Showing promise

[sacredchao]

Things are still getting better. My stress levels are down, I'm making and retaining good connections with people and more and more I'm settling into my body.


I'm starting to feel less like I have an injury site and more like I have genitals. The discharge is down to very nearly nothing and the surgeon informed me this morning that the stitches are dissolving ones which will fall out in their own good time. He's very pleased with my progress and we seem to have a good outcome. I also acquired my dilator set today. There are four sizes from "Not even going to bother" to "that's easy enough" and "I think I can" through to a slightly eye watering looking "I'm sure I'll get there eventually". This is a twice daily exercise for now. Careful investigation over the past couple of days has demonstrated that while things are still exceedingly tender and not really ready for anything serious, sensation of the right kind is there in spades and I think this is going to be a remarkably good thing in a couple more weeks once it's healed a bit more. I suspect that this is a trade up from the last model in a significant way and I am very very pleased indeed. For all that there's still a little chafing and aching, it's all feeling really very good. I am suddenly very optimistic about living in this body.


So I'm relaxed and happy. I've cleared some huge stresses from my life and starting to find new food for thought with regards to my sexuality. There's nothing that's a notable departure from where I was before but the removal of such a significant dysphoric dissonance and being so pleased with how my new body is progressing makes contemplating such things much less fraught and so much more promising. I think perhaps I've hit a good part which is such a relief after the past few months.

Comments

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

"I am suddenly very optimistic about living in this body."

That's so wonderful!

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy for you that the surgery appears to have gone well. I can empathise with the dilator exercises. I had to do a similar thing when I had vulvodynia. Not much fun, but worth the outcome. I still have my dilators and the biofeedback device from that time. Out of sheer curiosity, is your new vagina connected to your pelvic floor muscles? As in, can you use those muscles to "clench and relax" your vagina? Don't answer that if it is way too personal. I'm just fascinated by how lady parts of all kinds work.

[sacred-chao.livejournal.com]

The short answer is yes, at least to some degree. I don't know to what degree that differs from natal vaginas though. Also, the spellcheck routine for LJ doesn't know "vaginas" but does suggest "vaginae" and "vegans" amongst other options. I'm not sure if this pleases me or not.

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Thank you for sharing :) FWIW, when I type vagina it doesn't come up as a spelling error. I'm using the LJ iPad app though, so maybe it's different.

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

So my inner etymologist had to check the plural form of vagina. Merriam-Webster lists both vaginas and vaginae as plural forms. Vagina was originally the Latin word for sheath. It seams to have been adopted into English and other languages around the 1680s as a medical/anatomical term. As far as i can tell from a quick googling, it wasn't used in Latin as an anatomical reference. The English language has adopted words from many languages and it is pretty hit and miss as to whether the foreign plural is also adopted or whether the English plural form is used. Latin and Greek words tend to have their plurals endure longer than other languages. The Latin plural of vagina is vaginae and the English plural is vaginas. My interpretation is that if you are writing in modern English and using vagina as a medical/anatomical term, then vaginas is the most appropriate plural though vaginae would not be incorrect. If you're writing something in Latin using the original definition of vagina (sheath), then the only correct plural form would be vaginae.

Personally, I prefer vaginas. And while some vegans may have vaginas, not all vaginas are vegan :P

[sacred-chao.livejournal.com]

So many potential comments there about what I do and do not eat. As an aside, it's been ages since we last caught up. If and when you have the spoons, I'd like to do something about that.

[paypabakwriter.livejournal.com]

So good to read you're relaxed and happy, and even more that your wonderfully twisted sense of humor is evident with the spellchecker reference. Keep sharing with us all of this amazing life of yours. *hugs*