Six Months Later
Six Months Later
I got a call back from Debbie one afternoon. While her mouth was still wired closed, we did manage to chat for a short time. Overall, she is doing well and her son has been taking care of her at their home. I was so relieved and happy to hear from her and know she is well on the road of recovery. She has been thru a lot over the past few weeks and we hope for brighter days ahead for her in the future.
The beginning of August marks month 6 since my surgery date and it already feels like that was a very long time ago. The memory of what my previous anatomy was has become a very distant memory. My dilating schedule is once daily before bed time with #3, #4, and #5 for 30-60 minutes. I have also switched to Astroglide and found it is the best lubricant so far and a little goes a long ways with less mess.
****I’m Tired Of Dilating and Plastic Boy Friends****
My VAG worked out just fine and I’m very happy with the results to date. I’m thankful for Dr. Meltzer, his staff and the staff at Greenbaum for how they have made a very significant difference in my life. When time permits, I will write a thank you page to all of these and other individuals who made a difference in my life’s journey. This journey is never done alone and there are great number lives that are involved in this journey.
A bit of bad news, I got a Urinary Tract Infection the day of Cecilia Chung’s birthday party so we were not able to attend. I’m totally bummed out over it as Cecilia is one of those friends who are special to me.
The good news, knowing a UTI is starting to happen, I got medical care quick along with some fast acting meds and got the UTI under control within a day. I have had these before when I was a pre-op and they are not much different post-op, equally awful and painful.
I have wondered if changing my hormonal makeup has made me more prone to UTI or is this something that is a fact of life for so many women.
After dealing with my UTI problem for a day, I was worried about being able to attend the event for Trans Families. I’m on a panel of trans folks to discuss our life experiences with parents who have children young and old who are trans. Some of these trans kids are 10 years old and the majority of them are female to male. amazing how information has changed every thing from years ago when so little good information was availiable anywhere.
In the current view of those who are trans, it is believed female to male trans folks are rare, but from my experience and what I have observed, I believe the number of female to male trans folks are about equal to those who are male to female. Many are living in the Lesbian community and are less then willing to come out as a F to M. It's like jumping ship to the 'other side'. What surprised me most about attending this event was the love and support from the parents of these trans children. When these parents were sharing their stories of their children who are born trans, it got me tearful listening to them. It reminded me so much of my own childhood and what my life could have been like if I were a trans child today with parents like this, one of my wishes for the future is to see a good support and education system for all of those who are born trans or intersex that will make a real difference in their lives. As the reality of this human condition becomes better and more truthfully understood, maybe one day, humanity can be a better place for all who are members of humanity. The discussion went well and it appears that we all got some good from this event.
I met Anita at this event. She is 30 years post-op (Dr. Biber Girl) married to as great hubby and lived totally stealth for most of that time. She is part Hawaiian and did sex work to support herself during her youth when there no other options in her life. Her Hawaiian side of the family loved and supported her while the other side of her family totally dis-owned her. After a reunion with a group of her group of Hawaiian sisters from over 30 years ago, she decided to come out and try to make a difference in the lives of trans youth. She also got tired of living in the closet for so long.
That was a long event day for us and we decided not to join the group for dinner. Jen and I headed home and had our usual at Uno-Mas along the way. When we arrived home and rested a bit, we spent a bit of time working on Jen’s Triumph TR-3, installing the pedal box assembly, fuel tank and battery box. There is still a bunch of things to get done before the engine and transmission can be installed, but it is getting closer each time we do more work on the car. I would have never guessed that working on cars would be an activity post transition, specially with the my loved one in my life.
We spent the previous weekend with Jen’s family at Lake Tahoe. The weather was sunny and HOT. We spent part of the time pedaling on the roads in Tahoe that included a climb from 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet on Hwy89. I’m still not at the fitness level previously and it’s still going to be a while before more of that returns. My resting pulse has begun to come down again, it was in the 60’s before and now it’s back in the mid 50’s. I still don’t have the same power or aerobic endurance as before, but with more time on the bike, I’m pretty sure all that will return. I got a surprise when the mom of Camille’s friend called me on the cell phone to tell me they were in Lake Tahoe too. After a few trying connections via cell phones, we finally chatted without break ups over a regular phone line to set up a time to get together. The five of us spent a sunny Sunday afternoon hiking on a nature trail near Emerald lake and the nest day Camille spent part of the day with her friend Elise at their place before we the long drive back home. It was a nice treat to spent time with friends and family in Lake Tahoe.
Speaking of Cycling, Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour De France. This is history in the making. No cyclist in history has done what Lance has done and I don’t believe it will be equaled in my life time. I remember Lance when he was a young cycling talent in the early 90’s. He was also arragont and immature back them which put him on my less than favorite list. Today, he has grown into a very special cyclist and mature individual. Anyone who has lived thru what his life has been like cannot come out unchanged. You don’t survive a lethal form of cancer and the treatment process, train as a pro cyclist the way he did and win the events he did and remain the same after all of those life experiences. My hope is that he continued to be an inspiration for so many who are dealing with cancer and cycling in the states. We both wear one of Lance’s yellow bracelets when we are out cycling these days. There other Americans who rode in the TDF this year and finished in the top 10, 6th Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner and Lance’s previous team mate 9th Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems. One of my local favroites, Chris Horner who was with Webcor's pro men's team came in at 33rd. Great for a first TDF. Years ago when I watched Greg Le Mond win the TDF in 1986, it was a very significant event in the states cycling world and I hoped back then that cycling would become a more significant part of American culture. I have always been a Greg Le Mond fan. I met him once in person in the 1980's at a bicycle trade show. He is a soft spoken, kind and down to earth spirit. Now, it looks like with all of Lance Armstrong’s life achievements cycling might become a more significant part of American culture. Just think how much healthier Americans would be if they pedaled several time a week and took better care of themselves?
I must mention 5 members of the Australian women's cycling team was critically injured and Amy Gillett, 29, was killed during a training ride in Germany by a young driver who just receiver her license. http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2005/diaries/AIS/?id=/features/2005/amy_gillett I’m deeply saddened by this event and it also should remind every cyclist to be as careful as possible when you’re out on the road. Fact is, this could happen to any cyclist any where in the world at any time.
Barbara’s manual script for the book on the lives of trans folk and her own journey is basically done. The struggle now is to find a publisher. I have no idea when this night happen, but with good luck and fate a major publisher might take on this project. If not, Barbara is planning to “self” publish this book. A group of us that has our stories in this book got together for dinner one night and had a fun time. Barbara and I are going to try and plan another meeting so we can discuss what to do wit the proceeds (if any) from this book. Our hope is, the majority of proceeds from this book would go to a non-profit organization that can offer services to help the trans community overall. Only time will tell.
I’m a bit concerned over what major publishers will do to writers in order to get their books published. I remember being told a story about Mother Millie Brown’s book, ‘True Selves’. She basically signed off all rights to this work in order to get it published by a major publisher. Mother Millie never really profited from this work and it was the publisher who got fattened.
All this is so similar to what is done in the music recording business.
Our plan to return to Scottsdale in October for Jen’s labiaplasty is nearly complete. There are only a few more little things that need to be done. We have a consultation with Dr. Meltzer the morning of Jen’s surgery date and plan to stay in the area for several days after Jen’s surgery before flying back home. My orginal Surgery date was in October 2005, but that date got moved up. The plan was for me to get the VAG done and Jen's labiaplasty done several days later. Bad idea, it would have been awful with the two of us basically out of whack trying to make the trip back home. The post-op care at home would have been more than a bit challanging fo the two of us. Good thing that plan never became reality.
Either one of us is excited about having more surgery, but it’s part of completing the process. It should be a relatively easier procedure for Jen since she is scheduled for labiaplasty only and there does not appear to be any significant additions to this procedure. Labiaplasty is still about a two hour procedure. I’m scheduled for the same in Feb 2006 except I’m still struggling with getting my boobs done at the same time. The whole breast aug thing seemed pretty simple when I first considered it, but after chatting with several other patients and doing a LOT of research on the procedure, it’s no longer so simple. It’s been taking a up a lot of space in my mind recently and I’m hoping my consultation with Dr. Meltzer in October will help me resolve at least part of my decision process.
One of three thing are going to happen. I’m going to have combined labiaplasty and breast aug with Dr. Meltzer in Feb 2006, Labiaplasty with Dr. Meltzer in Feb 2006 and breast aug with Dr. Gray at some other date or Labiaplasty with Dr. Meltzer and give up on the breast aug and live with what I got.
Jen and I purchased a silver quarter that has been cut in half with the word LOVE at an art show recently. Jen wears one half and I wear the other half. This our first piece of shared jewelry. We plan to get something similar when we are in Scottsdale as that will always be a place that holds special memories for both of us… We are looking forward to spending time with friends when we are back in Phoenix.
Time will tell….
I got a call back from Debbie one afternoon. While her mouth was still wired closed, we did manage to chat for a short time. Overall, she is doing well and her son has been taking care of her at their home. I was so relieved and happy to hear from her and know she is well on the road of recovery. She has been thru a lot over the past few weeks and we hope for brighter days ahead for her in the future.
The beginning of August marks month 6 since my surgery date and it already feels like that was a very long time ago. The memory of what my previous anatomy was has become a very distant memory. My dilating schedule is once daily before bed time with #3, #4, and #5 for 30-60 minutes. I have also switched to Astroglide and found it is the best lubricant so far and a little goes a long ways with less mess.
****I’m Tired Of Dilating and Plastic Boy Friends****
My VAG worked out just fine and I’m very happy with the results to date. I’m thankful for Dr. Meltzer, his staff and the staff at Greenbaum for how they have made a very significant difference in my life. When time permits, I will write a thank you page to all of these and other individuals who made a difference in my life’s journey. This journey is never done alone and there are great number lives that are involved in this journey.
A bit of bad news, I got a Urinary Tract Infection the day of Cecilia Chung’s birthday party so we were not able to attend. I’m totally bummed out over it as Cecilia is one of those friends who are special to me.
The good news, knowing a UTI is starting to happen, I got medical care quick along with some fast acting meds and got the UTI under control within a day. I have had these before when I was a pre-op and they are not much different post-op, equally awful and painful.
I have wondered if changing my hormonal makeup has made me more prone to UTI or is this something that is a fact of life for so many women.
After dealing with my UTI problem for a day, I was worried about being able to attend the event for Trans Families. I’m on a panel of trans folks to discuss our life experiences with parents who have children young and old who are trans. Some of these trans kids are 10 years old and the majority of them are female to male. amazing how information has changed every thing from years ago when so little good information was availiable anywhere.
In the current view of those who are trans, it is believed female to male trans folks are rare, but from my experience and what I have observed, I believe the number of female to male trans folks are about equal to those who are male to female. Many are living in the Lesbian community and are less then willing to come out as a F to M. It's like jumping ship to the 'other side'. What surprised me most about attending this event was the love and support from the parents of these trans children. When these parents were sharing their stories of their children who are born trans, it got me tearful listening to them. It reminded me so much of my own childhood and what my life could have been like if I were a trans child today with parents like this, one of my wishes for the future is to see a good support and education system for all of those who are born trans or intersex that will make a real difference in their lives. As the reality of this human condition becomes better and more truthfully understood, maybe one day, humanity can be a better place for all who are members of humanity. The discussion went well and it appears that we all got some good from this event.
I met Anita at this event. She is 30 years post-op (Dr. Biber Girl) married to as great hubby and lived totally stealth for most of that time. She is part Hawaiian and did sex work to support herself during her youth when there no other options in her life. Her Hawaiian side of the family loved and supported her while the other side of her family totally dis-owned her. After a reunion with a group of her group of Hawaiian sisters from over 30 years ago, she decided to come out and try to make a difference in the lives of trans youth. She also got tired of living in the closet for so long.
That was a long event day for us and we decided not to join the group for dinner. Jen and I headed home and had our usual at Uno-Mas along the way. When we arrived home and rested a bit, we spent a bit of time working on Jen’s Triumph TR-3, installing the pedal box assembly, fuel tank and battery box. There is still a bunch of things to get done before the engine and transmission can be installed, but it is getting closer each time we do more work on the car. I would have never guessed that working on cars would be an activity post transition, specially with the my loved one in my life.
We spent the previous weekend with Jen’s family at Lake Tahoe. The weather was sunny and HOT. We spent part of the time pedaling on the roads in Tahoe that included a climb from 6,000 feet to 8,000 feet on Hwy89. I’m still not at the fitness level previously and it’s still going to be a while before more of that returns. My resting pulse has begun to come down again, it was in the 60’s before and now it’s back in the mid 50’s. I still don’t have the same power or aerobic endurance as before, but with more time on the bike, I’m pretty sure all that will return. I got a surprise when the mom of Camille’s friend called me on the cell phone to tell me they were in Lake Tahoe too. After a few trying connections via cell phones, we finally chatted without break ups over a regular phone line to set up a time to get together. The five of us spent a sunny Sunday afternoon hiking on a nature trail near Emerald lake and the nest day Camille spent part of the day with her friend Elise at their place before we the long drive back home. It was a nice treat to spent time with friends and family in Lake Tahoe.
Speaking of Cycling, Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour De France. This is history in the making. No cyclist in history has done what Lance has done and I don’t believe it will be equaled in my life time. I remember Lance when he was a young cycling talent in the early 90’s. He was also arragont and immature back them which put him on my less than favorite list. Today, he has grown into a very special cyclist and mature individual. Anyone who has lived thru what his life has been like cannot come out unchanged. You don’t survive a lethal form of cancer and the treatment process, train as a pro cyclist the way he did and win the events he did and remain the same after all of those life experiences. My hope is that he continued to be an inspiration for so many who are dealing with cancer and cycling in the states. We both wear one of Lance’s yellow bracelets when we are out cycling these days. There other Americans who rode in the TDF this year and finished in the top 10, 6th Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner and Lance’s previous team mate 9th Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems. One of my local favroites, Chris Horner who was with Webcor's pro men's team came in at 33rd. Great for a first TDF. Years ago when I watched Greg Le Mond win the TDF in 1986, it was a very significant event in the states cycling world and I hoped back then that cycling would become a more significant part of American culture. I have always been a Greg Le Mond fan. I met him once in person in the 1980's at a bicycle trade show. He is a soft spoken, kind and down to earth spirit. Now, it looks like with all of Lance Armstrong’s life achievements cycling might become a more significant part of American culture. Just think how much healthier Americans would be if they pedaled several time a week and took better care of themselves?
I must mention 5 members of the Australian women's cycling team was critically injured and Amy Gillett, 29, was killed during a training ride in Germany by a young driver who just receiver her license. http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2005/diaries/AIS/?id=/features/2005/amy_gillett I’m deeply saddened by this event and it also should remind every cyclist to be as careful as possible when you’re out on the road. Fact is, this could happen to any cyclist any where in the world at any time.
Barbara’s manual script for the book on the lives of trans folk and her own journey is basically done. The struggle now is to find a publisher. I have no idea when this night happen, but with good luck and fate a major publisher might take on this project. If not, Barbara is planning to “self” publish this book. A group of us that has our stories in this book got together for dinner one night and had a fun time. Barbara and I are going to try and plan another meeting so we can discuss what to do wit the proceeds (if any) from this book. Our hope is, the majority of proceeds from this book would go to a non-profit organization that can offer services to help the trans community overall. Only time will tell.
I’m a bit concerned over what major publishers will do to writers in order to get their books published. I remember being told a story about Mother Millie Brown’s book, ‘True Selves’. She basically signed off all rights to this work in order to get it published by a major publisher. Mother Millie never really profited from this work and it was the publisher who got fattened.
All this is so similar to what is done in the music recording business.
Our plan to return to Scottsdale in October for Jen’s labiaplasty is nearly complete. There are only a few more little things that need to be done. We have a consultation with Dr. Meltzer the morning of Jen’s surgery date and plan to stay in the area for several days after Jen’s surgery before flying back home. My orginal Surgery date was in October 2005, but that date got moved up. The plan was for me to get the VAG done and Jen's labiaplasty done several days later. Bad idea, it would have been awful with the two of us basically out of whack trying to make the trip back home. The post-op care at home would have been more than a bit challanging fo the two of us. Good thing that plan never became reality.
Either one of us is excited about having more surgery, but it’s part of completing the process. It should be a relatively easier procedure for Jen since she is scheduled for labiaplasty only and there does not appear to be any significant additions to this procedure. Labiaplasty is still about a two hour procedure. I’m scheduled for the same in Feb 2006 except I’m still struggling with getting my boobs done at the same time. The whole breast aug thing seemed pretty simple when I first considered it, but after chatting with several other patients and doing a LOT of research on the procedure, it’s no longer so simple. It’s been taking a up a lot of space in my mind recently and I’m hoping my consultation with Dr. Meltzer in October will help me resolve at least part of my decision process.
One of three thing are going to happen. I’m going to have combined labiaplasty and breast aug with Dr. Meltzer in Feb 2006, Labiaplasty with Dr. Meltzer in Feb 2006 and breast aug with Dr. Gray at some other date or Labiaplasty with Dr. Meltzer and give up on the breast aug and live with what I got.
Jen and I purchased a silver quarter that has been cut in half with the word LOVE at an art show recently. Jen wears one half and I wear the other half. This our first piece of shared jewelry. We plan to get something similar when we are in Scottsdale as that will always be a place that holds special memories for both of us… We are looking forward to spending time with friends when we are back in Phoenix.
Time will tell….
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