Dora Richter - Wikipedia

3/11/2026 - Heading Home

@JMWinters and I intentionally kept the plan as limited as possible other than saying we wanted to be comfortable and take at least 4 days. It ended up being six.

We stopped in Reno, Elko, Park City (where we spent two nights) and Rawlins before arriving home.

The drive was not bad. She did all the driving and I had a variety of pillows and pads to make the trip less painful, but even with that it seems my travel limit is currently about 5 hours.

#trans #transgender #bottomsurgery #transfem #transition

3/4/2026 - Post Op 4

Post op 4 was like a lot of the others though this one included a speculum exam so that was really fun. In reality it wasn’t that bad.

But it was also saying a small goodbye to the clinical staff that had supported me through all this, since I was cleared to travel!

The next few days were a blur. We worked on packing - it’s astonishing how much you can accumulate when you stay almost two months in a place. We ended up shipping 11 boxes of stuff home.

And on the final day in San Francisco, @JMWinters and I rode a cable car. 🩷

#trans #transgender #bottomsurgery #transfem #transition

In today's episode of "funny post-op experiences”:

My sugeon has me using betamethasone valerate to treat granulation, by means of the "tampon" method. In my case, the protocol amounts to: β€œsquirt a bunch of cream up there and then put the tampon in.” Last night was my first night.

This morning I woke up and had to pee so I figured I'd go ahead and take the tampon out. I gave it a quick tug and it came out easily ... along with some liquid that ran down my leg.

"Hmm, ok, it was all night, maybe that's just some drainage?”

Then more…

AND MORE.

It was about four seconds before my dumb half-awake brain realized: I was peeing on myself and on the floor! And this is how Becky learned to take the tampon out OVER the toilet. πŸ˜‚

(7am laundry is no fun btw.)

#trans #transgender #bottomsurgery #transfem #transition #surgery

2/27/2026 - Post-Op 3

In just a few days I was back at the surgeon's office again. Thankfully this was another relatively short appointment. The PA took a look and again seemed surprised at how well I'm healing. It's hard for me to see it, but I am glad to be "winning" at surgery! πŸ˜‚

I was cleared to go to the next size dilator, and also for some more movement as long as I pay attention to my body.

My first dilation at blue this time around was fucking astounding unpleasant, bordering on tears. I pushed through it with @JMWinters holding me but wow it sure did suck.

The next time we tried, I took a muscle relaxer, ibuprofen and Ativan (and some cannabis) before trying again. I also adjusted my posture with support under my legs and butt. This time it was easier. By this morning I was able to get blue in without too much pain.

#trans #transgender #bottomsurgery #transfem #transition

2/23/2026 - Emergency Surgery Post Op

Mentally, the week between the 16th and 23rd was one of the hardest I've had in awhile. In 48 hours I had gone from being very confident in my recovery to hospitalized, and another 72 hours later I was back at home on bedrest with a catheter and packing in. I felt like I had been kicked back to step 1. Thankfully @JMWinters kept me sane.

At the post op, they removed the catheter and packing again and examined everything. Other than this issue, the PA seemed surprised at how well I am healing.

At that point, she told me to resume dilating on purple (the smallest one) for this week and see how things go, and she would see me back on Friday the 27th.

That first dilation was nearly panic inducing. My girlfriend had to hold me tightly while I did it, but I got through it. The PA also wanted me to douche while sitting rather than standing, and with lukewarm water. This was also anxiety inducing, but I got through it.

#trans #transgender #bottomsurgery #transfem #transition