Surgical Review

Nikky called to collect Sophie and myself to take us to see Dr. Pimentel for our reviews.  As Sophie had had her surgery a few days before mine, he removed a goodly proportion of the stitches from her forehead - but told her that the nasal bandaging and stitches had to remain for a short while longer.
Then it was mine turn and after a thorough examination he told me that he would remove my stitches (or the majority of them) in two days time and he was very pleased with the outcome so far.  To be honest I am over the moon about things are looking any way, so this was just good confirmatory news.
I decided to write a review of my experiences of Femilife as a company which you can find here (in English) or here (in Spanish)

Last Night's Earthquake in Peru

Went to bed at about 11:30 pm last night and couldn't get to sleep when I was aroused from a drowsy state by this roar (which I initially put down as traffic noise)  and then the apartment started moving - not violently more of a swaying motion - like if you are  very, very drunk and lie down in bed and the bed appears to be swaying.  It lasted for 10, maybe 15 seconds and then everything went back to normal  and although I was a little frightened I didn't run from the apartment screaming.
I checked Google this morning to see if anybody else had experienced it and found this report here

Shopping and the Parqué Central de Miraflores

Virgen Milagrose

Went out for a walk on my own first thing after first visiting the supermarket and went to try and find the House of Sucre for Layla - I was actually very close, but didn't spot it - will try again tomorrow.
Sophie came down for me at 11 and we decided to walk up Larco this time and see if we could find one of the main squares in Lima which is always pictured in photographs of Lima, the Parqué Central de Miraflores.
We came upon it very quickly really, whenever we have been past it in a taxi with Nikky, it has always seemed to take ages to get there, so perhaps Lima taxi drivers always try and take you the scenic route lol.
Had a wander round all the shops and bought myself a nice pair of sandals and a new handbag.  The number of shoe shops in this area was heavenly and I could have happily spent all day just wandering round these shops but Sophie wanted to see what else was in the area so I reluctantly had to give up on that idea.

Pinkberry de lúcuma

After a while, we decided to have something cooling to eat as it was so hot and sunny so we stopped in at a Pinkberry  restaurant which was adjacent  to the park and decided to have a Peruvian delicacy version of a Pinkberry called the Pinkberry de lúcuma.  The lúcuma fruit is native to certain parts of Peru and is seldom found outside the country as it simply will not grow elsewhere.  Pinkberry's are found the world over and specialise in frozen yoghurts - and this version was mouth wateringly delicious.  I remember Nikky telling me the night when I went for my laser peel that the lúcuma fruit actually came from the part of Peru where she was born - part of the rain forest area of Peru.
Below is the fountain that almost soaked Sophie and myself after we arrived back from our open topped bus tour of Lima and the museum - but were kindly rescued by one of the security guards just seconds before it was turned on again.

Saturday - out and about town

This is half of my main course

Had a spot of lunch out today for a change - went shopping on the Larco (one of the main shopping streets in Miraflores) with Sophie and bought a few small souvenir type gifts for Sarah's children and spotted this little pavement Bistro which looked quite appetising and was fairly easy on the purse - a five course lunch for 14 nuevo sol (about £3.30) which consisted of an entrada (I had mixed, cold vegetables in a light sauce), a very rich chicken noodle soup, a main course (I had the grilled beef which was delicious) and a sweet course (I was tempted by the lemon pie, but had the fruit salad) and a drink.  It really was quite delicious and we were surprised at the quality, quantity and the price.

Whilst we were eating three guys came and sat at a table just a few yards away and one was very interested in me (the guy in the yellow top) and kept looking across and smiling.  A bit too young for me though - despite my rejuvenated face.  He was good looking though and had a really, really nice smile.

Plaza area at LarcoMar

Decided to go for a walk down to Larco Mar shopping precinct in the evening.  It was packed to the rafters - I suppose not surprisingly as it is the height of the tourist season here in Peru and Miraflores (the district where I am staying and also where Larco Mar is located) is the centre of the tourist area of Lima.  Larco Mar is a really modern shopping complex, set high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and consists of about 4 tiers of beautiful small and exclusive boutiques (all with a price tag to match unfortunately).  Unfortunately, all the North American giant chains have also moved in here and there are the MacDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc franchises all over the area.  It was getting a little cool by the time we got back to the apartment (21ºC) and I had to go and collect thedry cleaning I had dropped into the cleaners earlier on this morning.  Only to be given the shock news that it wouldn't be ready to collect until 'Mardi' (Tuesday).  Just as well that I had done a whole pile of hand washing that morning - at least I would have something to wear tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. 

Mist moving in from the Pacific Ocean

  This is a photo of the mist which often rolls into Lima and is caused by the warm air over Lima meeting with the cold air over the Humboldt current which flows up from the Antartic regions.  It is this current which is responsible for the rich fish stocks in this part of South America and makes Lima a gastronomic delight for lovers of all sea food.

Day after my first surgery

Yay - I came through it without a problem - just a slight headache that's all - plus feeling a little isolated - but I have at least been able to find a few English speaking programs on the telly.  Hopefully I will be fit for my face lift in 2 to 3 weeks time.
You can read more about my experiences on the FFS Diary Page here

These are the beautiful gifts which are given to you when Nikky visits you after your surgical procedures - a wonderful bouquet of flowers and a very cute Femilife teddy bear

Click to enlarge

Day of my first surgery

I am scheduled to have the first of my FFS procedures carried out today at approx 3 pm (Lima time).  More information is available in my FFS diary here.

Finally out again

Awoke fairly early (yet again) - slumbered on and off for an hour and finally got up at 6am. It was quite misty this morning with a light fog rolling in from the sea - however, once the sun had risen and got to work on it, it soon dissipated. Got ready and was out by 7:30am and went to the supermarket to do my major shop. One of the really nice things about the supermarket where I go is that if the cashier thinks you can't manage the items, she calls over one of the guys who work there, they do all the packing for you - put it in a trolley - and walk back with you to your apartment and help you unpack everything. Then they just walk off. I had to rush after the guy this morning to give him a few nuevo sol as a tip.

Mid-day

Nikky has just popped round to tell me that my first surgery will be tomorrow.  She will collect me at around 12:30 to 1:00pm and I will have the surgery at around 3 pm - YAY!!!!!!!!!
Created a new page here to explain what an FFS is all about and why it is necessary.

'Dracula' Mode today

Very little - well nothing if I'm being honest, to report today. I have had to stay indoors for the last two days since my laser skin peeling treatment on Friday evening as I had to avoid exposure to any sunlight for a minimum of 2 days. I have even had to wear a sunblock whilst in the apartment with the blinds drawn down. I will need to get out tomorrow though as I need to do a major shop in preparation for my first surgical procedure for my FFS which will be on Tuesday or Wednesday. After that I should imagine I will be out of action for another week at least.

Had my laser skin peel last night (20th January)

Yesterday evening I had my first of 3 or 4 procedures, which was the CO2 laser skin peel treatment.  Although it was painful, it wasn't that bad that I felt I had to stop the treatment and when the pain did get bad (top lip, corners of the eyes and parts of the neck) I just concentrated on the thought of all those wrinkle lines being banished.
After the treatment, they smothered my face with a soothing balm and then covered my face (except for air-holes for my mouth and nostrils) with a thin rubbery mask and left that in place for about 40 minutes.  My face felt as if it was on fire and gently pulsating but other than that everything was fine.
Nikky came to collect me and took me back to my apartment and then later on in the evening stopped by with the medications which the doctor had prescribed and explained what was for what and when it had to be applied.
Also see my FFS Diary Page for more information.

Updated my FFS Diary

New photo of me and Nikky in a restaurante in Miraflores, Lima Peru taken just as she was getting me drunk on a particularly potent Peruvian beverage - of which I've completely forgotten the name LOL - shows you how strong it is

 

This seems so surreal

Well, here I am, waiting for next Sunday evening to arrive when I will set off on my trip to Lima, Peru for my FFS with Femilife - and it just feels surreal as if it isn't happening.  What terrifies me is the thought of the flying - whereas the thought of the surgery doesn't worry me one little bit, which is a bit odd as for most people it would be the opposite way round.

I'm also into my ninth day of quitting smoking, so far I've only had a couple of really bad moments, but my friends from the Gender Society have talked me through the bad bits with words of encouragement and praise (so a big thank you to all those people).

Hopefully with everything that will be happening in Peru I will be able to get through the next few weeks without any slip ups - and then I should be able to say that I have finally quit.

This blog

A close friend questioned me about the reasons why I have created this blog, so I had to think long and hard for the reasons after being in 'stealth' mode for almost 40 years.  You can read why I decided to create it here

Started a new page about my forthcoming FFS

This will give information about my trip to Lima for my FFS (Facial Feminization Surgery) which will be performed by Dr Pimentel.  It will be in a diary type of format which will be added to on a daily basis if I can manage it.
You can view this page here

Added a new page about my life

Added a new page to this blog which tells of my struggle to conform to what society expected of me and my failure to do that and of my transition to become the complete person I am today.
See 'My Abridged Life Story' here (or click on the 'Abridged Life Story page at the top of the right hand column)

About Me

I am a post operative transsexual having transitioned in 1975 and finally having my surgery in 1979.
After years of a living hell I was finally at peace with myself. The awful dichotomy of knowing you are female but having a male body became utterly intolerable in the end and after a failed suicide attempt I realised that I really wanted to live - just not like I was.
So in 1972 I started to seek medical help and started on my long road to happiness. I am average height (about 5'6") and now reasonably slim (size 10 UK), blonde and green eyed (but honestly not a monster lol).
For a more detailed personal history, see 'Abridged Life Story' page (top of the right hand column)