December 6, 2010 4:12 PM GMT
Sawat-dii kha and khwap khun Lucy. Picking up where I left off, my luggage made it to Bangkok and the driver was there waiting for my arrival, so I made it to the hotel around midnight. I did not sleep good at first but ended up scrambling to shower and make my 9a.m. appointment with Dr. Chettawut. He wasn't happy with the EKG from my doctor and was concerned the anesthesiologist would not like it, so for my first day in Bangkok I ended up spending half of it in a hospital getting all new tests including EKG, echo-cardiogram, chest xray, and labs. Fortunately one of Dr. Chettawut's nurses accompanied me the entire time and was able to get an incredible rate of only $96 u.s. dollars for something that would have been in the thousands without insurance at home. As I recall the nurse back home had commented about whether or not the EKG machine would work that day. It turned out I amazed everyone at Bangkok hospital how strong my heart was without any irregularities. So surgery is a go for Wednesday. I also made it over to a mall today and did a little shopping for some tops and a cell phone. Sarah, a gal from New Zealand who I met online this summer, had her surgery a couple weeks ago and she is doing great. I spent some time with her and her family today and she said she would accompany me to the clinic Wednesday to give me support. In other news, lol, SKYPE is fantastic, I have had a number of conversations with my wife and friends and SKYPE has worked great, I highly recommend it for those traveling away from friends and family.
Until next time, Hugs,
Marsha
December 7, 2010 7:17 PM GMT
Best of luck to you, Marsha Ann, for a perfect outcome. Lots of good wishes heading your way.
Hugs...Joni Mari
December 7, 2010 10:40 PM GMT
Good Luck Marsha.
Thinking of you.
December 9, 2010 2:08 AM GMT
See you after we nap, marsha.
December 9, 2010 5:15 AM GMT
Dr. Chettawut came by and checked on me a short bit ago. He said that my surgery went very smooth and that I will be happy with the results. He mentioned fluids are going through me well and that I will be able to do more tomorrow, without defining what more was. I slept pretty well last night and even had a nap today. I started out pretty groggy but feel more alert as each hour passes. I don't have much pain to speak of, maybe more of a mild ache. My friend Sarah came by for a visit and stayed about an hour. Having friends here and being able to Skype with those back home is truly special.
Hugs,
Marsha
December 9, 2010 11:03 AM GMT
Marsha is in great spirits, sitting up chatting and drinking her dinner....well she got some kind of liquid soup stuff. Off her IV's already, so her recovery is excellent so far. I am pretty sure she will be up walking tomorrow. There is no indication that her recovery has any complications.
December 9, 2010 1:10 PM GMT
Marsha, I'm so glad to hear that everything went well for you hon! Now just relax and take it easy and think about how happy you will be for the rest of your life!! Enjoy the rest of your stay in Thailand and have a safe trip back to us!!
Hugs & kisses,
Monika
December 20, 2010 4:34 PM GMT
Congratulations Marsha Ann, what a wonderful Christmas present. Best wishes to you and yours.
Hugs...Joni Mari
December 19, 2010 11:37 AM GMT
I have now been in Bangkok for two full weeks. Besides trips to Dr. Chettawut's clinic, Bangkok hospital, and the Seacon Square Mall, I have not ventured far from my hotel. My wife is now in the air on her way to join me and when she arrives I hope to really take in the sights of Bangkok, Thailand. Yesterday I met a couple other gals at the hotel who had FFS with Dr. Chettawut. I didn't realize he was also considered one of the best FFS surgeons in the world. Gals from Finland, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States were at the hotel this past week after having FFS surgery with Dr. Chettawut. Saturday I started my extended dilations with the #1 dilator for 30 minutes and the #2 for 10 minutes. Yesterday I found it very difficult with the larger #2 dilator. It literally took my breath away as I inserted it and kept pressure on it for 10 minutes. It does come very close to being painful. The nurses said that was normal the first day and I found today was much easier and it did not have the same effect on my breath or pain as on Saturday. My peeing is also improving. Today my friend went to town to visit someone she knows who lives here. I chose to use the day as a rest day to allow me to have more energy for when my wife arrives. I did go to the mall for a couple things along with meals, but I did not overdo it. I also laid by the pool this afternoon catching some sun rays. I won't post pictures of my surgery but I did show it to a close friend on Skype and she was amazed at how good it looks. My swelling is actually minimal so the detail really shows. My friend is about to get back and we will head off to dinner once she arrives so I will end this here.
Hugs,
Marsha
December 17, 2010 11:27 PM GMT
lemon grass soup, pad tai or pad see wa.. and chicken satys of course
December 17, 2010 7:02 PM GMT
Marsha,
Sounds wonderful exploring the mall and going out to eat. Sorry that I have not been talking to you through Skype. I hope you really enjoy your experience there as it is life changing and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am not going to bother you with my problems because you are having such a fantastic time. Peace to you girl. Miss you.
December 17, 2010 5:43 PM GMT
Pad Thai...U R overdue!
December 17, 2010 2:12 PM GMT
Thanks Rose. Shhhh! Wendy. Don't spread rumors,lol. I have been working on my endurance and have now explored all 5 floors of Seacon Mall. I haven't checked out each shop yet but I still have two weeks of recovery to get it done, lol. My two nurses checked on me today and said I was doing very good with no sign of infection. They are also impressed with the doctors fine work on me. He really did a fantastic job. But back to important things, I did some shopping earlier today and found 2 sun dresses and 3 tops. I have to take a break at times because it is amazing how my energy level runs low quickly, so I find a restaurant with padded seats to stop and have a meal and break. I had McD's for lunch, but tonight I stopped at a local restaurant and had a nice T-bone steak dinner that included a coleslaw type salad, fries and an onion ring with coffee for $6.
Tomorrow I graduate from my #1 dilator and move up to the next size. Dr. Chettawut supplies you with 4 sizes of dilators where #4 would make any man jealous, lol.
Here is a picture of my beautiful nurses:
Hugs,
Marsha
December 17, 2010 5:53 AM GMT
Yah, Marsha, restaurants....sure.....not those shops....no, really just going across to eat....not doing any shopping, shopping, shopping....LOL
December 16, 2010 2:39 PM GMT
Hi Marsha, glad to know all went well and you're a happy lady.
A year ago I asked my NHS to let me go to Dr Chettawut to save me time and them money but they refused as the idiots at gender clinic said they had no idea who Dr Chett was!
So its been another year of my life down the drain and three times the cost for my NHS and thats before we get to court.
December 26, 2010 10:36 PM GMT
Marsha, I am so happy that this is all working out for you. I am taking my time with the questions as I want this to be perfect. I'll be back in touch in a day or two.
Otherwise, we are here for you!
Mere
September 7, 2013 3:22 PM BST
Was just thinking again, today, about how awesome it was to be able to Skype with Marsha during her SRS stay in Thailand. To see her, her wife, her friend (also getting SRS), her nurses, the shopping area outside which she blogged about, her room, her doctor and she was half the world away. And now we still have that memory to share. (except for the messy, clinical parts which only she remembers). She is so happy today and still contributing to the Community, trans and cis, educating college students. She seems to truly have what she wanted from life. She is another woman in the neighborhood. :-D. You go, girl.
January 24, 2017 2:38 PM GMT
Hi Wendy, thanks for the kind words. I am speaking again at the University today and knew this article was still buried in the forums so I thought I would read through it to refresh my memory on some of my old experiences. We haven't chatted in awhile, hopefully we can catch up soon. Best wishes, Marsha