Today is two weeks post-op.
What have I learned and would like to share? I learned that, much like electrolysis, some pain is unavoidable but absolutely worth it to reach goals. I learned the support and compassion here on Susan's is incomparable - beyond anything I imagined possible. In our own ways we are each climbing mountains regardless of surgery or other details. I wish the achievement of happiness for all of us.
And... there is dilation. Nine days into that, 4 times per day. A few friends (not on Susan's) have joked that's a prescription for "I want what she's having" several times per day and let me tell ya that is definitely not pleasurable yet. At all. Dilation at this stage is more like cramming a carrot all the way into your ear every few hours, if your ear was a recent surgical site trying to heal. I'm confident that will be enjoyable in a few months but for now it's purely a medical procedure and I am following those directions exactly. Too much work went into this to cut corners now.
The first day of dilation in the hospital was okay, some pain but I managed. I barely hit the full desired depth and have maintained that since. The next couple days I was a bit alarmed with increasing pain during dilation - to the point where it was really bad but I heard very clearly this is extremely important - it must be completed each time. I described details to Dr. Ley and she confirmed I'm doing this correctly and will very gradually get better with time. She was right. But in the meantime, when I returned to Seattle (10 days post-op) dilation was heart-pounding bad. The following morning was worse so I started thinking about the math... 4 times per day, 24 hours per day, but overnight was 9pm and then at 7am. My morning dilation was the worst because things had 10 hours to settle in. I'd rather trade a loss of sleep for excruciating pain so
I started dilating at exactly 6 hours day or night. Problem solved. By setting an 11pm alarm and waking up at 5am, dilation immediately became easier. Today, dilation has progressed to the point it goes fairly quickly and it's not that bad. I won't go back to a normal sleep schedule until I'm certain I can dilate without excessive pain.
And here's my lists.
Things I brought to Arizona:
- Any prescriptions including HRT (don't re-start until talking to the doctor at the hospital).
- Medical insurance card if you have one (you'll have a few take-home prescriptions to fill).
- Comfortable flip-flop sandals. GOOD DECISION. This enabled me to walk across the room without bending over to put socks on. I wore the same sandals out in Scottsdale and for the flight home.
- Laptop & phone of course, and chargers. I found 6 foot (2 metre) charger cords were barely long enough... 10 foot would have been better, to reach the bed or table from wall outlets.
- Skirts or dresses. I didn't bring a dress, but a skirt or two is essential for going outside and the trip home - along with comfortable shirts. I didn't pack a jacket (this is Arizona) but an over-wrap is nice for colder evenings outside.
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo/conditioner etc.
- Lotion. I found the hospital's lotion was icky.
- Passport (crazy quick drive to Mexico the day before surgery)
Details to make things go easier (in addition to instructions provided by the clinic):
- Order 3 meals at a time. Greenbaum Hospital requires you call each meal in by a deadline. So I'd call a bit early to avoid rush and order the next 3 meals, less chance of forgetting.
- Double-up the hospital underwear. They provide ugly but very comfortable soft cotton panties, so comfortable that's all I wore - and continued to a couple days after returning to Seattle. I found during the first few days post-op, standard healing discharge would get around the sanitary pad and soak through the underwear (sorry if that sounds gross, just a medical fact). Doubling-up the underwear solved that problem (avoided getting anything on clothes or bed), and gave me the confidence to go for long walks.
- Order prune juice with every meal. It's a small amount, but adding that allowed me to avoid harsher medications and I never experienced problems in this department. Constipation right after GCS would be more than painful, it can cause risk to the surgical area.
- Cut back on coffee before arriving for surgery. (I didn't do this and wish I had). I had been consuming 2-3 "Grande" coffees per day. A single "serving" of coffee is 6 ounces... so I had been slammin' 5-7 servings per day. The day before surgery has a strict diet (clear liquids only), no coffee the day of surgery or the day after. Nurses confirmed what I already knew: although coffee is available and allowed when you can go back on solid foods, caffeine is not your friend when you're trying to manage pain. I had already learned to skip coffee the morning of electrolysis. Day One post-op I had a very intense caffeine headache in my forehead - strong enough to feel through morphine. My advice is: don't make recovery more difficult... cut caffeine to a very low level several days before surgery.
Things I did not need to bring:
- Bathrobe. Meltzer/Ley provides an awesome spa-type bathrobe. But if they didn't, I woulda wished I had brought one.
- Snacks. Greenbaum hospital has a stash of simple snacks, and post-surgery my appetite was not much - I ate because I knew it's good to during recovery. And I gotta say those graham crackers rock when you are first starting on solid food.
- Sanitary pads. You will definitely need these at home but the hospital provides all that's needed while there.
- Extra underwear/panties. Same as with the pads - the hospital provides these, not stylish but very comfortable.
- Extra socks. The hospital provided socks with traction pads on the bottom (standard socks are a slip hazard on a smooth floor). By bringing flip-flops I was able to avoid socks once I was able to get out of bed.
- Ibuprofen, etc. All pain relief medicines including ibuprofen are provided by the hospital while on site.
- Jeans or any tight pants. No way, not for awhile after GCS... leave those home.
...and overall, don't bring stuff you do not need. For the return trip you will have additional luggage because of the post-op kit they hand you (a small hand bag) - and you won't be as strong. This isn't a good time to be hauling unnecessary luggage to the airport.
Things to have ready at home:
- Handheld showerhead on your shower. I have to emphasize this... if your shower does not have a handheld spray, add one before you have this surgery. There are many times you will need this. This one works great:
Moen Magnetix six-function handheld shower head.- Great big bottle of ibuprofen, with a spare in the car. You will eat a lot of these.
- Prune juice. Mainly a precaution to avoid pain and risk from constipation at this point in time.
-
Always Brand maxi pads. I bought these with wings but not sure the wings were necessary. A week later I am about to switch to the
super-thin type without wings - even with dilation the need for these has diminished.
-
McKesson brand lubricating jelly (4 ounce tubes, sold by the case). This is what they start you out with for dilation, and everyone says don't mess with other types at first - just use McKesson at first. They also sell this stuff
in small packets (4 ounces / 118ml is too large for airline carry-on luggage regulations).
- Bed pads for dilation.
McKesson UPHV3036 are good quality. I found some cheap discount bed pads are much smaller and thinner, not worth the risk.
- Small mirror. Everything Meltzer/Ley provides in their post-op kit is top quality with one exception: they include a huge mirror I wouldn't want to travel with. I bought
the one in middle of the photo below, easier to fold up into the dilation kit.
Left to right: mirror provided with post-op kit, illuminated folding mirror from Amazon, iPhone 5 for comparison.:-)
<August 2018 edit: The illuminated folding mirror quit working, was thicker and more complex than necessary.
A basic
compact folding travel mirror is easier to carry and more durable>
