%title Untitled Surgery Novel
:writing:fiction:novel:gender:

I had my own surgery in 2018, and my therapist suggested I write about my experience anonymously so that she could share it with one of her other clients who was looking at going through a similar process. That she did so a year before I started writing this is neither here nor there.

Either way, While Justice's story closely follows my own in a lot of respects, it isn't 100% the same. It's the type of thing I'd like to be readable without losing any of the informative aspects. A lot of the process of going through surgery is incredibly recondite and awkward, and there's no escaping that. The goal of this project is, first and foremost, to tell a story, but a close second is to provide an example of what one can expect in going through this process. To that end, I hope it helps.

> To my mom, who changed my birthday to my surgery date.

## Outline

Justice - trans woman getting GRS
Matthew - husband


* Start with letters fiasco
* flashback to:
    * Decisions
        * Deciding on surgery
        * Deciding on a surgeon
    * First round prep
        * Getting letters (part 1)
        * Getting the consult
        * The consult
    * The problem of hair
        * Laser
        * Electrolysis
* Leading up to surgery
    * Getting letters (part 2)
    * The pre-op appointments
        * General medical
        * Surgeon
        * PT
    * Trans woman murdered in town a week before
    * Bowel prep
    * Driving and the night before
* Surgery
    * The morning of
    * Waking up and the first night
* The hospital stay
    * The bed
    * Bed rest
    * Bowel movements
    * Breathing and fever - incentive spirometer
    * The dressing
        * The first sight
        * Nerves mapping
    * Anxiety and pain
    * Medications
        * timing
        * Oxy/tylenol
        * Cephelaxin and the smell
    * The packing
        * The drains
        * The catheter
        * The packing itself
    * Peeing and showering
* The post-op stay
    * The drive to the Airbnb
    * Getting partner
    * Drainage
    * Showering and company
    * Bacitracin
    * Getting off oxy
    * Getting comfortable
    * Walking with cane
* Post-op visit
    * Leaving Airbnb
    * Powell's
    * Getting there early
    * Kat Campos and getting dilators
* Home
    * The drive home
    * Seeing dogs
    * Dilating
    * Shopping
* Healing
    * Dilating and increasing size
    * PT
        * Lifting
        * Walking
        * Breathing
        * Tensing/muscle control/kegels
        * Healing well
* End with the concert?