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KarenPayne

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Blog Entries posted by KarenPayne

  1. KarenPayne

    First day home

    By KarenPayne,

    The morning was not so hot which I believe was from yesterday's experience. Once I did my morning dilation, had breakfast and shower things where looking up.

    My neighbor left me my mail from the two weeks I was gone and happy to find my new social security card, new American Express card and Utah concealed handgun license.

    Now I need to get out and shop as my place is bare bones empty on food and essentials.

    And I am so happy to be back at home, feels fantastic :-)
  2. KarenPayne
    Yesterday started out good but ended up as a very frustrating day overall. Got up, took a shower then ate breakfast followed by checking email. One of the messages was from Alaska airlines indicating there were congestion issues forecasted at the San Francisco airport (which is ten minutes from my hotel) and that my flight was moved to San Jose which is just over one hour away. Called the limo service right away and said no problem. Wait for two hours, limo driver comes to pick me up and advised me to call Alaska to make sure of the change. Well the automated help for Alaska was no help at all and got a live person who verified the change so off we went. Got there about 1.5 hours early, checked in and had some difficulties going through TSA and almost left without my wallet.

    Waited around, 15 minutes before boarding they changed the flight time two times then announced they had a lot of people at San Francisco airport being shuttled over. That took sometime and finally boarded 45 minutes late.

    When doing the pre-flight thing on the plane prior to taking off the pilot indicated he was doing a special take off called a slingshot which gets the plane in the air really fast and let me tell you it was very cool. I've never timed how long it took to get to the final height but this time was much much faster.

    At one point he said we were ahead of schedule and got there and out of the plane fast.

    Now I don't know when my shuttle leaves but do know it is 24-7 service. Wait at the place designated for a while and then call the service asking were the shuttle was and that I was late. They said about 10 minutes ago and the next one would be in about two hours (eeks). So I needed to wait there with nothing to do.

    When the shuttle arrives it takes time to get people aboard. One thing nice is if you have a reservation you get boarded first. Did not time this either but there were several that had to pay and believe me that it takes time for that.

    Get on the road and of course it is rush hour, more time sitting down which after GRS surgery really is not great.

    Was supposed to be home by 4PM but did not get home until 7:30PM.

    At this point I needed to unpack, get something to eat and dilate. The important thing is I must dilate especially since I had only dilated first thing in the morning and it really has not been that long since surgery so I see it as do not mess dilation unless unavoidable.

    Screw cooking so off to McDonalds and they get my order wrong, back home, eat, setup for dilation and then do it. Starting the process was painful and have to wonder if it was stress or from missing the second dilation session. Oh, neighbor came over at one point and chatted with me.

    When all was done it's about 10PM and have been up for a very long time and had zero issues falling asleep.

    Hoping to get some rest this morning as friends are stopping by this afternoon and tomorrow I am driving from Salem Oregon to Portland Oregon for a visit with relatives.

    Oh, I wake up this morning and my best female friend says her son is travelling past my town and wants to take me out to lunch. Her children all call me Anty LOL and are great kids ranging in age from 16 to 22.

    I can not even imagine today being anything be great other than the fact my bottom is a tad sore.
  3. KarenPayne

    Heading home

    By KarenPayne,

    It is finally that time when I can leave California and so happy. There was one glitch, about an hour ago Alaska airlines diverted my flight from one airport which is ten minutes away to another one which is 1.5 hours away. Called the limo service and they said they would take me to the other airport.
  4. KarenPayne
    Just received my confirmation for a limo which will pick me up at my hotel and drive me to the airport in style. Have been here for 12 days that mark the beginning of my new life and even though I have missed home I have to say all those who have helped me do the transition here I am very grateful too.

    As I have mention several times that this is simply a stepping stone in my journey that by no means complete it is simply the most expensive aspect of this journey.

    One of the promises I made to myself was to get a new tattoo after surgery but never made a decision on the artwork. So far have narrowed it down to either a small butterfly or single small rose in the pelvic region. I already have four tats where on average I contemplate for a few weeks followed by seeking our a design over several weeks then submit to my artist whom I ask to adjust to my thoughts.

    My next thing to work on is losing 20LB which I could not do in the past few months because of an issue with my leg and have physical therapy lined up in March. I had the same problem 25 years ago and had it fixed until two months ago.

    Something I have been thinking about too (the decision has been made a while back) is restructuring my self defense classes and adding focused classes for LGBT and woman only classes. The only thing holding me back is having a place to do the classes so more likely than not will take these classes on the road. I am going to work off a sliding scale in regards to cost of classes where cost will be greatly reduced for those who can not even afford my classes so the goal is to train anyone who wants training no matter their ability to pay.
  5. KarenPayne
    I told my daughter I would call her next week but she thought it was going to be this week eek.

    So I came out in a well thought out manner, in short she was fine with it then proceeded to chatter away on normal stuff for over an hour. Yeah see we are close knit but I delayed telling her for several good reasons.

    Phone call ended quickly because my bowel was a moving :-) and wanted to say good bye to my poop.

    Oh, she is moving from the East Coast to Oregon in the fall and will be living within 20 minutes of my place. I live in the capital because of work, she will be living in Portland because of work so it all works out
  6. KarenPayne

    Healing note

    By KarenPayne,

    It has been nine days post surgery noticed the following which I really should had mention two days ago.

    Date of surgery, no black and blue at the site, near end of day two, ugly black and blue. Two days ago, zero black and blue, two tiny areas that are medium red under the site and each day are getting smaller and smaller.

    Pain, I was out all day where we were sitting 95% of the time, after about six hours or so one side of the public area was bothering me and had to readjust how I was sitting which lead to no pain. That reminds me, need to take a selfie down there which I have been doing every three or four days.

    On a side note, was chatting with Monica and she truly has good things to point out to me, this time something I knew already but somewhat took it for granted and these people should never be taken for granted which are the registered nurses that go above and beyond what we believe they are there for. Then of course there is my surgeon who I elected to use with much research as this is a huge things to do. In the end my choices were super sound and so happy about this.


  7. KarenPayne
    Performed my first dilation of the day, zero issues. I did learn that the mirror used to see my vagina could be used for keeping the tool from sliding so I tried this out and worked like a charm.

    Spent the day with an old female friend whom I have not seen in 30 years. We did a whole lot of exploring and lost track where we went to but some were not tourist attractions as she has been living out here for 25 years. She was very surprised at how I looked and said I looked great and complimented me on my slim profile.

    Returned home and we chatted for about an hour after we had just spent the day together then her husband called and we said our good byes for now.

    I really enjoyed being out with her and she did boost my confidence more.

    After she left I did my second dilation of the day, used the mirror again. I think when I return to Oregon I will move up one size of the tool and hopefully can manage the last size before week's end.

    My evening is to finish watching a movie on Amazon Prime while eating dinner followed by the last session for dilation of the day then off to bed.

    Once home I am going to do some research, see if I can find an examination table with stirrups which will give me a constant position and more comfortable session for dilation. I did some research here and the average price is $1000 to $2000. If anyone has seen them for less please let me know.
  8. KarenPayne

    No picnic

    By KarenPayne,

    Check out my No picnic entry, perhaps one of my most important entries where I write about being overwhelmed when thinking back on yesterday. I will state I am fine, just wanted others to see what I went through which in many ways more then the day of surgery.

    http://karenpayneblog.com/2015/02/03/no-picnic/
  9. KarenPayne

    Post operation part 1

    By KarenPayne,

    The following link is my blog entry for post surgery with Marci which includes dilation.

    http://karenpayneblog.com/2015/02/02/post-operation-appointment/

    What I did not post there is peeing after the pee bag was removed. First thing, did a decent spray (not really something to be proud of) both times. I was told this may happen so I was well positioned for this event.
  10. KarenPayne

    Sick

    By KarenPayne,

    Went to bed not feeling well, all points to bowel. Got four hours sleep, woke up, empty pee bag then back in bed but felt wet on the backside. Yeah know in this case I was right to wear black undies.

    Washed the soiled undies, took a decent poop. Still not feeling good at all and stepped outside for a minute, came back inside, made coffee and while waiting drank OJ (this is at 1 AM mind you), popped on the tele, watched the beginning o the late show and started feeling much better. The feeling (or urge) to go is subsiding currently :-)

    Lesson: When you feel wet, you are more likely to be a mess down there, wet wipes in multiple rooms is a good thing along with an ample supply of undies woohoo
  12. KarenPayne

    Today

    By KarenPayne,

    When done here take a nap then walk to the mall down the street. Have checked with the front desk, they will pick me up if for any reason I am unable to make it back. Come back, do my meds and clean up followed by another nap. I am taking extra pads and water with me.

    Best thing here is exercise for better recovery.

    :D

    While at the mall I walked by a nail salon, backed up and had my nails done with shellac. I feel better after having them done which was partly why I went out, exercise and do something to feel better after being cooped up for several days
  13. KarenPayne

    Feminine pads

    By KarenPayne,

    I always get up at the crack of dawn (well actually way before) and my mind is fully operational.

    This morning what was racing through my mind

    Look at Microsoft Outlook calendar, when did I last take pain-killer (range is take one every four to six hours), well I slept six hours so this is a no-brainer but I can not stress enough that if you go thru this to document when meds were taken and for some may want to create alerts for when the next times are. So my cephalexin is also on alerts.

    Now let's talk pads, I am constantly checking mine and immediately changing to a new one no questions asked to ensure I eliminate possible chances of infection down there. Yeah the subject line may have been done better but the point is the same, it is critical to take care of yourself while recovering between the initial hospital stay and the post surgery appointment and beyond. Keep it flowing in your mind "personal hygiene"
  14. KarenPayne
    It is critical that one can poop before being discharged. With past surgeries I had a great deal of troubles unlike this time. What made the difference? Consuming massive quantities of water and a decent Amount of prune juice. Past and present I had same amount of stool softener. With that guess were I am heading :-)
  15. KarenPayne

    Muilti-tasking

    By KarenPayne,

    I have the hospital food service phone in left ear, cell phone in right ear, staring at my iPad and the nurse comes in, her facial expression was priceless when she saw me lol.
  18. KarenPayne
    I have not been keeping count on visits from nurses but enough that is not conducive too sleeping. Just a little bit ago my pads/packing was changed then a follow up to make sure there was no leakage. I have to say the nurses here are top notch, well versed with taking care of me after GRS.

    All in all I am feeling great except for sleep which I am sure will get caught up on.


  19. KarenPayne
    I am going to be short here and write more later.

    Arrived at hospital for check-in at 6AM then taken back to undress and have a few test and various people coming in to explain things to me. Marci arrived around 7:30AM and drew on my throat. About 8:15 was wheeled into the operating room and put under. As I suspected I remember nothing, awake at around 3:30PM. Taken to my room and left there for about 10 minutes which time a nurse came in indicating she was on shift for one hour and another nurse would take her place. The second nurse explained to me that all nurses attending to me are well versed in the taking care of people who have gone thru the same as me and it shows :-)

    Pain level range 0-10 where 10 is high, I am hovering between 1 and 2 and should note, I am inherently not good with pain but over many years learned how to control pain thus level 1 to 2 might be for others 4-6.

    Trachea shave from running my fingers over it feels like it is completely gone. Vagina, will see when my packing is removed down the road.
  20. KarenPayne

    Friends visit tonight

    By KarenPayne,

    My best friend arrived tonight with a flower bouquet with a balloon "it's a girl". What happened at one point after she took several pictures of me and then broke down crying saying "I have never seen you this happy" to me and pretty much seconds later I had tears o joy. This will be a memorable moment in time for me which really there are no words to tell people how I felt at that very moment.
  21. KarenPayne

    Oh what fun

    By KarenPayne,

    So I arrive in San Francisco, love the hotel room, went out food shopping then downed to twos of A1 coffee (I tend to only drink water and coffee) and then thought, how will I get to the pre-surgery appointment tomorrow morning?

    Open the phone book to Taxi cab companies, there are about 20 WHAT. I call one and they said, how can I help you ma'am? I told them what I needed in the morning but got a bad feeling so I thought why not ask the front desk to see which cab company they recommended.

    She says where are you going, gave her the address and said you do not need a taxi as you are from the Bower group. What time do you need to be there? Told her 8AM and booked me a ride. I then asked, how do I get back, they said call the number (gave me the hotel card) for the front desk and we will pick you up WOOHOO.

    Many people said I could get a room for about one third of the price and I said (but this is on trust) all facts given to me point to this hotel being in alignment with Marci's surgeries and from what has happen since I have arrived is even better. So for anyone using Marci, they give you many choices to stay but most have far less then this hotel and are not in tune with Marci.
  22. KarenPayne

    Can not stand it...

    By KarenPayne,

    I am getting my armpits waxed on Friday and was told to not shave to two weeks. I look under the arm and see a small forest and can not wait until it's gone, screw saving the forest, I want smooth and silky. Nuff said.

    BTW This is my first waxing.
  23. KarenPayne
    I leave for California tomorrow early morning, arrive around noon, get picked up by a limo which takes me to my hotel (luggage arrived yesterday). See what I can explore, have dinner, watch some television than Monday morning at 9AM is my pre-surgery appointment, explore again during the day, dinner, crappy tasting poop all night meds. Tuesday get to the surgery center at 6AM for check-in, surgery at 7:30AM.

    Doubt very much I will be blogging on Tuesday but surely the next day.

    For anyone interested http://karenpayneblog.com

    Will be taking pictures of my new vagina every couple of days then once a week but not posting them here but will post them on a private FTP site for those who would care to see the progress over say the next six months. The address will be given out by anyone here sending me a private message.

    Oh, I will do a video via webcam this coming Friday for giving updates on my condition.
  24. KarenPayne

    Countdown

    By KarenPayne,

    Six days until surgery, feeling content right now. About the only thing that is a possible issue revolve around, did I bring everything I need?

    Anyways I plan on keeping a journal from arrival in California through out the time I am in California to the weeks following for recovery on the blog in my signature in hopes it will help anyone else following a similar path as me. Yes I know there are plenty of entries on the web for this but each story is somewhat different than the ones prior so this will be my experience.
  25. KarenPayne
    While waiting for my friend (female) to get ready to leave for the movies her daughter came home, said Hello Karen, I heard your name change has been completed. I said the big thing for me was more of having a bank card with Karen Payne. She did not know I was changing my last name. I pulled out my new and former driver license, she compared pictures and said "I remember you then but you have changed drastically since then". She held both licenses for a minute shaking her head and then said, it's so hard picturing you are a male now. Her mother walked in who had overheard us talking and said, I agree with her, it is almost impossible to see you as your former self.

    The movie may have been too long but the compliments were perfect.
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