Note: This update contains graphic descriptions that may not be suitable for children or people who are squeamish of blood. Reader discretion is advised.
You want to know what the best thing in life is? Getting the stent removed! Seriously.
I got the stent removed this morning just before breakfast. I was so excited and hopeful that it would alleviate a lot of the pain. I went upstairs and the nurse followed. She said there were 3 stitches holding it in place. As she cut each one I could feel the pressure being released. It hurt a little, since the pressure from the stent is a lot more than the pressure from the dressing was. After she cut each stitch she started to slowly remove the stent. It hurt a little, but was mostly just uncomfortable. As soon as the stent was out I could feel the pressure of the vaginal canal being held open release and almost immediately the pain was gone. What relief! She asked me if I wanted to see it and I said no. I was still reveling over the loss of the pain. She told me to rest for a few minutes and then come down for breakfast. After a few minutes I started to slowly get up, but stopped as soon as I felt a gush of blood seeping out of the vaginal canal, down past my anus, and onto the bed pad. There was a lot of blood. I only had one little pad close by, so I got up and used the pad to stop any blood from dripping on the floor. I went over to where I had the stash of pads and cleaned myself off. I put on a fresh pair of panties and a ton of pads, cleaned up the area and washed my hands, then went down to eat breakfast.
After breakfast I took a shower. It felt really nice to cleanse myself. After my shower the nurse came back up to start the first dilation. She first had me do the vaginal douche, which was a breeze, and felt kind of good as it cleansed some of the excess blood and stuff from the vagina. Then we went back to my room to do the dilation. She explained it the whole way through while I performed what she was explaining. The dilation with #1 went pretty fast, it was only 5 minutes. Then I had to do another 15 minutes with #2. It was quite easy to slip the dilators in...easier than I expected, with no pain either. The 15 minutes seemed to crawl, but soon I was done and pulled the #2 out. I was done. I had just performed my first dilation! I did as the nurse told me and washed everything as specified and put them back in the tub of solution to keep clean.
With the addition of the dilation and vaginal douche today, my schedule just went from crazy to insane. Here's how it breaks down:
8:00am - Breakfast
9:00am - Shower + Vaginal Douche + Polysporin
10:00am - Dilate + Ice
12:00pm - Lunch
2:00pm - Dilate + Ice
3:00pm - Sitz Bath + Polysporin
5:00pm - Dinner
6:00pm - Dilate + Ice
8:00pm - Sitz Bath + Polysporin
9:00pm - Dilate + Ice
Before Bed - Vaginal Douche
That's 4 dilations, 4 icings, 3 applications of Polysporin, 2 Sitz baths, and 2 Vaginal Douches. What a day...after day...after day...you get the picture. Add in work to this schedule and it could seem unmanageable. However, after a few times you do get used to it and things become clockwork.
So today I have been mostly pain free. I still have pain when I first stand up and slight pain when I walk, but that's normal and completely manageable. It feels absolutely wonderful to be able to enjoy the day rather than lying in bed writhing with pain. Ok, I wasn't writhing with pain, but the pain was...err...painful nonetheless. My new donut, the neck pillow one that I got, was not as comfortable before. But now that the stent is out it feels great. It's a lot softer then the round red one they provided, and much more comfortable. With the pain decreased as much as it has been, I'm hoping that by the time I leave I will actually be able to stand up straight again. I think that's mostly because of the catheter that's still in me, so hopefully tomorrow my stance will be back to normal. I'll be leaving the residence here on Thursday, but I will not be going home yet. I'll be staying at a bed & breakfast place that Suzanne recommended to me. Initially this was because I got ahead of myself when booking my flight after finally getting the date set, before I knew exactly what days I should be arriving and leaving. However, I'm actually very happy that it worked out this way since this will give me 3 extra days to heal and get more comfortable with everything before I have the long, long flight back home. So in the end it worked out perfectly.
Right now I can see every part of the vagina except the clitoris. I can see the labia majora, labia minora, vaginal canal, and the urethral opening. It's all there, just like the pictures and diagrams I've seen. Just like a natal female. As the swelling goes down it will look more and more natural. As the months go by the sensations should start coming back. I have no numbness at all from what I can tell. I have feeling in the entire area of the vagina...not orgasmic sensation, but just normal feelings. I expected it to be numb since that's what I've heard happens for a few months. Things are really shaping up to be a great outcome. Thank you Dr. Brassard!
~Sarah
