Kathy's big adventure

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10 hours ago, Ms Maddie said:

When someone looks good, even when not put together and coming through a major ordeal, that someone must be truly beautiful.

I know, right!  @KathyLauren, you do not look like you just underwent surgery!  And I must add - your profile pic doesn't do justice to your pretty eyes...  I hope you're feeling as good as you look.  I think you must be, because you're positively glowing!

[KathyLauren]

Awww, you ladies are the best!  I’m in the recovery centre now.  
 

Thank heaven for prune juice!  Feeling good.

[ShawnaLeigh]

Glad you are feeling better!   Get some rest even so.  ❤️

[Susan R]

Hi @KathyLauren Was thinking about you today and how you might be feeling.  How’s the pain management going? Is the pain localized or general? 
 

I know you felt little pain initially after surgery but I was trying to picture you coming down off the pain meds and moving around...does it all feel real suddenly or some other way entirely?  It’s good to read that you’re doing well.  We all hope you experience as little displeasure as possible and hope recovery continues to go smoothly.

 

Get well soon,

Susan R?

[KathyLauren]

@Susan R  I actually haven’t had much pain in at all. They still have me on Tylenol, and I hardly feel anything.  The must uncomfortably thing is the big dressing between my legs.  That and the fact that I can’t sit on my catheter.  I have one of those U-shaped neck pillows that makes the perfect thing to sit on.

 

The whole feeling is a bit surreal, actually.  It might seem more real when they remove the dressing and I can finally see my lady bits.  Or perhaps when I get off the plane.

[Jani]

I used an OTC pain reliever as well and once I return home I was finished with them.  Once the catheter is removed things will certainly feel better.  Thankfully you have a short flight!  

[ToniTone]

Congratulations Kathy Lauren! ?

[KathyLauren]

Yay!  The dressing is off, and I’ve had my first shower in nearly a week.

 

My lady bits look like lady bits!.

 

[Jackie C.]

The first shower is amazing, isn't it? Honestly it's still good six weeks later. It just helps everything relax.

 

Congratulations on your lady bits being recognizable. Mine are still a ways off (up to a year to fully heal). A toast to picturesque lady bits!

 

Hugs!

[Susan R]

@KathyLauren Good to read that things are returning to normal for you. Are you fairly mobile as far as being able to walk much?  It seems early yet. Have you been able to see friends and family yet?  Anyways, I wish you a quick recovery and thank you for updating us.

 

My Best,

Susan R?

[KathyLauren]

@Susan R  I am mobile enough to get around the recovery centre easily.  I don’t know yet about taking the dog for her 45-minute walk when I get home.  I have reserved a wheelchair with the airline for getting to and from my plane.

 

I have no family in the area, and I travelled alone.  There is one lady here from my support group, who had her surgery 2 days before me.  I am in regular email contact with my wife.

[ShawnaLeigh]

I’m glad you are doing good!   
Heal up and love life!!!❤️

[Jani]

Wonderful news about being able to shower and having mobility.  Hugs!  

Jani 

[KathyLauren]

Home again!

After an hour and a half flight, I had an hour and a half limo ride to get home.  I didn’t feel like chatting with the driver for more than a couple of minutes, so I just looked out the window.

And I found myself getting weepy.  I don’t think, for all my dreaming and planning, I ever really, truly believed I’d get here.  Not even recently.  You know how, when you are a little kid, and everything is in the future?  My transition was like that.  Yes, I was making progress, but surgery was always in the future.  Until I started packing and this whirlwind of activity occurred.  And now, it’s done.

The feeling is like I’ve just walked out of the fog bank that was my life, into clear air.  My transition is finished, barring complications.  From here on, it’s just Kathy living her life as the woman she always was.  Wow!

[Jani]

Kathy I am so happy for you.  I completely understand what you mean. It is a dream come true and now you can settle in to living peacefully as Kathy.  I recall when my doctor commented that my transition was finished.  It hit me a couple hours later that he was correct and while I might have a few adjustments still, I had attained what I always dreamed of.  As I noted, "its up to me now" and so to with you.  I know you'll make the best of it and live a happy life.  Rest and continue to heal. 

 

Cheers to you!!
Jani

[Susan R]

5 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

The feeling is like I’ve just walked out of the fog bank that was my life, into clear air.  My transition is finished, barring complications.  From here on, it’s just Kathy living her life as the woman she always was.  Wow!

Kathy reading this is like music to my ears so to speak and very well stated.  I hope to get there soon.  I spent the entire day on the phone working on mine and still have to wait due to this pandemic to get my initial consult.  It’s going to be such a long road I can tell.  You get to finally relax and breathe.  What a great place to be mentally.  I am so happy for you.  Enjoy and take in these moments. They are rare.

 

My Best,

Susan R?

[Maddee]

Welcome home

[ShawnaLeigh]

8 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

Home again!

After an hour and a half flight, I had an hour and a half limo ride to get home.  I didn’t feel like chatting with the driver for more than a couple of minutes, so I just looked out the window.

And I found myself getting weepy.  I don’t think, for all my dreaming and planning, I ever really, truly believed I’d get here.  Not even recently.  You know how, when you are a little kid, and everything is in the future?  My transition was like that.  Yes, I was making progress, but surgery was always in the future.  Until I started packing and this whirlwind of activity occurred.  And now, it’s done.

The feeling is like I’ve just walked out of the fog bank that was my life, into clear air.  My transition is finished, barring complications.  From here on, it’s just Kathy living her life as the woman she always was.  Wow!

I am so very happy for you and wanted to thank you for this post. It is beautiful and I felt it in my heart.  I am still on my journey and I too look at this sort of surgery as distant future.  I can’t wait to be there but I know I have a lot of discovery still and the women I am is out there now enjoying life as it is.  
Congratulations and welcome home.  

[KathyLauren]

Day 13, and all is well.  The incisions and sutures are healing well.  There is not too much pain from the surgery. 

 

What is painful is the pubic hair growing back!  Holy crap, I never expected that!  I guess ladies who shave down there don't change their minds.

 

Self isolation is boring as heck, but it's necessary.  Thank goodness for the Internet.  And we have a house full of books when the library books are done.

[Jani]

All is well is good!  Isolation is tough but we'll get through this.  Just like your incisions will heal and hair will grow.  
Take care. 

Jani

[Lexi C]

• Hey Kathy glad your doing well. I am surprise you where able to walk down stairs, an on long walks. I was told not expect anything but a bed, bleeding and pain for at least a month to three months. So congrats

[Susan R]

7 hours ago, KathyLauren said:

Day 13, and all is well.  The incisions and sutures are healing well.  There is not too much pain from the surgery.

You sound in good spirits. Being home probably helps although the lockdown on social events is difficult for us all.  I’m glad to hear you’re not feeling much pain.

 

Take care of yourself and be safe,

Susan R?

[ShawnaLeigh]

It is nice to hear you are healing well and feeling good!  I am not understanding the isolation much as I still have to go to work being in health care.  Its the same ole for me with lots more sanitation on everything and every body throughout the day.  

Keep up the high sprites all.  It will be over some day soon.

I hope.

[KathyLauren]

Update.  It has been more than three months, so where am I at with my recovery?

 

I have had no medical complications - no granulation or any other kind of nasty stuff.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the re-growth of public hair was painful.  That lasted about two months.  It’s fine now.

 

I stopped icing my bits when I stopped doing the sitz baths, at one month.  That turned out to be a mistake.  I still swell up after any activity, so I am back to icing 1-3 times every day.  I am still fairly swollen as a baseline.  That is to be expected for a year.

 

Whether due to swelling or due to the position of my urethra, peeing is a bit of an adventure.  As I told my doctor recently, I am lucky if I can hit the toilet from a seated position!  I’ll have to see if that improves over the next months.

 

I had a fair amount of pain earlier on around my clitoris.  It seems to have settled down to just pressure now.  I think some of that is just my new normal.  Some is likely due to ongoing swelling.  
 

Identifying sensations has been a challenge.  All the sensations feel familiar, as they should, since all the tissues are my own.  But they have all been rearranged, so what it feels like isn’t what’s actually happening!  That took some getting used to.  I have identified most of the sensations.  There is still one that puzzles me.  Fortunately, it happens less often these days.  (TMI alert:  What the heck would feel like a wire snare around my penis?)  

 

I am gradually getting back to regular activities.  I want to start walking the dog, but so far, I haven’t been able to walk more than a kilometre without swelling.  I can mow the grass, but I can’t do it all in one day.  It takes several days to mow it all, by which time, it’s time to start over.  I still sit on a cushion as much as possible, but I can sit for short periods on a regular chair.
 

I hope this kind of information is helpful to those planning or recovering from their own surgery.

[Susan R]

Thanks for the update Kathy...lots of interesting information. The TMI info is good to hear even if it seems too personal for you to share, It’s all very important for us to know what to expect...or perhaps, what not to expect. Glad you recovery is going well!

 

Thanks Again,

Susan R?