We were collected at Bangkok Airport on 25 June 01 at 5.50am (local time) by Dr Kim and Kie both of whom worked for Dr Suporn's Clinic. They took us to a hotel in Chonburi where we had most of the day to unwind, shower and change our travellers cheques at a nearby bank. Mid-afternoon, we were taken to Aikchol Hospital, Chonburi where I had routine blood tests, ECT, x-rays etc before being shown to our private room. This was very spacious with a view of Chonburi bay (oyster beds).
We were joined later by Suzi (who was to have surgery the day after me), Dr Kim and Kie. Soon after, Dr Suporn arrived with Aoi (his wife, who manages the clinic) and the details of surgery were discussed and agreed.
The surgery took place next morning, 26 June. When I woke up I was wished a "happy (re)birth day" and given a beautiful flower arrangement by the staff.
I had no pain from the surgery itself but that night began to get severe back pain from the very hard bed! The nurses made repeated attempts to make me more comfortable by rearranging pillows etc but to little avail. In the end, I was given a shot of morphine. I guess this was to enable me to sleep but apparently it resulted in me talking non-stop for the rest of the night! I remember nothing about that but the back pain certainly disappeared for a while.
The next few days were dominated by hospital routines but I really appreciated being able to eat proper food throughout and I will never forget the kindness of all who played a part in looking after me.

Back in my room, soon after surgery (feeling dozy but relieved and very happy).

On the morning of 1 July, Dr Suporn removed the dressing. I recall him saying to me, in his soft voice, "No fear, no pain", which, of course, made me tense up immediately! But he was right - there was no pain at all. I could not see what he was doing because I had to lie flat on my back for this. However, as he worked I could hear him saying to himself, "Good...very good", which was reassuring. After a while, he asked me if I wanted to see for myself and handed me a long-handled mirror. I had to twiddle it round until I got it in the right position. My first sight of my new anatomy was almost overwhelming. I was too overjoyed to speak and was still trying to believe the reality of what I was seeing, when I was vaguely aware of Dr Suporn saying something like "This will be cold". As I looked up, and before I could make sense of what he was saying, he dribbled a cold liquid (just water I think) across the surgery site and I felt as though I had jumped several feet into the air. I'm sure he had a wicked grin on his face as he asked "You have sensation?". I wanted to shout out, "Yes, yes, yes!" but could only manage a nod and a big smile - I think he knew the answer anyway!
Dr Suporn told me I could get out of bed when I was ready but must ring for a nurse to help as I might feel dizzy at first. It took some time for my emotions to settle enough for me to make my first sortie out of bed. Despite the weakness from being confined to bed for five days, it wasn't too difficult and I certainly enjoyed being able to get off the hard mattress, even for a short while.
Two days later, Dr Suporn removed the catheter and the remaining "packing" (used to stop the neovagina from "re-sealing") and demonstrated how to carry out the dilation and douching that would now be a twice daily routine for the next six months. He also used the mirror again to make sure that I understood all the parts of my new anatomy. I was then left to shower and have my first pee - yippee that works perfectly too! Finally, a nurse came and demonstrated how to apply betadine solution to the exterior of the surgery site, to prevent infections (I had to do this twice daily for four weeks).     Continued