Hi Monica you are pretty in you new avatar picture..

I am on bed rest till I see Dr. McGinn Monday which will be day 13. I go to the bathroom, kitchen to get food and incidental such as get bills to pay or shower. As of Monday I am allowed to shower once a day and directed to showder once a day. I am on my back almost all day. My appetite is not back but I was directed to eat 3000 calories a day and no less than 40 drams of protein. I can not eat 3000 calories a day. I am not allowed to walk other than to do the things mentioned. My back sometimes hurts and my butt is a bit red. I would not go by my experience to be typical. Dr. McGinn is worried about my graph taking.

Thanks Dena and Mariah for the lube amount advise and lube source, that is a good price. I will embrace the lube and just pat the area afterward to adsorb any lube or moisture. I definitely do not need any issues. Dilating is getting routine now so when I have things down it will be easier.

Believe it or not your body is going through a lot of energy right now to heal hence the amount of protein and calories needed right now. Trust me I was shocked at how much I was eating and wasn't gaining wait on it. The fact remains your going to need to eat more than a little bit for a little while during the healing. Eating less than your supposed to will inhibit healing. Your body will let you know when its time to cut it down. Secondly once you can get up your able to compensate by moving around. Healing from SRS isn't the time to diet. Even I had to eat meat, which I don't do just to aid in the healing. I'm so glad I did because it has helped. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: Rachel Lynn on November 26, 2016, 02:12:44 PM
Hi Monica you are pretty in you new avatar picture..

I am on bed rest till I see Dr. McGinn Monday which will be day 13. I go to the bathroom, kitchen to get food and incidental such as get bills to pay or shower. As of Monday I am allowed to shower once a day and directed to showder once a day. I am on my back almost all day. My appetite is not back but I was directed to eat 3000 calories a day and no less than 40 drams of protein. I can not eat 3000 calories a day. I am not allowed to walk other than to do the things mentioned. My back sometimes hurts and my butt is a bit red. I would not go by my experience to be typical. Dr. McGinn is worried about my graph taking.

Thanks Dena and Mariah for the lube amount advise and lube source, that is a good price. I will embrace the lube and just pat the area afterward to adsorb any lube or moisture. I definitely do not need any issues. Dilating is getting routine now so when I have things down it will be easier.

Rachel,
Thanks for your kind comment on my picture.
I can only imagine how good that first shower feels. I know all that laying down has to get really old quick. Before you know it it will all be in the rear view mirror though. It is wonderful to be able to bounce things off others who have been through it themselves. My wife asks about how you are doing just about every day. Just another one of your fans I guess.
Moni

Hi Mariah, i have not lost weight and i am eating well. When my ex-wife goes food shoping I will put on the list some dried meet and lebanon balony and cheese to snack on. I will add some calorie dense foods. It is difficult being on my back all day and night and having no appetite.

Hi Monical, thanks for the kind words and tell your wife I said Hi and thanks for her concern. I am doing very well. Please bounce anything off me.

I awoke with really bad back pain. I got up and fed the cats then dialated. I always eat mixed nuts before dilating, it is a little treat. My swelling is way down. I used ice a lot yesterday and I will today too. I read that on Mariah's GCS posts.

I read all the GCS posts but comment rairly. I have very little to offer right now. I think most of the woman are further ahead of me or post specific questions I have little knowledge about. I am new to GCS and I think the other woman had a different experiance.

I feel so inactive like a sloth. I really need to get off bed rest and be able to walk.

I had my appointment this morning with Dr. McGinn. I was opened up on the bottom of my vagina. She measured me at 4.5 inches depth. I was cleared to 5 dilations a day and with a force that she showed me. My graph is healthy . I lost the penile tissue at the opening of the vagina. She was not surprised. She removed that skin. There is an separation now at the opening of the vagina. The penile skin was really small perhaps 1 inch in length. The separation is small as my penile skin was small. It will not pose an issue and it will correct itself. All-in-all pretty well. I am off bed rest YAH. I can start walking 1/2 mile at a time and progress from there. Exercise in 6 weeks and sex in 8 weeks. I was allowed to start E today . I have another appointment with Dr. McGinn next Monday. I think I will be able to wear jeans next time .

One of the things Dr. McGinn said was I have a lot of fat ( my bmi is 23) around my vagina which is not typical. She said I am within good weight limits. She than said the fat is not good for blood supply. I asked asked her to elaborate about what non typical meant. She then said it is typical for someone like me meaning intersexed.

I am hungry for the first time in weeks so I will be eating soon not just because it is time.

I'm glad things are going well and that your healing nicely. Sorry about the loss of that skin. I'm glad your hungry again though and making progress. Hugs
Mariah

Hi Mariah, I think the hunger was from taking the E. I am a week behind everything but feel great.

I had my first and second female pee. First went into the toilet and a little bit in the vagina. Second one was a bit scattered. In a woman's room I would fit in perfectly

Rachel Lynn, yes you fit in fine in the women's room now.  Peeing will get better in time as the swelling goes down.

Before long that ill be ordinary and routine. It's amazing how quick something we have look forward to a long time becomes after just a short time. Anyways congrats Rachel, I bet it felt good to be able to do that finally. Hugs
Mariah

mm thanks I always wanted to fit in

Mariah, it seams so long ago that I had GCS and it has only been two today weeks.

My vagina continues to look better every day and I am excited to see what it looks like in 6 months. I had a dream I was with a guy and when I awoke I was very aroused. This is something I can not remember happening before or it has been a very long time. I then thought I need to get my hair fixed.

I am so happy I had this done; it is a dream come true.

I need to dilate 5 times today and with a bit if force. I can start cleaning the outside of my vagina with a little soapy water and inside the vaginal canal with my fingers in the shower. For the next week I need to use a triple antibiotic on the external vaginal suture lines.

I plan to see my therapist in Philadelphia this week and I need to see if the Mazzoin Walgreen Pharmacy has delestrogen. If they do I will stop by and get some. I do not know if will go to group this week, perhaps next week.
depending on how I feel after therapy. Siting after a little while on a hard surface is not pleasant and the chairs at group are the folding metal ones and I can not see myself sitting on one for an hour.

I think I will take pictures of my wet hair after a shower today and send them to Dr. Coolie for a quote. I will submit to insurance today my GCS costs for reimbursement.

I submitter the GCS reimbursemant to insurance with the exception of the Hospital costs because they have not sent me a receipt. I called them and they said a receipt is on its way. They are billing my insurance seperately for the ED and cardiology work up.

I am feeling really good and move around without issue. I hope to get a walk in this morning before the rain starts.

My cliterious (use to be glands penis) was attached whole the best I could see. It has been 15 days since the GCS operation and the clitoris looks to be about 2/3 in width now and the tip going back 1/4 of the way it is thin now. I was wondering if the shrinking is normal and will the whole clitoris get thin like the tip?

I am numb in a large amount of the vagina. Other woman reported shocks when the nerves reconnected. When did the shocks start or nerves start reconnecting?

Thanks in advance for any help answering the above questions.

Best,
Rachel

I had itches in places that I knew weren't there any more. In my case, it took a few months but I had so much swelling that some of the healing may have been delayed. It took a couple of years before it stopped but it was't continuous.

Hi Dena, I do not have swelling but I am numb in most of the area down there. I guess it will take time for the nerves to reconnect. Thank you.

I have a check-up with Dr. McGinn tomorrow. It has been 19 days since GCS and I will ask her what she thinks about me going back to work.

Dilating, when Brianna showed me how to dilate she said I would become friends with this, holding the purple dilator. I feel like it is constantly in me. I may go up a dilator size tomorrow. Which means spitting half the session with the smaller and half with the larger.

I walked the park today and will walk tonight for 2.5 miles.

This is probably just in my head, I feel really good. I am very relaxed and calm and feel happy (perhaps it is that I no longer am feeling so bad or maybe it is the E).

I will stop in Lambertville for a little shopping on Union street and perhaps pizza in New Hope.

Home with my ex-wife has been good without incident

It really depends on the type of work Rachel. Your really going to want to be a good 3 or 4 weeks post op especially since you had a graff too. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: Rachel Lynn on December 04, 2016, 03:35:04 PM
I have a check-up with Dr. McGinn tomorrow. It has been 19 days since GCS and I will ask her what she thinks about me going back to work.

Dilating, when Brianna showed me how to dilate she said I would become friends with this, holding the purple dilator. I feel like it is constantly in me. I may go up a dilator size tomorrow. Which means spitting half the session with the smaller and half with the larger.

I walked the park today and will walk tonight for 2.5 miles.

This is probably just in my head, I feel really good. I am very relaxed and calm and feel happy (perhaps it is that I no longer am feeling so bad or maybe it is the E).

I will stop in Lambertville for a little shopping on Union street and perhaps pizza in New Hope.

Home with my ex-wife has been good without incident

Thanks Mariah, I agree. I am behind a bunch of computer screens most of the day and may walk to a part of the facility once or twice a day. I have a really low physical demand from my job.

I just got back from Dr. McGinn's. She said I can walk no running or heavy exercising. I am also cleared to go back to work. I have an appointment to see her 1/5. She said my VJ is healing very well and it is beautiful. Every time I go there she takes pics of genital area. She did not mention going up a dilator size so I will e-mail them now.

I went shopping in Lambertville just across from New Hope and got a neckless and pair of earrings. I found a place at 42 Union Street that has some nice jewelry.

Dr. McGinn e-mailed back and said to begin using #2 dilator. 1/2 session #1 and 1/2 session #2/

You are doing well.  This is good.

Hugs

Jen

Hi Jen,

Thank you. How have you been? It has been a while.

The hospital gave me a 2.5 cm and a 3 cm diameter dilator and taught me to use both three times a day at first.  I'm down to once a week now.  Is your regime different because of difficulties in the op?

Hi Mary,

I my vagina was sewn up and there was a gause pad where the penis was. I was operated on a Tuesday and left the hospital on a Friday. That Monday I was opened up and about 100 stitches were used to make my labia majora left and right. The catheter was replaced and the 4 drains removed. I was given a #1 dilator 1.125 inch (2.86 cm) and #2 1.25 inch ( 3.175 cm) dilator. I was instructed to used the #1 dilator 3 times a day very gently to touch the back of the vaginal canal. Reason being she was worried about the graph.

The following Monday the catheter was removed, the bottom of my vagina was opened up and I was instructed to dilate with #1 dilator 5 times a day and push with about a 4 pound force. The penile skin was left whole and was used in the the vaginal tube opening. That died and was removed. Dr. McGinn was not surprised. The separation was about 3/4 of an inch and has since healed. When she removed the penile skin it was really small and white and in the trash it went. Dr. McGinn said my vaginal entrance would heal without an issue. The opening was a small fraction of the overall vaginal entrance.

Yesterday Dr. McGinn said she will make a clitoral hood ( in 6 months) for my clitoris. She measured my vaginal depth which was almost 5 inches up from 4.5 from the previous week. She said to keep applying pressure when i dilate and you are doing a good job.

I guess the difference is one week of soft dilation, the two procedures staged one week apart starting a week after the operation, a week of reduced and soft dilation and no labia minora ( My scrotum was used for the graph).

This Monday I am on track with my dilations and got permission to include the #2 dilator for half the session. It went in without a problem and all the way to the back wall. After dilating with the #1 and #2 dilator the third dot is just covered by tissue where the 4th dot was visible when I first started dilation That first week. 

January 5th when I see the Doctor again she will ask me if I had an orgasm. At that point I will have been about 7 weeks post op. I have no idea what I am supposed to do to orgasm. I am a bit intimidated to touch my clitoris, thinking it is fragile. I know where the nerve bundle is because there is a lump to the touch but I do not feel pleasure when I touch it. Any pointers on at least where to start would be very helpful. Mentally masturbating now will be very different. In the past afterwards it was very dysphoric but now I do not know how I will feel.

The dilation schedule is:
1-9 weeks 5X/day
10-24 weeks 3x/day
25 weeks i tear 1/day.

Next Monday I go to #3 dilator 1 3/8 inches and if that goes well then the following week I guess it is the 1.5 inch dilator. I will check with Papillion Center before going to #3 or #4 dilator.

I was cleared to go back to work yesterday, 3 weeks post op. I heal really quickly and Dr. McGinn was very please with the healing.

I texted my boss and HR informing I am cleared to come back to work but need an accommodation to dilate in my office a couple of times a day. I await to here back from them. When I return to work I will not use the staff single toilet bathrooms and will only use the woman's room.