I was so tired of having the packing and the foley catheter in my by Monday. Sure, it's nice to be able to forego the nocturnal trip to the toilet, and it might be nice on a long drive where the fewer stops you make, the better. But I wouldn't recommend it. I wanted the cath and packing out!
The stitches holding the packing in had grown uncomfortable, too. I was limited to short walks with them in, and I'd better not forget the donut if I wanted to sit down anywhere.
I called the driver at 8:30 am. She said it would probably be some time in the afternoon. Long story short, at about 6:15 pm Dr. M was pulling a long, long strip of cotton first-aid tape out of me. It looked like a magic trick, with me as the (dubiously) beautiful assistant. A magic trick you couldn't show on prime time, though.
Then, the first dilation with a curved Dr. M #1 dilator. I was just a little over 6 inches. The bad news is that the skin graft lining contracts more than when lined via a penile inversion SRS. There will likely be loss of depth. I'll be completely satisfied if it's no more than an inch.
I had to do it myself once to show Dr. M I knew what I was doing. His assistant gave me an A+, and the doctor said I could head home any time. I opted to stay an extra day in case anything untoward does happen.
He also inspected the labiaplasty work he had done. He said that once the stitches dissolve out and everything relaxes, they should look quite nice.
The dilation schedule is easy – 15 minutes, 4 times a day... After the first month of that, it drops to twice a day <whew> for the next three months, then once a day for another two months. After that, I can increase the intervals to as much as once a week as long as I keep the depth and diameter. Ease of dilation, or lack thereof, is to be my guide. If things tighten up, do it more often.
I still have a bit of healing to go. I can sit without the donut, but the donut makes sitting easier. If I stand up, the swelling from the labiaplasty hurts enough to get my attention.
After getting back to the hotel, I went out to hunt and gather dinner while talking to Cindi Jones on the phone. I made it all the way to Indian School Road (a mile or so,) with no problem, and ended up having a burger and a chocolate shake at Fuddruckers.
I did have to get up at 3 am and dilate. It's the only time I'll have to do so in the middle of the night, and it's only to help control the swelling of the newly-unpacked tissues.
My flight for home leaves tomorrow. I have to go now and get my boarding pass (hopefully with a really low number.) And I have to figure out what I'll have for dinner tonight...
I hope this is really the end of this chapter in my life.
Karen
P.S., If you have any questions on the procedure, or Dr. Meltzer and his operation, leave them here and I'll try to answer them.
P.P.S., Trivia question: Why are Dr. Meltzer's dilators curved?
