How Active Were You 2 Months After?

[K8]

This has probably been covered before, but I searched and can't find it.  What I have found has made me think I might already have the answer (i.e., don't do it), but here goes:

I have GRS scheduled for April 23 (yay!).  I was planning to attend a five-day convention starting June 23 but am having second thoughts.  If I go, I will drive 1,000 miles to the convention city and will stay with a childhood friend at her house.  Activities at the convention run from about 8AM until 10PM. 

I doubt there will be anywhere in the convention center where I could have the privacy to dilate, so it would have to be before I leave in the morning and after I get back, or take a break mid-day to drive to my friend's house, dilate, and drive back to the convention.

I am very healthy but have noticed that I don't recover as quickly as I did when I was younger.

Am I crazy?  I'm beginning to think that this is not sensible.  Please advise.

- Kate

[Kelli]

I would say you've answered your own question.

That sounds like ALOT of activity, 2 months post-op.

I mean, I'm only 25 and that'd be ALLLOT.

Just my 2 cents.

*hugs* Congrats on your date!

[Dawn D.]

Interesting question, Kate. I'd be interested to hear answers from some that have been here before, as well. I am not currently scheduled anytime soon, I am however, looking at this within the next year. And, since I have to rely upon myself to run my business, it might be good to know just how much we can expect to be mobile afterward.

Although, I suspect it will have much to do with each ones own healing ability, overall health condition, physical and psychological strength. Two month's though, does seem like a somewhat short recouping time period.


Dawn

[Birdie]

Unfortunately, at two months post-op you will probably still be dilating atleast 3 times a day. It's best to plan your life around dilation in those first few months, rather than planning dilation around everything else. You can skip almost any other activity to dilate, but if you skip dilation for something else you never know what will happen. Scar tissue contracts really quickly, and twelve hours is long ennough in those first few monnths to be losing depth if things aren't maintained.

*hugs*

Congratulations on your surgery though! 

[rejennyrated]

Well for what it is worth when I was 24 and having vag V1.0 installed it took me about 6 weeks to be more or less back to normal and I was back at work full time after 2 months.

This time, aged just shy of 50, although it was only an "upgrade" to vag V2.0 it seems to have taken a little bit longer. The operation was relatively short and the hospital stay was only 2 days as opposed to 10 for the original, but over all it has still taken about 3 weeks to feel back to normal and I think it will be about 6 weeks before things are properly healed.

So whilst I don't think 2 months is completely crazy... I think you have to be aware that you may still not have your full stamina back by then.

Of rather greater concern is the dilation. At that point you will ideally still be having to do it 3 times a day - and it isn't optional! If you want to maintain good healing and proper internal shape and good depth you do need to do it fairly religiously. I never missed a session and as a result retained the full 6 1/2 to 7 inches that the original surgeon had miraculously managed to create.

So personally I would be a bit cautious about those plans... Hope that helps you in your deliberations Kate - and good luck!

[Sandy]

One thousand miles?

Hon, as others have said, you'd have to stop and dilate during your drive.  That could be a bit, er, indelicate to do in either rest stop bathrooms or the back of your car.

If you were flying, that could be a different issue.

Also, you will probably tire very easily during the first few months.  Your body will take a while to rebuild  your stamina.

Also during your stay at the convention, you will have to take breaks to dilate as well.  And you will be under a lot of physical stress during the convention.

Do you have anyone that could go with you on your trip?  Splitting up the drive will allow you time to rest.

BTW: Is the convention anywhere near Chi?  If you are silly enough to do it anyway, I'd love to get together with you!

-Sandy

[spacial]

Hmmm. GRS or some 5 day convention.?

Tricky choice!!

NOT! 

Fabulous news K8

[Sarah B]

Yes K8, you are right, a similar topic was covered here.  The title of the thread is called, "How long after SRS were you back in full swing?" and appears in the "Post operative life" thread.

Kindest Regards
Sarah B
Post Merge: February 12, 2010, 04:48:00 PM
For me personally, after I had my operation I was in hospital for a week and then I was home for one week. The week at home started out having a problem of dilating, I could not locate my vagina so that I could dilate, which resulted in me stressing out big time and eventually I broke down and cried, because I thought my vagina had clasped, a nurse was called in and finally I was able to proceed with looking after myself, immense relief ensued.  How naïve I was on my anatomy.

During the first week of recovery at home my next biggest worry was being able to pee properly.  This was worrying me quite a bit.  One of the suggested things to do, to relief the pain was to have a hot shower on the lower back and doing so was a great relief.

However, having a hot shower actually made one become dehydrated and eventually at some stage I had drunk a lot more fluids and I was able to pee normally to my immense relief, I then put two and two together and realized that I need to drink a lot more fluids, while I was having very hot showers to relieve the pain from the surgery.

Anyway, two weeks after surgery, I was back at work full time doing an 8 hour day and walking around very gingerly to put it mildly, I was a contractor and I needed to earn my living, my surgery had consumed all of my savings at that point.  For months after I remember having spasms of pain as a result of the surgery, being reasonably active and the body recovering from the major surgery that it had to endure.

I have a high threshold of pain and I was not going to take pills unnecessary to control the pain, because of stories that I had heard about other girls that took pills and eventually became addicted to other drugs.

How come I was able to return to work so quickly?  Probably because I was young, physically fit from all the swimming I had done and I wanted to beat all the other girls in recovery time.

Your suggested plan sounds feasible, you would have at least two months post operative living, dilation routine would be established and twice a day sounds good.  I was also dilating twice a day also, when I first got back to work once in the morning and once in the evening.  I also ensured that I carried around plenty of pads, during my period of recovery.

I would suggest you consider flying to the convention and hire a car for your travel needs while you attend your convention (might be cheaper this way).

Anyway, I wish you all the best for the future and a speedy recovery from your operation.

Kindest regards
Sarah B
PS I was very active after my surgery, working, swimming and going out.

[K8]

Thank you all for your responses.  I really appreciate that none of you said: Are you out of your mind!?!

Thanks for the link, Sarah.  For some reason it never occurred to me to look under Post-Operative Life.

And Sandy, it did occur to me that trying to dilate at a rest stop on I-80 might be dicey, but I really appreciate the reminder.  (The convention is in Minneapolis, so I won't be going through Chicago unless I get badly lost. )

I really hate to fly, but I might have to do it that way if I go.  After reading your replies and the other thread, I don't think I will be able to sit in the car driving for 10-12 hours as I usually do.

I may get a hotel room close to the convention center so that I can go there mid-day to rest and dilate.  I can visit with my friends after the convention.  I have known this woman since we were both babies.  She was an almost-sister to me, but I haven't known her well as an adult.  I don't mind discussing dilation and all that with my girlfriends here in town but am a little reluctant to be too graphic with her (and her husband).

I'm thinking that I probably should skip this one and look forward to the '11 convention (in Charlotte NC, near my brother's house ).  Perhaps I will visit my Minneapolis friends later in the year and swing by Chi on that trip.

I expect to get GRS only once and want to do all of the steps right.  At my age I don't expect to ever use the equipment for its real purpose, but in the unlikely event that an opportunity presents itself I would hate to miss it because I'd been lax in my aftercare.

Thanks, girls.

- Kate

[Sarah B]

Your welcome K8

Kindest regards
Sarah B

[Syne]

I did something similar and rode (another recently post op friend drove) for over 8 hours to make it to a weekend of absolutely insane fun. All days were booked full and we wanted to take in as much as we could. The hotel was nearby so we could drive back, dilate, and then return. It worked out pretty well but we really had to pick and choose what we wanted to do and hope to have some sort of normal dilation routine. It worked out pretty well.

Carry some extra pads with you and have some good pain killers. Know your limits and do not push them. Absolutely make time for dilation during the day, it is a must. You can always attend again down the road and hopefully catch some things that you will have to miss on this go around.

[Sandy]

And Sandy, it did occur to me that trying to dilate at a rest stop on I-80 might be dicey, but I really appreciate the reminder.  (The convention is in Minneapolis, so I won't be going through Chicago unless I get badly lost. )

It could happen...

Perhaps I will visit my Minneapolis friends later in the year and swing by Chi on that trip.

Alright!!!

- Kate

[K8]

  Sandy.

We won't mention the time I rode my motorcycle to Toronto when intending to go to Syracuse ...  

- Kate

[Sandy]

Sandy.

We won't mention the time I rode my motorcycle to Toronto when intending to go to Syracuse ...  

- Kate

The image of Bugs Bunny coming out of his tunnel with a map saying "Hmmm, I should have turned left in Alby-kerky" comes to mind...

-Sandy

[Valentina]

2 months is too soon to do anything that requires effort.  A 5-day convention is too stressful for the body particularly after a major surgery like GRS but so is a 24-hour flight from Thailand to Bulgaria (with some stopovers in between ) 2 weeks after GRS & I survived, so I'd think it depends on you physical condition.