Happy New Year! It feels like forever since my last post – September, to be exact. A lot has happened since then, and I’ve been meaning to share it all. I tend to get sidetracked easily, but I’m determined to stay on top of documenting my journey this time.
I underwent Gender Reassignment Surgery on October 15th, and it was a success. I went into the operating room at 7:00 AM and somehow managed to stay awake for about five minutes. I did ask a few questions and I’m sure the nurses were relieved when I finally went under!
- What music will the doctor play?
- If I remember correctly they told me that she liked listening to Jazz music.
- What is the sponge count?
- During surgery, every so often the crew will do an inventory of sponges to make sure that they did not leave any in me. I was told the sponge count but I no longer remember the count.
- The last question was to show me the tools of the trade.
- They were a bit reluctant but they did show me the tools briefly for which I was grateful.
I did ask more questions however, those three questions are the only ones I remember clearly.
I went into surgery at 7:00 AM and woke up in the recovery room around 12:30 PM. I was a bit disoriented and concerned. During the operation, they inserted a catheter, and I felt an unusual pressure. My initial thought was terrifying – I worried that they hadn’t actually performed the surgery and that my penis was still intact. I asked the nurse about it, and she assured me, “Trust me, they removed it.” The next couple hours were a blur of nurses trying to get me to eat – pills and applesauce were shoved down my throat!”
I left the recovery room at 2:00 P.M. and I do remember my friend hugging me and handing me my phone stating that she would talk to me later. I had been trying to do a video document of my journey so it is no surprise that I grabbed my phone soon after I was settled in and documented my journey, even though I was out of it. Below is the video.
The next day, Wednesday the 16th was spent calling friends and family and recovering. Around 9:00 AM I told the nurse I wanted to walk. I remember that we walked out the door and slightly down the hall and I said to them that I was done. They were patient and walked me back to my room where I immediately crashed and went to sleep. Around 2:30 I told them that I was ready again. They made me stop walking after doing one lap on the floor and when I got back to the room I said to them that I wanted to sit in the recliner. The nurse was gracious and allowed me to do it. I sat there until 5 and had a liquid dinner, I was still not ready to eat.
The next morning around 1 AM I went for another walk and I was allowed to walk the parameter and down a ramp to the first floor and back. I knew at that point I would be OK. I was released from the hospital around 10:30 that morning and the worst part for me was getting into the car which though not very low to the ground felt like it. Below is the video I made right before I was released.
I have not mentioned my feelings and or concerns I do want to mention them. The day before the surgery I had two appointments. One with the surgeon and one with the assisting surgeon. In both cases, they checked my BP and my measurements were 135/75. Both of them commented that they were surprised at such a low level because most patients had slightly elevated levels. My main surgeon at the time gave me several prescriptions for after surgery. One of those prescriptions was for Lorazepam 0.5 Mg Tablet which is used for anxiety. When they told me about it, I came close to throwing a fit. I told them that I did not want the medications. Between the doctor and my caregiver after about 5 minutes they were able to convince me to accept the prescription. Later that day when my caregiver was in another room, I took that particular prescription and stuck it in my bookbag. I was not going to take it my mindset was to take as few medications as possible. I was worried about the effect the pain or anxiety medications might have on me. When all was said and done, I did not touch most of the medications. I did wind up taking Oxycodone Hcl (ir) 5 Mg Tablet but not for the pain. I took it to help me sleep. I found that whenever I took it and sometimes Ibuprofine I could sleep more easily. When I went back home a week later, it took me a couple of days of not taking the medication to realize that the drug did help me sleep. Once I finished the bottle I was back on schedule and didn’t need it anymore. I destroyed most of the drugs and I was fortunate that I did not destroy one bottle which will be shared at a later time.
The night before surgery was spent watching TV and relaxing. Most people do not believe me but I was in a mellow place and very content. I went to bed that night, was up by 3:30, and went to the hospital at 4:30. I was very calm and my initial BP was 142/78. Right before surgery my caregiver and I took a picture in Preop.
There was never any doubt or nervousness about what I was doing or if I was making the right choice. I was nervous but the reason was that I kept waiting for them to tell me that they were going to have to cancel the surgery. Once I was in the surgical theater that worry went away as I went under the anesthetics. I do have more to share but since this post is already too long I will share those later.
Alla Nicole
