I don't know what I expected when Kathleen and I began to tell people about surgery coming up, but I certainly did not expect the reaction that we have been getting.
It's hard to express it clearly as someone raised in a more individualistic manner in an already individualistic society, but we have been getting a sort of feel of ...love? ...community?
Outside of the very lovely well-wishes from people and what seems to be a genuine understanding that this never-stated-directly surgery is very important and critical to me and my well-being and outside of the various no-invasive-questions-no-pushback accommodations I've received to make everything work well, people have been quick to offer other supports too!
- I have been asked on multiple occasions if I/we have enough support in my recovery and whether we would like people to bring us meals in those earlier recovery days.
- A dear friend of mine wished me good luck and sent me a gift card to a very lovely UK-based lingerie shop, so that I could have something nice to treat myself to.
- Kathleen's in-office co-workers signed a card of well-wishes for the both of us and included a gift card for a food courier service, for those times when neither of us are able to get away.
In each and every one of these cases, my heart has felt a certain levity and a few tears formed. It's just so wonderful to feel loved and cared for and I can't express more strongly just how grateful I am!
It Gets Worse
Unfortunately, it seems that things are getting worse going off HRT in advance of surgery. Sleep continues to get worse (prog), I'm already a little oilier (estro), a little smellier (estro), there's more upset (estro, prog), and not to put too fine a point on it, but, err, there are signs of life in places that ought not to (estro). At least they're places that will see a scalpel.
In a lovely gesture, management at work was kind enough to extend me some grace for the last few days before I go off, allowing me to work from home.
That way, as I turn back into a goblin (well, a more gobliny goblin), I don't have to navigate the physical and psychological discomforts that come with an office presence.
May 29, 2026