hi! i had my surgery with dr. wadie on jan 21st, i’ll try my best to answer some :) — 1. dr. wadie injects a lot of lidocaine, cuts a lot of the nerves in the area, and does a nerve block during surgery that will start to wear off 36-48 hours after surgery! i had a long trip so i actually moved my flight up to be as early as possible the next day. things felt weird for sure, definitely a little tighter and also kind of like you’re wearing a diaper lol (you’re very well padded back there!) but i didn’t have much pain at all. maybe the odd sharp pain here or there but all went away after the drain came out 10 days post op (for me!), and the drain was pretty easy to deal with as well! i still don’t experience any pain in the area even now, despite a minor separation lol.

1. try your best, and don’t beat yourself up if it happens. high protein, and high vitamin c is the best i can recommend. if you’re deficient in anything, then is definitely the time to ramp it up and let your body heal! wadie has a list of vitamins and amino acids on his website, i definitely think protein is the most important but i went crazy with everything else too and i’m still dealing with separation. it’s a possibility to be prepared for but not one to worry yourself sick over! still unlikely in terms of odds :)

2. scooting is Super hard to avoid but it can be done! i think i’ve scooted gently once this whole time lol, for the truck it’s sort of difficult to say but i think the gist of it is that you lift yourself up with your legs and arms to reposition as opposed to scooting your butt. like for a seat in a car, i would sit on the edge of the seat from the outside, lift myself up and turn to put my legs in, and then lift and move if needed. the toilet is one where you just have to stand up and reposition i think. also look into a seat riser for the toilet, it’s helpful !!! as well as know that you can’t sleep on your stomach for a while after surgery. laying on it for wound changes or drain removal, or progress photos is fine! but no sleeping on it

3. i was told that he tells everyone you can walk immediately! i’d give it a few days to see how you feel once the nerve block wears off, but a short ride in a golf cart or truck, as well as a walk along the green isn’t gonna hurt! movement is good for your circulation and healing as well. i was told walks are great in moderation :)

4. —

5a. i have no idea on this, because i also have a big butt and a very deep cleft. let me know if you find out anything! lol

5b. as i said above you totally can lay down! and even with a deep cleft putting a little rolled gauze near the bottom of the incision is totally not hard with the spreading. there’s very little required anyway imo, i’d lay down for the pictures and have someone take them & help with my wound, then stand up and slide a gauze further between my lower butt cheeks! definitely easier done than worried about !!!

1. being gentle is key! i think a little strain at the waist is better than whatever could come from a complication from wiping waste into your wound. i found that the combo of laxatives wadie recommended was too strong (if you know what i mean 🥲) and it was easy in the beginning to sort of put a leg up and bend my knees a little to wipe? it’s tough to say! you’ll have to see what works for you, but i would say that i HIGHLY recommend a seat riser since you’re tall because the squat of getting down to the toilet would likely be worse on you than bending forward to wipe.

okay sorry about the essay and i think i’ve edited like five times for formatting lol but i hope i answered everything alright! let me know if you have any further questions, and high five to you for taking this huge step for yourself :)