postop care, help?

[jonjon]

That's so much more reassuring to know about the hand thing!! The arm bandage is getting changed once a week. I have heard that I may need to poke harley st in regards to my appt with them, I really haven't heard anything from them in regards appointments.

The hospital did give me a shower, but in regards the groin area, they didn't pay much attention to so I don't know what the rule is with soap down there 😕 at the minute I'm having to stick to a soapy sponge down of my torso and legs as it's pretty much all I can manage. My shower is over the bath and I can't really get in lol. But yeah, I have to cover the arm with a plastic bag.

The frustrating thing is that I can't feel myself getting better,  I still feel just as immobile and in as much pain and discomfort as when I left the hospital just over a week ago. I'm pretty sure I am healing, I just can't see it myself. It's such a slow recovery,  I seriously underestimated. Right now I can't really see myself being back at work within the next four weeks!  But I'm sure time will tell 🙂

[Al James]

I took six weeks off work and to be fair I needed all that time. If you've only been out of hospital a week you're really still at the beginning of recovery- this op takes a hell of a lot out of you. I have remembered that at one time I had to loosen the outer bandage on my arm and re wrap it cos I felt it was too tight. Take painkillers regularly- even if you don't think you need them. I tried to do too much the first few days I was at home and eventually had to admit that I was weaker than I wished I was. Sleep whenever you can it helps your body recover. I was lucky in that I had my wife to help me in and out of the bath- cos doing that with one arm is hilarious in a non funny way. I can't remember when I had my first bath though- I know I still had bandages on my arm. Things do get better but you have to listen to your body- there's no pushing the recovery on this one!

[jonjon]

I live with my bf and he helps with loads! I doubt it's my arm that would be bothersome getting in/out the bath rather than my legs! I still can't lift them fully without that horrible pull on the ass wounds 😕 I actually tried to stretch by squatting down the other day. Initially felt so good to bend my knees and stretch those leg muscles, but my ass muscles shouted at me afterwards lol

I'm running out of pain meds and ibuprofen so I should prob order some more tomorrow, and also sort out the ppc (think that's what it's called) cos it looks like I'll need it!

[Al James]

Yep the ppc definitely comes in handy- especially if like me the underside of your penis doesn't heal properly and you have daily dressings on it but they change their mind each week which dressings you need. The tight feeling on your legs seems to last forever- it was weeks before I could do my own shoe laces up- I seriously thought I was going to be like that for ever. I'm now at the stage where I can do squats at the gym but if I go a day without putting moisturiser on them then I suffer the next day.

[jonjon]

It's really weird when you feel fine, try do some normal activity like putting some washing in the machine and it totally taking it out of you!!

[Al James]

Yep. I thought I was never going to get to the stage where I wasn't reminded about the surgery several times every day but it just seemed to happen a couple o weeks ago. I can finally sleep without a pillow between my legs and turn over in bed without waking up to re arrange everything that's flopped around. It's strange cos out of all the sites my arm looks the worse and yet it's the one that's bothered me the least- except for learning to sleep with my arm under the pillow to protect it from the cats jumping on the bed

[jonjon]

I'm looking forward to hanging freely lol I'm minus a testicle because they didn't have any medium size in stock lol that bit always gives me a chuckle!!

I find my arm to be uncomfortable more than anything 😕

[Arch]

Ohhhhhh, I am REALLY not looking forward to bottom surgery. The things we have to do to be right with ourselves...

Jonjon, if I were missing a ball after all of that, I'd be feeling pretty...testy.

[jonjon]

Lol both are expected to be fitted at the next stage

It really does take it all out of you, much more than I expected! At one point, the first two days after the surgery I was so fed up I had doubts about what I'd done. But that blew over very quickly and if I had to do it again, I would without hesitation!! 

[Arch]

That's good to hear. I wasn't really apprehensive about top surgery once I realized that I simply had to have it, but this seems different. I know I have to have it...and I'm apprehensive as hell. Maybe because, more than anything else I've done in transition, bottom surgery is truly for me and not anyone else (unless I miraculously wind up in a relationship again, and I'm not holding my breath).

[jonjon]

Well, to update I had my arm bandages removed yesterday!! But Sara told me off for not using my hand as much as I should have been and not stretching out my elbow 🙁 it hurts when I try though, and she's not very informative when I ask questions which is frustrating :/

Hoping I can get some more advice, my hand is still swollen (Sara said it can take months to reduce!!) but since I had a shower this morning and washed my arm for the first time, my hand has swollen up even more 😕 can't tell if it's because of the shower or the extra excersize I've been trying (currently have a stress ball I'm trying to grip and strengthen).

I dont know, maybe I'm worrying over nothing 😕 I'm just worried about having problems with getting movement back in my hand. My arm is healing really well though and I'm happy to see skin!! If you want I'll try and post pics of its progress later because, don't know about you, but I find its healing progress really interesting!! 😀

[jonjon]

That's good to hear. I wasn't really apprehensive about top surgery once I realized that I simply had to have it, but this seems different. I know I have to have it...and I'm apprehensive as hell. Maybe because, more than anything else I've done in transition, bottom surgery is truly for me and not anyone else (unless I miraculously wind up in a relationship again, and I'm not holding my breath).

Anything can happen

I can't tell you you're doing the right thing by going for bottom surgery because only you know that! But I don't have any regrets. Its passed my mind to leave it at that though, no more surgery lol because it's so draining and exhausting! But a few weeks/months of recovery for the rest of the ops out of a lifetime of enjoying the results is a small price imo 🙂 up to now I'm very pleased with what's been done

[Al James]

If it's any help I found that if my hand started swelling then I just pointed it upwards for a while and it went back down again. Think I was at about the ten week mark when my hand looked fairly normal and about thirteen weeks when I could get my wedding ring back on

[jonjon]

Thanks Al. I read someone else online blog last night and they said their swelling didn't go down for 10 months!!! Lol so that alone makes me feel better.

I tried to sleep last night stretching out my arm to straighten my elbow and that seems to have worked in easing it 🙂 glad about that! Was worried I'd never straighten it again!! Lol

I think one more week and I'll be back at work 🙂 I'm just starting to feel better mentally and see that light at the end of the recovery tunnel, leaving the hardest part behind 🙂