with pee. Sorry, I warned you this was going to be gross. I had to wipe myself off with toilet paper, then hop straight into the shower to get clean.

Subsequent pees have gotten better... slowly. I still cover myself with urine, but less of it each time.

-----

May 21st, eleven days after surgery. Fifth day of dilation, 3x 30 minutes.

Peeing is a little better today. Still need to clean myself off afterwards, but it's starting to go more "down." Hopefully will complete the process in another day or two once the swelling's down more.

Finally, though, a non-body-related update: I met another Chett girl at the hotel today. My mother and I had seen her mother several times here and there, but we girls finally got together to hang out.

We met in the lobby, Me, my mother, her mother, and ";", as I shall call her, since I have an enduring hatred for people being able to make sense of my writing. :D

; started off almost silent, but the mothers filled the air with conversations - ; and her mother are also from the US (again, I reveal nothing about her), she had her op a few days before I did, they'll be having her followup checkup soon... all the usual 'getting to know you' conversation, carried on between me and both mothers while ; stayed quiet, only occasionally adding a word.

After about 45 minutes though, she finally started feeling relaxed enough with us to begin contributing, a few words here and there then opening up more. She was quite cute, and very shy. I envy how well she passes - after an hour long conversation, I would never have guessed she was trans without it coming up. She gets to choose exactly how much people know about her trans-ness. I know not everyone wants to 'pass' - but she very easily has the option if she chooses. I envy that option. Maybe someday I'll have as good a female voice and as feminine a face.

They haven't gotten out to see the city much yet, but are going to try to fit some touring in at the tail end of the trip as ;'s health allows. Getting all my touring done in the first few days was definitely the right choice.

How  are things going now? Hope you're healing well   :)

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on May 25, 2017, 08:37:12 AM
How  are things going now? Hope you're healing well   :)

Thanks for asking, it means a lot to me. I'm doing really well, finally starting to get out and about again.

May 24th, fifteen days after surgery. Eighth day of dilation, 3x 40 minutes.

The 24th was my first day with the #1 stent, weighing in at 23mm diameter compared to the 20mm #0 I've been using so far. The procedure is to start with 30 minutes of #0, then take it out and insert #1.

#1 hurt a bit. Not a sharp pain, not like anything's tearing, just... a bit of pain. I talked with the nurse, and she reassured me that it's normal, including just a little bit of blood. She also reminded me that it's ok to take my pain meds - I've been skimping on those, not really feeling like I needed them. But with the new #1, yes, yes I will take some of those opioids, even if they do make me a little nauseous. New hurdle crossed, and I'm doing OK!

May 25th, sixteen days after surgery. 3x 40 minutes dilation.

Today was the birthday of one of the other girls here at the hotel, who I shall refer to as ~. My mother and I took her some cake as a surprise visit, which was very nice. ~ is from Canada, a bit older than me, and very, very fit. She's been going absolutely stir crazy, and has been chided a couple of times by the nurses to stop walking so much.

I wrote about the Night Market earlier in the thread, and it remains awesome. ~, my mother and I went there this evening. Both ~ and I were worried about the pain, but it turned out to be fine. I have a 28" waist, and the vendors here all size me as Large - since ~ is pretty big (in an athletic way), she had no luck at all finding clothes that fit her. Thus while I browsed the clothing, she paid more attention to the nick-nacks and street food.

We wandered the market for about two hours - me accumulating a bag of clothing, her getting a few gifts for various people and eating fried meat - until she started hurting too much. We headed back to the hotel. A very fun night for all of us! I'm definitely getting stronger every day.

Also, I was a bad girl and only dilated twice. I skipped one! Don't tell the nurse. ^^;;

May 26th, seventeen days after surgery. 3x 40 minutes dilation.

Today was my follow-up appointment with Dr. Chettawut. After morning dilation (day 3 with #1, it's definitely getting easier) the driver picked me up in the lobby at 8:00am.

Back to the surgical room, with me far more alert and less stressed than last time I was in there. Chet opened me up with a speculum, prodded various bits of my new anatomy with qtips, asked about the sensation I had, took a few pictures... then left me in the hands of a nurse to get some of the stitches removed.

While most of the stitches are dissolveable, the ones joining my labia majora and my inner thighs were not. Snip snip! It was a bit painful, about on par with laser hair removal on the face. I've never had stiches before, so that was a new experience. I look forward to experiencing it seldom ever again.

Back in the lobby, Chettawut asked if I had any questions, and I asked if he'd send me the photos he'd taken. He said not right now - that if I want to take some new ones in 4-6 months and send them to him, then he'll send this set to me. Basically, the current appearance isn't representative of the final healing, and "easy to misinterpret". I suspect he just doesn't want me worrying about the current appearance, complaining to people and posting on the internet. I wouldn't do that - I understand that things will look different once they're healed, but I didn't press the point. I don't really need the photos anyway.

-----

Tomorrow, another trip to the night market with ~! We both enjoyed it, and it's within easy walking distance of the hotel. Definitely a winner to visit if you're even staying at Dusit Princess Srinakarin.

Very good to know you're enjoying the vacancy, are able to hang out and make friends  :)
big hug  :-*

Thank you for the update Threewestwinds. So glad you are doing good. I just made an appointment for my first Psych for me Letter.
I emailed a second for more information.

Slowly but steady.

Should I schedule with Chett now for a Nov 2017 to Feb 2018 Surgery or wait until I have my letters?

Thanks
Jessika

Quote from: Jessika on May 26, 2017, 04:15:44 PM
Thank you for the update Threewestwinds. So glad you are doing good. I just made an appointment for my first Psych for me Letter.
I emailed a second for more information.

Slowly but steady.

Should I schedule with Chett now for a Nov 2017 to Feb 2018 Surgery or wait until I have my letters?

Thanks
Jessika

I waited until I had my letters ready before contacting Dr. Chettawut. Having all my ducks in a row for one step gave me more confidence to pursue the next step. One of the letters ended up taking several months to arrive (unrelated to anything I had done or could have affected), and if I'd had a surgery date creeping up on me while I waited, it could have been nerve wracking instead of just annoying. It also took me about a month of inquiring to different psychologists to get an appointment for the second letter.

Especially given that you're looking 5+ months into the future, I'd be inclined to take it one step at a time - at least start the process of getting your letters before you schedule a surgery date. Just my thoughts though, I only have my own experience as guide. :)

Anybody been getting this message when emailing Chettawut
"Re: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I checked in on you shortly after your surgery to make sure you were okay and everything went as planned, but this is the first chance I've had to come back and really read about your journey so far. It's--of course--written in your rather matter-of-fact style ... but you couldn't hide those emotions if you tried. I especially liked your use of the word "giddy" when discussing panties. I can't wait till you get home and I can hear that in your voice, too  :)

Much love, my friend! And congrats on your continuing success on your journey!

Headed home soon? I'm at the Vertical Suite hotel, just across the street from the night market! My date was may 12th, unfortunately I had a small tear open up that has caused some pain and delayed my healing somewhat.

Been trying to connect with some other girls staying in my hotel, but its difficult. They all seem to stay in their room, and perhaps not so many patients here. If you have a few more days and would like to meet, I'd very much like that =)

Quote from: Floof on May 31, 2017, 10:55:56 PM
Headed home soon? I'm at the Vertical Suite hotel, just across the street from the night market! My date was may 12th, unfortunately I had a small tear open up that has caused some pain and delayed my healing somewhat.

Been trying to connect with some other girls staying in my hotel, but its difficult. They all seem to stay in their room, and perhaps not so many patients here. If you have a few more days and would like to meet, I'd very much like that =)

I leave tonight at 22:00! We could meet up for lunch, if you like, but I'm out of here soon, and glad to be done. Will PM you and see if we can work out a quick meeting today. :)

How was the journey back home?? :)

Quote from: LaneKnox on May 29, 2017, 02:57:11 AM
I checked in on you shortly after your surgery to make sure you were okay and everything went as planned, but this is the first chance I've had to come back and really read about your journey so far. It's--of course--written in your rather matter-of-fact style ... but you couldn't hide those emotions if you tried. I especially liked your use of the word "giddy" when discussing panties. I can't wait till you get home and I can hear that in your voice, too  :)

Much love, my friend! And congrats on your continuing success on your journey!

Thanks for the kind words, Lane. Looking forward to seeing you too. :)

Quote from: ClaudiaPitCar on June 02, 2017, 09:45:44 AM
How was the journey back home?? :)

The trip home wasn't too bad! Over the ~28 hours of travel I took three of the strong pain pills, a new one whenever the discomfort started rising. It wasn't an worse than other extremely long plane trip. Girlfriend picked me up from the airport. We cuddled for a few hours, then I went over to her place for dinner and board games. :)

Yesterday and this morning have been miserable, though. I caught a cold on the plane ride, apparently, because I've been sick as a dog.

Also, I now understand why the nurses are so insistent on a strict dilation schedule. I did a two hour session before flying, but after ~36 hours, my first time at home was really rough. #0 only went in 5 1/2" initially, only reaching 6 1/2" at the end of 20 minutes. #1 was really uncomfortable getting it in. >.> It's getting a bih easier again, but even now, 4th session since flying, #0 is hard to reach full depth with and #1 hurts more than it did in Thailand.

Thanks for the follow-up replies Threewestwinds.

I got an email from Som telling me of an open date in Feb 2018. My two letters are in the works right now thru Tri-Care.

Are you going to write a detailed experience by chance? I would have so many questions besides what Bambi has in her guide. If not, it's ok. I'll search for answers.

I think I am 100% on Dr. Chett by now.

Did they offer you a more comfortable seat for the flight back home? It is a concern of mine.
Also, which site did you book your flights on? I'm researching like a Mad Woman now haha.

I appreciate all the help and info and as always, Best wishes and Recovery.

Jess

Haha, I thought I was being detailed in my accounts already! Ask any questions you like and I'll try to answer them. :) Congrats on your date!

The letter from Dr. Chett to the airline requested a wheelchair be made available and that they provide me with a seat from which I can stretch out my legs. They did get the wheelchair ready, but I ended up not using it at all. They made no adjustment to my seating - perhaps I needed to say something at the time I booked my flight? I was stuffed in the Economy section with everyone else, even though Business / First Class had tons of empty seats.

Basically, the flight home was entirely tollerable, and while I didn't receive any special treatment, I didn't feel like I needed any either.

I booked my flights through Orbitz - they seemed to have the best prices, though I didn't do a ton of searching. Everything went smoothly, so I have nothing bad to say about them.

Hello threewestwinds,
Thanks again for sharing your experience. It's really helpful for all girls who will have their SRS with Dr. Chettawut.
Could you tell with which airline company you had your return journey ?

Quote from: Jessika on June 05, 2017, 01:56:04 PM
Are you going to write a detailed experience by chance? I would have so many questions besides what Bambi has in her guide. If not, it's ok. I'll search for answers.

Unfortunately Bambi's site seems to be down since a few weeks ago, waiting for her to "migrate" to a new infra.

Quote from: Fresas con Nata on June 06, 2017, 04:38:01 AM
Unfortunately Bambi's site seems to be down since a few weeks ago, waiting for her to "migrate" to a new infra.

I have her old PDF downloaded. It can still be helpful I suppose. :)

Quote from: threewestwinds on June 05, 2017, 08:15:16 PM
Haha, I thought I was being detailed in my accounts already! Ask any questions you like and I'll try to answer them. :) Congrats on your date!

The letter from Dr. Chett to the airline requested a wheelchair be made available and that they provide me with a seat from which I can stretch out my legs. They did get the wheelchair ready, but I ended up not using it at all. They made no adjustment to my seating - perhaps I needed to say something at the time I booked my flight? I was stuffed in the Economy section with everyone else, even though Business / First Class had tons of empty seats.

Basically, the flight home was entirely tollerable, and while I didn't receive any special treatment, I didn't feel like I needed any either.

I booked my flights through Orbitz - they seemed to have the best prices, though I didn't do a ton of searching. Everything went smoothly, so I have nothing bad to say about them.

Thank you for the reply. Sorry, didn't mean to sound like you are not disclosing. Of course you are. :)
I'm just eager to get all the info I can, haha. I apologize.
What Airline did you use?

Quote from: Lucie on June 06, 2017, 02:35:57 AM
Hello threewestwinds,
Thanks again for sharing your experience. It's really helpful for all girls who will have their SRS with Dr. Chettawut.
Could you tell with which airline company you had your return journey ?

I flew to Thailand with EVA Airways, through Taipei. The Taipei airport was pleasant, clean, well organized, had lounges and libraries and quiet rooms. Very pleasant layover (as much as any layover can be). On the downside, the plane food was absolutely miserable.

The return trip was through Hainan Airlines, through Bejing. On the plus side, the food was better. On the downside, they didn't have any vegetarian meals at all :(, and the Bejing airport was crowded, noisy and disorganized. On entry to the airport, there was the slowest security line I've ever been in - they sent us through security just as if we were coming in from the outside. Also, our bags (and everyone else's) were searched twice, each time so ineffectually that there's no way they'd have caught anything interesting. :/ They also made us empty our water before boarding the plane, and provided no opportunity to refill, so everyone was thirsty.

We departed with a 20 minute delay that was entirely the airport's fault - we started boarding on time, but it took them so long to process us that we were 20min late before they were done. And rather than getting right on the plane, we took a 15 minute bus ride (super crowded) from the gate to the plane.

Virtually every flight was reassigned gates at least once. Avoid Bejing.

I'd also avoid Hainan, but not as strongly as I'd avoid Bejing. Everything about that layover sucked.

Thanks a lot threewestwinds for these details about your return trip.
As for me I'll travel to and from Bangkok with Thai Airways. I hope everything will be fine, especially for the return journey.

Hi threewestwinds,

Just curious how you are doing. Hope all is well. :)

Jess

Quote from: Lucie on June 06, 2017, 02:53:49 PM
Thanks a lot threewestwinds for these details about your return trip.
As for me I'll travel to and from Bangkok with Thai Airways. I hope everything will be fine, especially for the return journey.

Good luck with your trip. :) Even if things go wrong with a flight, the (likely) worst case is that you bleed a bit on your sanitary pad, are a bit miserable, and arrive home 12 hours later than expected. It's not the end of the world even if things go poorly.

Quote from: Jessika on June 17, 2017, 08:37:17 AM
Hi threewestwinds,

Just curious how you are doing. Hope all is well. :)

Jess

Things are going quite well! Some highlights from the past two weeks:

• The shape of my new labia keeps changing, settling into more pleasant forms. It looked ok at first, two weeks after surgery, within the normal range of female anatomy, but as time has passed, it keeps looking nicer. Very, very pleased with the shape. I would have been pleased to have one regardless, but mine looks good. Not porn-star tiny or anything, but just... pleasantly and naturally shaped. It's still adjusting - Chett said it would be a few months before things settle down.
• I started on the #2 dilator a week or so ago. The first session was quite painful, and I could only get 1-2" of it in. The second session, I got 3" in, still super painful. After a week now I can finally get all 6 1/2" in, my total depth, and it's lowered from "quite painful" to "quite uncomfortable." I suspect it'll go down to "moderately uncomfortable" in another few days.
• Remember to wash your new folds. I was starting to get uncomfortable down there, a sort of pressure, but a good wash with water in the shower this morning solved that. I'd been avoiding it, since everything's so sensitive, but pulling apart the flaps and getting the gunk out has made me feel much better.
• Related to said washing out, I found a part where I don't have sensation. Way down, tucked just next to my clit, there's a sort of 'grainy' patch of skin the size of a dime that I can't really feel. Which is totally fine - no complaints at all. I have so much sensation everywhere else - labia, inner labia, clit, up inside the vagina - that I only note it because now I know what 'not having sensation' feels like, and I'm happy to report that I had to really, actively explore inch by inch to find a patch that I couldn't feel. Chettawut did a fantastic job.
• I want to take a bath. I want to take a bath so much. Come on, calendar! Only another 7 weeks until I'm 'waterproof' again. That's also the timeframe I was given (three months after surgery) for when it would be safe to have sex again. I'm just barely starting to explore with my girlfriend again, beyond just cuddles and kissing, and it can't come soon enough.
• Getting aroused feels weird - like my penis is trying to get hard, but it can't. I've had to call off makeouts in the middle because things in my groin feel too weird and new, and I need to cool down and process the new sensations. It'll take time, but I can feel my brain adjusting to the new sensations. I suspect I'll be orgasmic in months rather than in years.
• Oddly, my opinion of my pubic hair has shifted. Previously it was always a source of discomfort and shame - I shaved regularly - but no it's just sort of... there. I mean, I might still shave it off sometime, keep it trimmed, but I'm no longer ashamed to have hair on my groin. I wasn't expecting that change, but, well, it's there, and seemed worth noting.
• I still spend most of my time laying down on the couch or my bed. I can definitely sit for long periods if I have to, at friends' houses or on the bus, but laying is more comfortable by far. The doughnut pillow is still nice when I do sit, but no longer 100% necessary.
• I go back to work next Monday. I have a desk job, and don't expect to have any problems. I'll definitely be taking my doughnut pillow to work. Will let you all know after my first day of work. :)

Basically, I'm super pleased with the result - it's everything I could have hoped for. It's been commented by more than one person how much more comfortable I seem with myself, and it's true.

threewestwinds,

Work pulled me off the site for over a month. I am thrilled to read how well your progress has gone.

How was returning to work? Hope all is still progressing but settling down.

Warmly,

Joanna

It's strange reading my own post from a month ago - I was feeling like not that much has changed, but clearly it has!

The first few days back to work were iffy, but after that it was fine. I have a desk job, but even 8 hours of sitting in one place wasn't as painful as I was expecting, thanks to the doughnut pillow. I sure was glad to go home though! It also made a big difference when dilating in the evening - I was tighter and had more difficulty reaching the full depth than when I was laying around all day. That's still the case, where difficulty dilating is directly proportional to the amount of movement / sitting / walking I've done since the last session.

With #2 (and #1 and #0) I can get 6 1/2" of depth fairly easily, but #3, started two weeks ago, will only go in just over 6". Slowly improving, both getting less painful and adding a few mm of depth with #3 each day. #1 and #2 are easy now, and I've stopped using #0 entirely. Can't say I'm looking forward to #4 starting next week!

On the more pleasant side, my genitals look entirely natural. There are a couple of long scars clearly visible if I shave everything. They're still red and healing, and I think they won't be too obvious once they fade a bit. If I let pubic hair grow, they're entirely invisible, and the whole thing is indistinguishable from some of the cis-females I've seen. A++ as far as the cosmetics go - labia majora, minora, vagina, clitoral hood, clit... everything is in place and looks natural. Seriously, no complaints at all in that department. The entrance to the vagina is a little red from all the stretching, but I'm sure that'll go away in time.

In other extremely promising news, I've started to get pleasurable sensations when touching some parts. Still very sensitive, and I have to go gently, but a little bit of gentle rubbing feels good. The first foot on the road towards orgasm. If I get turned on from other sources, my groin gets weird sensations - brain is definitely still getting used to the new arrangement. My partners are being very patient with me. Most encounters follow the pattern "yes, ok, that's good, ok... nonono stop, we're done for tonight." >///>

Hair grows on the labia majora, and also about 1/2" into the vagina - if I'm very, very careful I can shave that, and I definitely want to. I can feel it if I don't when the dilators go in. I'll probably have some laser hair removal done in a couple places once things are more healed (Dr. Chettawut recommends 6 months post-surgery).

I had a UTI about a week ago - my own fault, really, for wiping up wrong after dilation. I know it's supposed to be front-to-back, but somehow that message didn't reach my hand, and I paid for it with two days of a painful bladder and lack of control. If it had lasted any longer I would have gone to the doctor's, but I drank lots and lots of water and got over it without any medication.

As far as physical activity goes, I'm still taking it slowly. I get a dull ache in my core if I climb more than about 3 flights of stairs at once. I'm getting out of shape too, but this is an entirely different sensation from tired / muscles complaining. My body telling me to take it easy. I mostly listen, but it's hard to remember sometimes. I hate not being able to go running. >.> Still, getting better! Won't be too long now! I don't use the donut pillow at all any more.

Hi threewestwinds...Glad you are doing well. I have one concern/question and was wondering if you told Dr Chett about this and what the response was...

Quote from: threewestwinds on July 14, 2017, 03:49:38 PM
Hair grows on the labia majora, and also about 1/2" into the vagina - if I'm very, very careful I can shave that, and I definitely want to. I can feel it if I don't when the dilators go in. I'll probably have some laser hair removal done in a couple places once things are more healed (Dr. Chettawut recommends 6 months post-surgery).

As per: http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/dr-chettawuts-recommendation-of-genital-hair-removal/

And I quote:
Since the skin graft which Dr. Chettawut uses for his non penile inversion technique is absolutely hair free so we can assure you that the hair growth inside the vagina after sex reassignment surgery will not happen.

It DID happen, to you. Did I miss something?

Thank you. :)

I am 8 weeks post-op too and I have hair in the same region, but goes a little deeper like 1 inch. I had mine with PAI. Dr. Sutin told me that most people get no hair inside but if I do there are ways to remove it. Since it's not deep inside laser or electro can work I think. If it was deeper I can't think of anything outside of depilating creams.

From what I've read most surgeons use the same method for hair removal and most of the time it's effective but sometimes there's a chance some hairs might be missed or some unscraped skin between anus and vagina can somehow end up inside. While some surgeons say it's guaranteed you will have no hair inside, it might be better to do electrolysis before if one wants to be absolutely safe. (to clarify I knew the risk and I had an overall positive experience with PAI and Dr. Sutin)

Quote from: xFreya on July 14, 2017, 05:42:18 PM
I am 8 weeks post-op too and I have hair in the same region, but goes a little deeper like 1 inch. I had mine with PAI. Dr. Sutin told me that most people get no hair inside but if I do there are ways to remove it. Since it's not deep inside laser or electro can work I think. If it was deeper I can't think of anything outside of depilating creams.

From what I've read most surgeons use the same method for hair removal and most of the time it's effective but sometimes there's a chance some hairs might be missed or some unscraped skin between anus and vagina can somehow end up inside. While some surgeons say it's guaranteed you will have no hair inside, it might be better to do electrolysis before if one wants to be absolutely safe. (to clarify I knew the risk and I had an overall positive experience with PAI and Dr. Sutin)

Dr Chett will be my Surgeon and I quote their site:

QuoteHowever Dr. Chettawut does not suggest the genital hair removal on either penis or scrotum before sex reassignment surgery as either electrolysis or laser hair removal can induce post-inflammatory reaction which causes skin to become thick or have less elasticity.

Healthy, loose skin is paramount for his procedure.

Glad you are happy thou. Each Surgeon is different.

Quote from: Jessika on July 14, 2017, 04:28:48 PM
Hi threewestwinds...Glad you are doing well. I have one concern/question and was wondering if you told Dr Chett about this and what the response was...

As per: http://www.chet-plasticsurgery.com/dr-chettawuts-recommendation-of-genital-hair-removal/

And I quote:
Since the skin graft which Dr. Chettawut uses for his non penile inversion technique is absolutely hair free so we can assure you that the hair growth inside the vagina after sex reassignment surgery will not happen.

It DID happen, to you. Did I miss something?

Thank you. :)

The area where I have hair is the 'normal skin', untouched from where it was before surgery, except instead of laying flat across the perineum, it's pulled inward slightly to form the vaginal entrance. Deeper inside the vagina, where the skin is grafted into place, everything is hair free as advertised.

At least as far as I can feel, that is. I haven't had any cause to examine my insides thoroughly enough to be sure!

Quote from: threewestwinds on July 14, 2017, 09:18:34 PM
The area where I have hair is the 'normal skin', untouched from where it was before surgery, except instead of laying flat across the perineum, it's pulled inward slightly to form the vaginal entrance.

I think this is my case also.

Quote from: Jessika on July 14, 2017, 06:48:21 PM
Dr Chett will be my Surgeon and I quote their site:
Healthy, loose skin is paramount for his procedure.

Glad you are happy thou. Each Surgeon is different.

Yes decide with your surgeon of course. :)

Hello! Just thought I'd stop in and offer a 5 month update.

In general I'm back at full capacity, and have been for some time. Better than full capacity, in fact. I'm content with my body in a way I've never been before. Everything is going swell. I had an orgasm with my new equipment a few weeks ago. It hasn't been repeated yet, but I think that's mostly a lack-of-sex-drive thing. I was impressed at how fast it happened. Things are very sensitive (in a good way), no pain at all.

Now that it's all healed up, things look... well, normal. My new genitals look exactly like labia, a clit and a vagina should. My partner even says they have similar smell/taste to a cis-female. (sorry if this is too much information, I'm just trying to be informative, not vulgar or titilating). The scars are noticeable even if you're not looking for them, but not intrusive.

Dilations continue. I'm doing ~2/day, sometimes only once. I can definitely feel a difference now, where missing a session (or even a whole day) only makes the next dilation mildly more difficult. Before, going even 12 hours without a session would take days recover from.

The #4 dilator remains quite intimidating, but I can fit about 4 1/2" of it in. #3 I can do 5 2/3", while #1+#2, I can fit 6". I lost half an inch of depth from my post-surgery maximum during a bout of depression when I missed too many times and wasn't careful with those dilation sessions I did have. Exactly as the doctor warned, it doesn't come back. In my case it's perfectly fine, I'm not worried about it since I still have plenty of depth, but it is a thing to pay attention to.

Thanks for the update Threewestwinds. It looks like you are doing great. My time is coming up fast for my Surgery. I stop Hormones this coming Thursday. I'm so ready to travel. Have suitcases sitting out.

Getting excited. All the best.

Jess

Good luck, Jessika! Rooting for you, hope your experience is as painless and positive as mine has been. :)

Thank you. Should be quite an adventure. :)

Hi Threewestwinds,

I just want to put out a thank you for your post. I have been following it since June and occasionally looked into it in preparation for my own surgery (which was last Wednesday, 25 October). I admire the amount of detail you put in, which has been really accurate in what to expect. It inspired me to create a similar post on a Dutch forum to document my own experience due to a serious lack of these kinds of posts. Keep up the good work!