u/StrangelyBearish

I had my metoidioplasty, with urethral lengthening/hookup and vaginectomy on May 4th with Dr. McClung in Columbus, OH. Here are my notes so far (Part 2):

1. The pain has been extremely manageable. I was prescribed Norco, since Oxycodone does not work for me at all, and finished it only because I have taken largely unnecessary doses for when I shower. Other than that, I have been using 650 mg acetaminophen or 400 mg ibuprofen as needed, with multiple hours without anything at all. There has been no sharp pain, just mostly aches. That said, I have a very high pain tolerance, so no shame to those who need more.

2. Living with a catheter isn't bad, as long as you can find comfortable sleeping and sitting positions that allow your bladder to drain. Luckily I don't have issues sleeping on my back. Securing the tube to where it exits your body is key to avoiding discomfort and wiggling, but it is easy to do with some tape and gauze squares!

3. The smell is annoying but not terrible. A lot of swelling has gone down, and some drainage is happening, so there is a slight smell between showers that is largely copperish that I find annoying but not nauseating.

4. Pooping has been The Worst Part. Sitting on the toilet is uncomfortable and it is hard to fight the reflex to push, even when your stool is soft. I have had some slight bleeding out of my urethra a few times when I pushed, which is scary, so I am trying my best to avoid it. For similar reasons, gas has also been an issue but standing and walking is good for that.

5. My appetite is getting much better. Taking my shot helped a lot, and having a lot of visible and easy snacks around is also something I would suggest.

6. Other than pooping, the second worst part has been the bruising on my ass. It is directly where my weight goes when I sit and is very uncomfortable but luckily has faded significantly. It was also quite swollen, making pooping difficult until yesterday when it went down.

I also finally looked at my results! I am very, very happy so far, and imagine I will be even more so once the swelling has gone down. I just sit and look at everything once I have finished my shower, due to really loving how everything looks so far, and also being paranoid about wound separation.

Things are going great so far! Thank you everyone for the well wishes!

I had my metoidioplasty, with urethral lengthening/hookup and vaginectomy on May 4th with Dr. McClung in Columbus, OH. Here are my notes so far.

1. No sharp pain. It mostly feels like I took an elbow to the taint a few times. My pain has mostly been between a 4 and a 6, with the spike in discomfort coming from gas pains. The gas pains have been the worst part, but walking around helps a lot with that.

2. Walking at the hospital was scary the first day, when I walked twice, but I am able to get around my home very easily now without help. Having a rolling desk chair to hook my catheter on has been great.

3. The catheter (suprapubic) was annoying until I figured out the best way to hang it when sleeping. If you can ask, ask them to tape it to the leg closest to the side of the bed you get off of. I didn't get to ask, but I can run the tube under my knee and it works just fine.

4. Having pre-prepared meals in my freezer has been great. I meal prepped, but I imagine that regular freezer meals would be fine too.
   McClung has you get up and walk around for 10 minutes every hour, with the goal being 6 times per day. This gives me time to empty my catheter bag, get some more water, and get food, if I need. I also stretch minimally and pass gas usually at this time.

5. Riding in the car was fine, as I planned it around my pain medication schedule and laid back the seat quite a bit, but I would not have wanted to be in there more than 30 minutes.

6. My appetite did diminish a bit but I have found that many small meals is working well to get the calories in me while keeping me fed enough to avoid nausea with my medicine.

Finally, I haven't actually seen the surgical site yet. Mostly out of nervousness (because I can be squeamish) and being unwilling to disturb the gauze just yet, plus not wanting to bend much at my waist. I plan to get a good look on Thursday, when I get to take my first post-surgical shower. McClung assured me that everything went even better than he expected and, when he looked at the area the day after surgery, was pleased.