just decided to read the notes from hospital and it says I have to have epidural for my op. is this usual?
I was thinking I'd get the usual gas anaesthetics.

who has had srs in UK recently?

Hi Rose I'm also glad to hear your doing well.

Glad to hear it's gone well, Rose.
I lost half a stone in the first week, eating is not easy when you feel like that. I found fruit easiest to eat, practically lived off pineapple while I was in the hospital.
Are the foul antibiotics Flagyl by any chance? The most disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth. I was on them for 4 weeks, ugh. If you're on these, do not drink alcohol.
Happy dilating!
xx

The fluclycillin quickly worked on the infection and its much less sore now.

went to London to see surgeon on Monday and he cleaned it up and said it was ok. took the catheter out so after 17 days I am finally free of the damn pee bag.
Then I found that despite drinking about 5 pints of liquid I couldnt pass water but went to bed anyway. woke at 4am with sore tummy and called the NHS Out of Hours service for advice and they said to go to A&E at hospital. But withh no car it would have been a big effort so I decided to stay in bed and call my own doctors as soon as they open.
About 10am after holding water for about 22hours I felt a bit constipated and struggling to empty bowles made bladder work a bit.
great rellief. then finally at about 4pm I finally did a normal pee.
so now I feel a lot better.
I'm drinking lots to make sure it continues to work properly.

These are things to be aware of during SRS

hi lucy, definitely Picolax and taste was just on borderline of being unpleasantly sicky,
surgeons was not happy with drinking pineplle juice or even cranberry aas they are both strong and I had had the colon piece removed and getting that healed quickly was most important.

Today I'm home after a decent night's sleep but I have zero energy so I'm glad I came home yesterday when I was feeeling quite well.

Waiting for the train I got a bottle of Coke and OMG! what crap are they putting in it now? That was vile and to create a saying 'I'd rather drink Picolax'

LOL

It is sore!
Day 14 yesterday and now 15 and it has been really sore to the extent I have had to go native and bare my vagina to the fresh air rather than attempt to wear any pants and pad.
I've turned the clock back to before mass produced sanitary towels and pads and used blissfully soft strip of old Tshirt to keep things clean.
Had a big shock when I saw that the pain is from a vertical slit on left front of it that has split its stitches and now exposed raw edges. This explains the awful pain on inserting the dilators.
I go for follow up on Monday so it will be interesting to hear what surgeon has to say.

If no pain no gain is true I should eventually end up with a beauty.

seven days after surgery and I am finally feeling better.
all the nausea has gone and surgeon is well pleased with his work.
I still can't face much food and generally leave most of what they bring - Picolax bowel cleaning routine is a super diet trick that needs recommending to all the obese slobs.
Should be Ok to go home on Sunday 6th.

Hi Rose,

Congrats on achieving your goal despite all the setbacks. Glad you are feeling better.

Best,
Mellie

time seems to be speeding up now that I have a definite surgery date and its not sometime in the future.

No one is more deserving than you Rose, you probably don't realise just how much it helped chatting with you all those years ago, take your locket with you for luck xxXxx Cristine

Just received the written confirmation boking for my surgery so I have booked train tickets.
Now I have to cross my fingers that all the sturm and drang of our usual British snow clearing emergency services doesn't cause delays and postponements at the hospital.

Hi Rose,

That's great news. I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a quick and pain-free recovery.

Best,
Mellie

Great news Rose, congratulations.
I know one girl who's going to have a very happy new year.

Scretary just called to say they can do me definitely on Saturday 29th. so I feel good.
got to be there on Thursday lunchtime for health checks and to start the bowel cleansing so its as empty and clean as possible.

Best of luck with the 29th Rose. Hope you don't get messed around too much more. Take care love Lillith x

it was too good to be true! surgeon's sectretary called to say one of the other surgeons cannot do me on 27th so she is trying to get them all to commit to Saturday 29th.
non-UK people need to know that these days UK medical work 7 days especially those in private practice.

Best wishes Rose. The uncertainty is hard on you but once you have the date, it will be here in no time.
Hugs,
Marsha

Good Luck, Rose

I got a call from surgeon's secretary today replying to my complaint of no progress and she says problem has been my op will be a long one and the hospital naturally wanted to make more money by doing several small ones so this has made the surgery team reluctant to commit to me but they almost have and so I have a date tentatively set for 27 January.
I am crossing my fingers that it will happen but I am not going to get excited until I get written confirmation.

Great news Rose,
If you do get your 27th Jan 2011 date confirmed, what a new years gift!
What a fantastic new year that would be to be a real woman at last.

new problem surfaced this afternoon: suddenly got urine infection with blood clots in urine.
went to the only shop in the area to see if they had any cranberry juice or dried berries but didn't so now I have to see what happens during night as if it continues I will have to try get an appointment with doctor for some antibiotics.
I think it should clear itself by the weekend but it will be back again sometime in the future.
I think the problem is below my bladder and its my seminal vesicles that are congested infected.

the hospital cancellation policy is cancel less than 14 days prior to surgery and get billed the full amount!

I will be really glad when my srs surgery is well and truly done.

so painful and messy on Saturday evening that I called the NHS Out of Hours service for advice. They listened then arranged for a doctor to come.
He agreed it is infected and gave me a prescription for good old Fluoxycillin.
But I have to wait until 10am today to find a chemist shop open.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi everyone,
thanks for good wishes.

got to hospital on Thursday 27 at 10.30 and they starved me friday until today lunch - 130 hours. and made me drink bowel clear stuff, gave me three injections of pre-op at 5.45 saturday and I fell asleep until 2pm when I came awake quite happy and painfree, sat, sun, was just boring and they kept giving me absolutely foul antibiotics that made me nauseus with gut wrenchings, monday early I was upset at the constant nausea and all the pills they are shoving at me. tueasday I really began to miss eating though I am not actually hungry but they said clear liquids only until finally today lunchtime they gave me soup and jelly and yogurt. had a major scare at 4am when I suddenly felt a wetness and found awful amount of thick blood escaping from dressings, nurse called resident doctor who can and decided it was old blood escaping from where they had taken drain tubes out and I was actually better off to get it out as healing should be faster.
today I have refused painkillers but still have to take teh awful antibiotics. I told my exnurse boss and she said those antibiotics aare so strong it is recommended they be taken with meals to prevent damaging stomach.

The bed is the worst I have ever been in, slippery rubber linings that make it imppossible to maintain position so as I slip down it pulls my dressings and stings, the rubber makes me sweat so I feel filthy and the back of my hair is a tangled mess as I can't sit up to properly bruch it. they say I may be allowed a shower on friday.

food choice pretty good but so far I only get the menu cards for the low-res stuff. due to extended fast I don't want big portions.



the staff is the widest mix of ethnics I have ever been among. Tonight's nurse is happy Cleopatra.

6 weeks on and its still sore enough to make me wish there was something I could do about the pain.

there is no thrush or other infection but on each side of the slit the labia are really stinging at any contact so I spend most of time with knickers way down low, on either side of the vaginal opening the surgeon did the usual bit of using a bit of the central scrotum to make the base of the vagina but for some reason it won't heal to the side bits so there are two raw patches that really sting. getting up and sitting down make me wince.
I've tried all sorts of creams but nothing works and on Monday the surgeons assistant said to try Manuka honey as it has magic properties but apart from getting me all sticky it hasn't helped.
I'm definitely not a happy bunny and its nearing spring time when I should be in mating form.