Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hi everyone...I had SRS eight days ago and the level of swelling is really concerning me. I am in touch with my surgeon, who says it's not a reason for too much worry and that it's normal, but I haven't found too much online about this and am curious what everyone else's experiences with swelling has been like.

Personally, my vagina currently looks like 30 bumble bees swarmed over it and repeatedly stung the heck out of it. Both sides of my vagina, both the left and right side of the labia majora, are enormousssssssllllyyyyy enflamed and swollen. It all looks REALLY BIG. It's really hard to imagine that swelling like this will one day go down and look normal.

I'd so appreciate some words of reassurance from those who moved through intense swelling - i need to know that everything is going to be okay.

That does sound perfectly normal. I had enough swelling that even the nurses were startled (enough that underpants 2 sizes too large still didn't fit!), and while it took closer to two years for all the swelling to disappear, my aesthetic results have been excellent. Eight days really is too soon to worry about swelling, unless there's something else going on that has you concerned as well.

You can try gently icing the area for a few minutes every hour, and you may also find that overdoing it in terms of walking or sitting will temporarily worsen the swelling.

Icing is the only thing I found that helped much.  I'm only a few weeks ahead of you and while the swelling has diminished it is still pretty noticeable.  Eight days post op, I was a total mess and looked like the back end of a sausage machine.  Follow your post operative plan, nap, dilate, try to smile.

Best,
JB

At least some surgeons prescribe anti-inflammatory dugs post op. Are you on any NSAIDs?

Ice and anti-inflammatory drugs are definitely useful in the beginning of recovery. You will see improvement in a month or two. It took me a full year before all the swelling went down.

5 months post op for me and still some swelling especially just above the vagina entrance. Sounds pretty normal. My surgeon said 6 months to a year before all swelling is gone.
I had a major lung surgery about 6 years ago and I remember the swelling and strange numb feelings from that lasted almost a year.

My surgery was just a couple days before yours Hopeful, however, I'm doing GCS in two stages here in the USA.  The internal stuff is done but my external aesthetics wont be done until early June.  I was told that icing is only good during the first 48 hours but if you choose to do it now, don't overdo it.  Icing more than 20 minutes at a time is counter productive from what I was told because, I assume, cold tissues don't heal as well.  Here are two things I've been doing that may or may not be helpful for you.  Bromelain is a natural supplement that claims to reduce inflammation.  I take 500mg am and 500 pm.  There's no way to know for sure if it's working for me but I will say, I haven't been concerned with swelling since surgery.  Who knows; every body is unique and perhaps mine isn't prone to problematic swelling but yours is.  The other thing that I KNOW is helping significantly is warm Epsome salt baths (check with you surgeon but mine said baths are OK after the first week as did my post operative OB/GYN).  I saw improvement within 12 hours and attribute it to keeping the suture lines clean and healing quickly but I believe is has also reduced my swelling.  2 cups of Epsome salt in a tub of warm water, soak for about 20 minutes or longer followed by a rinsing shower two times per day.  Candle light and some relaxing music are nice too.

Your after having major surgery and swelling is completely normal, eight days is very soon, mine was a complete mess after the surgery, I cried and started having regrets at the time, I had a 2nd procedure done at the time to improve it's appearance, that in turn delayed the healing, it was nearly 2 years before my vagina looked and felt completely normal, and that was the 1980s, time is a healer.

Swelling is extremely common and generally a fair amount of swelling is extremely normal. The swelling you have will take up to a year to go away due to the fact it is major surgery. It never hurts to check in with your surgeon though anytime something doesn't look right or isn't going like you thought it would that way they can make sure everything is okay anyways. The amount of swelling I had was far less than many, but that isn't the norm. Hang in there, it will get better. Hugs
Mariah

I described mine as being two raw turkey breasts sowed on my crotch.