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For those who think the postings about the personal lives of the Pam’s House Blend baristas are self-indulgent, this is probably a diary to skip. 
This is one of those save-for-the-weekend discussion kind of posts, and it’s in the spirit of Pam’s House Blend being a virtual lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender coffee house — and in our PHB virtual coffee house, the baristas (I’m a barista!) will occasionally discuss what’s going on in our lives.
So that said, on Saturday I posted my diary about finding out I have a normal male karyotype. Today is another a diary about another medical appointment at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center, San Diego, from the past week.
Specifically, Friday was my last appointment at the Weight Control clinic — they “released” me. For those who haven’t been following my weight issues for the past two years, I had Gastric Bypass surgery on February 12th, 2008. From my peak weight of 296 pounds, I’ve lost about 125 pounds — I’ve been maintaining my weight between about 165 and 170 pounds, and have been maintaining that weight range for slightly under a year.
The next “stop” in my treatment regimen is a consult to plastic surgeon for a possible tummy tuck. I have some excess skin around my waist, and I rash a bit underneath the fold of that excess skin. 
So, although the tummy tuck would be ostensively to treat the propensity I have to rash under the skin fold that came into being from relatively rapid weight loss, the obvious secondary result would be having the kind of stomach I could show off in a two piece bathing suit next summer.
Now that is an odd thought. From having a body seven summers ago where only wearing swim shorts was appropriate at the beach or pool, to having a body next summer where breasts and genitalia are appropriately covered in two pieces — and skin shows between those two pieces — at the beach or pool…well, that’s an interesting change in life experience. 
So, a tummy tuck would definitely help my body to become more hourglass shaped than it is now. And, even though that wouldn’t be my reason to have a tummy tuck, it is the reason a number of trans women I personally know have had that particular surgery. This is something to think about, my cissexual lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) blender friends — what’s the last surgery you had to better become your L, G, or B self? There is money pit of surgeries that trans women (like me) and trans men may have — beyond genital reconstruction surgery — to reshape our non-stereotypically male or female bodies to the more stereotypical norms of male and female body shapes. Consider yourself lucky if you don’t need ‘em.
~~~~~
Related:
* Surgery Set For February
* Dates Are Set, So Full Speed Ahead
* Under The (Hopefully) Tiny Knife Tuesday
* I’m Back! Well, Sort Of.
* Video: Autumn In The VA Hospital, Post Gastric Bypass
* Video: Autumn Gets A Stuffed Toy In The Hospital
* The Hammerhead Is Great — Wanna See My New Tattoo?
* Reaching A Couple Of Personal Weight Loss Milestones
* Interesting Side Effects Of A Normal BMI
11 Comments
Lookin’ Good!Congrats!
Lookin’ Good!Congrats!
Now I understand……just a little more, why being able to put back on your uniform meant so much to you.
Congratulations!
Good for you!Good job, Autumn.
My former spouse had the same issues.
She ended up taking off over a 100 lbs by diet.
I was very proud of her as she was a stress eater and
she got some of her weight issues from her Mom.
She had plans for the gastric bypass and the whole nine yards. She was really motivated and had a great attidue about it. I was really pulling for her. It was great to see her so happy. But, cancer got her before she got to that point. It got her Mom too. Not a bad idea too try to reduce the weight, especially if colon cancer runs in your family like it was for her.
Myself, I’m fairly tall and my weight is usually around 250.
Ya, I’m kinda scary until ya get to know me. Just kidding..
Let’s just say I won’t be on any mag covers, like I care.
I could probably lose 10 or 15 pounds. Some of which comes off in the summer from all the outside activity. Anywho, 250 looks different on a 6’2 woman than a 5’7 woman.
When I was younger, and homeless, I weighed I 135. You could slide my ass under the door.
I hope you get to where you need to be Autumn.
My partner and I think you’re great.
We like your writing.
We like all the people who write here.
This is a great blog.
Pam is the best for starting this place.
Some days this place is a refuge for my partner and I.
As her and I are to each other.
It’s good to know we aren’t the only transwomen on the planet some days. It’s a jungle out there for sure.
The Tech Chic
I was wondering about that?
Interesting indeed!Autumn, you bring up an interesting point about the shift in acceptable beach attire.
How do you feel about the different expectations placed on you by society since you made the jump to outwardly expressing your true gender? How has your weight loss impacted your social interactions with others?
Autumn, so cool that you succeededWhat you accomplished is no small feat.
I’m starting to understand how tough the surgery can be.
My former girlfriend is preparing to undergo Gastric Bypass (hopefully February). Told me about all the (legitimate) hoops she is having to go though. The initial paperwork was daunting, to say the least (600 questions). How the first meeting was pretty brutal. Sort out the contenders from the pretenders by scaring the shit out of everyone…
No matter that we had some tough times getting along before and after our relationship ended, I am cheering her on now.
through*
My not so fun part of transitionLast procedure I had was Facial Feminization Surgery/Laser resurfacing.
FFS:
Bone shaving of the eyebrow ridges
Scalp advancement
Eye and jaw lift
Trachea shave
Fat injection to lips
After I healed, laser. Bad acne. Girls are suppose to have smooth, pretty skin. My surgeon had to go down into the quick (he told me he had to burn the snot of my face-he did). Afterward my face was RED. DEVIL RED. The procedure did help.
As they say, transition it’s never easy, cheap ($30K for me) or painless but in my case was worth it.
Congrats!You look great. Have the tummy tuck!
I answered the second question……in the piece Interesting Side Effects Of A Normal BMI. Well, at least most of it. I’m visible as female for the first time in my life, and it’s not a bad thing at all.
As to your first question, I don’t really think about the different societal expectations. I really never experienced the full experience of white privilege when I presented myself to society as male. That’s because I didn’t have straight privilege — I was so feminine in my speech patterns and in the way I moved, and so not masculine in the way I dressed, that most heterosexuals who met me thought I was an effeminate gay male. I couldn’t hide my female gender, as much as I tried to hide it.
What I’ve noticed since I’ve transitioned is that I have straight, white privilege — I appear to be a societally mainstream woman to most. I “pass” in my target sex as a reasonably attractive, middle-aged woman. So, even though I’m more attracted to women than men — although functionally my lifetime long low sex drive would probably best define me as functionally asexual — it shouldn’t be surprising that even my lesbian friends tell me I don’t put off a lesbian vibe at all. In other words, no one sees me as a very sexual creature, with the exception of perhaps some middle-aged and older heterosexual men.
But, no one reads me as male either. If I didn’t keep outing myself for political reasons, no one would know.
So to answer your first question, What I notice in in person encounters is that when I’m noticed, I get noticed for being either being relatively attractive for my age, or for being who I am, and not noticed for being perceived as a freak or as gay as I was when I presented as male, or when I in the early part of my transition to the trans woman I am now.