I mean, it's clearly not that I'm _recovered_ and also if anyone from work asks, I am _absolutely_ going to take every contractual advantage I can vis-a-vis recovery, but I just taught a dance class, from a couch, which I think means my surgery recovery is going Very Well Actually.

Seriously, it turns out hysterectomies are surprisingly trivial for a surgery I have been describing as "got stabbed in the stomach a few times and had some of my organs stolen". Or at least, a laproscopic hysterectomy is surprisingly trivial for me, a person who is in generally good health and apparently had a smaller-than-usual uterus.

(I got to see pictures when I was visiting my doctor, and he was all "oh yeah, they should be available for you in mychart" but then I was looking today and could not find them, so I will have to include that in my follow up visit I do think.)

I'm very very happy that the recovery hasn't been worse. I have slowly been ramping up the amount of "stuff I do" which means today I walked to NESFA very slowly (it took me 2-3 times longer than it normally does and that is correct and good), did not do any of the room setting except the chairs (no moving tables! no moving carts of games!) and was very good and sat on the couch for all of my dance class. I had volunteers to show off the lovely footwork (thank you Rachel and Stephan!) and Stephan even took on a harder dance and it was a lovely time!

I love my dance class so so so fucking much, I love that the Cambridge Day advertises it sometimes and I get random total beginners out of nowhere, I love how lucky I am to be able to make the world work for me, like what the fuck, this is amazing.

And look, I was absolutely willing to last-minute cancel if I had to (although I'm so glad I didn't have to because like I said, I had at least one total beginner tonight and she was lovely!), I wasn't going to force myself to do stuff that was bad for me. This wasn't bad for me! Doing it from the couch was a neat challenge, and I think I did a mostly good job. People certainly seemed to have a nice time. We did five dances, which is one fewer than normal, but the one Stephan did was a bit of a challenge. It was all really lovely!

(regarding neat challenge, I knew I'm a super kinesthetic person, but it was still really startling to realize how hard it is to talk through the pas-de-basque footwork --a patter I've probably done dozens of times-- when I can't do the movements alongside the words. Even as simple as "do I start on the left or the right" took me a minute to grasp.)

So dance class was a delight. Healing is going along swimmingly --I can't twist at the waist, and I can't bend over. I walk much slower than usual. Sitting is real good, but I have to be more reclined than usual. Those are my limitations, but the pain is just...not a going concern. Seriously, my belly is full of stab wounds and I'm out here completely forgetting to grab more pain meds --and I'm just doing the ibuprofen/tylenol alternation, not like anything more intense. Hell yeah.

I'm gonna borrow a cane for the first couple days of school, certainly for the teacher-only days and maybe for the first student days as well. This is honestly a lot less because I think I'll need a cane, and a lot more because I think it would be useful to have a visual signal that you need to be gentle with me or I'll hit you with my stick.

Anyways, ten out of ten, do recommend. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

~Sor
MOOP!

So, I've been alluding to this off and on in various spaces, but I don't _think_ I've made a public declaration. The end of my summer vacation has included one heck of an exciting event: I did a yeeterus on Thursday the 14th!

Yeeterus, noun, surgery to get rid of some unnecessary body parts -in my case, uterus, fallopian tubes, and cervix. More commonly known as a hysterectomy, and I suppose this means I can no longer be hysterical, a joke I am definitely going to workshop in the near future.

I've been coy about it mostly because I have been _terrified_ it would be outlawed before I could do it, fuck you very much the modern USA. Being at that sweet spot of "gender-affirming trans thing" and "sterilization and therefore anti-breeding thing" can make one nervous like that. It's weird that something so personal feels so acutely political. Like. I'm not ensuring I never have periods again *at* anyone, I just find menstruation incredibly personally dysphoric. The confirmation to never have children of my body isn't an attack on anyone else, it's just...something I've been aware was true since I was nineteen. I dunno man, why do you care so much?

Recovery has been very much in line with what I've hoped. The pain has been incredibly mild, and almost entirely kept at bay by careful cycling of tylenol and ibuprofen. The discomfort has been a lot higher --it turns out laparoscopic surgeries involve pumping one full of gas and then that gas has to dissipate somehow. I am treating myself gentle and not walking any further than around the house --but I am walking, and that's lovely.

I have kept an impressive log of feelings and thoughts and observations and stuff, which I am not *quite* willing to just open-share to everyone, but if you're thinking about doing the same, let me know and I'll pull the best tidbits for you.

I am so happy about it. Like, it's gonna make the start of the school year suck and I'm still so fucking happy.

Yay!

~Sor
MOOP!