So, for the past two weeks on social media, I have mentioned surgery and the hospital. A rough day in the hospital actually kept me from the weekly update to Unbound Dominance, even. I thought I would give a little more detail to provide a little glimpse into my personal life.
I have mentioned that I am a trans woman. I first decided I wanted to transition back in about 1998. In 2013, after multiple failed attempts, I finally managed to put my transition on the right track. In late August 2017, I discovered that my insurance plan, thanks to ACA provisions, would now cover trans-related surgeries and procedures, specifically gender reassignment surgery. However, I knew at 270lbs that I was far too overweight to qualify and I would need to lose a tremendous amount of weight to get such a surgery. So, I frantically began trying to schedule consultations with surgeons, while starting to lose weight.
Late October, I had my first (and only) consultation with Dr. Loren Schechter in Chicago. I’d managed to drop down to 246lbs, and was technically no longer considered morbidly obese. The consultation went absolutely incredible and I learned that I was absolutely an ideal candidate for surgery, something I had doubted due to a multitude of reasons. As predicted, Dr. Schechter wanted me to keep losing weight, specifically wanting me down as close to BMI 30 as possible.
Fast forward a while. I managed to drop the weight thanks to a mix of diet and exercise. My lowest weight was 215lbs, putting me in the BMI 30 range.
It took ten hours for me and my partner to drive up to Chicago from Alabama. Surgery was Friday, July 13. It took over nine hours, but the surgery went fantastic. Within 24 hours of surgery, I was back up and walking. By the 48 hour mark, I was back to eating solid food. I was also relatively pain free.
All of the staff at Weiss Memorial Hospital were absolutely incredible. The nurses, techs, and all the rest of the staff were amazing. They attended to all of my needs with no issues whatsoever. The physical therapy team was stellar. Dr. Schechter and his team were caring and detailed. Hell, even the food was good. I can’t say enough about the quality of care that I received at Weiss.
Yesterday, one week after surgery, I was discharged from the hospital. I’ve got a follow-up appointment with Dr. Schechter on Tuesday to go over all of the final details for care and I will go home Wednesday.
It’s been a hell of a journey and I’m glad that my wife and partner have been with me every step of the way. Once I am fully recovered, I’ll be getting back to the Unbound series with renewed vigor. I did manage to get two chapters of Unbound Dominance written while in the hospital even! The next chapter of Dominance will be up Thursday instead of Wednesday, unless I decide to release a teaser for Unbound Destiny instead.
To any trans folks out there reading this, let me say this. You are valid. Your path may or may not involve surgery the way that mine did, so don’t let anyone try to tell you that you’re “not trans enough” if surgery isn’t for you. If it is? Great! Do your homework on the subject and take the two mental health letters seriously. It’s a major decision, so make sure you’re as prepared as you can be.
–Victoria