Quote from: Caisie Breen on January 12, 2013, 05:32:28 PM
I have a question for any m-f women who have already had their SRS.
I am a 57yo transitioned female. I had an orchi last year and am now preparing for my complete SRS in February.
Can anyone tell me what it will really be like - what to expect etc? I am so looking forward to finally becoming whole; I just would like to talk with others who've already been there.
Thanks 
Hi, Cassie!
Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt. I had my SRS from Dr McGinn almost 5 years ago. And now at age 60 I feel more alive than I have ever been before.
Asking what to expect and what it's really like is kind of a big question. There are so many things involved.
Pain Not really too much worse than having the orchi. I had one too and the SRS was a bit more painful, but not really that much. On a scale of 1-10, an orchi, for me, was about 6.5 and SRS was about 7-7.5. I read your post about your orchi experience and your pain may have been greater.
Recovery Since it is major surgery, your recovery will take quite a while. So be prepared to spend weeks and possibly months before you start feeling like your old self.
Dilation It will pinch. It's designed to. And early on it will hurt like hell. But, like having your ears pierced, you have to keep the tissues from healing closed, so stick to your regimen! This is serious. This is part of your healing process that you, yourself, are responsible for. It will pay off in the end. After a while it will become a drudge, but you must keep to the schedule set down for you by the doctor.
And something else Be prepared for a moment of silent ecstasy when you wake up from surgery and realize that it's finally all over. Prior to my surgery, I didn't think SRS was going to be that big of a deal. My biggest accomplishment, up to that point, was my acceptance by society as a woman. No one would ever see what was between my legs, so I didn't think it was that big of a deal.
Was I ever wrong! When I woke up, and realized that my journey through transition was over and I no longer carried any shred of my previous life, I could almost feel a switch in my brain that flipped from male to female. I never realized how much of my personal identity was tied up in my birth defect. It may not have made any difference to society, but it made a hell of a difference to me!
And now almost 5 years on My gender has receded into the background of my existence. I guess, much like natural born cis-people, my gender is only a small part of who I am. Sometimes I only remember that I'm female because of the bathroom I use. Now I'm just me, Sandy. A whole person who has loving daughters and granddaughters. I never quite realized how much of my thoughts were tied up in my broken gender until I fixed it. You'll get quite a bit of "headspace" back.
If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Good luck!
-Sandy
