I’m 6 weeks post-op with Ting, so I’d expect your experience with Avenassian to be similar. Here’s what I found I needed: - Lube. I use Surgilube (from Amazon), and I used about a 4.25 oz tune each week. As I began to size up on dilators, each tube lasts around 5-6 days. - large absorbent pads. I have 4 cloth pads which are washable. That seems to be adequate, but I’m washing them every few days. I also have a few disposable pads, just in case. - feminine pads. With wings. I personally use Always Radiant in a size from 3 and up. I didnt have a lot of blood and discharge, so I was lucky enough to only need thinner pads. Ymmv. - flushable toilet wipes. When you’re doing your bowel prep, use the wipes to help keep yourself clean between visits to the toilet — this is especially important as you get later into the bowel prep and you start passing liquids - that’s a lot of acids coming out, and you want to get them off your skin ASAP. After surgery, the wipes are useful for cleaning yourself after dilation. - paper products. Lots of paper towels (or have a lot of cloth towels and be prepared to run laundry a lot). Soft toilet paper - like ultra soft. - OTC medicines. Tylenol and Advil, also it’s a good idea to have some Miralax on hand - the painkillers will make you constipated, and the Miralax will help to counter that. You don’t want to be straining to poop, because that puts pressure on the surgical site. - bed table. I got one that was fully adjustable and it has been great. I use it for meals, to put my laptop on, and as a shelf to keep things nearby (when it isn’t over my lap) - fuzzy socks. Nuff said - extra pillows. Finding comfortable positions to sleep is extra hard when you have to lay on your back, so propping up your legs/knees are about all you can do. Once you get past that stage, it’s still uncomfortable to lay with your legs together (on your side), so keeping a pillow or two between your knees will help relieve that pressure. Also, when you sit up, it helps to have some extra pillows to put behind you so you can be reclined. - nighties/sleep shirts/etc. I found that ones that hit me mid thigh were best - easy to pull up when I need to access the surgical site, yet long enough to cover me when I walk around commando (which was a lot during weeks 2-4), which leads to... - panties. I found that my usual panties rubbed me right on the suture lines, so I switched to boyshort panties until the sutures healed enough. So far I haven’t stained any of my panties, but others report they had, so I’d recommend getting panties that you don’t care if they get stained. - antibacterial liquid soap. To clean your dilators. I use Dial original. - hand mirrors. To check out the goods! 😀 and you’ll want them for when you dilate to help guide the dilator in (first few times until you get the hang of it) and to check the depth you are reaching. - drinks. You need to stay hydrated, so figure out what you want to have around. I mostly drink water, but when that gets too bland/repetitive, I have powdered flavor packets I can add to the water to mix things up. -entertainment. You’ll get bored. Have a variety of things to keep you engaged — Netflix/Prime/Hulu, books (for me, my Kindle is great because i can download new books on the spot), coloring books, knitting, journal... whatever you find helps you pass the time. For the first few weeks, I needed mindless things - stuff I didn’t need to concentrate on, but could engage with little effort. - friends. Post-surgical depression is real, so combat it with whatever helps you get a boost. Having friends visit is often a good antidote - they can gauge your mental state and intervene if needed to help you out. - timer. For dilation. I use my phone’s built-in timer. -donut cushion. The doctors should have already told you that one, but you’ll need it!

Other specific stuff for Dr. A/Dr. Ting: tell the nurses at NYEE all your meds - they’ll keep you going. They even administered my estrogen shots while i was still there. Everyone at Mount Sinai (and especially NYEE) is awesome - you are in great hands! Good luck!

This post is for Chettawut, but it is wonderfully full of tips. You might find something of worth for you on it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender_Surgeries/comments/7q1nn7/tips_and_tricks_guide_for_dr_chettawut/

No tips, but I’d love to hear more about your experience with Avenessian so far, I’m booked to have mine with her later this year