@Monkeymel, I am 9 weeks post op also with Dr Chet. Congrats on your date and choice of surgeon!
As far as visa's, I was there for 29 days and did not require one being from South Africa and staying less than 30 days. Im not sure of the requirements for your country.
Having a travel companion is a good thing, and they would continue to stay on at the hotel for the duration of your hospital stay. Dr Chets drivers travel between the hotel and clinic many times every day, so, would collect them and take them back to the hotel after visits.
You are supplied with your dilator kit upon being discharged from hospital, and they are quite sufficient to begin with, so, you do not need to purchase any others. I have just started on no 4 this week, so, would probably be looking at purchasing the soul source in the next month or so when I am ready to go up in size.
They provide pretty much everything you need but you can also purchase extra pads, bed liners, lube etc from Som or also from one of the pharmacies or Tesco's in the mall across the road from Dusit.
If you have specific dietary requirements, id recommend discussing them upon your arrival with the hotel. You would start bowel cleansing 3 days before surgery, so, only clear fluids then till your surgery. Upon arriving back at the hotel, you are not allowed to leave your room for a few days, although you will be more than capable of looking after yourself. You will probably rest most of the time, but have to get up to empty your catheter and eat.
They remove the vaginal packing on around day 7 and the catheter around day 9 depending on your recovery, so, you will be confined to your room for at least 5 days after returning to the hotel. They deliver breakfast to your room every morning and for me it was enough food for breakfast and lunch. They provide a high protein diet to aid in your recovery, but again, discuss your requirements with them beforehand.
I stocked up on lots of water, extra food like instant noodles, soups, and snacks before my surgery as I was alone and did not know for how long I would not be able to leave my room afterwards. The hotel does have room service aswell.
Once the catheter is removed, you will be allowed to shower and move around in the hotel, go for meals at the hotel restaurant and a few days later you will be encouraged to take walks to the mall every day. There are restaurants, and food stalls, lots of choices.
My first walk was on day 11 after surgery and I spent 2 days in bed recovering after that, lol! One does not realise the effects of the surgery and that it is actually major surgery, so, listen to your body. I also had many plans to use my 3 weeks of recovery to study etc, etc, but my mind just was not in that space. Comfy, loose fitting clothes are a definite must, tight underwear, pants, denims etc, will be very uncomfortable.
I never really had 'pain' as such, but alot of discomfort from the vaginal packing and especially the stitches. You will however have more than enough pain medication should you require it.
There are other patients in the hotel, all in different stages of recovery, so, you will definitely connect with other people.
I hope you find some of the info useful and I wish you the best of luck on your journey! Keep us posted on your recovery.
Adrienne.
