I know I've not been on this site for awhile however I had my op with Mr Bellringer on July 24th of this year.
My recovery was quite rough... I had a Hematoma with alot of internal bleeding requiring a second op to fix the damaged artery and evacuate the hematoma and a whole lot of blood transfusions... Then 3 days after I was released from the hospital I got a severe infection that went into my kidneys and also caused some of my sutures to rip leaving me with a nasty injury behind my vagina. Think 1st/2nd degree perineal tear. I was readmitted to hospital for 3 days and given IV antibiotics the wound was left to close on it's own.
It's all healing up now. however I'm quite numb down there. I have good sensation in one of my outer labia, and the very top of my other outer labia but, my inner labia, Clitoris, Vagina are all completely numb no sensation at all.
I'm only 4weeks into recovery so I know it's abit early to write anything off, I'm obviously concerned about any potential lasting damage these complications might have caused. I was just curious about your experiences with sensation down there.
did you have numbness/Loss of sensation?
When did it leave you?
Yes on the numbness
Little at a time left over the course of first year or so.
Body can take a few years to recover.
Yes... I was numb in some of the same areas you mention. My clitoris was always sensate though. It can take 6-12 months to get to the full potential of sensate recovery. I still have some areas with no feeling, and unfortunately that is one of the risks of the procedure.
Sorry you had such a rough time.
Sensations of pain dissolved into pressure and touch by 20 days. Some areas were semi numb but became more sensate regularly as swelling went down. I could not associate a sensation with its site for about 6 months. Between 7 and 11 months the structures in the vulvar area began to register properly, and by 18 months I have a very sensitive clitoris / clitoral hood area, and the area near the urethra is also pleasant except when peeing.
I had no complications and I was quite healthy (15kg over ideal weight but in all other areas pretty fit); I was still numb all over at 4 weeks, I could register the pressure of touch but not much else. It was about two months when I started to notice more feeling (soreness) and it was around 6 months that most pain ceased. Nice sensations are slowly coming on now.
Sorry you had a rough time, it's still early as you say.
I've had slight sensation return but only in certain areas dull pressure sensations from inside I'm actually more worried now because where I had infection and ripping there is a scar, (Large √ shape under and around my vagina.) Sensation cuts off very abruptly inside the scar both sides cover my vagina which is senseless not even pressure sensations around the bottom of it.
I thought that our sensory nerves grew down from the top but this implies that they appear inwards from the sides and I'm concerned because it's really quite a big thick scar, and nerve endings don't grow through deep thick scarring like that.
Even in the best surgery results, some nerves that are cut WILL NOT re-connect no matter what. What does happen as I have been told by both my surgeon and a neurologist in my health plan is that other nerves from different origins will fill in the gaps for us and in time will "map" in our brains to the actual site of the current location. Instead of going up your tummy through that nerve complex, the sensation may run back to your butt and then up the ladder so to speak. I was having false location (phantom limb) sensations up until 6 or 7 months and every now and then my sensations from the clitoris feel like they are at the end of my penis still. In time it will sort itself out.
Vicky
interesting what you say about sensations running up your butt mine do that but not everytime my clit does feel like and respond like a clit which is good.
numbness it will take a while im 5mths post now and have pretty good senstions things have got better over the mths and I expect more changes im still getting those electric shocks from nerves healing.
julie x
I've been consoled greatly by a good amount of sensation returning to my clitoris and yes I tested I am able to Orgasm (5weeks post op) this comes as a great relief to me as that was my absolute worst fear to essentially be dead down there still no real progress on the areas within the scar line I'm guessing I will have to wait longer on those sections... but still much happier now my worst fears have been alleviated.