GRS Recovery Timeline & Expectations

[missmorganlang]

Hello,

I've been on HRT for 3.5 years and am going in for my big surgery (GRS) on November 29th.  I'm the most excited I've ever been and also the most nervous I've ever been, especially about the recovery.  I live in New York city and lead a very active life and also live in a 3 story walk-up.  I'm going to try to stay at a friend's place (ground floor apt) for the first month but had a million questions as far as a rough timeline to recovery.  How much time is spent lying in bed vs walking around?  Can you walk around?  after how long?   Can I SIT???  Should I get one of those little hemorrhoid pillows?  How long do I need to take pain killers for (I hate pain killers)?   

I'm also looking for pro-tips on what to do, not to do and/or anything I should get/buy in advance...etc.  Tips on how to minimize scarring?  Is it really necessary to dilate 4 or 5 times a day?  Does dilating for an hour count as 2 times?

If you know of any other good posts that cover a lot of this, please point the way! 

Thank you so much in advance!

[Nina]

Let's see if I can impart some wisdom from my surgery.
Following surgery, I spent six days in a recovery house. Didn't get to walk around a lot as there were dilations, sitz baths, showers, eating and sleeping. Not much time for anything else. I found the blow up cushions useless...the stent inside you...well...it made for very uncomfortable sitting.

I never took painkillers...not one. For some reason I responded nicely to post op. My roommate was screaming for painkillers.

When I got home following my trip to the surgeon, I went for short 10 minute walks. Each week increased the distance. I'm in fairly good shape as I hike and backpack.
Is dilation 4-5x necessary? I get flak here when I put my full faith in doctors, so yes, I followed the schedule to a T. 3 years later, I'm glad I did.
For scarring, I bought Vit e capsules. You puncture the pill with a pin, squeeze out the stuff and massage into the scar. Worked for both my vag scars and when I had my tracheal.
When in the recovery, bring your iPad or phone...whatever...to play games or listen to music. Brig a book or puzzle books. Like I said...you're in bed a lot.
Before I came home, I had bought lube gel, pads, etc...as well had meals pre made and in the freezer.
Wish I would have thought of ear plugs...my roommate snored so awful...one night I asked for sleeping pill to knock me out, I swear that if I had to spend another night listening to her snore, it was going to be a pillow over her....just kidding.
I hint that's about it...if I think of more, I'll post.

Good luck!

[Barb99]

Nov 29, that was my surgery date last year! Welcome to the "29" club.

I left the hospital 2 days after surgery and then spent the next 6 days in Dr. Rumers recovery house. This was on the 2nd floor and I had no trouble with the stairs.

Pain pills I took for 3 weeks, can't say as I really needed them, but I like them, they relax me and help me sleep. So as long as they were offered I took them.

Eat, sleep and watch TV is pretty much all I did for 6 days. Walking was no problem at all, well, except for carrying around the bag and the drains. My doctor didn't allow showers until the last day after the packing came out and no baths for the first 90 days.

Sitting was a different story. Even with the donut pillow I couldn't take any more than 10 minutes then I had to lay down or go for a walk. I had a 90 minute flight home after 6 days in recovery. I survived it, but it was not comfortable.

Once I got home things were not bad. I drove and went out shopping the first day. I did tire out easily. 2 hours out meant a 4 hour nap! Dilation, follow your doctors orders. I was on 20 minute sessions 4 times a day to start with. That schedule pretty much ran my life, but I followed it and the rest of the schedule. For the first 8 months I only missed 2 dilations I'm now at once a day and using the largest dilator available. At the time it seemed like it was never going to end, but looking back it wasn't that bad and was definitely worth it.

Good luck, hope your surgery goes well!

[Dena]

While most of the questions have been answered, dilation should be spaced out equally over the period of a day as long periods without dilation make insertion much more difficult. Bunching them up should only be done with your doctors approval.

The amount of pain you experience is subjective. If you can injure yourself and ignore it, the odds are you won't need much in the way of pain medication. If for example hair removal requires every pain control method you can get, you may need more pain medication after surgery. In my case, electrolysis was done without pain medication and I didn't have any pain medication after surgery though it was offered.

The real issue after surgery is exhaustion. The surgery and two days on your back really saps the strength out of you and just a short walk can leave you ready for a nap. After surgery, you should move around as much as possible within the doctors restriction in order to regain your strength. By the end of the first month you should be mostly back to normal but full recovery will more likely be 6-8 weeks.