Howdy from Michigan

[WheelyFixed]

Sounds about right, swelling gets worse for 3-4 days after, then starts to slowly go down...

Obviously you want to keep a sharp eye out for any signs of infection. Otherwise it should be getting better from here on out.

WheelyFixed

[Evolve]

Today was the day. I know i haven't followed up in awhile on this, but had my consultation earlier this week, and today went in. No pain yet, but back at home keeping the cat away from my lap will be a challenge for a few.

Followup visit tomorrow.

I just made it under the wire, as Dr is retiring today from his office practice, I was his last patient (in Michigan). I understand he'll be working in a warmer climate state in some other capacity.

Sweat pants are my best friend right now, and i can tell there is a bit of swelling.

Congratulations!!! I'm SO happy for you.

[waj1993]

Congratulations!!! I'm SO happy for you.

And right now I'm so happy for pain meds and ice packs.

[waj1993]

Little fella isn't very big to begin with, and even this moderate swelling has got it MIA. Makes quick visits to the urinal a bit problematic for the moment.

Pretty sure i read about that in a different post, but didn't occur to me as a possibility until it occured to me. Maybe I'll tie a string to it sort of like those emergency trunk release cables (kidding but maybe not kidding).

[WheelyFixed]

Could well have been my experience you read about... Because of my SCI, I can't pee voluntarily, and have to do 'intermittent catheterizing'... I also have leakage problems that usually require me to use a 'male-guard' pad to catch the dribbles.

Because of the leakage I had them put in a 'Foley' or indwelling catheter that stays in all the time for the surgery and immediately after - I was told to take it out after 48 hours, which I did... This turned out to be a mistake because between the shrinkage I'd already had and the swelling I found that I couldn't get to my urethra to stick in the intermittent cath, and the poking and fishing trying to was causing a lot of aggravation to the incision... I ended up having to go to the ER because I couldn't pee (lots of fun explaining... )

They put in another Foley and told me to leave it in for 10 days this time, and not take it out until I had the already scheduled 'post-surgery' follow-up appointment.... At that point I had to demonstrate to the (female) PA that I could pull it out enough to reach the needed bits before she would pull the Foley....

At least when you have voluntary control, it may be messy, but you can sit and let it go where it will... At this point you should be healed up enough that it won't do any harm to get urine on the incision area as long as you gently wipe it off when done...

WheelyFixed

[waj1993]

^thanks, Wheely. With the swelling its hard enough to fish it out and (graphic content alert) depress the barrel down enough when in a sitting position to not end up making a mess. Standing involves a bit more fidgeting to coax it out.

[WheelyFixed]

Well it should get better over the next few days as the swelling goes down... Quite aside from the fact that they are prescription and therefore somewhat hard to come by, I wouldn't suggest trying catheters - it's not a fun solution....

WheelyFixed

[Evolve]

Congratulations!!! I'm SO happy for you.

And right now I'm so happy for pain meds and ice packs.

Before you know it, you'll be off both, but in the meantime, they are your best friends!

[waj1993]

Swelling seems to be on the decline, coloration improved. I've used Muralax to keep things flowing smoothly through the intestines so i dont feel the need to strain (probably paranoid overkill, but I've dealt with those issues before and no thank you).

Followup in a few days with the Dr and just for poops and giggles I'm taking a testosterone blood test to see what the levels are (I'm a data driven person, so I need data...) those take about a week to get back.

[WheelyFixed]

Sounds about right in terms of swelling and such, it takes a while to go away completely, but should get a lot better over the next few days. I'd say 80-90% was gone by two weeks after...

I guess it's an advantage of getting my care at a major hospital, I see most test results showing up in the patient gateway within a couple of hours, or by the next day. About the only things that take longer are stuff like urine culture & sensitivity where they have to wait for the bugs to grow out...

They still give me regular T & E level tests, even though I haven't had detectable T since a month after my first Lupron shot. (and get the results in a couple of hours)

What are you planning for hormone replacement, if anything?

In addition to the T level test, I'd STRONGLY advise getting a DEXA (bone density) scan to get a baseline, and plan (insist) on repeat scans for monitoring as often as your insurance will allow, especially if not doing HRT, or only 'low-dose' levels. If I had to pick one of the biggest health risks of getting castrated and not doing HRT, it's bone-health, as it has no visible symptoms until you start getting fractures... Even with HRT, monitoring is important as any significant declines can signal a need for dose adjustments.

WheelyFixed

[Adam661]

Go to Dr. Arnkoff in Michigan.

[waj1993]

Go to Dr. Arnkoff in Michigan.

Ahem:...

Today was the day. I know i haven't followed up in awhile on this, but had my consultation earlier this week, and today went in. No pain yet, but back at home keeping the cat away from my lap will be a challenge for a few.

Followup visit tomorrow.

I just made it under the wire, as Dr is retiring today from his office practice, I was his last patient (in Michigan). I understand he'll be working in a warmer climate state in some other capacity.

Sweat pants are my best friend right now, and i can tell there is a bit of swelling.

Fwiw: still swollen, but very mobile. Just keeping it chill as much as possible until swelling is gone. It's really tough to assess things while eveything is still swollen. Had a follow-up and everything is progressing fine.

[waj1993]

Update: swelling long since gone, some residual (phantom maybe) aches and pains.

Bit more emotional it seems (weepy side of things), but nothing crazy. Fan by the bed though to address random hot flashes. Been eating better and working on weight loss before it becomes a bigger issue.

[WheelyFixed]

Thanks for the update, glad to hear all is going well!

WheelyFixed