Coming to you live, typing with one hand and a new peen! I am officially two weeks post-op and feeling good. My first post-op appointment was today – they took some staples out of my donor site arm. They said everything is looking good and healing well. They also put a flip-switch on my catheter which I’m very happy about. Having to carry and navigate with a cath bag is so cumbersome, especially with one hand! I’m realizing I haven’t provided too much context or detail about my surgery, so, here is a quick run down.
I had phalloplasty along with a vaginectomy, urethral lengthening, scrotoplasty, and glandsplasty. The surgery was 7-8 hours and I was in the ICU for 6 days. The first 3 days I had to lay on my back the entire time, both of my arms were numb and it was quite unpleasant. On day 4 they got me up and into a chair which also felt uncomfortable after awhile. Day 5 I got to walk and somewhere around that time I also had my first 💩. On day 6 I was discharged!
Pre-op!
The Good:
My 🍆 looks great, I am very happy with my results!
There were two other phallo patients in the ICU when I was there and while I didn’t meet them, it felt great to know I wasn’t alone in my experience.
My partner was by my side the entire time and I could never thank her enough. I would not have made it without her.
The Bad:
Male nurses: Ben and Dan. Need I say more?
Sleeping was hard for the first week or so. The phallus has to remain propped at all times, there is a catheter connected to you and movement/laying positions are limited. In general, getting up and off of the couch and bed (with one functioning arm) feels like an Olympic event.
The Ugly:
The smell and the hole. The body is a miraculous self healing machine but the odor that is coming from my nether-regions is ungodly and disgusting. Its normal, so I’m told, but its causing me some distress and self-consciousness. The source of the smell: There is a hole around the bottom of my phallus/scrotum that is normal and will heal and close up (and if it doesn’t they will fix in 3 months). Its weird and kinda scary but the medical professionals seem unfazed so I will just trust the process.
