was anyone else still struggling to walk normal/fast at 2 months post op? I’ve made progress in the past month or so but I still struggle to walk fluidly with straighter legs. I start university in late Sept. and I’m worried I won’t be able to walk around a huge campus with how things are going.
I tried peeing for the second time 3 weeks ago and it was successful but my fistula at the front of my scrotum leaked a bit too much. Dr. Chen told me to try again in 3 weeks and so far this is my 3rd pee since Monday. My stream is still a bit wonky but my fistula only leaks drops now! I’m also able to relax SO much more, I’m not pushing the pee out anymore and it’s starting to just flow out. I have until Thursday to decide if I should keep or get rid of my catheter. What do y’all think so far?
You can also compare my attempt from 3 weeks ago if you take a look at my profile :)
after failing my first voiding trials several weeks ago, i had my successful trial yesterday! it came out in bursts because i kept stopping and then pushing because i was nervous. i probably could’ve drained my bladder if i didn’t do this. but i have two small fistulas, the front of the scrotum and a little hole at the tip.
Dr. Chen responded to this video and said these types of fistulas heal on their on with or without a catheter 80% of the time. I go back to see him this Thursday.
Should I stop peeing altogether or continue until Thursday and have my catheter removed?
Dr. Chen said I was healing nicely 2 weeks ago but I don’t think this wound at the base has gotten better. It always looks wet when I lift down there but everything I’ve tried doesn’t keep it elevated. The underside of my dick just hangs down no matter what. Do I dab up the moisture and keep propping how I am? For those who had something similar, what worked for you?
I’ve been dealing with a stubborn wound at the underside of my dick and Dr. Chen said to make sure I’m propping starting at the base and at a 45 degree angle. Does this look okay?
I’m 4 weeks post op and was given the okay to try to pee today. Woke up at 1 in the morning and jumped in the shower to try and it went terribly. There was an intense pressure build up and then drops came out from the incisions at the tip, not from the urethra. Also some drops from my scrotum. I’ll be calling my team in the morning :/
Did anyone go through this during their 1st void trials? What was the cause?
I’m 2 weeks post op rff with all the bells and whistles and this bleeding started almost a week ago. i was using my heels to move in bed and felt an intense sting, most likely when i tore/ripped something really small. Logan said it’s old blood, to keep it dry and open to air but wanted to get some advice from y’all. anyone dealt with this before?
thanks :)
After having my first complication on day five, which is discharge day for my team, I have officially been discharged and out of the hospital for two days now! My complication was on my donor arm with a hematoma. The surgery itself was only an hour to two and it went great they said. So far my arm has stopped holding blood and it feels and looks good.
Today was both the hardest but best day so far. It was the hardest because I had my first postop appointment and the Uber from my place to stay to the clinic was awful. I was in pain, sweating, nauseous, and just all around feeling pretty bad lol. But once I got there, things improved greatly!
I met with my surgeons and they said everything down below looked great! I had my catheter removed from my penis and it was such a weird feeling. Not too painful, but very strange. Then they removed my catheter bag so I’m just left with the super short tube, and oh my god, it’s been amazing. Not being connected to all of these things has made me feel so much more mobile and a little more independent. I have peed standing with my catheter tube twice, and it was so euphoric :)
As of today, the pain has become incredibly more tolerable, probably a 1 to 2. My physical therapy exercises just my fingers has really made a difference in the pain and tightness in my arm. They really do make a difference haha.
The next thing I’m most excited for is being able to get in and out of bed easier!
hi everyone! Today was day four postop for me and my pain was the worst so far in my hospital stay. Beforehand my pain was anywhere from a 2 to 3, and today was anywhere from a 3 to a 5. I’m also very bad at managing my oral pain medication, I either take it too early or too late and end up in pain haha.
I have good and somewhat bad news. The good news is I got to get out of the hospital bed for the first time and sat in a chair! Getting out of the hospital bed was the second most painful thing so far because both the nurse and I just weren’t very sure on how to do it and it ended up being pretty painful. Once I got into the chair, it was still a little painful until about 15 minutes past and I was able to relax a little bit more. I then tried the commode and unfortunately still backed up. Then a few hours later, I tried the commode again, but this time I got out of the bed with the help of just one nurse and my own strength and there was no pain, so I’ll try to get myself out of the hospital bed myself from now on.
The concerning news was on day two my arm vac was removed. But for the rest of that day, my arm was bleeding and eventually made it out of the arm wrap. The next day, a doctor who works with my team, told me my hemoglobin dropped to a 9.3 and that if my arm continues to bleed this much I might need a blood transfusion. So I was checked this morning and I dropped again from a 9.3 to 8.2 so in a couple hours from now, I’ll end up getting the blood transfusion. I’m pretty positive this will stabilize my blood count because my arm hasn’t bled out of its wrapping at all today, so hopefully I can still be discharged tomorrow and not have to stay an extra day to be monitored.
other than that, there’s not much else to update on! My leg graft is continuing to crisp up. My penis still has a strong blood flow and heartbeat, he’s propped properly, and I love him very much lol. tomorrow should be walk day and discharge day!
EDIT 6/1/26
Unfortunately, my donor arm is still accumulating too much blood between the graft and the tissue. They told me that this can delay healing and could lead to the loss of my graft. So in several hours Dr. Watt is going to work on my arm in the OR and can hopefully resolve what’s going on. I’ll be staying tonight in the hospital.
Man, I’m so damn excited. I got to SF, CA yesterday and had my pre-op today with Dr. Safa. He is SO kind and made me feel confident in his and this team’s work. He did an Allen’s test on me and said it was perfect. He also looked at the hair on my donor arm (I’ve been incredibly paranoid about it) and he said it was perfectly fine. As he was talking about my donor arm, he mentioned my forearm was thick and long enough for at least a 5.5 inch penis so I’m ecstatic. I just finished my bottle of magnesium citrate and I’m on the toilet 30 minutes later, lmao. I’m hardly nervous either, mostly gratefulness and feeling happy. I’ll try my best to make update posts for my future self and for others!
Has anyone who has had stage 1 with Dr. Chen and the Buncke clinic within the last few months or so able to have a person stay overnight with you while you were in the hospital? My mom really wants to stay with me in the hospital for those 5 days to avoid hotel costs or having to go back to my home town until I’m discharged.
Update: I told her she’s going to be exhausted and uncomfortable for those 5 days before it’s even really time to help me out once I’m discharged. She’s going to stay home and come back up once I’m discharged. Thanks for everyone’s help :)
I’m thinking about asking Dr. Chen and the team how they feel about doing glans in my first stage. I’m mostly on the fence about it because it can increase complications and necrosis. For those who went to this team, or in general got glans in your first stage, how did your recovery go? Any complications? Necrosis? Regrets that you added it to stage 1? Thanks!