I need to come out officially about my recent SRS, so I can present some information to the community in this topic (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,32535.msg226280.html#msg226280).
I chose to not widely announce my SRS, preferring to just keep it with a few close people. While there are some here who wrote up their experience in an egalitarian fashion, I found some whose write-ups were tinged with a separatism I personally don't like (as in, "I made it to the inner circle! Horray for all us post-ops!!")
No, I really don't like the stratification I see some in our community engaging in...
Anyway, I decided not to have a ticker made, not to broadcast my impending SRS.
I told a few people who were close, and snuck off to Thailand in December.
Luckily, I got decent internet access, and was able to keep up a pretense of business-as-usual in the forums as I dashed off e-mail after e-mail to my notification list. I wasn't bragging, I was dealing with the boredom and cabin-fever that was the result of being stuck by my temporary disability in a hotel room in Thailand. My contact circle was my contact with the outside world, and I'm very grateful they put up with my many e-mails.
Upon return, I didn't want to announce my changed status, as I personally felt not much had changed. I did, however, start offering my experience as a post-op trans-woman matter-of-factly, where it might do someone else some good.
Well there it is. My SRS birthday is 8 December 2007, for those who are curious. It's not a big deal to me right now.
Karen
Karen:
Well, at least can we wish you a belated birthday? :)
-Sandy
I've never understood the "inner circle' mindset. I've been postop about 8 years, and I am open about it, but I never felt that I was special because of it. It is just a fact. Others who want it will have SRS when they can, if they can. Those who cannot, for whatever reason, are no less valid, no less 'worthy' than the longest term postop here or anywhere else.
I'm sorry you have to go to Toby for some improvement of your Thai surgeon's work. But you will be in good hands. He'll even tell you so. <grins>
I usually bump into Toby and Linda, his office manager, once or twice a year. They always remember us by name and are always interested in how we are doing. (My husband is a Meltzer graduate, too.)
Best wishes, Karen. I won't say, 'welcome to the club.' LOL
Robyn