Hi there I'm new here so, hello.
Well I might be new here but I'm not new to being tg, i transitioned in 2001 and for whatever reason though it it entirely posible, I never had srs, well here I am now, I have a date I'm leaveing for thailand in march to see dr C, and well I have some questions , about what is and what isnt possible to those who have already went through the srs process
1. I know there is a recovery time but.. is it going to be posible to return to work when I get back, my job is kinda expecting me to return (they dont know what I'm having surgery for but they know I am having surgery) so, here is what I got 25 days off which is all of my vacation time. I have read that there is much needed recovery time, but. I dont do heavy work I do stand, is it posible to return to work and be ok? basically i figured I would have to dialate before work and after for well a while, can I skip 3 times a day? mainly cause I just dont think dialating at work is going to happen.
I may be able to take of but in worse case, I may work what is the realistic outcome/ what should I expect?
2. What should I  take, I know my laptop , and I have got some portable gaming entertainment but clths wise?

I'm going to be honest I'm real nervous,excited, and scared so... I cant wait but I'm not sure what to really expect. It finally has come and this dream I have so long desired is happening, the final part which no-body knows about my life is going to be gone and done with, I'm so happy. but I want to know everything I need to know.
Thanks for any advice!!

I have no idea how old you are and if you will heal quickly or not. I took 6 weeks off when I had my surgery. It's pretty major surgery and after care immediately afterwards is very important. I don't know what your surgeons dilutions schedule is but you can be a bit flexible. I would discuss your idea with the surgeon and let him know what you are going to have to do. I'm sure he can make some recommendations as well.That being said here are some of things that I did.

I used short term disability with my job. I was able to apply, my doctor gave me a note that I sent to the insurance company and they had no problems approving it. I used up all of my vacation which sucked because I had my surgery in march and had to work the whole rest of the year without any vacation time at all. But I lived

My job is an office job, the worst I had to do was to come into work every day and sit. Sounds simple now, but when sitting is difficult it just not quite the same. I tried the donut and hated it. I thought it hurt more to sit on it. I have no idea of how you get to work, but I have to drive, and getting in and out of a car and sitting in a car for any length of time afterwards is going to be a task. Again I would talk to your surgeon. Maybe you would need to bring a pillow to work to sit on? Is going to be uncomfortable for a while.

When I needed to my follow the surgeons dilator schedule, in fact I was supposed to be doing 3x a day as well, I would do 1.5 dilutions in the morning (in other words longer), then dilate as soon as I got home from work for 1.5 as well. Example if I was supposed to dilate 3 times at 30 minutes I would do 2 times at 45 minutes. It was the best I could do at the time. Enjoy it and the fact that within 6 months you will excellent vaginal dilation kung fu skills the first 6 months of healing are the most critical and take the longest effort to keep clean and keep the healing going. Don't get the surgery and rush into sex either, give your body time to heal.

As far as what to take travel light that's the best advice I can give you. A laptop may be okay since you can carry it on a plane, but wear loose fitting clothes like skirts and stuff. Things you can het in and out of easily. That first month post Srs is the most busy and you won't be needing a lot of clothes. It's all about I worshipping the vagina for a good month. Granny panties are nice too. There will be a lot of bleeding and you will need to wear a pad so disposable panties are the best way to go. At least now I an understand why women hate being "on the rag", it's not very comfortable.

Best of luck on your surgery. I hope you have an excellent outcome. Like I said don't skimp on the aftercare. It's an additional expense, it can be a pain in the neck, but if you want a good outcome its all as important as getting to the surgeons in the first place. Enjoy dilating like the rest of us! It does get easier with time and eventually it doesn't rule your life. I loved the "electrical shocks" I felt for a good 1.5 years after surgery which is the nerves reconnecting. At least I knew I was healing. I also remember peeing all over myself or sitting on the toilet and not knowing which way the pee would come out. That wasn't fun at the time but it is funny to remember in retrospect

Congratulations. It's ok to be nervous or scared but don't worry, it's going to be fine. My surgeon did a wonderful job my sister saw me 7 month post-op and she thought the result was beyond amazing.

I think 25-day off work is way too short. This is a MAJOR surgery, you'll be quite uncomfortable and will be in a weak physique for at least 3 months. However, each girl's body has its own healing process, mine took 3 months until I can go back to work (my job requires physical labor). I know a girl who posted on youtube went back to work in 1 week (office job) post srs. I have no idea how she did that!?!

Anyway, good luck on your upcoming surgery. I'm sure it'll turn out great.

i returned to work on a part time bases at 6 weeks and it was tough. i did not have to stand much or do physical work just paperwork mostly and it was so tough. i was so weak emotional and always tired. i slept like a new born pup, take your time with your surgery and recovery. oh yeah and the begining when you have the after care and dilation thing going on down south takes up alot of time

Thanks for the replies, yea I have a feeling when I get back I may end of having to take more time off or at the very least be very sporatic in coming to work.
I really dont do anything physical (other than standing) aat my job, but I have became an import person in the faculty, and thats why I am trying to figure out if its going to be posible to return so early. What I am getting is prob not, so I supose I will go with the old saying is better to ask for forgiveness than permission, basically saying there were some changes and I need more time off when I return since basically I will be on leave of abscence anyway.

Bringing me to another question, after care and doctors, after surgery and return do I need to see a dr and what kind of specialty if any?
I curently have 3 dr's
A pcp, a pain specialist, and a spinal surgeon. All of which know nothing about me being tg. So...............yup
The dr who is doing the surgery said it is possible toreturn to work but is going to be very dificult. I think I'm going to take another 3 weeks off when I return.
Thanks again for the replies everyone!!

  Here is the paperwork Dr Suporn provides for his patients.   If you don't have to stay in one position and your employer is flexible you could probably go back to work "part-time".  Another factor would be what is your commute to and from work?

To whom it may concern
Return to Work (General Guidelines for SRS Patients and their Employers)
Patients are expected to remain in Dr Suporn's care until discharge approximately 4 weeks after surgery. During that period, they are not considered to be able to return to work of any nature.

Ideally, patients should be allowed 4 additional weeks (i.e. until 2 months after the operation) before being expected to return to work. However, where this is not possible, the following guidelines should be adhered to wherever possible:
·   She should not be expected to return to work for duty until 5 weeks postoperative, unless she declares herself fit enough to do so.
·    If she has duties that are mostly sedentary, allowance should be made for the fact that the patient will experience some discomfort when sitting for extended periods of more than an hour, for several weeks (12) after surgery. She should therefore be given every opportunity to stand, walk or lie down to relieve any discomfort experienced.
·    As part of her post-operative recuperation, it is important that she avoids strenuous activity for up to 3 months after her date of surgery, and should be given every opportunity to undertake less onerous duties if she shows signs of post-operative distress.
·   If her normal duties require periods of standing, these should be limited to a cumulative maximum of 4 hours per day until 2 months post-operative This period may be progressively increased during the third month following her operation, to return to normal duties by 3 months post-operatively .
·      She should not, under any circumstances, be expected to undertake any duties that would be considered strenuous, or that involve lifting unaided heavy weights (in excess of 25 lbs, or 12 kgs) above waist height, until 3 months after the date of her operation.
 
Suporn Watanyusakul MD Chonburi
Thailand

Yea I'm going to see if I can get a work release from my pcp w/o going into the being tg part to hopefully allow for me to be off work longer.

Another questionIi have is this, more of a curiosity actually but I have seen some soft gelly like dialator/also toys, is it posible to say sleep with one in? I was thinking this may help with the whole after surgery dialating regiman, idk lol thats why I'm asking!

Quote from: calico on February 02, 2013, 06:08:57 PM
Another questionIi have is this, more of a curiosity actually but I have seen some soft gelly like dialator/also toys, is it posible to say sleep with one in? I was thinking this may help with the whole after surgery dialating regiman, idk lol thats why I'm asking!

Yes, definitely. This is a good planning on your part. My dr. recommended leaving the soft one in overnight. I did that a lot during the first 3 months. However, I don't think you can replace the whole dilation routine with soft one alone because it would not stretch the tissue as good as a rigid dilator. Maybe you can skip the afternoon session and replace that with overnight soft jelly but from my experience the longer the gap between each dilation, the more uncomfortable I'd feel for the next one. Remember your body treated your neo-vagina as a wound so it tries to close up during the initial healing. I think you should see how your body react. Maybe your body will heal faster than me and you could go back to work sooner and require less frequent dilation?

Here are the two soft jelly type I used during the post-op recovery :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D21QIE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i01
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PHHFC4/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00 (Large size)

The small one (blue) is quite easy and comfortable (5" x 1" diameter). It took me a while until I graduated to the pink one which is 6" long and 1.5" diameter at the tip.

Hope this helps

It does very much thank you!

Make me wonder now, if I could leave it in during the day?, maybe tthats a bit much however.

Who do I see for aftercare? a gynocologist perhaps? I would asume so.

I returned to work about 4 or 5 weeks after surgery.  But I had a colon vaginoplasty, which recovered quicker.  I remember having the electric shocks, as Zumbagirl pointed out, for only a few weeks after surgery.

I loved my donut and used it for about 3/4 weeks afterwards.  Wouldn't have been without it!

As for aftercare I never actually saw anyone specific.  I was meant to go back to Christchurch (where I had the op) a year after SRS, but never did.  But my GP, who cares for a lot of TGs looked after things and made sure it was all functioning as expected     At one stage I saw a gyno though.

Quote from: calico on February 02, 2013, 11:13:33 PM
It does very much thank you!

Make me wonder now, if I could leave it in during the day?, maybe tthats a bit much however.

Who do I see for aftercare? a gynocologist perhaps? I would asume so.

I think you could leave it during the day but it can be quite messy in the ladies room at your office when you need to pee. You'll need to bring big purse to carry all your gears like lube, Kotex, dilator, towel, underpads, extra underwear, antibiotic ointment, etc.

As for aftercare physician, I didn't need one except my GP to prescribe Sodium Chloride Irrigation for my douching. Other than that I just followed my surgeon's direction strictly regarding dilating and douching to prevent any complication. I guess if you have a gynecologist that would be a good idea in case there's unexpected issue.

Again thanks for the replies, I think I am going to see about a gyno, as well my pcp/gp doesnt know about me and I'm honestly not sure how I would go about talking to him about it, or if I'd even want to., maybe another gp/pcp  , idk but I definately want to figure it all out before I go to thailand