| Back To The Real World I really enjoyed the time I spent with my sister once my stay in Montr�al was over. It gave me a taste of what my life was going to be like post-operatively in an environment that was sympathetic and caring. Throughout my surgery experience I was extremely fortunate to have had sisters who cared for me and went out of their way to show it in my time of need. I was grateful to my sister for taking me in for a few days in order to soften the blow of leaving Montr�al. It was a wonderful stepping point for me before I finally found myself home alone. It was odd packing my car up for the short drive to my home. I had spent the last 2-1/2 weeks living around other people. I wondered what it would be like to be by myself for the first time after my surgery. I thanked my sister for her hospitality and headed down the road. On the way home I stopped in to visit with my father and one of my brothers. My father took it all in stride, and acted like I had not gone anywhere. He treated me like he always had, no judgements, no big deal. My brother listened to my tale with interest and concern. But it was an odd feeling being around them. For the first time in our lives I was now on the other side of the fence. I left feeling curious about how this surgery would eventually affect our lives. I headed home to unpack my belongings and settle in for what would be a very short stay. It was bittersweet to finally be home after living through what was one of the most exciting times of my life. I was looking forward to feeling the warmth of my own waterbed and just vegging out before the boob tube. My oldest brother stopped over that night, as was his weekly routine. He seemed unfazed by the turn of events, but I couldn�t help but notice how everything seemed to be so different from the way it was. I thought it might just be my imagination. I had no way of knowing how true my instincts really were. It was nice to sleep in my own bed that night, knowing that my journey had come full circle. I did two dilations that morning in between breakfast and packing up a few more bags, so that I could stay for the next month with my friend, Jodie. She had her surgery in Thailand two weeks before I had mine. We decided to shack up together at her house for the next month. It just seemed like the right thing to do in order to help each other cope with the rigors of getting back to our normal lives. After one night at my house I was back on the road again. My first order of business was to check in at my business to see how things were going. So, exactly two weeks after my surgery I found myself back at work. It was still painful for me to stand for long periods of time, sitting was not much more of a relief. I had plenty of things I could do to stay busy. There was a plethora of paperwork to catch up on. It was my plan to come into work in the afternoons for three or four hours, or whatever I could endure. I really didn�t mind being back in the swing of things. I knew it would be good for me to get back into some sort of routine. Trying to fit in four dilations in one day and spend some time at work was going to prove to be a full-time job in itself. I spent a few hours that day trying to catch up before I headed out for Jodie�s house. I did call Claudette in Dr. M�nard�s office that morning to request to talk with him concerning my partial labia degradation. She told me he would be in surgery all day, and assured me he would call me as soon as he had the time. I was so eager to talk to him, and hopefully ease my fears. <<BACK<< >>NEXT>> @ |