I quit posting about my recovery for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't think that many people really cared to read about it and thought it might be boring to put it on the blog and second, some of the details of a post-op MTF surgical recovery process can be somewhat graphic and I wanted to avoid that.
However, several people have written me directly and asked about my recovery so I guess I will post an update here.
I have not had to take pain pills for several days now. Most of the bruising is gone, the hair has already grown back enough that the scars are largely invisible. The appearance continues to look more and more natural with the passage of time. This, as you might guess, pleases me.
However, I do have one major problem and I just got off the phone with the doctor about it. MTFs are supposed to "dilate" 3 times a day for the first few months after surgery to prevent the vagina from closing up. Dilation means inserting a hard acrylic stent, with one end tapered, into the vagina and leaving it there for 20 minutes or so. It is uncomfortable (sometimes to the point of quite painful); it is messy and it requires some measure of privacy. As a result of those negative things I have not dilated but once in the past 2 weeks. After Melody left, I attempted to dilate last night and was unable to get the smallest stent inserted (they range in size from "ok, that seems reasonable" to "no f'ing way anyone is putting that thing in me") and trying caused me to bleed. The doctor scolded me appropriately and then told me to find something smaller, like a finger, and get to it. If that doesn't work, then I will have to get on a plane and head back to her for repairs.
Dumb, Denise. Really, really dumb. (Yes, Mother, I hear you)
[UPDATE]: Well, I just had my first appointment with a gynecologist (thank you, BoSox, you are so awesome!!!). She was able to get a speculum inside me and reported that everything seems fine and that I'm simply going to have to step down to an even smaller dilator and work my way back up. It'll extend my recovery period longer than I would like, but it's better than having to go back under the knife and, after all, it's something I did to myself. I am so very relieved.
