Surgery, Setbacks, and Strength—A Mother’s Role in Gender-Affirming Care
Binary to Binary: A Gender Transition Roadmap
by Susanna Blake, Part 7
Click here to read Part 6.
Surgeries in Arizona
We stayed in an Airbnb townhouse close to the surgeon’s office, surgical center, and local hospital. As planned, we had a rental car for 10 days and used an Uber from then on. Since I was not working and Caroline had recently attended her second college graduation, we were able to stay in town for all follow-up visits with the surgeon. I provided intense, intimate post-operative care for a month in Arizona in August and September.
Caroline did have an unexpected, scary setback called Post Operative Delirium early in the second week, so we took an Uber to the ER and she spent a night for observation in the hospital. Her condition was fully resolved with IV medication in the ER.
The surgeon provided a 25-page document for each of the surgical procedures. Between that and texting a few photos with accompanying questions across town to the surgeon, I was able to care for Caroline. She had so many medications before, during, and after the surgeries that I filled up a couple of place settings at a dining table with prescription bottles with Post-Its on top, in addition to filling three Sunday-through-Saturday pill containers—for morning, noon, and evening. Keeping track of which medications to start and stop each day was a challenge.
As planned, Caroline returned in December for another ten days in the same Airbnb with numerous Uber rides for a labiaplasty. The surgeon made a revision to her August rhinoplasty at no charge.
It would be up to Caroline to say how much pain she endured through all of this, and fortunately, I did not panic when she did—but all of the surgeries were successful. Everything on her body is functioning as planned and she looks great in a bathing suit!
Part 8: After the Transition—Reflections, Recovery, and Continuing the Journey
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