Liz, I'm so happy that no major problems have arisen since your surgery.  Yes there has been issues to deal with, but your great attitude will pull you through any obstacles that get in the way.
I do hope that your separation issues will heal soon and hip surgery can be placed on the books.

Cheer up girlfriend, life will only get better for you.  You won't allow otherwise.

Hugs and smiles from a California girl

Quote from: sarah1972 on January 31, 2019, 06:30:09 AM
Wow - 8 weeks already! Time flies.

I am glad your recovery is progressing. It seems the few bumps along the way are not distracting you from the bigger picture.

I am sorry to hear your hip replacement needs to wait a little longer, I am sure the lack of mobility is dreading and I remember you walking long walks every day prior to surgery. At least it is summer where you are which allows to let air at the recovery zone.

I will have to follow your thread since it does provide me a bit of a timeline of what is ahead. Right now I am planning to be back to work at the four-week mark, I hope this was a good decision. Not sure when I will be able to re-join my running girls and get back to my gym. Part will also be to find the time for the dilation schedule.

How long are your dilation sessions each time?

Thanks for your update and I hope the silver nitrate does it's magic!

Hugs,

Sarah

@sarah1972

Hi Sarah

Thanks for the kind words and in answer to your question the schedule was as follows

7 days Post op 20 minutes with Purple  Dilator 3 times a day

10 days Post op 15 minutes with Purple and 5 minutes with Blue dilator (larger diameter) 3 times a day. Continue this in increasing increments for the blue and decreasing increments of 5 minutes with the purple. Eventually 20 minutes with blue

After Blue is comfortable add in the final size which is Green on the same change over regime as the purple to blue.

Day 56 I was advised to return to the blue dilator due to increasing "separation" complications. I was using the Green 20 minutes 3 x daily. I now have to only use the blue twice a day for 20 minutes which I can do comfortably and with much less hassle dropping the middle of the day dilation Unfortunately that has been replaced by a "separation" treatment but that will soon be all done with.

Tuesday will be interesting with me being able to talk in a very limited fashion. I am going to write my Dr a letter to take with me, so she knows what's going on and that she needs to do a silver nitrate 6 treatment. Hopefully that will put paid to the little bit of granulation I am experiencing.

Feel free to ask anything else that you want and if I can I am only to happy to answer.

Take care
Liz

@LizK
Dear Liz:
I read your recently POSTING and reply comment in the "Happy" thread
         https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,236667.msg2221790.html#msg2221790
and I was so very happy as I read your very affirming report regarding the conversation as you shared your post surgery words with your nurse...  her her responses to you were wonderful. 
I would think that you can not get more self-affirming feelings than that.

Thank your for sharing your transition life over the last 4 years that you have been on the Forums.

Many Hugs, I am wishing you well.
Danielle

Yay a new Liz thread!! 😉 happy for you girl

It is just over 90 days since my GCS and I finally have clearance from Andy Ives. My progression is such that I no longer require any extra treatment for my complications. It has been a long three months to get here with the extra care adding 4-6 hrs per day to normal recovery. He was quite impressed with how quickly I have managed to heal the area's of separation which I gather can usually go on for months and months. The reason for the healing is putting in the time looking after these area's. So as of Friday I got a whole chunk of time back. Iffy had indicated that this was going to be the case after seeing the photo's from my Dr and I had started to reduce the amount of care I needed over the last few weeks.

My next follow-up appointment is another 4 months away and I would imagine if that is fine and my sensation is starting to return properly then it may well be my last for quite some time. During the treatment of my granulation the Dr here in Adelaide applied silver nitrate directly to the clitoral area mistaking it for granulation. I was just getting some sensation back into this area when she did this. As a result I have lost the gains I had made however I am assured by Andy Ives that this will come back and I should continue on to have good sensation. I still am getting the fleeting intense "nerve type" pains which last only a few seconds. This is a good sign as it shows the nerves are continuing to heal.

The separation area is no longer raw and I am able to dilate fairly easily and able to reduce to twice a day with the largest dilator in my kit. I will continue with ointment for a further 5 weeks and will then discard that for good. I am having no discharged only a slight amount of lube and the odour has disappeared.

I had a very psychologically painful time with a visit from my parents about 2 weeks ago now but managed it, survive it, without too much damage. I doubt I would have been able to this time last year so I feel despite this ordeal I am mentally very fit. It did trigger in me some GD but I put paid to that very easily and have experienced none since. I remain happy and now stating to focus on getting on with life. I am able to spend more time on the board which I enjoy and inte4nd to increase that significantly. I of course underestimated the recover from VFS and how it would impact me... Will I ever learn LOL but will leave that for the VFS thread.

There is not much I can add to this thread. I will do another update 6 and 12 months or when I get full sensation...whichever happens first. Thank you all who have been with me on this journey. It hasn't always been easy and we have had some really great highs and a number of awful lows but to all my followers I say....thank you.

Take care

Liz Just another Aussie girl!

Hi Aussie Girl, I am glad to hear of you getting to where you have been wanting for so long. I am proud of your progress and especially your getting through a tough visit with your parents and coming out relatively unscathed, well done!

Now the chore of figuring out what life is to be for our Aussie girl, good luck with that.

Tia Anne

Quote from: Anne Blake on March 02, 2019, 11:54:19 PM
Hi Aussie Girl, I am glad to hear of you getting to where you have been wanting for so long. I am proud of your progress and especially your getting through a tough visit with your parents and coming out relatively unscathed, well done!

Now the chore of figuring out what life is to be for our Aussie girl, good luck with that.

Tia Anne

If I remember rightly you or maybe it Moni had a post about the topic of "What comes next"

I am toying with a few things as to where I want to put my efforts. Once of things is certainly here at Susan's. I will probably increase my time spent here and trying to hep anyone that needs it. IRL I am thinking about some activism...not exactly sure how that will work out or what is involved but just a thought at this stage. I have my photography to concentrate on and of course my wonderful family. I still have my voice to work on so between a few of these things I am sure I can keep myself busy.

You have been on this journey long enough with me to see the kind of impact my family can have on me. The horrible week they were here in Adelaide and basically ignored me was difficult to get through and in time I may talk about it and the ramifications of it however suffice to say that because I was in such a strong place mentally I was better able to cope.

What comes next...maybe that will be the topic of my next thread.

Take care

Liz

Liz, I believe that several of us are getting to the point that most of the "Transitioning" is done and now are figuring what life is all about. I know that is a topic that Debi and I are spending time trying to figure out. I look forward to seeing how you choose to handle it. I kind of like the ring of Liz the activist.

Take care girl,
Tia Anne

Quote from: Anne Blake on March 03, 2019, 12:21:03 AM
Liz, I believe that several of us are getting to the point that most of the "Transitioning" is done and now are figuring what life is all about. I know that is a topic that Debi and I are spending time trying to figure out. I look forward to seeing how you choose to handle it. I kind of like the ring of Liz the activist.

Take care girl,
Tia Anne

@Anne Blake    @LizK
Exactly my thoughts for about a year or more now... 
I am just living my life as I have always desired. 

I am accepted where I am now with my own woman owned business.   
My life is full of acquaintances, friends, romantic encounters and several sweetheart suitors....
              .... LIFE IS GOOD !!!   

The "what's next" and "living my life day by day" is what occupies my mind and my time... 
I no longer have those heavy moments of thinking about where I have come from
but more about where I now and where I am going.

Thank you for sharing our like-minded thoughts.
Hugs and well wishes to both of you wonderful ladies.
Danielle

Quote from: Anne Blake on March 03, 2019, 12:21:03 AM
Liz, I believe that several of us are getting to the point that most of the "Transitioning" is done and now are figuring what life is all about. I know that is a topic that Debi and I are spending time trying to figure out. I look forward to seeing how you choose to handle it. I kind of like the ring of Liz the activist.

Yes, it's about time for some of us to hop off the transition treadmill, and redirect our focus and energy to something besides medical work and transition issues.  I can probably do the activist thing for quite a while, but there is that daydream of disappearing into the woodwork.  I know I would probably drive myself bonkers without an outlet for my focus and energy, though, so woodworking is really just a daydream.

Time to live our lives, at last.

Glad things are going well, enjoy!!

Dear Liz,

Thank you for you 90 day update, I'm glad to here that you have been cleared from your complications and you now have some valuable time back. I'm glad you are getting some early signs of sensation returning [emoji4].

I'm so sorry to hear about your painful experience when your parents visited recently, it hurts so much more when we are rejected by family members, I am glad that you were in a good place mentally before this so that you could manage. Distraction is certainly a way of managing to cope.

Big hugs,

Nicole

I have to say I didn't expect to be back here posting in this thread for quite some time but it would seem I still have some work to do. The complication I spent so much of my time working on to ensure healed, has returned. The area of separation seems to have broken down again creating an area of raw skin. This has also extended a little along with increased discharge. After a quick email to Mr Ives specialist nurse Iffy, it was suggested I return to my old care routine which I thought I had left behind me some 3 weeks ago...The radical treatment seemed to do the trick and it was suggested that I use this method again...What method? I hear you ask....lets just say there are many different way to worship the sun....some do it in silent prayer, whilst others may make a more physical display...if you get my drift!!!!

Looks like I am back to my "breezy" best with plenty of rest and unusual postures are in my future again. lol 

Just be careful of the intense Aussie sun.  Assume that a SPF40 sun block is counter productive.

Oh yes sunburn of that area would be a little painful I should think [emoji23][emoji849][emoji847]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  I seem to remember one can air things out without the fear of over-exposure to the sun's damaging rays. Quit shocking your neighbor and stay inside.

Quote from: Laurie on March 24, 2019, 08:24:37 PM
  I seem to remember one can air things out without the fear of over-exposure to the sun's damaging rays. Quit shocking your neighbor and stay inside.

Adventure is my middle name LOL

Quote from: LizK on March 25, 2019, 12:33:54 AM
Adventure is my middle name LOL

Its been a mixed few weeks having to return to treatments I had thought were behind me. These are not difficult but time consuming and stretch my morning routine out to 90 minutes by the time I include 30 minute dilation session. I have found taking a bit of extra time with the dilation rather than the 20 minutes advised as the minimum has made things  "easier" overall. The good news is it feels like the area has healed but I still might need to look into doing some kind of douche to help fix the last issue. I have been advised to stick with the Kenacomb and Betnovate ointment.

Last week I had visitors on the Monday and earlier that day I had woken with a rash extending under my buttocks through till about 1/2 way along my thighs without involving the front or even the sides of my thighs only the "bottom" part. Just prior to my visitors arriving early afternoon I noted the rash had gone and was only faintly visisble however I noticed that the left side of my bottom lip was tingling...like just before you get a coldsore tingling. By the time my visitors arrived it had progressed to my top lip at the opposite end. It was also tingling. As the visit continued my bottom lip actually began to ease up with sensation remaining static. Half way through I went off and had a shower totally baffled as what was causing this. My top lip continued to niggle for the rst of the afternoon and ionto the evening with sesation returning to my bottom lip. When I woke up the next morning my entire top lip was numb and swollen however by lunchtimne it had returned to normal...very bizzare and I cannot work out what caused all of this.

Its been a few days since I wrote this and I have been "missing in action" so to speak and that is mainly due to being so tired. Our little dog has begun to rapidly lose his eyesight  along with his general health and during the recent nights he has been  getting confused and distressed so over the last 3-4 nights I have been up with him trying to get him to settle after an "episode"...this has really been taking its toll on me physically. Its really sad to see him deteriorate so rapidly in fact its been since the end of January that we noticed he was having eyesight issues but over the last 2 weeks and more so the last 72 hrs he has deteriorated very badly. He gets stuck in corners and the gets distressed when he cannot find his way out. Plus he keeps running into stuff which makes it very difficult to watch. He is not too bad during the day but I have still had to watch and rescue him several times today.

I will finish this update here as once again I am not feeling so well myself(chronic illness flare up due to physical stress of last few days I suspect) so have very little choice but to get some rest which usually sorts it out. Hopefully I will be able to spend some time this evening reading post and catching up with everyone.

Liz

Hugs Liz, how difficult that must be to watch your little friend struggle, and the difficult decisions that may be coming.

Are you taking antibiotics ? The only reason I ask is I developed a rash from using them post op, as prescribed by my Dr, it went away slowly after stopping, took a while...

Take care, and nice to see you updating again here.

Cynthia -