What an experience!

[AJP]

Well, I've just got home from Birmingham after my gyne correction with Levick. Should have been home yesterday, but of course it didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped.......

WEDNESDAY 9.00

Set off to the Priory nice and early, just in case there was an accident on the A38. Got there an hour early. Sat in the reception area for an hour waiting for my room. A very jovial porter showed me to my room at around midday, where I sat for a further 3 hours. I think this is maybe a common thing with the 12 o'clock booking. Saw lots of nurses, along with Levick, the anaesthetist and associates. I was then ushered through to surgery. I remember having a chat to them about what I did for a living etc, before the lights went out.

SOMETIME IN THE AFTERNOON

I remember waking up gabbering some b*llocks to the recovery staff, before realising that I was actually in quite a bit of pain. The nurses filled me with painkillers, which slowly took the edge off the discomfort, but in turn added to the surrealness. Levick came through to see me in recovery, along with the anaesthetist. I wasn't really 'with it' at this point, but I could tell that he was unsure over whether it had been a complete sucess. Levick and the anaesthetist had a chat around the corner, which I could sort of make out, and I decided for myself that somehow, it wasn't quite over. I had alot of swelling and haematoma (sp.) on my left side, and it was this that seemed to be causing most of the pain. Levick told me he would see me in the morning and take things from there.

WEDNESDAY 18.00

So I was rolled back to my room on the bed, where I spent the night in quite a bit of disorientation, mostly due to the opium-based painkillers I was necking. Those things are nasty. Somehow I managed to sleep, although I didn't eat, p*ss or sh*t at all.

THURSDAY MORNING

Woken by a nurse taking my blood pressure, pulse etc, as well as giving me another round of those green and yellow pills. Levick came in, told me that as I had a fair amount of swelling, they would take me in again 'for a quick flush'. Which they did. Woke up again in recovery, fresh bandage, seeing the same nurses, with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Was I tripping again? Was I really here? Damn those narcotics.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Spent the whole of Thursday afternoon and night being walloped round the head by the effects of the painkillers. Couldn't really hold my focus, and I was quite shaky the whole time. I did get the odd euphoric feeling that the opioids were producing, but for the vast majority of time I was detatched from reality and just generally high. There were a few hallucinations aswell; probably as much down to the fact that I had not eaten in such a long time. The main thing that really got to me was that I couldn't p*ss. At one point I stood over the loo for about 40 minutes. My bladder was full, but I just couldn't get it out. Horrible! Now at this point I felt like I was living out some scene from 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. Distant hums, strip lighting, vomiting, head spinning, hallucinating, shaking, pupils like bullets. And to top it off I had this massive black bruise lurking underneath the constricting bandage. It was all quite a bit to cope with. I'm sure had I turned down the regular ingestions of opiates I would have felt quite a bit better. Mentally, anyway.

FRIDAY MORNING

Levick came to see me in the morning along with nurses etc, declaring the success. Nurse removed the drains, dad turned up, off we went.

My account so far is fragmented and odd due to the fact that I'm food-deprived, sleep-deprived and still under the influence of the pills.

I'll be back later, to hopefully say something that makes more sense.

Cheers.  

[Merv_UK]

Well done mate. Sounds like quite an ordeal. I had to get a 'second flush' but I didn't really have much pain. I think the reason your feeling so sh1t is the cocktail of drugs they give you. It'll take a while to get these out of your system, so take your time. Plenty of water will help flush out the nasty stuff. Good news is: its all uphill from here, better to have gotten it sorted out at the time than months down the line.

[RRB]

Good to hear everything turned out ok in the end mate. This sort of thing is another reason you should take someone with you or have someone pick you up.  I know i didnt but looking back now i really wish i had.  If i was getting surgery after hearing yours and also mervs stories i think i would be taking someone with me.

Its good that even with minor problems like this the end result is still a good one.  Levick has a very good team in place.

[Chorlton]

Well done AJP you've got through it and am sure you will be well pleased with Levicks handy work.

That pi55ing thing is traumatic though.  Iwas the same and could not pi55 for england.  It was ecstacy when i finally did!

Chorlton

[AJP]

Cheers lads.

Quick update:

Just had an hour or so of sleep and I do feel more human - although looking in the mirror I've got eyes like someone who's just been clubbing! I'm on a strange sort of comedown.

I find that once I'm either on the move or settled the pain isn't bad at all, more of discomfort than anything. It's just when I'm getting up or settling down that things get unpleasant. I'd best describe the bandage as feeling very heavy and very tight (although it isn't). Would you guys agree?

[RRB]

I found the bandages very tight, and heavy when i was leaning forward at times.  I agree with the getting moving discomfort, especially when your trying to get comfortable in bed.  It will be fine after a couple of days mate

[AJP]

Hope so. It's just really tricky moving about as carefully as I can; I think I'm paranoid about damaging something.

To be honest though, I never expected it to be a piece of p*ss. Put it this way; if I can move about normally and have a nice flat chest in say, a month, I'm happy. I'm sure the next few days will be the hardest.

[AJP]

3 Days post op.

Managed to have a little wash of my armpits today (more of a dab) with a wet flannel. I'm starting to smell rather unsavoury. Swelling and bruising by my ribs has gone down quite a bit, although I do have a lump under my right armpit where the drain was. From reading everyone's comments though, I assume this is quite normal. I've got a large area on the left side of my back where the first lot of bandages were - It has left me with a big patch of residue from the adhesive, which is very itchy. I noticed that the skin is actually broken around that area, probably from where the first bandage was removed. Nothing major, but very annoying.

I have a little bit more movement in my arms, and I find it much easier to get up and sit down. I'm still quite badly bruised around my armpits and left shoulder. Can't wait to get the bandage off.

Managed to sleep on my back so far, but this is causing bach ache and pains in the joints of my shoulders. I feel like I need a big stretch to let all my joints click into place!

Mentally, I'm well over all the drugs they gave me. It's more the anticipation of removing the bandage which is playing on my mind now. Everyone warns "It will look awful", and yet everyone still seems shocked at just how awful it is. I just want to get that initial shock out of the way.

So, I'm getting better, very slowly. But thank god we can share experiences, especially after so many have gone with Levick. It makes it all a whole lot easier.

Cheers.

[AJP]

NEWSFLASH!!!

Woke myself up at 4.30 this morning, having managed to remove half of my bandage!

It must have really been itching during my sleep. I remember being half asleep thinking "just pull that bit, not too hard" and then waking fully and thinking F*CK!

So I rushed downstairs and (finally) found the bandages the nurse gave me when I was discharged, doing my best to re-fit the bandage and get a good amount of compression.

I did catch a glimpse of what lurked below, and it looked all out of shape, and a bit nasty, so I just ignored it. It's early days anyway.

Well it was a bit of a scare, I can tell you. I hope I haven't messed anything up by losing the compression for a few moments. The last thing I want is a fourth procedure!

[RRB]

Seriously doubt you done any harm mate, see some of those USA guys showing pics of bandages of the day after the op etc.  Put your mind at ease and call Levicks office, thats what they are there for.

Take care

[Merv_UK]

AJP,

I'm sure you haven't done any lasting damage: you've had 5 days good compression so far. Mightn't do any harm to ring Levicks office to see whether it would be better to switch to the compression vest. I've had no  fluid build up (so far fingers crossed) and put this down to the extra 'flush' Levick had to do.

[AJP]

Good idea. So can I just ask to speak to the man himself then?

[RRB]

Well i would assume if he is busy he will call you back but yes i think you can speak to him.  When i took my bandages off and thought i had a fluid build up i called Gail (i was supposed to call anyway after taking bandages off) , Gail then got him to call me back later that day.

[AJP]

Ok, I'll give him a ring in a bit.

Cheers.

[AJP]

Any other numbers I can ring?

Just tried the 01527 577675 number and got the answerphone. Or should I just leave a message?

Thanks.