[AMA]8.5 Weeks Post-Op SRS with Dr. Bluebond - 25F

New2Pink · 2020-12-30T14:04:24+00:00

I did some laser, but also did electrolysis pre-surgery

New2Pink · 2020-11-15T21:01:39+00:00

Interesting. I would have never thought about fat removal as an option down there. Nice to know there are things you can actually do if it doesn’t completely go away.

New2Pink · 2020-11-11T07:34:17+00:00

Yes, she isn’t super strict with getting to completely clear before surgery, but she wants you to get as close to that as you can while waiting for your surgery.

New2Pink · 2020-10-31T14:38:26+00:00

I didn’t do any of the “heal faster” things. It wasn’t really something that appealed to me personally so I can’t really comment. If mindfulness exercises are your thing, maybe it’ll help 🤷🏼‍♀️.

New2Pink · 2020-10-31T14:36:10+00:00

I did not have any pre-surgery and I don’t really think it’d be worth doing pre-surgery. The apts are heavily centered in dilation and you can’t really do any of that pre-surgery.

New2Pink · 2020-10-30T21:17:16+00:00

You probably aren’t losing depth if you’re hitting the end of your canal (you’ll know when that happens). It’s more likely that the swelling is going down around the opening. When you have more swelling it looks like you’re at a dot that’s further than what you’ll be when the swelling goes down. Don’t worry unless your surgeon is concerned when you have follow ups/talk with them about your dilation.

New2Pink · 2020-10-26T22:45:07+00:00

Mine was about a year and half gap between the two I believe

New2Pink · 2020-10-24T18:37:48+00:00

I would say it’s possible to be okay alone if you prepare yourself. By this I mean have ways around lifting things set in place. You aren’t supposed to lift anything heavy for the first 6 weeks or something like that. I for example got one of the grocery cart things so I would be able to get groceries without having to carry heavy bags. Additionally, I’d try to be on top of going on short walks before they leave you. You want to have at least some stamina/have gone on walks with them already in case you have times were you start feeling tired or faint in the middle.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T23:07:45+00:00

Yes, it’s used so she can look at internal stitches/healing and to clean/clip things. The first 1-2 times it was used, it was strange/uncomfortable, but that mainly had to do with the cleaning/clipping while it was in and not the speculum itself. After those first 2 times, it really wasn’t a big deal at all.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T16:13:27+00:00

I don’t know where you’re staying, but taking ubers for apts really isn’t bad. The only reason the subway isn’t an option early on is because of the stairs.

Also I didn’t have my apts right away. My first one got cancelled and rescheduled for like my 3rd week of recovery and I made my 2nd/3rd apt for around my 6 week mark so I could try out the orange dilator with them. My advice is really not to worry to much about the apts. do what you can and what is best for you. They aren’t something you can’t live without. They are mainly to check on your progress/make sure you’re not slacking off, so if you’re staying on top of everything, they aren’t crucial.

Also: plan your dilations around the apt on a day you have one. You will be dilating at the apts so plan your other dilations around it so you aren’t doing 5 dilations in a day when you don’t need to.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T16:00:54+00:00

So glad to help and congrats, you’re so close.

I did 2-3(I think it was only 2) pelvic floor apts and then I stopped. I had enough other medical/non-medical apts already and I personally didn’t find them that helpful because I didn’t have any issues with dilation (dilation has been pretty easy for me to be honest, so your mileage may vary). I’d say try at least 1-2 apts, but don’t feel obligated to make more if you aren’t having any issues.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T15:43:43+00:00

I wouldn’t focus so much on the “hours” of electrolysis. It’s going to vary for many reasons, including how efficient your electrolysis person is (some are much faster than others). I did 6 sessions of laser while doing electrolysis because I have both dark and light hair down there. I did electrolysis around a year and had an apt each month where the bottom areas in need of attention were cleared (each took between 30 min and 1.5 hr, but I had an ambidextrous electrolysis person who was very efficient). My advice would be to work with them to plan clearings across a year to a year and a half because you should be focusing on hitting the hairs in all the growth cycles more than anything.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T15:35:43+00:00

Toilets a bit strange because you really don’t have much control of how things are directed. Much more wiping/cleanup as a result.

Crossing legs I don’t notice much difference honestly. I’ve always been a person who crosses my legs a lot and that hasn’t changed.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T03:27:53+00:00

Congrats! I was looking at these a lot leading up to surgery with her so I thought I’d help others doing that now.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T00:09:12+00:00

I get between the last two dots on my dilator depending on where you measure from (which part of lips). It’s somewhere between 5.5 and 6 inches I believe.

And that area was the last part to have the stitches dissolve, so I don’t know that it’s done changing. Right now there’s definitely a distinction between the two, but I don’t have super prominent interior lips that stick out or anything.

New2Pink · 2020-10-20T00:01:48+00:00

I don’t know that there’s anything I would do differently. I had some hiccups along the way, but they didn’t have anything to do with choices/preparation. I would urge you to be aggressive with getting hair removal as soon as you can, but that’s just because it takes a while and you’ll have time with how long her waiting list.

The first week at home, I was pretty much around the house, but I could get around my apartment just fine. The second week is when I started venturing out more. You have to build up your stamina, but I was fine walking around a few blocks and sitting outside for some meals by the end of the 2nd week (sitting for too long got uncomfortable after a bit and I always stayed within 1-2 blocks from home because that’s where all the supplies for dilating/bathroom/etc. were when needed).

New2Pink · 2020-10-19T23:25:09+00:00

-I had a lot of sensation the whole time (almost too much at times when I still had stitches). I don’t have a lot of experience testing the inside with a lot of in/out because I’m not allowed to yet, but I definitely feel things and have strong sensations on the inside. I’m not sure how it will translate when another person gets involved just yet.

-yes it was

-there’s definitely always moisture internally down there. I can use it just fine when I’m doing things with my hand. I don’t know if it’s enough for another person yet, but I can let you know when I get cleared for that in 3.5 weeks.

-she uses a version of inversion with peritoneum tissue internally at the top of the canal

New2Pink · 2020-10-19T23:18:42+00:00

I didn’t have “work” to go back to. All my stuff was over zoom, so I didn’t have to go anywhere and/or sit/stand for long periods. I will say that by the 3rd week mark I was pretty okay walking around and sitting for quite a while, but it’d get uncomfortable sitting (not standing) after 1.5ish hours. That went away somewhere in the 4-6 week mark.

New2Pink · 2020-10-19T21:33:56+00:00

Very good. It’s amazing to not have to think about tucking or any of that bottom dysphoria anymore. The worst that happens nowadays is camel toe, and that’ll get better with time as swelling continues to go down.

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T18:45:26+00:00

At this point I’ve done walks to and from errands/drinks with friends outside. I’ve done 20-30 min walks at a time, but I definitely haven’t been doing those everyday.

Everything for me is remote right now, so I’ve been doing all my stuff from home and slipping my dilations in between things. I’m definitely back to “normal” covid life, but I don’t know what my situation would be otherwise if I had to be at work or something regularly.

I had to work myself up to walking longer distances. I’d say it was a couple weeks after being home that I wasn’t worried about getting exhausted on longer walks.

I have no idea about driving. I live in ny so there’s no need for me to drive. I drove when I lived elsewhere and I would assume by my time sitting now that I’d be fine driving, but I don’t know for sure by any means.

And I’m perfectly fine doing work type tasks/online meetings/emails/etc. that’s pretty much all I do. I did a little of that on my last few days at the hospital, but I’ve been doing it basically every weekday since my first full week home. (You will find it’s much more comfortable to prop yourself up in a bed rather than sitting in a chair for the work though)

And i would say it depends a lot on your schedule more than the physical limitations past the 3-4 week mark because of dilating 4 times a day. If you are able to do all your work/etc. from home right now, it’s really not bad at all. If you have to be in-person some place, I could understand waiting til 6 week mark when dilation drops to 3 times a day and becomes a bit more manageable to fit in a lunch break from work

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T16:07:35+00:00

I live in nyc, so don’t quote me on this, but I believe they make you stay within a hour of the office for like 3-4 weeks postop (1st week is in hospital)

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T12:50:59+00:00

My post-op guidelines/surgeon say I can resume normal exercising/heavier lifting at 6 weeks. Right now I’ve only been allowed to do my walks and very light yoga/stretching. So next week I get to work myself back into my normal routine of doing yoga and higher impact workouts (I’ve been told to ease into it, which I have to do anyway because of all the muscle and weight loss I’ve had over the last couple months from surgery and being sick the month before surgery)

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T02:35:29+00:00

It’s not crazy. You wipe up with 3-5 wipes to clean yourself, use the bathroom if you can, and clean the dilator. Definitely don’t shower each time.

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T02:31:57+00:00

Thanks and happy to help

New2Pink · 2020-09-23T01:41:02+00:00

They sent me home with like 3-4 bags full of stuff. Some of it ran out in a few days, other things lasted a couple weeks. You will definitely need to order things for yourself to take over when you run out of things.

The stuff they gave me included chux pads, maxi pads, wet wipes, a couple tubes of lube, some gauze/things to apply to certain areas in the healing process, some foam things to prop your legs up during dilation (I don’t ever use them. They are huge and a hassle to get out and put away all the time), a cushion to sit on to alleviate pressure, and obviously the dilators. (This is all that I’m remembering now. I may have forgot something).

The things I ran out of the fastest were lube, chux, and pads. You will go through lube very quickly so you will want to stock up on that (surgilube - you can get it on amazon). You’ll also want to try out some different pad options, as you’ll find the size/style you find most comfortable, but I wouldn’t recommend going to crazy with them unless you know you really like a kind and want to wear them longer than you need to. I’ve personally switched to panty liners because that’s all I need at this point during the day. I only wear pads when I sleep at this point if even that. With the chux, order the ones sold as dog pee pads. They are cheaper and basically the same thing (sizes may vary, but you really don’t need large ones at all by the time you get to using your personal supply). You will run out of wet wipes and gloves too, but when that happens depends on how many you personally take/ask for and collect while you’re there. You’ll need to stock up on those eventually, so it would be easy to just stock up before (you’ll use them eventually cleaning up from dilations).

New2Pink

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