In 3 weeks time I'll get getting my hysto and today I finally sat and read the leaflets they gave me about what to expect. I knew reading them would give me jitters which is why I've been putting it off.

The whole thing freaks me out. I wasn't nervous at all before top surgery. Standing topless being fondled, drawn on, having pictures taken, whatever .. it was a means to an end. I don't know why I can't have the same mentality about this surgery.

My surgeon is great and has already told me that I'll be admitted to a male ward, no previous exam is required and I won't have to come off T.

HOWEVER....I still have some worries.

Will I have to have a catheter? For how long? Apparently everything down there gets packed with gauze...does a nurse then have to take it out or can I do it myself? I wasn't told anything about exams later on...are they gonna want to take a look? Or will they just ask me how things are feeling?

Being on a male ward, that is obviously what I wanted....but I'm a little worried about the nurses. At least half the nurses who came to check up on me after I had top surgery had to ask me what I'd had done and I got misgendered multiple times. I was in a private room for most of my time there so it wasn't so bad. This time I've been told there's no chance of a private room. I want everything to be conducted in a discrete and business like manner, just check what you gotta check with minimal talking about any of the parts involved. I really don't want to have to explain myself to 10 different nurses throughout my stay with just a thin curtain separating me from 5 other random dudes.

This is all with the NHS, it's just a regular hospital set up to perform regular hysto's for women. All the leaflets are geared towards women....so is all the stuff I look up online. It just makes it worse and I'd really appreciate anyone who has any experiences to share from the male perspective!

Quote from: Jeatyn on September 08, 2014, 10:40:48 AM

Will I have to have a catheter? Yes you will, getting up will be a chore at first let alone using the bathroom.

For how long? From the time of surgery (they put it in after you are under) until you can get up on your own.

Apparently everything down there gets packed with gauze...does a nurse then have to take it out or can I do it myself? No you can't remove it on your own. The surgeon removed mine when he did the exam the morning after surgery.

I wasn't told anything about exams later on...are they gonna want to take a look? The surgeon did the exams to make sure everything was healing alright. And later on to make sure the stitches were dissolved and to remove the ones on my stomach, but that was weeks later after I'd been released.

Or will they just ask me how things are feeling?  They'll do this too. Be truthful with them.

Congrats on the hysterectomy. It's been a year since I had mine done here in the States and honestly it was worth the trouble of the exams. Grit your teeth if you have to, you'll get through it. Also remember NO LIFTING. Period. Nothing heavier than a milk carton for six weeks is what I was told, as was my mother.

Likely you will have a catheter which will be taken out either that night or next morning. Mine was taken out the next morning after the surgeon checked on me. I asked the nurse the previous night if it could be taken out. She said I would be ok without it but she had to ask for my surgeon's approval first. I did not want to bother him so I just waited until the next morning.
If you really hate to have one, you can ask your surgeon. Some surgeons might agree to take it out before you even wake up from the surgery, but it would be a little uncomfortable to get up and go to the bathroom by yourself for the first a couple of hours.
Some surgeons use vaginal packing and some don't. I did not have one. If you will have one, it will be taken out by a nurse or your doctor, in private.
At the 1 month recheck appointment, my surgeon told me he usually does an exam to check the vaginal cuff but he said he did not have to do one since I was apparently recovering well and the exam would make me stressed.

I had mine done in my town hospital, neither my surgeon nor the hospital has done this type of surgery on men before as far as I know, but I was definitely well treated and nobody asked any inappropriate questions.

Congratulations on getting your surgery setup; I look to the day I can have mine.  Are you getting a lap procedure so no big incisions to heal.  Talk with with your surgeon about how things can be done so you can feel best about yourself, if he/she has ever had ftm patients they will understand your concerns.  I have never had a pelvic exam and was told so long as I don't have any problems down there or have a guy in me I am fine.  No guy will ever get in me only a tampon has ever been in there.

The first plan is for a laproscopic assist - but if for whatever reason once I'm under that isn't possible, I'll be getting the full abdominal incision type.

The surgeon has never had a FTM patient, but he did help me out a few years ago by prescribing me an e-blocker when I was waiting for funding approval for T. I feel comfortable with him but NHS hospitals tend to give you very little time with the surgeon. The nurses do everything apart from the actual surgery. 

I've never had a catheter before. Eugh denial and ignorance was so much better when I was picturing waking up from the surgery in a bit of pain and needing to wear pads for a few weeks with no other exams or things inside me at all xD

I sure hope you don't end up needing a full abdominal incision so the recovery is so much longer and harder than a simple lap procedure.  I have never had a catheter so can offer little about how it feels and when you can get it out.  You probably will have a pad on when you wakeup but just think this will be the last time you will need them.  I hate pads so much, have only used tampons since I found out how much better they are, about a year after I started needing something to absorb that awful flow every month.  Ever month when mine starts I think someday soon this will all end.

Catheter should not be painful, but a little uncomfortable. It made me constantly feel like I need to pee when I actually didn't.
My surgeon did not say anything about pads, but after searching online I thought I would need a lot of them after the surgery so I ordered some online. In fact, they only put a bed pad under me in the hospital, and I did not need once I went home. My post op instructions said expect bleeding for a week, and I only had very light bleeding once at 4 days post op, when I was stupid enough to return to my workout.
And now I have a brand new box of pads that I don't know what to do with......

ah yes the very last time, for absolute certain I haven't had one in at least a year but I still live in dread of one surprising me. No more pregnancy paranoia either, hooray! I'm very much looking forward to life afterwards but I'm dreading the surgery and recovery

Left over pads can always could always come in handy as emergency bandages I guess

I took an Emergency First Aid course and and menstrual pads were recommended as the best thing to carry to put on serious bleeding injuries, apply a large one and hold as tight as necessary to stop the bleeding.  There are several girls in my family that I can give any extra tampons to when I get to that point.  I would like to have no more shark week every month, that is my worst dispheria that I have; that I think is because it come every month and you have no control over it.

Quote from: Jeatyn on September 08, 2014, 12:13:18 PM
ah yes the very last time, for absolute certain I haven't had one in at least a year but I still live in dread of one surprising me. No more pregnancy paranoia either, hooray! I'm very much looking forward to life afterwards but I'm dreading the surgery and recovery

Left over pads can always could always come in handy as emergency bandages I guess

Strange thought for you to have.

I know this might sound stupid but I'm not very educated on the topic so can I ask other than psychological obviously what are the reasons to get a hysterectomy? I read something about being on t making it necessary is that true? I really want children one day(not to give birth god no.. But definitely genes) and that'd def be a deciding factor for me as far as when I'd want to start t

Remember when dealing with pads that they use them for cis guys who have just had a prostate biopsy as that can bleed a little afterwards and it's a convenient ready made product soaking that stuff up.

Quote from: mac1 on September 08, 2014, 01:19:10 PM
Strange thought for you to have.

I'm gay with a cis-male partner...you can fill in the blanks from there

I already have a daughter as well, I'm so not doing that again!

Quote from: JHeron on September 09, 2014, 02:23:43 AM
I know this might sound stupid but I'm not very educated on the topic so can I ask other than psychological obviously what are the reasons to get a hysterectomy? I read something about being on t making it necessary is that true? I really want children one day(not to give birth god no.. But definitely genes) and that'd def be a deciding factor for me as far as when I'd want to start t

There are not enough studies on the subject to say either way but it's recommended to reduce the risk of cancer. (The guidelines in England are to have it within 5 years of starting HRT) There's a history of it in my family so better safe than sorry! Plus it means the T has less to fight against; and in my case it means I can stop my E blockers. Less meds is always better IMO. If you're wanting to use your eggs it might be a better idea to harvest them before starting T - your baby making factory has a chance to shut down completely when you're on T. Either way you'd have to come off and then start taking female hormones.

Yeah that makes sense is definitely have to push everything back to do all that I read in some study that embryos can be frozen for upwards of a decade so my plans get that uncomfortableness out of the way to feel safe enough to start T once I'm on it I won't care much for my repro system after that. But geez cancer? And liver problems? This really bums me out all the things that can go wrong medically I'm starting to see it as becoming myself would cut 20+ years off my lifespan..

I had a catheter for two days mostly because I had this epidural thingy for pain medication and its potential side effect is to numb the lower half, including the bladder area so it was kinda necessary. It wasn't too bad, though, just kinda funny not having to use the toilet for that long. Removing the catheter, however... well, let's just say I'll live without ever having to experience that again, pretty uncomfortable couple seconds.
Due to the epidural thingy, the nurses also frequently checked my blood pressure (lowering the pressure as side effect) and foot movement (idk, just because?).

The only thing they really checked on me was the actual incision. Oh yes, I didn't have a laparoscopic operation, btw. My home town's hospital lacked skillz so it was done through all the stuff in the abdomen. Also the reason why I spent four days at the hospital.

I was actually in the OB/GYN ward (I suppose?) afterwards... It was a huge anxiety source for me beforehand but I called there and asked if I could have a one-person room or have a two-person room all for myself for obvious reasons. They were very friendly and I had the latter one. I didn't really move around the ward after the surgery so there weren't any awkward moments etc.

But yeah, one experience from the northern wilderness called Finland.

Quote from: Tossu-sama on September 09, 2014, 01:06:59 PM
I had a catheter for two days mostly because I had this epidural thingy for pain medication and its potential side effect is to numb the lower half, including the bladder area so it was kinda necessary. It wasn't too bad, though, just kinda funny not having to use the toilet for that long. Removing the catheter, however... well, let's just say I'll live without ever having to experience that again, pretty uncomfortable couple seconds.
Due to the epidural thingy, the nurses also frequently checked my blood pressure (lowering the pressure as side effect) and foot movement (idk, just because?).

The only thing they really checked on me was the actual incision. Oh yes, I didn't have a laparoscopic operation, btw. My home town's hospital lacked skillz so it was done through all the stuff in the abdomen. Also the reason why I spent four days at the hospital.

I was actually in the OB/GYN ward (I suppose?) afterwards... It was a huge anxiety source for me beforehand but I called there and asked if I could have a one-person room or have a two-person room all for myself for obvious reasons. They were very friendly and I had the latter one. I didn't really move around the ward after the surgery so there weren't any awkward moments etc.

But yeah, one experience from the northern wilderness called Finland.

Did you not have general anesthetic? Or did you get the epidural and anesthesia?

Quote from: Jeatyn on September 10, 2014, 03:31:41 AM

Did you not have general anesthetic? Or did you get the epidural and anesthesia?

I had general anesthesia, wouldn't imagine going through an operation like that without one.

Quote from: Tossu-sama on September 10, 2014, 05:34:00 AM
I had general anesthesia, wouldn't imagine going through an operation like that without one.

haha ok good, I know some operations are done with you completely awake and I was like hangonaminute I don't want to be awake during this no matter how numb I am

I just had mine done just over a month ago and like you I was more nervous for the hysto than the top surgery.  I had a catheter for 1 day and the nurses were awesome.  The only thing is please don't push yourself too much after the surgery.  I felt fine and may have pushed myself too much which landed me in the emerge after the 2nd week because I kept bleeding.  I was going through a pad an hour which was scary.  But again the hospital was awesome considering I've been on testosterone for over a year now and pass 100% as male.

You'll be fine but please just take it easy after the surgery!  Good luck!

I had NO catheter.

I was discharged the following morning.

There was no gauze packed anywhere.

I did need to use pads for some very light bleeding which is normal from where they oversew where they took the cervix out.

I had laparoscopic-assisted vaginal and general anesthesia. I was on the maternity wing but I was still early in transition, had just started T, was not out to my OB/GYN, and was F on my insurance. They did ask if I had a nickname so I said Jay, so at least they called me by the right name.

When I woke up after this procedure I was elated.  Moreso than following top surgery AND bottom surgery combined.  I could not wait to be rid of those horrid organs.

Congrats!  You'll do fine!


Jay