Stage 3 Revision – 2 Weeks Post-op

I delayed this week’s post because I was going back to work and figured it was worth waiting the extra day.

Saw Hans on Monday and got my staples taken out. There was a bit of confusion regarding a staple-remover that the hospital was supposed to send me home with (ASK THIS QUESTION IF YOU HAVE STAPLES!!) but we got there in the end! I’ve been warned very extensively about making sure I don’t overdo things too. Apparently even getting out of breath from a brisk walk at his stage could do some damage… So I’m allowed to breathe and slowly wander from place to place. We’ll reassess in a fortnight.

As I mentioned above, I started back to work today (Friday). I have a desk job, so I figured there wouldn’t be much difference between sitting at the desk and sitting at home… Just a smaller screen with less interesting things happening on it… What I didn’t take into account was just how exhausting the frequent sitting and standing would be! I lasted until just after lunch and then finished for the day. Hopefully by Monday I’ll be a bit better again.

Wounds

Things appear to be healing well. I have a dressing over my scar to try to get it to heal nice and thin. Every now and then I get a bit of a twinge internally, but it just feels like a light pulling rather than anything actually being wrong.

Medication

I continued taking the paracetamol until probably Tuesday, and I have t had any since then. I think the staples made me more aware of everything than I gave them credit for.

Pain / Movement

Still no dramas with the movement side of things. I actually have to keep reminding myself that I need to be mindful of how I move certain ways. The main reason I was getting tired at work today was because I was getting up without bracing or using my hands. It wasn’t painful – I was just using my abs instead of my arms, and that gets tiring after a while.

Stage 3 Revision – 1 Week Post-op

A week already? Feels like it was only earlier today that I was getting released from hospital…

Looking back, I’ve regained a significant amount of movement and speed in the last week. This surgery has been nothing like the others; and I’m assuming that’s going to come with its own inherent risks (I’m terrible for doing things earlier than I should, because I feel like I can).

It’s difficult to say how I feel things have gone, because I think it’s probably still to early to tell. I don’t appear to have an infection (yet) though, so that’s a bonus in my eyes!

Wounds

I just have the one wound that you can see – it’s along the same incision line as the one used for stage 3. Apparently it looks like an appendectomy scar (for those looking for a way to explain away your scars), but I’m happy to tell people it was a hernia repair.

The wound itself looks… Fine? I can’t really tell because I still have the dressing on. I obviously still have the staples in too – although that’ll all come off when I see Hans on Monday.

The swelling in my stomach has gone down considerably over the past week too. I’m quite pleased about this, because I was a little concerned.

Medication

Initially I was on the following:

• Antibiotics twice a day
• Paracetamol every 6 hours
• Ibuprofen every 6 hours (offset 3hrs from the paracetamol)
• Throat lozenges with anaesthetic in them as required.

Note: the ibuprofen and throat lozenges weren’t prescribed, they’re just a habit I’ve gotten into with pain relief post surgeries. Also, I WAS prescribed some Endone, but I never ended up taking any.

I’m now only on the paracetamol, and I take that when I remember I’m due some.

Pain / Movement

I have full range of movement – I just have to do certain things significantly slower than others. I only really seem to get any pain when I fully stretch or contract my abdominals… So sitting on the lounge is fine, but bending over to touch my toes is uncomfortable… Lying on my back is fine, but stretching isn’t an enjoyable experience.

I’ve perfected my coughing and sneezing techniques. I’ve actually found that a whole roll of toilet paper is the perfect size and firmness to use as a brace when required.

Stage 3 Revision – 6 Days Post-op

Another fairly quiet day. I decided to push myself a little bit to get an idea of the range of motions that are comfortable…

In general, by now I can move most ways without issue. I do get tired very quickly though. The movements I start getting twinges with, seem to involve the pushing and pulling motions (like vacuuming), and anything that involves bending over for a period of time (emptying the dishwasher, feeding animals etc).

I haven’t pushed my lifting limits – because I’m less than a week post-op and I’d almost certainly manage to split my incisions open if I tried.

I’m getting there with my steps. I’m up to an average of around 3800 steps a day now, and today is like to get over 5000… After I see Hans next week, my plan is to start going outside for little walks and build up from there. I’m setting my post-op review as the bench for me going outside for walks, because otherwise I’d just end up going for a long walk and damaging myself again.

One week post-op tomorrow. It’s gone quicker than I was expecting it to, but I still can’t wait to be up and going again!

Stage 3 Revision – 5 Days Post-op

A quiet day all in all. Not much really happened to be honest.

I was feeling a bit more mobile, so I scored the linen basket to the washing machine and put a load on / hung it up to dry… Attempted to bake some donuts (badly), and tidied the kitchen up. Nothing too major – but enough to keep me occupied.

Because I’m in a better state mentally this year, I’m actually finding it quite difficult being at home. Thankfully I should only be off for another week or so.

Today 5 days worth of Movicol made it’s way through my system… I didn’t think I was blocked up – because I was still going to the loo – however apparently I was wrong. Thankfully that seems to be over now, so I can go back to a regular routine…

That’s pretty much it for today. Hopefully something more interesting happens tomorrow to tell you about.

Stage 3 Revision – 4 Days Post-op

0820: I slept a bit better again last night, and I even managed to sleep on my left side! I think that probably helped with the sleeping to be honest – I can’t sleep on my back without constantly waking up.

This morning was also the first morning since surgery that I haven’t woken up with a sore throat! Woo! I’ve still got this weird feeling that feels like a bit of hair wrapped over my tongue, but that should go away soon I would hope!

I’ve also managed to only be on paracetamol since 11 last night, missing both my 1am and 7am ibuprofen tablets. I’m not in any pain – so it seemed pointless taking the additional medication.

1227: Just sneezed properly for the first time. My god that was painful… But I don’t seem to have injured myself which is good!

2120: All in all, a better day again than yesterday. I’m hoping that it’ll just be a continuous curve this time around. It’ll be nice to be done with surgeries for a while…

I started getting a little sore around dinner time. That could have had something to do with me making dinner… No heavy lifting! I was just up a bit longer and doing a bit more. That being said, the soreness disappeared not long after I stopped – so I’m taking it as a good thing.

The swelling in my stomach continues to go down a bit more each day so far. It’d be good if it just kept going, lol. Hopefully a change in diet will kick that into gear!

Stage 3 Revision – 3 Days Post-op

0435: I’ve woken up in a large amount of pain. I think this might have something to do with being in my own bed. In hospital I always have myself raised up a bit, but at home you’re completely flat. I’ll take some paracetamol and see what that does for it.

0800: Well I managed to get back to sleep for a bit, but I’m still a bit uncomfortable, so I’ve stuck another pillow behind me to see if that helps any.. I tried sleeping on my sides, but that was horribly uncomfortable. When I tried to sleep on the right – I felt like I was squashing everything, when I tried the left – I felt like everything was pulling and trying to fall out. Obviously this is mainly psychological, and I probably would’ve been fine – but I’m not risking it.

I’ve slept with my little padding brace against me all night too – it didn’t do much bracing, but at the very least it stopped me rolling onto my sides!

My throat is still sore from the tubes and anaesthetic, I’ve actually found the little throat lozenges with anaesthetic in them help quite a lot – so I’ve been taking a couple of those a day.

2055: It’s been a good day.

I’m moving much better than yesterday – although it does take a minute or so to get going. The swelling in my stomach looks like it’s gone down a bit too, which is good. I’ve put a picture below so you can see the staples and everything.

I’ve already done the reacting-to-something thing… I dropped a spoon and reacted to catch it. Thankfully it didn’t drop too far (from chest height to waist height), but it still took my breath away a bit.

I’m taking anti inflammatories as well as the paracetamol for pain relief. This seems to be working well as I’ve staggered the timings, so I’ve got three hours between taking medication. At the moment that’s around when I start getting sore, so I’ll probably give it a couple days before changing anything too dramatically.

I took a nap around 1pm because I was exhausted. Not from anything in particular – mainly just being up and moving around.

I’ve taken a reading of how many steps I did today (2476). The goal is to start creeping those steps up again… I figure if I can be doing at least 8000 around the house by the time I go back to work – I’ll be happy.

Stage 3 Revision – 2 Days Post-op

0800: Slept a bit better last night… only woke up every three hours instead of every two, lol. I was a bit uncomfortable during the night because of the pain in my stomach from the coconut, but otherwise I slept pretty well.

0836: Had (hopefully) my last dose of IV antibiotics not long ago. And the urology guys just came around and confirmed I can go home today! Woo!

1123: I’m free!! Dad’s just coming to pick me up now. I’ve been given some Endone, Paracetamol and some antibiotics to take over the next couple weeks. I haven’t needed the Endone so far – but it’s good to know it’s there…

1139: Waiting out the front to be picked up. I didn’t think properly about my clothing for leaving the hospital… the shorts I have aren’t all that forgiving of post-operative swelling… thankfully my underwear is a bit larger, so I don’t have any restrictions there… might have to take some painkillers for the car ride…

1605: I’m home. And in pain. We broke the trip up by stopping at my parent’s before my wife took me home. Unfortunately I don’t think two car rides is good for me at the moment lol.

On the whole, I do feel better than yesterday. The aching is much better than yesterday, and the pain from being poked (or moving too quick) is less than yesterday too.

That being said, I think my body is starting to recognise that I’m home, and is starting to relax a bit more… might go for a nap.

Stage 3 Revision – 1 Day Post-op

0730: Slept alright. Woke up every couple of hours, but I got back to sleep each time pretty quickly.

Hans just came in for a review. He seemed happy with how things are looking, but confirmed that I’ll be in hospital another night for another lot of IV antibiotics. The issue is that if I get an infection – the whole prosthetic has to come out; and we definitely don’t want that!

0929: One of the nurses just came in and disconnected me from my PCA and IV line. I still have the port in my hand – but other than that, I’m wireless! I’ve also asked to get the port in my elbow removed. It’s only to be used for anaesthetic, and I have no plans on having any again anytime soon – so it might as well come out!

Now that I don’t have the PCA attached anymore, I don’t need the oxygen tubes up my nostrils either. To be honest I forgot to put them back in after I got up this morning anyway, so they weren’t going to last much longer.

1007: Just had my first shower. I wasn’t feeling yucky before – but I’m feeling much better now. It’s just nice to be clean lol.

I seem to have full range of movement, but I’m moving REALLY carefully. This will probably be the case until the swelling all goes down I would assume.

1104: Opened bowels for the first time (woo!). Sorry if this is a little bit too much information, but I felt like I was pushing more than I would like – so I asked if I could be given a stool softener. I really don’t want to have to come back, and the Movicol really does make a big difference. I’m only on 1 sachet twice a day, but that should be fine.

Pain-wise I’m doing fine. It just feels a bit like a bruise. Coughing and blowing my nose is a bit of an interesting endeavour at the moment. I’ve got a little pillow brace to hold against my side, and my rolling technique is getting better and better lol. Just waiting for someone to come and put my sexy stockings back on, and I’ll go for a walk around the ward.

2132: All in all, not a bad day today. I’m in a bit of discomfort this evening, I think sitting isn’t the best position to be in all the time at the moment. And I have a strong suspicion the catering staff neglected to write down my coconut allergy, which is now causing some gut pains.. but otherwise not a bad day.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get discharged, and I can go home.

Stage 3 Revision – Surgery Day

0602: Well, I’m at Greenslopes again (hopefully for the last time!). Just checked in at the front desk and waiting for the nurses to come through. It’s getting to be a bit embarrassing to see the size of the file they pull out for me these days… although I guess it’s to be expected after 5 fairly major surgeries.

I’m not feeling all that nervous to be honest. Just the usual level of anxiety. I didn’t sleep the best last night because my mind was ticking over (and the bloody cat was licking too loud), but it could always be worse.

0629: Hospitals are cold. I keep forgetting about that…

0643: Just been seen by the first nurse. Everything is looking good so far – although I’m annoyed by my weight. It looks like I can build muscle faster than I can lose body fat these days… might need to tweak the macros a bit…

Not sure where I am on the list, but hopefully it’s not too big of a wait.

0759: All gowned up and waiting to go. If I never see a pair of mesh undies again in my lifetime – I won’t be upset 😆

0830: Apparently I’m 4th on the list and the 2nd person is still in the waiting bay. Might be here for another hour or so. Meh – I’ve got tv to keep me occupied, and as long as the guy next to me coughing up his lungs leaves soon – I’ll be quite happy 🙂

0956: Still waiting. Shouldn’t be long now.

1531: I ended up getting to the anaesthetic bay at 1050ish. Got back to the ward about 15 mins ago.

Apparently things went well, Hans was saying the two options were to move the reservoir but keep it above the fascia, or place it under it (basically where all your guts are). He chose option 2 a which is common practice if the initial option doesn’t work. There was a lot of scar tissue, so it was a bit trickier than originally planned – but he got there in the end.

When I got to recovery, my throat spasmed a bit and I couldn’t breathe. That wasn’t fun – but thankfully it also didn’t last long. The anaesthetist popped his head in to talk about it and said he didn’t know why it had happened, but there we go.

I have no catheter, and I will be allowed to get up a bit later on – but for now I’m peeing in a bottle lol. My erectile device has been inflated too – I need to speak to Hans about when that can be deflated…

2231: Saw Hans around 7ish. He came to have a look at things and see how I was going. Apparently everything has gone well. There was a lot of scarring which made things a bit trickier, but it’s all sorted. I have 3 sets of internal stitches and approximately 15 staples on my stomach scar (staples apparently help a scar heal better when you go through the same hole twice).

Looks like I’ll be here for two nights though.

I got out of bed for a couple hours after Hans left. It’s nice to be able to get around – although I need to perfect my tolling technique for getting out of bed again.

My little green button is staying attached for the night, which also means I have to keep the oxygen tubes up my nostrils… The PCA is meant to help me get a good night sleep, but I’m fairly certain having air blown up my nose will make sure that doesn’t happen!

I’m on IV antibiotics, paracetamol and the little anti coagulant injections. If I’m staying another night then I hope I get unhooked from everything in the morning. I currently have the nostril tubes, the IV line in my right hand that’s connected to my PCA and drip, and another canular in my elbow that’s not connected to anything, but they won’t take it out. Thank god I’m not also catheterised….

Stage 3 Revision – The Night Before

I think I prefer “Stage 3 revision” to “penile reservoir reposition and hernia repair,” so I’m going to run with that title.

I’m feeling pretty good to be honest. My main stress is having to lie down in the bed all night (Stage 1 really messed with my head in that regard!), so I’m not really that nervous at all.

I’m due at the hospital for 0630, so I’ve got the cab booked for 0530. It’s weird living in Brisbane again – I love that I don’t have to fly all the time, but I hate cabs lol.

I’ve realised I don’t really know what to expect when I wake up. I’ve been doing some research on hernia repairs and found some good information on healing timeframes, but then it occurred to me this evening that it’s not only not a true hernia repair, but that the repair isn’t the only thing happening – there’s the repositioning of the reservoir too!

So I don’t know if I’ll wake up partially inflated again or anything like that. I’m hoping I won’t be catheterised, but to be honest if I am then that would put my mind at ease with some of my fears regarding strictures.. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow!