Decision Made & Going For It!

[plix (imported)]

Congrats on finally achieving what you have wanted for so long!

I am

sorry to hear about the complication,

but it will soon be in the past and will seem like a very small price to pay for finally becoming who you have always known yourself to be.

I wish you all the best in your recovery and your future. I know it will be a happy one

[mrt (imported)]

As a guy who had aft end surgery and was unable to do normal functions or at least not well for 6 weeks I feel for you! This will sound silly to everyone else but YEEHAA! Congrats on the bathroom experiences...

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Good morning and thanks everyone for the good wishes and kind thoughts. I really do appreciate them.

It's Friday morning and with the help of the sleep aid, I enjoyed a very restful night. I've just been laying around this morning, doing my dilation and

waiting for the weather to warm up a bit

before venturing outside. I want to take some photos of the area today, e.g.; the recovery house, the surrounding mountains, etc.

I have two more dilations to take care of today and want to catch up on my rest in preparation of the long journey home tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed.

I did get Marci to fill out the Physician's Affidavit which is a part of the required paperwork along with application that I have already completed and a certified copy of my name change decree which I will mail off the the department of vital records for the State of Illinois. My Birth Certificate will then a reissued in my new legal name and in the female gender. My old Birth Certificate will then be sealed away and will not be available to anyone without a court order.

The old person, the one that I never felt I was, is just about gone for good.

[mrt (imported)]

Congrats on being a Dr Marci Class of 2008.

And very much so on the new 100% fully "official" you!

[Danya (imported)]

Hi Erica Ann,

I am so happy for you. You have come a long way in a few short years and have now reached your long-sought goal. What an amazing journey!

Hugs,

Danya

[lilac (imported)]

I'm so happy for you Erica. It was so nice to hear your voice last week.

I will prolly call you next week after you settle in and all. I'm so glad things are working out with your health. Take it easy and enjoy your new life. Say hello to your spouse for me.

Big hugs, Lilac

[EricaAnn (imported)]

We made it home last night from Colorado and I've got to tell you is...it was so good to sleep in one's own bed again.

The trip was a bit uncomfortable on the bottom. Between 2 hours in the car, the wait in the terminal for the aircraft, sitting on the airplane for another 2-1/2 hours and then a 45 minute ride home from the terminal...all I can say is that I'm glad that's over with!

I'm going to rest, relax and dilate today and that's going to be about the extent of my activities. It's been a very busy and remarkable past 10 days for me and one that I'm glad I could share with all of my friends here at EA.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and encouragement. I do deeply appreciate it.

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

I'm feeling better with every passing day. I have an appointment this afternoon to get the catheter removed from my bladder and I've got to be honest with you...it can't come soon enough. The darn tube coming out of my lower stomach area is really getting to be a bother, especially when trying to wear some regular clothes.

Went out on my own to check out a problem with a friend's computer yesterday afternoon. Getting in and out of the car was not too much of a problem. It was sitting in the car that was a bit uncomfortable. It might be a week or two more before I'm comfortable sitting in most situations.

Dilating is coming along though it's not my favorite thing to do. It's kind of uncomfortable and not much fun, that's for sure.

Other than that, everything is good.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

"Other than that, everything is good." Just what I wanted to hear. --FLO--

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

Well it's Saturday morning and I'm up early as usual. My sleeping patterns have not completely returned to normal as of yet.

I'm doing real well on my recovery. Everything is healing nicely. The bruising is completely gone and the swelling is down by 70% or so. I'm continuing to do my daily dilations and take my twice a day sitz baths as recommended by my local doctor which I feel has helped with the swelling as well as other things like my hemorrhoids.

I'm actually feeling well enough to possibly go out a bit tonight to the local club. It's been awhile since I've seen the other girls and I'd like get out for a cocktail or two. Been sitting around the house so much that I'm starting to look like the place, if you know what I mean?

I'm still awaiting my revised birth certificate from the state. It will be so nice to finally have the right information on it and to have taken one more step in erasing all traces of that former person. The one that I've never been from the start. I'll even be able to get a passport now if I need one.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that have been so kind to contact me, either by phone or by posting on my thread. I really do appreciate hearing from all of you.

[Danya (imported)]

Hi Erica Ann,

It is good to know your recovery is going well. Getting out of the house and seeing some friends sounds like a great idea, if you are feeling well enough.

I'll be in touch soon.

Hugs,

Danya

[mrt (imported)]

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that have been so kind to contact me, either by phone or by posting on my thread. I really do appreciate hearing from all of you.

It was a pleasure talking to you and I am so happy for you and your success with the surgery! Wow you Chicago Girls heal fast!!

Don't like run amok at that bar!

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to post up to

let everyone know that I'm alive and doing

very well. I returned to my job this past Monday tho I'm doing it part time this week in the effort to ease my way back into the pace of full time employment. My energy levels are about 90% of normal at this time but I'm feeling stronger with every passing day. I'm planning on going back to work full time beginning next week.

Everyone at the office was pretty excited to see me on Monday morning and had the usual questions to ask, which I was happy to answer without going into a lot of detail.

I did enjoy my time off very much, but unfortunitily...it doesn't pay very well.

I've been doing my daily dilation routine. Once in the morning before I shower, again in the afternoon when I get home from work and again in the evening. It's not much fun, but it is something that I must do daily and to a certain extent, for the rest of my life.

A few more weeks and the "new car" will be ready for a "test drive." I'm kind of wondering what that will feel like. I'll let you know!

[kennath7 (imported)]

A few more weeks and the "new car" will be ready for a "test drive."

dont get any speeding tickets

[jamesmc (imported)]

Congrats on finally achieving

your goal. I so admire you for having the strength and courage to finally become the person you always knew you were. I wish I could say the same for me. Maybe one day.

James

[mrt (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

I've been doing my daily dilation routine. Once in the morning before I shower, again in the afternoon when I get home from work and again in the evening. It's not much fun, but it is something that I must do daily and to a certain extent, for the rest of my life.

A few more weeks and the "new car" will be ready for a "test drive." I'm kind of wondering what that will feel like. I'll let you know!

On the first part its probably more fun if someone else is doing the regular dilations And as to the second I think Tom Snyder asked a TS person on Nationwide TV this question... "Well? Whats is like? Is it better or worse?" ;)

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile since I

poste

d and just wanted to let everyone know that

I'm still around and doing very well.

I'm now completely healed from the GRS and my partner has taken the "new car" for a test drive with a rather nice "toy." It was truly an experience!

Last week I went for another laser appointment and since I still had two more sessions for the neither region that I had paid for, I decided to get my bikini area cleaned up. My laser technician knows about me and when she had me spread my legs so that she could get into that crease where your leg meets your torso, she just looked at me there and said "that's incredible."

I told her that Marci guarantees her work to be good enough to fool your local gynecologist, she looked again and said "it fooled me." We both had a good laugh over that one.

Other than that, I'm still on my daily regiment of dilations, but as of next week, I can cut back to twice a day. Hard to believe but I'm now 11-1/2 weeks post op. It is getting much easier, so much so that I actually feel asleep last night on the sofa with the dilator in me. Woke up about an hour later and couldn't believe that I did that. WOW!

[Paolo]

Hey, I'll say it again - you go girl!!!!!

[mrt (imported)]

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile since I
[/

quote]
poste

d and just wanted to let everyone know that

I'm still around and doing very well.

I'm now completely healed from the GRS and my partner has taken the "new car" for a test drive with a rather nice "toy." It was truly an experience!

Last week I went for another laser appointment and since I still had two more sessions for the neither region that I had paid for, I decided to get my bikini area cleaned up. My laser technician knows about me and when she had me spread my legs so that she could get into that crease where your leg meets your torso, she just looked at me there and said "that's incredible."

I told her that Marci guarantees her work to be good enough to fool your local gynecologist, she looked again and said "it fooled me." We both had a good laugh over that one.

Other than that, I'm still on my daily regiment of dilations, but as of next week, I can cut back to twice a day. Hard to believe but I'm now 11-1/2 weeks post op. It is getting much easier, so much so that I actually feel asleep last

night on the sofa with the dilator in me. Woke up about an hour later and couldn't believe that I did that. WOW!

Congrats on the new parts all working and forget my question in another thread. Humm... So about this toy... *Swapping toy info....

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

Oh, hell yes. It is all good and it all works! Congratulations! --FLO--

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Hey, I'll say it again - you go girl!!!!!

Thanks Paolo. I'm going the best I can.

Congrats on the new parts all working and forget my question in another thread. Humm... So

about t

his toy... *Swapping toy info....

Hi Mr. T,

I'll send you a PM and te

ll you all about it!

Oh, hell yes. It is all good and it all works! Congratulations! --FLO-- Thank you Uncle Flo and yes, it works just fine.

[Danya (imported)]

Hi Erica Ann,

You already know how delighted I am that surgery worked out so well for you. From what I hear from local friends who have had GRS, your 'test drives' will likely become even more enjoyable as time goes by.

My laser technician knows about me and when she had me spread my legs so that she could get into that crease where your leg meets your torso, she just loo

ked at me there and said "that's incredible."

The GRS results are amazing. I want one of 'those' myself! I mean the full working model, like you have. One day, I will.

Best wishes as you continue to enjoy the new you.

Hugs,

Danya

[EricaAnn (imported)]

Well, I just made it through what has become the hardest day of the year for me, that being Christmas. This has now become the third Christmas that has pasted without being with my extended family.

I sat alone in the dark for awhile on Christmas Eve while a half of century of Christmases past passed through my mind. And while thoughts of my grandparents, mom, dad and my brother passed by, I cried over their loss in my life. I guess what hurt the most is that I knew that they were gathered together to celebrate the holiday without me. The outcast that nobody wanted to be with.

It's very hard to be transgendered at this time of the year especially with the way my family feels about me. I even tried to telephone my mom twice earlier this week and because of caller ID, she would even answer the call. It's sad.

Though I've never been happier in my life, it's difficult because I can't share this happiness with them. :-\

[kennath7 (imported)]

Erica

Sorry to hear of your loneliness it must be really hard for you

You have come a long way and you should be proud of the accomplishments

You over come to Finley love yourself and feel free

Keep up the good work

[tugon (imported)]

I am sorry you were excluded from your biological family but your EA family loves you and cheers you on. I hope one day they realize what an incredible person is missing from their celebration.